NASA Administrator Statement on Deputy Administrator Confirmation

U.S. Senate Deputy Sergeant at Arms Jim Morhard appears before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation as the nominee for deputy administrator of NASA on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018, in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington. Morhard was confirmed as NASA's 14th deputy administrator on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018.

The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine about the Senate confirmation of James Morhard as the agency’s deputy administrator:/span>

“Congratulations to Jim Morhard! He was confirmed as the 14th Deputy Administrator of NASA on Thursday, Oct. 11.

“He joins our amazing agency at a crucial time in history. NASA is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, and I look forward to working with him as we look towards NASA’s next 60 years. His legislative and managerial talents will serve NASA well as we accomplish stunning achievements.”

Missouri, Colorado Students to Speak with Astronaut on Space Station

Elementary school students from Missouri and Colorado will talk live with an astronaut on the International Space Station next week. Both Earth-to-space calls will air live on NASA television and the agency’s website.NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor will answer questions posed by 4th grade students from Katie Harper Wright Elementary School in St. Louis at 1:15 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 15. The downlink is in association with the National Park Service’s recognition of both the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System and NASA’s 60th anniversary. 

A National Park Service mascot, Seaman Jr., a plush toy replica of the original Newfoundland dog, Seaman made its way to the International Space Station. Seaman explored the trail with his owner, Capt. Meriwether Lewis and colleague 2nd Lt. William Clarkon their Corps of Discovery Expedition across the Louisiana Purchase from 1804 to 1806. From the space station’s unparalleled perspective of Earth, Seaman Jr. tracked the 3,700 mile Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. Seaman Jr.’s travels abroad the station will debut during the downlink.The event will be held the Gateway Arch National Park at 11 North 4th St, St. Louis. Media interested in covering should contact Erin Hilligoss-Volkmann at erin_hilligoss-volkmann@nps.govor 314-655-1615.

Auñón-Chancellor also will answer questions from Frontier Academy and Dos Rios Elementary School students at noon on Thursday, Oct. 18 in Evans, Colorado. The downlink will be hosted by High Plains Library District based in Greeley, Colorado, in collaboration with the Space Science Institute and its National Center for Interactive Learning. Students will participate in hands-on science and engineering activities surrounding the downlink, and the event will be streamed live to other public libraries and schools across the country.

NASA to Air International Space Station Update Briefing Today

NASA will hold a news conference at noon EDT today, to provide a status update on the International Space Station following this morning’s Soyuz spacecraft abort during launch that ended with the safe landing of two Expedition 57 crew members.

The briefing will originate from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and air live on NASA TV and the agency’s website.

The Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft carrying Nick Hague of NASA and Alexey Ovchinin of the Russian space agency Roscosmos launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:40 a.m. EDT (2:40 p.m. Baikonur time). Shortly after launch, there was an anomaly with the booster and the ascent to orbit was aborted resulting in a ballistic landing of the spacecraft in Kazakhstan.

Search and rescue teams were deployed to the landing site, and Hague and Ovchinin were recovered from the capsule and are in good condition. They were then transported to the launch site at Baikonur, where they were greeted by their families, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, and other NASA and Roscosmos officials.

The news conference participants are:

• Kenny Todd, International Space Station Operations Integration Manager
• Reid Wiseman, Deputy Chief Astronaut

U.S. reporters who would like to cover the news conference in person must request credentials from the Johnson newsroom as soon as possible by calling 281-483-5111.  Reporters who would like to participate by telephone must call the newsroom by 11:45 a.m.

NASA Statement on Soyuz MS-10 Launch Abort

The following is a statement about Thursday’s Soyuz MS-10 launch abort to the International Space Station:“The Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station at 4:40 a.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 11 (2:40 p.m. in Baikonur) carrying American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin. Shortly after launch, there was an anomaly with the booster and the launch ascent was aborted, resulting in a ballistic landing of the spacecraft.

“Search and rescue teams were deployed to the landing site. Hague and Ovchinin are out of the capsule and are reported to be in good condition. They will be transported to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia outside of Moscow.

“NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and the NASA team are monitoring the situation carefully. NASA is working closely with Roscosmos to ensure the safe return of the crew. Safety of the crew is the utmost priority for NASA. A thorough investigation into the cause of the incident will be conducted.”