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View of ESA's European Service Module that is powering NASA's Orion spacecraft, pointing at our planet and the Moon, taken on the 13th day of flight for the Artemis I mission at 22:06 CET (21:06 GMT), 28 November 2022. It shows Orion and the European Service Module halfway through the Artemis I mission near its maximum distance from Earth, at 432210 km from our home planet and over 64 000 km from the Moon. Seen from the spacecraft our planet had just passed behind the Moon when this photo was taken, as Orion was in lunar orbit.
This picture was presented to French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to NASA’s headquarters in Washington D.C., USA, on 30 November.
Cameras placed at the end of Orion’s four European-built solar array wings are recording the Artemis mission as engineers test the uncrewed Orion spacecraft’s capabilities, preparing for missions with astronauts to the Moon.
After its launch on November 16, Orion has circled the Moon on its 25-day Artemis I mission. Orion was launched by the NASA Space Launch System rocket at 7:47 CET (06:47 GMT) from launchpad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.ac
The European Service Module is powering Orion, providing propulsion, temperature control, electricity as well as storage and delivery for essential supplies such as fuel, water and air. The uncrewed mission to learn as much as possible about Orion and its European Service Module’s performance. The primary objectives are to demonstrate Orion’s heat shield on reentry, demonstrate operations and facilities during all mission phases, and retrieve the spacecraft after splashdown.
Credits: NASA
When NASA’s Artemis I mission launches later this year, thousands of cameras will capture the historic first flight of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft.
Some cameras, though, are focused on carefully placed markings on the rocket, spacecraft, and mobile launcher. These cameras aim to capture portions of the countdown and launch and will provide valuable data to engineering teams following launch and flight.
A variety of black-and-white patterns are painted on the rocket and spacecraft and used as targets for the cameras. Some designs, like the checkered rings on each solid rocket booster, are used by cameras on the rocket. In the case of the black ring below the nose cone on the left-hand solid rocket booster, it allows the engineers to easily distinguish the right booster from the left since the vehicle is very symmetric and some of the cameras will have a tight field of view. Other patterns, though, are best viewed at a distance.
Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
#MoontoMars #NASAMarshall #nasasls #artemis #NASA #NASAMarshall #MSFC #MarshallSpaceFlightCenter #SpaceLaunchSystem #NASAKennedy #rocket #artemis1
The core stage for the first flight of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket is seen in the B-2 Test Stand during a second hot fire test, Thursday, March 18, 2021, at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The four RS-25 engines fired for the full-duration of 8 minutes during the test and generated 1.6 million pounds of thrust. The hot fire test is the final stage of the Green Run test series, a comprehensive assessment of the Space Launch System’s core stage prior to launching the Artemis I mission to the Moon.
Credit: NASA
#NASA #space #moon #Mars #NASAMarshall #msfc #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #rockets #exploration #engineering #explore #rocketscience #artemis #SSC #StennisSpaceCenter
NASA and Northrop Grumman will perform a full-scale static test of a Space Launch System (SLS) solid rocket booster motor at Northrop Grumman’s Promontory, Utah, test facility July 21. Engineers will fire the booster during the demonstration, called the Flight Support Booster 2 test, to evaluate materials and processes to improve boosters for future Artemis missions.
Teams installed the flight support booster for future versions of the SLS rocket’s solid rocket boosters into a test stand in Promontory, Utah. NASA and Northrop Grumman engineers are preparing to conduct a full-scale static test of the motor at the Northrop Grumman test facility July 21.
Image Credit: Northrop Grumman
#NASA #Moon2Mars #MoontoMars #NASAMarshall #msfc #sls #nasasls #rockets #exploration #artemis
On the sixth day of the Artemis I mission, Nov. 21, 2022, the Orion spacecraft’s optical navigation camera captured black-and-white images of craters on the Moon below. This photo and others captured are the closest photos of the Moon from a human-rated vessel since Apollo. The optical navigation camera takes black-and-white imagery of the Earth and the Moon at different phases and distances; this technology demonstration will help prove its effectiveness for future missions with crew.
