New Delhi: The year 2021 has been one of the busiest years for NASA in low-Earth orbit. The space agency also made progress on its Artemis plans for the Moon, and had a very active year for space exploration, studying the Earth, and testing technologies for the next generation of aircraft.
On Christmas Day, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful and complex space telescope ever built, rose into space to unravel the mysteries of the universe.
Following are some of the most interesting NASA exploits in 2021:
solar system and beyond
The year 2021 was a remarkable year for NASA in space exploration.
Mars Landing, In February 2021, the Persistence rover landed on Mars, and later Collected and sampled the rock core before that. The sample will be retrieved and returned to Earth by a future mission. A two-year science investigation into Mars’ Jezero crater is studying the rock and sediments of Jezero’s ancient lake and river delta.
TESS makes amazing performancesThe Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) helped discover a trio of warm worlds in February. The three planets, called TOI451b, TOI451c, and TOI451d, are larger than Earth and orbiting a much smaller version of our Sun.
First flight to Mars: Simplicity Helicopter became the first aircraft to make powered controlled flight to another planet. Ingenuity recently completed over 30 minutes of cumulative flight time. It made its first flight on 19 April and its last flight on 15 December.
making oxygen on another planetPersistence’s Mars Oxygen In Situ Resource Utilization (MOXIE) instrument converted Mars’ thin, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere into oxygen for the first time in April.
Lucy MissionThe space agency also sent the first spacecraft to travel Jupiter’s Trojan Asteroids,
First planet discovered outside the Milky Way: Chandra X-ray Observatory a . detected symptoms of Planet For the first time passing in front of a star outside the Milky Way.
dart mission: NASA Double Asteroid Redirect Test (DART) The mission is the first of its kind to investigate and demonstrate a method of asteroid deflection by changing the motion of an asteroid in space. The Dart spacecraft was launched on November 24 from Vandenberg Space Force Base atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It was NASA’s first planetary defense test mission.
IXPE MissionNASA sent a wide range of science missions into space, including the first mission to study the polarization of X-rays, called the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. (IXPE) Mission.
Parker Solar Probe’s MiracleParker Solar Probe provided stunning views of Venus during a close flyby. Parker becomes the first spacecraft in history Touch The Sun is flying through and sampling the environment in the Sun’s upper atmosphere.
James Webb Space Telescope, The NASA James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful space observatory ever built, was launched In space on Christmas Day. The $10 Space-Based Infrared Observatory Has a Successor Hubble Space Telescope, and the first of its kind. The primary goal of the telescope will be to study galaxies, stars and planet formation in the universe.
Webb will cover longer wavelengths of light than Hubble, which will enable the telescope to look further back in time to see the first galaxies that formed in the early universe.
geology
In 2021, NASA will continue research in climate and Earth sciences to show how the planet is changing.
Earth System Observatory: The space agency announced a new Earth System observatory that will provide critical information to guide efforts related to climate change, disaster mitigation, fighting wildfires and improving real-time agricultural practices, the space agency said on its website. said.
Landsat 9: Landsat 9, NASA’s ‘New Eye in the Sky’, is a satellite designed to monitor Earth’s land surface and resources, and is the latest in the Landsat series. The NASA satellite will expand the record of Earth observation spanning five decades.
It is a joint effort between NASA and the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Landsat satellites have provided an unprecedented visual record of as many as nine million views of Earth’s landscape, snowscapes and coastal waters.
man in space
The year 2021 was the 21st consecutive year of human presence on the International Space Station, and the busiest year for human spaceflight to the ISS in a decade.
Crew-1 Mission: The splashdown of the NASA SpaceX Crew-1 mission marked the completion of the first operational commercial crew flight to the station. It was also the first night launch of a US crewed spacecraft since Apollo 8 in 1968.
Crew-2 Mission: NASA SpaceX crew-2 The mission is the first commercial crew mission to fly two international partners. Astronauts spent a record 199 days in space.
Inspiration 4 Astronauts Launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center In September, four amateur astronauts — Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arsinaux, Chris Sambroski, and Sean Proctor — made history after spending three days in space as part of SpaceX. inspiration4 mission of the world first all-civilian mission in Earth orbit. Four civilian Launched into space from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Crew-3 Mission: In November, four astronauts arrived at the ISS as part of NASA SpaceX crew-3 Mission. During the six-month-long mission, the astronauts, who are part of Expedition 66, will conduct scientific experiments.
Record Spacewalk Complete: Astronauts and astronauts completed 13 spacewalks outside the space station – the most in a year since 2010.
Private Astronaut Missions to the ISS: NASA announced the first two private astronaut missions to the ISS. Missions to Axiom 1 and . is called axiom 2,
Plans for a commercial space station: NASA awarded with More than $400 billion to three private aerospace firms – Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman Corporation, and NanoRacks – to build privately owned and operated commercial space stations. These commercial destinations are part of NASA’s efforts to enable a strong US-led commercial economy in low-Earth orbit.
Also read: What is Orbital Reef? Commercial Space Station Announced by Blue Origin and Sierra Space
moon to mars
NASA is targeting the launch of Artemis I, an unmanned flight test of the agency’s powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. The Artemis I mission will orbit the Moon in March or April 2021.
The space agency fueled the Orion spacecraft and connected it to its launch abort system before stacking it on the SLS.
NASA successfully completed the green run test of the SLS Artemis I core stage at the Stennis Space Center.
The space agency performed activities to support the agency’s Moon-to-Mars exploration approach, including preparation for future Artemis missions, namely Artemis II and Artemis III.
Also read: Jeff Bezos’ aerospace firm Blue Origin loses case against NASA
NASA also completed the first of several propulsion system ground tests to ensure power and propulsion elements for the planned Lunar Outpost Gateway. Japan became the third nation to support the development of the Gateway.
flight
NASA tested a number of technologies for the next generation of aircraft in 2021.
Sustainable Flight National Partnership: NASA worked closely with industry, academia, and other government agencies to launch the Sustainable Flight National Partnership. It aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from aviation by 2050.
X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology: The X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology aircraft continued assembly at Lockheed Martin. This aircraft will demonstrate the technology of flying faster than sound. The data collected by the X-59 could open up the future for commercial supersonic flight on the ground.
Also read: NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center turns 75 – a supersonic journey
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