Sunday, April 30, 2023

Saturn's Moon Helene | NASA Cassini Mission

Saturn's Moon Helene | NASA Cassini Mission

Although its colors may be subtle, Saturn's moon Helene is an enigma in any light. The moon was imaged in unprecedented detail in 2012 as the robotic Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn swooped to within a single Earth diameter of the diminutive moon. Although conventional craters and hills appear, the above image also shows terrain that appears unusually smooth and streaked. Planetary astronomers are inspecting these detailed images of Helene to glean clues about the origin and evolution of the 30-km across floating iceberg. Helene is also unusual because it circles Saturn just ahead of the large moon Dione, making it one of only four known Saturnian moons to occupy a gravitational well known as a stable Lagrange point. Saturn has 83 moons. Sixty-three moons are confirmed and named, and another 20 moons are awaiting confirmation of discovery and official naming by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).


The Cassini-Huygens mission was a cooperative project of NASA, European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini orbiter. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the U.S. and several European countries.

Learn about Saturn and its moons here:

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/saturn/overview/

More information about the Cassini Mission (1997-2017):

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/cassini


Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute (SSI)

Processing: Daniel Macháček

Image Date: 2012

Release Date: April 30, 2023


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Saturn #Planet #Moon #Helene #SolarSystem #CassiniMission #CassiniSpacecraft #ESA #ASI #JPL #Caltech #SSI #UnitedStates #APoD #STEM #Education

Planet Mars: Ancient Rivers in Mawrth Vallis | NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Planet Mars: Ancient River in Mawrth Vallis | NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Billions of years ago, a river flowed across this scene in Mawrth Vallis. Like on Earth, these river beds can get filled up with rocks that are cemented together. After Mars became a colder, drier place and the river disappeared, the rocky river bed remained.

This image was taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft’s High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument.

Black and white images are less than 5 km across; enhanced color is less than 1 km.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a spacecraft designed to study the geology and climate of Mars, to provide reconnaissance of future landing sites, and to relay data from surface missions back to Earth. It was launched on August 12, 2005, and reached Mars on March 10, 2006. 

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona.


Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Narration: Tre Gibbs

Duration: 50 seconds

Release Date:  Dec 13, 2021


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Mars #Planet #RedPlanet #MawrthVallis #Rivers #Geology #Landscape #Terrain #MRO #HiRISE #Spacecraft #JPL #Caltech #UArizona #UniversityOfArizona #BallAerospace #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Raspberry Nebula: LBN 867 | Kitt Peak National Observatory

The Raspberry Nebula: LBN 867 | Kitt Peak National Observatory


Observing the night sky has never been so delightful as with this image of LBN 867, the Raspberry Nebula. Captured here by the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope using the Mosaic-3 detector at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, this nebula is located in the constellation Orion. LBN 867’s overall structure, though, is more like an onion than a raspberry: it hosts three different celestial objects in one. The characteristic red bloom of LBN 867 is an emission nebula. It glows as a result of the ionization of hydrogen gas by the light from the star HD 34989. From the center of the image, this main sequence star shines prominently, though it is about as bright as the planet Uranus as seen from Earth. The last object is hidden in plain sight. Notice the subtle bluish glow around HD 34989? This is the reflection nebula vdB 38, which reflects the blue-white light of its host star off local interstellar dust. Combined, the nebulae and star become a cosmic treat for any keen astronomer.


Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSD/AURA/T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab) Image processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)

Release Date: April 19, 2023


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebula #LBN867 #RaspberryNebula #EmissionNebula #Star #HD34989 #ReflectionNebula #vdB38 #Orion #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #CTIO #Telescope #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #MayallTelescope #KPNO #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

A Cosmic Overpass over Chile: Magellanic Clouds & Milky Way Galaxies

A Cosmic Overpass over Chile: Magellanic Clouds & Milky Way Galaxies

Above the peaks of Cerro Pachón lies a bridge made of stars, intangible yet visible to the naked eye. This beautiful arch, composed of the Milky Way with its network of nebulae and interstellar clouds, seemingly connects the Rubin Auxiliary Telescope (AuxTel) (left) with the upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory (right), a Program of the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab. Some spectacles of the Universe dot around the Milky Way, from the Magellanic Clouds (center bottom) to the crimson emission nebulae (upper left and bottom right) to the green and red airglow on the horizon. Although it is possible to catch a glimpse of these treasures elsewhere on Earth, only in remote locations such as the highly elevated Andes can one truly bask in all their splendor.

Rubin Observatory is a joint initiative of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the US Department of Energy (DOE). Once completed, Rubin will be operated jointly by NSF’s NOIRLab and DOE's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to carry out the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST).


Credit: Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Horálek (Institute of Physics in Opava)

Release Date: April 26, 2023


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Earth #Airglow #Stars #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #LMC #SMC #MagellanicClouds #Galaxies #Nebulae #Cosmos #Universe #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #Telescopes #Chile #SouthAmerica #STEM #Education

Saturday, April 29, 2023

Aurora over Nantes in Northwestern France | Earth Science

Aurora over Nantes in Northwestern France | Earth Science





Learn more:

The Colors of the Aurora (U.S. National Park Service)

https://www.nps.gov/articles/-articles-aps-v8-i1-c9.htm

NASA - About Aurora

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/aurora-news-stories/index.html


Credit & Copyright: Frankastro

Location, France, near Nantes

Release Date: April 23, 2023


#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Planet #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #MagneticField #Magnetosphere #SolarWind #Sun #Astrophotography #Astrophotographer #FrankAstro #Nantes #France #STEM #Education

China's Shenzhou-15 Space Station Crew: Steady Progress in Scientific Experiments

China's Shenzhou-15 Space Station Crew: Steady Progress in Scientific Experiments

The Shenzhou-15 crew members have made steady progress in various scientific experiments and space station maintenance work since they entered orbit on November 30, 2022. Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu have completed tasks involving maintaining and repairing the China Space Station with support from ground headquarters. They are currently busy with maintenance work on the environmental control and life support systems onboard the space station, and also with different space experiments. So far, they have completed four extravehicular (spacewalk) tasks, installing an expansion pump set and a load platform exposed to space to lay the foundations for more large-scale experiments outside the space station. 

The Shenzhou-15 crew will return to Earth in June 2023, after the arrival of the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft at the China Space Station and when they have completed handover of their work.

Shenzhou-15 Crew Members: 

Fei Junlong (commander), Zhang Lu (taikonaut), and Deng Qingming (taikonaut) 


Credit: China Global Television Network (CGTN)

Duration: 1 minute, 18 seconds

Release Date: April 29, 2023

#NASA #Space #China #中国 #Earth #CSS #ChinaSpaceStation #中国 #空间站 #SpaceResearch #Laboratory #Shenzhou15 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #Commander #FeiJunlong #ZhangLu #DengQingming #CNSA #CMSA #国家航天局 #Science #Technology #Engineering #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Canadarm2: Timelapse Views | International Space Station

Canadarm2: Timelapse Views | International Space Station

Timelapse video made during the second mission (named "Alpha") by European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet of France to the International Space Station. His camera was setup to take pictures at intervals of two per second. The pictures were then edited into this video playing at 25 images a second. The video is about 12 times faster than actual speed.

Thomas shared this video on social media saying:

“We often mention robotics on the International Space Station, but it doesn’t mean we are playing with robots. We have a 17-meter long, fully-articulated robotic arm on the outside, proudly built by the Canadian Space Agency. It is hugely important to our operations here. It grabs visiting vehicles, moves astronauts around during spacewalks, and does a lot of outside maintenance and logistics. It is always a fun (and to be honest, a bit tense because it’s not easy) moment when we get to fly it though our control panels and joysticks from the Cupola or the Lab (there are no windows there but we have lots of outside cameras).”

Over 200 experiments were planned during Thomas’ time in space, including forty European ones with twelve experiments led by the French space agency, CNES.

Pesquet's second mission name "Alpha" was named after Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to the Sun, following the French mission naming tradition.

The 17-meter-long (55+ feet) Canadarm2 robotic arm is fitted with the 3.7m (12 feet) high Dextre fine-tuned robotic hand.

Discover more about Canadian space robotics:

https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/iss/robotics/default.asp

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. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.


Credit: ESA/NASA

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: April 29, 2023


#NASA #ESA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #Astronaut #ThomasPesquet #CNES #France #AlphaMission #Expedition65 #Expedition66 #Canadarm2 #Canada #CSA #Robotics #Technology #Engineering #JSC #Europe #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #STEM #Education #Photography #Timelapse #HD #Video

Tonight's Sky: May 2023 (Northern Hemisphere)

Tonight's Sky: May 2023 (Northern Hemisphere)

In May 2023, we are looking away from the crowded, dusty plane of our own galaxy toward a region where the sky is brimming with distant galaxies. Locate Virgo to find a concentration of roughly 2,000 galaxies and search for Coma Berenices to identify many more. Keep watching for space-based views of galaxies like the Sombrero Galaxy, M87, and M64.

About this Series

“Tonight’s Sky” is a monthly video of constellations you can observe in the night sky. The series is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope, in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning.


Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Duration: 5 minutes, 26 seconds

Release Date: April 28, 2023


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Planets #SolarSystem #Stars #Virgo #ComaBerenices #Constellations #Galaxies #SombreroGalaxy #M87 #M64 #MilkyWayGalaxy #Skywatching #STScI #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

How do European Astronauts Prepare for Space? | ESA

How do European Astronauts Prepare for Space? | ESA

The European Space Agency (ESA) is currently training five astronaut candidates for future missions to the International Space Station and beyond. Their training program consists of three phases: The first phase is basic training, which covers medical exams, fitness assessments, and space program and systems. The second phase, the pre-assignment training, is advanced training in specific areas, such as systems training, vehicle training, robotics and extravehicular activity (EVA) training or spacewalks. The third phase is mission-specific training, which is tailored to the tasks and experiments that astronauts will perform during their mission. ESA's astronaut training program also includes training for exploration of the lunar surface, as astronauts will need to apply their skills and knowledge to new challenges in future space missions beyond Earth orbit.

The European Space Agency's newly selected astronaut candidates of the class of 2022 arrived at the European Astronaut Center in Cologne, Germany, on April 3, 2023, to begin their 12-month basic training.

The group of five candidates, Sophie Adenot (France), Pablo Álvarez Fernández (Spain), Rosemary Coogan (UK), Raphaël Liégeois (Belgium), and Marco Sieber (Switzerland), are part of the 17-member astronaut class of 2022, selected from 22,500 applicants from across European Space Agency (ESA) Member States in November 2022.


Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Duration: 4 minutes

Release Date: April 28, 2023


#NASA #ESA #Space #Science #Earth #Europe #Astronauts #AstronautCandidates #AstronautTraining #ISS #Moon #ArtemisProgram #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceExploration #France #UK #Spain #Switzerland #Suisse #España #Belgium #Belgique #België #EAC #Cologne #Germany #Deutschland #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Friday, April 28, 2023

Moving Ahead With Space Station Power Upgrades | This Week @NASA

Moving Ahead With Space Station Power Upgrades This Week @NASA

Moving ahead with space station power upgrades, some VIPs hear about some very important missions, and new eye-popping views of Earth from space . . . a few of the stories to tell you about—This Week at NASA!


Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Video Producer, Editor & Narrator: Andre Valentine

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: April 28, 2023


#NASA #Space #Earth #Science #ISS #Astronauts #StephenBowen #SultanAlneyadi #UAE #UAESA #MBRSC #EVA #Spacewalk #HumanSpaceflight #Technology #Korea #한국 #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #Microgravity #SpaceResearch #SpaceLaboratory #UNOOSA #UnitedStates #InternationalCooperation #Expedition69 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Space to Ground: Checkmate | Week of April 28, 2023

NASA's Space to Ground: Checkmate | Week of April 28, 2023

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station.  NASA astronaut Steve Bowen and United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi concluded their spacewalk at 4:12 p.m. EDT after 7 hours and 1 minute on Friday, April 28, 2023.

Bowen and Alneyadi laid cables and installed insulation on mounting brackets on the starboard truss of the station for the installation of the next pair of International Space Station Roll Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs). The astronauts were unable to free up an electronics box located on the truss associated with a degraded S-band communications antenna. The antenna removal was deferred to a future spacewalk ahead of its planned return to Earth.

The installation is part of a series of spacewalks to augment the International Space Station’s power channels with new International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs). Four iROSAs have been installed so far, and two more will be mounted to the platforms installed during this spacewalk in the future.

It was the 261st spacewalk in support of space station assembly, upgrades, and maintenance, the eighth spacewalk for Bowen, and the first for any UAE astronaut.

Bowen and Alneyadi are in the midst of a planned six-month science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

Follow Expedition 69 updates here:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 69 Crew (April 2023)

Station Commander: Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin & Andrey Fedyaev

Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

NASA: Flight Engineers Frank Rubio, Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg

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. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)


Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: April 28, 2023

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronauts #StephenBowen #SultanAlneyadi #UAE #UAESA #MBRSC #EVA #Spacewalk #HumanSpaceflight #Technology #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #Microgravity #SpaceResearch #SpaceLaboratory #UNOOSA #UnitedStates #InternationalCooperation #Expedition69 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA TROPICS Mission: Rocket Lab Electron Launch Preparations | Earth Science

NASA TROPICS Mission: Rocket Lab Electron Launch Preparations | Earth Science

TROPICS CubeSats aboard Rocket Lab Electron Rocket: Vertical on Pad


Encapsulation of NASA TROPICS CubeSats in Rocket Lab’s Electron payload fairing




NASA TROPICS CubeSats

A pair of NASA CubeSats will launch from the Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand, on a Rocket Lab Electron Rocket  mission no earlier than May 1, 2023. Teams encapsulated the cyclone-tracking satellites at RocketLab's processing facility. TROPICS is a constellation of CubeSats that will help us better understand tropical storms and hurricanes around the globe. 

The NASA Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) mission is a constellation of state-of-the-science observing platforms that will measure temperature and humidity soundings and precipitation with spatial resolution comparable to current operational passive microwave sounders but with unprecedented temporal resolution (median revisit time of 50 minutes). Each SmallSat hosts a 12-channel passive microwave spectrometer. The primary mission objective of TROPICS is to relate temperature, humidity, and precipitation structure to the evolution of tropical cyclone intensity.


Credit: Rocket Lab
Image Date: April 26, 2023

#NASA #Space #Earth #EarthScience #Planet #Atmosphere #Weather #Precipitation #Storms #TropicalCyclones #TROPICSMission #CubeSats #RocketLab #ElectronRocket #RocketLikeAHurricane #MahiaPeninsula #NewZealand #KSC #NASALSP #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Large Geomagnetic Storm Hits Earth | NOAA

Large Geomagnetic Storm Hits Earth | NOAA

On April 21, 2023, a coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from the sun, spewing out a burst of plasma that raced toward Earth at nearly two million miles per hour and generated a severe geomagnetic storm (level 4 out of 5 on NOAA’s space weather G- scale) at 3:26 p.m. EDT on April 23.


Credits: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA)

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: April 28, 2023


#NASA #NOAA #CIRA #Space #SpaceWeather #Earth #Sun #Science #CME #GeomagneticStorm #Aurora #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Zooming in on Dwarf Galaxy DDO 68 | Hubble

Zooming in on Dwarf Galaxy DDO 68 | Hubble

This video begins with a ground based view of the night sky, before zooming in on dwarf galaxy DDO 68 as the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope sees it.

This ragged collection of stars and gas clouds looks at first glance like a recently-formed galaxy in our own cosmic neighborhood. However, is it really as young as it looks?


Credit: NASA, ESA, Digitized Sky Survey 2, N. Risinger

Release Date: Sept. 25, 2014

Acknowledgement: A. Aloisi (Space Telescope Science Institute)

Duration: 1 minute


#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxy #DwarfGalaxy #DDO68 #Leo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Panning across Dwarf Galaxy DDO 68 | Hubble

Panning across Dwarf Galaxy DDO 68 | Hubble

This video pans over NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope observations of dwarf galaxy DDO 68. This ragged collection of stars and gas clouds looks at first glance like a recently-formed galaxy in our own cosmic neighborhood. However, is it really as young as it looks?


Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA)

Acknowledgement: A. Aloisi (Space Telescope Science Institute)

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: September 25, 2014


#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxy #DwarfGalaxy #DDO68 #Leo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Dwarf Galaxy DDO 68 | Hubble

Dwarf Galaxy DDO 68 | Hubble


This image from the NASA/European Space Agency (ESA) Hubble Space Telescope shows a cosmic oddity, dwarf galaxy DDO 68. This ragged collection of stars and gas clouds looks at first glance like a recently-formed galaxy in our own cosmic neighbourhood. However, is it really as young as it looks?


Credit: NASA, ESA

Acknowledgement: A. Aloisi (Space Telescope Science Institute)

Release Date: September 25, 2014


#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxy #DwarfGalaxy #DDO68 #Leo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Thursday, April 27, 2023

Six Examples of Galaxy Mergers | Hubble Space Telescope

Six Examples of Galaxy Mergers | Hubble Space Telescope

This is a montage of six beautiful galaxy mergers. These interactions are a key aspect of galaxy evolution and are among the most spectacular events in the lifetime of a galaxy. The mergers featured in this video include NGC 3256, NGC 1614, NGC 4194, NGC 3690, NGC 6052, and NGC 34.


Credit: ESA/Hubble, N. Bartmann  

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Jan. 7, 2021


#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxy #Galaxies #NGC1614 #NGC3256 #NGC34 #NGC3690 #NGC4194 #NGC6052 #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Six Examples of Galaxy Mergers | Hubble Space Telescope

Six Examples of Galaxy Mergers | Hubble Space Telescope


This is a montage of six beautiful galaxy mergers. These interactions are a key aspect of galaxy evolution and are among the most spectacular events in the lifetime of a galaxy.

Top left: NGC 3256

This galaxy is about 100 million light-years from Earth and provides an ideal target in which to investigate starbursts that have been triggered by galaxy mergers.

Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA

Top Middle: NGC 1614

The galaxy system NGC 1614 has a bright optical center and two clear inner spiral arms that are fairly symmetrical. It also has a spectacular outer structure that consists principally of a large one-sided curved extension of one of these arms to the lower right, and a long, almost straight tail that emerges from the nucleus and crosses the extended arm to the upper right. 

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

Top Right: NGC 4194

NGC 4194 is also known as the Medusa merger.  An early galaxy consumed a smaller gas-rich system, throwing out streams of stars and dust out into space. These streams, seen rising from the top of the merger galaxy, resemble the writhing snakes that Medusa, a monster in ancient Greek mythology, famously had on her head in place of hair, lending the object its intriguing name. The Medusa merger is located about 130 million light-years away in the constellation of Ursa Major (The Great Bear). 

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Adamo

Bottom Left: NGC 3690

This system consists of a pair of galaxies, dubbed IC 694 and NGC 3690, which made a close pass some 700 million years ago. As a result of this interaction, the system underwent a fierce burst of star formation. In the last fifteen years or so six supernovae have popped off in the outer reaches of the galaxy, making this system a distinguished supernova factory. 

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

Bottom Middle: NGC 6052

Located in the constellation of Hercules, about 230 million light-years away, NGC 6052 is a pair of colliding galaxies. They were first discovered in 1784 by William Herschel and were originally classified as a single irregular galaxy because of their odd shape. However, we now know that NGC 6052 actually consists of two galaxies that are in the process of colliding.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Adamo et al.

Bottom Right: NGC 34

Lying in the constellation Cetus (The Sea Monster), NGC 34’s outer region appears almost translucent, pin pricked with stars and strange wispy tendrils. This image shows the galaxy's bright center, a result of this merging event that has created a burst of new star formation and lit up the surrounding gas. As the galaxies continue to intertwine and become one, NGC 34’s shape will become more like that of a peculiar galaxy, devoid of any distinct shape.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Adamo et al.


Story Credit: NASA & ESA

Release Date: January 7, 2021


#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxy #Galaxies #NGC1614 #NGC3256 #NGC34 #NGC3690 #NGC4194 #NGC6052 #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Russian Cosmonauts on Spacewalk | International Space Station

Russian Cosmonauts on Spacewalk | International Space Station


Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin conduct a six-hour and 25-minute spacewalk in their Orlan spacesuits to transfer a radiator from the Rassvet module to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module for future installation. The duo is pictured tethered to the Rassvet module with the Soyuz MS-22 crew ship docked at top.

NASA will provide live coverage as two Roscosmos cosmonauts conduct two spacewalks in May outside the International Space Station to relocate hardware from the Rassvet module to the new Nauka multipurpose laboratory module.

Follow each spacewalk on NASA Television and the agency’s website at:

During the spacewalks, Expedition 69 cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin will venture outside the Poisk airlock Wednesday, May 3 and Friday, May 12, 2023, to help in transfer and install of an experiment airlock to Nauka and deploy a radiator to provide module cooling. The airlock and the radiator attached to Rassvet were launched on the space shuttle Atlantis STS-132 mission in May 2010. The radiator and the airlock will be robotically transferred by ESA’s (European Space Agency) robotic arm on Nauka with those movements operated by cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev inside the orbital complex.

The content and coverage times of the spacewalks are (all times EDT):
Wednesday, May 3
3:30 p.m. - NASA TV coverage begins for a spacewalk to move an experiment airlock from Rassvet to Nauka.
Friday, May 12
11:30 a.m. - NASA TV coverage begins for a spacewalk to deploy a radiator on Nauka and connect mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic lines.

The spacewalks will be the fifth and sixth for Prokopyev, who will wear the Orlan spacesuit with the red stripes for all of the spacewalks and the third and fourth for Petelin, who will wear the spacesuit with the blue stripes.
Learn more about the International Space Station and its crew at:

Follow Expedition 69 updates here:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 69 Crew (April 2023)

Station Commander: Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin & Andrey Fedyaev

Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

NASA: Flight Engineers Frank Rubio, Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg

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. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.


Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Release Date: April 26, 2023


#NASA #Space #Earth #Science #Astronauts #FrankRubio #StephenBowen #WarrenHoburg #SultanAlneyadi #Cosmonauts #SergeyProkopyev #DmitriPetelin #AndreyFedyaev #EVA #Spacewalks #HumanSpaceflight #Technology #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #Microgravity #SpaceResearch #SpaceLaboratory #UNOOSA #InternationalCooperation #Expedition69 #STEM #Education

NASA’s Artemis I Moon Mission: Launch to Splashdown Highlights

NASA’s Artemis I Moon Mission: Launch to Splashdown Highlights

Ride along with NASA’s Orion capsule on the Artemis I mission around the Moon and back.

At 1:47 a.m. EST (6:47 UTC) on Nov. 16, 2022, NASA’s Orion spacecraft launched atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from historic Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on a path to the Moon, officially beginning the Artemis I mission. Over the course of 25.5 days, Orion performed two lunar flybys, coming within 80 miles (129 kilometers) of the lunar surface. At its farthest distance during the mission, Orion traveled nearly 270,000 miles (435,000 kilometers) from our home planet. NASA’s Orion spacecraft successfully completed a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 9:40 a.m. PST (12:40 p.m. EST) as the final major milestone of the Artemis I mission.

Artemis I was the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems—the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and the supporting ground systems—and the first in a series of increasingly complex missions at the Moon. Over the course of the flight test, flight controllers tested Orion’s capabilities in the harsh environment of deep space to prepare for flying astronauts on Artemis II. Through Artemis missions, NASA will establish a long-term lunar presence for scientific discovery and prepare for human missions to Mars.

For more information about the Artemis program, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-ii/


Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: April 27, 2023


#NASA #ESA #Space #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisI #Rocket #SLS #SpaceLaunchSystem #OrionSpacecraft #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #JourneyToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #SpaceExploration #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #UnitedStates #Europe #International #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Astronaut & Spaceflight Veteran Jessica Watkins on Teamwork

NASA Astronaut & Spaceflight Veteran Jessica Watkins on Teamwork


"One of my favorite things about rugby as a sport is really just how much of a team sport rugby is. I really have found that even as compared to some of the other team sports that I've played, there's really a reliance on every individual contributor’s skill sets and strengths."

"In order to be successful as a rugby team, it really requires that everybody comes to the table and relies on each other. Success is not possible without having people really of all different sizes and strengths and skill sets really working together."

"And I think that type of teamwork is really applicable to human spaceflight. Human spaceflight is a team sport as well. And we have so many people with different experiences and expertise that they bring to the table that really allows us to do this hard thing, accomplish this goal of human spaceflight as a concept, but even on an individual everyday basis. Operating the International Space Station requires an entire team of people all coming together with one goal in pursuit of that one mission."

— Jessica Watkins, Astronaut, NASA's Johnson Space Center

Jessica Watkins served as a mission specialist on Expeditions 67 and 68 aboard the International Space Station as part of SpaceX Crew-4.

Jessica Watkins Official Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/jessica-watkins/biography


Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Release Date:  April 18, 2023


#NASA #Space #Earth #Moon #ISS #Science #SpaceX #CrewDragon #SpaceXCrew4 #Spacecraft #Astronaut #JessicaWatkins #Geologist #Scientist #WomenInSTEM #Women #Pioneer #Leader #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceExploration #ArtemisProgram #JSC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Planet Mars Images: April 2023 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers | JPL

Planet Mars Images: April 2023 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers | JPL

Mars2020 - sol 775
Mars2020 - sol 774
Mars2020 - sol 775
Mars2020 - sol 772
MSL - sol 3808
Mars2020 - sol 775
MSL - sol 3808

Celebrating 10 Years+ on Mars! (2012-2023)

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 2+ Years on Mars (2021-2023)

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 possible return to Earth.

Mars Helicopter (Ingenuity)

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

Image Release Dates: April 25-26, 2023


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #Ingenuity #JezeroCrater #Robotics #Technology #Engineering #JPL #UnitedStates #MoonToMars #CitizenScience #KevinGill #STEM #Education

China to Build Lunar Research Station during Chang'e-8 Mission | CGTN

China to Build Lunar Research Station during Chang'e-8 Mission | CGTN

China has put forth plans to build an International Lunar Research Station on the moon during its Chang'e-8 mission, with research and development already started. According to the construction plan, the building of the station will be carried out in three phases, with its basic model expected to be completed by around 2030.


Credit: China Global Television Network (CGTN)

Duration: 1 minute, 12 seconds

Release Date: April 27, 2023


#NASA #Space #China #中国 #International #Earth #Moon #LunarSpaceStation #Change8Mission #Taikonauts #Astronauts #CNSA #CMSA #国家航天局 #Science #Technology #Engineering #Robotics #HumanSpaceflight #MoonToMars #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #UNOOSA #STEM #Education #CGTN #HD #Video

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Astronauts Alneyadi & Bowen Prepare for Spacewalk | International Space Station

Astronauts Alneyadi & Bowen Prepare for Spacewalk | International Space Station

Astronaut Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates tries on his spacesuit ahead of a spacewalk

NASA Astronaut Stephen Bowen tries on his spacesuit ahead of a spacewalk

NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg prepares a spacesuit for a spacewalk

Astronaut Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates prepares a spacesuit for a spacewalk


NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen prepares a spacesuit for a spacewalk

NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio installs the NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer

Spacewalk preparations are under way aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition 69 crew is continuing its advanced microgravity research while maintaining orbital lab systems. Two astronauts are readying their tools today for a six-and-a-half hour spacewalk planned to start at 9:15 a.m. EDT on Friday, April 28, 2023, NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen will be going on his eighth career spacewalk with first-time spacewalker and astronaut Sultan Alneyadi from UAE (United Arab Emirates). The duo will work in the vacuum of space on the starboard side of the station’s truss structure routing power cables and retrieving a communications antenna. The cable work is being done in advance of the installation of the station’s fourth roll-out solar array.

Follow Expedition 69 updates here:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 69 Crew (March 2023)

Station Commander: Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin & Andrey Fedyaev

Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

NASA: Flight Engineers Frank Rubio, Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg

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. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.


Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Dates: April 24-26, 2023


#NASA #Space #Earth #Science #Spacewalk #EVA #Astronauts #SultanAlneyadi #UAE #UnitedArabEmirates #StephenBowen #FrankRubio #WarrenHoburg #HumanSpaceflight #Technology #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #Microgravity #SpaceResearch #SpaceLaboratory #UNOOSA #InternationalCooperation #Expedition69 #STEM #Education

New NASA Artemis V Moon Rocket Engine Test: Preparing for Crewed Missions

New NASA Artemis V Moon Rocket Engine Test: Preparing for Crewed Missions

An Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 rocket engine was tested on the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly A-1 Test Stand) at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, on April 26 2023, at 18:36 UTC (13:36 CDT, 14:36 EDT). This was the sixth hot fire test in a planned 12-test series of the newly redesigned RS-25 engines that will be used beginning with the Artemis V Mission. The test had a planned duration of 720 seconds with operators conducting the first gimbal test of the current RS-25 certification series.

For information about the Space Launch System, visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html


Credit: NASA's Stennis Space Center

Acknowledgement: SciNews

Duration: 13 minutes

Release Date: April 26, 2023


#NASA #Space #Artemis #ArtemisV #Moon #Rocket #SpaceLaunchSystem #SLS #Engine #RS25 #AerojetRocketdyne #MoonToMars #DeepSpace #Propulsion #Engineering #Technology #NASAStennis #Mississippi #MSFC #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #Exploration #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Espacio a Tierra | Haciendo un impacto global: 21 de abril de 2023

NASA's Espacio a Tierra | Haciendo un impacto global: 21 de abril de 2023

Espacio a Tierra, la versión en español de las cápsulas Space to Ground de la NASA, te informa semanalmente de lo que está sucediendo en la Estación Espacial Internacional. 

Para obtener más información sobre la ciencia de la NASA, suscríbete al boletín semanal: https://www.nasa.gov/suscribete

Ciencia de la NASA: https://ciencia.nasa.gov/


Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 4 minutes

Release Date: April 26, 2023


#NASA #NASAenespañol #español #Space #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronauts #FrankRubio #StephenBowen #WarrenHoburg #SultanAlneyadi #Cosmonauts #SergeyProkopyev #DmitriPetelin #AndreyFedyaev #EVA #Spacewalk #HumanSpaceflight #Technology #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #SpaceResearch #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition69 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Zooming in on the Black Hole and Jet of Galaxy Messier 87 | ESO

Zooming in on the Black Hole and Jet of Galaxy Messier 87 | ESO

This zoom video starts with a view of Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescopes in Chile and zooms in on the heart of the M87 galaxy, showing successively more detailed observations. The final image shows the shadow of the black hole and a powerful jet expelled from it, together for the first time in the same image. The observations were obtained with telescopes from the Global Millimeter VLBI Array (GMVA), ALMA, of which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner, and the Greenland Telescope.


Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/L. Calçada, Digitized Sky Survey 2, ESA/Hubble, RadioAstron, De Gasperin et al., Kim et al., R. Lu and E. Ros (GMVA), S. Dagnello (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

Duration: 54 seconds

Release Date: April 26, 2023


#NASA #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #Galaxy #Messier87 #M87 #BlackHole #BlackHoleJet #ALMA #RadioTelescopes #NSF #Chile #Europe #Art #Illustration #Infographic #STEM #Education #HD #Video

First Direct Image of a Black Hole Expelling a Powerful Jet | ESO

First Direct Image of a Black Hole Expelling a Powerful Jet | ESO

ESOcast 260 Light: For the first time, astronomers have observed, in the same image, the shadow of the black hole at the center of the galaxy Messier 87 (M87) and the powerful jet expelled from it. This was accomplished with the help of Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescopes, of which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner.


Video Credits: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Directed by: Angelos Tsaousis & Martin Wallner

Editing: Angelos Tsaousis

Web & technical support: Gurvan Bazin & Raquel Yumi Shida

Written by: Jonas Enander

Footage and photos: ESO/L. Calçada, M. Kornmesser, Digitized Sky Survey 2, ESA/Hubble, RadioAstron, De Gasperin et al., Kim et al., S. Dagnello (NRAO/AUI/NSF), R. S. Lu (SHAO), E. Ros and H. Rottmann/MPIfR,  Nicolle R. Fuller/NSF, A. Duro.

Scientific consultants: Paola Amico & Mariya Lyubenova

Duration: 1 minute, 37 seconds

Release Date: April 26, 2023


#NASA #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #Galaxy #Messier87 #M87 #BlackHole #BlackHoleJet #ALMA #RadioTelescopes #NSF #Chile #Europe #Art #Illustration #Infographic #STEM #Education #HD #Video

First Direct Image of a Black Hole Expelling a Powerful Jet | ESO

First Direct Image of a Black Hole Expelling a Powerful Jet: Galaxy M87 | ESO


A view of the jet and shadow of M87’s black hole


Artist’s impression of the black hole in the M87 galaxy and its powerful jet


Anatomy of a Black Hole

Galaxy Messier 87 Captured by ESO’s Very Large Telescope

For the first time, astronomers have observed, in the same image, the shadow of the black hole at the center of the galaxy Messier 87 (M87) and the powerful jet expelled from it. The observations were done in 2018 with telescopes from the Global Millimeter VLBI Array (GMVA), the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), of which European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner, and the Greenland Telescope (GLT). Thanks to this new image, astronomers can better understand how black holes can launch such energetic jets.

Most galaxies harbor a supermassive black hole at their center. While black holes are known for engulfing matter in their immediate vicinity, they can also launch powerful jets of matter that extend beyond the galaxies that they live in. Understanding how black holes create such enormous jets has been a long standing problem in astronomy.

The new image published today shows precisely this for the first time: how the base of a jet connects with the matter swirling around a supermassive black hole. The target is the galaxy M87, located 55 million light-years away in our cosmic neighborhood, and home to a black hole 6.5 billion times more massive than the Sun. Previous observations had managed to separately image the region close to the black hole and the jet, but this is the first time both features have been observed together. 

The new image shows the jet emerging near the black hole, as well as what scientists call the shadow of the black hole. As matter orbits the black hole, it heats up and emits light. The black hole bends and captures some of this light, creating a ring-like structure around the black hole as seen from Earth.


Credit: R.-S. Lu (SHAO), E. Ros (MPIfR), S. Dagnello (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

Release Date: April 26, 2023


#NASA #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #Galaxy #Messier87 #M87 #BlackHole #BlackHoleJet #ALMA #RadioTelescopes #NSF #Chile #Europe #Art #Illustration #Infographic #STEM #Education