Category: Johnson Space Center

Auto Added by WPeMatico

Posted on

Expedition 69 Crew, Three NASA Astronauts to Share Mission Highlights

Source: NASA

Jan. 16, 2024
RELEASE: 24-001
Four astronauts, including the current record holder for the longest single U.S. stay in space aboard the International Space Station, will make their first public appearance in Houston since returning to Earth. The crew also will be available for interviews before the event at 5 p.m. CST Thursday, Jan. 18, at Space Center Houston.
Expedition 69 NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen, Woody Hoburg, and Frank Rubio, along with United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, will be at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston official visitor center to share accomplishments from their mission during a free, public event at 5:30 p.m. At 7 p.m., the crew, along NASA leadership, will help recognize key contributors to the mission’s success in an awards ceremony.
Reporters may request an in-person interview no later than 12 p.m. Jan. 18 by emailing Dana Davis at dana.l.davis@nasa.gov.  
Expedition 69
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission launched in March 2023 with Bowen, Hoburg, and Alneyadi, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, on the sixth commercial crew rotation mission to the space station. The crew spent 186 days in orbit, traveled 78,875,292 miles, and completed 2,976 Earth orbits, splashing down off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, on Sept. 4, 2023. This was Bowen’s fourth spaceflight and the first spaceflight for Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev. The crew helped improve power systems for the space station through a series of spacewalks. In June 2023, Bowen completed his 10th career spacewalk, tying the U.S. record for number of spacewalks. Alneyadi also completed the first long-duration mission for a UAE astronaut.
The Dragon crew was welcomed aboard the station by the international crew that flew on the Soyuz spacecraft and served on Expeditions 68 and 69. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin launched six months earlier, on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft in September 2022. The Soyuz crew spent a total of 371 days aboard the space station, traveled 157,412,306 statute miles, and completed 5,963 Earth orbits, landing in Kazakhstan aboard the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft on Sept. 27, 2023. This was the second spaceflight for Prokopyev and Petelin. This was Rubio’s first spaceflight mission and it broke the U.S. record for a single spaceflight by an American.
While aboard the station, the Expedition 69 crew contributed to hundreds of experiments and technology demonstrations, including conducting a student robotic challenge, studying plant genetic adaptations to space, and monitoring human health in microgravity to prepare for exploration beyond low Earth orbit and to benefit life on Earth. The crew released Saskatchewan’s first satellite, which tests a new radiation detection and protection system derived from Melanin that’s found in many organisms including humans.
Stay current on space station activities by following @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the station Facebook and Instagram accounts and the space station blog.
-end-
Chelsey BallarteJohnson Space Center, Houston281-483-5111chelsey.n.ballarte@nasa.gov
Dana Davis
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-244-0933
dana.l.davis@nasa.gov

Posted on

NASA to Join Astrobotic’s Media Call on Peregrine Mission One Status

Source: NASA

NASA will join an Astrobotic media teleconference at 12 p.m. EST, Thursday, Jan. 18, to discuss updates on their Peregrine Mission One, which is carrying science for the agency as part of its Commercial Lunar Provider Services (CLPS) initiative.
The audio-only teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website.
Following a successful launch on Jan. 8, Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander experienced a propulsion issue after the spacecraft entered its operational state. This is preventing Astrobotic from achieving a soft landing on the Moon. Aboard the Peregrine spacecraft are five NASA science instruments, several of which are receiving power and gathering data.
Participants on the call include:
Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for Exploration, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington
John Thornton, CEO, Astrobotic, Pittsburgh
To participate in the teleconference, media must RSVP online no later than two hours before the start of the call to Astrobotic.
Learn more about CLPS at:
https://nasa.gov/clps
-end-
Karen FoxHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1600karen.c.fox@nasa.gov
Nilufar RamjiJohnson Space Flight Center, Houston281-383-5111nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov
Alivia ChaplaAstrobotic412-682-3282alivia.chapla@astrobotic.com

