NASA Artemis III Moon Rocket: Liquid Hydrogen Tank Moves into Final Assembly

NASA Artemis III Moon Rocket: Liquid Hydrogen Tank Moves into Final Assembly

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid hydrogen tank for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket into the factory’s final assembly area on April 22, 2025. Having recently completed application of the thermal protection system, teams will now continue outfitting the 130-foot-tall tank with critical systems to ready it for its designated Artemis III mission.

The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Over the course of about 30 days, the Artemis III astronauts will travel to lunar orbit, where two crew members will descend to the surface and spend approximately a week near the South Pole of the Moon conducting new science before returning to lunar orbit to join their crew for the journey back to Earth. Launch is currently scheduled for mid-2027.

Follow updates on the Artemis blog: 
https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS)
https://www.nasa.gov/sls

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

Read the Artemis Plan (74-page PDF Free Download): 
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/artemis_plan-20200921.pdf

NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF)
https://www.nasa.gov/michoud-assembly-facility/

Image Credit: NASA/Steven B. Seipel

Capture Date: April 22, 2025

#NASA #Space #Earth #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisIII #SLS #SLSRocket #CoreStage #LiquidHydrogenTank #LH2Tank #Boeing #ULA #CrewedMissions #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Science #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #MSFC #MAF #NewOrleans #Louisiana #UnitedStates #STEM #Education 

A Uniquely Shaped Spiral Galaxy: NGC 1961 in Camelopardalis | Hubble

A Uniquely Shaped Spiral Galaxy: NGC 1961 in Camelopardalis | Hubble

A beautiful but skewed spiral galaxy dazzles in this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture. This galaxy, called Arp 184 or NGC 1961, sits about 190 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Camelopardalis (The Giraffe). 

The name Arp 184 comes from the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies that was compiled by astronomer Halton Arp in 1966. The 338 galaxies in the atlas are oddly shaped, tending to be neither entirely elliptical nor entirely spiral-shaped. Many of the galaxies are in the process of interacting with other galaxies, while others are dwarf galaxies without well-defined structures. Arp 184 earned its spot in the catalog thanks to its single broad, star-speckled spiral arm that appears to stretch toward us. The galaxy’s far side sports a few wisps of gas and stars but lacks a similarly impressive spiral arm.

This Hubble image combines data from three Snapshot observing programs that are composed of short observations that can be slotted into time gaps between other proposals. One of the three programs targeted Arp 184 for its peculiar appearance. This program surveyed galaxies listed in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies as well as A Catalogue of Southern Peculiar Galaxies and Associations, a similar catalog compiled by Halton Arp and Barry Madore.

The remaining two programs were designed to check up on the aftermath of fleeting astronomical events like supernovae and tidal disruption events—when a star is ripped apart after wandering too close to a supermassive black hole. Since Arp 184 has hosted four known supernovae in the past three decades, it is a rich target for a supernova hunt.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy seen at a skewed angle. Its center is a bright spot radiating light. A thick, stormy disc of material surrounds this with swirling strands of dark dust and bright spots of star formation strewn through the disc. A large spiral arm extends from the disc towards the viewer. Foreground stars are visible atop the galaxy.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton, R. J. Foley (UC Santa Cruz), C. Kilpatrick
Release Date: April 28, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Hubble35 #NGC1961 #Arp184 #Camelopardalis #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 Training in California | International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 Training in California | International Space Station

From left to right: Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Russia, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui

From left to right: Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Russia, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui

From left to right: Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Russia, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui

From left to right: NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Russia, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui

NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station, trains inside a Dragon training crew spacecraft at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California

NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station, trains inside a Dragon training crew spacecraft at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui, mission specialist of NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station, trains inside a Dragon training crew spacecraft at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California

Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Russia, mission specialist of NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station, trains inside a Dragon training crew spacecraft at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California

As part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 Mission, four crew members from three space agencies will launch in the coming months to the International Space Station for a long-duration science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory.

NASA astronauts Commander Zena Cardman and Pilot Mike Fincke, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Mission Specialist Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Oleg Platonov of Russia will join crew members aboard the space station no earlier than July 2025.

