Latest news with #ArtemisI
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Sandy elementary school becomes steward of NASA moon tree
Smokey Bear joined students and staff at Sprucewood Elementary School on Tuesday to help plant a unique Artemis I Moon Tree, granted to them by NASA. The school's new Douglas fir seedling is dubbed a 'moon tree' because it was grown from a seed carried aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft when it circumnavigated the moon in November 2022, traveling over 270,000 miles in its journey from Earth and back. The seeds for five tree species were aboard the unmanned spacecraft for the Artemis I mission. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service grew the seedlings before distributing them to approved tree stewards. School librarian Sara Lee first learned about moon tree stewardship after reading 'Moon Tree: The Story of One Extraordinary Tree' by Carolyn Bennett Fraiser. Lee explained that Frasier contacted her to let her know about the book in August 2022 because a moon tree was located near the school in Draper. She then found out NASA was introducing a new generation of moon trees as part of its national STEM engagement and conservation education initiative, so she applied for her school to be considered. After waiting two years to hear back about the application, Lee was surprised to find out the school had been selected to be a steward out of more than 1,300 applications. 'I was blown away when I got the first email saying that we had tentatively been chosen,' Lee said. 'Then, when we got back (from spring break), there was an email that said, 'Congratulations, moon tree steward, show us your celebrations.' ... We got our welcome packets and then the tree came the next day.' The school dedicated its moon tree at a celebration on Tuesday, joined by the U.S. Forest Service. Six students acknowledged for demonstrating leadership by following school rules helped Lee, Smokey Bear and teacher-of-the-year recipient Emigh Lo plant the seedling in a patch of grass near the playground. 'I think (the moon tree) is really cool because it traveled around the world and space. I think it's cool we had someone special to share it with,' said Matthew, a fourth-grade student at the school, referring to Smokey. Unknown to students, however, was that Smokey Bear was being portrayed by Lee's husband, who is a cartographer for the Forest Service and helped coordinate the special appearance. 'We had great support from our local Forest Service office and my administration was awesome. They treated this as the big deal that I was hoping it would be,' said Lee. Students officially welcomed the tree to their campus by participating in their school's 'happy chant' before ending the celebration. Principal Cathleen Schino also reminded students to take care of the tree, especially while it is still a seedling. The tree will be surrounded by a barrier to protect it from stray balls and toys from the playground and is accompanied by a plaque that explains its status as a moon tree. 'NASA and the Forest Service have trusted us to take care of this tree, to be the keepers of the tree, to care for it, and to keep it safe and healthy,' said Schino, addressing students. 'So we're going to make sure that we take care of it by admiring it with our eyes instead of our hands. Every time you go by it, we know that plants, they grow with love. We've been practicing giving compliments all year and using emotional safety, so please talk to our moon tree. Give it positive comments. It really is a thing. It will grow.' NASA began the new generation of moon tree stewardship as a nod to the historic Apollo 14 mission, where Stuart Roosa, astronaut and former smokejumper for the U.S. Forest Service, carried hundreds of seeds to space to see if they would still grow after being in a zero-gravity environment. According to Lee, the canister of seeds broke in space, but they were able to save 420 seeds that would later be planted at national monuments in celebration of the U.S. bicentennial. Four of those trees were initially sent to Utah in the 1970s, but only two are still accounted for. One is a Douglas fir that was planted at the state Capitol but was cut down after being destroyed by a tornado in 1999. The other is a sycamore tree planted at the Lone Peak Conservation Center in Draper that is still standing, but is infected with a fungal disease. Draper's almost 50-year-old moon tree is now joined by two of the new generation's seedlings — one at Sprucewood Elementary and another at Glacier Hills Elementary, both part of the Canyons School District. 'I feel like it's special,' said Lee. 'Not everybody has a tree grown from a seed that traveled 270,000 miles from space. So I wanted something special, something that even when (students are) older, they'll remember that this happened and it's accessible here. They can bring their parents and, ideally, my kids who helped plant it, (can bring their) kids back some day and show them.' Lee explained that the area where the tree was planted is also special because it was previously home to another tree planted in memory of a student who died. The tree was later cut down, but now Lee hopes the area will continue to be visited by students and remembered for generations to come.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA takes possession of Orion for Artemis II moon mission
