Lightfoot Discusses FY 2018 Budget Proposal

Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot discussed our Fiscal Year 2018 budget request on May 23, during his State of NASA address.

Robert Lightfoot, Acting NASA Administrator:
“We got 19.1 billion as an agency, and it really reflects the president’s and the administration’s confidence in us.” 

Lightfoot thanked employees and attributed that confidence reflected in the budget proposal to the work of thousands of people.

Robert Lightfoot, Acting NASA Administrator:
“We have a historic and enduring purpose as an agency, and that historic and enduring purpose is really around three major strategic themes, in my mind, right? It’s discover, explore and develop.” 

Unscheduled Spacewalk Outside Space Station

Astronauts Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer successfully completed an unscheduled spacewalk outside the International Space Station on May 23, to replace a failed computer relay box that helps regulate the radiators, cooling loops and other station hardware. They also installed a pair of antennas to improve wireless communications on future spacewalks. This was Whitson’s 10th spacewalk – moving her into third place on the all-time list for most cumulative spacewalking time. It was the 2nd spacewalk for Fischer.

Space Launch System Engine Testing Heats Up

Another successful test of an RS-25 engine flight controller on May 23 – the second in a series. The flight controller, or “brain” of the engine – helps it communicate with our Space Launch System (SLS) – the world’s most powerful rocket. Four RS-25s will help power SLS on its inaugural flight with the Orion spacecraft, known as Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1).

Kepler Data Help Confirm Orbit of Exoplanet

Data from our Kepler spacecraft have been used to confirm suspected details about the orbit of TRAPPIST-1h, the outermost and least understood of the seven Earth-size planets scientists recently announced are in the TRAPPIST-1 system – about 40 light-years away. The Kepler data helped astronomers determine that the planet orbits its star every 19 days. But at six million miles away – on the edge of the cool dwarf star’s habitable zone – TRAPPIST-1h is likely too cold for life as we know it.

And that’s what’s up this week @NASA …