1 00:00:02,370 --> 00:00:04,670 Firing up the rocket for the Artemis Moon missions … 2 00:00:04,670 --> 00:00:07,470 A nomination for NASA’s next administrator … 3 00:00:07,470 --> 00:00:11,730 And making room for the space station’s next crew … a few of the stories to tell 4 00:00:11,730 --> 00:00:14,120 you about – This Week at NASA! 5 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:18,509 On March 18, we conducted the second Green Run series hot fire test with the core stage 6 00:00:18,509 --> 00:00:25,370 for our Space Launch System or SLS rocket at our Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, 7 00:00:25,370 --> 00:00:26,400 Mississippi. 8 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:31,219 All four of the rocket’s RS-25 engines were fired at the same time during the test, to 9 00:00:31,219 --> 00:00:35,380 simulate the core stage’s operation for a launch – during which it will generate 10 00:00:35,380 --> 00:00:37,510 about 1.6 million pounds of thrust. 11 00:00:37,510 --> 00:00:43,239 “This is a major milestone, advancing our goals and objectives for Artemis, and I just 12 00:00:43,239 --> 00:00:48,390 could not be more proud of the team, of their talent, dedication, getting to this point, 13 00:00:48,390 --> 00:00:51,180 and pulling off a, just very successful test.” 14 00:00:51,180 --> 00:00:55,539 The hot fire is the final test of the Green Run series to ensure the rocket’s core stage 15 00:00:55,539 --> 00:01:00,809 is ready to launch Artemis missions, beginning with Artemis I, the first uncrewed mission 16 00:01:00,809 --> 00:01:05,180 of SLS and our Orion spacecraft around the Moon and back. 17 00:01:05,180 --> 00:01:09,750 On March 19, Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk released a statement in response to 18 00:01:09,750 --> 00:01:14,970 President Joe Biden’s nomination of Bill Nelson to serve as the 14th NASA administrator. 19 00:01:14,970 --> 00:01:20,330 The statement noted Nelson’s proven history of supporting our wide-ranging work here at 20 00:01:20,330 --> 00:01:21,330 NASA. 21 00:01:21,330 --> 00:01:25,250 Jurczyk went on to say that, while the nomination must still be confirmed, he looks forward 22 00:01:25,250 --> 00:01:30,290 to continued work with Nelson and the Biden-Harris administration to carry out NASA’s many 23 00:01:30,290 --> 00:01:31,520 critical missions in the future. 24 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:37,640 In 1986, while the chair of the House space subcommittee, Nelson flew aboard the space 25 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:43,220 shuttle Columbia as a payload specialist on the STS-61C mission. 26 00:01:43,220 --> 00:01:48,350 On March 19, three members of the International Space Station’s Expedition 64 crew, including 27 00:01:48,350 --> 00:01:54,360 our Kate Rubins, undocked and moved a Soyuz spacecraft from the station’s Rassvet module 28 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:56,200 to a different docking port. 29 00:01:56,200 --> 00:02:01,390 The relocation will allow the next Soyuz crew, which includes our Mark Vande Hei, to dock 30 00:02:01,390 --> 00:02:04,970 to Rassvet when they arrive on April 9. 31 00:02:04,970 --> 00:02:08,629 Each March many of us look forward to following our tournament brackets. 32 00:02:08,629 --> 00:02:13,599 And it’s that time of year again to make your winning picks for Tournament Earth. 33 00:02:13,599 --> 00:02:18,060 From now through April 13, you can cast votes for the most unforgettable photographs of 34 00:02:18,060 --> 00:02:23,510 Earth taken by astronauts from the International Space Station for more than 20 years. 35 00:02:23,510 --> 00:02:31,610 For more details, to download your bracket, and to vote go to: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/te. 36 00:02:31,610 --> 00:02:36,030 Twenty-seven asteroids have been named in honor of African American, Hispanic, and Native 37 00:02:36,030 --> 00:02:41,400 American astronauts, and one cosmonaut, for their contributions to space exploration and 38 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,450 for inspiring the next generation of explorers. 39 00:02:44,450 --> 00:02:49,360 The people who inspired the newly named asteroids include NASA’s Stephanie Wilson, who is 40 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:53,430 on our Artemis Team of astronauts – one of whom will be the first woman to set foot 41 00:02:53,430 --> 00:02:58,829 on the Moon, and former NASA astronauts José Hernández, who worked as part of a migrant 42 00:02:58,829 --> 00:03:04,819 farming family in his youth, and John Herrington, a member of the Chickasaw Nation. 43 00:03:04,819 --> 00:03:10,430 Near-Earth asteroid, 2001 FO32 is expected to make its closest approach to us on March 44 00:03:10,430 --> 00:03:11,430 21. 45 00:03:11,430 --> 00:03:16,349 The asteroid is the largest predicted to pass by Earth this year, and is expected to safely 46 00:03:16,349 --> 00:03:22,569 pass no closer than 1.25 million miles from Earth, which is about 5 1/4 times the distance 47 00:03:22,569 --> 00:03:24,269 from Earth to the Moon. 48 00:03:24,269 --> 00:03:28,511 The close approach will give astronomers a valuable scientific opportunity to study the 49 00:03:28,511 --> 00:03:30,120 asteroid. 50 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:34,349 New results from our Juno mission have, for the first time, revealed that Jupiter’s 51 00:03:34,349 --> 00:03:39,689 dawn storms are born on the planet’s night side, which Juno can see because it orbits 52 00:03:39,689 --> 00:03:41,819 over the planet’s poles. 53 00:03:41,819 --> 00:03:47,519 Dawn storms are intense, early morning brightening of aurorae that occurs at both Jovian poles. 54 00:03:47,519 --> 00:03:52,150 These are specific to Jupiter, but researchers say they are very similar to a type of terrestrial 55 00:03:52,150 --> 00:03:53,720 aurora called substorms. 56 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:58,489 The findings could provide a better understanding about how these planetary phenomena occur 57 00:03:58,489 --> 00:04:01,750 on worlds both within and beyond our solar system.