A Fourth Crew Member Has Been Added to SpaceX's Crew-1 Mission...

NASA

NASA Adds Shannon Walker to First Operational Crewed SpaceX Mission (Press Release)

NASA has assigned astronaut Shannon Walker to the first operational crewed flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on a mission to the International Space Station.

Walker will join NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover Jr., as well as Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), for a six-month expedition aboard the unique space laboratory.

This mission will be the first in a series of regular, rotational flights to the station following NASA’s certification of the new crewed system following completion and validation of SpaceX’s test flight with astronauts, known as Demo-2. This test is expected to take place in mid-to-late May as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Pending the successful Demo-2 test, Walker, Glover, Hopkins, and Noguchi will launch aboard Crew Dragon on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. That launch is targeted for later this year.

Walker was born in Houston and began her career at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in 1987 as a robotics flight controller for the space shuttle with Rockwell Space Operations Co. She became a NASA employee in 1995, working on robotics and avionics hardware for the station with the program’s international partners. She also coordinated on-orbit problem resolution in the Mission Evaluation Room at Johnson and in Moscow and served as acting manager of the On-Orbit Engineering Office before NASA selected her for the 2004 astronaut class. As an astronaut, she spent 163 days as a flight engineer aboard the space station for Expeditions 24 and 25 in 2010. Walker earned a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s and doctorate in space physics, all from Rice University in Houston.

NASA already assigned Glover and Hopkins to the first operation SpaceX crewed mission in August 2018. This will be the first spaceflight for Glover and the second for Hopkins, who lived aboard the space station from September 2013 to March 2014 as part of Expeditions 37 and 38.

It will be the third spaceflight for Noguchi, who was a space shuttle crew member on the STS-114 mission in 2005 and a space station crew member from December 2009 to June 2010 as part of Expeditions 22 and 23.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry as companies develop and operate a new generation of spacecraft and launch systems capable of carrying crews to low-Earth orbit and to the space station. Commercial transportation to and from the station will provide expanded utility, additional research time and broader opportunities for discovery on the orbital outpost.

The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight. As commercial companies focus on providing human transportation services to and from low-Earth orbit, NASA is free to focus on building spacecraft and rockets for deep space missions.

Source: NASA.Gov

SpaceX's Dragon XL Freighter Will Send Cargo to NASA's Lunar Space Station...

SpaceX

NASA Awards Artemis Contract for Gateway Logistics Services (Press Release - March 27)

NASA has selected SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, as the first U.S. commercial provider under the Gateway Logistics Services contract to deliver cargo, experiments and other supplies to the agency’s Gateway in lunar orbit. The award is a significant step forward for NASA’s Artemis program that will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024 and build a sustainable human lunar presence.

At the Moon, NASA and its partners will gain the experience necessary to mount a historic human mission to Mars.

SpaceX will deliver critical pressurized and unpressurized cargo, science experiments and supplies to the Gateway, such as sample collection materials and other items the crew may need on the Gateway and during their expeditions on the lunar surface.

“This contract award is another critical piece of our plan to return to the Moon sustainably,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “The Gateway is the cornerstone of the long-term Artemis architecture and this deep space commercial cargo capability integrates yet another American industry partner into our plans for human exploration at the Moon in preparation for a future mission to Mars.”

NASA is planning multiple supply missions in which the cargo spacecraft will stay at the Gateway for six to 12 months at a time. These firm-fixed price, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts for logistics services guarantee two missions per logistics services provider with a maximum total value of $7 billion across all contracts as additional missions are needed.

“Returning to the Moon and supporting future space exploration requires affordable delivery of significant amounts of cargo,” said SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell. “Through our partnership with NASA, SpaceX has been delivering scientific research and critical supplies to the International Space Station since 2012, and we are honored to continue the work beyond Earth’s orbit and carry Artemis cargo to Gateway.”

The Gateway Logistics Services contract enables NASA to order missions for as long as 12 years with a 15-year performance period and provides the ability to add new competitive providers. These missions will support NASA’s plans for sustainable exploration with both international and commercial partners, while developing the experience and capabilities necessary to send humans to Mars.

“This is an exciting new chapter for human exploration,” said Mark Wiese, Deep Space Logistics manager at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “We are bringing the innovative thinking of commercial industry into our supply chain and helping ensure we’re able to support crews preparing for lunar surface expeditions by delivering the supplies they need ahead of time.”

Charged with returning to the Moon in the next four years, NASA’s Artemis program will reveal new knowledge about the Moon, Earth and our origins in the solar system. The Gateway is a vital part of NASA’s deep space exploration plans, along with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, Orion spacecraft, and Human Landing System that will send astronauts to the Moon. One standard logistics service mission is anticipated for each Artemis SLS/Orion crewed mission to the Gateway. Gaining new experiences on and around the Moon will prepare NASA to send the first humans to Mars in the coming years, and the Gateway will play a vital role in this process.

“We’re making significant progress moving from our concept of the Gateway to reality,” said Dan Hartman, Gateway program manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “Bringing a logistics provider onboard ensures we can transport all the critical supplies we need for the Gateway and on the lunar surface to do research and technology demonstrations in space that we can’t do anywhere else. We also anticipate performing a variety of research on and within the logistics module.”

