The Latest Update on Calypso...

NASA

Starliner Docked Hot Fire Testing Complete (News Release)

Spacecraft thrusters tested and helium system checked in second successful docked hot fire test.

The Starliner team completed a docked hot fire test of the spacecraft’s Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters on Saturday afternoon, and monitored its helium system, providing additional data points for the Crew Flight Test’s return to Earth.

With Starliner flight director Chloe Mehring at the helm and Boeing engineers on console monitoring the spacecraft’s systems, flight controllers commanded the sequential firing of 27 RCS thrusters.

“The integrated teams between Starliner and ISS worked extremely well together this week to finalize and safely execute the docked hot fire sequence,” said Mehring, who will lead the Starliner flight control team in the upcoming undocking from the International Space Station.

“Both teams were very happy with the results.”

The one-pulse firings were designed to confirm the performance of each thruster. Aft-facing thrusters were fired for 1.2 seconds and all others for .40 seconds.

Between each firing, the team reviewed real-time data and all thrusters performed at peak thrust rating values, ranging from 97-102%. The helium system also remained stable.

Additionally, an RCS oxidizer isolation valve that was not fully seated previously, was cycled several times during today’s testing and is now operating normally.

This is the second time the spacecraft has been hot fired successfully while docked, an integrated operation that the station and Starliner teams will also conduct during future long-duration missions.

Flight test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were inside Starliner Calypso giving the team on the ground real-time feedback during the test. In preparation for the return home, Wilmore and Williams will participate in two undock-to-landing simulations next week.

A Flight Test Readiness Review is tentatively planned for late next week, and the data gathered today will be reviewed and included in return flight rationale. While a landing date has not yet been set, opportunities are available throughout August.

Source: StarlinerUpdates.com

The Artemis 2 Crew Poster...

The first astronauts to fly to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972 are currently set to launch in September of next year.


NASA / Daniel O'Neal

On the 55th Anniversary of Apollo 11's Splashdown, the Second SLS Booster Will Soon Be Prepped for Artemis 2...

NASA / Isaac Watson

NASA’s Rocket On Roll: Core Stage Arrives at Vehicle Assembly Building (News Release)

NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket core stage for the Artemis II mission is inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Tugboats and towing vessels moved the barge and core stage 900-miles to the Florida spaceport from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where it was manufactured and assembled.

Team members with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program safely transferred the 212-foot-tall core stage from the agency’s Pegasus barge, which arrived at NASA Kennedy’s Complex 39 turn basin wharf on July 23, onto the self-propelled module transporter - which is used to move large elements of hardware. It was then rolled to the Vehicle Assembly Building transfer aisle where teams will process it until it is ready for rocket-stacking operations.

In the coming months, teams will integrate the rocket core stage atop the mobile launcher with the additional Artemis II flight hardware, including the twin solid rocket boosters, launch vehicle stage adapter and the Orion spacecraft.

The Artemis II test flight will be NASA’s first mission with crew under the Artemis campaign, sending NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Reid Wiseman, as well as CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Cory Huston


NASA / Jamie Peer and Michael Downs


NASA / Ben Smegelsky


NASA / Jamie Peer and Michael Downs


NASA / Isaac Watson


NASA / Ben Smegelsky


NASA / Isaac Watson


NASA / Isaac Watson


NASA / Isaac Watson

Splashdown!

On July 24, 1969—55 years ago today—#Apollo11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins landed in the Pacific Ocean after eight days in space. Apollo 11 was the first of six Apollo missions to land on the Moon. pic.twitter.com/RphhJmg8jc

— NASA (@NASA) July 24, 2024

The Second SLS Booster Is Now at Kennedy Space Center!

NASA / Kim Shiflett

Artemis II Core Stage Arrival (Photo Release)

NASA’s Pegasus barge, carrying the agency’s massive SLS (Space Launch System) core stage, arrives at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Complex 39 turn basin wharf in Florida on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, after journeying from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

The core stage is the next piece of Artemis hardware to arrive at the spaceport and will be offloaded and moved to NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will be prepared for integration ahead of the Artemis II launch.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Kim Shiflett


NASA / Kim Shiflett


NASA / Kim Shiflett


NASA / Kim Shiflett


NASA / Kim Shiflett

On This Day in 1969: An Astronaut's View at the Surface of Sea of Tranquility...

NASA / Neil Armstrong

A Magnificent Desolation was revealed when the Eagle Lunar Module carrying Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin triumphantly landed on the Moon...at 20:17 GMT (1:17 PM, PDT) 55 years ago today.

The Latest Update on Calypso...

