Tuesday, July 28, 2026

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Moved from Goddard to Kennedy

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Moved from Goddard to Kennedy

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope was assembled and tested at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Once that work was finished, Roman had to travel to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for its launch. The transport process was long, delicate, and painstaking.

Inside Goddard’s largest clean room, technicians moved Roman into a specially-built portable clean room called the Conditioned Housing for Air, Road, Imaging optics assembly, and Observatory Transport (CHARIOT). They lifted Roman into the lower portion, and then put an inner lid over it and covered the protruding antenna dish. Then they lowered an outer cover onto it with attachments for the air conditioning to keep Roman at a safe temperature. 

Once in the CHARIOT, techs pushed Roman out of the clean room and attached an advanced wheel system to allow a semi truck to pull it. The system features independent driving at the back and the ability to raise and lower over or under obstacles.

Starting in the evening of June 12, a team of engineers, police, and utility workers spent 13 hours slowly driving Roman from Goddard to the port of Baltimore. At 16 feet tall, the CHARIOT could not fit under many highway overpasses, so the carefully planned route snaked its way on secondary roads, through Baltimore city, and around to the port, often traveling only two miles an hour.

At the port, the CHARIOT was loaded into NASA’s special transport barge, called Pegasus. The semi detached and drove back out, and the CHARIOT was carefully chained to the deck. Over the next eight days, Pegasus was towed by a pair of tugboats from Baltimore down to Port Canaveral. Special new tugboats took over and pulled Pegasus up the Banana River to the Turn Basin at Kennedy.

With Pegasus secured to the dock, opened up, and the CHARIOT unchained from the deck, a semi pulled Roman out and onto dry land. Designed for this kind of transport, the Kennedy roads allowed faster, easier transport to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. Once inside the airlock chamber, technicians removed the driving hardware and moved the CHARIOT on a cushion of pressurized air. They cleaned the CHARIOT, removed the outer lid, and pushed it into the inner clean room where the inner lid could come off. Roman was lifted out of the CHARIOT and attached to a device that could tilt it vertical. Roman was now ready for the final stages of preparation for launch.

The Roman telescope and the discoveries it will support:
https://www.stsci.edu/roman


Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Producer: Scott Wiessinger (eMITS)
Videographers: Sophia Roberts (eMITS)
  Scott Wiessinger (eMITS)
  Rob Andreoli (eMITS)
  John Philyaw (eMITS)
  Jolearra Tshiteya (ASRC Federal)
  Sydney Rohde (ASRC Federal)
  Kim Shiflett (KSC)
Drone Pilots: Christopher Albert, Rob Fortunato
Editor: Scott Wiessinger (eMITS)
Duration: 2 minutes, 23 seconds
Release Date: July 28, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #NASARoman #RomanSpaceTelescope #NancyGraceRomanSpaceTelescope #NancyGraceRoman #Exoplanets #Planets #SolarSystem #Stars #MilkyWayGalaxy #Galaxies #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescopes #NASAGoddard #GSFC #STScI #NASAKennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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Journey to Betelgeuse Star’s Companion | European Southern Observatory

Journey to Betelgeuse Star’s Companion | European Southern Observatory

This video takes us to the red supergiant star Betelgeuse, where astronomers have obtained the clearest image yet of what likely is a companion star orbiting it—Betelgeuse B. The video combines images taken with various telescopes at distinct wavelengths. It begins with a wide view of the sky in visible light. At 0:22, we see a mid-infrared image taken with the VISIR instrument at the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), showing a large and complex dusty envelope around Betelgeuse.

As we keep zooming in we eventually see Betelgeuse’s surface at 0:35, imaged in January 2019 with the SPHERE instrument, also at the VLT. The video ends with another SPHERE image where Betelgeuse has been removed, revealing a bright source next to it. This is likely its companion, Betelgeuse B. This image was obtained in December 2024, when the companion was predicted to be furthest away from Betelgeuse as seen from Earth.

