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Accelerating a human return to the Moon …

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Wrapping up testing of our Space Launch System
rocket engines …

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And Curiosity captures eclipses on Mars … a
few of the stories to tell you about – This

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Week at NASA!

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It was a busy week for NASA Administrator
Jim Bridenstine that included plenty of discussion

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about our new accelerated goal of putting
humans on the Moon by 2024.

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The administrator testified during an April
2 House of Representatives hearing on NASA’s

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2020 budget request, and he responded to questions,
comments, and concerns from our workforce

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during an agencywide town hall the day before.

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Although a human return to the Moon within
five years is a challenge, the administrator

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noted …

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“This is what I know throughout history.

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When this agency is given a task by the President
of the United States and it is also given

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the resources and tools, this agency can deliver.”

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The agency is working details of how to meet
this accelerated return of humans to the Moon,

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including the resources required to do it.

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A new Moon to Mars Mission Directorate will
be established to lead lunar exploration development

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activities.

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NASA plans to meet the 2024 date by all means
necessary to ensure mission success.

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“We’re going to the Moon, and we’re
going fast and we’re going with international

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and commercial partners.

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This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,
I hope everybody here takes that away.

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Do I believe it’s possible?

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Absolutely!

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Why?

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Because you’re here.

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You’re the ones that are going to make it
possible.”

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The April 4 hot-fire test of an RS-25 engine
at our Stennis Space Center, in Mississippi

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capped off more than four years of testing
with the former space shuttle main engines

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that will be used to help power the first
four missions of our new Space Launch System

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rocket, or SLS.

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All sixteen engines have undergone acceptance
testing and have completed developmental and

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acceptance testing for new engine controllers
– the brain of the engine that also communicates

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with the rocket.

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The test series also demonstrated the RS-25
engines can perform at the higher power level

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needed to launch the super heavy-lift SLS.

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The SLS will use four of the engines to launch
astronauts aboard our Orion spacecraft on

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missions to the Moon and beyond.

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This series of images captured by our Curiosity
Mars rover, shows the Martian moon Phobos

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as it crossed in front of the Sun on March
26.

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The images were captured by the rover’s
telephoto-lens camera, called “Mastcam”,

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which is equipped with solar filters that
allow it to stare directly at the Sun.

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Mastcam also captured Mars’ other moon,
Deimos passing in front of the Sun on March

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17.

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Both images have been sped up by a factor
of 10.

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A Russian Progress cargo ship launched April
4 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan

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with three tons of food, fuel and supplies
for the crew aboard the International Space

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Station.

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The Progress arrived at the station later
that same day.

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It will remain at the orbital outpost until
late July.

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The latest edition of our annual Spinoff publication
is now available online.

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It features dozens of commercial technologies
developed or improved by the agency’s space

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program and that now benefit people everywhere.

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Print and digital versions of the latest issue
of Spinoff are available at: spinoff.nasa.gov

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That’s what’s up this week @NASA …