Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus Spacecraft Lands on Moon Carrying 6 NASA Payloads – Executive Gov

An Intuitive Machines-built lunar lander carrying six NASA science research and technology demonstrations has touched down on the lunar surface following a seven-day journey to lunar orbit.

NASA said Friday its Navigation Doppler Lidar for Precise Velocity and Range Sensing guidance system for descent and landing has helped Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander, called Odysseus, softly land Thursday near Malapert A, a landing site close to the moons South Pole region.

According to NASA, Intuitive Machines turned to the guidance system when it encountered a sensor issue with its navigation system.

The NASA instrument uses a laser that emits pulses through three optical telescopes and measures speed, direction and altitude during descent and touchdown.

Other NASA payloads launched onboard Odysseus are a CubeSat-sized autonomous navigation demonstrator, a laser retroreflector array, a radio frequency mass gauge, a photoelectron sheath density observation instrument and stereo cameras for lunar plume-surface studies.

This feat from Intuitive Machines, SpaceX, and NASA demonstrates the promise of American leadership in space and the power of commercial partnerships under NASAs CLPS initiative. Further, this success opens the door for new voyages under Artemis to send astronauts to the Moon, then onward to Mars, said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

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Intuitive Machines' Odysseus Spacecraft Lands on Moon Carrying 6 NASA Payloads - Executive Gov

NASA Invites Media to Speak with Artemis II Moon Crew, Recovery Team – NASA

Media are invited to speak with the four Artemis II astronauts on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at Naval Base San Diego in California. The crew will fly around the Moon next year as part of NASAs Artemis campaign, marking the first astronauts to make the journey in more than 50 years.

NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense are conducting training with the crew in the Pacific Ocean to demonstrate the procedures and hardware needed to retrieve NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen after their approximately 10-day, 685,000-mile journey beyond the lunar far side and back.

The flight is the first crewed mission under NASAs Artemis campaign and will test the agencys Orion spacecraft life support systems needed for future lunar missions.

Attendees will be able to view hardware associated with the training, including a test version of Orion aboard the USS San Diego, and speak with other personnel from the agency and the Defense Department who are responsible for bringing the crew and the capsule to safety after the mission.

Media interested in attending must RSVP by 4 p.m. PST, Monday, Feb. 26, to Naval Base San Diego Public Affairs atnbsd.pao@us.navy.mil or 619-556-7359. The exact time of the planned afternoon Feb. 28 event is subject to the conclusion of testing activities.

Under Artemis, NASA will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon, land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, and prepare for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all.

For more about NASAs Artemis II mission, visit:

Artemis II

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Rachel Kraft Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov

Madison Tuttle Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-298-5868 madison.e.tuttle@nasa.gov

Courtney Beasley Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov

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NASA Invites Media to Speak with Artemis II Moon Crew, Recovery Team - NASA

Artemis II Crew, Recovery Teams Train for Final Phase of Moon Mission – NASA

NASA astronaut and Artemis II pilot Victor Glover is assisted by U.S. Navy personnel as he exits a mockup of the Orion spacecraft in the Pacific Ocean during training Feb. 25, while his crewmates look on. The Artemis II crew and a team from NASA and the Department of Defense are spending several days at sea to test the procedures and tools that will be used to help the crew to safety when they splash down in the ocean at the end of their 10-day, 685,000-mile journey around the Moon next year as part of the first crewed mission under NASAs Artemis campaign.

On the day of the crews return to Earth, a Navy ship with specially trained personnel will await splashdown and then approach the Orion capsule to help extract the four astronauts. An inflatable raft, called the front porch, will provide a place for them to rest when they exit the capsule before they are then individually hoisted by helicopters and flown to the waiting ship.

Artemis II, launching atop the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will test the Orion spacecrafts life support systems needed for future lunar missions.

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Artemis II Crew, Recovery Teams Train for Final Phase of Moon Mission - NASA

DOD, GSA & NASA Release Interim Rule on SDVOSB Certification – Executive Gov

The Department of Defense, NASA and the General Services Administration have issued an interim rule to implement the final rules by the Small Business Administration with regard to the certification of service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.

The provisional rule was introduced as an amendment to the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement sections of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal years 2021 and 2022, according to a Federal Register notice published Friday.

Section 862 of FY 2021 NDAA moves the verification of SDVOSBs from the Department of Veterans Affairs to SBA and establishes a certification requirement for such businesses seeking set-aside and sole-source awards under the SDVOSB program within the federal government.

Meanwhile, section 863 of FY 2022 NDAA requires that a small business determined ineligible by SBA for SDVOSB certification to update its status in the System for Award Management within two days of the eligibility determination.

The interim rule intends to implement SBAs governmentwide certification program for SDVOSBs and update protest procedures for such business concerns.

Interested stakeholders have until April 23 to submit comments that will help inform the final rule.

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DOD, GSA & NASA Release Interim Rule on SDVOSB Certification - Executive Gov

SpaceX, NASA ‘go’ to launch Crew-8 astronaut mission to ISS on March 1 – Space.com

SpaceX and NASA are officially go to launch their next astronaut mission to International Space Station (ISS) this week, with its four-person crew arriving at their Florida launch site on Sunday (Feb. 25).

Called Crew-8, the upcoming SpaceX mission will launch four astronauts into orbit on the Dragon capsule Endeavour and Falcon 9 rocket from Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. Liftoff is scheduled for March 1 at 12:04 a.m. EST (0504 GMT).

Related: 8 ways SpaceX has transformed spaceflight

"Even though we all go today, we're constantly paying attention to what the rocket and spacecraft are telling us so that we'll make sure that we launch when the crew and the spacecraft are ready to go, and we're ready to have a good flight to the station and a good return," Ken Bowersox, NASA's associate administrator for space operations and a former astronaut, told reporters in a Sunday night teleconference.

