Week of December 4 – December 8, 2017
Apollo 17 Astronaut Harrison Schmitt Visits Marshall, Tours SLS Flight Hardware
Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt visited NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center this week, where he shared his experiences with the next generation of engineers and scientists who are advancing technologies to send astronauts into deep space. Schmitt also toured facilities for NASA’s new heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System, and viewed hardware for the rocket’s first flight.
Heads Up, Earthlings! The Geminids Are Here
The annual Geminid meteor shower has arrived, and it’s a good time to bundle up, go outside and let the universe blow your mind! According to Marshall’s Bill Cooke, the lead of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, the Geminids will be the best meteor shower the year. The shower will peak overnight Dec. 13-14 with rates around one per minute under good conditions.
NASA Selects Three Companies to Develop ‘FabLab’ Prototypes
Taking the next step in the development of an on-demand fabrication capability in space, NASA has partnered to create prototypes with three U.S. companies under the agency’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships program. The companies will have 18 months to deliver prototypes, after which NASA will select partners to further mature the technologies.
Orbital ATK Cygnus Cargo Spacecraft Departs International Space Station
After delivering almost 7,400 pounds of cargo to support dozens of science experiments, Orbital ATK’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft departed the International Space Station this week and released 14 CubeSats. Loaded with more than 6,200 pounds of trash and other items marked for disposal, the spacecraft will burn up when it reenters Earth’s atmosphere next week over the Pacific Ocean.
For more information or to learn about other happenings at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, visit NASA Marshall. For past issues of the ICYMI newsletter, click here.
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