NASA Chief Hits Out After Long March 5B Chinese Rocket Lands Near Maldives
On 5/9/21 at 5:29 AM EDT
NASA officials have launched an attack on China s lack of transparency and failure to act responsibly over the re-entry of its Long March 5B rocket.
The rocket broke up as it reentered Earth s atmosphere with its remnants landing north of the Maldives, in the Indian Ocean, according to Space Force s 18 Space Control Squadron.
It added the Long March 5B, which was made of four boosters and a core stage, fell into the sea at 10:14 p.m. on Saturday. It was launched from Hainan island on April 29.
"Exploration is a global endeavor, each milestone contributing to humanity s understanding of the universe, and we look forward to China s contributions to increased scientific understanding," NASA
New NASA Administrator: It s a new day in space
The New Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, former Florida Senator Bill Nelson, says it s a new day in space moments after being sworn in. (May 3) AP
President Biden’s pick for
NASA administrator former Florida Senator Bill Nelson was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on April 29. Nelson becomes NASA’s 14th administrator, succeeding former Republican Congressman Jim Bridenstine, another political appointee. Steve Jurczyk has served as acting administrator since Bridenstine stepped down after the inauguration.
“I am honored by the President’s nomination and the Senate vote,” Nelson said. “I will try to merit that trust. Onward and upward!”
Nelson served on space committees in both houses of Congress while he was a lawmaker. He is also known for being the second member of congress to travel to space, as he was a payload specialist on a Columbia Space Shuttle mission in January 1986. This mission was the last successful space shuttle flight prior to the Challenger accident.
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Four astronauts blasted off to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral early Friday, marking NASA’s first-ever launch with a slightly-used SpaceX rocket and capsule. After a one-day weather delay, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and the Endeavour Crew Dragon module lifted off at 5:49 am as planned.
“Endeavour launches once again four astronauts from three countries to the one and only International Space Station,” said a voice from NASA Mission Control.
This is the third successful SpaceX launch for NASA in the past 11 months and sets the stage for a possible lunar landing with the firm s Starship spacecraft. SpaceX founder Elon Musk, dressed in a rakish black suit and wearing a black bandana across his face (the others wore masks) for Friday’s post-launch press conference, said that a 2024 moon landing is next.