Posted on

NASA Selects 12 Companies for Space Station Services Contract

Source: NASA

NASA has selected 12 companies to provide research, engineering, and mission integration services for the International Space Station Program.
The $478 million Research, Engineering & Mission Integration Services-2 or REMIS-2 contract will support the work of the International Space Station Program based at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The companies will provide spaceflight, ground hardware and software, sustaining engineering functions and services, payload facility integration, and research mission integration operations services.
Each company will receive a multiple-award, indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed price and cost-plus-fixed-fee task orders. The seven-year contract begins Friday and extends through Sept. 30, 2030, with an option to extend through Sept. 30, 2032.
The companies selected are:
Aegis Aerospace, Inc., Houston
Axient Corp, Huntsville, Alabama
Cimarron Software Services, Houston
Consolidated Safety Services, Exploration Park, Florida
JES Tech, Houston
KBR Wyle, Fulton, Maryland
Leidos, Webster, Texas
Metis, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Oceaneering, Houston
Tec-Masters, Huntsville
Teledyne Brown Engineering, Huntsville
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama
The majority of the work will take place at contractor facilities across the country. Services also may be required at other NASA centers, contractor or subcontractor locations, or vendor facilities as requirements warrant.
The contract also includes a small business reserve, which was fulfilled by selecting Aegis, Cimarron, Consolidated Safety Services, JES Tech, Metis, and Tec-Masters. 
For more information about NASA and its programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov.
-end-
Roxana BardanHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1600roxana.bardan@nasa.gov
Sandra JonesJohnson Space Center, Houston281-483-5111sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov

Posted on

California Students to Hear from NASA Astronauts Aboard Space Station

Source: NASA

Students from Emblem Academy in Santa Clarita, California, will have an opportunity to hear from NASA astronauts living and working aboard the International Space Station.  
The Earth-to-space call will stream live at 11:35 a.m. EST Tuesday, Jan. 16, on NASA+, NASA Television, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media. Follow event online at: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv.
NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli will answer prerecorded questions from students at Emblem Academy, a public transitional kindergarten through sixth-grade school. In preparation for the event, students and their families will participate in a STEM family night including science, technology, engineering, and math design challenges related to the space station.
Media interested in covering the event should RSVP no later than 5 p.m., Friday, Jan. 12, to Katie Demsher at: kdemsher@saugususd.org or 661-294-5315.
For more than 23 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts living in space aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Near Space Network.
Important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the International Space Station benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future exploration. As part of Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars. Inspiring the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation – ensures America will continue to lead in space exploration and discovery.
See videos and lesson plans highlighting research aboard  the space station at:
https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
-end-
Katherine BrownHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1288katherine.m.brown@nasa.gov
Sandra Jones Johnson Space Center, Houston281-483-5111sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov

Posted on

Logros de la NASA en la estación espacial en 2023

Source: NASA

La Estación Espacial Internacional es un centro de investigaciones científicas y demostraciones de tecnología. Actualmente, en su tercera década de operaciones atendidas por seres humanos, este laboratorio orbital aprovecha las investigaciones previas para producir resultados fundamentales mientras lleva a cabo ciencia de vanguardia. Lee los aspectos más destacados de algunos de los innovadores avances científicos de la estación espacial realizados en 2023 que están beneficiando a la humanidad en la Tierra y preparando a los seres humanos para los viajes a la Luna y más allá.

El primer menisco de rodilla humana fue bioimpreso en 3D exitosamente en la órbita terrestre utilizando la Instalación de Biomanufactura de la estación espacial. El proyecto BFF-Meniscus 2 evalúa la impresión en 3D de tejido de cartílago de rodilla utilizando tintas y células biológicas. La demostración en el espacio de esta capacidad respalda el uso comercial continuo y extendido de la estación espacial para la fabricación de tejidos y órganos para trasplantes en tierra.

