Vehicles & Equipment for China's Crewed Moon Landing Missions: Quick Preview

Vehicles & Equipment for China's Crewed Moon Landing Missions: Quick Preview

A video from the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) reveals prototypes of vehicles for China's first crewed lunar missions. They are a new Long March rocket, crew spacecraft, lunar landers, lunar rovers, and lunar EVA spacesuits.

China's crewed lunar landing missions are expected to start by 2030. They aim to carry out lunar scientific exploration and related technological tests, striving for breakthroughs in key technologies, such as repeated crewed Earth-Moon round trips, short-term lunar surface stays, and integrated human-robotic exploration, according to the CMSA.

With objectives incorporating landing, roving, sampling, researching and returning, the project seeks to establish an independent capability for long-term crewed lunar exploration.

It will coordinate the use of pre-flight crew tests and crewed lunar missions to conduct large-scale space science experiments. Scientists have outlined preliminary goals across three key areas: lunar science, lunar station science, and resource exploration and utilization, covering nine major research directions.

Currently, the production of prototypes for Long March-10 carrier rockets, crewed spacecraft (named "Mengzhou"), the lunar landers (named "Lanyue"), the lunar spacesuits (named "Feitian") and crewed lunar rovers is progressing as planned, along with related ground tests. A series of ground facilities and equipment designed to support these production and testing activities have been completed and put into operation.

Meanwhile, the construction of the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's island province of Hainan has been prioritized and is advancing smoothly in readiness for these ambitious upcoming missions.

Video Credit: Xinhua/New China TV
Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: Nov. 22, 2024

    

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #China #中国 #Moon #LunarMissions #CrewModules #Mengzhou #LandingSpacecraft #MoonLanders #LunarLanders #Lanyue #MoonRovers #LongMarch10Rockets #Taikonauts #Astronauts #EVASpacesuits #HumanSpaceflight #CMSA #SpaceTechnology #Robotics #SpaceEngineering #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Transporting NASA's Artemis II Moon Rocket Core Stage | Kennedy Space Center

Transporting NASA's Artemis II Moon Rocket Core Stage | Kennedy Space Center

The transport of the Artemis II Moon Mission core stage from Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center in Florid is explained by Artemis II Mission commander Reid Wiseman.

The Artemis II test flight will be NASA’s first mission with crew under the Artemis campaign, sending NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman, as well as Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back.

Artemis II will launch no earlier than September 2025.

For more information about SLS, visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/sls

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: Nov. 22, 2024

#NASA #ESA #CSA #Space #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIIMission #ArtemisII #SLSRocket #CoreStage #Astronauts #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Science #SpaceExploration #HumanSpaceflight #KSC #NASAKennedy #MerrittIsland #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #Canada #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Russia Launches Progress 90 Cargo Spacecraft | International Space Station

Russia Launches Progress 90 Cargo Spacecraft | International Space Station

The unpiloted Roscosmos Progress 90 MS-29 cargo spacecraft is safely in orbit headed for the International Space Station following a a Soyuz-2.1A carrier rocket launch at 7:22 a.m. EST (5:22 p.m. Baikonur time) Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The Progress MS-29 will deliver 2,487 kg (~ three tons) of cargo, including technical equipment, medical, food, clothing, water and fuel to the ISS, according to Russia's Interfax. The launch took place from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

After a two-day in-orbit journey to the station, the spacecraft will automatically dock to the space-facing port of the orbiting laboratory’s Poisk module at 9:36 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 23. Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of Russia will be on duty Saturday monitoring the cargo ship during its automated approach and rendezvous maneuvers.

Expedition 72 Updates:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 72 Crew
Station Commander: Suni Williams
Roscosmos (Russia): Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Aleksandr Gorbunov
NASA: Butch Wilmore, Don Pettit, Nick Hague

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
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

Video Credit: Roscosmos/CMG
Duration: 1 minute
Capture Date: Nov. 21, 2024
Release Date: Nov. 22, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #Progress90CargoSpacecraft #MS29Spacecraft #BaikonurCosmodrome #Kazakhstan #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #InternationalCooperation #LongDurationMissions #SpaceLaboratory #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #Expedition72 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

SpaceX Starship & Super Heavy Rocket Sixth Flight Test Launch Highlights

SpaceX Starship & Super Heavy Rocket Sixth Flight Test Launch Highlights

Congratulations to the SpaceX team on the successful ocean landing of Starship!

