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NASA's Space to Ground: It's a Feast | Week of Nov. 25, 2022
NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. Four Expedition 68 astronauts will relax on Thanksgiving Day as three cosmonauts continue preparing for a spacewalk on Friday. The International Space Station residents are also expecting a space delivery this weekend bringing new roll-out solar arrays and science experiments.
Happy Thanksgiving from the International Space Station!
Thanksgiving is a federal holiday in the United States, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It is sometimes called American Thanksgiving (outside the United States) to distinguish it from the Canadian holiday of the same name and related celebrations in other regions.
Expedition 68 Crew
Station Commander Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Anna Kikina & Dmitri Petelin
NASA: Flight Engineers Nicole Mann, Frank Rubio & Josh Cassada
JAXA (Japan): Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
Happy Thanksgiving from the International Space Station!
Check in with NASA astronauts Frank Rubio, Josh Cassada, Nicole Mann, and JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata to learn more about what the holiday means to them—and get a look at what Thanksgiving in space is like!
Thanksgiving is a federal holiday in the United States, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It is sometimes called American Thanksgiving (outside the United States) to distinguish it from the Canadian holiday of the same name and related celebrations in other regions.
Expedition 68 Crew
Station Commander Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Anna Kikina & Dmitri Petelin
NASA: Flight Engineers Nicole Mann, Frank Rubio & Josh Cassada
JAXA (Japan): Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
NASA's Artemis I Orion: NAVCAM "Low-res Black & White" Moon Images
On the sixth day of the Artemis I mission, Nov. 21, 2022, Orion’s optical navigation camera captured black-and-white images of craters on the Moon below. Orion uses the optical navigation camera to capture imagery of the Earth and the Moon at different phases and distances, providing an enhanced body of data to certify its effectiveness under different lighting conditions as a way to help orient the spacecraft on future missions with crew.
The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration. It will demonstrate NASA's commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. Orion is completing a 25-day test of all key systems. It will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon. Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.
On the Artemis III Mission, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.
NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission: All Access | Episode 2 | JSC
Artemis All Access - Episode 2: On the eighth day of its mission, Nov. 23, 2022, Orion continues to travel farther away from the Moon as it prepares to enter a distant retrograde orbit. The orbit is “distant” in the sense that it is at a high altitude from the surface of the Moon, and it is “retrograde” because Orion will travel around the Moon opposite the direction the Moon travels around Earth.
Orion exited the gravitational sphere of influence of the Moon Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 9:49 p.m. CST at a lunar altitude of 39,993 miles. The spacecraft will reach its farthest distance from the Moon Friday, Nov. 25, just before performing the next major burn to enter the orbit. The distant retrograde orbit insertion burn is the second in a pair of maneuvers required to propel Orion into the highly stable orbit that requires minimal fuel consumption while traveling around the Moon.
Artemis All Access is your look at the latest in Artemis I, the people and technology behind the mission, and what is coming up next. This uncrewed flight test around the Moon will pave the way for a crewed flight test and future human lunar exploration as part of Artemis.
Live coverage of major events will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website at www.nasa.gov/live
Learn more about the mission and track the Orion Spacecraft’s current position at www.nasa.gov/trackartemis/
Are There Rivers and Lakes on Other Worlds? We Asked a NASA Scientist
Are there rivers and lakes on other worlds? You bet. Just like Earth, Saturn’s moon Titan is home to these fairly unique features, except these lakes and rivers aren’t filled with water. Dr. Sarah Hörst spills the science tea: https://go.nasa.gov/2QzAAIt
Leaving Earth for The Moon: NASA's Artemis I Orion Spacecraft
The Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft launched at 1:47am EST from Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39B on November 16, 2022. This is an uncrewed flight test that will demonstrate the ability of the SLS rocket to safely carry the Orion spacecraft around the Moon and its return and recovery to Earth for the agency’s Artemis Program. Orion is completing a 25-day test flight of all key systems as part of the Artemis I mission.
Artemis I will demonstrate NASA's commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. It will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon. Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.
On the Artemis III Mission, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.
Sunset over Atlantic Ocean | International Space Station
The sun's last rays illuminate Earth's thin atmosphere during an orbital sunset in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 258 miles above the Atlantic Ocean.
Expedition 68 Crew
Station Commander Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Anna Kikina & Dmitri Petelin
NASA: Flight Engineers Nicole Mann, Frank Rubio & Josh Cassada
JAXA (Japan): Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
NASA’s Quiet Supersonic X-59: Jet Engine Installed | NASA Armstrong
The engine that will power NASA’s quiet supersonic X-59 in flight is installed, marking a major milestone in the experimental aircraft’s journey toward first flight. The installation of the F414-GE-100 engine at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility brings the vehicle close to the completion of its assembly, with NASA targeting flight in 2023. The engine packs 22,000 pounds of propulsion energy, and will power the X-59 in flight at speeds up to Mach 1.4, and altitudes up to 55,000 feet. The X-59 is designed to reduce the intensity of sonic booms, which occur when an aircraft flies at supersonic speeds, or, faster than the speed of sound.