Image credit: NASA
#NASA #NASAMarshall #ArtemisI #Orion #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #exploration #rocket #artemis #ArtemisI
Mega moon rocket, meet your destination: The “Full Pink Moon” sets behind LC-39B and the SLS rocket at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, seen Saturday morning.
The test on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, marked the eighth in a 12-test certification series that will support production of RS-25 engines by lead engine contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne for future Artemis missions, beginning with Artemis V. Engineers fired the RS-25 engine for almost eight-and-a-half minutes (500 seconds), the same amount of time it must operate to help send astronauts in the Orion spacecraft to space. The engine operated up to the 113% power level during the test, beyond the required 111% needed to get SLS to orbit. The increased power provides engineers with a margin of operational safety during testing.
Four RS-25 engines fire simultaneously to generate a combined 1.6 million pounds of thrust at launch and 2 million pounds of thrust during ascent to help power each SLS flight. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon and collaborate with commercial and international partners to establish the first long-term presence on the Moon. The agency will use what it learns on and around the Moon to then send the first astronauts to Mars.
Image Credit: NASA
#MoontoMars #NASAMarshall #nasasls #artemis #NASA #NASAStennis #SLS
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022, after being rolled out to the launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29.
Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
#MoontoMars #NASAMarshall #nasasls #artemis #NASA #NASAMarshall #MSFC #MarshallSpaceFlightCenter #SpaceLaunchSystem #ArtemisI #KSC #NASAKennedy
Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs lower the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage – the largest part of the rocket – onto the mobile launcher, in between the twin solid rocket boosters, inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 12, 2021. The 188,000-pound core stage, with its four RS-25 engines, will provide more than 2 million pounds of thrust during launch and ascent, and coupled with the boosters, will provide more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send the Artemis I mission to space. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, as well as establish a sustainable presence on the lunar surface in preparation for human missions to Mars.
Image Credit: NASA/Cory Huston
#NASA #space #moon #Mars #NASAMarshall #msfc #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #rockets #exploration #engineering #explore #rocketscience #artemis #KSC #KennedySpaceCenter
Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs lower the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage – the largest part of the rocket – onto the mobile launcher, in between the twin solid rocket boosters, inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 12, 2021.
Image Credit: NASA/Cory Huston
#NASA #space #moon #Mars #NASAMarshall #msfc #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #rockets #exploration #engineering #explore #rocketscience #artemis #KSC #KennedySpaceCenter
The rising Saturday sun peeks over the clouds as NASA’s SLS stands tall at LC39B.
Next step toward the launch of the #Artemis mission = “wet dress rehearsal” on 4/1.
(📷:me w/ thx to the great
@johnkrausphotos
for the KrausCrop™️ & other good processing advice)
We’re celebrating our 20th year of continuous presence aboard the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit this year, and we’re on the verge of sending the first women and next men to the Moon as part of our Artemis lunar exploration program so we can prepare for human missions to Mars.
It’s an incredible time in human spaceflight! Often the dream to be an astronaut is the spark that inspires people across the globe to pursue doing what they love and discovering and expanding knowledge that benefits all of us Earthlings.
NASA is more than astronauts. We are scientists, engineers, IT specialists, human resources specialists, accountants, writers, technicians and many other kinds of people working together to break barriers to achieve the seemingly impossible. We invite you to come along with us on humanity’s greatest journey to explore our universe.
Image credit: NASA
NASA’s Orion spacecraft is secured atop the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket, and the integrated system is entering the final phase of preparations for an upcoming uncrewed flight test around the Moon. The mission, known as Artemis I, will pave the way for a future flight test with crew before NASA establishes a regular cadence of more complex missions with astronauts on and around the Moon under Artemis. With stacking complete, a series of integrated tests now sit between the mega-Moon rocket and targeted liftoff for deep space in February 2022.
Image Credit: NASA
#NASA #space #moon #Mars #Moon2Mars #MoontoMars #NASAMarshall #msfc #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #rockets #exploration #engineering #explore #rocketscience #artemis #Orion #KSC #KennedySpaceCenter #ArtemisI
Mars has bright polar caps of ice that are easily visible from telescopes on Earth. A seasonal cover of carbon-dioxide ice and snow is observed to advance and retreat over the poles during the Martian year. Scientists using radar data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) have found a record of the most recent Martian ice age recorded in the planet's north polar ice cap.
