Largest Piece of SLS Rocket Test Hardware Moved for Testing
Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans moved the largest piece of structural test hardware for America’s new deep space rocket, the Space Launch System, from the factory to the dock where it was loaded onto NASA’s barge Pegasus. The liquid hydrogen tank test article is making its way up the river to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where it will undergo structural testing.
Chandra Serves Up Cosmic Holiday Assortment
This is the season for celebrating, and the Chandra X-ray Center has prepared a platter of cosmic treats from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Each image in this collection blends data from Chandra with observations from other telescopes, creating a colorful medley of light from our universe.
This Week in NASA History: Apollo 8 Launches – Dec. 21, 1968
This week in 1968, Apollo 8 lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The primary mission objectives included a coordinated performance of the crew, the command and service module and the support facilities. The mission also demonstrated trans-lunar injection — a propulsive maneuver used to set a spacecraft on a trajectory that will cause it to arrive at the Moon.
Expedition 57 Commander Hands Over Control and Prepares for Holiday Homecoming
The Expedition 57 commander handed over control of the International Space Station in a traditional ceremony. The crew then returned to Earth in time for Christmas after 197 days in space.
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.