A New Name and New Journey for an Asteroid Mission on This Week @NASA – December 29, 2023

A new name and new journey for an asteroid mission, testing the self-flying capabilities of some drones, and test firing a 3D-printed rocket engine … a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!

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A new name and new journey for an asteroid mission. Testing the self-flying capabilities of some drones. And test firing a 3D-printed rocket engine. A few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA! After the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft delivered the sample material it collected from asteroid Bennu to Earth, the spacecraft still had some fuel left.

So, the team decided to give the spacecraft a new name and a new mission. It is now called OSIRIS-APEX, and is on its way to study asteroid Apophis, which is expected to make an extremely rare and extremely close flyby of Earth in April 2029. Researchers at our Langley Research Center recently flew multiple drones beyond visual line of sight with no visual observer. The drones flew around obstacles and each other during takeoff, along a planned route, and while landing – all without a pilot controlling the flight. This test marks an important step toward advancing self-flying capabilities for air taxis.

Engineers at our Marshall Space Flight Center successfully tested a novel, 3D-printed Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine. The 251-second test produced more than 5,800 pounds of thrust. That kind of sustained burn emulates typical requirements for a lander touchdown or a deep-space burn that could set a spacecraft on course from the Moon to Mars. The holiday season has been busy for the crew aboard the International Space Station. Two spaceships recently departed the station on back-to-back days.

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft and Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft left on Dec. 21 and 22, respectively. But, in the spirit of the season - the astronauts did find some time to share some cheer with all of us on Earth. “We wish you happy holidays and a happy New Year. ” That’s what’s up this week @NASA.

For more about what else we’re up to, check out nasa. gov.

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