1 00:00:00,669 --> 00:00:06,650 “Here’s some of our top stories of 2017, so far – Mid-Year at NASA!” 2 00:00:06,650 --> 00:00:07,650 \h 3 00:00:07,650 --> 00:00:11,889 In January we announced two new missions to previously unexplored asteroids. 4 00:00:11,889 --> 00:00:18,480 The Lucy mission in 2021 will study so-called Trojan asteroids trapped by Jupiter’s gravity, 5 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:24,920 and the Psyche mission in 2023 will investigate a very large metal object in the solar system’s 6 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:25,930 asteroid belt. 7 00:00:25,930 --> 00:00:30,070 Both missions can teach us more about the earliest eras of our solar system. 8 00:00:30,070 --> 00:00:31,470 The Most Earth-Size, Habitable-Zone Planets around a Single Star (2-24-17 TW@N) 9 00:00:31,470 --> 00:00:32,470 (VO)[Super: February] 10 00:00:32,470 --> 00:00:37,589 In February we announced our Spitzer Space Telescope has found seven Earth-sized planets 11 00:00:37,589 --> 00:00:42,219 in the TRAPPIST-1 system – about 235 trillion miles away. 12 00:00:42,219 --> 00:00:45,989 Three of the planets are in that system’s habitable zone – which means liquid water 13 00:00:45,989 --> 00:00:46,989 is possible. 14 00:00:46,989 --> 00:00:52,069 It’s the most planets ever found in a single star’s habitable zone, and the best target 15 00:00:52,069 --> 00:00:57,589 yet to study potentially habitable Earth-sized worlds. 16 00:00:57,589 --> 00:01:02,260 We highlighted the transition of Kennedy Space Center to a multi-user spaceport with the 17 00:01:02,260 --> 00:01:07,390 February launch of a SpaceX resupply mission to the International Space Station. 18 00:01:07,390 --> 00:01:13,130 It was the first commercial launch from Kennedy, and the first from historic launch pad 39A 19 00:01:13,130 --> 00:01:17,439 since the final space shuttle mission in 2011. 20 00:01:17,439 --> 00:01:22,429 In March, President Trump signed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition 21 00:01:22,429 --> 00:01:25,320 Authorization Act of 2017. 22 00:01:25,320 --> 00:01:30,210 The bipartisan legislation reaffirms Congress’ commitment to the agency. 23 00:01:30,210 --> 00:01:34,990 Our acting Administrator, Robert Lightfoot thanked the president and Congress for their 24 00:01:34,990 --> 00:01:37,110 support. 25 00:01:37,110 --> 00:01:41,719 In April, the President called the International Space Station to congratulate Peggy Whitson 26 00:01:41,719 --> 00:01:50,430 on her 535th day in space -- a new record for cumulative time in space by a U.S. astronaut. 27 00:01:50,430 --> 00:01:55,409 We announced our Cassini mission found a key ingredient for life in the ocean on Saturn's 28 00:01:55,409 --> 00:02:00,310 moon Enceladus, and that our Hubble Space Telescope might have spotted a vapor plume 29 00:02:00,310 --> 00:02:06,999 on Jupiter's moon Europa in the same location a plume was seen in 2014 – possible evidence 30 00:02:06,999 --> 00:02:10,899 of subsurface water on the icy moon. 31 00:02:10,899 --> 00:02:16,370 Cassini also made its first dive through the narrow gap between Saturn and its rings – returning 32 00:02:16,370 --> 00:02:19,970 the first ever images from that previously unexplored region. 33 00:02:19,970 --> 00:02:24,210 Cassini is making 22 dives as part of it’s Grand Finale. 34 00:02:24,210 --> 00:02:31,420 The mission will conclude with a science-rich plunge into Saturn's atmosphere on Sept. 15. 35 00:02:31,420 --> 00:02:37,640 In May, the first science results from our Juno spacecraft revealed that Jupiter has 36 00:02:37,640 --> 00:02:44,299 Earth-sized polar cyclones, a magnetic field that is stronger than expected, and plunging 37 00:02:44,299 --> 00:02:50,940 storm systems that reach down much deeper into the planet’s atmosphere than expected. 38 00:02:50,940 --> 00:02:54,709 A milestone spacewalk aboard the International Space Station. 39 00:02:54,709 --> 00:02:59,680 Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer completed the 200th spacewalk in support of station assembly 40 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:01,050 and maintenance. 41 00:03:01,050 --> 00:03:06,489 Just over a week later, Whitson moved into third place on the all-time list for cumulative 42 00:03:06,489 --> 00:03:12,170 spacewalking time following the station’s 201st spacewalk. 43 00:03:12,170 --> 00:03:17,400 Our James Webb Space Telescope was shipped to Johnson Space Center for cryogenic testing 44 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:23,140 in Johnson’s Chamber A – the same “deep-freeze” vacuum chamber where Apollo lunar spacecraft 45 00:03:23,140 --> 00:03:24,500 were tested. 46 00:03:24,500 --> 00:03:28,420 This is Webb’s last critical test before launch in 2018. 47 00:03:28,420 --> 00:03:31,540 \h In early June, Solar Probe Plus – the first 48 00:03:31,540 --> 00:03:36,940 mission designed to fly directly into the sun’s atmosphere – was renamed the Parker 49 00:03:36,940 --> 00:03:42,469 Solar Probe, in honor of University of Chicago physicist, Eugene Parker. 50 00:03:42,469 --> 00:03:46,500 Parker is best known for developing the concept of solar wind. 51 00:03:46,500 --> 00:03:52,209 The mission launches in 2018 to study the physics of stars. 52 00:03:52,209 --> 00:03:57,280 And Vice President Mike Pence helped announce America’s newest class of astronaut candidates 53 00:03:57,280 --> 00:03:58,830 at Johnson Space Center. 54 00:03:58,830 --> 00:04:04,270 Out of more than 18,000 applicants, 12 men and women were selected. 55 00:04:04,270 --> 00:04:09,469 Making the 2017 astronaut class -- the largest selected since 2000. 56 00:04:09,469 --> 00:04:15,010 Future astronauts will launch on American-made commercial spacecraft and carry out exploration 57 00:04:15,010 --> 00:04:20,460 missions that will take humans farther into space than ever before. 58 00:04:20,460 --> 00:04:26,160 And those are some of our top stories of 2017, so far – Mid-Year at NASA!”