William Harwood – Page 16 – Spaceflight Now

NASA tries again to complete moon rocket’s practice countdown

June 18, 2022 William Harwood

Countdown clocks began ticking Saturday for NASA’s fourth attempt to complete a dress-rehearsal countdown and fueling test of its Space Launch System moon rocket, a requirement before the huge booster can be cleared for launch on its long-awaited maiden flight.

NASA assesses micrometeoroid impact on James Webb mirror segment

June 8, 2022 William Harwood

A high-speed dust-size micrometeoroid slammed into one of the James Webb Space Telescope’s 18 primary mirror segments last month, causing a slight but noticeable effect on the segment’s performance, NASA said Wednesday. It was the fifth such impact detected since Webb’s Christmas Day launch.

NASA awards contracts for next-generation space and moonsuits

June 1, 2022 William Harwood

Next-generation spacesuits, needed by astronauts aboard the International Space Station and by moonwalkers in the agency’s Artemis program, will be provided by two companies competing for contracts valued at up to $3.5 billion through 2034, NASA officials announced Wednesday.

NASA plans Artemis 1 moon rocket retest around June 19

May 27, 2022 William Harwood

NASA plans to haul its huge Space Launch System moon rocket back to the launch pad June 5-6 for a fourth attempt to load it with 730,000 gallons of supercold propellants in a dress-rehearsal countdown to clear the way for a maiden test flight later this summer, officials said Friday.

ISS spacesuits ‘no-go’ for non-emergency spacewalks after water intrusion

May 17, 2022 William Harwood

The aging shuttle-era spacesuits aboard the International Space Station have been declared “no-go” for operational, normally planned spacewalks pending analysis to determine what led to excess water getting into an astronaut’s helmet during a March excursion, officials confirmed Tuesday.

Astronomers unveil first image of the Milky Way’s central black hole

May 12, 2022 William Harwood

Three years after capturing the first image of a supermassive black hole in a galaxy 55 million light years away, astronomers have managed to “photograph” the gaping maw of the smaller but much closer black hole quietly lurking at the core of the Milky Way, researchers announced Thursday.

NASA hopeful about staging fourth moon rocket fueling test in early June

May 9, 2022 William Harwood

Engineers are making progress resolving mostly ground-system problems that derailed three earlier attempts to fuel the agency’s new Space Launch System moon rocket for a dress rehearsal countdown. NASA managers said last week they’re hopeful about making a fourth attempt by mid-June.

Axiom’s private astronauts depart space station after 15-day stay

April 25, 2022 William Harwood

A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying four non-professional astronauts, the first fully commercial, non-government crew to visit the International Space Station, undocked from the outpost Sunday, heading for re-entry and splashdown Monday to close out an extended 17-day mission.

Commercial crew has no problem adapting to life on space station

April 14, 2022 William Harwood

The first NASA-sanctioned all-private crew to visit the International Space Station has had few problems adapting to weightlessness, but a non-stop schedule of proprietary research and public outreach has left little “window time” for sightseeing, their commander said Wednesday.

NASA restarts moon rocket wet dress rehearsal countdown

April 12, 2022 William Harwood

NASA restarted a two-day dress-rehearsal countdown Tuesday for the agency’s new Space Launch System moon rocket after a series of unrelated glitches, mostly involving ground systems, blocked two earlier attempts to fully fuel the huge launcher to verify its readiness for flight.