Monday, April 20, 2026

SpaceX Falcon 9 Makes 600th First Stage Landing

SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Makes 600th First Stage Landing

SpaceX: "That’s 496 landings on our droneships and 104 on our landing zones."

"First Orbital Class Rocket Capable of Reflight"
Falcon 9 is a partially "reusable, two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond. Reusability allows SpaceX to refly the most expensive parts of the rocket, which in turn drives down the cost of space access." Falcon 9's first stage incorporates nine Merlin engines.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 second stage does not typically land or get recovered. Unlike the first-stage booster that lands vertically for reuse, the second stage is designed to be expended after delivering the payload. It either burns up upon atmospheric re-entry or completes a controlled re-entry over the ocean to minimize space debris.

Learn more about SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch vehicle:
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/falcon-9


Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)
Duration: 23 seconds
Release Date: April 19, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #Orbit #LEO #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Falcon9Rockets #ReusableRockets #FirstRocketStageLandings #Starlink #StarlinkSatellites #CommunicationSatellites #ElonMusk #GwynneShotwell #Spaceflight #SpaceTechnology #Aerospace #Engineering #CommercialSpace #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

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NASA Artemis II Moon Crew Recovery Operations: New Photos

NASA Artemis II Moon Crew Recovery Operations: New Photos

Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, from NASA, is extracted from NASA’s Orion spacecraft and loaded onto an inflatable raft, called the front porch, following splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California.
Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, from NASA, is extracted from NASA’s Orion spacecraft and loaded onto an inflatable raft, called the front porch, following splashdown
Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch, from NASA, is extracted from NASA’s Orion spacecraft and loaded onto an inflatable raft, called the front porch
Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch, from NASA, is extracted from NASA’s Orion spacecraft and loaded onto an inflatable raft
Artemis II Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), is extracted from NASA’s Orion spacecraft and loaded onto an inflatable raft
Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover, from NASA, is extracted from NASA’s Orion spacecraft and loaded onto an inflatable raft
From left to right, Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, are extracted from NASA’s Orion spacecraft and loaded onto an inflatable raft
From left to right, Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, are extracted from NASA’s Orion spacecraft and loaded onto an inflatable raft

The first crewed test flight of NASA’s Artemis program lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1, 2026, carrying the first astronauts to travel to the Moon in more than half a century. 

During their nearly 10-day mission, the crew completed a record-setting lunar flyby, taking them 252,756 miles at their farthest distance from Earth and 4,067 miles above the lunar surface at their closest approach. 

Artemis II splashed down at 8:07 p.m. April 10 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. Following splashdown and recovery, the four crew members underwent post-mission medical evaluations before returning to shore and boarding an aircraft bound for Houston. Upon arrival, the crew was welcomed by and reunited with their families, friends, and agency workforce. The crew now will begin their postflight reconditioning, medical and human performance evaluations, and lunar science debriefs.

Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Learn more about NASA's Artemis II Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/


Credit: NASA/Kevin Davis
Date: April 10, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #ParachuteLanding #Astronauts #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #CSA #Canada #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #PacificOcean #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education
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NASA Rolls Out Artemis III Rocket Core Stage | Michoud Assembly Facility

NASA Rolls Out Artemis III Rocket Core Stage | Michoud Assembly Facility

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans, Louisiana, on April 20, 2026. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths—the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt—of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration.

Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast.

Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. 

NASA will announce specifics on the Artemis III mission design and crew closer to the 2027 launch. It is anticipated that NASA's Artemis III mission in low Earth orbit will test integrated operations between the Orion spacecraft and one or both commercial landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin, respectively.

Learn more: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-iii/


Video Credits: NASA//Evan Deroche/Michael DeMocker/Sam Lott/Brandon Hancock
Duration: 1 minute, 32 seconds
Date: April 20, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #MoonLanders #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #CoreStage #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAMichoud #MAF #NewOrleans #Louisiana #NASAKennedy #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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NASA Rolls Out Artemis III Rocket Core Stage | Michoud Assembly Facility

NASA Rolls Out Artemis III Rocket Core Stage | Michoud Assembly Facility








NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans, Louisiana, on April 20, 2026. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths—the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt—of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration.

Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast.

Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. 

NASA will announce specifics on the Artemis III mission design and crew closer to the 2027 launch. It is anticipated that NASA's Artemis III mission in low Earth orbit will test integrated operations between the Orion spacecraft and one or both commercial landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin, respectively.

Learn more: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-iii/


Image Credits: NASA/Evan Deroche/Michael DeMocker/Sam Lott/Brandon Hancock
Date: April 20, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #MoonLanders #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #CoreStage #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAMichoud #MAF #NewOrleans #Louisiana #NASAKennedy #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education
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Slideshow: NASA Astronaut Candidate Christina Hammock Koch Back in 2013

Slideshow: NASA Astronaut Candidate Christina Hammock Koch Back in 2013

NASA astronaut candidate Christina Koch (maiden name Hammock) in 2013: "I really strongly believe in both the practical aspects of the research being conducted as well as the larger picture of the human spaceflight program bringing us forward as a human race and uniting us in exploring the universe." 

In 2012, Christina joined the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), first as a field engineer at the Global Monitoring Division Baseline Observatory in Barrow, Alaska (now Utqiaġvik), and then as station chief of the American Samoa Observatory. 

Christina Hammock Koch [pronounced “Cook”] was later selected as a NASA astronaut candidate in 2013. Prior to her historic Artemis II Moon Mission, she served as flight engineer on the International Space Station (ISS) for Expeditions 59, 60 and 61. Koch set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with a total of 328 days in space and participated in the first all-female spacewalk.

Christina Koch Biographies:
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-h-koch
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-hammock-koch/biography

Artemis II mission specialist and NASA astronaut Christina Koch joined NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a nearly 10-day lunar flyby mission, surpassing the Apollo 13 record for farthest crewed spaceflight and observing the lunar surface like never before, capturing iconic views.

Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Learn more about NASA's Artemis II Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/


Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Duration: 48 seconds
Release Date: June 19, 2013

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #Astronauts #ChristinaKoch #ElectricalEngineers #WomenInSTEM #Leadership #AstronautCandidates #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAJohnson #NOAA #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #Europe #Humanity #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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Commander Reid Wiseman Crew Update | NASA Artemis II Moon Mission

Commander Reid Wiseman Crew Update | NASA Artemis II Moon Mission

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10, 2026, concluding the Artemis II mission. Our Artemis II crew accomplished many milestones on their nearly 10-day mission, surpassing the Apollo 13 record for farthest crewed spaceflight and capturing unprecedented views of the far side of the Moon.

Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Learn more about NASA's Artemis II Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Get ready for NASA's Artemis III Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-iii/


Video Credit: NASA/JSC, R. Wiseman
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: April 20, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #Astronauts #ReidWiseman #ChristinaKoch #VictorGlover #JeremyHansen #CSA #Canada #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAJohnson #JSC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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Explore The Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius | Hubble Space Telescope

Explore The Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius | Hubble Space Telescope

“Fly” through the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s view of the Trifid Nebula. The video “floats” over the ridges of gas and dust and moves up toward Herbig-Haro 399 at the top of a brown cloud that resembles a head with horns. The thinner, irregular line pointing left formed from the ejections of an actively forming star. To its left is a small, faint pillar. Much of this pillar’s gas and dust has been blown away, but the densest material at the top persists.

The Trifid Nebula (cataloged as Messier 20 or M20 and as NGC 6514) is an H II region in the northwest of the Sagittarius constellation in a star-forming region in the Milky Way's Scutum–Centaurus Arm. It was discovered by Charles Messier on June 5, 1764. Its name means 'three-lobe'. The object is an unusual combination of an open cluster of stars, an emission nebula, a reflection nebula, and a dark nebula.

