NASA’s Astronaut Candidates to Graduate with Eye on Artemis Missions

NASA’s Astronaut Candidates to Graduate with Eye on Artemis Missions

NASA will honor the first class of astronaut candidates to graduate under the Artemis program at 10:30 a.m. EST Friday, Jan. 10, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. After completing more than two years of basic training, these candidates will become eligible for spaceflight, including assignments to the International Space Station, Art

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Crew Preps for U.S. Crew Ship, Tests New Zero-G Oven

Crew Preps for U.S. Crew Ship, Tests New Zero-G Oven

NASA astronauts Christina Koch (left) and Jessica Meir work on science hardware aboard the International Space Station.
NASA astronauts Christina Koch (left) and Jessica Meir work on science hardware aboard the International Space Station.

The International Space Station is gearing up for the arrival of Boeing’s new CST-100 Starliner crew ship this weekend. Meanwhile, the Expedition 61 crew checked out a new baking oven, researched life science and replaced a treadmill belt.

Boeing’s first Orbital Flight Test of its first commercial crew vehicle is moving ahead toward launch Friday at 6:39 a.m. EST from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The uncrewed Starliner will approach the station for an automated docking on Saturday at 8:27 a.m. to the forward port of the Harmony module.

NASA Flight Engineers Jessica Meir and Christina Koch are getting ready for Starliner’s arrival and its undocking planned for Dec. 28 at 12:44 a.m. The duo reviewed leak check, hatch opening and vehicle ingress procedures for the vehicle after its docking. Both astronauts also familiarized themselves with hatch closing, depressurization and leak check activities necessary before Starliner departs the station.

Commander Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency) tested the ability of the new NanoRacks Zero-G Oven to bake food in space today. He then joined Meir for eye exams in the afternoon.

A host of life science activities kept NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan busy all day Tuesday. Morgan first installed a new artificial gravity generator inside a Japanese incubator. Next, he removed a science freezer from the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship and installed it into the Columbus lab module.

Finally, veteran cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Skripochka spent the day replacing a treadmill belt in the Zvezda service module. One of two treadmills aboard the orbiting lab, the other is the COLBERT treadmill located in the U.S. Tranquility module.

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Mark Garcia

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NASA Selects Informal Learning Institutions to Engage Next Generation

NASA Selects Informal Learning Institutions to Engage Next Generation

NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program has selected four informal education organizations to promote STEM learning and help inspire the next generation of explorers.

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NASA Named Best Place to Work in Federal Government for 8th Straight Year

NASA Named Best Place to Work in Federal Government for 8th Straight Year

For the eighth consecutive year, NASA has been selected by the Partnership for Public Service as the Best Place to Work in Government. The rankings, announced Tuesday, reflect NASA’s unified focus and dedication to sending humans farther into space than ever before, and the agency’s highest employee satisfaction results since this index was develop

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