Irma Tracked from Space

During the week of Sept. 5, spacecraft captured imagery of hurricane Irma as the storm reached category 5 status in the Atlantic Ocean. Irma was seen from the International Space Station, by our Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM, and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite. Imagery from space is used to help forecasters and officials track and characterize storms and other natural events.

Johnson Space Center Recovering from Harvey

Our Johnson Space Center reopened on Sept. 5 after being closed for several days due to Hurricane Harvey. Like others in the Houston area, Johnson is recovering from flooding and damage to buildings and structures. Center personnel are also pitching in to assist with recovery efforts in the community. Harvey dropped an estimated 40-plus inches of rain in the Houston area.

Whitson and Fischer Return to Earth

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is back on Earth after 288 days aboard the International Space Station. Whitson, Jack Fischer and Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin landed safely in Kazakhstan on Sept. 2. Whitson now holds the U.S. record for most cumulative time in space, with 665 days. On the flight back to Houston, the astronauts received a call from President Trump, who congratulated them on the record-breaking mission. Whitson also holds the records for most spacewalks and time spent spacewalking by a female astronaut

40 Years of Voyager

We celebrated 40 years of exploration by our Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft on Sept. 5.  A program from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space museum in Washington highlighted accomplishments of the mission, and even featured a special message to the spacecraft – sent with the help of a special guest.

William Shatner, Actor:
“We offer friendship across the stars. You are not alone.”

The twin spacecraft – were originally expected to only travel to Jupiter and Saturn – but are still traveling and returning data from beyond the planets in our solar system. Voyager is now humanity’s farthest and longest-lived mission.

Bridenstine Nominated for Administrator

President Trump has nominated U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma to serve as the 13th NASA administrator. Bridenstine, a pilot in the U.S. Navy Reserve, was elected to the U.S. Congress in 2012. He currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee.

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