THIS WEEK @NASA: Astronauts Arrive at Kennedy Space Center for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 Mission

Latest Happenings around NASA

ABOVE VIDEO: The next space station crew launching from America, a mission milestone for our next Mars rover, and an update on a future Mars sample return mission … a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!

Astronauts Arrive at Launch Site for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 Mission

The astronauts of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station arrived at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 8 to start final preparations for liftoff. Our Administrator Jim Bridenstine and others were on hand to greet them. The crew’s SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is named “Resilience,” which the astronauts say is a reflection of the team effort it took to get this mission ready to fly.

Soichi Noguchi, JAXA Astronaut:
“Resilience is power to recover, will to restore, and we strive to survive. Because our mission is for everyone. In fact, Crew-1 is ‘You-1’. All for one, one for all.”

Victor Glover, NASA Astronaut:
“We have this great mission ahead of us, and we all look forward to getting on orbit and doing our best to make you all proud of us, so thank you for your support. And thank you for being here today. Go Falcon, go Dragon and go Resilience.”

The Crew-1 astronauts are scheduled for a five-and-a-half-month research mission aboard the station.

Perseverance Has 100 More Days Until Reaching Mars

On Nov. 10, our Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission, on its way to the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater, pulled to within 100 days and 166 million miles of reaching its destination. The rover team is checking out the spacecraft, and planning simulations for what it will do after landing. In addition to searching for signs of ancient microbial life, the mission will collect and store samples of Martian rock and soil that a future Mars sample return mission could return to Earth for study.

Independent Review Indicates NASA is Prepared for Mars Sample Return Campaign

NASA released an independent review report on Nov. 10 indicating the agency is ready to undertake its Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign to send pristine samples collected on Mars to Earth for scientific study. The ambitious mission concept to return the first samples from another planet calls for a groundbreaking, international partnership with the European Space Agency. To read the full report, go to: nasa.gov/reports.

New NASA Partnerships to Mature Commercial Space Technologies, Capabilities

NASA announced 20 partnerships with U.S. companies to mature industry-developed space technologies for the Moon and beyond, including a 3D printing system for our Artemis program, testing a simple method to remove dust from planetary solar arrays, and more. For more about NASA space technology, including public-private partnership opportunities, check out nasa.gov/spacetech.

Europa Glows: Radiation Does a Bright Number on Jupiter’s Moon

A constant bombardment of radiation from Jupiter may cause the dark side of the planet’s icy moon, Europa to glow in the dark. New NASA research details, for the first time, what the glow would look like and what it could reveal about the composition of ice on Europa’s surface. Our Europa Clipper mission, targeted for launch in the mid-2020s, will observe the moon’s surface during multiple flybys while orbiting Jupiter.

NASA Using Augmented Reality to Transform Air Traffic Management

Our Ames Research Center is using augmented reality software to make useful information about drones and other aerial vehicles, more widely available to airspace operators, local public officials, emergency responders and others. It’s part of NASA’s effort to help develop an air transportation system for revolutionary new aircraft.

That’s what’s up this week @NASA

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