This image is a simulated 3-D perspective view of Chasma Boreale, a canyon that reaches 570 kilometers (350 miles) into the north polar cap. It was created from image data taken by the THEMIS instrument on NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. Canyon walls rise about 1,400 meters (4,600 feet) above the floor of Chasma Boreale. Where the edge of the ice cap has retreated, sheets of sand are emerging that accumulated during earlier ice-free climatic cycles. Winds blowing off the ice have pushed loose sand into dunes, then driven them down-canyon in a westward direction.
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These official NASA photographs are being made available for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photographs. The photographs may not be used in materials, advertisements, products, or promotions that in any way suggest approval or endorsement by NASA. All Images used must be credited. For information on usage rights, click here.
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B, Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Teams began walkdowns and inspections at the pad to assess the status of the rocket and spacecraft after the passage of Hurricane Nicole. NASA’s Artemis I flight test is the first integrated test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Nov. 16 at 1:04 a.m. EST.
Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
#NASA #NASAMarshall #ArtemisI #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #exploration #rocket #artemis #KSC #KennedySpaceCenter
Technicians at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, have completed applying thermal protection system material to the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for Artemis III, which will land astronauts on the Moon to advance long-term lunar exploration and scientific discovery and inspire the Artemis Generation. The LVSA is a cone-shaped element connecting the mega rocket’s core stage to its interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS), partially enclosing it and protecting its avionics and electrical systems from the extreme pressures, sounds, and temperatures during launch and flight.
Teams at Marshall began applying the thermal protection system material earlier this spring. Unlike other parts of the SLS rocket, the thermal protection system material for the LVSA is applied entirely by hand using a spray gun. During application, the technicians use a thin measuring rod to gauge the proper thickness. Once the thermal protection system has cured, certain areas are sanded down to meet parameters. The entire process takes several months.
The LVSA is fully manufactured at Marshall by NASA, lead contractor Teledyne Brown Engineering, and the Jacobs Space Exploration Group’s ESSCA contract. The LVSA for Artemis III is the last of its kind as future SLS rockets will transition to its next, more powerful Block 1B configuration beginning with Artemis IV.
NASA is working to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.
Image credit: NASA/Brandon Hancock
#NASA #NASAMarshall #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #exploration #rocket #artemis
NASA completed stacking Oct. 21, 2021, of the agency's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I uncrewed mission around the Moon. The stacking operations were conducted inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Image Credit: NASA
#NASA #space #moon #Mars #Moon2Mars #MoontoMars #NASAMarshall #msfc #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #rockets #exploration #engineering #explore #rocketscience #artemis #Orion #KSC #KennedySpaceCenter #ArtemisI
A single solid rocket booster motor fires up at Northrop Grumman’s test facility in Promontory, Utah, on July 21. The booster motor, positioned horizontally for the ground test, fired for a little over two minutes and produced 3.6 million pounds of thrust. The only way to conduct a ground test of the boosters without launching is in a horizontal test stand. The test aids in the development of future versions of the solid rocket boosters for the SLS rocket. Based on the space shuttle solid rocket boosters, the SLS boosters are the largest, most powerful solid propellant boosters ever built for flight.
Image Credit: Northrop Grumman
#NASA #Moon2Mars #MoontoMars #NASAMarshall #msfc #sls #nasasls #rockets #exploration #artemis
NASA conducted its second RS-25 engine hot fire test of the new year Feb. 8 on the Fred Haise Test Stand at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The test was the third hot fire in the latest test series that began in mid-December. NASA is testing RS-25 engines to help power the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on future deep-space missions. Four RS-25 engines will generate a combined 2 million pounds of thrust to power SLS’s ascent.
Image Credit: NASA
#MoontoMars #NASAMarshall #nasasls #artemis #NASA
The Flight Readiness Review for NASA’s Artemis I mission concluded August 22, and teams are proceeding toward a two-hour launch window that opens at 8:33 a.m. EDT Monday, August 29, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39B in Florida.
