CBell

News Field Producer, Opinions are mine only and retweets are not endorsements

[L.A. in a Minute @LaInaMinute]

Today’s unveiling of the Space Shuttle Endeavour in vertical position was absolutely breathtaking.

This is the only space shuttle in the entire world to be displayed vertically. It’ll open to the public on November 13 at the @casciencecenter.

Let’s get into it!

[IGW @interstellargw]

FIRST LOOK: The California Science Center has announced that the “Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center” expansion will open November 13th, 2026

Featuring the full-stack vertical display of @NASA Space Shuttle Endeavor

📸 - California Science Center

[Bryan Norcross @bnorcross]

TROPICS UPDATE: The eastern tropical Pacific is warm, the Atlantic and Caribbean are cool, the El Niño is kicking in, and the Saharan dust is surging. All that adds up to quiet across the Gulf, Caribbean, and tropical Atlantic at least through June. More at https://t.co/PicsKl6xn5

[Hamilton @HamiltonMusical]

George Washington's coming home. Christopher Jackson returns to Hamilton on Broadway from September 8, 2026 - January 3, 2027.

[National Hurricane Center @NWSNHC]

The National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Michael Brennan will provide the LIVE update on Potential Tropical Cyclone One in the Gulf around 11:15 AM EDT today June 16, 2026. Please join us on Facebook Live and the NHC YouTube Page at: https://t.co/rI6en9YUJX

[Lockheed Martin @LockheedMartin]

X-59 mission conditions flight. ✔️

Today the aircraft flew at its intended conditions to create a quiet boom, reaching Mach 1.4 and 55,000 feet!

[Danny Bernstein 🍇🥬 @bernsteind]

autonomous robot driving through the field at night. no chemicals. no pesticides. just UV light killing pathogens and pests while everyone sleeps. this is @tricrobotics.

this is what chemical-free pest control looks like at scale.

[NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman @NASAAdmin]

Starting with some energy, and my inability to write brief updates, I am just extremely proud of the NASA crew, our industry, and our international partners. We are getting into a rhythm here at NASA. Earlier this year, setbacks put the Artemis II rocket back in the VAB for repairs, and we determined it was necessary to add another mission, Artemis III in 2027. Since then, we have unveiled the Ignition plans to build a Moon Base and nuclear-powered spaceships, launched a highly successful mission around the Moon, brought the crew home safely, and now watched the torch pass to Artemis III. There will be no shortage of major milestones to celebrate in the months ahead as we build the Moon Base and launch the Nancy Grace Roman telescope. I am beyond proud of the team and all the momentum and excitement around the space program.

I do want to take this moment to address two of the questions I have been seeing since the crew announcement.

Why are there no women assigned to Artemis III?

I have seen reactions ranging from disappointment to outrage. I have personally been to space twice with 50% female crews. My closest advisors and some of the smartest engineers I know are women. In our latest NASA leadership organization, nearly 50% of the Center Directors and Mission Directorate leadership are women. The last astronaut candidate class selected under this Administration was majority female because they were the best of the best, including one astronaut I previously went to space with.

In a world with so much controversy, I hope this can be a moment where we celebrate the astronauts selected, respect the integrity of the process, and recognize the extraordinary depth of talent across the entire corps. The crew selection does not involve any political appointees. The Astronaut Office assigns the crew that gives the mission the best chance of meeting its objectives, taking into account many factors, including the background and expertise of the astronauts, such as test pilot experience, development work on specific programs, and availability. For example, those raising this concern may not be aware of the pipeline of crews already preparing to launch to the Space Station, or those who have been undergoing lunar-specific training that would be a better fit for a future surface mission.

The Artemis III astronauts are experienced, qualified, and deserve to be celebrated for the mission they have been assigned, just as the crews that follow will be celebrated when their time comes. We have an extraordinary astronaut corps, and every mission and every crew is part of a larger campaign to get America back to the Moon and to build the future we all dreamed about as children.

What are the objectives for Artemis III if both landers will not be fully ready?

Coming off a highly successful lunar mission like Artemis II, it is not surprising that the bar is set high for Artemis III. I think it is important to understand how difficult and dangerous it is to land astronauts on the Moon. We have not done it in a very long time, and we want to draw from a past playbook for success. That means getting into a cadence of launching, learning, and rolling improvements into the next mission.

First and foremost, it is imperative for SLS to be flying with some frequency for operational currency and, honestly, safety. Earlier this year, it was very clear across NASA leadership that an additional mission was necessary in 2027. It is also imperative to gain interoperability data from rendezvous and docking with landers in Earth orbit. We do not need those landers that are still in development to be fully capable and certified for landing on the Moon on Artemis III, but we do need to test certain systems and controllability. Not to mention, we are moving quickly into a future where we do not require a single rocket to bring everything necessary for a mission to space, and as such, gaining experience with multi-launch campaigns and on-orbit assembly is directionally correct.

