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Discussing the approach to increasing on-site
work …

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The launch pad is ready for Artemis I …

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And new findings from an Earth-observing mission
… a few of the stories to tell you about

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– This Week at NASA!

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During a virtual “Ask the Administrator”
town hall on May 6, NASA Administrator Jim

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Bridenstine and other agency leaders spoke
about NASA’s approach to the possible increase

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of on-site work at NASA centers and facilities.

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The administrator stressed that the safety
of the NASA workforce continues to be the

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highest priority of what is expected to be
a methodical, careful transition back to on-site

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work.

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“We need to make sure that as we slowly,
but surely get back to work – not just as

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a nation, but as an agency – that we are
putting your safety; the safety of our people

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at this agency, as the highest priority.”

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Currently, NASA is still operating under a
large-scale mandatory telework policy, with

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limited on-site work for mission-essential
activities – including the upcoming launches

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of the Mars Perseverance rover, and our Commercial
Crew flight test with SpaceX to the International

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Space Station.

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After several years of upgrades and modifications,
historic Launch Pad 39B at our Kennedy Space

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Center in Florida, is ready to support our
uncrewed Artemis I mission.

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The upgrades and modifications will enable
the Apollo and shuttle era launch pad to accommodate

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our massive Space Launch System rocket and
Orion spacecraft.

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Orion will fly around the Moon and back on
Artemis I as part of NASA’s lunar exploration

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goals.

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Data from ICESat-2, the most advanced Earth-observing
laser instrument NASA has ever flown in space,

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have been used to determine that the net loss
of ice from Antarctica, along with Greenland’s

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shrinking ice sheet, has been responsible
for more than a half inch of sea level rise

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between 2003 and 2019.

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The study, which also used data from the original
ICESat mission, found that the average yearly

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amount of ice sheet lost in Greenland and
Antarctica each, was enough to fill 400,000

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Olympic-sized swimming pools hundreds of times
over.

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NASA climatologist and author, Claire Parkinson
of our Goddard Space Flight Center, has been

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named as a finalist for a 2020 Samuel J. Heyman
Service to America Medal.

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She is being recognized for work that includes
breakthrough scientific research on how changing

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sea ice coverage in the Arctic and Antarctic
oceans has played a significant role in climate

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change.

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The “Sammies,” as the award is commonly
referred to, recognizes outstanding federal

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employees who serve the public good and are
addressing many of our country’s greatest

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challenges.

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NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and
the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

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invite you to participate in the global Space
Apps COVID-19 Challenge, May 30th and 31st.

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Virtual teams will use open data during this
hackathon to propose solutions to COVID-19-related

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challenges – from studying the coronavirus
and its spread to the impact it is having

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on the Earth system.

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For more details check out spaceappschallenge.org.

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That’s what’s up this week @NASA …