Here, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher as it moves up the ramp at Launch Pad 39B, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
#MoontoMars #NASAMarshall #nasasls #artemis #NASA #NASAMarshall #MSFC #MarshallSpaceFlightCenter #SpaceLaunchSystem #ArtemisI #KSC #NASAKennedy
Engineers are making progress repairing the area where a liquid hydrogen leak was detected during the Artemis I launch attempt Sept. 3, and NASA is preserving options for the next launch opportunity as early as Friday, Sept. 23.
Here, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is seen at Launch Pad 39B Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as teams work to replace the seal on an interface, called the quick disconnect, between the liquid hydrogen fuel feed line on the mobile launcher and the rocket.
Image credit: NASA/Chad Siwik
#NASA #NASAMarshall #ArtemisI #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #exploration #rocket #artemis #KSC #KennedySpaceCenter
NASA and Northrop Grumman successfully conduct a full-scale, static test of a five-segment booster motor for future flights of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on July 21.
Image Credit: Northrop Grumman
#NASA #Moon2Mars #MoontoMars #NASAMarshall #msfc #sls #nasasls #rockets #exploration #artemis
Stacking is complete for the twin Space Launch System (SLS) solid rocket boosters for NASA's Artemis I mission. Over several weeks, workers used one of five massive cranes to place 10 booster segments and nose assemblies on the mobile launcher inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Engineers with Exploration Ground Systems placed the first segment on Nov. 21, 2020, and continued the process until the final nose assembly was placed on March 2. Prior to the arrival of the core stage, the team will finish installing electrical instrumentation and pyrotechnics, then test the systems on the boosters. When the SLS core stage arrives at Kennedy, technicians will transport it to the VAB, and then stack it on the mobile launcher between the two boosters. The SLS will be the most powerful rocket in the world, producing up to 8.8 million pounds of thrust during its Artemis I launch.
Artemis I will be an uncrewed test of the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA aims to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon and establish sustainable lunar exploration.
Credit: NASA
#NASA #space #moon #Mars #NASAMarshall #msfc #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #rockets #exploration #engineering #explore #rocketscience #artemis #KSC #KennedySpaceCenter
A real finale! @NASA, @BoeingSpace, and @AerojetRdyne have completed the final test of the core stage Green Run test series for NASA's Space Launch System rocket at @NASAStennis. Today, propellant flowed through the tanks, all the flight computers and avionics systems operated, and the four RS-25 engines fired simultaneously. Next time this stage operates, the SLS rocket will be launching the agency's first #Artemis mission to the Moon. Check out our Instagram Stories for highlights from the day!
Credit: NASA
#NASA #space #moon #Mars #NASAMarshall #msfc #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #rockets #exploration #engineering #explore #rocketscience #artemis #SSC #StennisSpaceCenter
Almost 1,500 people turned out Sunday, November 24 to watch NASA's Super Guppy aircraft arrive at Mansfield Lahm Airport with the Orion spacecraft for Artemis I aboard. After viewing exhibits, the crowd gathered at the flight line to await the aircraft.
The nose of the Guppy was opened at sunrise on Monday, November 25 revealing the packaged Orion spacecraft inside. It has been removed from the aircraft and is loaded onto a large flatbed trailer so it can be transported to NASA’s Plum Brook Station for testing.
Completed in two phases inside the world’s largest vacuum chamber, testing will begin with a thermal test, which will last approximately 60 days, while Orion’s systems are powered-on under vacuum conditions that simulate the space environment.
During this phase, the spacecraft will be subjected to extreme temperatures, ranging from -250 to 300-degrees Fahrenheit, to replicate flying in-and-out of sunlight and shadow in space. The second phase is an electromagnetic interference and compatibility test, lasting about 14 days. This testing will ensure the spacecraft’s electronics work properly when operated at the same time.
After successful completion, the spacecraft will return to NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where it will begin integration with the powerful Space Launch System rocket for the Artemis I launch.
Image credit: NASA/Bridget Caswell
More about the Super Guppy flight and more images
Around 7:30 a.m. EDT the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission arrived atop Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida after a nearly 10-hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building.
In the coming days, engineers and technicians will configure systems at the pad for launch, which is currently targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29 at 8:33 a.m. (two hour launch window). Teams have worked to refine operations and procedures and have incorporated lessons learned from the wet dress rehearsal test campaign and have updated the launch timeline accordingly.