The Blue Origin test lander for Artemis III will incorporate many of the most important systems and subsystems that have not previously been operated by the provider, including ECLSS in a crew cabin, and other avionics. With SpaceX, they have demonstrated many of those capabilities continuously on Crew Dragon, but other controllability tests are important based on the negative-X axis acceleration that will be necessary when Starship undertakes the TLI burn to the Moon with a docked Orion.

After Artemis III, we will learn a lot and roll in further improvements, be that hardware, software, or procedural updates, as both providers undertake end-to-end uncrewed demonstrations to the surface in 2028, in advance of Artemis IV, where NASA astronauts will finally complete the grand return to the Moon.

As I said in my remarks yesterday, when Gene Cernan left the lunar surface on Apollo 17, he said, “We leave as we came, and, God willing, we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.” We are returning, and we are doing so with the fire carried forward from Apollo, the lessons learned from Artemis II, the crew of Artemis III, and all those who will follow. NASA will send the very best crews for the right missions. If the composition of our astronaut corps and our latest class of candidates says anything, it is that we have exactly the talent required to get the job done.

Godspeed Artemis III, and all those who will follow.

[CBell @ChipBell404]

Artemis 3 astronauts announced today at Johnson Space Center.

[CBell @ChipBell404]

@jardelito coal

[Jeff Foust @jeff_foust]

Quantum Space, a company developing highly maneuverable spacecraft whose CEO is former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, is going public through a SPAC merger: https://t.co/gSoUO8S5wV

[All Fútbol MX 🇲🇽 @AllFutbolMX]

Spain’s national team was welcomed to Puebla with mariachis, sombreros, and fans gathering to greet them. 🇪🇸

Mexico shows love and respect to every team that arrives on Mexican soil ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup!

The beautiful game. ❤️🏆🤝🏼

[NASA @NASA]

Coming soon: one of history’s most complex missions

Tune in on Tuesday, June 9, at 11am ET, to meet the astronauts flying aboard Artemis III, the mission that will test docking capabilities with commercial landers in low Earth orbit — an important step to crewed lunar landings.

[Axiom Space @Axiom_Space]

Axiom Space has teamed up again with @Prada to introduce the Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment (LCVG), the innermost layer within the #AxEMU spacesuit that is designed to protect astronauts from the elements when they explore the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years.

The LCVG collaboration draws on Prada's expertise in engineered knitting and innovative design concepts, resulting in a next-generation garment that maintains cooling and ventilation while enhancing comfort during up to eight-hour spacewalks.

Collaborating with industry pioneers like Prada allows us to combine our technical expertise with leaders across different sectors, fostering innovation and teamwork to deliver advanced technologies that will return America to the Moon.

Learn more: https://t.co/ra23WrbLs1

[SKB @seyikanbai]

The moment Christian Eriksen collapsed, teammates and opponents came together as one to support him. ❤️⚽

Some things are bigger than football.

[PRADA @Prada]

Ahead of humanity’s return to the lunar surface, Axiom Space and Prada unveiled the Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment (LCVG) designed to be worn by astronauts inside the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit.
The LCVG collaboration draws on Prada's expertise in design, patternmaking, and advanced materials, resulting in a next-generation garment developed through advanced 3D modeling techniques that maintain cooling and ventilation while enhancing comfort during up to eight-hour spacewalks.
Discover more: https://t.co/0WvsfcLnW6

#Prada #AxEMU @axiom_space

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

The car that used to be in my garage is currently in an Earth-Mars elliptical orbit and will be there for at least 10 million years

[Michel Brewer @MichelBrewer]

Californias best Highway / With Highway 1 open, Big Sur braces for its busiest summer in years https://t.co/A1RPBUzS5a

[Dave Limp @davill]

We have regained some access to Launch Complex 36 and are actively investigating the hotfire anomaly. We will start clearing the pad soon and have a good rebuild plan in place. The booster and GS2s in the integration facility appear healthy from quick looks.

[ULA @ulalaunch]

Good afternoon from Atlas V launch control at Cape Canaveral where fueling is underway with cryogenic propellants for today's Amazon Leo 7 launch carrying 29 advanced broadband spacecraft.

Atlas and Centaur propulsion console operators are performing the steps to command the pad systems to begin flowing 66,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen in the rocket over the next 90 minutes.

We are on schedule to launch the Atlas V 551 rocket at 7:33:30 p.m. EDT (2333:30 UTC). The weather forecast remains 30 percent favorable.

https://t.co/5bAKrECLty