Kennedy Space Center

Sierra Space Dream Chaser® Spaceplane Successfully Completes First Phase of Pre-Flight Testing

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 7, 2024

Sierra Space , a leading commercial space company and emerging defense tech prime building a platform in space to benefit and protect life on Earth, announced today the successful completion of the initial phase of environmental testing on the revolutionary Dream Chaser® spaceplane, Tenacity®, at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio.

Key Points: 
  • Sierra Space , a leading commercial space company and emerging defense tech prime building a platform in space to benefit and protect life on Earth, announced today the successful completion of the initial phase of environmental testing on the revolutionary Dream Chaser® spaceplane, Tenacity®, at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio.
  • (PHOTO CREDIT: Shay Saldana/Sierra Space)
    Over the past month, the Sierra Space Dream Chaser and its cargo companion, Shooting Star™, underwent rigorous vibration testing while stacked in launch configuration inside the Mechanical Vibration Facility at the NASA complex.
  • “This phase of development illustrates how Dream Chaser and the Shooting Star cargo module will handle the mechanical rigors of launch.
  • ‘Joint Test #3,’ a critical phase in the testing process, represented an integrated assessment of the completed system in a flight-like configuration.

NASA to Host Boeing Crew Flight Test Preview, News Conferences

Retrieved on: 
Friday, March 8, 2024

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will preview the agency's Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission to the International Space Station by hosting media tours Thursday, March 21, and with news conferences Friday, March 22, at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Key Points: 
  • WASHINGTON, March 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will preview the agency's Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission to the International Space Station by hosting media tours Thursday, March 21, and with news conferences Friday, March 22, at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
  • NASA and Boeing officials will discuss flight test readiness, objectives, and priorities at 10 a.m. EDT March 22, and mission managers will discuss the flight plan, timeline, and details at 11:30 a.m. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will answer questions at 2 p.m. and will be available for individual interviews.
  • All three news conferences will air live on NASA+ , NASA Television, the NASA app , and the agency's website .
  • Media will have opportunities the afternoon of March 21 to learn more about the flight test, while visiting the Boeing Starliner mockup, experience training in the Starliner simulator, and meet members of the flight control teams who will support the spacecraft's first crewed flight.

NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 Launches to International Space Station

Retrieved on: 
Monday, March 4, 2024

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- An international crew of four reached orbit following a successful launch to the International Space Station at 10:53 p.m. EST Sunday from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Key Points: 
  • WASHINGTON, March 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- An international crew of four reached orbit following a successful launch to the International Space Station at 10:53 p.m. EST Sunday from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
  • NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 mission is the agency's eighth commercial crew rotation mission with the company to the space station.
  • "Congratulations to NASA and SpaceX on another successful launch to the International Space Station!
  • NASA teams will monitor space station operations throughout the flight from the Mission Control Center at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Father of Exactech Employee Receives First Ankle Replacement Using Activit-E™ Polyethylene

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 29, 2024

Specifically, he tested results between vitamin E-infused polyethylene and standard polyethylene.

Key Points: 
  • Specifically, he tested results between vitamin E-infused polyethylene and standard polyethylene.
  • Serendipitously, last year Exactech announced Activit-E for the Vantage® Total Ankle System and his father, John Wesley Garrett.
  • Garrett Sr.'s ankle replacement surgery was performed earlier this month by Raymond Rowan, DPM, of Stellar Foot and Ankle in New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
  • Activit-E, with its improved polyethylene wear properties, coupled with the Vantage Total Ankle System, are a winning combination," said Dr. Schipper.

Crew-8 Astronauts to Support Variety of R&D Projects During Six-Month Science Expedition

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 26, 2024

Findings will help advance cardiac disease modeling and could lead to the development of new therapies to treat heart disease in patients on Earth.

Key Points: 
  • Findings will help advance cardiac disease modeling and could lead to the development of new therapies to treat heart disease in patients on Earth.
  • Results from this could lead to improved therapeutics to treat an array of conditions.
  • A project from the National Stem Cell Foundation (NSCF) will continue to study the mechanisms behind neuroinflammation, a common feature of neurodegenerative diseases.
  • Boeing partnered with NASA and the ISS National Lab, launching an investigation testing protocols for future Genes in Space™ student-led investigations.

NASA Sets Coverage for Agency's SpaceX Crew-8 Launch, Docking

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 23, 2024

Coverage of launch, the postlaunch news conference, and docking will be available on NASA+ , NASA Television, the NASA app , YouTube , and the agency's website .

Key Points: 
  • Coverage of launch, the postlaunch news conference, and docking will be available on NASA+ , NASA Television, the NASA app , YouTube , and the agency's website .
  • The Crew-8 launch will carry NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin.
  • Following conclusion of launch and ascent coverage, NASA coverage will continue with audio only, with full coverage resuming at the start of the rendezvous and docking broadcast.
  • NASA Television will resume continuous mission coverage prior to docking and continue through hatch open and the welcome ceremony.

NASA Invites Media to First Astronaut Launch Aboard Boeing's Starliner

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 21, 2024

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will launch aboard Starliner on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and dock at the orbiting laboratory, where they will stay for up to two weeks.

Key Points: 
  • NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will launch aboard Starliner on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and dock at the orbiting laboratory, where they will stay for up to two weeks.
  • Liftoff is currently targeted for mid-April 2024 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
  • The mission will test the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system, including launch, docking, and return to Earth in the desert of the western United States.
  • Following a successful mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and systems for crewed missions to the space station.

NASA Sets Coverage of First US Uncrewed Commercial Moon Landing

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Live landing coverage will air on NASA+ , NASA Television , the NASA app , and the agency's website .

Key Points: 
  • Live landing coverage will air on NASA+ , NASA Television , the NASA app , and the agency's website .
  • NASA TV can be streamed on a variety of platforms, including social media.
  • Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning 4:15 p.m., as the landing milestones occur.
  • Upon successful landing, Intuitive Machines and NASA will host a news conference to discuss the mission and science opportunities that lie ahead as the company begins lunar surface operations.

Lonestar marks the successful Launch of its first Lunar Data Center Test Mission, "Independence", Flying To The Moon With Intuitive Machines on their IM-1 Mission

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 19, 2024

This landmark mission represents a significant milestone in Lonestar's ambitious vision to use the Moon to secure Earth's data.

Key Points: 
  • This landmark mission represents a significant milestone in Lonestar's ambitious vision to use the Moon to secure Earth's data.
  • Throughout the flight to the Moon, Lonestar's Independence payload will undergo a series of critical in-flight tests, designed to validate Lonestar's innovative data center concept for Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS).
  • These tests are essential for ensuring the viability of lunar data centers as a reliable and secure solution for data backup and restoration on a global scale.
  • We are grateful for the support of our partners, stakeholders, and the global community as we embark on this unprecedented venture.

NASA Artemis Science, First Intuitive Machines Flight Heads to Moon

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 15, 2024

Through this flight to the Moon, they will provide insights into the lunar surface environment and test technologies for future landers and Artemis astronauts.

Key Points: 
  • Through this flight to the Moon, they will provide insights into the lunar surface environment and test technologies for future landers and Artemis astronauts.
  • At 1:05 a.m. EST on Thursday, Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
  • Once on the Moon, NASA instruments will focus on investigating space weather/lunar surface interactions and radio astronomy.
  • The NASA science aboard will spend approximately seven days gathering valuable scientific data about Earth's nearest neighbor, helping pave the way for the first woman and first person of color to explore the Moon under Artemis.