Derek Newsome

The crew of Artemis II in their Orion Crew Survival System suits during a day of testing with the Orion spacecraft. These are the suits they will be wearing during launch and reentry of the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II mission. The crew from left to right are: NASA Astronauts: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency Astronaut: Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen.

The Artemis II Crew has just completed a major round of testing with their Orion Spacecraft, which has been outfitted with most of its internal flight hardware. The spacecraft will soon be moved to receive its launch abort system before stacking atop the SLS rocket in the VAB.

📸#NASA / Rad Sinyak

Absolutely and I totally do see where people are coming from with what they are saying especially with the keep out zone comments, but I also think it is just as important to note things like this have actual importance for sustainable exploration instead of fully demonizing the entire idea outright

That's fair but the reality of the FSP projects is that the companies that can do it cost competitively are the ones already building and operating fission reactors for things like submarines, honestly I'd be surprised if its *not* BWX who gets tapped to build the demo units.

FSP is generally favored for larger scale exploration projects as it enables significant surface projects such as In Situ Resource Utilization, which is a major factor in being able to leverage things like lunar ice for propellant.

This one is being met with mixed feelings publicly, but Fission Surface Power is something NASA has been evaluating for a long time for the Moon and eventual Martian exploration.

The language about using Keep Out Zones to claim land on the Moon is concerning though.

www.nasa.gov/centers-and-...

NASA’s Fission Surface Power Project Energizes Lunar Exploration NASA tasked commercial partners with developing concept designs for a small nuclear fission reactor that could generate electricity on the Moon and Mars.

Ok I have to step in on this and say that Fission Surface Power is legitimately something NASA has been working on for a while and is a good solution for lunar permanence. Today is mostly a "Phase 2" of the current FSP project to build a 40kwh reactor for Artemis.

www.nasa.gov/centers-and-...

A pair of Ford Mustangs sitting next to each other. On the left is a 2015 in Black, on the right is a 2025 in Grabber Blue with a black top and black mirrors.

Said goodbye to my first car earlier this week. 7 years and over 125,000 miles, she was an absolute beauty that took me on so many adventures.

Thanks for the memories 🖤

Now, lets go make some new ones shall we? 💙

Nice to see the NASCAR on NBC teams bringing a solid changeup for the short track camera lenses this year. It’s subtle but the cars look VERY fast on track today at Iowa.

The Crew-11 Falcon 9 launch lifts off from Launch Complex 39, brush is visible below the rocket with the top of a palm tree in the top right of the frame. The Fixed Service Structure stands to the right of the rocket with the Crew Access Arm swinging away.

With looming storms NASA’s Crew 11 mission threaded the needle as it lifted off from Launch Complex 39A.

A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off into the morning sky. Below the rocket is the launch pad, partially obscured by steam and dust licked up by the rocket as it lifted off. In the foreground is the Kennedy Space Center Turning Basin, with the rocket’s exhaust reflecting in the water.

Launch Complex 39A plays host to another crewed launch, continuing a 56 year legacy from our earliest ventures into the stars.

The Crew-11 mission launching. The Crew Dragon Endeavour is sitting atop a Falcon 9 rocket, below the rocket is an intense orange-white flame that tails into a blue one. The rocket is on a blue sky with a few light wispy clouds behind it.

NASA’s Crew-11 mission roars to life, outrunning the Florida afternoon storms on its morning trip to orbit

📸 by me

Crew Dragon Endeavour stands on top of a Falcon 9 rocket ahead of its 6th flight to space. Behind the rocket is the Fixed Service Structure and Crew Access Arm. A large bird is flying in front of the rocket.

Good morning from Kennedy Space Center. Preparations are underway for NASA’s Crew-11 launch which is currently expected to launch at 12:09 PM EDT.

The crew is currently enjoying an early morning breakfast and beginning to suit up ahead of their launch to the ISS.