NASA

NASA, Boeing Complete Starliner Engine Testing, Continue Analysis (News Release)

NASA and Boeing engineers are evaluating results from last week’s engine tests at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico as the team works through plans to return the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test from the International Space Station in the coming weeks.

Teams completed ground hot fire testing at White Sands and are working to evaluate the test data and inspect the test engine. The ongoing ground analysis is expected to continue throughout the week.

Working with a reaction control system thruster built for a future Starliner spacecraft, ground teams fired the engine through similar in-flight conditions that the spacecraft experienced on the way to the space station. The ground tests also included stress-case firings, and replicated conditions Starliner’s thrusters will experience from undocking to deorbit burn, where the thrusters will fire to slow Starliner’s speed to bring it out of orbit for a landing in the southwestern United States.

For a detailed overview of the test plans, listen to a replay of a recent media teleconference with NASA and Boeing leadership.

“I am extremely proud of the NASA, Boeing team for their hard work in executing a very complex test series,” said Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “We collected an incredible amount of data on the thruster that could help us better understand what is going on in flight. Next, our team has moved into engine tear downs and inspections which will provide additional insight as we analyze the results and evaluate next steps.”

Integrated ground teams are also preparing for an in-depth Agency Flight Test Readiness Review, which will evaluate data related to the spacecraft’s propulsion system performance before its return to Earth. The date of the agency review has not yet been solidified.

NASA and Boeing leadership plan to discuss the testing and analysis work in detail during a media briefing next week. More information on the briefing will be made available soon.

While testing and analysis are happening on Earth, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Starliner mission commander, and Suni Williams, mission pilot, are working alongside the Expedition 71 crew. The two participated in vein scans using the Ultrasound 2 device on Monday.

Doctors on the ground monitored in real-time as the pair took turns imaging each other’s neck, shoulder and leg veins. Afterward, Wilmore scanned the veins of fellow NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick, helping researchers understand how microgravity affects the human body.

Wilmore and Dominick also spent a portion of the day taking inventory of the food stored aboard the space station. Williams worked on a pair of studies, first exploring the use of microgravity to manufacture higher-quality optical fibers than on Earth.

Williams also investigated using fluid physics, such as surface tension, to overcome the lack of gravity when watering and nourishing plants grown in space.

Source: NASA.Gov

The Second SLS Booster Is Bound for Florida on the 55th Anniversary of Apollo 11's Launch...

NASA / Steven Seipel

NASA Ships Moon Rocket Stage Ahead of First Crewed Artemis Flight (News Release)

NASA rolled out the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s core stage for the Artemis II test flight from its manufacturing facility in New Orleans on Tuesday for shipment to the agency’s spaceport in Florida. The rollout is key progress on the path to NASA’s first crewed mission to the Moon under the Artemis campaign.

Using highly-specialized transporters, engineers maneuvered the giant core stage from inside NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to the agency’s Pegasus barge. The barge will ferry the stage more than 900 miles to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where engineers will prepare it in the Vehicle Assembly Building for attachment to other rocket and Orion spacecraft elements.

“With Artemis, we’ve set our sights on doing something big and incredibly complex that will inspire a new generation, advance our scientific endeavors, and move U.S. competitiveness forward,” said Catherine Koerner, associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “The SLS rocket is a key component of our efforts to develop a long-term presence at the Moon.”

Technicians moved the SLS rocket stage from inside NASA Michoud on the 55th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969. The move of the rocket stage for Artemis marks the first time since the Apollo Program that a fully-assembled Moon rocket stage for a crewed mission rolled out from NASA Michoud.

The SLS rocket’s core stage is the largest that NASA has ever produced. At 212 feet-tall, it consists of five major elements, including two huge propellant tanks that collectively hold more than 733,000 gallons of super-chilled liquid propellant to feed four RS-25 engines.

During launch and flight, the stage will operate for just over eight minutes, producing more than 2 million pounds of thrust to propel four astronauts inside NASA’s Orion spacecraft toward the Moon.

“The delivery of the SLS core stage for Artemis II to Kennedy Space Center signals a shift from manufacturing to launch readiness as teams continue to make progress on hardware for all major elements for future SLS rockets,” said John Honeycutt, SLS program manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “We are motivated by the success of Artemis I and focused on working toward the first crewed flight under Artemis.”

After arrival at NASA Kennedy, the stage will undergo additional outfitting inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. Engineers will then join it with the segments that form the rocket’s twin solid rocket boosters.

Adapters for the Moon rocket that connect it to the Orion spacecraft will be shipped to NASA Kennedy this fall, while the interim cryogenic propulsion stage is already in Florida. Engineers continue to prepare Orion, already at Kennedy, and exploration ground systems for launch and flight.