The flight is the 11th crew rotation with SpaceX to the station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The crew will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future missions to the Moon, as well as benefit people on Earth.

Cardman previously was assigned to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, and Fincke previously was assigned to NASA’s Boeing Starliner-1 mission. NASA decided to reassign the astronauts to Crew-11 in overall support of planned activities aboard the International Space Station. Cardman carries her experience training as a commander on Dragon spacecraft, and Fincke brings long-duration spaceflight experience to this crew complement.

NASA astronaut Zena Cardman biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/zena-cardman/

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/cardman-z.pdf

This will be Fincke’s fourth trip to the space station, having logged 382 days in space and nine spacewalks during Expedition 9 in 2004, Expedition 18 in 2008, and STS-134 in 2011, the final flight of space shuttle Endeavour. 

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/michael-e-fincke/

https://www.nasa.gov/people/edward-michael-mike-fincke/

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/fincke_e_michael.pdf

With 142 days in space, this will be Yui’s second trip to the space station. After his selection as a JAXA astronaut in 2009, Yui flew as a flight engineer for Expedition 44/45 and became the first Japanese astronaut to capture JAXA’s H-II Transfer Vehicle. In addition to constructing a new experimental environment aboard Kibo, he conducted a total of 21 experiments for JAXA. In November 2016, Yui was assigned as chief of the JAXA Astronaut Group. He graduated from the School of Science and Engineering at the National Defense Academy of Japan in 1992. He later joined the Air Self-Defense Force at the Japan Defense Agency (currently Ministry of Defense). In 2008, Yui joined the Air Staff Office at the Ministry of Defense as a lieutenant colonel.

JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui biography:

https://humans-in-space.jaxa.jp/en/astronaut/yui-kimiya/

The Crew-11 mission will be Platonov’s first spaceflight. Before his selection as a cosmonaut in 2018, Platonov earned a degree in Engineering from Krasnodar Air Force Academy in Aircraft Operations and Air Traffic Management. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in State and Municipal Management in 2016 from the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia. Assigned as a test cosmonaut in 2021, he has experience in piloting aircraft, zero gravity training, scuba diving, and wilderness survival.

Image Credit: SpaceX

Capture Dates: April 9-11, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #SpaceX #SpaceXCrew11 #SpaceXDragonSpacecraft #Astronauts #MikeFincke #ZenaCardman #JAXA #KimiyaYui #Japan #日本 #Cosmonaut #OlegPlatonov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #Hawthorne #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Expedition 73 Crew Photos: April 18-22, 2025 | International Space Station

Expedition 73 Photos: April 18-22, 2025 | International Space Station

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers prepares mixture tubes containing research samples for the Nanoracks Module-9 series of student-designed space experiments. Ayers was working at the Harmony module's maintenance work area aboard the International Space Station.

Anne McClain tests a wearable dosimeter called IRIS. This technology consists of lightweight hardware that track real-time radiation exposure on the International Space Station, keeping astronauts safe. 

NASA astronauts Anne McClain (bottom) and Nichole Ayers (top), both Expedition 73 Flight Engineers, checkout spacesuit hardware in the Quest airlock and review procedures for a May 1 spacewalk. The spacewalkers will install a modification kit on the International Space Station’s port side truss structure preparing it for a new rollout solar array and relocate an antenna that communicates with commercial spacecraft.

Expedition 73 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers: "Lots of EVA (spacewalk) prep this week!

We resized the spacesuits to fit Anne McClain

 and me (pic 1), cleared out the suits and gear we won’t need in the airlock for this EVA, and spent some time getting familiar with the modification kit we’ll be installing."

"We also packed all the parts into a bag that I’ll carry with us out to the work site . . . We’re affectionately calling it EV3 because it’s about 8 feet long and weighs around 300 lbs! It’ll be slow and steady for me as I carry it out to the base of the solar arrays."

Expedition 73 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Jonny Kim: "Our first resupply mission for Expedition 73. Tak and I were the visiting vehicle officers for NASA’s CRS-32 mission, meaning we monitored the rendezvous, approach, and docking from the Cupola as the 

SpaceX Cargo Dragon autonomously docked to the International Space Station carrying science, equipment, and resources like food."

"We can’t do our job as astronauts without regular resupply missions like this, and the success of CRS-32 is a testament to NASA’s partnership and collaboration with the commercial industry."

NASA's SpaceX CRS-32 Dragon cargo spacecraft approaches the International Space Station on April 22, 2025.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut and Expedition 73 Commander Takuya Onishi inspects science hardware inside the Kibo laboratory module's Solid Combustion Experiment Module, a space fire safety research facility, aboard the International Space Station.

Expedition 73 flight engineers and NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers are getting ready for a spacewalk scheduled for May 1, 2025. The duo will exit the Quest airlock into the vacuum of space and spend six-and-a-half hours preparing the station’s port side truss structure for a new rollout solar array and relocating an antenna that communicates with visiting vehicles.

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy

NASA Flight Engineers: Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim

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.

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

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center 
Capture Dates: April 18-22, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #SpaceX #CRS32 #DragonCargoSpacecraft #Astronauts #EVA #Spacesuits #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

The Dragon's Egg Nebula in the Constellation Norma: NGC 6164

The Dragon's Egg Nebula in the Constellation Norma: NGC 6164

Beautiful emission nebula NGC 6164 was created by a rare, hot, luminous O-type star, about 40 times as massive as the Sun. Seen at the center of the cosmic cloud, the star is a mere 3 to 4 million years old. In another three to four million years the massive star will end its life in a supernova explosion. Spanning around 4 light-years, the nebula itself has a bipolar symmetry. This makes it similar in appearance to more common and familiar planetary nebulae—the gaseous shrouds surrounding dying sun-like stars. Known as the Dragon's Egg nebula, NGC 6164 is 4,200 light-years away in the right-angled southern constellation of Norma.

Similar to many planetary nebulae, NGC 6164 has been found to have an extensive, faint halo, revealed in this deep image of the region. Expanding into the surrounding interstellar medium, the material in the halo is likely from an earlier active phase of the O star. This gorgeous telescopic view is a composite of extensive narrow-band image data, highlighting glowing atomic hydrogen gas in red and oxygen in greenish hues, with broad-band data for the surrounding starfield.

Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Stern
Daniel's website: https://www.instagram.com/messierchaser/
Release Date: April 24, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #DragonsEggNebula #NGC6164 #NGC6165 #EmissionNebula #Star #OTypeStar #HD148937 #Norma #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #DanielStern #Astrophotographer #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD

Planet Mars Images: April 24-26, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity Rover

Planet Mars Images: April 24-26, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity Rover

MSL - sol 4518

MSL - sol 4518

MSL - sol 4522

MSL - sol 4522

MSL - sol 4518

MSL - sol 4518

MSL - sol 4518

Support FriendsofNASA.org

Celebrating 12+ Years on Mars (2012-2024)

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

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 24-26, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #MSSS #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #KevinGill #STEM #Education

China's Shenzhou-19 Astronauts Complete Handover, Returning to Earth Tuesday

China's Shenzhou-19 Astronauts Complete Handover, Returning to Earth Tuesday

The crew of China's Shenzhou-19 spacecraft held a handover ceremony with the Shenzhou-20 crew and transferred the keys of the country's space station to the latter on Sunday, April 27, 2025.

"This key symbolizes not only the handover between our two crew groups, but also a heavy mission and responsibility. Now, I'm handing the key into your hands, and you will be responsible for managing, caring for, and maintaining the space station," said Cai Xuzhe, commander of the Shenzhou-19 crew, with the other two members being Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze.

Chen Dong, commander of the Shenzhou-20 crew, thanked the Shenzhou-19 trio for their diligent care of the space station.

"Thank you, the Shenzhou-19 crew, for your taking such good care of our space home. During these few days of handover, we have learned a lot of valuable experience and practices. We assure you and our country and the people that we will, just like you, carefully and meticulously complete every task and do our part well," said Chen.

The Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Thursday, sending astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie to space.

The Shenzhou-19 crew has now completed all the planned tasks. The three astronauts will take the Shenzhou-19 spacecraft and return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on April 29, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

At present, final preparations are in full swing across all participating systems and the landing site is in readiness to welcome the trio back.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 31 seconds
Release Date: April 27, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #China #中国 #LongMarchRocket #Shenzhou20Spacecraft #Shenzhou20Mission #神舟二十号 #Shenzhou20Crew #Shenzhou19 #神舟十九号 #Taikonauts #ChenDong #ChenZhongrui #WangJie #Astronauts #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #SpaceLaboratory #CMSA #中国载人航天工程办公室 #LongDurationMissions #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Landing Site Ready for Return of Shenzhou-19 Astronauts | China Space Station

Landing Site Ready for Return of Shenzhou-19 Astronauts | China Space Station

The Dongfeng landing site in north China's     Autonomous Region is ready to welcome the return of the Shenzhou-19 crew upon completion of a six-month mission aboard China's space station Tiangong in orbit.

To ensure search and rescue readiness, a final comprehensive drill was conducted at the Dongfeng landing site earlier Friday, April 25, 2025.

The return capsule of the Shenzhou-19 manned spacecraft, carrying three astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze, is scheduled to touch down at the Dongfeng landing site on April 29.

At around 10:00 on Friday, nearly 100 vehicles were deployed to support the ground search and rescue operations.

By 14:30, after receiving information on the landing location of the return capsule from the Beijing Aerospace Control Center, five helicopters from the air unit executed precision landings around the location and promptly carried out operations following established procedures.

At 14:45, upon the arrival of the ground search and rescue team, operations including simulating the opening of the hatch and lifting the astronauts out of the capsule were carried out.

The search and rescue team members responded swiftly and executed the tasks meticulously, ensuring that all operations, from the timing of the astronauts exiting the capsule to their adaptation to the external environment and the transfer process, were conducted with absolute safety.

According to the plan, the entire return and landing process of the Shenzhou-19 manned spacecraft is expected to take about 50 minutes.

At present, all personnel and equipment at the Dongfeng landing site are ready to be deployed to support the search and rescue operations.

On Thursday, a Long March 2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-20 manned spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

The three astronauts on Shenzhou-20 entered the Tiangong space station and met with the Shenzhou-19 crew later on, beginning a new round of in-orbit crew handover. The six crew members then had group pictures taken for the sixth space get-together in China's aerospace history. They will live and work together for about five days to complete planned tasks and handover work.

The Shenzhou-19 crewed spacecraft, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on October 30, 2024.

Shenzhou-19 Crew:
Commander Cai Xuzhe (蔡旭哲)
Mission Specialist Wang Haoze (王浩泽)
Mission Specialist Song Lingdong (宋令东)

Wang Haoze is the country's first female space engineer and astronaut.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: April 26, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #InnerMongolia #内蒙古自治区 #China #中国 #Shenzhou19 #神舟十九号 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #SpaceLaboratory #MicrogravityResearch #CMSA #中国载人航天工程办公室 #LongDurationMissions #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center World Pilots’ Day 2025

NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center World Pilots’ Day 2025

In honor of World Pilots’ Day 2025, NASA pilots from Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, share their stories, passion for flight, and words of inspiration for the next generation of aviators. World Pilots’ Day is observed annually on April 26th to acknowledge the contributions of pilots around the globe and to highlight the importance of safety. 

Learn more about the Armstrong Flight Research Center: 

https://www.nasa.gov/armstrong/

Learn more about NASA Aeronautics:

https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/

Video Credit: NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center
Duration: 4 minutes
Release Date: April 26, 2025

#NASA #NASAAeronautics #Earth #Aerospace #WorldPilotsDay2025 #Pilots #Flight #Aviation #AviationSafety #Aircraft #Engineering #CivilianResearch #AeronauticalResearch #FlightTests #NeilArmstrong #AFRC #EdwardsAFB #Edwards #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Celebrating The Hubble Space Telescope's 35th Anniversary (1990-2025) | ESA

Celebrating The Hubble Space Telescope's 35th Anniversary (1990-2025) | ESA

This Space Sparks episode celebrates the 35th anniversary of the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope by showcasing four beautiful new images.

Mars: These are a combination of Hubble Space Telescope images of Mars taken from December 28th to 30th, 2024. At the midpoint of the observations, Mars was approximately 98 million kilometres from Earth. Thin water-ice clouds that are apparent in ultraviolet light give the Red Planet a frosty appearance. The icy northern polar cap was experiencing the start of Martian spring.

Planetary Nebula NGC 2899: This object has a diagonal, bipolar, cylindrical outflow of gas. This is propelled by radiation and stellar winds from a nearly 22,000 degree Celsius white dwarf at the center. In fact, there may be two companion stars that are interacting and sculpting the nebula, which is pinched in the middle by a fragmented ring or torus—looking like a half-eaten donut. It has a forest of gaseous “pillars” that point back to the source of radiation and stellar winds. The colors are from glowing hydrogen and oxygen. The nebula lies approximately 4,500 light-years away in the southern constellation Vela.

Rosette Nebula: This is a Hubble Space Telescope photo of a small portion of the Rosette Nebula, a huge star-forming region spanning 100 light-years across and located 5,200 light-years away. Hubble zooms into a small portion of the nebula that is only 4 light-years across (the approximate distance between our Sun and the neighboring Alpha Centauri star system.) Dark clouds of hydrogen gas laced with dust are silhouetted across the image. The clouds are being eroded and shaped by the seething radiation from the cluster of larger stars in the center of the nebula (NGC 2440).

Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 5335: This object is categorized as a flocculent spiral galaxy with patchy streamers of star formation across its disk. There is a striking lack of well-defined spiral arms that are commonly found among galaxies, including our Milky Way. A notable bar structure slices across the center of the galaxy. The bar channels gas inwards toward the galactic center, fueling star formation. Such bars are dynamic in galaxies and may come and go over two-billion-year intervals. They appear in about 30 percent of observed galaxies, including our Milky Way.

Credits: 
Directed by: Bethany Downer and Nico Bartmann  
Editing: Nico Bartmann  
Written by: Bethany Downer  
Footage and photos: NASA, ESA, STScI, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)
Duration: 3 minutes, 16 seconds
Release Date: April 23, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Hubble35 #Planet #Mars #PlanetaryNebula #NGC2899 #RosetteNebula #Caldwell49 #NGC5335 #BarredSpiralGalaxy #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up: A Portion of The Rosette Nebula in Monoceros | Hubble Space Telescope

Close-up: A Portion of The Rosette Nebula in Monoceros | Hubble Space Telescope

This image is a Hubble Space Telescope photo of a small portion of the Rosette Nebula, a huge star-forming region spanning 100 light-years across and located 5,200 light-years away. Hubble zooms into a small portion of the nebula that is only 4 light-years across (the approximate distance between our Sun and the neighboring Alpha Centauri star system.) Dark clouds of hydrogen gas laced with dust are silhouetted across the image. The clouds are being eroded and shaped by the seething radiation from the cluster of larger stars in the center of the nebula (NGC 2440). An embedded star seen at the tip of a dark cloud in the upper right portion of the image is launching jets of plasma that are crashing into the cold cloud around it. The resulting shock wave is causing a red glow. The colors come from the presence of hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.

Image Description: A tiny portion of the Rosette Nebula. Very dark gray material shaped like a V extends from just below top left all the way down to the lower right corner and back up toward the top right. It looks like thick smoke that has billowed out irregularly, thicker along the line from top left to bottom right, and looser on the piece that goes toward the top right. Behind the dark gray on the left side, from the bottom left to top center, there is dust that looks like arced claw marks that appears in light orange and yellow. The background at top left is hazier and blues are covered in semi-transparent orange wisps. This makes sections take on green hues. In the bottom right, the background is bluer. There are a few bright red and purple stars scattered along the right half, most toward the bottom. The largest star is at right-center, just at the edge. It is red and has four diffraction spikes.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), STScI

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: April 23, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Hubble35 #RosetteNebula #Caldwell49 #Stars #StarCluster #NGC2440 #Monoceros #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #DSS #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A Portion of The Rosette Nebula in Monoceros | Hubble Space Telescope

A Portion of The Rosette Nebula in Monoceros | Hubble Space Telescope

The background image is from the Digitized Sky Survey, while the inset is a small portion of the nebula as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. Dark clouds of hydrogen gas laced with dust are silhouetted across the image. The colors come from the presence of hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.

The first image is a Hubble Space Telescope photo of a small portion of the Rosette Nebula, a huge star-forming region spanning 100 light-years across and located 5,200 light-years away. Hubble zooms into a small portion of the nebula that is only 4 light-years across (the approximate distance between our Sun and the neighboring Alpha Centauri star system.) Dark clouds of hydrogen gas laced with dust are silhouetted across the image. The clouds are being eroded and shaped by the seething radiation from the cluster of larger stars in the center of the nebula (NGC 2440). An embedded star seen at the tip of a dark cloud in the upper right portion of the image is launching jets of plasma that are crashing into the cold cloud around it. The resulting shock wave is causing a red glow. The colors come from the presence of hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.

Image Description: A tiny portion of the Rosette Nebula. Very dark gray material shaped like a V extends from just below top left all the way down to the lower right corner and back up toward the top right. It looks like thick smoke that has billowed out irregularly, thicker along the line from top left to bottom right, and looser on the piece that goes toward the top right. Behind the dark gray on the left side, from the bottom left to top center, there is dust that looks like arced claw marks that appears in light orange and yellow. The background at top left is hazier and blues are covered in semi-transparent orange wisps. This makes sections take on green hues. In the bottom right, the background is bluer. There are a few bright red and purple stars scattered along the right half, most toward the bottom. The largest star is at right-center, just at the edge. It is red and has four diffraction spikes.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), STScI

Release Date: April 23, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Hubble35 #RosetteNebula #Caldwell49 #Stars #StarCluster #NGC2440 #Monoceros #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #DSS #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

China Mars Sample Return Mission Planned for 2028: International Partners Welcome

China Mars Sample Return Mission Planned for 2028: International Partners Welcome

This is the Tianwen-3 official promotional video released at the main event of "China Space Day", April 24, 2025, announcing the China National Space Administration's Mars sample return mission, scheduled to depart around 2028, consisting of a lander, ascender, rover combination, orbiter, and returner combination, equipped with a total of 6 scientific payloads.

Learn more here: "Announcement of Opportunities for International Collaboration of Mars Sample Return Mission (Tianwen-3)" 
https://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/n6465645/n6465648/c10652198/part/10652214.pdf

Video Credit: China National Space Administration (CNSA)
Duration: 1 minute, 22 seconds
Release Date: April 24, 2025

#NASA #CNSA #Astronomy #Space #Science #China #中国 #Planet #Mars #Tianwen3 #天问三号 #Tianwen3Spacecraft #MarsSampleReturn #MSR #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #InternationalCooperation #InternationalPartnership #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

Planet Mars: December 2024 | Hubble Space Telescope

Planet Mars: December 2024 | Hubble Space Telescope

Two views of planet Mars by the Hubble Space Telescope. In the top image, the bright orange Tharsis plateau is visible with its chain of dormant volcanoes. The largest volcano, Olympus Mons, pokes above the clouds at the 10 o’clock position near the northwest limb. At an elevation of over 21 000 meters, it is 2.5 times the height of Mt. Everest above sea level. Valles Marineris, Mars’ over 4,000-kilometre-long canyon system, is a dark, linear, horizontal feature near center left. 

In the bottom image, high-altitude evening clouds can be seen along the planet’s eastern limb. The 2,250-kilometre-wide Hellas basin, an ancient asteroid impact feature, appears far to the south. Most of the hemisphere is dominated by the classical “shark fin” feature, Syrtis Major.

Two views of planet Mars by the Hubble Space Telescope. In the left image, the bright orange Tharsis plateau is visible with its chain of dormant volcanoes. The largest volcano, Olympus Mons, pokes above the clouds at the 10 o’clock position near the northwest limb. At an elevation of 21,000 meters, it is 2.5 times the height of Mt. Everest above sea level. Valles Marineris, Mars’ roughly 4,000 kilometer-long canyon system, is a dark, linear, horizontal feature near center left. 

