NASA Administrator’s Weekly Update – June 29, 2020
As we roll into the month of July this week, our agency is on the cusp of launching another historic mission, and continuing our cadence of reaching milestones in others. This weekend, as we celebrate Independence Day with our friends and family, please practice appropriate social distancing and best hygiene practices to protect your health and safety.
- Top News: Last week, I announced our agency’s headquarters building will be named after Mary W. Jackson, NASA’s first African American female engineer. Throughout her trailblazing career, she embodied excellence and perseverance in everything she did. Her legacy will inspire many of the rising generation to follow in her footsteps.
- Next Up: This Wednesday, July 1, astronauts Chris Cassidy and Robert Behnken will conduct the final of two spacewalks to install new lithium-ion batteries on the outside of the International Space Station. NASA TV will cover the spacewalk live beginning at 6 a.m. EDT.
- Shout Out: Over the last few months, our agency has partnered with the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to collect data showing the environmental effect of the global response to the coronavirus pandemic. The data has been deposited in a COVID-19 Earth Observation Dashboard that is open to the public. Fantastic work by everyone on our agency’s team that made this collaboration possible!
The historic first powered flight of our Ingenuity Mars Helicopter (pictured below) as part of the Mars 2020 mission will be a testament to NASA’s unparalleled dedication to expand the limits of humanity’s scientific and technological knowledge. The Wright brothers would be proud!
Ad astra,
Jim Bridenstine