All major structures for every SLS core stage are fully manufactured at NASA Michoud. Inside the factory, core stages and future Exploration Upper Stages for the next evolution of SLS, called the Block 1B configuration, are currently in various phases of production for Artemis III, IV and V.

Beginning with Artemis III, to better optimize space at Michoud, Boeing, the SLS core stage prime contractor, will use space at NASA Kennedy for final assembly and outfitting activities.

Building, assembling and transporting the SLS core stage is a collaborative effort for NASA, Boeing and lead RS-25 engines contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company. All 10 NASA centers contribute to its development with more than 1,100 companies across the United States contributing to its production.

NASA is working to land the first woman, first person of color and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems.

SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

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NASA / Sam Lott


NASA / Sam Lott


NASA / Sam Lott


NASA / Sam Lott


NASA / Eric Bordelon & Michael DeMocker


NASA / Eric Bordelon & Michael DeMocker


NASA / Evan Deroche


NASA / Evan Deroche


NASA

Booster 12 Fires Up Its 33 Engines for the First Time...

SpaceX

Here are official photos of the next Starship Super Heavy booster igniting all of its Raptor 2 engines during a full-duration, 8-second static fire at Starbase, Texas, earlier today.

Booster 12 will be rolled back to Starbase's production site to undergo further preps for SpaceX's Integrated Flight Test 5...which may launch sometime next month.


SpaceX


SpaceX


SpaceX

Full duration static fire of Flight 5 Super Heavy booster pic.twitter.com/8rF9KUdMUD

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 15, 2024

America's Next-Generation Spaceplane May Land in Other Parts of the World...

Sierra Space

New Sierra Space Partners Accelerate Effort to Bring Dream Chaser® Spaceplane to Japan (Press Release)

LOUISVILLE, Colo. – Sierra Space, a leading commercial space-tech company that is Building a Platform in Space to Benefit Life on Earth®, announced today that two additional partners will help accelerate the investigation into Spaceport Oita in Kunisaki, Oita, Japan, as a potential landing site in Asia for Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser®, reaffirming its plans to expand a global network of return locations for the revolutionary new commercial spaceplane.

MUFG Bank, Ltd., and Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., anchor investors in Sierra Space’s Series B funding round, are joining forces with Sierra Space, Oita Prefecture, Kanematsu Corporation and Japan Airlines to conduct a comprehensive utilization and landing site study at Spaceport Oita. The consortium will work together to identify and develop new business opportunities for Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser in Japan and across the Asian continent.

“Our dual-use and fully-reusable Dream Chaser spaceplane will transform space travel,” said Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice. “Dream Chaser’s unique ability to land on compatible commercial runways worldwide – transporting precious cargo efficiently in a low-g landing – opens myriad, new global economic opportunities.”

“Two major Sierra Space investors, MUFG Bank, Ltd., and Tokio Marine and Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., will help extend the robust commercial economy we’re building in low-Earth Orbit to businesses and academic institutions in Japan and across the Asia-Pacific region. We are honored to share this vision with them, along with our partners in Oita Prefecture, Kanematsu and Japan Airlines.”

Dream Chaser – the world’s first winged commercial spacecraft – recently arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and entered into operations ahead of its first International Space Station (ISS) servicing mission. The Dream Chaser fleet is growing rapidly, with a second spaceplane under construction, and the company is eyeing multiple global partnerships to establish the following runway landing sites in addition to Oita, Japan:

Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Space Florida holds a Launch and Reentry Site Operator License, issued by the FAA in January 2021, allowing Dream Chaser to land at Space Florida’s Launch & Landing Facility (LLF). The spaceplane, dubbed Tenacity®, will be the first spacecraft to travel from the ISS to the historic runway since space shuttle Atlantis touched down on the iconic landing strip in 2011.

Spaceport Cornwall, U.K.

Sierra Space’s Memorandum of Understanding with Spaceport Cornwall in June 2021 followed the successful completion of a Concept of Operations (CONOPS) funded by the UK Space Agency that examined U.S.-U.K. regulatory framework, return mission trajectory analysis, risk analysis, environmental and infrastructure review, as well as a consideration of present and future supply chain capability. The resulting agreement specifically identifies Spaceport Cornwall as a suitable and viable landing site.

Huntsville, Alabama

In May 2022, the FAA issued a license allowing the Huntsville International Airport in Alabama to accept landings from Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spaceplane. The FAA license evaluation process involved environmental and safety reviews; the agency will work with the Huntsville Airport to develop the necessary notifications and other procedures for safely and efficiently integrating commercial space reentries into its operations.

