NASA Begins America’s New Moon to Mars Exploration Approach in 2018 - The Year @NASA

TL;DR

NASA made significant progress in 2018, including landing on Mars, selecting a landing site for Mars 2020, and launching new spacecraft. They also celebrated their 60th anniversary and made preparations for future manned missions to the Moon and Mars.

Transcript

With our Moon to Mars effort underway …. A new administrator takes over to lead the charge … “I will do my best to serve our storied agency to the utmost of my abilities.” And – oh yeah … we stuck another nearly flawless landing on Mars! All that and more as we mark our 60th anniversary -- this year @ NASA. "I, James Bridenstine, do solemnly swear ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🍉 NASA is focused on sustainable and long-term exploration of the Moon as a stepping stone to sending humans to Mars.
• 👶 The agency made significant advancements in Mars exploration, with successful landings and new partnerships with US companies for lunar surface missions.
• 👨‍🚀 NASA is preparing for future manned missions to space, with commercial spacecraft launches planned from American soil in 2019.

Questions & Answers

Q: Who is the current NASA administrator and what is his role?

James Bridenstine is the current NASA administrator. His role is to lead the agency in implementing Space Policy Directive-1, which focuses on long-term human and robotic exploration of the Moon as a precursor to missions to Mars.

Q: What were some of the achievements in Mars exploration in 2018?

In 2018, NASA successfully landed the InSight lander on Mars, which began a mission to study the planet's interior. They also selected a landing site for the Mars 2020 rover and announced that it will carry the first helicopter to the Red Planet.

Q: What were the notable accomplishments of NASA's other missions in 2018?

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft arrived at asteroid Bennu and will study the asteroid before returning a sample to Earth in 2023. New Horizons made its first detection of Ultima Thule, a Kuiper Belt object it will explore in 2019. The TESS mission launched to search for exoplanets, and the Parker Solar Probe was launched to gather data on space weather.

Q: How has NASA made progress in manned spaceflight in 2018?

NASA introduced the astronauts who will launch from American soil on commercial spacecraft to the International Space Station in 2019. They also conducted extensive research and supported science investigations on the ISS, while two astronauts forced to abort their mission were reassigned to a new mission.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• NASA appointed James Bridenstine as the 13th administrator to lead the agency's Moon to Mars effort and oversee sustainable human and robotic exploration of the Moon.

• Progress in 2018 included the development of a new architecture for lunar missions, successful testing of the Space Launch System rocket engine, and the delivery of the European Service Module for the Orion spacecraft.

• NASA announced new partnerships with US companies for lunar surface science payloads and sought industry input for the construction of a permanent spaceship, Gateway, in lunar orbit.