THIS WEEK @NASA: Artemis II Crew Announced, Hot Fire Certification Test of RS-25 Engine

By  //  April 8, 2023

latest happenings around NASA

ABOVE VIDEO: Introducing the crew of our Artemis II Moon mission, lighting up an Artemis rocket engine, and a new image of a distant planet. A few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!

Introducing the Crew of the Artemis II Moon Mission

“Ladies and Gentlemen. Your Artemis II crew!”—Administrator Announces Crew

During an April 3 event near our Johnson Space Center, in Houston, we introduced NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Hammock Koch, and the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen, as the crew for Artemis II. It will be the first Artemis mission to fly astronauts around the Moon and back on our Orion spacecraft, to validate the systems, capabilities and techniques needed for humans to live and work in deep space.

“Together we will usher in a new era of exploration for a new generation of star sailors and dreamers. To the Moon, to Mars, and beyond. (applause)”—Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator

Learn more about Artemis II at nasa.gov/artemis-ii.

Hot Fire Certification Test of RS-25 Engine

Engineers at our Stennis Space Center conducted a hot fire of an RS-25 rocket engine on April 5. It was the fifth hot fire of a 12-test series to certify production of new engines. Four RS-25s will help power our Space Launch System rocket on future Artemis missions to the Moon.

Webb Scores New Image of Distant Uranus

Our James Webb Space Telescope captured this new image of Uranus that highlights the planet’s dramatic rings and bright atmospheric features. The data demonstrate Webb’s sensitivity for the distant planet’s faintest dusty rings, which have only been imaged by two other facilities besides Webb.

Perseverance Collects First Mars Sample of New Science Campaign

Our Perseverance rover recently collected and stored the first sample of the mission’s newest science campaign. The sample came from a rock the science team calls “Berea” that is located near the top of Jezero Crater’s delta on Mars.

That’s what’s up this week @NASA