Deep Space Extra for Monday, June 27, 2016

In Today’s Deep Space Extra… A key feature of NASA’s Space Launch System exploration rocket, the Orbital ATK solid rocket motor, is scheduled for a key ground test firing in the Utah desert on Tuesday. Human Deep Space Exploration NASA to test...
Small businesses are benefiting from a big rocket

Small businesses are benefiting from a big rocket

Small businesses around the U.S. are benefiting from partnerships with NASA as they help to build the most powerful launch vehicle in the world. The businesses may be small, but there’s nothing small about enabling human travel to multiple deep space destinations....
Deep Space Extra for Friday, June 24, 2016

Deep Space Extra for Friday, June 24, 2016

In Today’s Deep Space Extra… NASA’s planning for the Asteroid Redirect Mission continues, though the U.S. House has cast doubt on further spending. Human Deep Space Exploration NASA planning asteroid mission reviews despite funding uncertainty  Space News...
40 years ago, Viking 1 arrived at Mars

40 years ago, Viking 1 arrived at Mars

What was the first U.S. spacecraft to land on Mars? Viking 1 – check out a photo it took just minutes after landing. This was the first photo ever taken on the surface of Mars. Forty years ago this week, this first spacecraft of NASA’s Viking Mission arrived at...
Deep Space Extra for Thursday, June 23, 2016

Deep Space Extra for Thursday, June 23, 2016

In Today’s Deep Space Extra… European Space Agency chief Jan Woerner sees a human lunar settlement as the next step on the road to Mars. Human Deep Space Exploration Human flights to Mars still at least 15 years off Reuters via New York Times (6/22): Mars as a...
NASA’s SAFFIRE experiment ignites successfully

NASA’s SAFFIRE experiment ignites successfully

Last week, NASA ignited the largest ever fire experiment in microgravity. Fire experiments have previously taken place on the International Space Station (ISS) and the space shuttle, but they were significantly smaller as astronauts were present. The new experiment is...
Deep Space Extra for Thursday, June 23, 2016

Deep Space Extra for Wednesday, June 22, 2016

In Today’s Deep Space Extra… Upper stage hardware for the first test flight of NASA’s Space Launch System exploration rocket has reached the Marshall Space Flight Center for testing. Exploration Mission 1, planned for late 2018, will send an uncrewed Orion...
Orion and Apollo: An evolution of a tried & tested design

Orion and Apollo: An evolution of a tried & tested design

At first glance, NASA’s new Orion crew module might look a lot like the Apollo command module. While the two share a similar shape, there are many distinctions between the spacecraft. Orion’s design builds upon lessons learned by the Apollo and space shuttle...
Deep Space Extra for Thursday, June 23, 2016

Deep Space Extra for Tuesday, June 21, 2016

In Today’s Deep Space Extra… A new Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex attraction, opening in Central Florida this fall, will pay tribute to those who pioneered the space frontier. Human Deep Space Exploration ‘Heroes & Legends’ astronaut...
The Future of Deep Space Exploration Comes to Capitol Hill!

The Future of Deep Space Exploration Comes to Capitol Hill!

On Friday, June 17, three of America’s best and brightest presented the work that is propelling their careers and passion to a “full house” on Capitol Hill. There, they shared the latest news about the nation’s next-generation deep space exploration systems – the...