December 17, 2020 MEDIA ADVISORY M20-138*NASA Opens Limited Media Credentialing for Mars Perseverance Rover Landing* c1-edl_illustration_smaller.jpg In this illustration of its descent to Mars, the spacecraft containing NASA's Perseverance rover slows down using the drag generated by plunging through the Martian atmosphere. Hundreds of critical events must be executed perfectly for the rover to land on Mars safely on Feb. 18, 2021. */Credits: Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/* Due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVI ...Continue Reading

December 17, 2020 RELEASE 20-131*NASA, UN Sign Memorandum of Understanding on Peaceful Uses of Space* screenshot_2020-12-17_at_16.21.23_cmw.jpg NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) Director Simonetta Di Pippoj during a virtual event at which they signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Peaceful Uses of Space. */Credits: NASA/* NASA and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) pledging ...Continue Reading

Jonathan's Space Report No. 787 2020 Dec 16 Somerville, MA --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- International Space Station --------------------------- Expedition 64 continues under the command of Sergey Ryzhikov. On Dec 6, SpaceX launched Dragon CRS-21 from Kennedy Space Center. The Falcon 9 first stage landed on the OCISLY droneship. CRS-21 is the first cargo mission for Dragon 2. As for Crew Dragon, ...Continue Reading

:Product: Solar Region Summary :Issued: 2020 Dec 17 0030 UTC # Prepared jointly by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, # Space Weather Prediction Center and the U.S. Air Force. # Joint USAF/NOAA Solar Region Summary SRS Number 352 Issued at 0030Z on 17 Dec 2020 Report compiled from data received at SWO on 16 Dec I. Regions with Sunspots. Locations Valid at 16/2400Z Nmbr Location Lo Area Z LL NN Mag Type 2793 S15E35 082 0030 Cro 04 02 Beta IA. H-alpha Plages without Spots. Locations Valid at 16/ ...Continue Reading

December 16, 2020 CONTRACT RELEASE C20-033*NASA Awards Launch Services Contract to Blue Origin for New Glenn Launch Services* NASA has awarded a NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract to Blue Origin and their New Glenn launch service in accordance with the contract’s on-ramp provision. The New Glenn launch service will be available to NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP) to use for future missions in accordance with the on-ramp provision of NLS II.   The NLS II is a multiple-supplier, multiple-award, indef ...Continue Reading

December 16, 2020 RELEASE 20-115*NASA, USDA Sign Agreement to Improve Agricultural, Earth Science Research* et.0700_0.jpg This image taken by the Landsat satellite shows an agricultural region in Idaho on August 14, 2000, captured in the visible spectrum. The round, green circles are irrigated farm fields. The image highlights the kind of space-based Earth observations NASA will provide to the USDA to help inform and improve agricultural production on Earth. NASA and USDA's partnership on space-based assets b ...Continue Reading

December 16, 2020  20-101*NASA Supports America's National Strategy for Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion* nep_mars_no_planets.png Illustration of a Mars transit habitat and nuclear propulsion system that could one day take astronauts to the Red Planet. */Credits: NASA/* President Donald Trump has issued a new Space Policy Directive that will help propel NASA and humanity’s next giant leap – creating a sustainable presence on the Moon and sending astronauts to Mars. The president issued Space Policy ...Continue Reading

December 16, 2020 RELEASE 20-132*NASA, Canadian Space Agency Formalize Gateway Partnership for Artemis Program* NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) finalized an agreement between the United States and Canada to collaborate on the Gateway, an outpost orbiting the Moon that will provide vital support for a sustainable, long-term return of astronauts to the lunar surface as part of NASA’s Artemis program. This Gateway agreement further solidifies the broad effort by the United States to engage international part ...Continue Reading

:Product: Solar Region Summary :Issued: 2020 Dec 16 0030 UTC # Prepared jointly by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, # Space Weather Prediction Center and the U.S. Air Force. # Joint USAF/NOAA Solar Region Summary SRS Number 351 Issued at 0030Z on 16 Dec 2020 Report compiled from data received at SWO on 15 Dec I. Regions with Sunspots. Locations Valid at 15/2400Z Nmbr Location Lo Area Z LL NN Mag Type 2792 S22E26 103 0010 Bxo 06 02 Beta 2793 S15E49 081 0020 Cro 03 03 Beta IA. H-alpha Pl ...Continue Reading

*NASA History Listserv Readers: * * * Please see the announcement below from Sean Seyer regarding a new initiative—the Albatrosses Aerospace History Seminar. Best, Brian Brian C. Odom, Ph.D. /(he/him)/ NASA Chief Historian (Acting) NASA HQ History Program Office 256-541-8974 (cell) http://history.nasa.gov/ When the Albatrosses met at the SHOT virtual conference in October, numerous individuals expressed interest in a reoccurring works in progress seminar that would provide aerospace history scho ...Continue Reading