SpaceX's Crew-8 mission for NASA will launch NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barrett, Jeannette Epps and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin on a six-month expedition to the ISS. They will relieve their Crew-7 predecessors, another four-astronaut team, who will return to Earth on a SpaceX Dragon a week after Crew-8 reaches the ISS.

Dominick will command the Crew-8 flight to the ISS with Barrett as pilot. Epps and Grekenkin are mission specialists. The mission is the first career spaceflight for all but Barrett on the Crew-8 team. NASA and SpaceX initially aimed to launch Crew-8 to the ISS on Feb. 22, but delayed it to March 1 to clear a path for a private moon launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from their same launch pad on Feb. 15.

The Crew-8 astronauts arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday afternoon as they spend their final days on Earth ahead of launch. The quartet will perform a dress rehearsal for their launch overnight on Monday and Tuesday, with SpaceX expected to perform a so-called "hot-fire" test of the Falcon 9's first stage engines a day later.

Steve Stitch, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager, told reporters Sunday that NASA and SpaceX are working through some final issues to clear ahead of the Crew-8 launch. Those include reviews of composite material fasteners on the Dragon/Falcon 9 launch vehicle for Crew-8 that are expected to be resolved before flight. Engineers are also reviewing some paint discoloration on Crew-7's Dragon capsule currently docked at the ISS, apparently due to residue tape on the capsule, to ensure it's not an issue for reentry and landing.

Crew-8 will mark the fifth flight of the Crew Dragon capsule Endeavour, which first flew astronauts to the ISS in May 2020 on SpaceX's first-ever human spaceflight, Demo-2. SpaceX and NASA are currently working to certify the reusable Dragon capsules for up to 15 spaceflights, NASA officials said.

SpaceX is one of two commercial companies with multi-billion-dollar contracts to fly astronauts to and from the ISS for NASA. The other company, Boeing, aims to launch the first crewed flight on its Starliner spacecraft no earlier than April 22.

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SpaceX, NASA 'go' to launch Crew-8 astronaut mission to ISS on March 1 - Space.com

A Nasa mission that collided with an asteroid didn’t just leave a dent it reshaped the space rock – theconversation.com

A frequent idea in sci-fi and apocalyptic films is that of an asteroid striking Earth and causing global devastation. While the probabilities of this kind of mass extinction occurring on our planet are incredibly small, they are not zero.

The results of Nasas Dart mission to the asteroid Dimorphos have now been published. They contain fascinating details about the composition of this asteroid and whether we can defend Earth against incoming space rocks.

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (Dart) was a spacecraft mission that launched in November 2021. It was sent to an asteroid called Dimorphos and commanded to collide with it, head on, in September 2022.

Dimorphos posed and poses no threat to Earth in the near future. But the mission was designed to see if deflecting an asteroid away from a collision course with Earth was possible through kinetic means in other words, a direct impact of a human-made object on its surface.

Asteroid missions are never easy. The relatively small size of these objects (compared to planets and moons) means there is no appreciable gravity to enable spacecraft to land and collect a sample.

Space agencies have launched a number of spacecraft to asteroids in recent times. For example, the Japanese space agencys (Jaxa) Hayabusa-2 mission reached the asteroid Ryugu in 2018, the same year Nasas Osiris-Rex mission rendezvoused with the asteroid Bennu.

The Japanese Hayabusa missions (1 and 2) fired a small projectile at the surface as they approached it. They would then collect the debris as it flew by.

However, the Dart mission was special in that it was not sent to deliver samples of asteroid material to labs on Earth. Instead, it was to fly at high speed into the space rock and be destroyed in the process.

A high-speed collision with an asteroid needs incredible precision. Darts target of Dimorphos was actually part of a double asteroid system, known as a binary because the smaller object orbits the larger one. This binary contained both Didymus the larger of the two objects and Dimorphos, which behaves effectively as a moon.

The simulations of what has happened to Dimorphos show that while we might expect to see a very large crater on the asteroid from Darts impact, it is more likely that it has, in fact, changed the shape of the asteroid instead.

The collision was of a mass of 580kg hitting an asteroid of roughly 5 billion kg. For comparison, this is equivalent to an ant hitting two buses. But the spacecraft is also travelling around 6 kilometres per second.

The simulation results based on observations of the asteroid Dimorphos have shown that the asteroid now orbits around its larger companion, Didymus, 33 minutes slower than before. Its orbit has gone from 11 hours, 55 minutes to 11 hours, 22 minutes.

The momentum change to the core of Dimorphos is also higher than one would predict from the direct impact, which may seem impossible at first. However, the asteroid is quite weakly constructed, consisting of loose rubble held together by gravity. The impact caused a lot of material to be blown off of Dimorphos.

This material is now travelling in the opposite direction to the impact. This acts like a recoil, slowing down the asteroid.

Observations of all the highly reflective material that has been shed from Dimorphos allows scientists to estimate how much of it has been lost from the asteroid. Their result is roughly 20 million kilograms equivalent to about six of the Apollo-era Saturn V rockets fully loaded with fuel.

Combining all the parameters together (mass, speed, angle and amount of material lost) and simulating the impact has allowed the researchers to be fairly confident about the answer. Confident not only regarding the grain size of the material coming from Dimorphos, but also that the asteroid has limited cohesion and the surface must be constantly altered, or reshaped, by minor impacts.

But what does this tell us about protecting ourselves from an asteroid impact? Significant recent impacts on Earth have included the meteor which broke up in the sky over the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013, and the infamous Tunguska impact over a remote part of Siberia in 1908.

While these were not the kinds of events that are able to cause mass extinctions like the 10km object that wiped out the dinosaurs when it struck our planet 66 million years ago the potential for damage and loss of life with smaller objects such as those at Chelyabinsk and Tunguska is very high.