In this image, NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, after being rolled out to the launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of the agency's deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29.
Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
#MoontoMars #NASAMarshall #nasasls #artemis #NASA #NASAMarshall #MSFC #MarshallSpaceFlightCenter #SpaceLaunchSystem #NASAKennedy #rocket #artemis1
NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida is one power step closer to processing the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket in the world, for its first flight, Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1), and NASA’s journey to Mars. During a preliminary test April 28, the two J-level work platforms installed on the north and south sides of Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 3, where the SLS will be prepared for launch, were successfully activated to test their functionality and simulate how they will surround the massive rocket on the mobile launcher.
Mike Bolger, Ground Systems Development and Operations Program (GSDO) manager, stood on the walkway on the 16th floor, above the J-level platforms, as construction contractor Hensel Phelps operated the controls and began the test.
“It was an amazing sight to look down and watch as the platform smoothly extended out into the open air of High Bay 3,” Bolger said. “As each half of the J platforms slowly extended, I couldn’t help but think forward to the day when the SLS core stage and boosters will fill the void between the platform halves.”
One of the J-level work platforms is powered on and extended in the Vehicle Assembly Building.
The J-level work platforms are just one of 10 levels of platforms that will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft in the high bay. The platforms will extend and retract and will have the capability to be adjusted up or down as required to give engineers and technicians access to various areas of the giant rocket, twin solid rocket boosters, Orion and its launch abort system during processing and testing.
To read the full article, click here.
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These official NASA photographs are being made available for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photographs. The photographs may not be used in materials, advertisements, products, or promotions that in any way suggest approval or endorsement by NASA. All Images used must be credited. For information on usage rights, click here.
Data received late Sept. 1 from NASA’s Perseverance rover indicate the team has achieved its goal of successfully coring a Mars rock. The initial images downlinked after the historic event show an intact sample present in the tube after coring. However, additional images taken after the arm completed sample acquisition were inconclusive due to poor sunlight conditions. Another round of images with better lighting will be taken before the sample processing continues. Here, the drill hole from Perseverance’s second sample-collection attempt can be seen, in this composite of two images taken on Sept. 1, by one of the rover’s navigation cameras.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
#NASA #MarshallSpaceFlightCenter #MSFC #rocket space #JPL #JetPropulsionLaboratory #Perserverance #Mars2020Rover #Mars #planet
Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs integrate the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) atop the massive SLS core stage in the agency’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 5, 2021.
Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
#NASA #space #moon #Mars #NASAMarshall #msfc #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #rockets #exploration #engineering #explore #rocketscience #artemis #KSC #KennedySpaceCenter
NASA has completed assembly of the upper, or forward, part of the core stage for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will send the Artemis II crew on their lunar mission. Boeing, the lead core stage contractor, completed joining the forward part of the rocket, and then lifted it out of the assembly structure at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.
With Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon and establish long-term exploration in preparation for human missions to Mars. SLS and NASA’s Orion spacecraft, along with the human landing system and the Gateway that will orbit the Moon, are NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.
Image Credit: NASA
#MoontoMars #NASAMarshall #nasasls #artemis #NASA
In honor of Women’s History Month, NASA celebrates the many contributions women have made to the nation, world, and beyond, including five women at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, who developed flight software that will control the rocket for Artemis missions to the Moon.
These engineers developed and tested Space Launch System software that will tell the rocket how to operate for the first 8 minutes of the Artemis I mission during its launch and ascent to orbit. Their work continues Marshall’s legacy of propelling NASA exploration through engineering.
The engineers include Linda Brewster, Avionics and Software Test Facility branch chief; Shawna Broussard, an engineer who also works in the avionics test facility; Shaun Phillips, SLS flight software project lead; Marlyn Terek, Software Development branch chief and former flight software design team leader; and Deanna Whitehead, Flight and Ground Software and Simulation Division chief.
Under Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, establishing a long-term human presence. The agency will also use innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before and prepare to send astronauts to Mars.