For the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, NASA officially has its hands on a spacecraft expected to fly humans to the moon. Lockheed Martin, prime contractor for the Orion space capsule, transferred possession of the Artemis II spacecraft Thursday to the agency's Exploration Ground Systems team base at Kennedy Space Center. Artemis II is slated to launch from KSC no later than April 2026, taking NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day mission around the moon — but not to the lunar surface. That launch date is one that's been repeatedly delayed after completion of the uncrewed Artemis I mission in late 2022. 'We want to achieve a pace of one flight a year. We're not there yet,' said Lockheed Martin's Kirk Shireman, head of its Orion program. 'We all know that the faster you fly, the faster you produce vehicles, the cheaper they are, the less cost there is to that and the more you keep the interest of the public.' Artemis II will be the third flight to space for Orion, which was originally part of the Constellation program started under President George W. Bush. It survived that program's demise and was incorporated into what became Artemis, designed to be launched atop the massive Space Launch System rocket for deep-space missions. Orion performed a short test trip to space in 2014 before flying on the Artemis I mission in 2022 that orbited the moon without crew. That flight brought Orion back to Earth at nearly 24,500 mph enduring temperatures of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Unexpected damage found on the heat shield's protective coating prompted an investigation that forced NASA to punt Artemis II further into the decade from its original timelines. As recent as late 2020 under President Trump's first administration, NASA was still holding to the lofty, although ultimately unrealistic goal of flying Artemis I in 2021, Artemis II in 2023 and Artemis III — which aimed to return humans to the lunar surface in 2024. Artemis I ended up flying one year later than planned. Damage to the mobile launcher from the 8.8 million pounds of thrust created by the SLS rocket in addition to Orion heat shield issues were prime factors in Artemis II slipping first into 2024, then 2025 and now not until early 2026. NASA had asked all of its partners in the Artemis program to see if they can exceed deadlines and get to flight as early as February while keeping Artemis III on NASA's calendar for summer 2027. Artemis III is reliant on SpaceX to develop a working version of its Starship rocket to act as the human landing system. 'We are working to even accelerate our work production for flights for Artemis 3, 4, 5 and beyond. NASA has been working with us and encouraging us to continue doing that,' Shireman said. 'The direction we've been getting from NASA is, 'Hey, we've got to meet our dates, and it would be awesome if you could exceed, if you could do better than those dates,' and and that's the way we've been working.' He said a new issue that popped up late last year regarding Orion's batteries had teams projecting a final delivery at the end of May. 'I think we're extremely proud to have been not only able to hold, but accelerate that date,' he said noting Lockheed gained back nearly a month. 'That's pretty phenomenal in a complicated spacecraft.' Orion will eventually be stacked atop the SLS rocket in the Vehicle Assembly Building, after which the completed rocket and spacecraft atop the mobile launcher could roll to Launch Pad 39-B before the end of the year for testing where NASA intends to keep it until launch. Shireman said he thinks NASA is happy with Lockheed's performance. 'It wasn't like everything was smooth sailing,' he said saying many issues were found and solved before they became a schedule threat. 'People have really been working hard and are probably more than a little fatigued. So they're going to take a breather here for 24, maybe 48 hours, and then we're going to hit it again for Artemis III.' Shireman said Lockheed has not had any signal from NASA to pull back from long-term plans with Artemis even though the future of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft could shift under new direction during the second Trump administration. The delays to Artemis, along with ballooning costs, has critics including billionaire Jared Isaacman, who was nominated to become the next NASA administrator and is awaiting a confirmation vote in the Senate. Isaacman has told senators he's on board with the plan through at least Artemis III, especially as the U.S. tries to compete with Chinese plans to land on the moon. But after achieving the lunar landing, the nation should look at commercial alternatives such as SpaceX's Starship or Blue Origin's New Glenn for achieving its lunar goals. Shireman continued to stump for the current plan to fly Orion atop SLS in the short term even though plans could change. 'You could launch an Orion on a New Glenn and you could create an architecture,' he said. 'But when you add new elements that don't exist and you haven't started working on them, that's where the time comes in. 'So that's why I believe, firmly believe, the quickest way to the moon — to put American boots back on the moon — is with SLS and Orion on Artemis III.' But he pitched the spacecraft to remain part of whatever the future of deep-space exploration becomes. 'Ultimately, we could pivot to something different,' Shireman said. 'We want to be part of putting Americans back on the moon and a sustainable lunar program. And if the administration wants to modify the architecture, we'll be happy to to work with them.'
