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NASA\u2019s current class of astronaut candidates toured the agency\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley, including a stop at the Arc Jet Complex, on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. In the arc jet facilities, Ames researchers test advanced materials that protect spacecraft from the extremely high temperatures of entering an atmosphere \u2013 whether Earth\u2019s, Mars\u2019, or another in our solar system.<\/p>\n
Among the candidates aiming to join America\u2019s astronaut corps are women and men who will potentially fly on future Artemis missions, performing science on the Moon and exploring the resources it holds. Work performed in the arc jet will help ensure all Artemis astronauts return home safely. For Artemis I, launched in November 2022, material used in the Orion crew module\u2019s heat shield was tested here at Ames.<\/p>\n
The astronaut candidates \u2013 including former Ames intern Deniz Burnham \u2013 also visited other Ames facilities, learning about their contributions to Artemis and more. These include wind tunnel testing and supercomputer simulations of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket; development of the Astrobee free-flying robots that could assist future astronauts on missions; space biosciences research that will help keep crew healthy; and flight simulations at the Vertical Motion Simulator, where NASA\u2019s\u00a0human landing system\u00a0program partners analyzed and improved early lander concepts to deliver humans to the lunar surface as part of the Artemis missions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n