Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Wait-a-Minute!
Image credit: Barbara David

Stand by for NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and space agency leadership today to offer a briefing about the Artemis “re-booting” of the Moon campaign. The NASA news conference is at 1 p.m. Eastern Time, Thursday, Dec. 5, from the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Sure to be highlighted and brought up by heavy-breathing reporters is the current status of the Orion heat shield and reported “root cause” findings about the heat shield’s unexpected problems that cropped up during the uncrewed Artemis I mission in December 2022.

Image credit: NASA OIG

Participants in the briefing include:

• NASA Administrator Bill Nelson
• NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy
• NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
• Reid Wiseman, NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander
• Catherine Koerner, associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
• Amit Kshatriya, deputy associate administrator, Moon to Mars Program Office, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate

Mars on the mind

Given the Moon to Mars NASA agenda, the current status of the space agency’s sample plan for the Red Planet is likely to be discussed.

Now in limbo and sanity check status due to budget-busting problems, along with how and when the robotic outing to Mars can be scheduled, the NASA/ESA Mars Sample Return (MSR) is in revision mode.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Industry, NASA and other agencies have been diving into MSR details of how to pull off the undertaking. Where this stands at the moment is likely to also be brought up during the press event.

Crosshairs and crossroads

Lastly, the recent National Academies study of NASA’s overall health may surface. The prestigious National Academies has taken a hard look at the NASA of today and what’s ahead.

That report was titled “NASA at a Crossroads: Maintaining Workforce, Infrastructure, and Technology Preeminence in the Coming Decades.”

It details out-of-date infrastructure, pressures to prioritize short-term objectives, budget mismatches, inefficient management practices, and nonstrategic reliance on commercial partners are spotlighted as core issues needing attention.

So hold on tight and tune in via NASA+ at:

https://plus.nasa.gov/scheduled-video/nasa-artemis-campaign-leadership-news-conference/

Meanwhile, take a read of my past postings on these NASA issues:

Artemis II: Orion Heat Shield Issues – Decision Forthcoming

https://www.leonarddavid.com/artemis-ii-orion-heat-shield-issues-decision-forthcoming/

NASA at a Crossroads: Hard-hitting Report Flags Budget Woes, Aging Infrastructure, Hard Choices Ahead

https://www.leonarddavid.com/nasa-at-a-crossroads-hard-hitting-report-flags-budget-woes-aging-infrastructure-hard-choices-ahead/

Also, check out this just-out evolution of Mars exploration video at:

https://youtu.be/9rJ4vWDfiI8?si=CWPwMU-cPOK7LAVm

Wait-a-Minute!
Image credit: Barbara David

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