Read science paper "VLT/SPHERE imaging of the candidate companion of Betelgeuse": https://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso2611/eso2611a.pdf


Credit: ESO/M. Montargès et al./P. Kervella/Digitized Sky Survey 2 Acknowledgement: Eric Pantin, N. Risinger
Duration: 39s
Release Date: July 28, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Betelgeuse #SupergiantStars #BetelgeuseB #StellarCompanions #OrionConstellation #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #VISIR #SPHERE #ParanalObservatory #Chile #Europe #DSS2 #STScI #STEM #Education #HD #Video

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Astronomers find strongest evidence yet that Betelgeuse star has a companion | ESO

Astronomers find strongest evidence yet that Betelgeuse star has a companion | ESO

Digitized Sky Survey image of Betelgeuse
This image is a color composite made from exposures from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2). The field of view is approximatelly 2.0 x 1.5 degrees.
VLT image of Betelgeuse’s companion
This image, taken with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), shows the clearest image ever of what likely is Betelgeuse B, a star orbiting Betelgeuse. The image was taken with the SPHERE instrument in December 2024, when the companion was predicted to be furthest apart from Betelgeuse as seen from Earth. The circle indicates the size of Betelgeuse. The bright source to the left, marked with a crosshair, is consistent with being Betelgeuse B.
VLT images of Betelgeuse and its companion
Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have obtained the clearest image ever of what likely is Betelgeuse B, a star orbiting Betelgeuse.
Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star in the Orion constellation. Its brightness changes periodically, and for decades astronomers had suspected that some of these variations could be due to a companion star orbiting around it.
The image in the middle inset in this image was taken in January 2019 with the SPHERE instrument at ESO’s VLT, and shows Betelgeuse itself. The image in the inset on the left was taken in December 2024, when the companion was predicted to be furthest apart from Betelgeuse as seen from Earth. In this inset Betelgeuse has been removed, revealing a source (marked with a crosshair) consistent with being Betelgeuse B.
Wide-field view of the region of the sky where Betelgeuse is located
This image shows the location of the red supergiant star Betelgeuse in the constellation of Orion (the Hunter). Betelgeuse can be seen quite easily without the need for a telescope as the right shoulder of Orion, as highlighted in this diagram.

At long last, astronomers have firm evidence that Betelgeuse, one of the most famous stars in the night sky, is not alone. Using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT), a team led by French researcher Miguel Montargès obtained the clearest image ever of what likely is Betelgeuse B, the star orbiting Betelgeuse. “This is the conclusion of a century-long quest,” says Montargès.

“We have shown that Betelgeuse is not single, it is accompanied by a faint stellar companion,” says Montargès, astronomer at the Observatoire de Paris - PSL, France, and lead author of the study published today in Astronomy & Astrophysics. Betelgeuse—a reddish star in the Orion constellation that is easily visible with the naked eye and is known to change in brightness—has been observed for millennia. However, it still surprises astronomers.

“I jumped from my chair when I saw the processed images,” recalls Montargès. Astronomers have looked for the potential companion, originally proposed to explain Betelgeuse’s brightness changes, for about a century, but without success. Two studies published in 2024 robustly predicted that in December that year, the companion would be furthest from Betelgeuse and hence easier to spot. Montargès and his team got to work, observing the star with ESO’s VLT in December 2024 and spending several months processing the data.

“Honestly, I thought we did not have the sensitivity to detect Betelgeuse B as it was predicted,” explains Montargès. “Because it is more massive than predicted, we see it!” Originally thought to be about as massive as the Sun, the new observations reveal that Betelgeuse B has instead around two to three times the mass of the Sun. “The fact that we can still discover a nearby companion, more massive and brighter than the Sun, around such a well-studied star is remarkable,” says Montargès. “These are among the best moments in science: seeing something new, unexpected.”

