NASA Moon Rocket Flight Software Readied for Artemis I Launch
As crews at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida assemble the Moon rocket for the Artemis I mission, teams have installed the flight software that will help steer, fly, track, and guide the Space Launch System rocket during launch and ascent to space. Engineers loaded the flight software onto the rocket Aug. 6 after powering up the core stage that contains the flight computers for the first time since stacking began.
NASA Continues RS-25 Testing with Sixth Installment at Stennis Space Center
NASA conducted its sixth RS-25 single-engine hot fire Aug. 5 on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The hot fire was a continuation of a seven-part test series to support development and production of engines for the agency’s Space Launch System rocket on future missions to the Moon. Operators fired the engine for more than eight minutes (500 seconds), the same amount of time RS-25 engines need to fire for launch of the SLS rocket.
A Few Steps Closer to Europa: Spacecraft Hardware Makes Headway
Take a closer look at the complex choreography involved in building NASA’s Europa Clipper as the mission to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa approaches its 2024 launch date. The hardware that makes up the Europa Clipper spacecraft is rapidly taking shape, as engineering components and instruments are prepared for delivery to the main clean room at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Dive Into History of Marshall’s Underwater Training Facility
The Neutral Buoyancy Simulator at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is now a historic landmark. Learn more about the history of the underwater training facility, which astronauts once used to practice satellite repairs and other activities.
Cygnus Installed on Space Station’s Unity Module for Cargo Transfers
The Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft was bolted into place on the International Space Station’s Earth-facing port of the Unity module Aug. 12. Cygnus will remain at the space station for about three months. The spacecraft’s arrival brings more than 8,200 pounds of research and supplies to orbiting lab.
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.