#nasa_projects

Preparations are underway for the launch of the Artemis 2 spacecraft, which should take astronauts around the Moon at the end of 2024 The American Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shared interesting news on its lunar program. In a sped-up video, the team showed how rocket boosters were installed for NASA's Artemis 2 lunar mission. The massive twin boosters were transported by train to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in early October. [caption id="attachment_79579" align="aligncenter" width="780"] NASA[/caption] The center's specialists are now focused on assembling the aft part of the boosters - this is the part that controls the boosters during launch. NASA said: Here the left and right aft engine segments are connected to the stern skirts, after which the installation of the stern outlet cones will follow. NASA installs massive Artemis 2 boosters to launch astronauts to the Moon: impressive video As you can see in the video, moving these massive parts around the plant is no easy task. Each weighs approximately 150 tons, and their enormous height also requires a special approach. Each accelerator will consist of five segments when fully assembled. https://youtu.be/2K3pse3k3V8

Blue Moon Mark 1 is designed to deliver up to 3 tons of cargo to any point on the Moon Blue Origin has presented the US Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with a mock-up of the Blue Moon lander, which should be ready to fly to the Moon within the next three years. [caption id="attachment_76171" align="aligncenter" width="780"] NASA[/caption] Billionaire Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, showed NASA representatives a "low-fidelity" mockup at an engine plant in Huntsville, Alabama. The landing module is 7 meters wide. It will be launched using Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket. Jeff Bezos presented NASA with a model of the Blue Moon lunar ship This is a variant of the Blue Moon Mark 1 lander. It is designed to deliver up to 3 tons of cargo to any point on the lunar surface. [caption id="attachment_76172" align="aligncenter" width="780"] NASA[/caption] As noted on the Blue Origin website, Blue Moon Mark 1 is a lunar cargo lander designed for a single launch. It will remain on the surface and provide safe, reliable, and accessible access to the lunar environment. The Mark 1 will be followed by the larger Mark 2 lander for manned missions, which will be able to carry astronauts to and from the lunar surface under a NASA contract. [caption id="attachment_76173" align="aligncenter" width="400"] NASA[/caption] In May 2023, NASA selected Blue Origin along with SpaceX as the second contractor for a lunar lander designed to carry humans. John Coulouris, senior vice president of lunar operations at Blue Origin, explained: We are building our landers, Mark 1 and Mark 2, to enable a global lunar landing capability, day or night.

Orion with a crew of 4 is scheduled to fly around the Moon in 2024 The American Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shared interesting news on its lunar program. The Orion spacecraft for NASA's Artemis 2 lunar mission is assembled in its entirety, combining a service module and a crew capsule.  [caption id="attachment_76080" align="aligncenter" width="780"] NASA's[/caption] The ship was assembled at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was done after installing the equipment and testing the modules individually. Now the NASA team will launch the combined apparatus for the first time. [caption id="attachment_76081" align="aligncenter" width="780"] NASA's[/caption] NASA's first spacecraft in 50 years to send astronauts to the Moon is assembled and ready for testing Next will be a series of rigorous tests to prepare Orion for its flight to the Moon. In particular, the ship will be tested in a pressure chamber, which will allow the device to operate in conditions as close as possible to the conditions of deep space.  [caption id="attachment_76082" align="aligncenter" width="780"] NASA's[/caption] In 2024, new steps will be implemented: adding solar wings, filling the tanks with fuel, and then connecting the finished Orion to a launch abort system that will ensure the safety of astronauts in the event of failures.

Fire in the sky Not all observers enjoying last weekend's solar eclipse were limited to Planet Earth. On October 14, observers in a narrow band off the Oregon coast, stretching southeast through Central and South America, were able to see an annular solar eclipse: the Moon blocked the entire solar disk, leaving only a narrow strip around the edge that sparkled like a bright “ring of fire.” [caption id="attachment_71147" align="aligncenter" width="650"] NASA[/caption] NASA astronaut captured a solar eclipse from the ISS However, many more people have seen a partial eclipse, when the Moon seemed to “take a bite out of the Sun.” These observers included the ISS crew, and one person took a photo from this unique vantage point. The photographer was NASA astronaut, Expedition 70 engineer Jasmine Moghbeli, who arrived at the ISS at the end of August as part of the SpaceX Crew-7 crew mission. The picture was published on social network X by NASA's Marshall Space Center on October 17. Annular solar eclipses occur due to the Moon's slightly elliptical orbit. They occur when the Moon, Sun, and Earth line up in an ideal line, but at a time when the Moon is at its farthest point from our planet and cannot completely hide the solar disk from the observer. The next total solar eclipse will take place on April 8, 2024, and will be visible in Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

