A new crew launches to the space station…
Graduating a new class of Artemis astronauts…
And a group of tiny lunar-roving robots are ready to roll…
A few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!
SpaceX Crew-8 Mission Launches to the Space Station
On March 3, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission launched to the International Space Station from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Two days later, the crew, including NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, safely arrived at the station.
They will spend several months conducting scientific research aboard the orbital laboratory to prepare for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and to benefit humanity on Earth.
New Class of Artemis Generation Astronauts Graduates
On March 5, NASA held a ceremony at their Johnson Space Center to graduate a new class of Artemis generation astronaut candidates.
After completing more than two years of basic training, the astronaut graduates earned their wings and are eligible for spaceflight, including assignments to the International Space Station, future commercial destinations, missions to the Moon, and eventually, missions to Mars.
NASA is accepting applications for their next class of astronaut candidates. Find out more.
Network of Small Moon-Bound Rovers Ready to Roll
Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory are done assembling and rigorously testing three small robotic rovers that are slated to be delivered to the Moon by an Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander on a future mission.
Part of NASA’s Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration, or CADRE technology demonstration, the solar-powered rovers will work together to autonomously explore and map the Moon’s surface. The goal is to show that a group of robotic spacecraft can accomplish tasks and record data as a team, without explicit commands from mission controllers on Earth.
Farthest Active Supermassive Black Hole Ever Seen
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has helped find the first clear evidence that the galaxy GN-z11 – one of the brightest, youngest, and most distant galaxies ever observed – is hosting a central, supermassive black hole that is rapidly accreting matter.
The finding makes this the farthest active supermassive black hole spotted to date. The galaxy, which was initially detected by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, existed when the universe was only about 430 million years old.
That’s what’s up this week @NASA.
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