A new parking spot for future flights to the International Space Station … The sixth meeting of the National Space Council … And work in Ohio on our Moon to Mars effort … a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!

A New Commercial Docking Port at the Space Station

On Aug. 21, our Nick Hague and Andrew Morgan ventured outside the International Space Station for a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk to help install International Docking Adapter-3. The adapter will provide a second docking port at the space station to accommodate future arrivals of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon commercial crew spacecraft. Our partnership with Boeing and SpaceX will restore launches of American astronauts from American soil on American rockets.

Sixth Meeting of the National Space Council

Vice President Mike Pence convened the sixth public meeting of the National Space Council on Aug. 20 at the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The meeting was highlighted by a panel that included our Administrator Jim Bridenstine and other leaders in space science, engineering, and business. The council’s role is to advise the President regarding national space policy and strategy, and review the nation’s long-range goals for space activities.

Administrator Bridenstine Visits Glenn Research Center

Administrator Bridenstine visited our Glenn Research Center and Plum Brook Station in Ohio on Aug. 21. He was joined by U.S. Senator Rob Portman and U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, to view progress on work being done for the agency’s Artemis program. Artemis aims to return humans to the Moon by 2024 and establish sustainable lunar exploration by 2028, in preparation for eventual human missions to Mars.

NASA Asks American Companies to Deliver Supplies for Artemis Moon Missions

In another major step toward landing American astronauts on the lunar surface by 2024, we are asking industry for proposals on how to deliver cargo, science experiments and supplies to our Gateway in lunar orbit. This solicitation is the latest in a line of work we’re doing to accelerate our Moon to Mars exploration plans by working with American aerospace companies.

Orion Hot Fire Test Blazing a Safe Trail for Missions to the Moon

The Attitude Control Motor designed to help our Orion spacecraft’s Launch Abort System steer Orion and its crew to safety in the unlikely event of an emergency during launch, was successfully tested on Aug. 22 by engineers at Northrop Grumman’s facilities in Elkton, Maryland. The static test is the second to last in a series aimed at qualifying the motor for human spaceflight.

Uncrewed Russian Spacecraft Launched to Space Station

An uncrewed Russian Soyuz spacecraft launched to the International Space Station from Kazakhstan on Aug. 21 EDT, on a test flight to validate the spacecraft’s compatibility with a revamped booster rocket. The booster will be used to transport crews to the space station beginning in spring 2020.

That’s what’s up this week @NASA …