The colors in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope tell a story about density in the Trifid Nebula, a star-forming region about 5,000 light-years from Earth. The top left, where it is bright blue, has the smallest amount of dust. Here, powerful ultraviolet light stripped electrons from nearby gas, creating a glow, with winds creating a bubble by clearing out surrounding dust. An example of active cloud destruction is toward the top of the head-shaped area with two “horns.” Bright yellow gas streams upward where gas and dust are being destroyed.

Thicker dust appears dark brown, like mud. In the far-right corner, nearly pitch black, the dust is the densest. Fully formed stars (bright orange orbs) are scattered across the scene. Their light and stellar winds have also cleared the immediate areas around them.


Credits: NASA, ESA, STScI, Leah Hustak (STScI), Christian Nieves (STScI). Image Processing: J. DePasquale (STScI), A. Pagan (STScI). Contributors: Subaru Telescope, R. Gendler. Acknowledgement: G. Bacon (STScI), J. Muzerolle (STScI), F. Summers (STScI)
Duration: 45 seconds
Release Date: April 20, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebulae #Stars #StarClusters #TrifidNebula #Messier20 #M20 #NGC6514 #SagittariusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #Visualizations #HD #Video
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“Cosmic Sea Slug” Appears in Hubble’s 36th Birthday Image (1990-2026)

“Cosmic Sea Slug” Appears in Hubble’s 36th Birthday Image (1990-2026)

NASA is celebrating the 36th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope with a stunning new look at the Trifid Nebula, a star-forming region about 5,000 light-years away. Powerful ultraviolet light from massive stars has carved out this glowing bubble, triggering new waves of star birth.

First imaged in 1997, Hubble revisits this scene nearly 30 years later with sharper vision. The image reveals a structure nicknamed the “Cosmic Sea Slug,” including a jet from Herbig-Haro 399, showing how young stars actively shape their surroundings.

Bright stars, dark dust, and glowing gas tell the story of stars forming and evolving. Over time, the nebula will fade, leaving only stars behind. For 36 years, Hubble has transformed how we see the universe, and it’s not done yet.

Sit back and relax as Hubble Senior Project Scientist, Dr. Jennifer Wiseman takes us on a tour of this beautiful image.


Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 
Paul Morris: Lead Producer
Script: Claire Blome (STSci)
Narrator: Dr. Jennifer Wiseman
Duration: 5 minutes
Release Date: April 20, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebulae #Stars #StarClusters #TrifidNebula #Messier20 #M20 #NGC6514 #SagittariusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #JenniferWiseman #Astrophysicist #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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Wider View of Trifid Nebula: Vera Rubin Observatory Image with Hubble Close-up

Wider View of Trifid Nebula: Vera Rubin Observatory Image with Hubble Close-up

At left is a complete view of the Trifid Nebula (Messier 20 or M20) captured by the U.S. National Science Foundation-Department of Energy (NSF-DOE) Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. A white box in the lower-left portion of the pink region shows the area the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope targeted, and Hubble’s new image is featured at right.

Rubin’s field of view is approximately 56 light-years across, while Hubble’s is about four light-years across.

The color assignments in the images vary based on the filters in the telescopes’ cameras. Rubin takes broadband images that capture the full visible spectrum to show natural colors in red, green, and blue. For this image, Hubble captured narrowband images of specific chemical elements. Sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen were mapped to red, green, and blue, respectively, to make this composite image.

Image Description: A ground-based photo of the full Trifid Nebula is shown on the left half with an inset image from the Hubble Space Telescope at right. At left, an irregular mostly opaque circle takes up the majority of the view. The circle has a bright pink interior crossed with a few dark, jagged dust lanes. A significant region around that appears blue. The edges have shades of orange and brown with the star-filled black background of space peeking through. Hubble’s close-up is outlined just below center to the left. The top left is bright blue. Brown and amber colors run from top right through the center in irregular, overlapping lines to the bottom-center. At bottom right, the view is almost black. Tiny, amber-colored stars appear throughout the scene. Toward the left there is a prominent brown shape that looks like a head with two horns.


Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI
Image Processing: J. DePasquale (STScI)
Release Date: April 20, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebulae #Stars #StarClusters #TrifidNebula #Messier20 #M20 #NGC6514 #SagittariusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #RubinObservatory #VeraRubin #CerroPachón #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DOE #AURA #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education
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Close-up: The Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius Revisited | Hubble Space Telescope

Close-up: The Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius Revisited | Hubble Space Telescope

The Trifid Nebula (cataloged as Messier 20 or M20 and as NGC 6514) is an H II region in the northwest of the Sagittarius constellation in a star-forming region in the Milky Way's Scutum–Centaurus Arm. It was discovered by Charles Messier on June 5, 1764. Its name means 'three-lobe'. The object is an unusual combination of an open cluster of stars, an emission nebula, a reflection nebula, and a dark nebula.

The colors in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope tell a story about density in the Trifid Nebula, a star-forming region about 5,000 light-years from Earth. The top left, where it is bright blue, has the smallest amount of dust. Here, powerful ultraviolet light stripped electrons from nearby gas, creating a glow, with winds creating a bubble by clearing out surrounding dust. An example of active cloud destruction is toward the top of the head-shaped area with two “horns.” Bright yellow gas streams upward where gas and dust are being destroyed.

Thicker dust appears dark brown, like mud. In the far-right corner, nearly pitch black, the dust is the densest. Fully formed stars (bright orange orbs) are scattered across the scene. Their light and stellar winds have also cleared the immediate areas around them.

Over millions of years, the gas and dust that make up this nebula (also known as Messier 20 or M20) will disappear and only stars will remain.

Image Description: A tightly cropped Hubble view of a vast star-forming region known as the Trifid Nebula. The top left is bright blue. Brown and amber colors run from top right through the center in irregular, overlapping lines to the bottom-center. At bottom right, the view is almost black. Tiny, amber-colored stars appear throughout the scene. Toward the left there is a prominent brown shape that looks like a head with two horns. The left horn points left and is wavy. The right horn is triangular and points up. The brown dust continues, flowing down, as if along a back, and up toward the top right. A prominent line, about the same length as the left horn, appears below the middle of the body, and changes from orange to red. A small, separate semi-transparent pillar is left of the head. A few slightly larger, blue foreground stars with four diffraction spikes appear in the bottom half.


Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI
Image Processing: J. DePasquale (STScI)
Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: April 20, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebulae #Stars #StarClusters #TrifidNebula #Messier20 #M20 #NGC6514 #SagittariusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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The Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius Revisited | Hubble Space Telescope

The Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius Revisited | Hubble Space Telescope

The Trifid Nebula (cataloged as Messier 20 or M20 and as NGC 6514) is an H II region in the northwest of the Sagittarius constellation in a star-forming region in the Milky Way's Scutum–Centaurus Arm. It was discovered by Charles Messier on June 5, 1764. Its name means 'three-lobe'. The object is an unusual combination of an open cluster of stars, an emission nebula, a reflection nebula, and a dark nebula.

The colors in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope tell a story about density in the Trifid Nebula, a star-forming region about 5,000 light-years from Earth. The top left, where it is bright blue, has the smallest amount of dust. Here, powerful ultraviolet light stripped electrons from nearby gas, creating a glow, with winds creating a bubble by clearing out surrounding dust. An example of active cloud destruction is toward the top of the head-shaped area with two “horns.” Bright yellow gas streams upward where gas and dust are being destroyed.

Thicker dust appears dark brown, like mud. In the far-right corner, nearly pitch black, the dust is the densest. Fully formed stars (bright orange orbs) are scattered across the scene. Their light and stellar winds have also cleared the immediate areas around them.

Over millions of years, the gas and dust that make up this nebula (also known as Messier 20 or M20) will disappear and only stars will remain.

Image Description: A tightly cropped Hubble view of a vast star-forming region known as the Trifid Nebula. The top left is bright blue. Brown and amber colors run from top right through the center in irregular, overlapping lines to the bottom-center. At bottom right, the view is almost black. Tiny, amber-colored stars appear throughout the scene. Toward the left there is a prominent brown shape that looks like a head with two horns. The left horn points left and is wavy. The right horn is triangular and points up. The brown dust continues, flowing down, as if along a back, and up toward the top right. A prominent line, about the same length as the left horn, appears below the middle of the body, and changes from orange to red. A small, separate semi-transparent pillar is left of the head. A few slightly larger, blue foreground stars with four diffraction spikes appear in the bottom half.


Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI
Image Processing: J. DePasquale (STScI)
Release Date: April 20, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebulae #Stars #StarClusters #TrifidNebula #Messier20 #M20 #NGC6514 #SagittariusConstellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education
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Sunday, April 19, 2026

NASA Artemis III Core Rocket Stage Rollout Preview | Michoud Assembly Facility

NASA Artemis III Core Rocket Stage Rollout Preview | Michoud Assembly Facility

The Space Launch System (SLS) core stage for NASA's Artemis III Mission will be rolling out to the Pegasus barge tomorrow, April 20, 2026, as it is prepared for shipping from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans, Louisiana to NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Merritt Island, Florida. This core stage, along with its twin solid rocket boosters, will produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust at launch. 

Watch to learn facts about this powerful piece of rocket hardware . . .

Get ready for NASA's Artemis III Mission in 2027!

The Artemis III Mission will launch crew in the Orion spacecraft on top of the SLS rocket to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land astronauts on the Moon. NASA will announce specifics on the Artemis III mission design and crew closer to the 2027 launch. It is anticipated that NASA's Artemis III mission in low Earth orbit will test integrated operations between the Orion spacecraft and one or both commercial landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin, respectively.

Learn more: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-iii/


Video Credit: NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)
Duration: 1 minute, 49 seconds
Release Date: April 19, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #MoonLanders #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #CoreStage #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAMichoud #MAF #NewOrleans #Louisiana #NASAKennedy #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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New Crew Video: Earthset from Orion Spacecraft | NASA Artemis II Moon Mission

New Crew Video: Earthset from Orion Spacecraft | NASA Artemis II Moon Mission

Artemis II commander and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman: "Only one chance in this lifetime . . . Like watching sunset at the beach from the most foreign seat in the cosmos. I couldn’t resist a cell phone video of Earthset. You can hear the shutter on the Nikon as Christina Koch is hammering away on 3-shot brackets and capturing those exceptional Earthset photos through the 400mm lens. Victor Glover was in window 3 watching with Jeremy Hansen next to him. I could barely see the Moon through the docking hatch window but the iPhone was the perfect size to catch the view . . . this is uncropped, uncut with 8x zoom which is quite comparable to the view of the human eye. Enjoy."

The Artemis II Mission wrapped up a historic seven-hour lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, marking humanity’s first return to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972 and capturing images of the lunar far side. During their nearly 10-day mission, the crew completed a record-setting lunar flyby, taking them 252,756 miles at their farthest distance from Earth and 4,067 miles above the lunar surface at their closest approach. 

The first crewed test flight of NASA’s Artemis program lifted off Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1, 2026, carrying the first astronauts to travel to the Moon in more than half a century.

Artemis II splashed down on April 10 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. Following splashdown and recovery, the four crew members underwent post-mission medical evaluations before returning to shore and boarding an aircraft bound for Houston. Upon arrival, the crew was welcomed by and reunited with their families, friends, and agency workforce.

Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Learn more about NASA's Artemis II Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Get ready for NASA's Artemis III Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-iii/


Video Credit: NASA/JSC/R. Wiseman
Duration: 45 seconds
Date: April 6, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Earthset #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #Astronauts #ReidWiseman #AstronautVideography #ChristinaKoch #VictorGlover #JeremyHansen #CSA #Canada #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAJohnson #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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Earth Clouds at Sunset: Orbital View | International Space Station

Earth Clouds at Sunset: Orbital View | International Space Station


Expedition 74 flight engineer and European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot: "Did you know that we see 16 sunrises and sunsets every day from the Station? They only last a few minutes, but the colors are of an incredible intensity! I photographed this impressive cloud all in volumes at sunset—my gaze was drawn to its magnificent shades of orange . . . Nature is decidedly a talented artist."


Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Sergei Mikaev
European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot
NASA Flight Engineers: Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Chris Williams

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.


Image Credit: ESA/S. Adenot
Release Date: April 16, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Sun #Earth #Sunsets #Atmosphere #Clouds #ISS #Astronauts #SophieAdenot #AstronautPhotography #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #JSC #UnitedStates #France #CNES #ESA #Europe #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education
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NASA Astronaut Christina Koch in 2013 Years before Artemis II Moon Mission

NASA Astronaut Christina Koch in 2013 Years before Artemis II Moon Mission

NASA astronaut candidate Christina Koch (maiden name Hammock) in 2013: "I really strongly believe in both the practical aspects of the research being conducted as well as the larger picture of the human spaceflight program bringing us forward as a human race and uniting us in exploring the universe." 

In 2012, Christina joined the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), first as a field engineer at the Global Monitoring Division Baseline Observatory in Barrow, Alaska (now Utqiaġvik), and later as station chief of the American Samoa Observatory. Christina Hammock Koch [pronunciation: “Cook”] was later selected as a NASA astronaut candidate in 2013. Prior to her historic Artemis II Moon Mission, she served as flight engineer on the International Space Station (ISS) for Expeditions 59, 60 and 61. Koch set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with a total of 328 days in space and participated in the first all-female spacewalk.

Christina Koch Biographies:
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-h-koch
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-hammock-koch/biography

Artemis II mission specialist and NASA astronaut Christina Koch joined NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a nearly 10-day lunar flyby mission, surpassing the Apollo 13 record for farthest crewed spaceflight and observing the lunar surface like never before, capturing iconic views.

Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Learn more about NASA's Artemis II Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/


Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Duration: 53 seconds
Release Date: June 19, 2013

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #Astronauts #ChristinaKoch #ElectricalEngineers #WomenInSTEM #Leadership #AstronautCandidates #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAJohnson #NOAA #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #Europe #Humanity #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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Aurora Australis over New Zealand in 'Technicolor'

Aurora Australis over New Zealand in 'Technicolor'

Astrophotographer Ian Griffin: "From my paddock near Middlemarch, the southern sky delivered something rather special on April 18. At dusk a clean green auroral arc lifted along the horizon, bright and well defined. Within minutes it grew into tall curtains, pink and crimson rays climbing steadily upward, shifting and reforming in that familiar, restless way. It was a fine aurora australis in its own right . . . By mid evening the whole scene had settled into three distinct layers. A bright green lower arc, active pink and violet curtains above, and a quieter red glow sitting over the top. Through it all the southern stars held steady. Even for this part of the world, it was an unusually rich display. Not just beautiful, but physically interesting."

Technicolor is a family of color motion picture processes. Technicolor's three-color process became known and celebrated for its highly saturated color, and was initially most commonly used for filming musicals, such as The Wizard of Oz (1939).

New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu)—and over 600 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island country by area and lies east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and south of the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga.


Image Credit: Ian Griffin
Ian's website: https://www.instagram.com/portobellopictures/
Location: Middlemarch, Otago, New Zealand
Image Date: April 18, 2026


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #SolarSystem #Planets #Earth #Aurora #AuroraAustralis #SouthernLights #SouthernStars #Astrophotography #IanGriffin #Astrophotographer #Middlemarch #Otago #SouthIsland #NewZealand #Technicolor #FilmProcessing #History #STEM #Education

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