Por primera vez en el espacio, los científicos produjeron un gas cuántico que contenía dos tipos de átomos utilizando el Laboratorio de Átomos Fríos de la estación. Esta nueva capacidad podría permitir a los investigadores estudiar las propiedades cuánticas de los átomos por separado, así como la química cuántica, la cual se centra en investigar de qué manera interactúan y se combinan los diferentes tipos de átomos en un estado cuántico. Esta investigación podría permitir una gama más amplia de experimentos en el Laboratorio de Átomos Fríos, aprovechando esta instalación para desarrollar nuevas tecnologías cuánticas desde el espacio. Las herramientas cuánticas se utilizan en todo, desde los teléfonos móviles hasta dispositivos médicos, y podrían profundizar nuestra comprensión de las leyes fundamentales de la naturaleza.

El 14 de septiembre de 2023, la NASA anunció que julio de 2023 fue el mes más caluroso registrado desde 1880. La estación espacial está ayudando a monitorear el cambio climático mediante la recopilación de datos con el empleo de diferentes instrumentos de observación de la Tierra montados en su exterior.

Desde su lanzamiento en 2022, la Investigación de las Fuentes de Polvo Mineral en la Superficie de la Tierra (EMIT, por sus siglas en inglés) de la NASA ha detectado más que minerales en la superficie. El espectrómetro generador de imágenes ahora está identificando las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero provenientes de fuentes puntuales con una habilidad que sorprende incluso a sus diseñadores. La detección de metano no formaba parte de la misión principal de EMIT, pero ahora, con más de 750 fuentes de emisiones identificadas, este instrumento ha demostrado ser eficaz para detectar tanto fuentes grandes como pequeñas. Este es un factor importante para identificar los “superemisores”: fuentes que producen una parte desproporcionada de las emisiones totales. El seguimiento de las emisiones causadas por la actividad humana podría ofrecer un enfoque rápido y de bajo costo para reducir los gases de efecto invernadero.

Los modelos que utilizan los datos del experimento ECOSTRESS de la NASA hallaron que la fotosíntesis de las plantas comienza a decaer a los 46,7 grados centígrados (C), o 116 grados Fahrenheit (F). ECOSTRESS está ayudando a explorar las repercusiones del cambio climático en las selvas tropicales. Según este estudio, las temperaturas medias han aumentado 0,5 C por década en algunas regiones tropicales, y las temperaturas extremas son cada vez más acentuadas. Se desconoce si las temperaturas de la vegetación tropical pronto podrían acercarse a este umbral, pero este resultado crea conciencia sobre la necesidad de mitigar los efectos del cambio climático en las selvas tropicales, las cuales son un productor primario del oxígeno del mundo.

La NASA ha logrado una recuperación de agua del 98% a bordo del segmento estadounidense de la estación espacial, lo cual es un hito necesario para las misiones espaciales que se aventuren a destinos lejanos. La NASA utiliza la estación para desarrollar y poner a prueba sistemas de soporte vital que pueden regenerar o reciclar elementos de consumo como alimentos, aire y agua. Idealmente, los sistemas de soporte vital necesitan recuperar cerca del 98% del agua que las tripulaciones llevan al comienzo de un viaje largo. En 2023, el Sistema de Control Ambiental y Soporte Vital de la estación espacial demostró esta capacidad.
[embedded content]
El Terminal integrado de amplificador y módem de usuario de órbita terrestre baja de LCRD (ILLUMA-T, por sus siglas en inglés) de la NASA, una demostración de comunicaciones láser, completó su primer enlace. Este es un hito crítico para el primer sistema de retransmisión láser bidireccional de la agencia. Las comunicaciones láser envían y reciben información a velocidades más altas, lo que proporciona a las naves espaciales la capacidad de enviar más datos a la Tierra en una sola transmisión. Poner a prueba las comunicaciones láser operativas en diversos escenarios podría perfeccionar esta capacidad para futuras misiones a la Luna y Marte.

