NASA Weekly Update from the Administrator – June 8, 2020
NASA’s remarkable ability to bring people together even in times of great difficulty is inspiring. As I’ve said before, NASA is a place where unity, respect, and decency are prioritized, and we will continue to promote an agency culture that aligns with these core beliefs. I am excited for all the historic milestones we are planning to accomplish this month, thanks to our diverse and talented teams.
- Top News: Good news from our NASA Insight lander on Mars. After months of troubleshooting, it appears our team has successfully placed the mole underground. The technical ingenuity and expertise needed to confront this challenge have been tremendous. I anticipate more great things to come from our team!
- Next Up: This Wednesday, June 10, we will announce the selection of a commercial provider to deliver our Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, to the Moon’s surface in 2023. As part of our Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, this lunar rover will investigate location and concentration of water ice on the South Pole of the Moon that could be harvested to sustain human exploration.
- Shout Out: More than 15,000 participants in 150 countries participated in NASA’s Space Apps COVID-19 Challenge from May 30 to 31. Teams of coders, entrepreneurs, scientists, and more used Earth observation data to develop solutions to issues related to the pandemic. This collaboration effort encapsulates NASA’s spirit to use our knowledge to help lift humanity. Great job to everyone involved in putting it on!
The Artemis program is nearing another milestone for our Space Launch Systemrocket. Ten booster segments (pictured below) that will help power Artemis I are being shipped from Northrop Grumman facilities in Utah to our Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Ad astra,
Jim Bridenstine