Betelgeuse B was directly imaged, meaning the light from the star itself was detected, using the SPHERE instrument on ESO’s VLT in Chile’s Atacama Desert. While there was evidence for the existence of this companion star, including a possible direct detection with the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaiʻi, USA, this is the strongest evidence for, and clearest image yet of, Betelgeuse B. “It is remarkable to see how SPHERE and advanced post-processing techniques, originally developed to find exoplanets, also excel at detecting a companion around a massive, evolved star like Betelgeuse," says co-author Anthony Boccaletti, also an astronomer at the Observatoire de Paris.

“To be certain that the companion is really there, we still need to observe it in one year on the other side of the star, but there is very little space left for doubt,” adds Montargès.

A few years back, Betelgeuse was the subject of attention from astronomers and non-astronomers alike when it visibly started dimming. As an evolved supergiant star, Betelgeuse is expected to die in a supernova explosion, and the dimming led to speculations it could be about to explode. A group of astronomers led by Montargès studied the star with ESO’s VLT, finding it was instead obscured by a cloud of dust.

The potential detection of Betelgeuse B will prompt astronomers to investigate how the companion could affect Betelgeuse's anticipated supernova explosion. “The question is truly opened whether this companion is going to have an impact on the evolution of the red supergiant,” concludes Montargès.

This research was presented in a paper titled “VLT/SPHERE images the candidate companion of Betelgeuse” to appear in Astronomy & Astrophysics:
https://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso2611/eso2611a.pdf


Credits: European Southern Observatory (ESO), ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2, M. Montargès et al, N. Rissinger
Acknowledgment: Davide De Martin
Release Date: July 28, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Betelgeuse #SupergiantStars #BetelgeuseB #StellarCompanions #OrionConstellation #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #ParanalObservatory #Chile #Europe #DSS2 #STScI #STEM #Education 
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Clearest Image Ever of Betelgeuse Star’s Companion | ESO

Clearest Image Ever of Betelgeuse Star’s Companion | ESO

Astronomers have finally obtained firm evidence that Betelgeuse, a famous star in the Orion constellation, is not alone. Using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) they have obtained the clearest image ever of what likely is Betelgeuse B, a star orbiting Betelgeuse. This can help explain its brightness variations.

Recent data suggests the Betelgeuse star's distance is closer to 642 or up to 724 light-years. Measuring stellar distances directly is challenging for large, variable stars.

Read science paper "VLT/SPHERE imaging of the candidate companion of Betelgeuse": https://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso2611/eso2611a.pdf


Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Duration: 1 minute, 22 seconds
Release Date: July 28, 2026


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Betelgeuse #BetelgeuseB #StellarCompanions #OrionConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #ParanalObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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Monday, July 27, 2026

New China Commercial Rocket Launch Pads Nearing Completion in Hainan

New China Commercial Rocket Launch Pads Nearing Completion in Hainan

China is building new commercial launch pads in Hainan, eyeing 60 launches a year. Main civil construction work on Commercial Launch Pads 3 and 4 at the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site in Hainan province has been completed, according to site operator HICAL. The two multi-user pads, part of the site's second-phase expansion, are designed to host launch vehicles at least 3.35 meters in diameter. While core structures are finished, several support systems remain under installation, including a shared water storage tower and six lightning diversion towers still awaiting night-launch lighting.

The first launch from the new pads is expected in the fourth quarter of this 2026, potentially using a Long March 10B rocket with a reused first-stage booster. Once validated by an initial flight, the site will be able to support up to 60 launches a year, with most coming from the Long March 8 series. The expansion, spanning over 133 hectares along Wenchang's coast, also includes fueling systems, a command center, and a testing facility—another step in China's rapidly growing commercial space capacity as high-density launches become the new normal at the site.


