What Happened This Year @NASA – December 15, 2016

TL;DR

NASA’s top stories of 2016 included Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko completing a one-year space station mission, Juno arriving at Jupiter, and Kepler verifying 1,284 new planets. The agency also advanced Mars missions, Earth observation, aviation safety, electric propulsion, and asteroid exploration. Read on for the year’s specific missions, demonstrations, and technology milestones.

Transcript

Here’s a look at some of the top NASA stories of 2016 … In March, NASA astronaut and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko completed their historic one-year mission aboard the International Space Station. And NASA’s commercial cargo partners, Orbital ATK and SpaceX, delivered tons of cargo to the station in 201... Read More

Key Insights

• 👨‍🚀 NASA astronauts completed a year-long mission in space, expanding our understanding of the effects of long-duration space travel on the human body.
• 🖐️ Cargo deliveries to the International Space Station played a crucial role in supporting scientific experiments and technology demonstrations.
• 📪 Advances in Mars exploration, including the launch of the Juno spacecraft and the InSight mission, brought us closer to understanding the red planet.
• 🤗 NASA's discovery of potentially habitable Earth-size planets through the Kepler mission opened up new possibilities for the existence of life beyond Earth.
• 🛩️ The agency's efforts on Earth included studying climate change, launching small satellite missions, and developing technology for safer and cleaner air travel.
• ❓ NASA's commitment to technology transfer and innovation was evident through the sharing of its technologies with various industries and organizations.
• 👻 The Centennial Challenges program fostered innovation by hosting competitions focused on important technological advancements.

Questions & Answers

Q: What were NASA’s top achievements in 2016?

NASA’s 2016 highlights included a completed one-year mission aboard the International Space Station, Juno’s arrival at Jupiter, and the verification of 1,284 new planets by Kepler. NASA also launched OSIRIS-REx, tested an SLS booster, advanced the InSight Mars mission, and announced new Earth-observing satellite missions.

Q: Who completed NASA’s one-year mission aboard the International Space Station?

NASA astronaut and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly completed the mission with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. Their historic one-year mission ended in March 2016.

Q: How did Orbital ATK and SpaceX support the International Space Station in 2016?

Orbital ATK and SpaceX delivered tons of cargo to the space station. Those deliveries supported hundreds of science experiments and technology demonstrations crucial to NASA’s Journey to Mars.

Q: What was the BEAM technology demonstration?

The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, was a technology demonstration delivered to the International Space Station in April 2016. It was among the demonstrations supported by commercial cargo deliveries to the station.

Q: What progress did NASA make toward Mars exploration in 2016?

In March, NASA updated the milestones for its InSight mission to Mars and set a new target launch window beginning in May 2018. NASA also selected Aerojet Rocketdyne to develop an advanced electric propulsion system intended to enable deep-space travel to an asteroid and Mars.

Q: What solar-system and exoplanet discoveries did NASA report in 2016?

Juno arrived at Jupiter on July 4, and NASA launched OSIRIS-REx in September as America’s first asteroid sample-return mission. In May, the Kepler mission verified 1,284 new planets; Kepler was also NASA’s first mission to find potentially habitable Earth-size planets.

Q: How did NASA study Earth and improve air travel in 2016?

NASA announced Earth science field campaigns in March and plans for six next-generation Earth-observing small satellite missions in November. Its aviation work included technology for cleaner, safer, and quieter flight, an electric-propulsion X-plane, and evaluation of an FAA drone-traffic management system.

Q: What technology and innovation programs did NASA advance in 2016?

NASA’s Technology Transfer program shared agency technology with industry, academia, and other government agencies at an unprecedented rate. The Centennial Challenges program also conducted four competition events to spark innovation in important technology focus areas.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Astronauts Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko completed a historic one-year mission aboard the International Space Station.

• NASA's commercial cargo partners, Orbital ATK and SpaceX, successfully delivered tons of supplies to the space station to support important science experiments.

• Advancements in Mars exploration were made with the launch of the Juno spacecraft to Jupiter and the announcement of the InSight mission to Mars.