For 6th Flight Test updates and the full webcast, visit:

https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-6

In this 6th test flight, Starship’s upper stage flew the same suborbital trajectory as the previous flight test with splashdown in the Indian Ocean. An additional objective for this flight was to attempt an in-space burn using a single Raptor engine, further demonstrating the capabilities required to conduct a ship deorbit burn prior to orbital missions.

Several thermal protection experiments and operational changes tested the limits of Starship’s capabilities and generated flight data to inform plans for ship catch and reuse. The flight test assessed new secondary thermal protection materials and had entire sections of heat shield tiles removed on either side of the ship in locations being studied for catch-enabling hardware on future vehicles. The ship also intentionally flew at a higher angle of attack in the final phase of descent, purposefully stressing the limits of flap control to gain data on future landing profiles. Finally, adjusting the flight’s launch window to the late afternoon at Starbase enabled the ship to reenter over the Indian Ocean in daylight, providing better conditions for visual observations.

Future ships, starting with the vehicle planned for the seventh flight test, will fly with significant upgrades including redesigned forward flaps, larger propellant tanks, and the latest generation tiles and secondary thermal protection layers as we continue to iterate towards a fully reusable heat shield. Learnings from this and subsequent flight tests will continue to make the entire Starship system more reliable as we close in on full and rapid reusability.

"Starship is essential to both SpaceX’s plans to deploy its next-generation Starship system as well as for NASA, which will use a lunar lander version of Starship for landing astronauts on the Moon during the Artemis III mission through the Human Landing System (HLS) program."

Key Starship Parameters:
Height: 121m/397ft
Diameter: 9m/29.5ft
Payload to LEO: 100 – 150t (fully reusable)

Learn more about Starship:
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/

Download the Free Starship User Guide (PDF):

https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf

Image Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)
Capture Date: Nov. 19, 2024

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #Mars #Moon #MoonToMars #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #Starship #Spacecraft #Starship6 #TestFlight6 #HeavyBooster #SuperHeavyRocket #ElonMusk #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #SpaceExploration #Starbase #Mechazilla #BocaChica #Texas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA's Space to Ground: The Art of Space Science | Week of Nov. 22, 2024

NASA's Space to Ground: The Art of Space Science | Week of Nov. 22, 2024

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what is happening aboard the International Space Station. The Russian Progress 90 cargo spacecraft is orbiting Earth and on its way to resupply the International Space Station after it lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 7:22 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, beginning its two-day journey to the space station. Packed inside Progress are nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies due to arrive at the orbital outpost when Progress automatically docks to the Poisk module at 9:36 a.m. EST on Saturday. Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of Russia will be on duty Saturday monitoring the cargo ship during its automated approach and rendezvous maneuvers.

Expedition 72 Updates:

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

Expedition 72 Crew
Station Commander: Suni Williams
Roscosmos (Russia): Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Aleksandr Gorbunov
NASA: Butch Wilmore, Don Pettit, Nick Hague

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
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

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

Duration: 3 minutes, 21 seconds
Release Date: Nov. 22, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #Progress90CargoSpacecraft #Astronauts #Astronaut #DonPettit #SpaceArt #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #InternationalCooperation #LongDurationMissions #SpaceLaboratory #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #Expedition72 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Extratropical Cyclone Whips over Pacific Northwest | NOAA-20 Polar Satellite

Extratropical Cyclone Whips over Pacific Northwest | NOAA-20 Polar Satellite

A strong extratropical cyclone hit the Pacific Northwest on November 19, 2024, bringing damaging winds and rain to the region. The storm knocked over trees and left nearly 600,000 people without power in Washington state on November 20, according to news reports.

This image shows the storm system at 1:50 p.m. Pacific Time (21:50 p.m. Universal Time) on November 19. Extra-tropical cyclones are large rotating weather systems that occur in the midlatitudes (generally more than 30° latitude away from the equator). Mature extratropical cyclones like this often feature comma-shaped cloud patterns that are the product of “conveyor belt” circulation. Heavy precipitation is often present near the low-pressure head of the comma. This image was captured by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1), also known as NOAA-20.