Image Credit: NASA/Charles Beason
#MoontoMars #NASAMarshall #nasasls #artemis #WHM
The Orion Spacecraft of the Artemis I mission is due to make its return to Earth in just a few hours, so with a nod to that event I'm posting this photo from just a few hours before it left Earth.
The Orion spacecraft is seen here atop the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Artemis I mission. This photo was looking out to Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. We were at the Banana Creek Launch Viewing Area and the reflection here is from Futch Cove in Banana Creek between us and the launch pad.
The Artemis I mission took the Orion spacecraft out to the moon, remaining in orbit there for several days, and then returning to Earth.
I exported this for print on 11x17 300dpi. When I uploaded, I didn't realize the EXIF data was stripped. This was taken with a 400mm lens on a Canon 6D. In my travels I failed to bring a tripod, but I did have a monopod. With the monopod attached to the lens collar, I propped the camera body on a nearby fence and used a remote shutter release to keep it as still as possible. Not ideal, and many of the shots had some blur, but I did manage to get a few that I was happy to have as a souvenir of this historic occasion.
Final stacking operations for NASA's mega-Moon rocket are underway inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center as the Orion spacecraft is lifted onto the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for the Artemis I mission.
Next, teams will slowly lower it onto the fully stacked SLS rocket and connect it to the Orion Stage Adapter. This will require the EGS team to align the spacecraft perfectly with the adapter before gently attaching the two together. This operation will take several hours to make sure Orion is securely in place.
Image Credit: NASA/Chad Siwik
#NASA #space #moon #Mars #Moon2Mars #MoontoMars #NASAMarshall #msfc #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #rockets #exploration #engineering #explore #rocketscience #artemis #Orion #KSC #KennedySpaceCenter #ArtemisI
Teams at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, have completed applying a spray-on foam insulation to the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) for the Artemis III mission. The LVSA is a cone-shaped piece of hardware that connects the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s upper and lower stages and partially encloses the engine of the interim cryogenic propulsion stage. The spray-on foam insulation is a type of thermal protection system that is used to protect the Moon rocket’s hardware from the extreme temperatures, forces, and sounds it’ll experience during launch and ascent. Unlike other parts of the mega rocket, the thermal protection system for the LVSA is applied entirely by hand using a tool similar to a spray gun. It is the largest piece of SLS hardware to be hand sprayed. Teams started applying the thermal protection system in March.
The LVSA in this video will be used for Artemis III, the mission that will land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface. The LVSA is fully manufactured at Marshall by NASA, lead contractor Teledyne Brown Engineering, and the Jacobs Space Exploration Group’s ESSCA contract.
Image credit: NASA
#NASA #NASAMarshall #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #exploration #rocket #artemis #ssc #StennisSpaceCenter #Stennis
This image is of the first core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket as it departed Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, on April 23, 2021, aboard the Pegasus barge, following completion of the Green Run series of tests of its design and systems. The stage now is in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. At Kennedy, the core stage will be integrated with the rest of the SLS rocket and the Orion spacecraft in preparation for launch. Through the Artemis program, NASA will return humans, including the first woman and first person of color, to the Moon and prepare for eventual journeys to Mars.
Credit: NASA
#NASA #space #moon #Mars #NASAMarshall #msfc #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #rockets #exploration #engineering #explore #rocketscience #artemis #KSC #KennedySpaceCenter #StennisSpaceCenter #SSC
NASA Identifies Candidate Regions for Landing Next Americans on Moon
As NASA prepares to send astronauts back to the Moon under Artemis, the agency has identified 13 candidate landing regions near the lunar South Pole. Each region contains multiple potential landing sites for Artemis III, which will be the first of the Artemis missions to bring crew to the lunar surface, including the first woman to set foot on the Moon.
Shown here is a rendering of 13 candidate landing regions for Artemis III. Each region is approximately 9.3 by 9.3 miles (15 by 15 kilometers). A landing site is a location within those regions with an approximate 328-foot (100-meter) radius.