El astronauta de la NASA Frank Rubio completó una misión científica sin precedentes, tras pasar 371 días en el espacio. Durante su permanencia en órbita, Rubio fue el primer astronauta en participar en un estudio que examina cómo el ejercicio con equipo de entrenamiento limitado afecta al cuerpo humano y es uno de los pocos astronautas que ayudan a los investigadores a realizar pruebas para saber si una dieta mejorada puede facilitar la adaptación a la vida en el espacio. Las contribuciones de Rubio ayudan a los investigadores a comprender cómo los vuelos espaciales afectan la fisiología y la psicología humanas y a la preparación para misiones de larga duración.

Kibo cosechando hojas de Arabidopsis thaliana, una planta similar al repollo y la mostaza. Alneyadi mira a la cámara con las manos todavía ocupadas en el experimento de botánica espacial Hábitat de Plantas 03.
La finalización de una de las primeras investigaciones de varias generaciones de plantas a bordo de la estación espacial podría ayudar a los investigadores a evaluar si las adaptaciones genéticas en una generación de plantas cultivadas en el espacio pueden transferirse a la siguiente. Los resultados del experimento Hábitat de Plantas 03 podrían proporcionar información sobre cómo cultivar generaciones repetidas de plantas para proporcionar alimentos frescos y otros servicios en futuras misiones espaciales.

El Experimento contra Incendios en Naves Espaciales IV (Saffire IV, por sus siglas en inglés) marcó la finalización de una serie de experimentos de combustión que ayudaron a los investigadores a comprender los riesgos y comportamientos del fuego en el espacio. Debido a que los experimentos relacionados con las llamas son difíciles de llevar a cabo a bordo de una nave espacial tripulada, el experimento Saffire IV utiliza el vehículo de reabastecimiento no tripulado Cygnus después de su partida de la estación espacial con el fin de poner a prueba la inflamabilidad a diferentes niveles de oxígeno y demostrar las capacidades de detección y monitoreo de incendios.

Christine Giraldo
Oficina de Investigación del Programa de la Estación Espacial Internacional
Centro Espacial Johnson

Busca en esta base de datos de experimentos científicos para obtener más información (en inglés) sobre los experimentos mencionados anteriormente.

Posted on

NASA Astronauts to Speak with North Carolina, Virginia Students

Source: NASA

Students from North Carolina and Virginia will have separate opportunities next week to each hear from a NASA astronaut living and working aboard the International Space Station.
The two Earth-to-space calls will air live Tuesday, Jan. 9, on NASA+, NASA Television, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media. Follow events online at: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv.
At 9:20 a.m. EST, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will answer prerecorded questions from students at Thales Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina. In preparation for the education downlink, students will participate in an annual Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Day that will include presentations about the space station by Marc Fusco, one of NASA’s solar system ambassadors. Students also will participate in hands-on activities, including making space related art, building bottle rockets, and launching a model rocket.
Media interested in covering the North Carolina event RSVP no later than 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 8., should contact Janice Holton at: janice.holton@thalesacademy.org or 919-882-2320.
At 1:05 p.m., NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara will answer prerecorded questions from students across the state of Virginia through an event hosted by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium. These students studied life aboard the space station and participated in a Plant the Moon Challenge where they worked to grow plants in lunar regolith simulant for the Artemis mission.
Media interested in covering the Virginia event must RSVP no later than 4 p.m. on Jan. 8., to Kristyn Damadeo at: kdamadeo@odu.edu or 202-465-5190.
For more than 23 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts living in space aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Near Space Network.
Important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the International Space Station benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future exploration.
As part of Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars. Inspiring the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation – ensures America will continue to lead in space exploration and discovery.
See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the space station at:
https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
-end-
Katherine BrownHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1288katherine.m.brown@nasa.gov
Sandra Jones Johnson Space Center, Houston281-483-5111sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov

Posted on

3D Bioprinting

Source: NASA

Imagine someone needs a heart transplant and scientists take cells from that person to create an entire new heart for them. Research on the International Space Station is helping to bring that dream closer to reality.
The process of 3D printing (also known as additive manufacturing) enables the design and production of one-of-a-kind items made of plastic, metal, and other materials, including tools, equipment, and even buildings. Biological printing or bioprinting uses living cells, proteins, and nutrients as raw materials and has the potential to produce human tissues for treating injury and disease and to create entire organs for transplants.
In Earth’s gravity, bioprinting requires a scaffold or other type of structure to support tissues, but in the near-weightlessness of the space station’s orbit, tissues grow in three dimensions without such support. Redwire Corporation developed the BioFabrication Facility (BFF) as a part of the larger goal of using microgravity to bioprint human organs. Popular Science magazine recently awarded the BFF a 2023 Best of What’s New Award in the Health Category. These awards, handed out since 1988, recognize “groundbreaking innovations changing our world,” according to Popular Science, and “radical ideas that are improving our everyday lives and our futures.”

A current investigation, BFF-Cardiac, uses the BFF to evaluate the printing and processing of cardiac tissue samples. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. Adult heart tissue is unable to regenerate, so damaged heart tissue is mostly replaced with scar tissue, which can block electrical signals and prevent proper cardiac contractions. This investigation could support the development of patches to replace damaged tissue – and eventually the creation of replacement hearts. The work represents a big step toward addressing the significant gap between the number of transplant organs needed and available donors.

The BFF-Meniscus investigation and the follow-up BFF-Meniscus-2 investigation resulted in the first successful bioprinting of a human knee meniscus in orbit using the space station’s BioFabrication Facility, announced in September 2023. Musculoskeletal injuries, including tears in the meniscus, are one of the most common injuries for the U.S. military and this milestone is a step toward developing improved treatments on the ground and for crew members who experience musculoskeletal injuries on future space missions. After initial printing and a period of growth in microgravity, the tissues returned to Earth for additional analysis and testing.
The Russian state space agency ROSCOSMOS launched equipment in 2018, 3D MBP, that included a magnetic printer called Organ.Aut. A series of experiments from 2018 through 2020 showed that this approach could create tissue constructs, helping to pave the way for additional research on producing artificial organs.
Bioprinting technology also could create artificial retinas to help restore sight for the 30 million people worldwide who suffer from degenerative retinal diseases. One way to manufacture artificial retinas is a technique that alternates layers of a light-activated protein and a binder on a film. On Earth, gravity affects the quality of these films, but researchers suspected that films created in microgravity would be more stable and have higher optical clarity. Protein-Based Artificial Retina Manufacturing is one of several investigations by LambdaVision Inc. in partnership with developer Space Tango Inc. to develop and validate space-based manufacturing methods for artificial retinas. The company has consistently manufactured multiple 200-layer artificial retina films in microgravity and now is working to commercialize its hardware and strategies for development of other therapies and drugs.

Bioprint FirstAid, a study from ESA (European Space Agency) and the German Space Agency (DLR), demonstrated the function of a prototype for a portable handheld bioprinter that creates a patch from a patient’s own skin cells. Space causes changes in the wound healing process, and such customized bandages could accelerate healing on future missions to the Moon and Mars. Using cultured cells from the patient reduces the risk of rejection by the immune system, and the device offers greater flexibility to address wound size and position. Because the device is small and portable, health care workers could take it almost anywhere on Earth. The investigation showed that the device works as intended in microgravity, and researchers are studying the space-printed patches and comparing them with samples printed on the ground before taking the next step.

Bioprinting in microgravity also could make it possible to produce food and medicine on demand on future space missions. Such capabilities would reduce the mass and cost of materials needed at launch and help maintain the health and safety of crew members throughout a mission.
The 3D Printing In Zero-G investigation, which started in 2014, demonstrated that the process of 3D printing with inorganic materials such as plastic worked normally in microgravity.1 3D printing could reduce the need to pack costly spare parts on future long-term missions and help solve the problem of trying to predict every tool or object that might be needed on a mission. With the addition of bioprinting capabilities, crews eventually may be able to 3D print almost anything they need – from a replacement screwdriver to a replacement knee.
John Love, ISS Research Planning Integration Scientist
Expedition 70
Search this database of scientific experiments to learn more about those mentioned above.

