Engineers at Kennedy Space Center in Florida recently conducted a series of pressure tests of the Orion pressure vessel. Orion is the NASA spacecraft that will send astronauts to deep space destinations, including on the journey to Mars. The tests confirmed that the weld points of the underlying structure will contain and protect astronauts during the launch,…
First Work Platforms Powered On and Tested in Vehicle Assembly Building for Space Launch System
NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida is one power step closer to processing the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket in the world, for its first flight, Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1), and NASA’s journey to Mars. During a preliminary test April 28, the two J-level work platforms installed on the north and south sides of…
Spuds in Space: Life Imitates Art as NASA Researchers Explore Deep-Space Food Crops
NASA plant physiologist Ray Wheeler, Ph.D., and fictional astronaut Mark Watney from the movie “The Martian” have something in common — they are both botanists. But that’s where the similarities end. While Watney is a movie character who gets stranded on Mars, Wheeler is the lead for Advanced Life Support Research activities in the Exploration…
Flowering Zinnias on ISS Set Stage for Deep-Space Food Crop Research
Zinnia plants from the Veggie ground control experiment at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida were harvested Feb. 11 in the same way that crew member Scott Kelly will harvest the zinnias growing in the Veggie system aboard the International Space Station on Feb. 14—Valentine’s Day. Flowering plants will help scientists learn more about growing crops for…
First Work Platform for NASA’s Space Launch System Installed
The first of ten work platforms that will provide access to NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket has been installed inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. When the SLS arrives at Kennedy for processing prior to launch, it will be housed in the VAB atop the mobile launcher…
GSDO Critical Design Review Marks Progress for NASA’s Journey to Mars
NASA’s Ground Systems Development and Operations Program (GSDO) has successfully completed its critical design review, on the path to preparing for the agency’s journey to Mars. Members of the review board completed their in-depth assessment of the plans for the facilities and ground support systems at Kennedy Space Center in Florida that will be needed…
Moon Express Testing Compact Lunar Lander
NASA is working with U.S. industry to develop the capabilities and cutting-edge technologies that will help send astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit. To achieve this goal, space travelers will need the resources to survive during long-duration missions to an asteroid, Mars and other outer planets. Moon Express Inc., of Moffett Field, California, is one of three…
Veggie Plant Growth System Activated on International Space Station
If you plant it, will it grow—in microgravity on the International Space Station? Expedition 39 crew members soon will find out using a plant growth system called “Veggie” that was developed by Orbital Technologies Corp. (ORBITEC) in Madison, Wisconsin, and tested at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The first fresh food production system, along…
Orion Underway Recovery Testing Begins
About a hundred miles off the coast of San Diego, in the Pacific Ocean, a U.S. Navy ship’s well deck filled with water as underway recovery operations began Feb. 18 on a test version of NASA’s Orion crew module to prepare for its first mission, Exploration Flight Test-1, in September. Orion was undocked from its…
Roller Bearings Tested on NASA’s Crawler-Transporter
The crawler-transporter that will carry NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B for launch on Exploration Mission-1 in 2017 recently passed the first phase of an important milestone test at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. View: Photos of the Day: Giant Transport Readied for NASA Missions The Ground Systems Development…