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2020 was historic for NASA.

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We launched humans to the International Space
Station from America again, made progress

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on our plans to return humans to the Moon
and explore Mars, had an unprecedented encounter

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with an asteroid, and displayed perseverance
and resilience in space and on Earth … all,

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while helping the country deal with a global
crisis.

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Here’s a look back at highlights from those
and other things we did this year at NASA.

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Early in the year, as the initial impacts
of the coronavirus pandemic were being felt

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across the country, the NASA workforce stepped
up to the challenge – developing innovative

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technologies including a ventilator prototype,
an oxygen hood, and a device for sterilizing

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medical equipment.

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“NASA is an amazing little agency that does
astonishing things every day.”

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And, “astonishing” is a good way to describe
the mission-critical work NASA continued and

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accomplished in 2020, in spite of the challenges.

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“Liftoff of the Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon.

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Go NASA.

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Go SpaceX.

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Godspeed Bob and Doug!”

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It was a landmark year for humans in space
– and for how we get them there.

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Our SpaceX Demo-2 test flight to the International
Space Station was the first human space mission

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to launch to the station from America since
the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011.

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That was followed by the first commercial
crew rotational flight to the station – carrying

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four astronauts aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon
spacecraft named, “Resilience.”

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November marked the 20th year of humans continuously
living and working aboard the space station

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…

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the orbital outpost – the most time spent
in space on a single mission by any woman.

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Meanwhile, astronauts Bob Behnken and Chris
Cassidy each completed record-tying 10th spacewalks

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on the same outing in July …

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… and we graduated the first class of astronaut
candidates for future missions to the station,

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the Moon, and Mars, and accepted more than
12,000 applications for the next class of

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Artemis Generation candidates.

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It was a big year for our Artemis plans, capped
off in December with the introduction of 18

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astronauts that will help pave the way for
human missions on and around the Moon, including

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landing the first woman and next man on the
Moon by 2024.

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“My fellow Americans, I give you the heroes
of the future who will carry us back to the

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Moon and beyond …”

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We continued testing the Space Launch System
or SLS rocket's core stage for Artemis I with

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the Green Run test series to verify the core
stage is launch ready for 2021.

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Teams began stacking the SLS solid rocket
boosters, and practiced rollout with the mobile

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launcher that will be used for the flight.

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And after rigorous environmental testing,
we began final preparations on our Orion spacecraft

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for the uncrewed Artemis I mission.

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Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly
complex missions to the Moon that will ultimately

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lead to human exploration of Mars.

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In October, NASA and 7 partner countries signed
the Artemis Accords for international participation.

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An 8th partner joined later.

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We finalized agreements with the European
Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency

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to collaborate on our Gateway lunar outpost.

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We worked with private industry on Artemis
– selecting three U.S. companies – Blue

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Origin, Dynetics, and SpaceX – to design
and develop human lunar landing systems.

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We also selected SpaceX to be the first U.S.
company to deliver experiments and other critical

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cargo to the Gateway.

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We announced the first scientific investigations
for the Gateway will be a study on solar particles

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and solar wind, and one on how to keep astronauts
safe from radiation.

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We made multiple task order awards and payload
assignments as part of our Commercial Lunar

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Payload Services, or CLPS, initiative to work
with American companies to send science and

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technology to the lunar surface.

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We selected Astrobotic to send a golf cart-sized
robot called VIPER to the Moon’s South Pole

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in search for water.

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And solicited bids from CLPS partners to fly
a suite of science and technology payloads

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to the Moon in 2022.

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We had a steady stream of groundbreaking science
missions in 2020.

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“And we have touchdown!

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Touchdown declared! (applause and cheering)”

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October saw a first for the agency, when our
OSIRIS-REx spacecraft touched asteroid Bennu

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and collected sample material.

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When it is returned to Earth, we hope the
ancient material teaches us more about the

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origins of the solar system.

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“And liftoff … as the countdown to Mars
continues.”

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We launched the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity
helicopter on our Mars 2020 mission.

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Both named by students – Perseverance will
be the first Mars rover to collect samples

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for future return to Earth, while Ingenuity
will be the only aircraft to attempt flight

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on another world.

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We teamed with the European Space Agency on
the Solar Orbiter mission that will provide

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the first-ever images of the Sun’s poles,
and unique insight into how the Sun affects

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the space environment.

