The debut — and launch — of NASA’s massive SLS moon rocket is delayed again. But officials say it’s making significant progress.
The much-anticipated rollout of NASA’s moon rocket and capsule to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a fueling test will be delayed for another few weeks, the space agency said Wednesday.
washingtonpost.comWhy is NASA sending a woman to the moon?
This spring will mark the 60th anniversary of human spaceflight, or 60 years since Russian pilot and cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to go to space. Today, NASA is working to land the first woman on the moon as part of the Artemis program.
space.comNASA likely to stay the course to the moon under Bill Nelson, if confirmed
Don't expect big changes at NASA if Bill Nelson does end up leading the space agency. Nelson served as chairman when Democrats controlled the chamber and ranking member when Republicans were in charge.) Video: Watch Bill Nelson launch into space aboard ColumbiaSince leaving the Senate, Nelson has served on the NASA Advisory Council. "Biden has passed up the opportunity to put new blood in there, male or female, in favor of continuity," Logsdon said. All of the above is conditional, of course, for Nelson must still be confirmed as NASA administrator by the U.S. Senate.
space.comNASA delays 2nd test fire of SLS megarocket booster due to valve issue
The core stage of the Artemis 1 SLS rocket as seen on the test stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. NASA's moon megarocket is facing yet another testing delay ahead of the vehicle's expected first flight for the Artemis program . The tests are occurring at the NASA Stennis Space Center in Mississippi ahead of being shipped to Florida for the uncrewed Artemis 1 launch from the NASA Kennedy Space Center, near Orlando. In a short update Monday (Feb. 22), NASA said it is "reviewing the performance of a valve on the core stage" of the SLS, forcing the agency to delay the second "hot fire" test. Video: How NASA's SLS megarocket engine test worksThe agency confirmed that the valve in question worked properly during the first hot fire test , conducted on Jan. 16.
space.comNASA and Boeing plan second, shorter moon rocket test firing to collect critical data
Engineers reviewing data from an aborted first stage test firing of NASA's Artemis moon rocket have decided to carry out a second "hot fire" test of the huge booster toward the end of February, the agency announced Friday. The second test run is expected to last at least four minutes. NASANASA originally planned to ship the rocket in February following a planned eight-minute test firing on January 16. A hydrogen-fueled second stage will propel the Orion spacecraft to the moon. NASA, meanwhile, is awaiting guidance from the Biden administration, which has not yet revealed what its space priorities might be.
cbsnews.comMoon by 2024 no more? NASA's Artemis deadline for crewed lunar landings likely to relax under Biden
NASA's quest to put boots back on the moon will likely get less urgent after President-elect Joe Biden takes office next month. That ambitious deadline, which was announced by Vice President Mike Pence in 2019 , will likely be relaxed under the Biden administration, experts say. And these probably won't just be empty words under a Biden administration. These two postulated changes — delaying the 2024 moon landing and boosting NASA Earth science — may end up working in concert. (The current agency chief, Jim Bridenstine, has said he won't continue in the top job in the Biden administration .)
space.comNASA receives $23.3 billion for 2021 fiscal year in Congress' omnibus spending bill: report
NASA's Artemis program to land humans on the moon by 2024 faces fresh challenges after a fiscal 2021 NASA spending bill allocated less money to the human landing system than what the agency requested. Congress released an omnibus spending bill Monday (Dec. 21) allotting $23.3 billion to NASA. While NASA will receive $642 million more than fiscal year 2020, the bill falls about $2 billion short of the agency's $25.246 billion request, according to SpaceNews. Allocating $1.1 billion for space technology programs, at the same level as 2020 but much less than the administration's $1.6 billion request. The 2021 U.S. spending bill also included $2 billion for Space Force, the newest branch of the American armed forces.
space.comMeet the 9 astronauts on NASA's Artemis team who have a chance to be the first woman to walk on the moon
Nine women are among the 18 astronauts who will train for NASA's upcoming Artemis missions, with the goal of sending humans back to the moon and, eventually, to Mars. The space agency is aiming for a 2024 moon landing — and this time, it won't just be men making the trip. NASA has promised that the Artemis program will send the first woman to walk on the moon. Astronaut Stephanie Wilson NASAWilson is the longest-serving astronaut on the Artemis team, selected in 1996. Nicole Mann, 43Nicole Mann, one of the rookies on NASA's Artemis team, was born in Petaluma, California and holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S.
cbsnews.comTrump unveils new national space policy for US leadership off the Earth
President Donald Trump released a new national space policy Wednesday (Dec. 9), laying out the fundamental principles of, and chief priorities for, the United States' diverse space activities going forward. The newly issued national space policy recognizes that "space is and should be a priority intelligence domain," Ratcliffe added. "If our adversaries challenge us in space, they will face a truly united national security space team," he said. The new national space policy, a 40-page document, is similar in many ways to the official policy issued in 2010 by President Barack Obama. It's unclear, however, how much of an impact the newly issued national space policy will have.
space.comNASA announces "Artemis Team" of astronauts for future moon missions
NASA announces "Artemis Team" of astronauts for future moon missions NASA has selected 18 astronauts to begin training for missions to the moon as part of its "Artemis" program. NASA wants to go back to the moon to establish a sustainable presence and prepare for future trips to Mars. Vice President Mike Pence revealed the names of the astronauts Wednesday at the Kennedy Space Center. The first woman and the next man to walk on the lunar surface will come from this group. Mark Strassmann reports on who they are.
cbsnews.comOne of these NASA astronauts will be the first woman on the moon
"This is the first cadre of our Artemis astronauts," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said before asking Pence to introduce the selected astronauts. Video: Vice President Mike Pence announces NASA's Artemis astronautsRelated: NASA unveils the 1st 'Artemis Team' astronauts for moon missionsImage 1 of 8 NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch seen on the International Space Station. (Image credit: NASA) Image 2 of 8 NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson poses for an official NASA portrait. (Image credit: NASA) Image 7 of 8 NASA astronaut Anne McClain inside the International Space Station's Cupola. (Image credit: NASA) Image 8 of 8 NASA astronaut Nicole Mann and her Boeing Starliner CST-100 Crew Flight Test crewmate Mike Fincke.
space.comPence introduces NASA's Artemis moon program astronauts
Pence introduces NASA's Artemis moon program astronauts Vice President Mike Pence attended a meeting of the National Space Council at the Kennedy Space Center and introduced some of the astronauts who will take part in NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return to the moon in 2024. Watch a portion of his remarks.
cbsnews.comNASA's new moonshot rules: No fighting or littering, please
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA’s new moonshot rules: No fighting and littering. The space agency released a set of guidelines Tuesday for its Artemis moon-landing program, based on the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and other agreements. Founding members include the U.S., Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. The coalition can say, “Look, you’re in this program with the rest of us, but you’re not playing by the same rules,” Bridenstine said. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education.
NASA details Artemis moon missions
NASA has dubbed this path back to the moon Artemis, after Apollo's twin sister in Greek mythology. NASA is calling this the Artemis program in honor of Apollo's twin sister in Greek mythology, the goddess of the Moon. Other factors of the design represent the Earth, the moon and our trajectory from the moon to Mars. Currently, the focus is on the moon, but NASA sees these concepts as workable for a Mars mission, as well. Astronauts will launch on Artemis 2, and the first woman and next man to walk on the moon will launch on Artemis 3.