New Venus Missions Announced on This Week @NASA – June 4, 2021

TL;DR

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announces new planetary missions, discusses Artemis plans for the Moon and Mars, and highlights Earth System Observatory missions. SpaceX successfully launches Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on track for asteroid sample return mission. NOAA predicts an active Atlantic hurricane season. Russian cosmonauts prepare for replacement of the Pirs docking compartment on the ISS.

Transcript

Discussing the State of NASA … Launching supplies to the space station … And more good news for OSIRIS-REx … a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA! NASA Administrator Bill Nelson made his first State of NASA address to employees on June 2 from our Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building. His speech touched on agency prioriti... Read More

Key Insights

• 🎟️ NASA Administrator Bill Nelson's State of NASA address highlighted new planetary missions, the Artemis program, and Earth System Observatory missions.
• 👨‍🔬 SpaceX continues to successfully deliver supplies and research to the International Space Station.
• 🦖 The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is progressing smoothly in its mission to return an asteroid sample to Earth.
• ☢️ NOAA's forecast suggests a potentially active Atlantic hurricane season.
• ❓ Russian cosmonauts prepare for the replacement of the Pirs docking compartment on the ISS.
• 👾 NASA's focus on planetary exploration, space station missions, climate change research, and hurricane studies demonstrates its wide-ranging efforts in advancing scientific knowledge.
• 👾 The coordination between NASA and commercial partners like SpaceX enables significant progress in space exploration.

Questions & Answers

Q: What were the highlights of NASA Administrator Bill Nelson's State of NASA address?

In his address, Bill Nelson announced two new planetary missions, discussed plans for the Moon and Mars through the Artemis program, and emphasized the importance of Earth System Observatory missions to understand climate change.

Q: What was the purpose of SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft launch?

SpaceX launched the Dragon spacecraft to deliver more than 7,300 pounds of science, research, crew supplies, and hardware to the International Space Station as part of their contracted cargo resupply mission for NASA.

Q: What is the current status of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft?

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft completed its departure maneuver from asteroid Bennu with such precision that a previously expected corrective maneuver was not needed. It is now on track to deliver an asteroid sample to Earth on September 24, 2023.

Q: What is NOAA predicting for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season?

NOAA is predicting an active Atlantic hurricane season with an above-average number of named storms. They provide information and resources on their website to study storm formation, impacts, and Earth as a system.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• NASA Administrator Bill Nelson delivers the State of NASA address, announcing two new planetary missions, discussing Artemis plans, and highlighting Earth System Observatory missions.

• SpaceX launches a Dragon cargo spacecraft loaded with supplies and research for the International Space Station.

• OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully completes departure maneuver from asteroid Bennu without the need for a corrective maneuver, on track to deliver asteroid sample to Earth in 2023.

• NOAA predicts an above-average Atlantic hurricane season.

• Russian cosmonauts conduct a spacewalk to prepare for the replacement of the Pirs docking compartment on the ISS.