NASA MSR review continues despite committee leadership change
Science & Technology

NASA MSR review continues despite committee leadership change

NASA Space Technology WASHINGTON — NASA says it still expects to make a recommendation on a new architecture for the Mars Sample Return (MSR) program by the end of the year despite a change in leadership of a key review committee.At a Nov. 6 meeting of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG), Jeff Gramling, MSR program director at NASA Headquarters, said a committee called the MSR Strategy Review Team, or MSR-SR, is scheduled to provide a recommendation on a “go-forward architecture” for MSR in December. That recommendation will go to Nicola Fox, NASA associate administrator for science, and then to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson for final approval.That was the same timeline that Gramling provided at an Oct. 21 meeting of a National Academies committee. That took place days after NASA announced the formation of...
Continue reading
Unbreakable Voyager space probes close in on a 50 year mission
Science & Technology

Unbreakable Voyager space probes close in on a 50 year mission

NASA Space Technology "We're definitely going to make the 50th anniversary," says Professor Garry Hunt, one of the scientists responsible for NASA's Voyager mission, as Voyager 1 recovers from an unexpected pause in communications.Launched when Jimmy Carter was President of the United States, the two Voyager spacecraft have endured almost half a century of spaceflight and, according to Hunt, should still be in contact with Earth in 2027, 50 years after leaving the planet.A spokesperson for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory told The Register that the agency hopes there will be enough power from the onboard Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) to keep the antenna and at least one science instrument running until the early 2030s. The power produced by the RTGs is dwindling, and the Voyager team has been forced to make...
Continue reading
I Am Artemis: Joe Vermette
Science & Technology

I Am Artemis: Joe Vermette

NASA Space Technology While some stand on the sidelines and witness history, others are destined to play a part in it. And then there are those who document it, bringing the people, the action, the images, the words, and the personalities to the world. U. S. Navy Reservist Public Affairs Officer and program strategic communicator for NASA’s HLS (Human Landing System) Joe Vermette stands at the nexus of all three.Spurred to action to serve his country by the events of September 11, 2001; veteran of numerous overseas deployments with the Navy, and responsible for communicating NASA’s return to the Moon through the Artemis campaign, Vermette has played a part in history while he communicates humanity’s greatest endeavors to the world.Vermette joined NASA in August 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, coming from the Federal Emergency Management...
Continue reading