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NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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A world-wide space leader

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the world’s first satellite into orbit. While it was a dummy payload, with very few scientific or military instruments on board, it stroke fear to non-communist countries around the world.

On the other side of the world, what was believed to be the Western Super power, the United States, was struggling to keep up with the Soviet Union. So in 1958, Congress drafted and approved the National Aeronautics and Space Act. It was then signed into law by President Dwight Eisenhower on July 29, 1958. With that, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was created.

NASA’s goal since then has been to develop new technologies for both use in our atmosphere and in space. It was also designed to lead the nations new civil space program in openness, a contrast to the Soviet Union.

Since then the agencies has grown and now leads the world in both funding and number of projects it can run. NASA has become the organizer of other space agencies to collaborate to do bigger things than what we could do on our own, as well as be the champion of commercial space applications. (Sometimes.)

NASA is headquartered in Washington DC, and the current interim administrator is Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.

Space Exploration

Since the agencies beginning, space exploration has been NASA’s primary mission. Beginning with Project Mercury, to Gemini, Apollo, the Space Shuttle, and now Artemis, NASA leads the world in expanding exploration of space.

International Space Station

Arguably the largest ongoing space mission that NASA is involved in is the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS is a habitable modular space station involving five space agencies: NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA. Construction of the orbital laboratory began on November 20, 1998.

NASA’s four enduring strategic goals are as follows:

  • Expand human knowledge via new scientific discoveries
  • Extend human presence deeper into space for sustainable, long-term utilization
  • Address national issues and catalyze economic growth
  • Optimize capabilities and operations

The Artemis Program

Currently, NASA’s major space exploration program is a daring adventure to return humanity to the Moon. The plan consists of the agency’s SLS rocket and Orion space capsule. The program originally started as a fully public program but has since switched over to using the growing commercial space sector to help develop parts of the program.

Artemis consists of multiple programs and contracts to meet its goal of returning humanity back to Moon sustainably and to stay this time. To do that, NASA has taken a big bet that in the future there will be a commercial market for access to the Moon.

NASA developed the primary launcher for crew, SLS and Orion, while it has partnered with the commercial industry for everything else. Contracts have been signed for NASA to purchase lunar landers, spacesuits, rovers, and resupply services commercially rather than owning the systems itself.

Eventually, NASA could be just one of many customers served by these services it helped create.

Why Boeing Starliner is still docked to the ISS

NASA held a press conference yesterday to talk about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and Starliner. In attendance were Ken Bowersox, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate; Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program; Bill Spetch, operations integrations manager; Emily Nelson, chief flight director at JSC; and Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program element.

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Boeing Starliner lifts off on historic first mission

An Atlas V rocket lifts off from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on Boeing Starliner's CFT mission.

Wednesday morning Boeing, ULA, and NASA once again convened to attempt to launch the Starliner CFT mission with astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams onboard. With a clean countdown, ULA’s Atlas V successfully delivered Starliner to space, however, two additional helium leaks have been found while in orbit, but docking is planned to continue unchanged.

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Starliner crewed flight delayed until Friday after valve issue found on rocket

After an extremely smooth countdown and crew egress, ULA controllers called a scrub Starliner’s Crewed Flight Test a few hours before planned liftoff due to a misbehaving valve. While the problem is a known issue by ULA, it will take a few days to trouble shoot, meaning the next launch attempt won’t be until at least Friday.

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SpaceX Dragon moves out of the way for Boeing Starliner’s first crewed flight

By the end of the week the International Space Station will be fully ready to support Boeing Starliner’s Crewed Test Flight with an opening on the forward docking port on the station’s Harmony Module. This will be completed with the reshuffling of two SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

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Starship and Blue Moon get cargo variants to deliver Artemis rovers

Over the last few weeks NASA has announced a plethora of partnerships and contracts for lunar rovers that astronauts will eventually use on future Artemis missions. Those rovers will of course need a ride to the Moon, which will come in the like of cargo variants of NASA’s HLS landers, Starship and Blue Moon.

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NASA’s Europa lander and the search for life on a distant Jupiter moon

As humanity continues its relentless pursuit of the cosmos, engineers at NASA‘s Jet Propulsion Laboratory are working on an ambitious concept for a journey to one of the most promising locales for extraterrestrial life within our solar system – Jupiter‘s moon Europa. A potential Europa lander would be designed to delve into the secrets hidden beneath its icy exterior. 

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Boeing Starliner is set and ready to launch its first crew to space

Last week Boeing and ULA rolled a Starliner spacecraft from the former’s facilities on Kennedy Space Center to the latter’s launch site on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. With that, final checkouts are underway before two NASA astronauts climb inside and fly it to the ISS and back.

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NASA is looking for new ways to get its Martian samples back home

In what I’ve always viewed as a bold move by NASA, since 2021 Perseverance has been collecting Martian core samples for future return. The issue is a return plan wasn’t finalized or paid for before launch, which in recent years has been under attack by Congress who wants a lighter budget. On Monday NASA conceded to complaints that it’s too expensive.

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NASA launches space sustainability strategy to address orbital debris challenges

NASA revealed its comprehensive Space Sustainability Strategy April 9, aiming to tackle the escalating threats posed by space debris in Earth’s orbit. This initiative, as detailed by NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy during the 39th Space Symposium, prioritizes understanding the complex nature of space sustainability and developing methods to mitigate associated risks. 

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Intuitive Machines secures $30M crewed lunar rover contract

Intuitive Machines has been awarded $30 million by NASA to conduct a services feasibility assessment for a Lunar Terrain Vehicle, LTV, the first phase of developing a crewed rover for human exploration of the Moon’s surface. This contract marks the company’s first foray into human spaceflight operations, underpinning its role in NASA’s ambitious $4.6 billion LTV services project.

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Pioneering the lunar frontier: Artemis 4 astronauts to visit 1st lunar space station

After NASA returns humans to the Moon during the Artemis 3 mission, the agency plans to begin assembling the first space station in lunar orbit. Part of the Artemis 4 mission, the goal is to deliver a critical component to the Lunar Gateway and begin enabling sustainable exploration of the Moon while serving as a stepping stone for future crewed missions to Mars.

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