The NESC Mechanical Systems TDT provides broad support across NASA’s mission directorates. We are a diverse group representing a variety of sub-disciplines including bearings, gears, metrology, lubrication and tribology, mechanism design, analysis and testing, fastening systems, valve engineering, actuator engineering, pyrotechnics, mechatronics, and motor controls. In addition to providing technical support, theTDT owns and maintains […]
Tag Archives | planethunt
NESC Assists in Heatshield Investigation
NASA’s uncrewed Artemis I mission launched from KSC on November 16, 2022. After a successful mission that included orbiting the Moon, the Orion spacecraft returned to Earth splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2022. While the spacecraft made a safe return to Earth, postflight inspection of Orion’s thermal protection indicated that the […]
Laboratory Director Tawnya Plummer Laughinghouse
“When I transitioned from Spelman to Georgia Tech, it was probably the first time in my life that I had a professor that made me question if I belonged or had what it takes. Previously, I was always used as an example of how students should study, and now, in my first chemical engineering class, […]
25 Years Ago: STS-103, The Hubble Servicing Mission-3A
“Trying to do stellar observations from Earth is like trying to do birdwatching from the bottom of a lake.” James B. Odom, Hubble Program Manager 1983-1990. The third servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, placed in orbit in 1990, occurred during the STS-103 mission in December 1999. During the mission, originally planned for June […]
NASA Study Shows Ferns Facilitate Recovery from Environmental Disaster
NASA-supported scientists have suggested an updated framework for the role of ferns in environmental recovery from disaster. Instead of competing with other organisms, ferns may act as facilitators that ease the way for other plants and animals to re-establish themselves in a damaged landscape. The study examines how a biosphere recovers from major upheaval, be […]
NASA, Notre Dame Connect Students to Inspire STEM Careers
2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Rebecca Anderson, a junior enrolled at the Portage School of Leaders High School in South Bend, Indiana, spent time with NASA Glenn Research Center’s Daniel Sutliff, an acoustic engineer, on the campus of the University of Notre Dame on Nov. 7, 2024. Students witnessed […]
NASA Flight Rerouting Tool Curbs Delays, Emissions
2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy and Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails visit the American Airlines Integrated Operations Center near Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on a recent trip to see NASA’s digital tools for aviation efficiency in operational use. American Airlines It’s the holiday […]
55 Years Ago: Apollo 13, Preparations for the Third Moon Landing
As 1969, an historic year that saw not just one but two successful human lunar landings, drew to a close, NASA continued preparations for its planned third Moon landing mission, Apollo 13, then scheduled for launch on March 12, 1970. The Apollo 13 prime crew of Commander James A. Lovell , Command Module Pilot (CMP) […]
NASA, Axiom Space Change Assembly Order of Commercial Space Station
3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) A digital rendering of the completed Axiom Station, which includes the Payload, Power, and Thermal Module, Habitat 1, an airlock, Habitat 2, and the Research and Manufacturing Facility. Credits: Axiom Space In coordination with NASA, Axiom Space modified its planned assembly sequence to accelerate […]
Orion Spacecraft Tested in Ohio After Artemis I Mission
5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The Orion Environmental Test Article photographed inside the Thermal Vacuum Chamber on April 11, 2024, in the Space Environments Complex at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. Credit: NASA/Quentin Schwinn Making the voyage 1.4 million miles around the Moon and back — […]
Hubble Images a Grand Spiral
Hubble Space Telescope Hubble Home Overview About Hubble The History of Hubble Hubble Timeline Why Have a Telescope in Space? Hubble by the Numbers At the Museum FAQs Impact & Benefits Hubble’s Impact & Benefits Science Impacts Cultural Impact Technology Benefits Impact on Human Spaceflight Astro Community Impacts Science Hubble Science Science Themes Science Highlights […]
Sols 4386-4388: Powers of Ten
Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions The Solar System The Sun […]
Hubble Spots a Spiral in the Celestial River
Hubble Space Telescope Home Hubble Spots a Spiral in the… Hubble Space Telescope Hubble Home Overview About Hubble The History of Hubble Hubble Timeline Why Have a Telescope in Space? Hubble by the Numbers At the Museum FAQs Impact & Benefits Hubble’s Impact & Benefits Science Impacts Cultural Impact Technology Benefits Impact on Human Spaceflight […]