The Orion spacecraft for NASA’s Artemis I mission has successfully completed several months of simulated space environment System level testing in the NASA-owned thermal vacuum chamber at Plum Brook Station in Ohio, USA.
The testing phase was split into two phases - a 47 day thermal vacuum test and a 14 day electromagnetic compatibility, followed by an interference test in ambient conditions which both simulate the conditions the spacecraft will encounter during its voyage to the Moon and back to Earth.
‘Today marked an important milestone for the Artemis I mission to the Moon,’ said Airbus Head of Space Exploration, Andreas Hammer.
‘We proved to our customers ESA and NASA that the European Service Module, designed and built by our engineers in Bremen – supported by companies in 10 European countries - meets the requirements to withstand the harsh conditions in space.
‘The Artemis programme will land the first woman and next man on the Moon and bring them back safely to Earth, we are proud to contribute to this endeavour with all our know-how, expertise and passion.’
Pleased with the results of this crucial test, the engineering teams from Airbus, the European Space Agency (ESA), Lockheed Martin and NASA have proved the spacecraft is suitable to navigate safely through the extreme conditions that it will experience in space.
Orion will be transported back to the Kennedy Space Center to undergo further testing and prepare the spacecraft for integration with the Space Launch System rocket, beginning the next era of exploration.
Artemis I will travel around the Moon and back to Earth. Airbus in Bremen is already building the second Orion Service Module for Artemis II, where
Your Nonfiction Friends are celebrating #BlackHistoryMonth in every episode this month, starting with #biographies! The #nffriendscast each chose two #historical figures to cover. Rebecca chose famous #singers, Billie Holiday (bottom left) and Ella Fitzgerald (top right), and Josh chose famous #astronauts, Mae Jemison (top left) and Guion Bluford (bottom right)! How did their stories begin? What walls did they break? Find out anywhere #podcasts are heard!
Read more fascinating biographies in this week’s book, BLACK AMERICAN BIOGRAPHIES: THE JOURNEY TO ACHIEVEMENT edited by Jeff Wallenfeldt in the 920 shelf of the Nonfiction section. Know some more #funfacts our hosts didn’t mention? Share them on Twitter @ NFFriendscast! #osceolalibrary #librarypodcast #billieholiday #ellafitzgerald #maejemison #guionbluford #historicalfigures #blackhistory #representation #representationmatters https://www.instagram.com/p/CKzgYPTBZtD/?igshid=1ut7ri7mmw5gm
It is that time of year again…Tournament Earth is back! This year, NASA Earth Observatory has chosen a new theme for the tournament: astronaut photography.Chooseyour favorite image here.
For more than 20 years, astronauts have been shooting photos of Earth from the International Space Station that highlight the planet’s beauty, complexity, and vulnerabilities. So which are the most unforgettable ones? Over the next five weeks (March 8-April 13), you can help decide.
How can you get involved? It’s easy as 1…2…3!
1. Read and Vote.
Not sure which image to vote for because they are ALL so captivating? Read the intriguing stories behind the images to help you decide! You can access the stories by clicking on the image headlines on the voting page: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/tournament-earth
For instance, the Stars in Motionimage is actually a compilation of 72 photographs. And some of the night lights around Bangkok, Thailand, actually show fishing boats as well as city lights.
2.Fill out your bracket.
Think you know which photo will win it all? Fill out a #TournamentEarth bracket with your predictions and challenge friends! Then share your predictions with NASAEarth on our blog,Twitter,Facebook,Instagram, or right here on Tumblr!
Tournament Earth will have five rounds, and round one is currently underway. Voting for the following rounds begins on Tuesdays and will be open for six days. We will update our social media channels (including right here on Tumblr!) with the newest matchups. Check this space to see how your favorite images did. Then vote until we crown a champion on April 13, 2021.
See all of the images and vote HERE. Follow @NASAEarth on social media for updates.
Fun series done for Hugo back in 2019! This was a pretty open ended series that accompanied an interview talking about how women will lead tech into the future.
Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins & Buzz Aldrin. In Feb 1968, NASA announced 5 potential landing sites for A11’s Lunar Lander, ‘Eagle’. These 5 spots were chosen following research by 5 unmanned lunar orbital missions & Surveyor landing missions. Among these 5 potential spots, 2 were in the Sea of Tranquility. In May ‘69, Apollo 10 flew within 9.3 miles of A11’s future landing site in Tranquility & deemed it acceptable.
Astronauts on a cloudy day. Alan Bean, Pete Conrad & Richard Gordon hop out of the shuttle bus & step towards the 363-foot tall Saturn V rocket in preparation for Apollo 12, Nov 1969. Conrad & Bean spent 31 hours on the lunar surface while Gordon orbited 45 times above in the Command Module. The spacecraft was nearly identical to that of Apollo 11 with the exception being that hammocks were added to the Lunar Module so that Bean & Conrad could rest more comfortably when not out moonwalking. The mission lasted a total of 10 days & 4 hours.
A relaxed astronaut. Stuart Roosa takes a moment during preparations for Apollo 14, Jan 1971. Mr. Roosa flew ‘Kitty Hawk’, the Command Module for the mission & orbited the moon 34 times as crew mates Edgar Mitchell & Alan Shephard walked on the moon. Roosa was 1 of 19 astronauts chosen in Group 5 by NASA in 1966. Following A14, he served as backup Command Module Pilot for Apollo 16 & 17.
Flying in Skylab 3. Alan Bean moves about America’s first space station via a maneuvering unit. The July 1973 mission was the 2nd crewed flight to the space station. Bean, Owen Garriott & Jack Lousma were launched within the Apollo Command & Service Module situated atop a Saturn 1B rocket. It was the rookie spaceflight for Garriott & Lousma & the 2nd & final flight for Bean. The mission lasted a total of 59 days. The dome within which Bean moves is 19 feet in height & 22 feet in diameter.
Early sketch of ‘The Astronot’ movie poster by artist John Keane. It was quite beautiful to see this early rendering & its relation to the finished artwork. The Oregon-shot work set in the 1960s streams on @primevideo in the USA & UK (& perhaps other countries I’m not aware of at the moment) via the profile link or below. The 72-minute independent film was shot in Bend & La Pine by FFE Films director Tim Cash & written by Vancouver screenwriter @pennanbrae. The soundtracks for the film also stream on @spotify & @applemusic. If seeking some weekend viewing & have a chance to tune in, thanks very much for sharing your time with it.
We have lift off! Frank Borman & James Lovell blast off for their rookie spaceflight in Gemini 7, Dec 1965. The pair orbited Earth 206 times during their 14 days in space in their tiny Gemini capsule. It was the world’s longest spaceflight until Jun 1970 when Soyuz 9 broke it. G7 also achieved the first rendezvous between 2 spacecraft as Gemini 6A with Wally Schirra &
Tom Stafford came within 1 foot of G7 & could have docked had the crafts been equipped to do so. Ed White & Michael Collins served as backup for G7.