Image credit: NASA
#MoontoMars #NASAMarshall #nasasls #artemis #NASA #NASAMarshall #MSFC #MarshallSpaceFlightCenter #SpaceLaunchSystem #NASAKennedy #rocket #artemis1III
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) team fully stacked three hardware elements together May 24 to form the top of the rocket’s core stage for the Artemis II mission. NASA and core stage prime contractor Boeing connected the forward skirt with the liquid oxygen tank and intertank flight hardware inside an assembly area at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Teams had previously stacked the liquid oxygen tank and intertank on April 28. The joining of the three structures together is the first major assembly of core stage hardware for Artemis II, the first crewed Artemis mission and second flight of the SLS rocket. Next, technicians will work to complete outfitting and integrating the systems within the upper structure.
Image Credit: NASA/Eric Bordelon
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Crews at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, worked April 19-20 to remove the first flight core stage of the agency’s Space Launch System rocket from the B-2 Test Stand in preparation for its transport to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Operations required crews to lift the core stage from its vertical placement in the stand and lower it to a horizontal position on the B-2 Test Stand tarmac. The stage now will be loaded on NASA’s Pegasus barge for transport to Kennedy, where it will be prepared for launch of the Artemis I mission. Removal of the largest rocket stage ever built by NASA followed completion of a series of eight Green Run tests over the past year. During the Green Run series, teams performed a comprehensive test of the stand’s sophisticated and integrated systems. The series culminated in a hot fire of the stage’s four RS-25 engines on the B-2 stand March 18. During the hot fire, the four engines generated a combined 1.6 million pounds of thrust, just as during an actual launch. The test was the most powerful performed at Stennis in more than 40 years. NASA is building SLS, the world’s most powerful rocket, to return humans to deep space missions. As part of the backbone of NASA’s Artemis program, SLS will return humans, including the first woman and person of color, to the surface of the Moon to establish a sustainable presence and prepare for eventual missions to Mars.
Credit: NASA
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On April 8, 2022, this 30-second exposure captured the International Space Station as it passed over the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This photo was chosen by the NASA Headquarters photographers as one of the best images from 2022..
Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
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More about the Space Launch System
NASA powered up its third RS-25 engine hot fire test of the new year Feb. 24, on the Fred Haise Test Stand at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Operators fired the engine past recent testing at the 111% power level up to 113% for a period of time. NASA is testing RS-25 engines to help power the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on future deep space missions. Initial SLS missions will send the agency’s Orion spacecraft to the Moon as part of NASA's Artemis program.
Image Credit: NASA
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Moon rocket, there's your destination: The 97% Moon rises behind NASA's Space Launch System, currently sitting atop LC-39B.
(Shout-out to the great Ben Cooper who did this better last night, & to John Kraus, shooting to my right; check out their amazing pics.)
NASA’s testing for redesigned RS-25 engines to be used on future Space Launch System (SLS) missions continued with a March 8 full-duration hot fire at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
The test, conducted on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA Stennis, was the third of the year and part of an ongoing certification hot fire series. It also was the third test since an upgraded nozzle was installed on the RS-25 engine just prior to a Feb 8 hot fire. The redesigned engines provided by lead SLS engines contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne will be used on future Artemis flights to the Moon, beginning with Artemis V, as NASA continues its mission to explore the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all.
Here, a mounted field camera offers a close-up views as NASA conducts an RS-25 hot fire test on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi on March 8, 2023.
Image Credit: NASA
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NASA started rolling the Artemis I Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft with its European Service Module back to the Vehicle Assembly Building on 26 September at 05:21 CEST (04:21 BST).
The return to hangar was based on weather predictions associated with Hurricane Ian, that were not improving around the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center area in Florida, USA. The decision allows time for employees to address the needs of their families and protect the integrated rocket and spacecraft system.
NASA’s Artemis I flight test will be the first integrated test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems.
ESA’s European Service Module will be powering the Orion spacecraft to the Moon and back.
The European Service Module – or ESM – provides for all astronauts’ basic needs, such as water, oxygen, nitrogen, temperature control, power and propulsion. Much like a train engine pulls passenger carriages and supplies power, the European Service Module will take the Orion capsule to its destination and back.
Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja
The core stage for the first flight of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket is seen in the B-2 Test Stand during a hot fire test, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021, at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The four RS-25 engines fired for a little more than one minute and generated 1.6 million pounds of thrust. The hot fire is part of the Green Run test series, a comprehensive assessment of the Space Launch System’s core stage prior to launching the Artemis I mission to the Moon.
