Illustration of SpaceX Starship human lander design that will carry the first NASA astronauts to the surface of the Moon under the Artemis program. NASA’s new budget includes $8.1 billion to enable unprecedented lunar exploration activities and also will prepare for the next giant leap, sending astronauts to Mars, through NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach. Credit: SpaceX
The President’s Budget Request for NASA …
Crew-5 is safely back on Earth …
And a look at a possible Moon mission spacesuit …
A few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!
The President’s Budget Request for NASA
The Biden-Harris Administration’s recently released Budget for Fiscal Year 2024 includes a $27.2 billion request for NASA. This represents a strong show of support for the agency to continue its efforts on behalf of all humanity. This includes exploration of the universe through Artemis, the return of samples from Mars, monitoring and protecting our home planet, advancing sustainable aviation, and more. Additional details are available at nasa.gov/budget.
The SpaceX Dragon Endurance is seen as it splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa, Florida, at 9:02 p.m. EST, returning Crew-5 to Earth. Credit: NASA TV
Crew-5 Mission Returns from the Space Station
On March 11, a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft safely splashed down off the coast of Tampa, Florida to return our Crew-5 mission from the International Space Station. Four days later, the crew – including NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, talked about their mission during a news conference at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Crew-5 spent 157 days in orbit.
The Artemis III spacesuit prototype, the AxEMU. Though this prototype uses a dark gray cover material, the final version will likely be all-white when worn by NASA astronauts on the Moon’s surface, to help keep the astronauts safe and cool while working in the harsh environment of space. Credit: Axiom Space
Artemis Moon Mission Spacesuit Prototype Revealed
During a March 15 event near our Johnson Space Center, NASA partner, Axiom Space revealed a prototype of a spacesuit design NASA astronauts could wear on the Moon during our Artemis III mission. The agency selected Axiom Space to deliver a moonwalking system to land the first astronauts near the lunar South Pole.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, with the company’s Dragon spacecraft atop, lifts off from NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida on March 14, 2023, beginning the company’s 27th resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff occurred at 8:30 p.m. EDT. Credit: NASA
Resupply Mission Launches to the Space Station
On March 14, SpaceX launched a Dragon cargo spacecraft to the space station from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center with new science investigations, supplies, and equipment for the station crew. This is the company’s 27th commercial resupply mission to the space station for NASA.
That’s what’s up this week @NASA