The Dart mission cost US$324 million (255 million), which is low for a space mission, and with its development phase completed, a similar mission to go and deflect an asteroid heading our way could be launched more cheaply.

The big variable here is how much warning we will have, because a change in orbit of 30 minutes as was observed when Dart struck Dimorphos will make little difference if the asteroid is already very close to Earth. However, if we can predict the object path from further out preferably outside the Solar System and make small changes, this could be enough to divert the path of an asteroid away from our planet.

We can expect to see more of these missions in the future, not only because of interest in the science surrounding asteroids, but because the ease of removing material from them means that private companies might want to step up their ideas of mining these space rocks for precious metals.

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A Nasa mission that collided with an asteroid didn't just leave a dent it reshaped the space rock - theconversation.com

Experience the Launch of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Mission – NASA

Digital content creators are invited to register to attend the launch of NASAs Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission to the International Space Station. The mission will be the first crewed launch of Boeings Starliner spacecraft as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

Starliner will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, carrying NASA astronauts Barry Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the orbiting laboratory for a stay of about one to two weeks. Liftoff is targeted for mid-April 2024 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Stations Space Launch Complex-41 in Florida.

If your passion is to communicate and engage the world online, then this is the event for you! Seize the opportunity to see and share the #Starliner mission launch.

A maximum of 50 social media users will be selected to attend this two-day event and will be given access similar to news media.

NASA Social participants will have the opportunity to:

NASA Social registration for the CFT launch opens on Wednesday, Feb. 21, and the deadline to apply is at 3 p.m. EST Tuesday, Feb. 27. All social applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

APPLY NOW

Yes. This event is designed for people who:

Users on all social networks are encouraged to use the hashtag #NASASocial and #Starliner. Updates and information about the event will be shared on X via @NASASocial and @NASAKennedy, and via posts to Facebook and Instagram.

Registration for this event opens Wednesday, Feb. 21, and closes at 3 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 27. Registration is for one person only (you) and is non-transferable. Each individual wishing to attend must register separately. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Because of the security deadlines, registration is limited to U.S. citizens. If you have a valid permanent resident card, you will be processed as a U.S. citizen.

After registrations have been received and processed, an email with confirmation information and additional instructions will be sent to those selected. We expect to send the acceptance notifications by March 1.

All social applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Those chosen must prove through the registration process they meet specific engagement criteria.

If you do not make the registration list for this NASA Social, you still can attend the launch offsite and participate in the conversation online. Find out about ways to experience a launch here.

Registration indicates your intent to travel to NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida and attend the two-day event in person. You are responsible for your own expenses for travel, accommodations, food, and other amenities.

Some events and participants scheduled to appear at the event are subject to change without notice. NASA is not responsible for loss or damage incurred as a result of attending. NASA, moreover, is not responsible for loss or damage incurred if the event is cancelled with limited or no notice. Please plan accordingly.

Kennedy is a government facility. Those who are selected will need to complete an additional registration step to receive clearance to enter the secure areas.

IMPORTANT: To be admitted, you will need to provide two forms of unexpired government-issued identification; one must be a photo ID and match the name provided on the registration. Those without proper identification cannot be admitted.

For a complete list of acceptable forms of ID, please visit: NASA Credentialing Identification Requirements.

All registrants must be at least 18 years old.

Many different factors can cause a scheduled launch date to change multiple times. If the launch date changes, NASA may adjust the date of the NASA Social accordingly to coincide with the new target launch date. NASA will notify registrants of any changes by email.

If the launch is postponed, attendees will be invited to attend a later launch date. NASA cannot accommodate attendees for delays beyond 72 hours.

NASA Social attendees are responsible for any additional costs they incur related to any launch delay. We strongly encourage participants to make travel arrangements that are refundable and/or flexible.

If you cannot come to the Kennedy Space Center and attend in person, you should not register for the NASA Social. You can follow the conversation online using #NASASocial.

You can watch the launch on NASA Television or http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv/. NASA will provide regular launch and mission updates on @NASA, @NASAKennedy, and @Commercial_Crew.

If you cannot make this NASA Social, dont worry; NASA is planning many other Socials in the near future at various locations! Check backherefor updates.

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Experience the Launch of NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test Mission - NASA

NASA, SpaceX’s Crew-8 astronauts arrive at Kennedy Space Center – Yahoo News

NASA and SpaceX are counting down to the launch of their next crewed mission to the International Space Station.

Crew-8 arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday.

The team consists of three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut.

See: SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft arrives at Kennedy Space Center ahead of Crew-8 launch

They are set to travel to the ISS on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

One veteran astronaut on the crew launched from the Kennedy Space Center 13 years ago and said he is excited to make a return trip.

Watch: SpaceX launches 2nd Starship mega rocket

So, its just an absolute pleasure to see Kennedy Space Center be the thriving spaceport that it is, said NASA astronaut Michael Barratt. Were very honored to be a part of that. I cant wait to get back to that magnificent space station. I cant wait to fly this new spaceship and I cant wait to fly with this crew.

The launch is scheduled for just after midnight on Friday.

Read: NASA looks for Martians on Earth for yearlong Mars simulation

Click hereto download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. Andclick hereto stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

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NASA, SpaceX's Crew-8 astronauts arrive at Kennedy Space Center - Yahoo News

NASA Seeks Volunteers for Second Mars Simulation Mission but There Are a Few Constraints – PEOPLE

NASA is searching for a second round of volunteers to take part in a project aimed at discovering what it will be like to live on Mars.

Earlier this month, the space company announced in a release that it is seeking more participants who would be willing to live on a fake version of Mars at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for one year, ahead of human exploration of the actual planet in the future.

Marking the second of three missions calledCHAPEA a.k.a. Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog the latest will see four volunteers living in a 1,700-square-foot simulation, called theMars Dune Alpha, which is a 3D-printed habitat featuring living quarters for each volunteer, a workspace, a medical station and lounge areas, as well as a galley and food growing stations.

