NASA Prepares for Next Commercial Crew Flight Test, Earth Day Celebration, and Solar Eclipse Science

Monday - April 29 2024, 08:17 UTC - 9 months ago

NASA prepares for its next commercial crew flight test, celebrates Earth Day, and conducts solar eclipse science. The Langley Research Center studies the solar eclipse with a specially modified aircraft, while NASA confirms its Dragonfly mission to Saturn's moon Titan to search for prebiotic chemical processes similar to those on early Earth.

This week, NASA made preparations for its next commercial crew flight test, celebrated Earth Day, and conducted science experiments during the recent solar eclipse.

On Monday, April 25, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at the Kennedy Space Center to finalize plans for NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. This will mark the first time astronauts will fly on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft to the ISS.

The Starliner has already been moved from Kennedy to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in preparation for launch, which is currently scheduled for Monday, May 6.

In celebration of Earth Day, NASA invited people around the world to participate in the Global Selfie event. People were asked to take selfies and share them on social media using the hashtag #GlobalSelfie. NASA also provided online resources on its website for people to learn more about our home planet.

It was also a busy week for NASA's Langley Research Center, as they used a specially modified aircraft to study the total solar eclipse that took place on April 8. The aircraft, called the Alta X Uncrewed Aircraft System, collected data on the changes in the sun's radiation during the event. It also gathered information on temperature, humidity, pressure, and wind, making it a potential alternative to traditional weather balloons that are typically not recovered after being released.

NASA also announced its Dragonfly rotorcraft mission to Saturn's moon Titan has been confirmed. Set to arrive at Titan in 2034, Dragonfly will fly to multiple locations on the moon and search for prebiotic chemical processes that are similar to those that existed on early Earth before life developed. This mission will be the first time NASA has flown a vehicle for science on another planetary body, marking a significant milestone in space exploration.

That's what's been going on at NASA this week! .