Source: NASA.Gov

Artemis 1 Update: The Orion Capsule Moves a Step Closer to Launch Next Year!

ESA – S. Corvaja

Last Stop Before Launch: Orion Passes Tests and Returns to Kennedy Space Center (Press Release)

The Orion spacecraft that will fly on the Artemis 1 mission around the Moon has returned to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, after finishing space environment tests. The spacecraft, including ESA’s European Service Module, is now at its final destination before launch.

Orion spent four months at NASA’s Plum Brook Station where it was subjected to the vacuum and temperatures of –175°C to 75°C it will experience on its flight to the Moon. After proving its space-worthiness, the electronics ­– including the thousands of parameters and functions of the European Service Module that control the engines, electrical power and steering the solar panels to face the Sun – were checked for electromagnetic interference.

ESA’s Dominique Siruguet from the European Service Module integration and verification team says “The tests were successful and the behaviour of the vehicle was good, passing all requirements.”

Plum Brook Station was chosen for the tests because thermal vacuum and electromagnetic compatibility could be performed in the same facility. This avoided additional transport of Orion, which is the size of a two-story house.

Having passed its trials, the spacecraft was wrapped and moved by truck to an airport in Ohio for its return flight on NASA’s Super Guppy aircraft.

Adding Wings to Orion

The tests are not completely over for Orion; at Kennedy Space Center the crew module will be further prepared and more leak tests conducted. The European Service Module has tanks for fuel, oxygen and water that are critical for the astronauts. The gas tanks are pressurised and are connected to many pipes and valves, so it is vital to make sure there are no leaks.

The solar wings that generate power during its mission will be installed, as well as protective covers called the Spacecraft Adapter Jettisoned fairings for the intense moments of launch on the world’s most powerful rocket.

Later this year ESA will formally transfer ownership of the European Service Module to NASA and the spacecraft will move into the ground system phase where it will be united with the SLS rocket for a lift-off to the Moon.

Orion is a key component of Artemis 1 – an uncrewed test flight around the Moon that paves the way for the Artemis 3 mission, which will land the first woman and next man on the lunar surface by 2024. ESA is designing and supplying the European Service Module for the Orion spacecraft. This provides electricity, water, oxygen and nitrogen. It also keeps the spacecraft at the right temperature and on course, propelling it to the Moon and back once it has separated from the launcher.

Source: European Space Agency

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NASA – Nicole Smith

Future SLS and Orion Assembly and Testing in New Orleans Have Been Put on Hold Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic...

NASA

Michoud Assembly Facility Director Statement on Coronavirus Situation (Press Release)

The following is a statement from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility Director Robert Champion:

NASA leadership continues to make the health and safety of the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) family the top priority. MAF will move to stage 4 of the NASA response framework due to the rising number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the local area, and to comply with all local and federal guidelines. While there are no confirmed cases at MAF, this step is being taken to help slow the transmission of COVID-19 and protect Michoud employees and their families.

Mandatory telework is in effect for ALL personnel until further notice, with the exception of limited personnel required to maintain the safety and security of the facility. All previously approved exceptions for onsite work are rescinded and new approvals will be required in order to gain access to the facility.

This includes that effective immediately NASA will temporarily suspend production and testing of the Space Launch System and Orion hardware.

The NASA and contractor teams will complete an orderly shutdown that puts all hardware in a safe condition until work can resume. Once this is complete, MAF personnel allowed onsite will be limited to those needed to protect life and critical infrastructure.

The facility will begin shutdown operations immediately. Additionally, all travel will be suspended. The status of the facility will be updated regularly and communicated to all employees. Please stay in close contact with your supervisor.

For all other MAF tenants and employees, access to the facility will be restricted to personnel required to protect life and critical infrastructure only, as defined in NASA’s response framework.

Please continue to pay attention to all communications from your supervisors, the agency, and our facility by visiting NASA People and MAFSpace for the latest information, as those sites are updated regularly. And again, I urge you to stay in contact with your supervisor.

Your leadership, NASA leadership, and each of us at Michoud are in this together. Please continue to take care of yourself and your families. Your health and the health of those around you are of the utmost importance.
Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA

Remembering Alfred Worden (1932-2020)...

NASA

NASA Administrator Statement on Apollo Astronaut Al Worden (Press Release)

The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine on the passing of Apollo 15 astronaut Alfred "Al" Worden:

“NASA sends its condolences to the family and loved ones of Apollo astronaut Al Worden, an astronaut whose achievements in space and on Earth will not be forgotten.

“A Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Worden was a test pilot and instructor before joining NASA as an astronaut in 1966. He flew to the Moon as command module pilot aboard Apollo 15. During this time he earned a world record as “most isolated human being" while his crew mates roamed the lunar surface, and he was 2,235 miles away from anyone else.

“Later in his career, Worden became Senior Aerospace Scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California. His multiple appearances on the children’s show Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood surely fueled the desire of many children to pursue careers along the lines of his and become future exploration leaders.

“Of his mission Worden said, ‘Now I know why I'm here. Not for a closer look at the Moon, but to look back at our home, the Earth.’

“We remember this pioneer whose work expanded our horizons.”
Source: NASA.Gov