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Yahoo
KRQE Newsfeed: CYFD plan, Officer mistrial, Warming temperatures, City mourning, Moon tree
Sam Bregman announces campaign for governor of New Mexico ABQ café opens dinner service for first time since COVID-19 Man accused of murdering his family in Tijeras found incompetent to stand trial Poll: Which local artists do New Mexicans read most? ABQ BioPark works to restore Mexican gray wolf population with new facility Albuquerque woman pleads guilty to child abuse charges The U.S. and China are locked in a faceoff over tariffs. No one wants to blink first [1] CYFD Secretary acknowledges department's shortcomings – The woman who took over CYFD is explaining how she plans to address the problems the agency is facing. Lawmakers unleashed on CYFD Secretary Teresa Casados this session over the deaths of children. Casados said she believes the solutions start with prevention, which is why she bolstered support for families struggling with situations that could lead to abuse or neglect. CYFD has added four family resource centers around the state. Lawmakers passed a bill which would create another office to oversee CYFD. [2] Mistrial declared against former Albuquerque police officer – For the second time in a year, a judge has declared a mistrial for former APD officer Kenneth Skeens. The officer is charged with false imprisonment after dragging a disabled man, Matthew McManus, out of the Coors Target. Skeens testified in his own defense during the trial and claimed Target employees told him to trespass McManus. Jurors failed to agree on a verdict Wednesday afternoon, telling the judge that more time would not help. The New Mexico Department of Justice has two weeks to evaluate whether to prosecute Skeens for a third time. [3] Warm temperatures in western New Mexico and slightly cooler to the east – A cold front briefly cools off eastern New Mexico Thursday. The front will bring in slightly cooler temperatures to eastern New Mexico Thursday, while the western half of the state will continue to see warmer temperatures. Temperatures will start warming again Friday and even hotter weather moves in Saturday with widespread record breaking highs. Temperatures will climb up to near 90° in the Albuquerque Metro with highs in the mid and upper 90s in southern parts of the state [4] Community mourns death of Cleveland High School student – At the end of March, Owen Pagano passed away after a drowning accident on a fishing trip to Cochiti Lake. Pagano attended Cleveland High School and was on the JV baseball team last year. At a gathering Wednesday night, his family and friends said he was a light who was constantly smiling and cracking jokes. [5] Moon Tree at New Mexico museum soon to be unveiled to public – A Las Cruces museum is set to unveil a new scientific resource to the public. New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum says its 'Moon Tree' started as one of the hundreds of seeds that went on NASA's Artemis I mission in 2022, where they orbited the moon. It was a nod to the first moon tree project aboard Apollo 14. The museum was just one of the places across the country to receive one of these moon trees last year. The Moon Tree will be unveiled to the public on April 11 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Moon Tree at New Mexico museum soon to be unveiled to public
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KRQE) – Walking through the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces, you might walk by a particular pine tree without a second glance. But, it has a story that's truly out of this world. 'They were seeds that were on the Artemis one mission,' said Paul Steward, Instructional Coordinator at New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. Story continues below News: Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham authorizes National Guard deployment to Albuquerque Trending: NMSU: 6 international students' visas revoked by federal government News: Suspect in custody after fleeing from police in a U-Haul with people in the back Education: Curanderismo in the classroom: Albuquerque high school teacher introduces students to Mexican folk healing That's right, it is a Moon Tree. The pine tree growing in the museum's garden started as one of the hundreds of seeds that went on NASA's Artemis I mission in 2022, where they orbited the moon. It was a nod to the first moon tree project aboard Apollo 14. The New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum was just one of the places across the country to receive one of these moon trees last year. 'I was very happy when we found out that we were going to get one of the moon trees,' said Steward. 'We got it in the ground right away. And we planted it in there, gave it some fertilizer.' He said in the last year, they haven't noticed any impact the seed's time in space may have had on the tree. 