Our Artemis I spacecraft is delivered for
some critical testing …
A big step for our Commercial Crew program
…
And a possible connection between dust storms
and water loss on Mars … a few of the stories
to tell you about – This Week at NASA!
The Orion spacecraft for our Artemis I mission
arrived in Ohio on Nov. 24 aboard our Super
Guppy aircraft.
The spacecraft, which is comprised of the
Orion crew module and European-built service
module, will be tested at our Plum Brook Station
in Sandusky, Ohio.
The four-month test campaign will subject
Orion to extreme environmental conditions
similar to what it will experience during
its three-week mission around the Moon and
back to confirm all components and systems
work properly under in-space conditions.
Our partner Boeing has moved its CST-100 Starliner
spacecraft to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral
Air Force Station in Florida, in preparation
for its journey to the International Space
Station on the company’s uncrewed Orbital
Flight Test.
It’s part of our Commercial Crew Program,
which will again launch astronauts from American
soil.
The flight test, targeted for Dec. 17, will
test Starliner, the Atlas V rocket, ground
systems, and in-orbit docking and landing
operations ahead of crewed missions that will
carry astronauts to and from the space station.
Data gathered by our fleet of spacecraft during
the 2018 global dust storm on Mars is helping
shed new light on a phenomenon called "dust
towers," and their possible role in the disappearance
of water from the Red Planet for billions
of years.
According to two recently published scientific
papers, scientists think that water vapor
on Mars gets trapped in these “dust towers,”
and is then carried upward – as if riding
an elevator to space – where the water vapor
is then lost through the upper atmosphere.
Dust towers are seen throughout the Martian
year, but appear to form in greater numbers
during global storms.
Towers that reach heights of about 50 miles,
as seen during the 2018 global dust storm,
can spread out to about the size of the state
of Nevada.
A new video series celebrates our 20th year
of continuous human presence living off our
home planet.
“Down to Earth” features NASA astronauts
discussing a shift in worldview as a result
of their time in space aboard the International
Space Station.
Since the Nov. 2, 2000 arrival of Bill Shepherd,
Sergei Krikalev, and Yuri Gidzenko -- the
station’s first resident crew, there has
been a continuous stream of humans living
and working aboard the orbital outpost.
For more about the video series go to nasa.gov/station.
Our current space station astronauts – Jessica
Meir, Christina Koch, and Andrew Morgan – recorded
a Thanksgiving message to talk about what
they’re thankful for, and about some items
on the menu for their Turkey Day dinner.
“We’ve got vegetables, of course – green
beans and potatoes that we’ll warm up”
“And of course, uh – smoked turkey in
a pouch.”
“Cornbread dressing – this will be great.
We can maybe stuff it inside the turkey just
to make it like a real stuffing.”
“I want to know who’s going to carve the
turkey once it comes out of that pouch?”
“We also have some mashed potatoes and corn,
so it looks like we have a lot of good options
– it’s going to be quite a feast.”
“Happy Thanksgiving!”
That’s what’s up this week @NASA …
For more on these and other stories follow
us on the web at nasa.gov/twan.
