www.theguardian.com/science/2022/dec/31/space-exploration-key-events-2022-nasa
Orion splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on 11 December, 50 years to the day since two Apollo 17 astronauts became the last of only 12 moonwalkers in history. Mission managers are still assessing data from the Artemis mission but the program looks on track for a crewed lunar flyby in 2024 and a scheduled moon landing the year after.
A glimpse of creation
In July, the $10bn James Webb space telescope sent back the highest resolution images ever seen of distant galaxies as they were billions of years ago, promising astronomers a glimpse into the dawn of creation.
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An image of Jupiter taken by James Webb space telescope, shows the planet’s weather patterns, tiny moons, altitude levels, cloud covers and auroras at the northern and southern poles. Photograph: Nasa/AFP/Getty Images
The stunning clear color pictures of the unseen universe were hailed by the Nasa chief, Bill Nelson, as a new era in astronomy, showcasing Webb’s ability to peer back 13.5bn years, close to the big bang. “We are going back almost to the beginning,” he said.
In November, Webb found two more galaxies, one that may have formed just 350m years after the big bang.
A moving occasion
Nasa says Dart mission succeeded in shifting asteroid’s orbit
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In a “watershed moment for planetary defense” in September, Nasa crashed a multimillion-dollar, car-sized spacecraft into an asteroid the size of a football stadium and proved for the first time it could alter the orbit of a celestial body.
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