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Boeing Starliner Returns To Earth EMPTY!

NASA and Boeing welcomed Starliner back to Earth following the uncrewed spacecraft’s successful landing at 10:01 p.m. MDT Sept. 6, 2024, at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. Credit: NASA NASA and Boeing safely returned the uncrewed Starliner spacecraft following its landing at 10:01 p.m. MDT Sept. 6 at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, concluding a three-month flight test to the International Space Station. “I am extremely proud of the work our collective team put into this entire flight test, and we are pleased to see Starliner’s safe return,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Even though it was necessary to return the spacecraft uncrewed, NASA and Boeing learned an incredible amount about Starliner in the most extreme environment possible. NASA looks forward to our continued work with the Boeing team to proceed toward certification of Starliner for crew rotation missions to the space station.” The flight on June 5 was the first time astronauts launched aboard the Starliner. It was the third orbital flight of the spacecraft, and its second return from the orbiting laboratory. Starliner now will ship to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for inspection and processing. NASA’s Commercial Crew Program requires a spacecraft to fly a crewed test flight to prove the system is ready for regular flights to and from the orbiting laboratory. Following Starliner’s return, the agency will review all mission-related data. “We are excited to have Starliner home safely. This was an important test flight for NASA in setting us up for future missions on the Starliner system,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “There was a lot of valuable learning that will enable our long-term success. I want to commend the entire team for their hard work and dedication over the past three months.” NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched on June 5 aboard Starliner for the agency’s Boeing Crewed Flight Test from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. On June 6, as Starliner approached the space station, NASA and Boeing identified helium leaks and experienced issues with the spacecraft’s reaction control thrusters. Following weeks of in-space and ground testing, technical interchange meetings, and agency reviews, NASA made the decision to prioritize safety and return Starliner without its crew. Wilmore and Williams will continue their work aboard station as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew, returning in February 2025 with the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission. The crew flight test is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The goal of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station and low Earth orbit. This already is providing additional research time and has increased the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity’s microgravity testbed, including helping NASA prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars. Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew program at: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew -end- Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov Leah Cheshier Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov Steve Siceloff / Danielle Sempsrott / Stephanie Plucinsky Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-867-2468 steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov / danielle.c.sempsrott@nasa.gov / stephanie.n.plucinsky@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Sep 07, 2024 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsCommercial CrewInternational Space Station (ISS)ISS Research View the full article

Externships with NASA Headquarters Office of the General Counsel NASA’s Office of the General Counsel (OGC) periodically has externships for highly qualified law students. OGC offers unpaid, part-time and full-time externships during the law school academic year (for law school credit). These externships are intended to expose law students to the rewards of Federal service and to facilitate their professional growth. Externships may be performed either in person or remotely (depending on NASA COVID-19 safety protocols). OGC is divided into four practice groups: Commercial and Intellectual Property; General Law; Contracts and Acquisition Integrity; and International and Space Law. Detailed, descriptive information about each practice group is located on OGC’s main page. NASA OGC will be soliciting applications for Summer 2025 shortly. Qualifications You must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident and enrolled (full-time or part-time) in a U.S. law school that is ABA-accredited, in either a J.D. or LL.M program. In addition, you must have at least a 3.0 GPA. Application Process To apply for an academic semester internship (part-time or full-time) for law school credit: Please apply by email to: hq-ogcintern@mail.nasa.gov. With your email, please include solely the following materials in a single PDF: A one-page cover letter explaining: (1) to which of the OGC practice groups you are applying; (2) your interest in the position; and (3) your qualifications for the position; and A resume of no more than two pages. Due to the volume of applications received, applicants will receive a general acknowledgement that their resume has been received and will be contacted personally only if selected for an interview. We are not accepting applications for the Externship Program at this time. NASA OGC will be soliciting applications for Summer 2025 shortly. View the full article

Credit: NASA NASA has selected eight companies for a new award to help acquire Earth observation data and provide related services for the agency. The Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition Program On-Ramp1 Multiple Award contract is a firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple-award contract with a maximum value of $476 million, cumulatively amongst all the selected contractors, and a performance period through Nov. 15, 2028. The selectees are: BlackSky Geospatial Solutions, Inc. in Herndon, Virginia ICEYE US Inc. in Irvine, California MDA Geospatial Service Inc. in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada Pixxel Space Technologies, Inc in El Segundo, California Planet Labs Federal, Inc. in Arlington, Virginia Satellogic Federal, LLC in Davidson, North Carolina Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. in Huntsville, Alabama The Tomorrow Companies Inc. in Boston Under the contract, the recipients will be responsible for acquiring observation data from commercial sources that support NASA’s Earth science research and application activities that help improve life on the planet. The goal of the awards is to give NASA a cost-effective way to augment or complement the Earth observations acquired by the agency and other U.S. government and international agencies for the benefit of all. For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov -end- Tiernan Doyle Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 tiernan.doyle@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Sep 06, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsSmallSats ProgramEarthEarth ObservatoryNASA HeadquartersPlanetary Science DivisionScience Mission Directorate View the full article

NASA research mathematician Katherine Johnson is photographed at her desk at NASA Langley Research Center with a globe, or “Celestial Training Device,” in 1962. Credit: NASA / Langley Research Center NASA Administrator Bill Nelson will represent the agency during a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony at 3 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 18, recognizing the women who contributed to the space race, including the NASA mathematicians who helped land the first astronauts on the Moon under the agency’s Apollo Program. Hosted by House Speaker Mike Johnson, the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony will take place inside Emancipation Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Nelson is expected to be among the speakers. The event will stream live on the speaker’s YouTube channel. The agency will share a direct link on this advisory in advance of the event. Media without current congressional credentials on the Hill interested in participating in the event must RSVP by Sept. 13, to Abby Ronson at: abby.ronson@mail.house.gov. Medal Information Introduced by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson on Feb. 27, 2019, H.R.1396 – Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act – was signed into law later that year. Awards will include: Congressional Gold Medal to Katherine Johnson, in recognition of her service to the United States as a mathematician Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Christine Darden, for her service to the United States as an aeronautical engineer Congressional Gold Medals in commemoration of the lives of Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, in recognition of their service to the United States during the space race Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of all the women who served as computers, mathematicians, and engineers at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and NASA between the 1930s and the 1970s. For more information about NASA missions, visit: https://www.nasa.gov -end- Meira Bernstein / Cheryl Warner Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 meira.b.bernstein@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov View the full article