On the evening of November 19, the storm’s central pressure dropped to levels on par with a storm in October 2021. This saw the lowest pressure in about 50 years of records for that region, according to Chris Dolce, a meteorologist at The Weather Channel. The pace of the storm’s intensification was more than double the criteria for bombogenesis—a popular term that describes a midlatitude cyclone that rapidly intensifies into a “bomb cyclone.”

The plunging atmospheric pressure in the center of the storm caused winds to increase quickly on November 19. The National Weather Service in Seattle reported wind gusts of up to 77 miles (124 kilometers) per hour in the mountains southeast of Seattle.

The cyclone kicked off a long-duration atmospheric river that forecasters expect will park over Northern California and southern Oregon through November 22. The National Weather Service estimates that these areas could see rainfall totals of 12 to 16 inches (30 to 41 centimeters) over the duration of the storm.

Damaging winds from the strong storm knocked out power for thousands of people in Washington state.

NOAA-20, designated JPSS-1 prior to launch, is the first of the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's latest generation of U.S. polar-orbiting, non-geosynchronous, environmental satellites called the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS).

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin/VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE/Worldview/Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS)

Article Credit: Emily Cassidy
Image Date: Nov. 19, 2024
Release Date: Nov. 21, 2024

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Science #Earth #Planet #WashingtonState #UnitedStates #BritishColumbia #Canada #PacificNorthwest #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #Atmosphere #Weather #Meteorology #ExtratropicalCyclone #BombCyclone #AtmosphericRiver #PacificOcean #NOAA20 #JPSS1 #PolarSatellite #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #GSFC #STEM #Education

NASA Voyager Missions to The Outer Solar System: Short Film (1977) | JPL

NASA Voyager Missions to The Outer Solar System: Short Film (1977) | JPL

From the archives of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), this short film from 1977 describes the mission of the two Voyager spacecraft before they launched on their journey to Jupiter and Saturn later that year. It features early computer graphics, artist’s concepts of the outer solar system, and vintage footage of the antennas from NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) at Goldstone, California, as well as mission control and a clean room at JPL.

Voyager 1 and 2 are now the most distant human-made objects from Earth and the longest continually operating NASA spacecraft. After the twin Voyagers visited Jupiter and Saturn, Voyager 2 went on to visit Uranus and Neptune as well. Both spacecraft are now in interstellar space, the space between stars.

For more information on NASA's Voyager missions visit: 
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Duration: 4 minutes, 30 seconds

Release Date: Nov. 21, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #VoyagerSpacecraft #Voyager1 #Voyager2 #Planets #Jupiter #Saturn #Uranus #Neptune #SolarSystem #InterstellarSpace #MilkyWayGalaxy #SpaceExploration #JPL #Caltech #History #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Hubble Space Telescope: Over Three Decades of Discovery (1990-2024)

The Hubble Space Telescope: Over Three Decades of Discovery (1990-2024)

This montage of more than 600 images from the Hubble Space Telescope celebrates the telescope’s 30 years of discovery. From our own cosmic neighborhood to the far reaches of the universe, Hubble has opened our eyes to breathtaking new views of the cosmos. The rapid sequence echoes Hubble’s fast pace of exploration. Though numerous, these images are just a glimpse of the data collected by Hubble over the past 30 years, and only a tiny sliver of our vast universe.

For more information about Hubble, visit: www.nasa.gov/hubble

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency, D. Player, J. DePasquale, and M. Carruthers (STScI)

Duration: 2 minutes, 41 seconds
Release Date: Nov. 21, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Planets #Stars #StarClusters #Nebulae #Supernovae #BlackHoles #Galaxies #GalaxyClusters #DarkEnergy #DarkMatter #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophysics #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #History #HD #Video

China Crewed Moon Lander Separation Test & Moon Rover Driving Test Clips

China Crewed Moon Lander Separation Test & Moon Rover Driving Test Clips

This is a short video of China's crewed "Embrace the Moon" lunar lander separation test, crewed lunar lander spacecraft, crewed lunar rover driving test and more released by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Thursday, November 21, 2024. China's crewed lunar landing mission is expected by 2030. It aims to carry out lunar scientific exploration and related technological tests, striving for breakthroughs in key technologies, such as repeated crewed Earth-Moon round trips, short-term lunar surface stays, and integrated human-robotic exploration, according to the CMSA.

