Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Spring Festival Fireworks over Beijing | International Space Station

Spring Festival Fireworks over Beijing | International Space Station

Expedition 74 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Chris Williams "Happy Year of the Horse! I was fortunate to be looking out of the Cupola while we were passing over Beijing, and saw the twinkling of fireworks celebrating the Lunar New Year!"


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.


Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center/C. Williams
Duration: 22 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 18, 2026


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Planets #Earth #Beijing #北京 #China #中国 #SpringFestival #Fireworks #Astronauts #ChrisWilliams #AstronautVideography #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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How NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Learned to ‘Self-Locate’ | JPL

How NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Learned to ‘Self-Locate’ | JPL


NASA’s Perseverance rover can now precisely determine its own location on Mars without waiting for human help from Earth. This is possible thanks to a new technology called Mars Global Localization.

This technology rapidly compares panoramic images from the rover’s navigation cameras with onboard orbital terrain maps. It is done with an algorithm that runs on the rover’s Helicopter Base Station processor that was originally used to communicate with the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. In a few minutes, the algorithm can pinpoint Perseverance’s position to within about 10 inches (25 centimeters). The technology will help the rover drive farther autonomously and keep exploring. 

Mars Global Localization was first used successfully for regular mission operations on Feb. 2, 2026, and the team expects related reliability techniques to inform future missions, including exploration on the Moon.


Video Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Duration: 1 minute, 35 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 18, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Mars #Astrobiology #Geology #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #JezeroCrater #MarsGlobalLocalization #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #MSSS #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

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"Dark Galaxy" CDG-2 Detected in Perseus | Hubble Space Telescope

"Dark Galaxy" CDG-2 Detected in Perseus | Hubble Space Telescope



The low-surface-brightness galaxy CDG-2, shown in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope, is dominated by dark matter and contains only a sparse scattering of stars. This galaxy is nearly invisible, but by using advanced statistical techniques, scientists identified it by searching for tight groupings of stars called globular clusters at the center of this image.

The Hubble observations include those from programme 15235 (W. Harris).

Image Description: A field of space with a dozen white foreground stars and a number of small, yellow background galaxies.


Credit: NASA, ESA, D. Li (Utoronto), Image Processing: J. DePasquale (STScI)
Release Date: Feb. 18, 2026


#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #PerseusGalaxyCluster #CDG2 #DarkMatter #PerseusConstellation #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education 

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"Dark Galaxy" CDG-2 Detected in Perseus | Hubble Space Telescope

"Dark Galaxy" CDG-2 Detected in Perseus | Hubble Space Telescope

The NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope has revealed an exceptional discovery in the Perseus galaxy cluster—CDG-2, an ultra-low surface brightness galaxy composed of 99% dark matter.

This elusive galaxy remained hidden until astronomers detected a slight increase in globular cluster density, suggesting the presence of an underlying galactic structure. 

Observations from Hubble, European Space Agency's Euclid observatory, and the Subaru Telescope confirmed a faint halo of diffuse light surrounding these ancient star clusters.

Analysis indicates CDG-2 has the luminosity of approximately six million Sun-like stars with the clusters comprising about 16% of its visible matter. The galaxy's normal matter was likely stripped away through gravitational interactions within the Perseus cluster.

This discovery provides a rare opportunity to study dark matter's fundamental properties and how it shapes galactic evolution across the universe.


Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 
Paul Morris: Lead Producer
Video Credits:
A simulation of the formation of dark matter structures from the early universe until today.
Ralf Kaehler/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, American Museum of Natural History
Image of the Subaru Telescope: NAOJ via ESA
Duration: 2 minutes, 36 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 17, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #PerseusGalaxyCluster #CDG2 #DarkMatter #PerseusConstellation #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #SubaruTelescope #すばる望遠鏡 #NAOJ #国立天文台 #Japan #日本 #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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Galaxy NGC 6240 in Ophiuchus | Victor Blanco Telescope

Galaxy NGC 6240 in Ophiuchus | Victor Blanco Telescope


A detailed image of NGC 6240 taken by the Dark Energy Camera (DECam). DECam was made by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and is mounted on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of the National Science Foundation (NSF) NOIRLab.

NGC 6240 lies 400 million light-years away in the constellation of Ophiuchus (The Serpent Holder). This galaxy has an elongated shape with branching wisps, loops, and tails. This mess of gas, dust, and stars bears more than a passing resemblance to a butterfly and, though perhaps less conventionally beautiful, a lobster.

This bizarrely-shaped galaxy did not begin its life looking like this. Its distorted appearance is a result of a galactic merger that occurred when two galaxies drifted too close to one another. This merger sparked bursts of new star formation and triggered many hot young stars to explode as supernovae. A new supernova was discovered in this galaxy in 2013, named SN 2013dc. 

At the center of NGC 6240 an even more interesting phenomenon is taking place. When the two galaxies came together, their central black holes did so, too. There are two supermassive black holes within this jumble, spiraling closer and closer to one another. They are currently only around 3,000 light-years apart, incredibly close given that the galaxy itself spans 300,000 light-years. This proximity secures their fate as they are now too close to escape each other and will soon form a single immense black hole.

Learn about the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope:
https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/telescopes/victor-blanco-4m-telescope


Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/GNIRS Team
Image Processing: M. Rodriguez (Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), & M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)
Release Date: Oct. 18, 2023


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #NGC6240 #InteractingGalaxies #BlackHoles #Supernovae #SN2013dc #OphiuchusConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #VictorBlancoTelescope #CTIO #CerroTololo #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DECam #DOE #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

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Galaxy NGC 6240 in Ophiuchus | Hubble Space Telescope

Galaxy NGC 6240 in Ophiuchus | Hubble Space Telescope

Not all galaxies are neatly shaped, as this new NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope image of NGC 6240 clearly demonstrates.

NGC 6240 lies 400 million light-years away in the constellation of Ophiuchus (The Serpent Holder). This galaxy has an elongated shape with branching wisps, loops, and tails. This mess of gas, dust, and stars bears more than a passing resemblance to a butterfly and, though perhaps less conventionally beautiful, a lobster.

This bizarrely-shaped galaxy did not begin its life looking like this. Its distorted appearance is a result of a galactic merger that occurred when two galaxies drifted too close to one another. This merger sparked bursts of new star formation and triggered many hot young stars to explode as supernovae. A new supernova was discovered in this galaxy in 2013, named SN 2013dc. 

At the center of NGC 6240 an even more interesting phenomenon is taking place. When the two galaxies came together, their central black holes did so, too. There are two supermassive black holes within this jumble, spiraling closer and closer to one another. They are currently only around 3,000 light-years apart, incredibly close given that the galaxy itself spans 300,000 light-years. This proximity secures their fate as they are now too close to escape each other and will soon form a single immense black hole.


Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University)
Release Date: May 18, 2015


#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #NGC6240 #InteractingGalaxies #BlackHoles #Supernovae #SN2013dc #OphiuchusConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education 

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Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Aurora over Alaska

Aurora over Alaska





Also known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), auroras are colorful, dynamic, and often visually delicate displays of an intricate dance of particles and magnetism between the Sun and Earth called space weather. When energetic particles from space collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, they can cause the colorful glow that we call auroras.

Learn more about auroras: 
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/auroras/

Alaska is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is considered to be the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost state in the United States. It borders the Canadian territory of the Yukon and the province of British Columbia to the east. It shares a western maritime border in the Bering Strait with Russia. The Chukchi and Beaufort Seas of the Arctic Ocean lie to the north, and the Pacific Ocean lies to the south.


Image Credit: John Cesarek
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Image Details: Nikon Z6II, 3200 ISO, 2.5s Exposure
Date: Feb. 16, 2026 


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Sun #Planets #Earth #SpaceWeather #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #Magnetosphere #SolarWind #SolarSystem #Astrophotography #JohnCesarek #Astrophotographers #Fairbanks #Alaska #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

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The Fellowship of The Telescopes: Narrated by John Rhys-Davies | NASA Goddard

The Fellowship of The Telescopes: Narrated by John Rhys-Davies | NASA Goddard

For centuries, humanity has looked to the stars and wondered what lies beyond the veil of night. Once, our eyes were our only instruments, but today, our reach extends across the cosmos. From the Hubble Space Telescope’s steadfast watch to the James Webb Space Telescope’s golden gaze, we have built machines that see the unseen, unraveling the secrets written in starlight.

Each telescope is a sentinel in the void, Hubble, Webb, the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, and not too long from now, the Habitable Worlds Observatory, each revealing new chapters of the universe’s story. Together, they form a fellowship of discovery, driven by the minds and hearts of those who dare to look deeper, to ask what else is out there.

Narrated by the legendary John Rhys-Davies, this film is a tribute to exploration, to science, and to the boundless curiosity that defines us. The Fellowship of the Telescopes endures, lighting the way toward the next great frontier.

Learn more about Roman and the discoveries it will enable: https://www.stsci.edu/roman

Learn about Dr. Nancy Grace Roman: 
https://science.nasa.gov/people/nancy-roman/

NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 
John Rhys-Davies: Narrator, and all-around gentleman
Paul Morris: Producer / Editor
Rob Andreoli: Camera Operator
John Philyaw: Camera Operator
Claire Andreoli: Producer
Duration: 4 minutes
Release Date: Feb. 17, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #JohnRhysDavies #NASARoman #RomanSpaceTelescope #NancyGraceRoman #NASAWebb #WebbTelescope #JWST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #SpaceTelescopes #HabitableWorldsObservatory #Exoplanets #Planets #SolarSystem #Stars #Galaxies #Universe #Astrophysics #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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Shenzhou-21 Crew Holds Party to Celebrate Spring Festival | China Space Station

Shenzhou-21 Crew Holds Party to Celebrate Spring Festival | China Space Station

Watch auto-dubbed version here: 
https://youtu.be/ZyVi21IuBro

Despite being far from home, astronauts aboard China's Tiangong Space Station on February 16, 2026, spent the Chinese New Year's Eve with their own festive party in orbit.

The Chinese New Year begins with the Spring Festival that falls on Tuesday this year. This year ushers in a Year of the Horse, the seventh of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.

In the beautifully decorated space station adorned with red lanterns, Chinese knots, and paper-cut crafts, the Shenzhou-21 trio presented a variety of performances. They played the mouth organ, engaged in clapper talk, and sang the song "The Five-Starred Red Flag Flies in Space," expressing their joy on the Chinese New Year's Eve. They concluded their show with a heartfelt poetry recitation.

During the nine-day official Spring Festival holiday season, aside from two days of regular days off, the three astronauts will continue with their scheduled work for the remaining time. They will successively complete various in-orbit experiments, and conduct cabin environment organization, platform maintenance, and so on.

Launched on October 31, 2025, the Shenzhou-21 crew is in a six-month space journey that has already exceeded 100 days. According to China's space agency—China National Space Administration, all tasks, including scientific experiments, equipment maintenance, and health management, are progressing smoothly.

For the astronauts, physical exercise is an important part of their routine.

"Besides the popular treadmill, bicycle, and resistance training equipment, the Astronaut Center of China has also designed a core muscle training device for us, which I am currently using. I will use this device for core strength training, starting with the first exercise: the crunch. I hope everyone will put in the effort in the new year to strive for a happy life. Now I will proceed to the second exercise: the overhead press. I wish everyone in the new year to elevate their happy lives to new heights," said astronaut Wu Fei.

Shenzhou-21 Crew
Zhang Lu (张陆) - Commander & Pilot - 2nd spaceflight
Wu Fei (武飞)  Flight Engineer - 1st spaceflight
Zhang Hong Zhang (张洪章) - Payload Specialist - 1st spaceflight


Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: Feb. 17, 2026


#NASA #Space #Science #China #中国 #SpringFestival2026 #YearOfTheHorse #Shenzhou21Mission #神舟二十一号 #Shenzhou21 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #ZhangLu #WuFei #ZhangHongzhang #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #SpaceLaboratory #CMSA #中国载人航天工程办公室 #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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Furious February 2026 Solar Flares | NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory

Furious February 2026 Solar Flares | NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory

In early February 2026, the Sun emitted more than 50 flares including several X-class events. This is the most intense category of solar flares. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SD) watches the Sun 24/7 and captured these views of the Sun in multiple wavelengths of light.

The Sun’s activity, including flares, follows an approximately 11-year cycle that creates periods of high and low activity. After reaching the current cycle’s most active phase in 2024—known as solar maximum—the Sun remains in a heightened period of activity.

Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.

To see how such space weather may affect Earth, please visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center https://spaceweather.gov/, the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts. 

NASA works as a research arm of the nation’s space weather effort. NASA observes the Sun and our space environment constantly with a fleet of spacecraft that study everything from the Sun’s activity to the solar atmosphere, and to the particles and magnetic fields in the space surrounding Earth.

For news of the recent flares: 
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/solar-cycle-25/


Credit: NASA
Producer: Joy Ng (eMITS)
Duration: 2 minutes, 48 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 17, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #SpaceWeather #Sun #Stars #SolarMaximum #SolarFlares #Plasma #MagneticFields #Radiation #Earth #Astrophysics #Heliophysics #Physics #Spacecraft #Satellite #HumanSpaceflight #SDO #GSFC #NOAA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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Meet NASA Astronaut Jack Hathaway: Crew 12 Pilot

Meet NASA Astronaut Jack Hathaway: Crew 12 Pilot

NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway is the pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission. This is his first spaceflight. After his arrival at the International Space Station, he will join Expedition 74/75, kicking off a long-duration science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory. He was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021. The South Windsor, Connecticut, native holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and history from the U.S. Naval Academy and master’s degrees in flight dynamics from Cranfield University and national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College, respectively. 

Hathaway also is a graduate of the Empire Test Pilot’s School, Fixed Wing Class 70 in 2011. At the time of his selection, Hathaway was deployed aboard the USS Truman, serving as Strike Fighter Squadron 81’s prospective executive officer. He has accumulated more than 2,500 flight hours in 30 different aircraft, including more than 500 carrier arrested landings.

Follow Expedition 74:

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.

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Duration: 2 minutes, 51 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 17, 2026


#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #SpaceXCrew12 #CrewDragonSpacecraft #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #JackHathaway #Crew12Pilot #SophieAdenot #France #Europe #ESA #Cosmonauts #AndreyFedyaev #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #JSC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

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Meet Roscosmos Cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev: Crew-12 Mission Specialist

Meet Roscosmos Cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev: Crew-12 Mission Specialist

Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev of Russia is a mission specialist for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission. This is his second spaceflight. After his arrival at the International Space Station, he joined Expedition 74/75, kicking off a long-duration science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory. He was selected as a Roscosmos cosmonaut in 2012. He graduated from the Krasnodar Military Aviation Institute in 2004, specializing in aircraft operations and air traffic organization, and earned qualifications as a pilot engineer. Prior to his selection as a cosmonaut, he served as deputy commander of an Ilyushin-38 aircraft unit in the Kamchatka Region, logging more than 600 flight hours and achieving the rank of second-class military pilot. 

In 2023, he flew to the space station as a mission specialist during NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission, spending 186 days in orbit, as an Expedition 69 flight engineer. For his achievements, Fedyaev was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation and received the Yuri Gagarin Medal.


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.

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Duration: 1 minute, 45 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 17, 2026


#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #SpaceXCrew12 #CrewDragonSpacecraft #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #JackHathaway #SophieAdenot #France #Europe #ESA #Cosmonauts #AndreyFedyaev #Crew12MissionSpecialist #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #JSC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

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Meet European Space Agency Astronaut Sophie Adenot: Crew 12-Mission Specialist

Meet European Space Agency Astronaut Sophie Adenot: Crew 12-Mission Specialist

European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot of France is a mission specialist for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission. This is her first spaceflight. After her arrival at the International Space Station, she joined Expedition 74/75, kicking off a long-duration science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory. She was selected as an ESA astronaut in 2022. Adenot earned a degree in engineering from ISAE-SUPAERO in Toulouse, France, specializing in spacecraft and aircraft flight dynamics. She also earned a master’s degree in human factors engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. After earning her master’s degree, she became a helicopter cockpit design engineer at Airbus Helicopters and later served as a search and rescue pilot at Cazaux Air Base from 2008 to 2012. She then joined the High Authority Transport Squadron in Villacoublay, France, and served as a formation flight leader and mission captain from 2012 to 2017. Between 2019 and 2022, Adenot worked as a helicopter experimental test pilot in Cazaux Flight Test Center with Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA)—the French Defence Procurement Agency. She has logged more than 3,000 hours flying 22 different helicopters.

Astronaut Sophie Adenot's Biography:
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Astronauts/Sophie_Adenot


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.

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Duration: 2 minutes, 19 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 17, 2026

#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #SpaceXCrew12 #CrewDragonSpacecraft #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #JackHathaway #SophieAdenot #Crew12MissionSpecialist #France #Europe #ESA #Cosmonauts #AndreyFedyaev #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #JSC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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Meet NASA Astronaut & Scientist Jessica Meir: Crew 12 Commander

Meet NASA Astronaut & Scientist Jessica Meir: Crew 12 Commander

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir is the commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission. This is her second spaceflight. After her arrival to the International Space Station, she joined Expedition 74/75, kicking off a long-duration science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory. She was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013. The Caribou, Maine, native earned a bachelor’s degree in biology Brown University, a master’s degree in space studies from the International Space University, and a doctorate in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego. 

On her first spaceflight, Meir spent 205 days as a flight engineer during Expedition 61/62, and she completed the first three all-woman spacewalks with fellow NASA astronaut Christina Koch, totaling 21 hours and 44 minutes outside of the station. Since then, she has served in various roles, including assistant to the chief astronaut for commercial crew (SpaceX), deputy for the Flight Integration Division, and assistant to the chief astronaut for the human landing system.

NASA Astronaut/Dr. Jessica Meir's Biography:
https://www.nasa.gov/people/jessica-u-meir/


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.

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: Feb. 17, 2026

#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #SpaceXCrew12 #CrewDragonSpacecraft #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #Crew12Commander #JackHathaway #SophieAdenot #France #Europe #ESA #Cosmonauts #AndreyFedyaev #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #JSC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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Monday, February 16, 2026

Star Cluster NGC 6624—Age: 11.5-12.5 billion years old | Hubble Space Telescope

Star Cluster NGC 6624—Age: 11.5-12.5 billion years old | Hubble Space Telescope


This is a Hubble image of the ancient star cluster NGC 6624 in the constellation Sagittarius. The Cluster’s age has been estimated to be between 11.5-12.5 billion years old. This confirms that it formed when the Universe was only a fraction of its current age of about 13.8 billion years. 


Credits: Ivan King, University of California at Berkeley; and NASA/ESA
Release Date: Aug. 27, 1993

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #NGC6624 #SagittariusConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #InternationalGeminiObservatory #GeminiSouthTelescope #GeMS #GeminiObservatory #CerroPachón #Chile #OpticalAstronomy #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #UAA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

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Star Cluster NGC 6624—Age: 11.5-12.5 billion years old | Gemini South Telescope

Star Cluster NGC 6624—Age: 11.5-12.5 billion years old | Gemini South Telescope

This Gemini Observatory GeMS image of the ancient star cluster NGC 6624 in the constellation Sagittarius reveals individual stars to the cluster’s core. The Cluster’s age as determined with this study is between 11.5-12.5 billion years old. This confirms that it formed when the Universe was only a fraction of its current age of about 13.8 billion years. 

Gemini South Telescope:
https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/gemini-observatory/gemini-south/


Credits: Gemini Observatory/Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)
Composite Color Image: Travis Rector, University of Alaska Anchorage
Release Date: Oct. 12, 2016

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #NGC6624 #SagittariusConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #InternationalGeminiObservatory #GeminiSouthTelescope #GeMS #GeminiObservatory #CerroPachón #Chile #OpticalAstronomy #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #UAA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

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