In the right image, high-altitude evening clouds can be seen along the planet’s eastern limb. The 2,250-kilometer-wide Hellas basin, an ancient asteroid impact feature, appears far to the south. Most of the hemisphere is dominated by the classical “shark fin” feature, Syrtis Major.

This is a combination of Hubble Space Telescope images of Mars taken from December 28th to 30th, 2024. At the midpoint of the observations, Mars was approximately 98 million kilometers from Earth. Thin water-ice clouds that are apparent in ultraviolet light give the Red Planet a frosty appearance. The icy northern polar cap was experiencing the start of Martian spring. 

Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI
Release Date: April 23, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Hubble35 #Planet #Mars #SolarSystem #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

NASA Astronaut Don Pettit Returns to Houston | Johnson Space Center

NASA Astronaut Don Pettit Returns to Houston | Johnson Space Center

NASA astronaut Don Pettit returned to Earth on Saturday, April 19, 2025, concluding a seven-month science mission aboard the International Space Station. After the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft landed in Kazakhstan, Pettit boarded a NASA Gulfstream V that took him back to Ellington Field in Houston, Texas. His flight landed in Houston on April 20, his 70th birthday. As he stepped off the plane, he was greeted by a chorus of “Happy Birthday,” sung by his fellow astronauts. Pettit spent 220 days in space, earning him a total of 590 days in space over the course of his four spaceflights. He orbited the Earth 3,520 times, traveling 93.3 million miles in low-Earth orbit.

NASA Astronaut Donald R. Pettit Biography:
https://www.nasa.gov/people/donald-r-pettit/
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/donald-r-pettit/

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: April 25, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #SoyuzMS26Spacecraft #Astronauts #DonPettit #HappyBirthday #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #AlexeyOvchinin #IvanVagner #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition72 #Houston #Texas #JSC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Circinus West Stellar Nursery: Herbig-Haro Objects & More | Victor Blanco Telescope

Circinus West Stellar Nursery: Herbig-Haro Objects & More | Victor Blanco Telescope

A close-up of two Herbig-Haro (HH) objects found in the Circinus West molecular cloud: HH 76 (above center of image) and HH 77 (lower left). HH objects are glowing red patches of nebulosity commonly found near newborn stars. They form when fast-moving gas thrown out by stars smashes into slower-moving gas in the surrounding molecular cloud or interstellar medium.

A collection of Herbig-Haro (HH) objects found in the Circinus West molecular cloud. HH objects are glowing red patches of nebulosity commonly found near newborn stars. They form when fast-moving gas thrown out by stars smashes into slower-moving gas in the surrounding molecular cloud or interstellar medium.

A close-up of Herbig-Haro (HH) object 139, found in the Circinus West molecular cloud. HH objects are glowing red patches of nebulosity commonly found near newborn stars. They form when fast-moving gas thrown out by stars smashes into slower-moving gas in the surrounding molecular cloud or interstellar medium.

A planetary nebula found in the Circinus West molecular cloud. Planetary nebulae are the outermost layers of aging red giant stars, thrown out into space at the end of a star’s life.

These are examples of interesting features found in the celestial shadow known as the Circinus West molecular cloud. This image was taken with the Department of Energy-fabricated 570-megapixel Dark Energy Camera (DECam)—one of the most powerful digital cameras in the world. Within this stellar nursery's opaque boundaries, infant stars ignite from cold, dense gas and dust, while outflows hurtle leftover material into space.

Another signpost of star formation is the presence of Herbig-Haro (HH) objects. HH objects are glowing red patches of nebulosity commonly found near newborn stars. They form when fast-moving gas thrown out by stars smashes into slower-moving gas in the surrounding molecular cloud or interstellar medium. Visually scanning Circinus West will reveal countless HH objects. 

DECam is mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of NSF NOIRLab.

Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA
Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), D. de Martin & M. Kosari (NSF NOIRLab)
Release Date: April 24, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #CircinusWestMolecularCloud #StellarNursery #Circinus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #VictorBlancoTelescope #CTIO #CerroTololo #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DECam #DOE #AURA #UnitedStates #Infographics #STEM #Education