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The annual assessment of global temperatures
…

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A first-of-its-kind undocking from the space
station …

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And a look at what goes into the Green Run
hot fire test … a few of the stories to

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tell you about – This Week at NASA!

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A NASA analysis found that our planet’s
global average surface temperature last year

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tied 2016 as the warmest year on record.

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This continues a long-term global warming
trend during which the last seven years have

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been the warmest seven years on record.

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In a separate, independent analysis using
a different baseline period and methodology,

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the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
found that 2020 was the second-warmest year

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on record, behind 2016.

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Tracking global temperature trends provides
a critical indicator of the impact of human

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activities on the climate and quality of life
on Earth.

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On Jan. 12, an upgraded SpaceX cargo Dragon
spacecraft performed the first undocking of

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a U.S. commercial cargo craft from the International
Space Station, and then headed back to Earth.

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Previous cargo Dragon spacecraft were attached
to and removed from the space station using

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the station’s robotic Canadarm2.

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This upgraded Dragon also gets some science
back into the hands of researchers sooner

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than previous Dragon spacecraft by splashing
down off the coast of Florida instead of in

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the Pacific Ocean.

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The Green Run test series with our Space Launch
System or SLS rocket’s core stage ends with

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the hot fire test, currently targeted for
Jan. 16.

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While the highlight of the test is the full-blast
firing of all four of the rocket’s engines,

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an online video available at nasa.gov/greenrun
explains just how much more really goes into

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the test.

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The test series is a comprehensive assessment
of the rocket’s core stage prior to SLS

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launching Artemis missions to the Moon.

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NASA highlights during the Jan. 10-15 virtual
meeting of the American Astronomical Society

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included news that data from our Transiting
Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS and ground-based

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telescopes helped confirm the presence of
an exoplanet in a multiple-star system that

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was initially identified as a planet candidate
in 2009 by our Kepler mission.

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Meanwhile, astronomers are considering the
scientific potential of a possible “ultra-deep

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field” image of the cosmos from our upcoming
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which can

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image an area of the sky at least 100 times
larger than the Hubble Space Telescope.

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Such an observation could teach us even more
about the universe.

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And new findings from the SOFIA flying observatory
about the physics of the Cigar galaxy indicate

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that, in addition to powerful forces created
by the birth of stars, magnetic fields also

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help eject enriched, life-supporting gas,
dust and other cosmic material from galaxies

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into intergalactic space.

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The findings offer clues about how galaxies
form and how cosmic matter is distributed

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in space.

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On Jan. 11, our Armstrong Flight Research
Center in southern California provided landing

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assistance and ground support for a specially-configured
DC-8 cargo jet flown in by aid organization

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Samaritan’s Purse, loaded with supplies
to help care for COVID-19 patients at an area

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field hospital.

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NASA also operates a highly-modified DC-8
at Armstrong that is used as a flying science

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laboratory.

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There are only a few operational DC-8s left
in the world – so having both of these on

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the same flight line presented a rare photo
opportunity.

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That’s what’s up this week @NASA …