This Week @NASA – Lunar Lander Mission Heads to Moon, Artemis II Training, Europa Clipper Milestone

IM-1, the first NASA Commercial Launch Program Services launch for Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander, will carry multiple payloads to the Moon, including Lunar Node-1, demonstrating autonomous navigation via radio beacon to support precise geolocation and navigation among lunar orbiters, landers, and surface personnel. Credit: Intuitive Machines

A commercial mission heads to the Moon with NASA science…

NASA’s Artemis II crew conducts some preflight training…

And a major milestone for a planetary science mission…

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

Commercial Lunar Payload Services Mission Launches

On February 15, Intuitive Machines’ first robotic lunar lander mission to the Moon’s surface launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

The mission is carrying NASA scientific research and technology demonstrations to help us better understand the challenging environment of the lunar south pole region and improve landing precision and safety ahead of future Artemis astronaut missions to the Moon.

NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman exits the side of a mockup of the Orion spacecraft during a training exercise in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on January 23. As part of training for their mission around the Moon next year, the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign, the crew practiced the recovery procedures they will use when the splash down in the Pacific Ocean. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

First Artemis Moon Crew Trains for Return to Earth

As part of preflight training for their Artemis II mission around the Moon next year, the Artemis II astronauts recently practiced the recovery procedures that will be used to safely retrieve the crew after they splash down in the Pacific Ocean at the end of the mission.

Artemis II is the first crewed flight on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence on the Moon for scientific discovery and exploration through the Artemis campaign.

NASA’s Europa Clipper, with all of its instruments installed, is visible in the clean room of High Bay 1 at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on January 19. The tent around the spacecraft was erected to support electromagnetic testing.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA’s Europa Clipper Instruments Are All Aboard

NASA’s Europa Clipper mission has passed a major milestone. With less than nine months to go in the countdown to its launch, the massive spacecraft, which is being assembled at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has been outfitted with its science instruments.

Set to launch in October 2024, the spacecraft will head to Jupiter’s ice-covered moon Europa, where a salty ocean beneath the frozen surface may hold conditions suitable for life.

NASA’s DC-8 aircraft takes off from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703 in Palmdale, California, to conduct test flights as part of the Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality, or ASIA-AQ mission, that will collect detailed air quality data over several locations in Asia. Credit: NASA/Carla Thomas

NASA Collaborates in International Air Quality Study

The Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality, or ASIA-AQ mission is a collaboration between NASA and Korea’s National Institute of
Environmental Research.

The mission will use aircraft – including NASA’s DC-8 and G-III aircraft, satellites, and ground-based instruments to study the air quality in Asia as part of a global effort to better understand the air
we breathe.

That’s what’s up this week @NASA.