Spaceport America, New Mexico

Spaceport America, located in southern New Mexico, is the most recent addition to a growing list of compatible runways worldwide where the Dream Chaser could land. The agreement was signed in June 2022.

This latest addition to the portfolio solidifies Spaceport America as a versatile location, encapsulating Sierra Space’s vision of accessible space for all.

Sierra Space products and programs are working towards a more accessible space economy. As the next generation of space transportation, the first Dream Chaser is in pre-launch preparations for its inaugural cargo supply and return mission for NASA, and will deliver up to 12,000 pounds of cargo to the ISS per flight.

Dream Chaser is a reusable spaceplane, uniquely capable of a smooth 1.5 low-g re-entry for crew and cargo transportation with the ability to land on existing commercial runways worldwide.

Source: Sierra Space

VSS Unity's Successors Will Soon Begin Construction in the Grand Canyon State...

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic Completes New Spaceship Manufacturing Facility in Arizona (News Release)

Purpose-Built Final Assembly Facility for Delta Spaceships Receives Certificate of Occupancy

Spaceship Assembly Expected to Begin in Q1 2025

Orange County, Calif. – Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) (“Virgin Galactic” or the “Company”) today announced the completion of its new manufacturing facility in Phoenix, Arizona, where final assembly of its next-generation Delta spaceships is scheduled to take place starting in Q1 2025.

An initial team of Virgin Galactic technical operations and manufacturing personnel has begun preparing the facility to receive and install tooling, expected to arrive in Q4 2024. The facility will then begin to receive major subassemblies, including the wing, fuselage and feathering system next year, as the team scales to build the first two ships of the Delta fleet.

Once ground testing in Phoenix is complete, Virgin Galactic’s mothership will ferry completed spaceships to Spaceport America, New Mexico for flight tests ahead of commercial operations, which are expected to begin in 2026.

The multiuse facility includes two hangars equipped with multiple bays, designed for maximum flexibility in building and testing space vehicles. Work at the facility will be supported by the Company’s digital twin technology, which enables seamless integration between Virgin Galactic and suppliers through real-time collaboration, promoting strong governance and increased efficiency and reliability.

“The completion of our new manufacturing facility is an important milestone in the development of our fleet of next-generation spaceships, the key to our scale and profitability,” said Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier. “Tooling will begin arriving in a matter of months to support spaceship final assembly, which we expect to commence in Q1 2025.”

In May 2024, Virgin Galactic opened a ground testing facility in Southern California for Delta subsystems, including avionics, feather actuation, pneumatics and hydraulics, using an Iron Bird test rig.

Virgin Galactic’s Delta spaceships will seat up to six private passengers, and each is expected to be capable of flying up to eight missions per month, dramatically increasing access to space.

Source: Virgin Galactic

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Virgin Galactic

The SLS Booster Launching the First Astronauts to the Moon Since 1972 Will Soon Head to Florida...

NASA / Michael DeMocker

NASA Moon Rocket Stage for Artemis II Moved, Prepped for Shipment (News Release)

NASA is preparing the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket core stage that will help power the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis campaign for shipment. On July 6, NASA and Boeing, the core stage lead contractor, moved the Artemis II rocket stage to another part of the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

The move comes as teams prepare to roll the massive rocket stage to the agency’s Pegasus barge for delivery to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in mid-July.

Prior to the move, technicians began removing external access stands, or scaffolding, surrounding the rocket stage in early June. NASA and Boeing teams used the scaffolding surrounding the core stage to assess the interior elements, including its complex avionics and propulsion systems.

The 212-foot core stage has two huge propellant tanks, avionics and flight computer systems, and four RS-25 engines, which together enable the stage to operate during launch and flight.

The stage is fully manufactured and assembled at Michoud. Building, assembling and transporting is a joint process for NASA, Boeing and lead RS-25 engines contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company.

NASA is working to land the first woman, first person of color and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems.

SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Celebrating America's Independence Day Aboard Calypso...

NASA

Old Glory Aboard Boeing's Starliner Capsule (Photo Release - July 2)

The American flag is pictured inside the window of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that carried NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station on NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA

The Second of Two Alternate Astronauts Has Been Chosen for Orion's First Crewed Lunar Flight...

NASA / Josh Valcarcel

NASA Announces Its Artemis II Backup Crew Member for Moon Mission (News Release)

NASA has selected astronaut Andre Douglas as its backup crew member for the agency’s Artemis II test flight, the first crewed mission under NASA’s Artemis campaign.