Video Credit: SMG
Duration: 1 minute, 20 seconds
Release Date: July 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Satellites #SatelliteConstellations #China #中国 #Rockets #LongMarch8Rockets #长征八号运载火箭 #MediumLiftRockets #LongMarch10Rockets #长征十号 #HeavyLiftRockets #ReusableRockets #CAS #CASC #CAST #SpaceTechnology #CommercialSpace #Spaceports #Wenchang #WCSL #HICAL #Hainan #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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High-Flying Balloons Give Students Unique Views of Solar Eclipses | NASA Goddard

High-Flying Balloons Give Students Unique Views of Solar Eclipses | NASA Goddard

The NASA-funded Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project allows teams of students from across the U.S. to get a unique view of total solar eclipses with scientific balloons. Before, during, and after a total solar eclipse, teams of college and high-school students use balloons to fly cameras and scientific instruments—either off-the-shelf weather sensors or instruments they built themselves—into the stratosphere to investigate the Sun, the eclipse’s effects on our atmosphere, and other phenomena that are best studied at high altitudes. Started in 2014, the project has not only produced new discoveries but provided hundreds of students with hands-on science and engineering experience along the way.

Learn more about the project: 

More details about solar eclipses:

Learn more about eclipse safety: 


Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Producer: Lacey Young (eMITS)
Videographer: Lacey Young (eMITS), Joy Ng (eMITS), Beth Anthony (eMITS)
Narrator: Angela Vazzana (CyPrESS)
Talent: Angela Des Jardins (Montana State University)
Additional video: Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: July 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Atmosphere #Ionosphere #Moon #Sun #Corona #SolarEclipses #SolarEclipse2026 #TotalSolarEclipse #Balloons #HighAltitudeBalloons #Students #HighSchoolStudents #CollegeStudents #Learning #NASAGoddard #GSFC #Europe #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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SpaceX Starship Liftoff—Flight Test#13: High-speed video | Starbase Texas

SpaceX Starship Liftoff—Flight Test#13: High-speed video | Starbase Texas

"High-speed video of 33 Raptor engines powering the Super Heavy booster on Flight 13."

The thirteenth flight test of Starship successfully launched Friday, July 24, 2026, at 5:51 p.m. Central Time (CT). This was the second flight of the Starship and Super Heavy V3 vehicles and the first Starship flight to deploy "next generation" Starlink V3 satellites.

Watch the launch broadcast and read the flight report here: 

The flight test began with Super Heavy igniting all 33 Raptor 3 engines and ascending over the Gulf of Mexico. The successful first-stage ascent was followed by a hot-staging maneuver with Starship’s upper stage igniting its six Raptor engines to continue its flight to space.

Following stage separation, the Super Heavy booster performed a directional flip maneuver. The startup sequence was modified for this flight to be more robust to timing variability in engine startup and flip in the desired direction. This is done to increase overall performance. The booster successfully completed the high thrust portion of the boostback burn with all 33 engines, the first time with a Super Heavy V3, before ending the burn early. It attempted to relight its engines for the landing burn with a subset successfully igniting before experiencing a hard splashdown in the Gulf.

After completing a full-duration ascent burn on all six Raptor engines, Starship achieved its planned velocity and trajectory. Starship then successfully deployed all 20 Starlink V3 satellites. SpaceX engineers were able to successfully communicate with every satellite using radio frequency and laser links and downloaded key telemetry from the satellites. The Starlink satellites were deployed on the pre-planned trajectory and are expected to have demised upon reentry approximately 20 minutes after deployment.

The vehicle also reignited a single Raptor engine in an in-space demonstration of a core capability for future orbital missions.

Starship re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere and was able to gather critical data on the performance of its heatshield before executing a dynamic banking move to mimic the trajectory that future missions returning to Starbase will fly. Starship then guided itself using its four flaps to the pre-planned splashdown zone in the Indian Ocean. After relighting all three Raptor engines, Starship executed a landing flip, landing burn, and soft splashdown, coming to rest intact in the Indian Ocean and providing critical views of an intact heatshield for the first time.

NASA plans to use a lunar lander version of Starship to deliver astronauts and cargo to the Moon during the Artemis IV mission and beyond through the Human Landing System (HLS) Program.

