Our Webb Space Telescope – on the move …

New details about the atmospheres of some Earth-sized exoplanets …

And, another milestone in the transformation of an historic launch pad … a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!

Webb Telescope Moves to Los Angeles

The optical telescope and integrated science segment of our James Webb Space Telescope was shipped from our Johnson Space Center in Houston to Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in southern California. The team there will integrate it with the spacecraft element to form the complete observatory. Webb will launch in 2019 to seek out the first luminous objects in the universe as well as signs of habitable planets.

Hubble Observes Atmospheres of TRAPPIST-1 Exoplanets in the Habitable Zone

Our Hubble Space Telescope has found that at least three of the Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone around the nearby star, TRAPPIST-1 do not seem to have puffy, hydrogen-rich atmospheres that would make them inhospitable to life. Instead, the results favor the presence of atmospheres more like those of Earth, Venus, and Mars. Hubble’s findings are paving the way for further study by the Webb Space Telescope – to search for signs of oxygen, water, carbon dioxide, and other elements on the planets more hospitable to life.

SpaceX Launch Highlights KSC Multi-Use Spaceport

The SpaceX Falcon Heavy’s launch from our Kennedy Space Center’s historic launch Complex 39A, marked a milestone in the successful transformation of Kennedy to the nation’s premier, multi-user spaceport. In 2011, Kennedy sought partnerships with the U.S. aerospace industry to use former space shuttle facilities. Today, we partner with more than 90 companies to enable space-related activities along Florida’s Space Coast.

NASA Team Provides Winter Olympics Snow Forecasts

NASA researchers are part of an international effort to better predict snow conditions at this year’s Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. They are using satellite data from the Global Precipitation Measurement mission, ground instruments at various Olympic venues, and weather models to provide Olympic officials with detailed forecasts about every six hours to help them account for approaching weather.

That’s what’s up this week @NASA …