With objectives incorporating landing, roving, sampling, researching and returning, the project seeks to establish an independent capability for long-term crewed lunar exploration.

It will coordinate the use of pre-flight crew tests and crewed lunar missions to conduct large-scale space science experiments. Scientists have outlined preliminary goals across three key areas: lunar science, lunar station science, and resource exploration and utilization, covering nine major research directions.

Currently, the production of prototypes for Long March-10 carrier rockets, crewed spacecraft (named "Mengzhou"), the lunar landers (named "Lanyue"), the lunar spacesuits (named "Feitian") and crewed lunar rovers is progressing as planned, along with related ground tests. A series of ground facilities and equipment designed to support these production and testing activities have been completed and put into operation.

Meanwhile, the construction of the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's island province of Hainan has been prioritized and is advancing smoothly in readiness for these ambitious upcoming missions.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 11 seconds
Release Date: Nov. 21, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #China #中国 #Moon #LunarMissions #CrewModules #Mengzhou #LandingSpacecraft #MoonLanders #LunarLanders #Lanyue #MoonRovers #LongMarch10Rocket #Taikonauts #Astronauts #EVASpacesuits #HumanSpaceflight #CNSA #CMSA #国家航天局 #SpaceTechnology #Robotics #SpaceEngineering #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education #Video

China Crewed Moon Landing: Preview Animation Released

China Crewed Moon Landing: Preview Animation Released

The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Thursday, November 21, 2024, released an animated demonstration of the country's planned crewed lunar landing mission, expected by 2030. The mission aims to carry out lunar scientific exploration and related technological tests, striving for breakthroughs in key technologies, such as repeated crewed Earth-Moon round trips, short-term lunar surface stays, and integrated human-robotic exploration, according to the CMSA.

With objectives incorporating landing, roving, sampling, researching and returning, the project seeks to establish an independent capability for long-term crewed lunar exploration.

It will coordinate the use of pre-flight crew tests and crewed lunar missions to conduct large-scale space science experiments. Scientists have outlined preliminary goals across three key areas: lunar science, lunar station science, and resource exploration and utilization, covering nine major research directions.

Currently, the production of prototypes for Long March-10 carrier rockets, crewed spacecraft (named "Mengzhou"), the lunar landers (named "Lanyue"), the lunar spacesuits (named "Feitian") and crewed lunar rovers is progressing as planned, along with related ground tests. A series of ground facilities and equipment designed to support these production and testing activities have been completed and put into operation.

Meanwhile, the construction of the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's island province of Hainan has been prioritized and is advancing smoothly in readiness for these ambitious upcoming missions.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 47 seconds
Release Date: Nov. 21, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #China #中国 #Moon #LunarMissions #CrewModules #Mengzhou #LandingSpacecraft #MoonLanders #LunarLanders #Lanyue #MoonRovers #LongMarch10Rocket #Taikonauts #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #CNSA #CMSA #国家航天局 #SpaceTechnology #Robotics #SpaceEngineering #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

Journey to Close-up View of Red Supergiant Star WOH G64 in LMC Galaxy | ESO

Journey to Close-up View of Red Supergiant Star WOH G64 in LMC Galaxy | ESO

This video zooms into WOH G64, a dying star in the Large Magellanic Cloud, 160,000 light-years from us. This is the first close-up image of a star outside our galaxy.

The images shown here were taken with a range of telescopes at different times. They have been blended together to create this zoom.

At the end of the video, we see an image of the dusty cocoon that surrounds the star, taken with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer, and an artist’s impression that illustrates this.

Astronomers have known about this star for decades and have appropriately dubbed it the ‘behemoth star’. With a size roughly 2,000 times that of our Sun, WOH G64 is classified as a red supergiant.

