The Artemis II Core Stage moves from final assembly to the VAB at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans in preparation for delivery to Kennedy Spaceflight Center later this month. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker
Space Biology, Spacesuits, and Dragon Training Top Day for Astronauts, Cosmonauts
NASA astronaut and Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Mike Barratt works on spacewalking hardware aboard the International Space Station’s Unity module.
Life science and docked spacecraft training were the prime tasks aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The nine orbital residents also split their day on a variety of maintenance tasks including spacesuit work and orbital plumbing.
NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Matthew Dominick kicked off their day collecting biological samples and data to understand how living in weightlessness affects the human body. Dyson first processed her saliva samples and stowed them in a science freezer for later analysis. She then attached an acoustic monitor near her ear to measure station noise levels a crew member experiences in a 24-hour period. Dominick removed brain wave sensors from his ears that recorded his sleep patterns then he filled out a questionnaire documenting his sleep quality.
Dyson also worked in the Columbus laboratory module and studied the ability to remotely control robots on a planetary surface from a spacecraft for the Surface Avatar experiment. Dominick spent the afternoon in the Tranquility module checking the performance of components on the waste and hygiene compartment, the orbital outpost’s bathroom.
NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps photographed Dyson during her robotics experiment. She then spent the afternoon reconfiguring life support gear before removing batteries from spacesuits at the end of the day. NASA Flight Engineer Mike Barratt started his day inspecting spacesuit safety jetpacks that would be used to maneuver safely back to the station in the unlikely event a spacewalker became untethered from the orbital lab.
Epps and Barratt also joined Dominick and Roscosmos Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin midday and reviewed standard SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft emergency undocking procedures. The SpaceX Crew-8 quartet docked to the station on March 5 and is due to return to Earth aboard Endeavour in late August.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, representing Boeing’s Crew Flight Test, took turns during the morning pedaling on an exercise cycle while attached to heart and breathing sensors that measured their aerobic capacity. The duo then split up as Wilmore serviced a pair of research freezers that preserve scientific samples and Williams installed hardware on an experiment that is exploring atmospheric reentry and thermal protection systems.
The Roscosmos segment’s three cosmonauts including Grebenkin had their day packed with continuing space research and laboratory upkeep duties. Expedition 71 Commander Oleg Kononenko spent the morning working on ventilation systems in the Nauka science module then completed his day studying futuristic spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub replaced life support gear in the Zarya module then joined Grebenkin for a photographic inspection of panels inside the Zvezda service module. Grebenkin earlier jogged on a treadmill for a regularly scheduled physical fitness test.
NASA’s Johnson Space Center remained closed to all but essential personnel today following Hurricane Beryl’s landfall near Matagorda, Texas. Mission Control continues to support International Space Station and NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission. If employees feel safe to do so, the center will be open for on-site work beginning Wednesday.
Girls United co-founder Rechelle Dennis, left, continues a conversation about how to become a shining star in the face of adversity with NASA Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for the Moon to Mars Program Office Lakiesha Hawkins, center, and NASA Director of Engagement Aya Collins at the Take Up Space (Literally) panel conversation during the 30th annual ESSENCE Fest in New Orleans on July 5.
NASA/Danny Nowlin
NASA joined the self-designated “party with a purpose” to let participants in the 30th ESSENCE Festival of Culture in New Orleans know there is space for everybody at the space agency.
NASA representatives from the agency’s Headquarters in Washington participated in a panel conversation about Black women in the aerospace industry and diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). NASA Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for the Moon to Mars Program Office Lakiesha Hawkins and NASA Director of Engagement Aya Collins spoke to fest participants during the Take Up Space (Literally) presentation on July 5.
On both July 5-6, representatives from NASA Headquarters and NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, also hosted an informational/interactive booth at the Audubon Aquarium near the festival meeting site. The representatives shared about NASA’s Artemis campaign, and NASA Stennis’ role as America’s largest rocket propulsion test site. With the Artemis campaign, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.
NASA representatives at the Audubon Aquarium provided attendees with memorabilia and an immersive experience to the International Space Station, which serves as the world’s leading space laboratory. Astronauts aboard the space station are conducting cutting-edge research and technology development to support human and robotic exploration of destinations beyond low Earth orbit, including the Moon and Mars.
The annual ESSENCE Fest attracts hundreds of thousands of people to New Orleans during the Fourth of July weekend to celebrate the Black community. The NASA outreach and engagement effort continues the agency’s commitment to advance equity and reach deeper into underrepresented and underserved segments of society as NASA explores the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all.
NASA Invites Media to 65th Birthday Celebration for Iconic Logo
2 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Michael Williams of United Space Alliance paints the NASA logo — known as the “meatball” — on the left wing of space shuttle Endeavour in 2012.
Credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
NASA’s logo turns 65 on Monday, July 15, and media are invited to its birthday celebration in Cleveland, the city where the iconic symbol was designed.
To mark the logo’s birthday, NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland will host a series of activities celebrating the city’s connection to one of the most recognized logos in the world from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET on July 15 at Great Lakes Science Center, home of Glenn’s visitor center. Admission to the Science Center will be free, and the event is open to the public.
A birthday celebration and cake-cutting ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. and feature remarks from center leadership, a visit from the logo designer’s family, and special presentations from the city and state. Other activities include:
History and Symbolism of NASA Insignia Presentation, noon and 2 p.m.
NASA Creatives Presentation featuring Glenn’s award-winning photographers and videographers, 1 p.m.
Coloring contest, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Coloring contest winners announced, 2 p.m.
Eva the Astronaut mascot appearance and photo ops, 1 to 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
NASA Creatives Presentation featuring retired NASA Glenn photographer Marv Smith, 3 p.m.
The round blue, white, and red logo affectionately nicknamed the “meatball” became official in 1959 and was designed by the late James Modarelli, a Cleveland Institute of Art graduate and employee of Lewis Research Center (now NASA Glenn).
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Tim Campbell, a NASA solar system ambassador, shares highlights of a moon rock with visitors inside the Journey to Tomorrow traveling exhibit.
Credit:NASA/Christopher Hartenstine
NASA’s Glenn Research Center staff traveled to Michigan for the Selfridge Air National Guard Base air show, open house, and STEAM Expo, June 8 and 9. NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow, a 53-foot traveling exhibit, was a popular feature that showcased exploration in air and space. Additionally, experts from NASA’s Fission Surface Power project shared information on the agency’s current and future work in this area.
Lindsay Kaldon, project manager for the Fission Surface Power project, left, joined the air show’s broadcast to discuss NASA’s Technology Demonstration Missions portfolio and pathways to STEAM careers at NASA.
Credit:NASA/Christopher Hartenstine
Members of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) outreach team supported hands-on engagement in the STEAM Expo hangar. Trudy Kortes, director of Technology Demonstrations for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, and Lindsay Kaldon, project manager for the Fission Surface Power project, joined the air show’s broadcast to discuss NASA’s Technology Demonstration Missions portfolio and pathways to STEAM careers at NASA.