Gilmour Space's Eris rocket suffered a spectacular failure in its debut flight today, with the rocket almost immediately losing one of its four main engines, followed by the other engines shutting down shortly afterwards, and then crashing back down on the launch pad.

📸Gilmour Space

LETS FUCKING GO BUBBA WALLACE!!!!! BRICKYARD 400 BABY!!’

The four Astronauts for Crew-11 have arrived at the Cape for their upcoming flight to the ISS!

📷 - @derekdotspace.bsky.social

Not too uncommon on past Vegas to see the SRM performance be a bit off on timing but generally follow the correct path still.

A covered SLS Aft Boat Tail inside NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida.

The Artemis III engine section in October 2024, showing the Boat Tail structure integrated on its aft end.

An odd photo today from NASA showing the "Engine Section 3 Boat Tail". This is a bit odd as if this photo is labeled correctly it means the Boat Tail was removed from the engine section since its installation

The Mission B Cygnus pressure vessel is suspended by a crane in the Space Systems Processing Facility. The top of the transport crate can be seen next to the pressure vessel with the Cygnus logo visible.

The first "Mission B" Cygnus has arrived at Kennedy Space Center! This variant of the Cygnus spacecraft adds another barrel to its pressure vessel, increasing the available payload volume by ~33%.

This is the second time Cygnus has been stretched to accommodate more payload.

📸NASA/Cory S Huston

Here is the video of the H3-30 Captive Firing Test!

📸JAXA

Ignition and full duration! All appeared normal during the 25 second long test firing for the H3-30 rocket!

The first H3-30 stands on its launch pad ahead of its Captive Firing Test

Based on the webcast it looks like this is expected to be a roughly 25 second firing of the first stage's 3 LE-9 engines.

YouTube video by JAXA | 宇宙航空研究開発機構 H3ロケット6号機(30形態試験機) 1段実機型タンクステージ燃焼試験(CFT-Captive Firing Test)ライブ中継

JAXA is about 15 minutes away from the Captive Firing Test of the H3-30 rocket. This is the Tri-Engine configuration of the core that will fly without solid rocket motors.

This vehicle is expected to fly in the coming weeks on a dedicated test flight.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lyN...

One of the concept layouts for the NASCAR race at Naval Base Coronado, which will race the Trucks, Xfinity, and Cup series on June 19th-21st, 2026

NASCAR announcing a race on a Naval Base was not on my bingo card but honestly??? I might be flying to San Diego next summer 👀

ASAB Guest Info ASAB is a podcast which brings on trans and non-binary guests in science (undergrad or grad students, technicians, professors, educators, researchers, science journalists, photographers, or even someo...

If you're a trans or non-binary scientist, consider appearing on the podcast Assigned Scientist at Bachelor's, the only podcast dedicating to interviewing, and highlighting the research of, trans and non-binary scientists, cohosted by your truly!

Back into the competitive sphere of sim racing lately. Been nice to have a properly competitive sport to be a part of again but man I forgot how much coming short can sting.

I’m not sure! Haven’t been that way in a bit.

Pad 14’s new tower might be if you go out onto the jetty but I’m not totally sure.

ML2 won’t be as it’s parked beside the VAB on the north side of KSC. It is easy to see from Canaveral National Seashore though!

It’s pretty wild how much the skyline is changing here in Titusville. As quickly as the towers at pad 37 left, a new one at pad 14 rose. ML2 went from a base to a 392 ft tall skyscraper in a matter of months. Definitely a fun time to live here.

If you had told me at the start of the NASCAR in season tournament the final race would be Ty Gibbs vs Ty Dillon there is no world in which I believed you lmfao

That is one that has been floated but with a Gateway launch likely not happening until 2027, an Artemis III mission is much more likely to be some form of Orion only mission. My expectation would be a Lunar Orbital mission to build off of Artemis II's lunar flyby.

Yes there were two contracts. Collins was originally supplying the suits for orbital EVAs but they dropped out. Axiom remains the supplier for the lunar surface EVA suits and it's fairly trivial to modify them for orbital EVAs.