The man-made area, NASA said, "simulates the challenges of a mission on Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failures, communication delays and other environmental stressors."

Crews will also be responsible for various tasks during their time in the habitat, the organization added, including "simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, habitat maintenance, exercise and crop growth."

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Kyodo via AP Images

In order to participate in the simulation, which will close applications on April 2 and later take place in 2025, NASA said volunteers "should have a strong desire for unique, rewarding adventures and interest in contributing to NASAs work to prepare for the first human journey to Mars."

These volunteers, the space company continued, must be between 30 and 55 years old, non-smokers and speak English "for effective communication between crewmates and mission control."

"Crew selection will follow additional standard NASA criteria for astronaut candidate applicants," the organization added, also noting that a masters degree in engineering, math, biology or other sciences is necessary, as is professional experience or at least two years of doctoral work in the areas or a test pilot program.

Volunteers who can be compensated for the mission can also qualify if they have 1,000 hours of piloting experience, as well as if they have military experience or a bachelor's degree in a STEM field with four years of professional experience, NASA said.

Though no human has ever traveled to Mars, NASA has sentseveral devices and rovers to fly by and explore the planet over the years.

Currently, a first CHAPEA crew is taking part in a mission at the Houston-based habitat. They are more than halfway through their mission, NASA said.

In the near future, NASA plans to take part in a similar mission, called Artemis, to learn about the moon in an effort to eventually send the first woman, person of color and international partner astronaut there.

"As NASA works to establish a long-term presence for scientific discovery and exploration on the moon through the Artemis campaign, CHAPEA missions provide important scientific data to validate systems and develop solutions for future missions to the Red Planet," the organization said in a statement.

"With thefirst CHAPEA crewmore than halfway through their yearlong mission, NASA is using research gained through the simulated missions to help inform crew health and performance support during Mars expeditions," NASA continued.

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NASA Seeks Volunteers for Second Mars Simulation Mission but There Are a Few Constraints - PEOPLE

Astronauts, cosmonaut arrive at Kennedy Space Center ahead of NASA, SpaceX Crew-8 launch Spaceflight Now – Spaceflight Now

The four members of the SpaceX Crew-8 mission pose in front of the NASA Gulfstream plane at Space Floridas Launch and Landing Facility. (Left to right) Roscosmos Cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin and NASA Astronauts Jeanette Epps, Matthew Dominick and Michael Barratt. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now

Set against a bright, blue Florida skyline, the three astronauts and one cosmonaut who make up the SpaceX Crew-8 mission touched down at NASAs Kennedy Space Center Sunday afternoon.

The crews Gulfstream cruised in for a landing at the Space Florida Launch and Landing Facility at about 1:45 p.m. (1845 UTC). They were greeted on the tarmac by, Jennifer Kunz, a KSC Associate Director, and Dana Hutcherson, Deputy Director Commercial Crew.

Coming out here to the Cape, every time, Im a kid in a candy store, said Matthew Dominick, a NASA astronaut and the commander of the Crew-8 mission.

While the upcoming mission will be the first spaceflight for Dominick, he worked for NASA for seven years leading up this launch.

Its an incredible time to be involved in spaceflight. Who wouldve though five or six years ago that this would be the fifth flight of Endeavour that we get to go on? Who wouldve though five or six years ago that the competition for launch or the constraint to launch would be a launch pad? Dominick said, referring to the recent launch of the IM-1 robotic mission to the Moon. We delayed our launch a few days because theres stiff competition to get out there to 39A. Its not a rocket constraint, its a pad constraint.

Hes leading a trio that include two additional NASA astronauts, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut, Alexander Grebenkin. They will launch to the orbiting outpost no earlier than Friday, March 1 at 12:04 a.m. EST (0504 UTC).

Barratt is returning to launch at KSC for the first time since his final flight as a member of STS-133 in 2011. He said its remarkable to be back now in the era of the Commercial Crew Program and be preparing to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and inside a Crew Dragon spacecraft.

The fact that this spaceport is so busy, so vibrant is just an amazing thing, Barratt said. Its just an absolute pleasure to see Kennedy Space Center being the thriving spaceport that it is. Were very honored to be a part of that. I cannot wait to get back to that magnificent station, I cant wait to fly this new spaceship and I cant wait to to fly with this crew.

Like Dominick and Grebenkin, Epps will be making her first trip to space on this mission. Shes experienced pivots from flying on a Russian Soyuz to then Boeing Starliner and finally to her current assignment on Crew-8.

Its overwhelming to me how many people contributed to this. So, I just want to thank everyone whos been involved, Epps said. Im very grateful for this flight. Ive trained for Soyuz, Ive trained for Boeing, Ive trained for a lot of vehicles, but Im honored to fly with this crew on the Dragon Endeavour.

Endeavor will be making its 5th flight into space on this mission, marking its position as the flight leader in the SpaceX spacecraft fleet. Five missions is the most that NASA has certified a Dragon to fly to date.

A new Dragon spacecraft is expected to enter the fleet sometime in 2024.

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Astronauts, cosmonaut arrive at Kennedy Space Center ahead of NASA, SpaceX Crew-8 launch Spaceflight Now - Spaceflight Now

CLPS Landing: Intuitive Machines (IM-1) – NASA

Intuitive Machines Nova-C-class lunar lander, launched on Thursday, Feb.15, is scheduled to land on the Moons South Pole region near the lunar feature known as Malapert A on Thursday, Feb. 22. This relatively flat and safe region is within the otherwise heavily cratered southern highlands on the side of the Moon visible from Earth. Landing near Malapert A will also help mission planners understand how to communicate and send data back to Earth from a location where Earth is low on the lunar horizon.

