The benefits of space station research and development…
Refining the Architecture for the Mars Sample Return Mission…
And try firing a solid rocket for our mega moon rocket…some of the stories to tell you: this week at NASA!
The benefits of space station research and development
The 11th International Space Station Research and Development Conference took place July 25-28 in Washington. The conference was organized by the American Astronautical Society and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, in cooperation with NASA. The event coincided with the launch of the 2022 edition of the publication Benefits to Humanity of the International Space Station. The digital book, which is available online, is full of examples of how people on Earth have benefited from research conducted in the microgravity environment of the space station. To learn more about the groundbreaking discoveries, the benefits to humanity, and how the agency and its commercial and international partners maximize research and development aboard the space station, visit nasa.gov/stationbenefits.
This illustration shows a concept for several robots that would join together to transport samples collected from the surface of Mars by NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover to Earth. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Refining the architecture of the Mars sample return mission
The Mars sample return program is nearing completion of the mission’s conceptual design phase. The program has reviewed, evaluated and refined the mission architecture that will be used to return the scientifically selected samples currently being collected on Mars by our Perseverance rover. Refinements to the mission architecture include the use of Perseverance to replace the Sample Fetch Rover as the primary means of transporting the samples to our Sample Retrieval Lander. The program has also added two sample retrieval helicopters, based on the design of our Ingenuity helicopter, which will provide a secondary capability to obtain cached samples of the Martian surface.
NASA and Northrop Grumman, the Space Launch System (SLS) prime contractor, conducted the Flight Support Booster-2 (FSB-2) full-scale test in Promontory, Utah, on July 21 to support future flights from NASA’s Luna mega rocket. The SLS uses two five-segment solid rocket boosters to help launch NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon. A single solid rocket booster will fire during the FSB-2 test and evaluate improvements and new materials in boosters for missions beyond Artemis III. Credit: NASA/Kevin O’Brien
Try firing a booster engine for a future Artemis mission
NASA’s Space Launch System or SLS program teams recently tested a ground version of a booster engine for our SLS mega rocket at Northrop Grumman’s Promontory Test Facility in Utah. Engineers are using the test data to evaluate improvements and new materials in boosters for subsequent Artemis III missions. Together, two solid rocket boosters on SLS will provide more than 75% of the initial thrust during an Artemis launch.
The VIPER engineering test team uses lunar soil simulants and hand-picked rocks to carefully model the terrain and realistically mimic the actual surface features of the Moon’s south pole. Credit: NASA
VIPER Motors through a moon-like obstacle course
NASA’s prototype Viper, or polar exploration rover, recently faced the most realistic tests yet of its ability to navigate the most difficult terrain it could encounter at the Moon’s south pole. The VIPER team used the Simulated Lunar Operations Laboratory, or SLOPE, at our Glenn Research Center to create a variety of complicated ground conditions. They also tested the prototype’s ability to use its wheels to “inch worm” its way out of sticking. VIPER is aiming for delivery to the Moon in November 2024 to search for water and other resources that could eventually be harvested to sustain human exploration of the Moon, Mars and beyond.
Visitors to the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture 2022 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin can find a wide range of exhibits, activities and aeronautical experts to engage with at the NASA Pavilion. Credit: NASA
NASA technologies presented at AirVenture 2022
We participated in the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture Oshkosh 2022 event. Our NASA Pavilion included exhibits and hands-on demonstrations showcasing aviation-inspired technology and the latest in NASA aeronautical research, space exploration, science and more. One of the goals of the annual event, often called the world’s largest celebration of aviation, is to inspire the next generation of innovators.
Here’s what’s happening this week @NASA