Citations:
1 Prater TJ, Bean QA, Werkheiser N, Grguel R, Beshears RD, Rolin TD, Huff T, Ryan RM, Ledbetter III FE, Ordonez EA. Analysis of specimens from phase I of the 3D Printing in Zero G Technology demonstration mission. Rapid Prototyping Journal. 2017 October 6; 23(6): 1212-1225. DOI: 10.1108/RPJ-09-2016-0142.

Posted on

NASA Engineer Named in Forbes 30 Under 30 List of Innovators

Source: NASA

Clare Luckey, an engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, has been named one of Forbes’ 30 under 30 Class of 2024. The other NASA honoree is Katie Konans, audio and podcasting lead at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list is a selection of young, creative, and bold minds the magazine’s experts consider revolutionaries, changing the course of business and society. Forbes evaluated more than 20,000 nominees to decide on 600 business and industry figures, with 30 selected in each of 20 industries.

“To be honored with such an award is truly humbling,” Luckey said. “This is a list of insanely talented people who are shaping the future, and I’m fortunate to be a part of it.” 
Clare Luckey is the co-lead of crew transit operations within the Mars Architecture Team, which is working on the first crewed mission to Mars. In addition to her work on Mars missions, she regularly does outreach in underserved communities to encourage students to pursue careers in STEM and space.
Clare began her NASA career as an intern in Johnson’s Center Operations Directorate, then was hired full-time as an integration lead for cargo resupply flights to the International Space Station. 
Luckey grew up in Southfield, Michigan. She earned her Bachelor of Science in space weather engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 2017, and her Master’s in space architecture from the University of Houston in 2019.

“One of my earliest STEM memories was in middle school, when a group of my friends and I participated in a Future Cities competition to design a city on Mars,” Luckey said. “We didn’t win – not even close – but it challenged us to think critically and creatively. I’m extremely fortunate that’s essentially what I get to do that in real life now! I think all kids deserve to have experiences like that, that inspire them to imagine a future beyond themselves. My parents worked hard to ensure that I’d have opportunities like that, especially coming from a place where not many people end up in engineering, let alone at NASA. I’m grateful to them for that.”
“To that end, I think it’s important to have a support system of people cheering you on,” she continued. “I don’t know where I’d be without the many people who have mentored, encouraged, and pushed me since I started as an intern in 2018. I hope to do that for others someday.”

Posted on

Expedition 68 Crew With Three NASA Astronauts to Discuss Mission

Source: NASA

Dec. 4, 2023
MEDIA ADVISORY: M23-001

Four astronauts, including the current record-holder for the longest single stay in space aboard the International Space Station, will make their first public appearance in Houston since returning to Earth. The crew will be available for interviews at 5 p.m. CST Wednesday, Dec. 6, at Space Center Houston.
NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, Josh Cassada, and Frank Rubio, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, will be at NASA Johnson Space Center’s visitor center to share highlights from their missions during a free, public event at 6:15 p.m. At 7:40 p.m., the crew will help recognize key contributors to its mission success in an awards ceremony.
Reporters may request an in-person interview no later than 12 p.m. Dec. 6 by emailing Dana Davis at dana.l.davis@nasa.gov.  
Crew-5
NASA’s SpaceX Crew mission launched in October 2022 with Mann, Cassada, and Wakata, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, on the fifth commercial crew rotation mission to the International Space Station. The crew spent 157 days aboard the space station, traveled 66,577,531 miles, and completed 2,512 Earth orbits, splashing down off the coast of Tampa, Florida, on March 11. This was the first spaceflight for Mann, Cassada, and Kikina. It was the fifth flight for Wakata who has now logged a total of 505 days in space.
Soyuz Crew:The international crew that flew on the Soyuz spacecraft served on Expeditions 68 and 69 aboard the space station. The flight launched on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft in September 2022 with Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin. The crew spent 371 days aboard the space station, traveled 157,412,306 statute miles, and completed 5,963 Earth orbits, landing in Kazakhstan aboard the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft on Sept. 27, 2023. This was the second spaceflight for Prokepyev and Petelin. This was Rubio’s first spaceflight mission and it broke the U.S. record for a single spaceflight by an American.
While on the station, the crew members conducted important scientific investigations and helped maintain the orbiting laboratory. While aboard they tested hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to grow plants without using soil, studied how liquids move in a container in simulated lunar gravity to generate data to improve Moon rover designs, and tested an on-demand system to produce specific quantities of key nutrients from yogurt, kefir, and a yeast-based beverage. The crew also released Uganda and Zimbabwe’s first satellites.
Stay current on space station activities by following @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the station Facebook and Instagram accounts and the space station blog.
-end-
Chelsey BallarteJohnson Space Center, Houston281-483-5111chelsey.n.ballarte@nasa.gov
Dana DavisJohnson Space Center, Houston281-244-0933dana.l.davis@nasa.gov