'It's been doing ok. It has a little bit of brown on some of its pine needles, so we've added some more soil to it, some more nutrients,' said Steward. 'I think it's getting greener and doing a little bit better.' And now, it's ready to be seen by museum-goers. The Moon Tree will be unveiled to the public on April 11 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the under-construction outdoor classroom (formerly known as the Discovery Garden) at NMFRHM. The museum hopes the tree that launched into space will help launch new interest about science, plants, and space exploration. 'That it sparks that excitement for them, the curiosity to learn more about what's going on with growing plants in space,' said Steward. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's unconventional NASA pick is set to signal Mars intentions in confirmation hearing
Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. President Donald Trump's pick to run NASA, Jared Isaacman, is set to make waves by signaling his intention to create a new focus on Mars exploration during his confirmation hearing Wednesday. Isaacman — the billionaire CEO of payments platform company Shift4 who has twice paid to fly aboard SpaceX capsules — is scheduled to appear before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation beginning at 10 a.m. ET. During the hearing, Isaacman is likely to face wide-ranging questions about how NASA's priorities might change under his leadership. For months, the space agency and its commercial and international partners have faced uncertainty about how the Trump administration may seek to realign NASA's missions to focus on Mars, rather than the moon. If such a shift plays out, it could lead to changes for NASA's Artemis program, which was announced during Trump's first term and marked a renewed focus on lunar exploration. The Artemis I mission, for example, sent a crew-worthy spacecraft on a test flight around the moon in 2022. Artemis ultimately aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface and eventually create a permanent human settlement on the moon. Notably, however, Mars has long been the destination of choice touted by Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of SpaceX who over the past year has become a close confidant of Trump and invested at least $260 million in his presidential campaign. Currently, NASA does not have any concrete plans to send humans to the red planet, though the agency has routinely said it views lunar exploration as an important precursor to Mars missions. However, according to prepared remarks that were reviewed by CNN, Isaacman plans to tell the committee he will 'prioritize sending American astronauts to Mars.' 'Along the way, we will inevitably have the capabilities to return to the Moon and determine the scientific, economic, and national security benefits of maintaining a presence on the lunar surface,' according to Isaacman's prepared opening statement. GOP lawmakers have been wary of a potential shift in focus and possible changes to NASA's Artemis moon program. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, has publicly emphasized his view that NASA must continue focusing on lunar exploration. On Monday, for example, he shared on social media platform X a photograph of himself and Isaacman shaking hands in Washington, DC. 'During our meeting, Mr. Isaacman committed to having American astronauts return to the lunar surface ASAP so we can develop the technologies needed to go on to Mars,' Cruz's post read. 'The moon mission MUST happen in President Trump's term or else China will beat us there and build the first moonbase.' Those remarks stand in contrast to Musk's emphasis on Mars. The SpaceX CEO said in a social media post on X last week, for example, that 'stopping at the Moon simply slows down getting to Mars.' Exactly how Isaacman will balance appeasing moon and Mars advocates — and how the changes he may implement will shift contract dollars — remains to be seen. What's certain is that Isaacman, if confirmed, would bring a unique background to the role of NASA administrator. The position is typically occupied by civil servants, engineers, scientists or, more recently, politicians. Isaacman plans to acknowledge his unconventional credentials to the committee members. 'I am not a typical nominee for this position. I have been relatively apolitical; I am not a scientist and I never worked at NASA,' Issacman plans to tell the committee, according to his prepared remarks. 'I do not think these are weaknesses. In fact, I believe President Trump found them to be strengths. And if confirmed, I will bring all my experience to the greatest adventure in human history — the quest to discover the secrets of the universe.' If confirmed, Isaacman would be only the fourth of 15 NASA administrators to have actually traveled to space. Isaacman's nomination has been met with some skepticism, as well as widespread optimism and enthusiasm from space industry leaders. A group of high-profile former astronauts, for example, cosigned a letter to Senate Commerce committee leadership advocating for Isaacman's approval. 