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“Here’s some of the stories trending This
Week at NASA!”

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On Sept. 14, officials from the White House
and NASA discussed the space agency’s Asteroid

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Redirect Mission (ARM) during a televised
event at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

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On the mission, which is targeted for launch
in Dec. 2021, NASA plans to send a robotic

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spacecraft to an asteroid tens of millions
of miles from Earth, capture a multi-ton boulder,

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and bring it to an orbit near the moon for
future exploration by astronauts on a following

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mission aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft.

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During the live discussion, John Holdren,
assistant to President Obama for Science and

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Technology, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
and ARM Program Director Michele Gates highlighted

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the mission’s scientific and technological
benefits, how the mission will support NASA’s

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goal of sending humans to Mars in the 2030s,
and how it will demonstrate technology relevant

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to defending Earth from potentially hazardous
asteroids.

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NASA astronaut and Expedition 47 Commander
Tim Kopra made several appearances in the

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Washington area the week of Sept. 12, to share
highlights of his recent six-month mission

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aboard the International Space Station.

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On Sept. 15, during a safety and health day
at NASA headquarters, Kopra spoke with employees

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about the importance of both to NASA missions
and life in general.

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While on the space station, Kopra’s crew
conducted human research that could potentially

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be used to treat patients suffering from ocular
diseases, such as glaucoma, as well as help

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NASA prepare humans for health-related issues
associated with long-duration spaceflight.

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Later that afternoon, Kopra showed imagery
from his mission at George Mason University

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during a presentation hosted by the university’s
Department of Physics and Astronomy.

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After the program he answered questions about
working at NASA and the future of space exploration.

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According to a monthly analysis of global
temperatures by scientists at NASA's Goddard

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Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New
York, August 2016 was not only the warmest

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August in 136 years of modern record-keeping
– but also tied July 2016 for the warmest

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month ever recorded.

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August 2016's temperature was 0.16 degrees
Celsius warmer than the previous warmest August

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in 2014.

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August 2016’s record warmth continued a
streak of 11 consecutive months dating back

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to October 2015 that have set new monthly
high-temperature records.

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According to NASA and the NASA-supported National
Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University

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of Colorado at Boulder, an analysis of satellite
data showed that at 1.60 million square miles,

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the 2016 Arctic sea ice minimum extent is
effectively tied with 2007 for the second

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lowest annual minimum in the satellite record.

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Since satellites began monitoring sea ice
in 1978, researchers have observed a steep

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decline in the average extent of Arctic sea
ice for every month of the year.

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The sea ice cover of the Arctic Ocean and
surrounding seas helps regulate the planet’s

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temperature, influences the circulation of
the atmosphere and ocean, and impacts Arctic

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communities and ecosystems.

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And that’s what’s up this week @NASA …
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