Posted on

Volunteers Worldwide Successfully Tracked NASA’s Artemis I Mission

Source: NASA

In the year since NASA’s historic Artemis I mission successfully launched, the agency has been analyzing data from its approximately 25-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth, including data submitted from volunteers around the world as they tracked the uncrewed Orion spacecraft.
The flight test, which launched on Nov. 16, 2022, atop the agency’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, sent the Orion spacecraft nearly 270,000 miles beyond the Moon to test the integrated rocket and spacecraft for the first time before future crewed missions.
NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program selected 18 participants to attempt to passively track the Orion spacecraft. The effort helped NASA gain a better understanding of external organizations’ tracking capabilities as it seeks to augment the agency’s capabilities for tracking future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
[embedded content]
Ten volunteers successfully tracked the Orion spacecraft during Artemis I’s uncrewed flight test to and from the Moon.
The participants – ranging from international space agencies, academic institutions, commercial companies, nonprofits, and private citizens – attempted to receive Orion’s signal and use their respective ground antennas to passively track and measure changes in the radio waves transmitted by Orion. They took measurements during three phases of the mission: the spacecraft’s journey to the Moon, its orbit around the Moon, and the journey back to Earth.  

John Hudiburg
SCaN Mission Integration and Commitment Manager

“We were happy with the engagement and have spent the last few months really understanding what the data can mean for future Artemis or lunar tracking efforts,” said John Hudiburg, SCaN Mission Integration and Commitment Manager.
Data collected from the participants was provided to Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF) analysts at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for evaluation.
“The public and industry sector’s response was very exciting,” said Flight Dynamics Facility liaison Juan Crenshaw. “It shows the worldwide interest in supporting the next era of human exploration. The Flight Dynamics Facility analysts found that the data showed promising results, with many of the participants successfully tracking Orion during its journey.”

To process the data, analysts combined it with operational data from NASA’s Deep Space Network and generated standard datasets that were easier to analyze. Analysts then compared this data against the actual Artemis I tracking data collected by engineers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. This comparison allowed analysts to identify any errors or trends in the data.  
Some of the data submitted also revealed certain challenges. These challenges included differences in the implementation of Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) standards, formatting issues with the data, data quality issues. However, these challenges help NASA understand what information should be clarified for future tracking efforts.
“NASA gained an understanding of the broader community’s capabilities, the participating organizations got to show what they can do in terms of tracking, and the Flight Dynamics Facility learned how to analyze unconventional external tracking data,” said Flight Dynamics Facility Deputy Operations Director Jason Laing. “Now, we can take the lessons learned and apply them to potential tracking opportunities for future missions.”
SCaN serves as the program office for all of NASA’s space communications and navigation activities and supports the Artemis missions through both the Near Space Network and Deep Space Network. SCaN is a part of NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
With Artemis missions, NASA is collaborating with commercial and international partners to explore the Moon for scientific discovery and technology advancement and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon. The Moon missions will serve as training for how to live and work on another world as NASA prepares for human exploration of Mars.
By Katrina Lee
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md