Download the Free Starship User Guide (PDF):
https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf

Video Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)
Duration: 1 minute
Date: July 24, 2026

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #Mars #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #ArtemisIV #Starship #StarshipV3 #FlightTest13 #ReusableSpacecraft #SuperHeavyBooster #SuperHeavyV3 #ElonMusk #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #SpaceExploration #StarbaseTexas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HighSpeedVideo #HD #Video
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Chasing Solar Eclipses with NASA Supersonic Jet Pilots | NASA Goddard

Chasing Solar Eclipses with NASA Supersonic Jet Pilots | NASA Goddard

On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will cross Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and Portugal. However, among the best views will come from 50,000 feet up, aboard NASA's WB-57 jet. Flying through the stratosphere, the jet’s instruments study the eclipse from above most of Earth’s atmosphere, avoiding the clouds, dust, and water vapor that can blur the view.

As the Moon's shadow races across the ground, the crew pushes the high-speed jet to stay inside totality for as long as possible, giving scientists and their instruments extra time to study the Sun.

The NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas is the home of the NASA WB-57 High Altitude Research Program. Three WB-57 aircraft are based near JSC at Ellington Field. The aircraft have been flying research missions since the early 1970's, and continue to be an asset to the scientific community with service designed to meet a variety of scientific objectives.

The WB-57 is a mid-wing, long-range aircraft capable of operating for extended periods of time from sea level to altitudes in excess of 63,000 feet. The WB-57 can fly for approximately 6.5 hours, has a range of approximately 2500 miles, and can carry up to 8,800 lbs of payload. 

Lear more about solar eclipses:


Video Credit: NASA
Producer: Joy Ng (eMITS)
Pilots: Tom Parent (NASA JSC), Cary Klemm (NASA JSC)
Videographers: Josh Valcarcel (NASA JSC), Charles Clendaniel (eMITS) 
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: July 27, 2026


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Atmosphere #Ionosphere #Moon #Sun #Corona #SolarEclipses #SolarEclipse2026 #TotalSolarEclipse #WB57Aircraft #SupersonicAircraft #NASAJohnson #JSC #NASAGoddard #GSFC #Europe #UnitedStates #Russia #Greenland #Iceland #Spain #Portugal #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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Russian Soyuz MS-29 Crew Spacecraft Arrival | International Space Station

Russian Soyuz MS-29 Crew Spacecraft Arrival | International Space Station



A Russian Soyuz rocket launched to the International Space Station with Expedition 75 crewmembers: NASA astronaut Anil Menon, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, and Anna Kikina onboard, on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The trio will spend about eight months aboard the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth in spring 2027.

At 1:52 p.m. EDT, their Russian Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft docked with the International Space Station’s Prichal module. At 4:30 p.m. EDT, the hatch opened between the International Space Station and the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft.

The trio joined NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and Chris Williams, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev, and Andrey Fedyaev of Russia.

During his expedition, Menon will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations intended to help humans prepare for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, and to provide benefits on Earth. Among the hundreds of experiments planned during his mission, he will participate in studies to better understand astronaut vein structure, blood flow, and blood composition in microgravity. He also will test producing intravenous fluids using the space station’s potable water.

The Soyuz MS-29 mission was his first spaceflight after he was selected as part of NASA’s 2021 astronaut class. A native of Minneapolis, Menon is an emergency medicine physician, mechanical engineer, and colonel in the United States Space Force. He also has served as an expedition flight surgeon supporting the agency’s crew members aboard the space station.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon's Official Biography:

For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.

To learn more about International Space Station research, operations, and its crews, visit: 

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.

Credit: Roscosmos/S. Kud-Sverchkov
Date: July 14, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #ISS #Earth #SoyuzRocket #SoyuzMS29 #Astronauts #AnilMenon #Cosmonauts #AnnaKikina #PyotrDubrov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #MicrogravityLaboratory #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #Baikonur #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #STEM #Education
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Planet Mars Images: July 23-27, 2026 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: July 23-27, 2026 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

MSL - sol 4961
Mars 2020 - sol 1931
MSL - sol 4962
MSL - sol 4962
MSL - sol 4963
MSL - sol 4963
MSL - sol 4963
MSL - sol 4963

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Friends of NASA (FoN) is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to building international support for peaceful space exploration, commerce, scientific discovery, and STEM education. 
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Celebrating 13+ Years on Mars (2012-2025)
Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Rover Name: Curiosity
Main Job: To determine if Mars was ever habitable to microbial life. 
Launch: Nov. 6, 2011
Landing Date: Aug. 5, 2012, Gale Crater, Mars

Celebrating 5+ Years on Mars
Mission Name: Mars 2020
Rover Name: Perseverance
Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for return to Earth.
Launch: July 30, 2020
Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

For more information on NASA's Mars missions, visit: mars.nasa.gov

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS
Processing: Kevin M. Gill
Release Dates: July 23-27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Mars #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #JezeroCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #MSSS #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #KevinGill #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education
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Shenzhou-23 Crew Conducts Biology & Microgravity Research | China Space Station

Shenzhou-23 Crew Conducts Biology & Microgravity Research | China Space Station


The Shenzhou-23 spaceflight mission's three-member crew has stayed at China's Tiangong Space Station for five weeks, carrying out a series of scientific experiments in orbit.

According to the video footage released by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Sunday, mission commander Zhu Yangzhu and fellow astronauts Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying conducted experiments on microbiota and nutrient metabolism using a space Raman spectrometer. By detecting metabolic components in urine samples, the experiments aim to study changes in gut microbiota under long-term flight conditions and their impact on nutrient metabolism.

The mission crew used relevant equipment and experimental software to conduct force control tests, and the data obtained will be used to study the changing patterns and adaptive learning mechanisms of astronauts' fine motor control during long-term orbital flights.

The crew also conducted several in-orbit electroencephalogram (EEG) tests, and the results will help elucidate the physiological mechanisms underlying changes in astronauts' cognitive abilities during long-duration spaceflight.

In the field of space microgravity physics, the crew replaced the internal burner of the gas experiment module in the combustion science experimental cabinet, replaced the experimental samples in the online maintenance and adjustment control cabinet, and completed tasks, such as cleaning the sample in the containerless cabinet experimental chamber, maintaining the electrodes of the central mechanism, and cleaning and replacing the viewing window cover lens.

In addition to scientific research, the trio inspected and maintained the space station's life support system, adjusted the sleeping areas, and continued daily exercise to help reduce bone and muscle loss caused by prolonged exposure to microgravity.

Shenzhou-23 Crew
Zhu Yangzhu 朱杨柱, Commander & Flight Engineer (second spaceflight)
Zhang Zhiyuan 张志远, Pilot (first spaceflight)
Lai Ka-ying/Li Jiaying 黎家盈, Payload Specialist (first spaceflight) [Hong Kong SAR]

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 35 seconds
Release Date: July 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #China #中国 #Shenzhou23Mission #神舟二十三号 #Shenzhou23 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #ZhuYangzhu #ZhangZhiyuan #LiJiaying #LaiKaying #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #MicrogravityExperiments #SpaceLaboratory #CMSA #中国载人航天工程办公室 #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy PGC 29388 in Ursa Major: Stealing the Show | Hubble

Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy PGC 29388 in Ursa Major: Stealing the Show | Hubble


As beautiful as the surrounding space may be, the sparkling galaxy in the foreground of this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope undeniably steals the show.

This spotlight-hogging galaxy, seen set against a backdrop of more distant galaxies of all shapes and sizes, is known as PGC 29388. Although it dominates in this image, this galaxy is a small player on the cosmic stage, and is known as a dwarf elliptical galaxy. As the “dwarf” moniker suggests, the galaxy is on the smaller side, and boasts a “mere” 100 million to a few billion stars—a very small number indeed when compared to the Milky Way's population of around 250 to 400 billion stellar residents.

Elliptical galaxies are smooth, ellipsoidal galaxies dominated by older stars with minimal gas and star formation. They are often found at the centers of galaxy clusters.


Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, T. Armandroff
Release Date: April 20, 2020


#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #DwarfGalaxies #EllipticalGalaxies #PGC29388  #UrsaMajorConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

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Sunday, July 26, 2026

Comet 10P/Tempel2 Grows Brighter: View from California

Comet 10P/Tempel2 Grows Brighter: View from California

Astrophotographer Dan Bartlett: "Comet 10P/Tempel2 has a spaghettified dust tail, and it's brightening. Twisting brownish-yellow dust trail appears as a 'jet' streaming out of the central condesation (over exposed). The dust tail still envelopes the post orbital dust trail but has brightened and broadened from the previous night. Orbital dust trail still obvious, as well as the dust tail jet, on individual 4 minute subs . . ."

Comet 10P/Tempel, also known as Tempel 2, is a large Jupiter-family comet roughly 10 km in diameter with a 5.36 year orbit around the Sun. Jupiter-family comets (JFCs) are short-period comets with orbital periods under 20 years, whose orbits are strongly influenced by planet Jupiter’s immense gravity. 10P/Tempel was discovered on July 4, 1873 by Wilhelm Tempel. At perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) passage on August 2, 2026, the solar elongation will be 164 degrees at a magnitude of approximately 8–10 with a declination of –24. The closest approach to Earth will be the next day on August 3, 2026, at a distance of 0.414 AU (61.9 million km). The comet should then be visible with binoculars.

California is a state in the Western United States that lies on the Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California to the south. 


Image Credit: Dan Bartlett 
Location: June Lake, California, United States
Dan's website: https://app.astrobin.com/i/tjxe54?r=0
Date: July 23, 2026


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planets #Earth #Comets #Comet10PTempel #CometTemple2 #JupiterFamilyClass #JFC #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #DanBartlett #Astrophotographers #JuneLake #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

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Expedition 74 Russian Soyuz MS-28 Crew Spacecraft Landing in Kazakhstan

Expedition 74 Russian Soyuz MS-28 Crew Spacecraft Landing in Kazakhstan

The Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft is seen as it performs a parachute-assisted landing in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, with Expedition 74 NASA astronaut Chris Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev of Russia aboard. The Russian spacecraft touched down at 5:27a.m. CDT (3:27 p.m. local time), July 26, 2026. Notice the retro-rockets firing on the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft just before touchdown to help protect the crew.

NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev of Russia wrapped up a 241‑day mission as members of Expeditions 73 and 74 aboard the International Space Station, orbiting Earth 3,856 times and traveling more than 102 million miles. Soyuz MS‑28 launched and docked with the International Space Station on Nov. 27, 2025. This flight marked the first mission for Williams and Mikaev and the second for Kud‑Sverchkov.

After routine post‑landing medical checks, recovery teams will fly the crew by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Williams then will board a NASA aircraft bound for the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Follow Expedition 75:

Expedition 75 Crew
Station Commander: Jessica Meir
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov
European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot
NASA Flight Engineers: Jack Hathaway, Anil Menon

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/Roscosmos
Duration: 24 seconds
Date: July 26, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #SoyuzMS28 #CrewSpacecraft #SpacecraftLanding #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #Astronauts #ChrisWilliams #Europe #France #ESA #Cosmonauts #SergeyKudSverchkov #SergeiMikaev #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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Expedition 74: The Russian Matryoshka Doll Crew Collection | Johnson Space Center

Expedition 74: The Russian Matryoshka Doll Crew Collection | Johnson Space Center

In this close-up photo, matryoshka dolls depicting Expedition 74 NASA astronaut Chris Williams, left, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev of Russia, right, are seen as NASA, Roscosmos, and Russian Search and Recovery Forces met at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 25, 2026, to discuss the readiness for the landing of the trio from the International Space Station. 

