On Sept. 14, officials from the White House and NASA discussed the space agency’s Asteroid Redirect Mission during a televised event at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. On the mission, which is targeted for launch in Dec. 2021, NASA plans to send a robotic spacecraft to an asteroid tens of millions of miles from Earth, capture a multi-ton boulder, and bring it to an orbit near the moon for future exploration by astronauts on a following mission aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft. During the live discussion, John Holdren, assistant to President Obama for Science and Technology, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and ARM Program Director Michele Gates highlighted the mission’s scientific and technological benefits, how the mission will support NASA’s goal of sending humans to Mars in the 2030s, and how it will demonstrate technology relevant to defending Earth from potentially hazardous asteroids. Also, Astronaut Tim Kopra Visits DC Area, Next Space Station Crew Prepares for Launch, The Warmest August in 136 Years, and 2016 Arctic Sea Ice Minimum Ties 2nd Lowest on Record.

TRANSCRIPT

Asteroid Redirect Mission Briefing

On Sept. 14, officials from the White House and NASA discussed the space agency’s Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) during a televised event at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. On the mission, which is targeted for launch in Dec. 2021, NASA plans to send a robotic spacecraft to an asteroid tens of millions of miles from Earth, capture a multi-ton boulder, and bring it to an orbit near the moon for future exploration by astronauts on a following mission aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft. During the live discussion, John Holdren, assistant to President Obama for Science and Technology, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and ARM Program Director Michele Gates highlighted the mission’s scientific and technological benefits, how the mission will support NASA’s goal of sending humans to Mars in the 2030s, and how it will demonstrate technology relevant to defending Earth from potentially hazardous asteroids.

Astronaut Tim Kopra Visits DC Area

NASA astronaut and Expedition 47 Commander Tim Kopra made several appearances in the Washington area the week of Sept. 12, to share highlights of his recent six-month mission aboard the International Space Station. On Sept. 15, during a safety and health day at NASA headquarters, Kopra spoke with employees about the importance of both to NASA missions and life in general. While on the space station, Kopra’s crew conducted human research that could potentially be used to treat patients suffering from ocular diseases, such as glaucoma, as well as help NASA prepare humans for health-related issues associated with long-duration spaceflight. Later that afternoon, Kopra showed imagery from his mission at George Mason University during a presentation hosted by the university’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. After the program he answered questions about working at NASA and the future of space exploration.

Next Space Station Crew Prepares for Launch

Prelaunch training continues for the International Space Station’s next crew – Expedition 49-50. At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, that crew, which includes NASA’s Shane Kimbrough, conducted its Soyuz spacecraft fit checks. They also participated in a flag-raising ceremony, the traditional media day and other training activities. Launch to the station for Kimbrough, and Sergey Ryzhikov and Flight Engineer Andrey Borisenko of the Russian space agency Roscosmos is targeted for Sept. 23 Eastern Time.

The Warmest August in 136 Years

According to a monthly analysis of global temperatures by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, August 2016 was not only the warmest August in 136 years of modern record-keeping – but also tied July 2016 for the warmest month ever recorded. August 2016’s temperature was 0.16 degrees Celsius warmer than the previous warmest August in 2014. August 2016’s record warmth continued a streak of 11 consecutive months dating back to October 2015 that have set new monthly high-temperature records.

2016 Arctic Sea Ice Minimum Ties 2nd Lowest on Record

According to NASA and the NASA-supported National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado at Boulder, an analysis of satellite data showed that at 1.60 million square miles, the 2016 Arctic sea ice minimum extent is effectively tied with 2007 for the second lowest annual minimum in the satellite record. Since satellites began monitoring sea ice in 1978, researchers have observed a steep decline in the average extent of Arctic sea ice for every month of the year. The sea ice cover of the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas helps regulate the planet’s temperature, influences the circulation of the atmosphere and ocean, and impacts Arctic communities and ecosystems.

And that’s what’s up this week @NASA.