For more information about NASA's quiet supersonic mission, visit:
New Earth Rise View | NASA's Artemis I Orion Spacecraft
Earth rises from behind the Moon in this video captured by a camera on one of Orion’s solar array wings. The video was taken at 8:05 a.m. EST on flight day six of the 25.5 day Artemis I mission, Nov. 21, 2022, shortly after the outbound powered flyby and six minutes after the spacecraft regained connection with NASA’s Deep Space Network.
The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration. It will demonstrate NASA's commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. Orion is completing a 25-day test of all key systems. It will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon. Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.
On the Artemis III Mission, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.
Enjoy a moment of Zen with this fly-through of the Orion Nebula, based on images captured by NASA and European Space Agency (ESA ) telescopes The image shows infrared light, or wavelengths that the human eye cannot see. Stars radiate little or no light in these wavelengths, so the image shows only dust.
The blue light indicates warm dust, heated by radiation from large, bright stars that can release up to one million times more light than our Sun. All that radiation breaks apart dust grains and carves out cavities, like the two blue “bubbles” in the image. Much of the remaining dust is then swept away by winds from the stars or when the stars die explosive deaths as supernovae.
Around the edge of the two cavernous regions, the dust that appears green is slightly cooler. Red indicates cold dust that reaches temperatures of about minus 440 Fahrenheit (minus 260 Celsius). A cold ribbon of dust starts near the bottom right of the image and threads throughout the nebula. Red and orange filaments like these are where dust condenses and forms new stars. Over time, these filaments may produce new giant stars that will once again reshape the region.
These images were captured by the now-retired Herschel Space Telescope, an ESA observatory, NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope, and NASA’s Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), which now operates under the moniker NEOWISE. Spitzer and WISE were both managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech, in Southern California.
For more information about NASA’s Spitzer mission, go to:
Earthrise: NASA's Artemis I Orion Spacecraft After Moon Flyby
The Moon is in total darkness on the right hand-side of the screen. The Earth emerges from beyond the Moon's limb. The Earth is seen rising from behind the shadowed surface of the Moon in this video taken on the sixth day of the Artemis I mission, Nov. 21, 2022, by a camera on the tip of one of Orion’s solar arrays.
The spacecraft had just successfully executed the Outbound Powered Flyby maneuver which brought it within 80 miles of the lunar surface, the closest approach of the uncrewed Artemis I mission, before moving into a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon. The spacecraft entered the lunar sphere of influence Sunday, Nov. 20, making the Moon, instead of Earth, the main gravitational force acting on the spacecraft.
The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration. It will demonstrate NASA's commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. Orion is completing a 25-day test of all key systems. It will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon. Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.
On the Artemis III Mission, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.
NASA's Artemis I Orion Spacecraft Approaching The Moon
Artemis I, Flight Day 5, Nov. 21, 2022: Orion spacecraft takes a selfie while approaching the Moon ahead of the outbound powered flyby—a burn of Orion's main engine that gets us into lunar orbit. During this maneuver Orion came within 81 miles of the lunar surface.
The spacecraft was preparing for the Outbound Powered Flyby (OPF) maneuver which would bring it within 80 miles of the lunar surface, the closest approach of the uncrewed Artemis I mission, before moving into a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon. The spacecraft entered the lunar sphere of influence Sunday, Nov. 20, making the Moon, instead of Earth, the main gravitational force acting on the spacecraft.
The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration. It will demonstrate NASA's commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. Orion is completing a 25-day test of all key systems. It will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon. Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.
On the Artemis III Mission, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.
Earthset: NASA's Artemis I Orion Spacecraft Prepares for Moon Flyby
The Earth is seen setting from the far side of the Moon just beyond the Orion spacecraft in this video taken on the sixth day of the Artemis I mission, Nov. 21, 2022, by a camera on the tip of one of Orion’s solar arrays. The spacecraft was preparing for the Outbound Powered Flyby (OPF) maneuver which would bring it within 80 miles of the lunar surface, the closest approach of the uncrewed Artemis I mission, before moving into a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon. The spacecraft entered the lunar sphere of influence Sunday, Nov. 20, making the Moon, instead of Earth, the main gravitational force acting on the spacecraft.
The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration. It will demonstrate NASA's commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. Orion is completing a 25-day test of all key systems. It will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon. Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.
On the Artemis III Mission, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.
NASA's Artemis I Orion Spacecraft Approaching The Moon
A portion of the far side of the Moon looms large just beyond the Orion spacecraft in these images taken on the sixth day of the Artemis I mission on Nov. 21, 2022, by a camera on the tip of one of Orion's solar arrays. Orion came within 80 miles of the lunar surface—the closest approach of the uncrewed Artemis I mission—before moving into a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon.
The spacecraft entered the lunar sphere of influence Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022 making the Moon instead of Earth the main gravitational force acting on the spacecraft.
The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration. It will demonstrate NASA's commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. Orion is completing a 25-day test of all key systems. It will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon. Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.
On the Artemis III Mission, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.