'We believe that Jared Isaacman is uniquely qualified to lead NASA at this critical juncture,' the letter states. 'Jared will be able to apply his vision and business acumen to make NASA a continued leader and fulfill its mission of exploration, inspiration, and discovery while expanding commercial opportunities that benefit all Americans.' Isaacman is, however, certain to face questions about potential conflicts of interest, as he has invested millions of dollars into SpaceX, and was pursuing a multimission development program with the company. (According to a document outlining his plan to comply with ethics laws, Isaacman said he will resign as CEO of Shift4 Payments but will retain his financial interest in the company — which holds SpaceX stock — if confirmed for the NASA post.) Isaacman also has a close relationship with Musk, who is heading the recently established Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The initiative has been working to implement sweeping spending cuts and workforce reductions across the federal government. Democratic lawmakers have cried foul over DOGE's interactions with NASA, saying that Musk could use his role at DOGE to curry favor for SpaceX. The company holds billions of dollars' worth of contracts with NASA and is set to compete for more lucrative deals with the agency in the coming years. DOGE and NASA also assembled a 'Tiger Team' that worked to pinpoint how the agency might cut spending and downsize its staff. Already, the space agency has shuttered two of its top policy offices and scrubbed references to gender and racial diversity from its websites and communications in response to Trump's executive order to abandon diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The changes have rankled some high-ranking staff and career professionals at NASA. 'There's a massive concern across the agency that, among other issues, we're going to have significant brain drain that will affect not only current missions but engineering and science for generations to come,' one NASA employee told CNN in March. NASA workers are also bracing for potentially drastic cuts to the space agency's science initiatives. While NASA is perhaps best known for its human spaceflight endeavors, it's also responsible for carrying out billions of dollars' worth of scientific research — including climate studies and space telescope projects that aim to investigate the origins of the universe. Some NASA staffers have told CNN they are bracing for workforce reductions and budget cuts to the tune of 50%. Cuts of that size would 'have devastating consequences for both the country and for NASA,' said George Whitesides, the vice ranking member of the House science committee during a hearing on April 1. It is not certain at this point, however, that NASA will be expected to make such drastic cuts. The Trump administration has not yet released its budget request, and NASA has not revealed the contents of an agency reorganization plan that leadership — including acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro — hashed out alongside DOGE in March. Isaacman does plan to name science as one of his top priorities, according to his prepared remarks. 'We will leverage NASA's scientific talent and capabilities to enable academic institutions and industry to increase the rate of world-changing discoveries,' he said. 'We will launch more telescopes, more probes, more rovers and endeavor to better understand our planet and the universe beyond.' It's also unclear whether Isaacman may seek to implement changes to plans involving other NASA programs, such as the International Space Station. The football field-size laboratory has continually hosted rotating crews of astronauts for nearly 25 years. NASA has insisted that it must have alternative space stations in orbit around Earth before the agency winds down ISS operations, which cost about $3 billion per year. But Musk made waves in February when he publicly asserted that the space station has 'served its purpose' and should be disposed of in the next couple of years — far faster than NASA's current timeline to continue the orbiting laboratory's operations through at least 2030. Isaacman will not comment on the space station in opening remarks, according to his prepared statement. Other issues he may be asked to address include potential plans to downsize NASA's presence at the nation's capital and move operations to the agency's field centers, rumors that the Trump administration may move to cancel NASA's Space Launch System rocket, and how Isaacman will handle oversight of key SpaceX milestones — including reviews of the company's Starship rocket.
