Keeping an eye on Hurricane Dorian … The next crew headed to the International Space Station … And a better understanding of Sun-driven space weather … a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!

Hurricane Dorian Seen from Space

Cameras outside the International Space Station captured multiple views of Hurricane Dorian, including this view from Sept. 1 as the massive storm sat over the northern Bahamas. At the time the powerful Category 5 hurricane was producing the strongest winds in recorded history for the northwestern Bahamas – with sustained winds of 180 miles per hour. Our researchers estimate Dorian dumped more than 36 inches of rain in the area, which contributed to catastrophic damage – including widespread flooding, as indicated by the light blue color in this NASA flood map, made with data from a European satellite. Although Dorian was not as strong a storm as it approached the U.S., NOAA’s National Hurricane Center posted many warnings and watches as Dorian continued to move north along the U.S. East Coast. After Dorian passed Florida’s Space Coast, an aerial survey of our Kennedy Space Center found that, overall the center fared well. While no flight hardware was damaged, a shoreline restoration project along the coast did sustain significant erosion.

International Space Station’s Next Crew Prepares for Launch

The International Space Station’s next crew – including our Jessica Meir – geared up for its upcoming launch with activities in Star City and Moscow, Russia. Meir and her crewmates, Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos, and Spaceflight Participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates will do their final training in Kazakhstan before their launch to the station on September 25.

NASA Selects Proposals to Advance Understanding of Space Weather

We have selected three proposals to conduct nine-month-long concept studies of missions that could help us better understand the dynamic space weather system near Earth that is driven by the Sun. The studies could help us predict and mitigate the effects of space weather on spacecraft and astronauts, which is very important for our Artemis program, which looks to safely send the first woman and the next man to the Moon by 2024.

Testing of X-59 Virtual Forward Window Successful

Researchers at our Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., successfully completed in-flight testing of technology that will enable pilots of our X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology aircraft to safely maneuver the skies without a forward-facing window. The technology uses a forward-facing camera and image processing software to create an augmented reality view of the pilot’s forward line-of-sight along with graphical flight data overlays.

That’s what’s up this week @NASA …