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Transcript/ScriptThe Week in Space (TV)
HEADLINE: NASA's Moon Mission Setbacks
TEASER: Space agency again scraps test launch of massive moon rocket
PUBLISHED AT: 9/1/2022 AT 4:15PM
BYLINE: Arash Arabasadi
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER: VOA/ AP/ NASA/ SPACEX/ SKY
SCRIPT EDITORS:
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA/ AP/ NASA/ SPACEX/ SKY
SCRIPT EDITORS: caw, Reifenrath
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO __
TRT: 2:58
NOTE:
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVPKG
UPDATE:))
((INTRO))
[NASA’s moon mission suffers another setback. Plus, a look back at a space travel pioneer, and a private spaceflight company continues earning frequent flyer miles. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space.]]
((NARRATOR))
You’ve probably heard by now that NASA scrubbed a test flight of its massive Space Launch System moon rocket. The agency canceled the August 29th launch after a series of issues, including engine trouble. The recent setback joins a long list of delays for what NASA describes as the most powerful rocket ever built.
[RADIO TRACK: NASA Administrator Bill Nelson speaking at an agency news conference, as carried by The Associated Press.]
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((Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator))
“This is a brand-new rocket. It’s not going to fly until it’s ready. There are millions of components of this rocket and its systems. And needless to say, the complexity is daunting when you bring it all into the focus of a countdown.”
((mandatory cg: NASA))
((NARRATOR))
The ultimate goal of NASA’s Artemis missions is to return humans to the moon for the first time in half a century. The agency bills Artemis as a steppingstone toward deeper space travel, including to Mars and beyond.
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((NARRATOR))
Artemis (one) will be an uncrewed lunar voyage carrying test dummies. Artemis (two) will carry people. NASA has rescheduled the Artemis one launch for Saturday, hardware and weather permitting.
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((NARRATOR))
Meanwhile, private spaceflight company SpaceX has sent more of its Starlink satellites into orbit. According to officials, this batch of 54 joins a constellation of satellites that provide high-speed internet to underserved parts of the world.
((mandatory cg: SPACEX))
((NARRATOR))
SpaceX followed that launch days later with this one Tuesday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Onboard the company’s Falcon 9 rocket were another 46 Starlink satellites. After completing its seventh mission, the reusable booster touched down on a landing platform in the Pacific Ocean.
((NARRATOR))
Also, this week in 1983, Guion ((GUY-on)) Bluford, Junior became the first Black astronaut in space, blasting off aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. Bluford was one of 35 candidates NASA chose in 1978 from a crop of 10-thousand applicants. He flew several missions for NASA, including the agency's 22nd mission of its space shuttle program. That mission still holds the record for most people on a single spaceflight, at eight. It was Challenger’s final trip before exploding after takeoff in 1986. Today, Bluford is 79.
((mandatory cg: SKY))
((NARRATOR))
Finally, this week, the European Space Agency is finishing a satellite it says will provide crucial climate information to researchers on Earth. Its key technological component, a P-band radar that monitors large wavelengths, would be the first time such forest-monitoring technology has gone to space. Scientists say the Biomass satellite will give them insight into how much carbon is stored in forests as humans cut or burn them down. COVID-19 pushed back a lot of their work, but scientists say they plan to launch Biomass in 2023.
((Arash Arabasadi, VOA News)
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Washington D.C.
Embargo DateSeptember 1, 2022 16:00 EDT
BylineVOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space.
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
