Written by Reananda Hidayat PermonoCompleted Master of Science - MS, Petroleum Geology from Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
NASA has a remarkable list of accomplishments in 2022, including flying the first reusable spacecraft and expanding our knowledge of the universe.
Bill Nelson, the NASA Administrator, told an audience of students that a moon landing is only one step toward a bigger goal.
Standing in the same spot Kennedy did in 1962, Nelson said NASA was ready to return humanity to Mars.
Here are some outstanding NASA accomplishments in 2022:
1. James Webb Space Telescope
In July, NASA released the debut picture captured by the James Webb Space Telescope that captured a field of galaxies and stars as much as 13 billion light-years away.
We were getting familiar with some cool names like Tarantula Nebula, Cartwheel Galaxy, and the Phantom Galaxy.
2. The first evidence of alien life
The Mars Perseverance Rover has gathered evidence about the existence of life on other planets.
NASA is investigating the Jezero Crater on Mars since it has the highest concentration of organic matter.
3. DART Mission
In September, NASA crashed a spacecraft into Dimorphos asteroid to observe if it could move the rock.
One month later, NASA reported the crash successfully impacted Dimorphos’ orbit, far exceeding NASA’s goal for the experiment.
4. Artemis I will return to the moon
After experiencing multiple launch delays, the Artemis I mission is ready to fly to the moon.
It’s the first in a three-phase program aiming to put people back on the moon since Apollo in December 1972.