These deliveries are part of NASAs Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative and Artemis campaign, which includes new solar system science to better understand planetary processes and evolution, search for evidence of water and other resources, and support long-term human exploration.

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CLPS Landing: Intuitive Machines (IM-1) - NASA

72 flights later and a rotor blade short, Mars chopper loses its fight with physics – The Register

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72 flights later and a rotor blade short, Mars chopper loses its fight with physics - The Register

Meet the Creators, Part 4: Two New 2024 Total Eclipse Posters – Science@NASA

Genna Duberstein is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated multimedia producer and graphic designer who specializes in both making and marketing content. Her work has been shown internationally, aired on PBS, and has been featured in many outlets, including The New York Times, Vanity Fair, WIRED, The Atlantic, and National Geographic. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from American University and a Bachelor of Arts from The Ohio State University.

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Meet the Creators, Part 4: Two New 2024 Total Eclipse Posters - Science@NASA

Nusantara: A New Capital City in the Forest – nasa.gov

Since the summer of 2022, the jungles of eastern Borneo have undergone rapid change. Roads have been carved into the landscape and buildings erected near Balikpapan Bay in Eastern Kalimantan, as Indonesia builds a new capital city.

According to government officials, development of the new capital on the island of Borneo was motivated in large part by the myriad of environmental challenges faced by Jakarta, Indonesias current capital. The citys metropolitan area is home to 30 million people and has expanded considerably in recent decades. Frequent flooding, heavy traffic, hazardous air pollution, and drinking water shortages are common occurrences. Jakarta is also quickly sinking. Excessive groundwater withdrawals have contributed to subsidence rates of up to 15 centimeters (6 inches) per year, and 40 percent of the city is now below sea level.

In 2019, Indonesias president announced that the administrative center of the country would be moving from the populous island of Java to the sparsely populated island of Borneo. Construction on the new capital city, called Nusantaraan old Javanese term meaning outer islands or archipelagobegan in July 2022 in an area of forests and oil palm plantations 30 kilometers (19 miles) inland from the Makassar Strait.

The images above show the site of Nusantara in April 2022 (left) and in February 2024 (right). They were captured by the OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) on Landsat 9 and the OLI on Landsat 8, respectively. In the 2024 image, soil has been exposed for a network of roads carved into the forest. The initial stage of development involves constructing government facilities and other buildings for the expected initial population of 500,000 people, according to the project website.

Project plans stipulate that it will be a green, walkable metropolis, powered with renewable energy, with 75 percent of the city remaining forested. But some researchers worry this land use change could harm the forests and wildlife in the region. The stretch of land and coastal waters being developed are rich in biodiversity and home to mangroves, proboscis monkeys, and Irrawaddy dolphins.

Although the site has changed substantially over the past year and a half, the city is far from being finished. Construction is planned to be completed by 2045.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Emily Cassidy.

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Nusantara: A New Capital City in the Forest - nasa.gov

Ascent Solar Technologies to fly space solar modules on NASA’s upcoming LISA-T mission SatNews – SatNews

Ascent Solar Technologies (Nasdaq: ASTI) has announced that the Companys solar module products will fly on NASAs upcoming Lightweight Integrated Solar Array and AnTenna (LISA-T) mission, scheduled for launch this summer.

The mission, led by NASAs Space Technology Mission Directorate and the agencys Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, will demonstrate the capability to deploy large-area arrays on lightweight, low-cost and small spacecraft.

LISA-T is the fourth mission in NASAs Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator (PTD) series of missions evaluating novel, small spacecraft capabilities on orbit. Managed by NASAs Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, these demonstration missions facilitate the direct infusion of new technologies into the agencys future science and exploration missions.

LISA-T (PTD-4)s solar arrays are lower mass and stowed volume, and produce three times more power than alternative PV solutions traded within the system envelope. PTD-4s deployable solar arrays are designed to scale larger than the missions CubeSat form factor with options capable of generating kilowatts of power to small spacecraft.

Leading up to this spacecraft demonstration, Ascents PV products were previously evaluated on the International Space Station. Modules tested on NASAs MISSE-X experiment validated the resilience of the companys CIGS material in the space environment, both bare and encapsulated. Additional Ascent modules with lower-cost and lighter-weight laminates are being evaluated on the upcoming MISSE payload slated to fly on SpaceXs 30th Commercial Resupply Mission to the space station scheduled for March.

Selection for this upcoming space mission is the culmination of years of Ascents work with NASA to optimize the PV modules that enabled LISA-Ts ambitious spacecraft mass and power budgets to close, said Paul Warley, CEO of Ascent Solar Technologies. This mission will demonstrate that previously unachievable spacecraft requirements can in fact be met. It also provides a shining example of the benefits of public-private partnerships that leverage new and innovative commercial technologies, as NASA programs like MISSE & PTD lead the way for even more capable spacecraft for government and commercial space missions. The modules developed for LISA-T informed the design of Ascents Titan line of space products, facilitating further maximization of power generation to the extent that spacecraft can produce kilowatts per kilogram of array in the space environment with minimal degradation over the life of the mission.

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Ascent Solar Technologies to fly space solar modules on NASA's upcoming LISA-T mission SatNews - SatNews

Why the Odysseus Moon Landing Is So Important – TIME

Early this week, Facebook provided me with a sweet piece of serendipity when it served up a picture of the late Gene Cernan. I had taken and posted the picture in 2014, when Cernan, the last man on the moon, was being feted at the premiere of the documentary about his life, titled, straightforwardly, The Last Man On the Moon. I had gotten to know Gene well over the course of many years of reporting on the space program, and was keenly saddened when we lost him to cancer three years later.

But this week, on Feb. 22, Cernan made news in a bank-shot sort of way, when the Odysseus spacecraft touched down near the south lunar pole, marking the first time the U.S. had soft-landed metal on the moon since Cernan feathered his lunar module Challenger down to the surface of the Taurus-Littrow Valley on Dec. 11, 1972. The networks made much of that 52-year gulf in cosmic history, but Odysseus was significant for two other, more substantive reasons: it marked the first time a spacecraft built by a private company, not by a governmental space program, had managed a lunar landing, and it was the first time any ship had visited a spot so far in the moons south, down in a region where ice is preserved in permanently shadowed craters. Those deposits could be harvested to serve as drinking water, breathable oxygen, and even rocket fuel by future lunar astronauts.

Today, for the first time in more than a half century, the U.S. has returned to the moon, said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a livestream that accompanied the landing. Today, for the first time in the history of humanity, a commercial company and an American company launched and led the voyage up there.

Nelsons enthusiasm was not misplaced. The six Apollo lunar landings might have been epochal events, but they were also abbreviated ones. The longest stay any of the crews logged on the surface was just three days by Cernan and his lunar module pilot Harrison Schmitt. The shortest stay was less than 21 hours, by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin during the Apollo 11 mission, the first lunar landing, in 1969. That so-called flags and footprints model was fine for the days when the U.S. lunar program was mostly about doing some basic spelunking and, not for nothing, beating the much-feared Soviet Union at planting a flag in the lunar regolith.

But the 21st-century moon program is different. Ever since NASA established its Artemis program in 2017, the space agency has made it clear that the new era of exploration will be much more ambitious. The goal is in part for American astronauts to establish at least a semi-permanent presence on the moon, with a mini-space station known as Gateway positioned in lunar orbit, allowing crews to shuttle to and from the surface. NASA also plans to create a south pole habitat that the crews could call home. And all of this will be done by a much more diverse corps of astronauts, with women and persons of color joining the all-white, all-male list of astronauts who traveled to the moon the first time around.

There is, however, a catch: money. In the glory days of Apollo, NASA funding represented 4% of the total federal budget; now its just 0.4%. That means taking the job of designing and building spacecraft off of the space agencys plate and outsourcing it to private industry, the way SpaceX now ferries crews to the International Space Station, charging NASA for the rides the way it charges satellite manufacturers and other private customers. The Commercial Crew Program, of which SpaceX is a part, was established in 2011, and has been a rousing success, so much so that, in 2018, NASA took things a step further, announcing the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, similarly outsourcing the delivery of equipment that astronaut-settlers will need.

CLPS, however, stumbled out of the gate. On Jan. 8 of this year, the Peregrine lander, built by Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology, was launched to a similar lunar region that Odysseus targeted, carrying 20 payloads, including mini-rovers, a spectrometer designed to scour the soil for traces of water, and another to study the moons exceedingly tenuous atmosphere. Peregrine was not destined to make it out of Earths orbit, however, after an engine failure stranded itleaving the ship to plunge back into the atmosphere 10 days after launch.

There will be some failures, Astrobotic CEO John Thornton told TIME before the Peregrine mission launched. But if even half of these missions succeed, it is still a wild, runaway success.

Odysseus landed in that second, happier column. Built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines, the spacecraft carries six science instruments, including stereoscopic cameras, an autonomous navigation system, and a radio wave detector to help measure charged particles above the surfacecritical to determining the necessary sheathing in an eventual habitat. NASA has at least eight other CLPS missions planned, including two more by Intuitive Machines and another by Astrobotic, through 2026. After that, the program is expected to go on indefinitelysupplying lunar bases for as long as Artemis has astronauts on the moon.

Just when those explorers will arrive is unclear. The Artemis II mission, which was expected to take astronauts on a circumlunar journey in November of this year, has been postponed until September of 2025, due to R&D issues in both the Space Launch System moon rocket and the Orion spacecraft. Artemis III, set to be the first landing since the Apollo 17 astronauts trod the regolith, will likely not come until 2026 at the earliest.

That 52 year wait would not have sat well with that long-ago crew. In the same year in which they flew, the National Football Leagues Miami Dolphins made a less consequential history of their own, when they became the first and so far only team to go through an entire season undefeated. The surviving members of that legendary squad have waited out the seasons that have followed, pulling for their record to standand conceding relief when the final undefeated team at last records a loss. Cernan, for his part, wanted nothing to do with his own last man record. We leave here as we came and, God willing, we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind, he said before he climbed back up the ladder of his lunar module and left the moon behind. The success of Odysseus does not make the fulfillment of Cernans wish imminent, but it does nudge it closer.

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Why the Odysseus Moon Landing Is So Important - TIME

This image courtesy of Nasa, shows NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter capturing this image of the Intuitive … – The Mountaineer

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This image courtesy of Nasa, shows NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter capturing this image of the Intuitive ... - The Mountaineer

Ascent Solar Technologies’ Solar Modules to Be Deployed on NASA’s Upcoming LISA-T Mission – SolarQuarter

Ascent Solar Technologies, a pioneering U.S. firm specializing in featherweight, flexible, and robust CIGS thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solutions, has announced that its solar module products will be part of NASAs upcoming Lightweight Integrated Solar Array and AnTenna (LISA-T) mission, set to launch this summer. This mission, spearheaded by NASAs Space Technology Mission Directorate and the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, aims to showcase the deployment of large-area arrays on lightweight, cost-effective, and small spacecraft.

LISA-T constitutes the fourth mission in NASAs Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator (PTD) series, which assesses novel capabilities of small spacecraft in orbit. Managed by NASAs Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, these demonstration missions facilitate the integration of new technologies into future science and exploration missions. The solar arrays of LISA-T (PTD-4) boast lower mass and stowed volume while producing three times more power compared to alternative PV solutions within the system envelope. Additionally, PTD-4s deployable solar arrays are designed to scale larger than the missions CubeSat form factor, offering options capable of generating kilowatts of power for small spacecraft.

Paul Warley, CEO of Ascent Solar Technologies, expressed pride in the companys selection for the upcoming space mission, attributing it to years of collaboration with NASA to optimize PV modules that align with LISA-Ts ambitious spacecraft mass and power requirements. He emphasized the significance of public-private partnerships in advancing innovative technologies, noting how programs like MISSE and PTD pave the way for more capable spacecraft for both government and commercial space missions. The modules developed for LISA-T have also influenced the design of Ascents Titan line of space products, enabling further enhancement of power generation capabilities in the space environment.

Leading up to the spacecraft demonstration, Ascents PV products underwent evaluations on the International Space Station, with modules tested on NASAs MISSE-X experiment affirming the resilience of the companys CIGS material in space conditions. Furthermore, additional Ascent modules featuring lower-cost and lighter-weight laminates are undergoing assessment on the upcoming MISSE payload slated to fly on SpaceXs 30th Commercial Resupply Mission to the space station in March.

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Ascent Solar Technologies' Solar Modules to Be Deployed on NASA's Upcoming LISA-T Mission - SolarQuarter

NASA will retire the ISS soon. Here’s what comes next. – NPR

The International Space Station is pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during a fly around of the orbiting lab on Nov. 8, 2021. NASA hide caption

The International Space Station is pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during a fly around of the orbiting lab on Nov. 8, 2021.

Since its first modules launched at the end of 1998, the International Space Station has been orbiting 250 miles above Earth. But at the end of 2030, NASA plans to crash the ISS into the ocean after it is replaced with a new space station, a reminder that nothing within Earth's orbit can stay in space forever.

NASA is collaborating on developing a space station owned, built, and operated by a private company either Axiom Space, Voyager Space, or Blue Origin. NASA is giving each company hundreds of millions of dollars in funding and sharing their expertise with them.

Eventually, they will select one company to officially partner with and have them replace the ISS. NASA says this will help them focus on deep space exploration, which they consider a much more difficult task.

Progress photos showing the Axiom Space station being built. ENRICO SACCHETTI/Axiom Space hide caption

Progress photos showing the Axiom Space station being built.

But any company that is able to develop their own space station, get approval from the federal government and launch it into space will be able to pursue their own deep space missions even without the approval of NASA.

Phil McCalister, director of the Commercial Space Division of NASA, told NPR's Morning Edition that NASA does not want to own in perpetuity everything in low-Earth orbit which is up to 1,200 miles above Earth's surface.

"We want to turn those things over to other organizations that could potentially do it more cost-effectively, and then focus our research and activities on deep space exploration," said McCalister.

McCalister says the ISS could stay in space longer, but it's much more cost-effective for NASA to acquire a brand new station with new technology. NASA would then transition to purchasing services from commercial entities as opposed to the government building a next-generation commercial space station.

The ISS was designed in the 80s, so the technology when it was first built was very different from what is available today.

"I kind of see this as like an automobile. When we bought that automobile in 1999, it was state of the art. And it has been great. And it serves us well and continues to be safe. But it's getting older. It's getting harder to find spare parts. The maintenance for that is becoming a larger issue," McCalister said.

A new, private space station will have a lot of similarities and some differences from the current ISS.

Robyn Gatens, director of the International Space Station, says that despite it aging, not all the technology on the ISS is out of date.

"We've been evolving the technology on the International Space Station since it was first built. So some of these technologies will carry over to these private space stations," said Gatens. "We've upgraded the batteries, we've upgraded and added solar arrays that roll out and are flexible, we've been upgrading our life support systems."

The view from NASA spacewalker Thomas Marshburn's camera points downward toward the ISS on December 2, 2021. Thomas Marshburn/NASA hide caption

The view from NASA spacewalker Thomas Marshburn's camera points downward toward the ISS on December 2, 2021.

Paulo Lozano is the director of the Space Propulsion Laboratory at MIT and an aerospace engineer. He said, "NASA has already changed the solar panels at least once and switched them from these very large arrays that produce relatively little power, to these smaller arrays that produce much more power. All the computer power at the beginning is nothing compared to what can be done today."

Gatens says the structure of the space station which is the size of a football field is what can't be upgraded and replaced. And something of that size is costly for NASA to maintain.

"The big structure, even though it's doing very well, has a finite lifetime. It won't last forever. It is affected by the environment that it's in. And every time we dock a vehicle and undock a vehicle, the thermal environment puts stresses and loads on that primary structure that will eventually make it wear out," said Gatens.

Gatens says we can expect a new space station to be designed a little more efficiently and right sized for the amount of research that NASA and its partners are going to want to do in low-Earth orbit.

NASA astronaut Megan McArthur doing an experiment on the ISS on May 26, 2021. NASA hide caption

NASA astronaut Megan McArthur doing an experiment on the ISS on May 26, 2021.

The structure of the ship is also extremely important to the people who work there.

The ISS carries scientists who perform research that can only be done in the weak gravity of space, like medical research. In space, cells age more quickly and conditions progress more rapidly, helping researchers understand the progression of things like heart disease or cancer more quickly.

Researchers on the ISS also work to understand what happens to the human body when it's exposed to microgravity. This research is aimed at helping develop ways to counteract the negative effects of being in space and let astronauts stay there longer something essential to getting a human on Mars.

Gatens says a new space station will have updated research facilities.

"I'm looking forward to seeing very modern laboratory equipment on these space stations. We say the International Space Station has a lot of capability, but it's more like a test kitchen. I'm looking forward to seeing the future commercial space stations take these laboratory capabilities and really develop them into state-of-the-art space laboratories," said Gatens.

Expedition 60 crewmembers Luca Parmitano, Christina Koch, Andrew Morgan, and Nick Hague in the ISS cupola photographing Hurricane Dorian on August 30, 2019. NASA hide caption

Expedition 60 crewmembers Luca Parmitano, Christina Koch, Andrew Morgan, and Nick Hague in the ISS cupola photographing Hurricane Dorian on August 30, 2019.

