This Week @NASA: A New Spaceflight Record, OSIRIS-REx Adjusts Course, SpaceX Crew-6

OSIRIS-REx diverts away from Earth after releasing its sample return capsule in this illustration. The spacecraft will release an asteroid sample capsule on September 24, aiming for a landing in the Great Salt Lake Desert. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/CI Lab

A new long-duration spaceflight record …

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission is back home …

And NASA’s asteroid sample return mission is on target …

A few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!

Rubio Sets U.S. Record for Longest Single Spaceflight

On September 11, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio completed his 355th day onboard the International Space Station – surpassing the record for the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut, which was previously held by NASA’s Mark Vande Hei.

“Frank, you’ve made all kind of records.”
— Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator

Agency leadership congratulated Rubio on the accomplishment during a call to the station. By the time Rubio returns home on September 27, he will have spent about 371 days in space.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Crew Reflects on Its Mission

The crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission is back home after spending about six months on the space station. On September 12, a few crew members, including NASA astronauts Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg, talked about the mission during a news conference at our Johnson Space Center. The highlights of the flight included Bowen’s U.S. record-tying 10th career spacewalk.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft adjusted its course to ensure the successful return of an asteroid sample to Earth on September 24, before heading to its next mission at asteroid Apophis. Credit: NASA

OSIRIS-REx Adjusts Course to Target Sample Capsule’s Landing Zone

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft recently made a course adjustment to better position itself to release a capsule carrying sample material from asteroid Bennu toward the designated landing zone in the Utah desert. The capsule is scheduled to make a parachute-assisted landing on September 24. OSIRIS-REx is the first U.S. mission to collect a sample from an asteroid.

June – August 2023

NASA Announces Summer 2023 Was the Hottest on Record

According to NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies, the summer of 2023 was our planet’s hottest summer since global records began in 1880. June through August was a combined 0.41 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than any other summer in NASA’s record. This new record comes as exceptional heat has swept across much of the world – exacerbating deadly wildfires, resulting in searing heat waves, and likely contributing to severe weather.

That’s what’s up this week @NASA