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The SOFIA flying observatory confirmed, for
the first time, the existence of water molecules

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on the sunlit surface of the Moon.

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We identified a molecule in the atmosphere
of Saturn’s moon Titan that has never been

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detected in any other atmosphere.

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This could point to the presence of more complex
compounds there that are favorable to life.

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And we celebrated 30 years of our Hubble Space
Telescope, which continues to enhance our

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understanding of the cosmos and, quite literally,
our view of it.

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NASA space technology in 2020 helped to advance
future exploration, science and aeronautics

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capabilities, and benefit life on Earth.

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A NASA-developed sensor suite that could help
robotic and crewed missions make precise,

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soft landings on the Moon was launched on
a Blue Origin suborbital rocket.

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We continued developing two instruments to
study using lunar resources.

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MSolo and TRIDENT will conduct chemical analysis
and drill for resources, respectively.

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A NASA project is making gears housed inside
a “metallic glass” material that can withstand

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the extreme cold on the Moon without being
heated to keep them operational.

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We announced 20 partnerships to mature U.S.
industry-developed space technologies for

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the Moon and beyond, including a 3D printing
system for Artemis, testing of a simple method

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to remove dust from planetary solar arrays,
and more.

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Our Green Propellant Infusion Mission successfully
proved that space missions can use less toxic

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fuel for future missions.

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And for the first time, an experiment that
bounces a laser beam from Earth off a reflector

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the size of a paperback book that is mounted
on our Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, received

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a signal back.

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This could enhance laser experiments used
to study the physics of the universe.

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NASA and partner agencies observing our home
planet witnessed record-breaking activity

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in 2020.

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The Atlantic hurricane season produced 30
named storms – the most ever on record – with

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13 of those reaching hurricane status.

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Meanwhile, a devastating wildfire season in
the western part of the country saw more than

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3 million acres burned in California alone.

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NASA instruments on spacecraft, satellites
and aircraft provided data to responding agencies

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…

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toward the eastern part of the country.

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“And liftoff …”

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The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite
launched in November.

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It is the first of two identical satellites
scheduled to make global sea level observations

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for at least the next decade.

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We helped you celebrate the 50th anniversary
of Earth Day virtually with the hashtag #EarthDayAtHome,

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and online videos, activities, and other resources
available in both English and Spanish.

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And people around the world helped us map
out coral reefs by playing a video game that

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uses specialized instruments to capture 3D
images that a NASA supercomputer then uses

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to map out reefs at unprecedented resolution.

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We continued our research in the skies aimed
at helping the aviation industry operate traditional

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and next-generation aircraft more safely and
efficiently.

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The wing and cockpit sections of our X-59
Quiet SuperSonic Technology aircraft began

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taking shape.

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The plane also received its one-of-a-kind
engine.

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The X-59 is being developed to create a low-noise
sonic boom that can barely be heard – if

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at all – by people on the ground.

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We made significant progress developing the
X-57 Maxwell, our first all-electric experimental

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plane, with testing of the high-aspect ratio
wing, the electric cruise motors, and the

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propeller assemblies.

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A pair of NASA research projects flew as part
of Boeing’s 2020 ecoDemonstrator program

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that could lead to quieter, more fuel efficient
future aircraft, and fewer operational flight

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delays.

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We continued our research efforts to develop
an air transportation system for revolutionary

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new aircraft, including using a remotely piloted
aircraft to simulate an urgent medical transport

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mission.

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And we used augmented reality software that
could make useful information about drones

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and other aerial vehicles more widely available
to airspace operators.

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Whether it’s advancing space exploration,
making scientific discoveries, or any of the

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other amazing things we do year in and year
out, NASA does what it does to benefit you.

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Here’s a few more examples from 2020.

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In the midst of stay-at-home recommendations
due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we compiled

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a NASA at Home online resource to help you
stay engaged and explore the universe around

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us.

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A computer simulation was used to show that
fewer amounts than usual of some pollutants

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were found in Earth’s atmosphere, due presumably
to changes in human activity because of pandemic-related

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restrictions.

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And a new traffic management project for emergency
response aircraft looked at how drones might

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be used to help responders more safely and
efficiently assist you during future disaster

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operations.

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Those are some of the highlights from what
NASA did in 2020.

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For more details, visit nasa.gov/2020.

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Thanks for watching.