Startup Evolution Space has entered into an agreement with NASA's Stennis Space Center to create a manufacturing and testing facility for solid rocket motors. The company plans to begin production in the second quarter of 2024. Solid rocket engine startup Evolution Space has signed an agreement to establish manufacturing and testing operations at NASA's Stennis Space Center. On October 10, the company announced that it had reached an agreement to establish a manufacturing center at the former Mississippi Army Ammunition Facility, acquired by NASA in 2011 after it was deactivated by the U.S. Army. [caption id="attachment_66839" align="aligncenter" width="780"] NASA[/caption] Evolution Space plans to begin production of solid rocket motors in the second quarter of 2024 at a manufacturing center called the Minor Scale Propulsion Center. The company will also test its engines at the E-3 test facility complex in Stennis. “By collaborating with NASA, we will be able to quickly create a facility that significantly enhances the U.S. solid rocket motor manufacturing capabilities,” said Manny Balestero, vice president of manufacturing and engineering at Evolution Space. Startup Evolution Space opens solid rocket motor production center at NASA Stennis Space Center Evolution Space develops solid rocket motors for defense and commercial applications. In the spring, the company successfully launched its engines on suborbital flights from the Mojave Desert and from a floating platform in the Gulf of Mexico, while also testing an offshore launch pad developed by The Spaceport Company for a real launch. Evolution Space also announced it has closed an additional round of funding to continue operations at Stennis while it focuses on its Series A funding round. A company spokesperson said the funding was $1.2 million, but the company could not disclose the names of the investors. Evolution Space became the first solid rocket motor company to operate in Stennis, where it primarily tests liquid rocket motors for NASA and several companies.

NASA has created a request to develop a “lunar freezer” that will store samples during Artemis missions and also be used to store biological samples. The freezer should be ready by the end of 2027 Astronauts on the Artemis missions will need a mobile storage system for the samples they collect from the lunar surface. To this end, NASA posted a request on the federal government contracting website. The main purpose of the freezer will be to transport scientific and geological samples from the Moon to Earth. The request specifically noted that these would be samples collected as part of the Artemis program. [caption id="attachment_63730" align="aligncenter" width="780"] NASA[/caption] However, the post also says that the device will be used, among other things, to store and transport “biological and physiological samples collected during missions,” likely to analyze the impact of flights to the Moon on astronauts. NASA plans for the final vehicle to be ready by the end of 2027 and will be sent aboard the planned Artemis 5 mission. To make the trip back to Earth from the lunar surface, the vehicle must be transportable. This implies the ability to fit into the lunar rover, any lunar manned modules, the HLS landing vehicle, the Orion space module, and the Gateway lunar station. The total volume of the internal space of the device must be at least 25 × 25 × 66 centimeters, and the entire system must weigh less than 55 kilograms. Samples must be stored at a temperature no higher than -85 degrees Celsius for at least 30 days. Designed for NASA, the freezer would also have a built-in display that the Artemis crew could use for monitoring and control, as well as wired and wireless Internet connections that could provide telemetry. Finally, the device must be able to record data about the temperature, status, time, and duration of its door opening. The planned debut mission of the Artemis 5 lunar freezer will be the third mission in the Artemis program.

The British Space Agency announced a $79 million contribution to early-stage space technology projects. Officials are distributing the funding through the new National Space Innovation Program (NSIP). The new wave of investment will prioritize high-risk, high-return UK programs, with funding distributed between established projects and start-ups. The first tranche will be $41.5 million, the remaining funds will be provided in installments over the next four years. [caption id="attachment_63381" align="aligncenter" width="750"] space projects[/caption] NSIP's primary goal is to support the development and scaling of commercial products, bringing space technologies to market, and creating domestic jobs. British startups will receive $79 million for the development of space projects “Investing in these projects not only strengthens the UK's position in the international space community but also provides opportunities for business development and job creation, helping to accelerate the growth of the space sector,” said Science, Innovation and Technology Minister George Freeman. The NSIP program has already committed $30.5 million since its launch in 2020. Previous recipients include SatVu, which launched its first satellite in June; startup Space Forge; Northumbria University Newcastle, whose plant creates miniature laser terminals for inter-satellite communications. Of the total global space investment since 2015, British space companies have received 17%, making the country the second largest investment in space after the United States. There are more than 1,500 space businesses in the UK. Space products and services account for 18% of UK GDP.