Douglas will train alongside NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

In the event that a NASA astronaut is unable to take part in the flight, Douglas would join the Artemis II crew.

“Andre’s educational background and extensive operational experience in his various jobs prior to joining NASA are clear evidence of his readiness to support this mission,” said Joe Acaba, chief astronaut at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “He excelled in his astronaut candidate training and technical assignments, and we are confident he will continue to do so as NASA’s backup crew member for Artemis II.”

The CSA announced Jenni Gibbons as its backup crew member in November 2023. Gibbons would step into the mission to represent Canada should Hansen not be available.

“Canada’s seat on the historic Artemis II flight is a direct result of our contribution of Canadarm3 to the lunar Gateway. Jenni Gibbons’ assignment as backup is of utmost importance for our country,” said CSA President Lisa Campbell. “Since being recruited, Jenni has distinguished herself repeatedly through her work with NASA and the CSA. She is also a tremendous role model for Canada’s future scientists, engineers and explorers.”

The selection of Douglas and Gibbons as backup crew members for Artemis II is independent of the selection of crew members for Artemis III. NASA has not yet selected crew members for Artemis flights beyond Artemis II.

All active NASA astronauts are eligible for assignment to any human spaceflight mission.

The approximately 10-day Artemis II test flight will launch on the agency’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, prove the Orion spacecraft’s life-support systems, and validate the capabilities and techniques needed for humans to live and work in deep space.

More on Artemis II Backup Crew

Douglas graduated from NASA’s astronaut candidate training program in March 2024. He is a Virginia native and earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, as well as four post-graduate degrees from various institutions, including a doctorate in Systems Engineering from George Washington University in Washington.

Douglas served in the U.S. Coast Guard as a naval architect, salvage engineer, damage control assistant and officer of the deck. He also worked as a staff member at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, working on maritime robotics, planetary defense and space exploration missions for NASA.

Douglas participated in the Joint EVA and Human Surface Mobility Test Team 5, working with a specialized group that develops, integrates and executes human-in-the-loop tests, analog missions and Moonwalks. Most recently, Douglas worked with teams on the development of the Lunar Terrain Vehicle, pressurized rover, lunar Gateway and lunar spacesuit.

Gibbons was recruited as a CSA astronaut in 2017 and completed her basic training in 2020. Since then, Gibbons has continued to serve Canada’s space program and has worked in different positions, including Mission Control as a capsule communicator (CAPCOM) during spacewalks, and commercial spacecraft and daily International Space Station operations.

Gibbons holds an honors bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University in Montreal. While at McGill, she conducted research on flame propagation in microgravity in collaboration with CSA and Canada’s National Research Council Flight Research Laboratory in Ontario.

Gibbons holds a doctorate in engineering from Jesus College at the University of Cambridge, England.

Under NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency is establishing the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon, land the first woman, first person of color and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, and prepare for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Canadian Space Agency

The CHAPEA Mission Will Soon Come to an End in Houston, Texas...

NASA

Volunteer Crew to Exit NASA’s Simulated Mars Habitat After 378 Days (News Release)

The four volunteers who have been living and working inside NASA’s first simulated yearlong Mars habitat mission are set to exit their ground-based home on Saturday, July 6. NASA will provide live coverage of the crew’s exit from the habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston at 5 p.m. EDT.

NASA will stream the activity, which will include a short welcome ceremony, on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, the agency’s website, and NASA Johnson’s X and Facebook accounts. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms, including social media.

The first Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) mission began in the 3D-printed habitat on June 25, 2023, with crew members Kelly Haston, Anca Selariu, Ross Brockwell and Nathan Jones. For more than a year, the crew simulated Mars mission operations, including “Marswalks,” grew and harvested several vegetables to supplement their shelf-stable food, maintained their equipment and habitat, and operated under additional stressors that a Mars crew will experience, including communication delays with Earth, resource limitations and isolation.

In addition to the CHAPEA crew, participants include:

- Steve Koerner, deputy director, NASA Johnson
- Kjell Lindgren, NASA astronaut and deputy director, Flight Operations
- Grace Douglas, principal investigator, CHAPEA
- Judy Hayes, chief science officer, Human Health and Performance Directorate
- Julie Kramer White, director of engineering

Due to facility limitations and crew quarantine requirements, NASA is unable to accommodate requests to attend the event in person. Media interested in speaking with the mission’s crewmembers in the days following the conclusion of their mission must send a request by 4 p.m. on July 6, to the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@nasa.gov.

NASA is leading a return to the Moon for long-term science and exploration through the Artemis campaign. Lessons learned on and around the Moon will prepare NASA for the next giant leap – sending the first astronauts to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov