NASA payload to fly on first Blue Origin lunar lander mission
13 Aug
Science & Technology

NASA payload to fly on first Blue Origin lunar lander mission

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NASA Space Technology WASHINGTON — A NASA payload will hitch a ride to the moon on Blue Origin’s first lunar lander mission, scheduled to launch as soon as next March.In an Aug. 6 procurement filingNASA revealed it selected Blue Origin to fly a camera system to study how engine plumes interact with regolith at south polar regions of the moon, collecting data to support future crewed landing missions. The payload, called Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS), will fly through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.One copy of SCALPSS was sent to the moon on the first Intuitive Machines lander mission in February, collecting limited data. A second copy of SCALPSS will fly on Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander, scheduled to launch late this year. However, NASA says it needs to fly...
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NASA watchdog finds quality control problems with Boeing SLS work
13 Aug
Science & Technology

NASA watchdog finds quality control problems with Boeing SLS work

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NASA Space Technology WASHINGTON — NASA’s internal watchdog sharply criticized the work Boeing is doing on the next version of the Space Launch System, finding serious lapses in quality control.In a report released Aug. 8, NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) said there were significant issues with Boeing’s work on the Block 1B version of SLS being done at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, which it attributed to a lack of an acceptable quality management system and trained workforce.NASA used the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) to monitor Boeing’s work on the SLS core and upper stages at Michoud. “According to DCMA officials, Boeing’s process for addressing contractual noncompliance has been ineffective, and the company has generally been nonresponsive in taking corrective actions when the same quality control issues reoccur,” the OIG report...
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Webb Observes Hidden Depths of Messier 106
13 Aug
Science & Technology

Webb Observes Hidden Depths of Messier 106

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NASA Space Technology NASA has released a stunning new image snapped by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope of the active, central part of the nearby spiral galaxy Messier 106.This Webb image shows Messier 106, a spiral galaxy located 20 million light-years away in the constellation of Canes Venatici. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Webb / J. Glenn.Lying over 20 million light-years from us in the small northern constellation of Canes Venatici, Messier 106 is one of the brightest and nearest spiral galaxies to our own Milky Way Galaxy.Also known as M106 or NGC 4258, the galaxy was discovered by Charles Messier’s observing assistant, Pierre Méchain, in 1781.“Despite carrying his name, Messier 106 was neither discovered nor catalogued by the renowned 18th century astronomer Charles Messier,” the Webb astronomers said in a...
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Stuck in space? Why the return date of two NASA astronauts is up in the air until early next year.
10 Aug
Science & Technology

Stuck in space? Why the return date of two NASA astronauts is up in the air until early next year.

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NASA Space Technology NASA is wrestling over how and when to bring two astronauts back from the International Space Station, after repeatedly delaying their return aboard Boeing’s troubled capsule.Do they take a chance and send them home soon in Boeing’s Starliner? Or wait and bring them back next year with SpaceX?Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been up there since early June, their planned eight-day mission at the two-month mark and possibly surpassing eight months.Testing continues, with Boeing expressing confidence in its spacecraft but NASA divided. A decision is expected next week.What’s wrong with Boeing’s Starliner?This is Boeing’s first time launching astronautsafter flying a pair of empty Starliners that suffered software and other issues. Even before Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams blasted off June 5, their capsule sprang a leak in propulsion-related plumbing. Boeing and...
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