Traditional Russian matryoshka dolls depicting Expedition 74 NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev of Russia were provided as gifts by the Russian search and recovery team and Roscosmos officials shortly after the crew landed. The Russian Soyuz MS‑28 spacecraft touched down at 5:27a.m. CDT (3:27 p.m. local time), July 26, 2026, completing a parachute‑assisted landing on the Kazakh steppe southeast of Dzhezkazgan.

Matryoshka dolls (Russian: матрёшка), also known as stacking dolls, nesting dolls, Russian tea dolls, or Russian dolls, are a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside another. A set of matryoshkas consists of a wooden figure, which separates at the middle, top from bottom, to reveal a smaller figure of the same sort inside that has in turn, another figure inside of it, and so on.

The first Russian nested doll set was made in 1890 by woodturning craftsman and wood carver Vasily Zvyozdochkin from a design by folk crafts painter Sergey Malyutin.

NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev of Russia wrapped up a 241‑day mission as members of Expeditions 73 and 74 aboard the International Space Station, orbiting Earth 3,856 times and traveling more than 102 million miles. Soyuz MS‑28 launched and docked with the International Space Station on Nov. 27, 2025. This flight marked the first mission for Williams and Mikaev and the second for Kud‑Sverchkov.

After routine post‑landing medical checks, recovery teams will fly the crew by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Williams then will board a NASA aircraft bound for the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Follow Expedition 75:

Expedition 75 Crew
Station Commander: Jessica Meir
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov
European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot
NASA Flight Engineers: Jack Hathaway, Anil Menon

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: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Date: July 25, 2026


#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #SoyuzMS28 #CrewSpacecraft #SpacecraftLanding #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #Astronauts #ChrisWilliams #Europe #France #ESA #Cosmonauts #SergeyKudSverchkov #SergeiMikaev #MatryoshkaDolls #матрёшка #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #STEM #Education
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Expedition 74 Crew Receives Matryoshka Dolls after Landing in Kazakhstan

Expedition 74 Crew Receives Matryoshka Dolls after Landing in Kazakhstan

Traditional Russian matryoshka dolls depicting Expedition 74 NASA astronaut Chris Williams, left, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev of Russia were provided as gifts by the Russian search and recovery team and Roscosmos officials. The Russian Soyuz MS‑28 spacecraft touched down at 5:27a.m. CDT (3:27 p.m. local time), July 26, 2026, completing a parachute‑assisted landing on the Kazakh steppe southeast of Dzhezkazgan.

Matryoshka dolls (Russian: матрёшка), also known as stacking dolls, nesting dolls, Russian tea dolls, or Russian dolls, are a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside another. A set of matryoshkas consists of a wooden figure, which separates at the middle, top from bottom, to reveal a smaller figure of the same sort inside that has in turn, another figure inside of it, and so on.

The first Russian nested doll set was made in 1890 by woodturning craftsman and wood carver Vasily Zvyozdochkin from a design by folk crafts painter Sergey Malyutin. 

NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev of Russia wrapped up a 241‑day mission as members of Expeditions 73 and 74 aboard the International Space Station, orbiting Earth 3,856 times and traveling more than 102 million miles. Soyuz MS‑28 launched and docked with the International Space Station on Nov. 27, 2025. This flight marked the first mission for Williams and Mikaev and the second for Kud‑Sverchkov.

After routine post‑landing medical checks, recovery teams will fly the crew by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Williams then will board a NASA aircraft bound for the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Follow Expedition 75:

Expedition 75 Crew
Station Commander: Jessica Meir
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov
European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot
NASA Flight Engineers: Jack Hathaway, Anil Menon

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/Bill Ingalls
Duration: 12 seconds
Date: July 26, 2026


#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #SoyuzMS28 #CrewSpacecraft #SpacecraftLanding #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #Astronauts #ChrisWilliams #Europe #France #ESA #Cosmonauts #SergeyKudSverchkov #SergeiMikaev #MatryoshkaDolls #матрёшка #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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