Credit: NASA
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Mega moon rocket, meet your destination: The “Full Pink Moon” sets behind LC-39B and the SLS rocket at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, seen Saturday morning.
NASA completed developmental engine testing March 30 with a full-duration RS-25 hot fire, to support future engines that will launch Space Launch System (SLS) astronauts deeper into space than ever.
Operators fired RS-25 engine No. 0525 for about eight-and-a-half minutes (500 seconds) and up to 111% power level on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The March 30 hot fire completed the fourth developmental test series and sets Aerojet Rocketdyne, lead contractor for NASA’s SLS engines, on pace to produce new RS-25s for future use.
Image Credit: NASA
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NASA conducted its fourth RS-25 single-engine hot fire of the year May 20, a continuation of its seven-part test series to support development and production of engines for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on future missions to the Moon. The engine was fired for more than 8 minutes (500 seconds) on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, the same amount of time RS-25 engines need to fire for launch of the SLS rocket. The test series is designed to provide valuable data to Aerojet Rocketdyne, prime contractor for the SLS engines, as it begins production of new engines for use after the first four SLS flights. Four RS-25 engines, along with a pair of solid rocket boosters, will help power SLS at launch. With testing of the engines for the rocket’s first four Artemis program missions to the Moon already completed, operators now are focused on collecting data to demonstrate and verify various engine capabilities while reducing operational risk. During the May 20 test, the team fired the engine at 111% of its original power level for a set duration of time, the same level that RS-25 engines are required to operate during launch. SLS is the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built and the only one capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission. As part of the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon and establish sustainable exploration in preparation for missions to Mars. SLS and NASA’s Orion spacecraft, along with the commercial human landing system and the Gateway outpost in orbit around the Moon, are NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration. RS-25 tests at Stennis are conducted by a combined team of NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Syncom Space Services operators. Syncom Space Services is the prime contractor for Stennis facilities and operations.
Credit: NASA
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NASA engineers successfully completed a 24-inch diameter subscale solid rocket test on Dec. 2, 2021, at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, in the East Test Area. The sub-scale motor produced 76,400 pounds of thrust during the hot fire test. This test was the first of two tests supporting the Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension (BOLE) development effort that includes a new motor design for upcoming Artemis missions after Artemis VIII. This 334-inch motor was the longest subscale motor tested to date.
Image Credit: NASA
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The first solid rocket booster test for Space Launch System (SLS) missions beyond Artemis III is seen here during a two-minute hot fire test, Wednesday, September 2, 2020, at the T-97 Northrop Grumman test facility in Promontory, Utah. The flight support booster is structurally identical to each of the five-segment solid rocket boosters on the SLS rocket and produce more than 75 percent of the rocket's thrust capability.
The flight support booster test builds on prior tests and will allow NASA and Northrop Grumman, the SLS booster lead contractor, to evaluate the motor's performance using potential new materials and processes for future booster performance.
NASA is working to land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024. The SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, Gateway, and Human Landing System are part of NASA's backbone for deep space exploration. The Artemis program is the next step in human space exploration. It's part of Americ's broader Moon to Mars exploration approach, in which astronauts will explore the Moon. Experience gained there will enable humanity's next giant leap: sending humans to Mars. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.
Credit: NASA/Northrop Grumman/Scott Mohrman
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NASA started rolling the Artemis I Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft with its European Service Module back to the Vehicle Assembly Building on 26 September at 05:21 CEST (04:21 BST).
The return to hangar was based on weather predictions associated with Hurricane Ian, that were not improving around the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center area in Florida, USA. The decision allows time for employees to address the needs of their families and protect the integrated rocket and spacecraft system.
NASA’s Artemis I flight test will be the first integrated test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems.
ESA’s European Service Module will be powering the Orion spacecraft to the Moon and back.
The European Service Module – or ESM – provides for all astronauts’ basic needs, such as water, oxygen, nitrogen, temperature control, power and propulsion. Much like a train engine pulls passenger carriages and supplies power, the European Service Module will take the Orion capsule to its destination and back.
Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja