Seeking ideas for landing systems to return
humans to the Moon …
Showcasing our aeronautics research efforts
…
And the science connection to Apollo 11’s
splashdown … a few of the stories to tell
you about – This Week at NASA!
We’re looking for ideas from American companies
on a human landing system for our Artemis
program, which aims to put the first woman
and next man on the Moon by 2024.
Although internal studies point to a three-stage
landing system to safely transport astronauts
between the Moon and our lunar Gateway, we’re
interested in alternative approaches that
can accomplish the same long-term goals of
global lunar access and reusability.
Our Artemis missions will use what we learn
on the Moon to prepare for human missions
to Mars.
We joined the Experimental Aircraft Association’s
AirVenture Oshkosh 2019 event, with forums
and exhibits showcasing the latest technologies
in aeronautics research.
History was also on display – with an overview
of the space race during Project Apollo.
The event also included updates on a wide
range of current and future NASA science and
space exploration programs.
Our 50th anniversary celebration of Apollo
11 continued this week with a special edition
of NASA Science Live on July 23 – taking
viewers onboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier
that recovered the Apollo 11 capsule after
splashdown.
Splashdown marked the conclusion of the crew’s
mission, but it was just the beginning for
the science brought back from the Moon.
This episode focused on what we learned from
the Apollo missions, what we’re still uncovering
today and what we hope to discover with future
Artemis missions to the Moon.
“It’s our honor to have you on board and
we just hope that we’re keeping the innovative
spirit alive that you all sparked …”
On July 24, the date Apollo 11 splashed down
fifty years ago, Michael Collins, the mission’s
command module pilot, spoke to the crew aboard
the International Space Station from our Johnson
Space Center, in Houston.
“Those Apollo people who are still around
– we salute you.
We didn’t realize we’d spawned an operation
of such complexity when we were doing it a
few years back, but bless you and have a good
one.”
The space station is a multinational research
lab and technology test bed where we’re
learning human health and other research vital
to our exploration future.
On July 25, our commercial partner, SpaceX
launched its Dragon cargo spacecraft to the
International Space Station aboard a Falcon
9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
in Florida.
The Dragon is delivering supplies, equipment
and science investigations to the orbital
outpost as part of the company’s 18th resupply
mission for NASA.
Chris Kraft, NASA’s first flight director,
passed away on July 22.
Kraft created the concept of NASA's Mission
Control and led the human spaceflight program
from Project Mercury through Apollo 12.
After becoming director of our Johnson Space
Center, he continued playing a vital role
in the success of the final Apollo missions
through the first flights of the space shuttle.
His concept of mission operations is still
in daily use by the International Space Station
mission control team.
Chris Kraft was 95 years old.
That’s what’s up this week @NASA …
For more on these and other stories follow
us on the web at nasa.gov/twan.
