At the International Space Station, NASA’s astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara collaborate on their maiden extravehicular activity to conduct maintenance on the station’s exterior. Image courtesy of NASA TV.
Embarking on a spacewalk at the orbiting outpost …
NASA’s Lucy probe undertakes its premier asteroid encounter …
Committing to secure and harmonious cosmic exploration …
Here are some narratives we’re presenting – This Week at NASA!
Embarking on a spacewalk at the orbiting outpost.
On November 1, NASA’s spacefarers, Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara, ventured outside the International Space Station for a spacewalk.
Their task was to address components critical for the optimal rotation of the station’s solar panels, which follow the Sun’s trajectory.
For both Moghbeli and O’Hara, it was their introductory spacewalk experience.
In the capital, NASA’s Bill Nelson, along with Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, Harm van de Wetering of the Netherlands Space Office, the Dutch Ambassador to the U.S., Birgitta Tazelaar, and Chiragh Parikh of the National Space Council, commemorated the occasion with a photograph following the signing of the Artemis Accords on November 1, 2023, at the Dutch Ambassador’s Residence. The Netherlands has become the 31st nation to endorse the Artemis Accords, a set of pragmatic principles directing collaborative efforts in space exploration under NASA’s Artemis initiative. Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
And committing to secure and harmonious cosmic exploration.
At a formal gathering at the Dutch Ambassador’s Residence in Washington on November 1, the Netherlands inked the Artemis Accords, joining as the 31st signatory nation.
The Artemis Accords delineate a set of functional guidelines for international cooperation in space missions, which encompasses those under NASA’s Artemis program.
This visual captures the “moonrise” effect of a satellite as it appears from behind the asteroid Dinkinesh, as witnessed by the Lucy Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager (L’LORRI), which relayed one of the most finely detailed snapshots during the Lucy spacecraft’s pass of the asteroid pair. This image was snapped at 12:55 p.m. EDT (1655 UTC) on November 1, 2023, nearly at the point of closest proximity, from a distance of around 270 miles (430 kilometers). The perspective shows the satellite positioned behind the main asteroid body. Image credit: NASA/Goddard/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL/NOAO
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft’s inaugural asteroid flyby.
On its pioneering journey past asteroid Dinkinesh on November 1, NASA’s Lucy probe revealed an unexpected finding – the asteroid was discovered to be a binary system, not a solitary entity as previously assumed.
Lucy’s primary mission is to analyze the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, an uncharted cluster of minor celestial objects that track the Sun in two groups, preceding and trailing Jupiter in its solar orbit.
This visualization exhibits the global sea level measurements captured by the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite from July 26 to August 16. Shades of red and orange signal ocean heights above the average, while blues denote below-average levels. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
An animation representing global marine altitudes was assembled using data obtained by the SWOT satellite throughout its first complete 21-day scientific orbit.
The SWOT mission’s purpose is to measure the elevation of Earth’s water bodies extensively, delivering an unparalleled view of the world’s oceans, lakes, and rivers.
That summarizes this week’s highlights at NASA!
Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about NASA Spacewalk
Who performed the spacewalk outside the International Space Station?
NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara conducted a spacewalk on November 1 to work on the station’s solar array rotation hardware.
What was significant about the flyby of asteroid Dinkinesh by NASA’s Lucy spacecraft?
The flyby revealed that Dinkinesh is a binary asteroid, not a single one as previously thought, marking NASA’s Lucy spacecraft’s first asteroid encounter.
Which country became the 31st to sign the Artemis Accords?
The Netherlands signed the Artemis Accords on November 1, 2023, becoming the 31st nation to join the agreement which guides cooperative space exploration efforts.
What does the animation created from the SWOT satellite data show?
The animation shows global sea surface heights, with red and orange indicating above-average ocean heights and blue showing below-average levels, from July 26 to August 16 data.
