A new crew heads to the space station …
A major storm spotted from space …
And a robotic spacecraft enabling human missions to the Moon …
A few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at
NASA’s
Hurricane Idalia Seen from the Space Station
External cameras on the space station captured views of major Hurricane Idalia on August 30, not long after the storm made landfall near Keaton Beach, Florida as a Category 3 storm with winds of about 125 miles an hour. At the time, Idalia was moving north-northeast at about 18 miles an hour toward the southeast United States. Prior to landfall, the system had reached Category 4 storm status with winds of about 130 miles an hour.
Moon Orbiter Preparing Artemis Astronauts for Lunar Exploration
Data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter or LRO was used during a recent training session to help familiarize the Artemis II astronauts with what they can expect to see from lunar orbit on their upcoming mission around the Moon. The training involved scientific visualizations to help them identify lunar landmarks, geological features, and areas of interest for future Artemis Moon landings. LRO has returned a treasure trove of scientific data during its fourteen years of observing the Moon.
August 30, 1983 – Bluford Becomes First African American in Space
August 30 marked the forty-year anniversary of NASA astronaut Guy Bluford becoming the first African American to fly in space. He flew aboard the space shuttle Challenger on the STS-8 mission – the first night launch and night landing of the space shuttle program. Bluford was a member of NASA’s 1978 astronaut class, which included the first African Americans, the first Asian American, and the first women astronauts.
That’s what’s up this week @NASA!