On top of having modern research facilities, new space stations will likely be designed to provide a cleaner environment for researchers.

"If you see pictures of the station, you'll think 'how can they work there?' It looks cluttered, it looks messy," Astronaut Peggy Whitson told NPR. She's spent more time in space than any other woman and is the first woman to command the ISS. Whitson is now Director of Human Spaceflight and an astronaut at Axiom Space, one of the companies funded by NASA to develop a space station.

Whitson said the reason there are cables all over the place is because the structure of the station wasn't designed for some of the systems it has now. She thinks having a method for making a station even more adaptable to new technology will be important in terms of user experience.

Whitson doesn't know what technology will be available five years from now. But she said Axiom Space will want to take advantage of whatever they can get their hands on, ideally without wires everywhere.

Peggy Whitson in the ISS's cupola. AXIOM SPACE/Axiom Space hide caption

Peggy Whitson in the ISS's cupola.

"I would like all that cabling and networking to be behind the panels so that it's easier for folks to move around in space," Whitson said. "Having and building in that adaptability is one of the most critical parts, I think, of building a station for low-Earth orbit."

Paulo Lozano says many of the electronic components on the ISS are bulky. But now that electronics are smaller, she expects the interior of future stations might be a bit different.

At the current ISS, there is one small inflatable module. That structure flies up, collapsed, and then expands as it gets filled with air once it's attached to the primary structure of the station with it literally blowing up kind of like a balloon. Gatens says they are looking at multiple elements of a new space station being inflatable.

Whitson told NPR that on the space station Axiom Space is developing, they will have windows in the crew quarters and a huge cupola, what she describes as an astronaut's window to the world. On the ISS, they have a cupola you can pop your head and shoulders into and see 360-degree views of space and look down at the Earth.

On the proposed Axiom space station, Whitson said the cupola is so large that astronauts will be able to float their whole body in there and have it be an experience of basically almost flying in space.

NASA hopes that by handing responsibility of an ISS replacement over to private companies, it will allow the agency to develop technology more quickly and focus on their next goal of putting a station beyond low-Earth orbit for the first time. Current proposed low-Earth orbit stations include the Lunar Gateway, which is NASA's planned space station on the moon.

"What the space stations of today are doing is just paving the way for humans to actually explore deeper into space, which is going to be a significantly harder challenge to accomplish. The space stations of today are essential stepping stones towards that goal," said Lozano.

Gatens says one piece of technology that is being developed at Blue Origin is a big rotating space station that, when finished, would have artificial gravity.

For long trips in space, the lack of gravity is a main issue for the human body, causing bone-loss and other health issues. "If you could recreate that in space, that will be very beneficial," Gatens said.

Lozano says that a space station beyond low-Earth orbit would need new technology that is radically different from what's been used in the ISS. And both NASA and Lozano don't think it is possible to venture deeper into space, and eventually get a human on Mars, with U.S. government funding alone.

"I don't think we're very far away in terms of technology development. I think we're a little bit far away in terms of investment, because space technology is quite expensive and sometimes a single nation cannot really make it work by itself. So you need international cooperation." Lozano said.

Treye Green edited the digital version of this story.

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NASA will retire the ISS soon. Here's what comes next. - NPR

Ingenuity Mars helicopter snapped rotor blade during hard landing last month (video, photo) – Space.com

There's no way Ingenuity could fly through this.

Ingenuity, the 4-pound (1.8 kilograms) helicopter that journeyed to Mars with NASA's Perseverance rover, was grounded for good after suffering a hard landing during a Jan. 18 flight.

New observations by Perseverance show just how rough that touchdown was and make it easy to understand why Ingenuity is now a frozen feature of the Martian landscape.

Related: NASA to 'wiggle' broken Ingenuity Mars helicopter's blades to analyze damage

We already knew that the Jan. 18 landing broke off the tip of at least one of Ingenuity's four rotors; a selfie snapped by the little chopper shortly thereafter made that plain.

That damage by itself was enough to end Ingenuity's flying days on Mars, mission team members said at the time. Helicopters must be perfectly balanced to maintain controlled flight, and losing bits of a rotor robbed Ingenuity of that balance.

But the drone lost more than just a rotor tip. The new Perseverance photos, which the rover took with its SuperCam remote imager on Sunday (Feb. 25), show that at least one of Ingenuity's four rotor blades snapped clean off on Jan. 18.

Ingenuity and Perseverance landed together on the floor of Mars' Jezero Crater in February 2021. Two months later, the rotorcraft deployed from the rover's belly and began its prime mission, a five-flight campaign designed to show that powered flight is possible on Mars despite the planet's thin atmosphere.

Ingenuity aced that campaign, then shifted to an extended mission during which it served as a scout for the life-hunting, sample-collecting Perseverance. The helicopter racked up a whopping 67 sorties during this phase of its Mars operations, which were led (like those of Perseverance) by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California.

Its final flight occurred over a sandy patch of terrain that lacked prominent rocks and other features that Ingenuity relied on for navigation, mission team members said. Ingenuity could not stick the landing, and its fast-spinning blades hit the ground.

The helicopter's legacy is assured. Ingenuity was the first vehicle ever to achieve powered flight in the skies of a world beyond Earth, and its success will pave the way for other aerial explorers.

"The NASA JPL team didn't just demonstrate the technology," Tiffany Morgan, deputy director of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, said during a Jan. 31 webcast tribute to Ingenuity. "They demonstrated an approach that if we use in the future will really help us to explore other planets and be as awe-inspiring, as amazing, as Ingenuity has been."

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Ingenuity Mars helicopter snapped rotor blade during hard landing last month (video, photo) - Space.com