Video Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Directed by: Angelos Tsaousis and Martin Wallner
Editing: Angelos Tsaousis
Written by: Hanna Huysegoms, Alejandro Izquierdo Lopez
Footage and Photos: ESO / Luis Calçada, Martin Kornmesser, Cristoph Malin, Babak Tafreshi, Keiichi Ohnaka et al
Scientific Consultant: Paola Amico, Mariya Lyubenova

Duration: 50 seconds
Release Date: Nov. 21, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #WOHG64 #RedSupergiant #Galaxy #LMC #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #ParanalObservatory #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up Image of Star WOH G64 in Large Magellanic Cloud Galaxy | ESO

Close-up Image of Star WOH G64 in Large Magellanic Cloud Galaxy | ESO

This image shows a bright oval structure, surrounded by a fainter larger ring, against a black background. The oval corresponds to the light coming from the star WOH G64 and the dust cocoon around it, while the ring may be the inner side of a torus of dust around them.

This image shows an artist’s reconstruction of the star WOH G64, the first star outside our galaxy to be imaged in close-up. It is located at a staggering distance of over 160,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud. This artistic impression showcases its main features: an egg-shaped cocoon of dust surrounding the star and a ring or torus of dust. The existence and shape of the latter require more observations to be confirmed.

Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, at a staggering distance of over 160,000 light-years from us, WOH G64 is a dying star roughly 2,000 times the size of the Sun. This image of the star (left) is the first close-up picture of a star outside our galaxy. This breakthrough was possible thanks to the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (ESO’s VLTI), located in Chile. The image on the right shows an artist’s reconstruction of the star WOH G64.

The first image shows a close-up view of the star WOH G64, taken by the GRAVITY instrument on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (ESO’s VLTI). It is the first close-up picture of a star outside our own galaxy, the Milky Way. The star is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, over 160,000 light-years away. The bright oval at the center of this image is a dusty cocoon that enshrouds the star. A fainter elliptical ring around it could be the inner rim of a dusty torus, but more observations are needed to confirm this feature. 

Credit: ESO/K. Ohnaka et al., L. Calçada
Release Date: Nov. 21, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #WOHG64 #RedSupergiant #ExtragalacticStar #Galaxy #LMC #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #VLTI #ParanalObservatory #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #Art #Illustration #Infographic #STEM #Education

First Close-up Picture of an Extragalactic Star: WOH G64 in LMC Galaxy | ESO

First Close-up Picture of an Extragalactic Star: WOH G64 in LMC Galaxy | ESO

Thanks to the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer, astronomers have taken the first close-up picture of a star outside our galaxy, more than 160,000 light-years from us. The star is surrounded by a giant cocoon of dust, revealing it is in the last stages before becoming a supernova. This video summarizes the discovery. The newly imaged star, WOH G64, lies within the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the small galaxies that orbits the Milky Way. Astronomers have known about this star for decades and have appropriately dubbed it the ‘behemoth star’. With a size roughly 2,000 times that of our Sun, WOH G64 is classified as a red supergiant.

Video Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Directed by: Angelos Tsaousis and Martin Wallner
Editing: Angelos Tsaousis
Written by: Hanna Huysegoms, Alejandro Izquierdo Lopez
Footage and Photos: ESO / Luis Calçada, Martin Kornmesser, Cristoph Malin, Babak Tafreshi, Keiichi Ohnaka et al
Scientific Consultant: Paola Amico, Mariya Lyubenova
Release Date: Nov. 21, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #WOHG64 #RedSupergiant #Galaxy #LMC #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #ParanalObservatory #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up: Super Heavy Rocket Engines on SpaceX Starship's Sixth Flight Test

Close-up: Super Heavy Rocket Engines on SpaceX Starship's Sixth Flight Test

Starship's Super Heavy Rocket is powered by thirty-three Raptor engines that use liquid oxygen and methane as propellants. Each Raptor rocket engine produces twice as much thrust as all 4 engines on a Boeing 747 long-range wide-body airliner. Starship’s sixth flight test was on November 19, 2024.

Congratulations to the SpaceX team on the successful ocean landing of Starship!

For 6th Flight Test updates and the full webcast, visit:

https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-6

In this 6th test flight, Starship’s upper stage flew the same suborbital trajectory as the previous flight test with splashdown in the Indian Ocean. An additional objective for this flight was to attempt an in-space burn using a single Raptor engine, further demonstrating the capabilities required to conduct a ship deorbit burn prior to orbital missions.

Several thermal protection experiments and operational changes tested the limits of Starship’s capabilities and generated flight data to inform plans for ship catch and reuse. The flight test assessed new secondary thermal protection materials and had entire sections of heat shield tiles removed on either side of the ship in locations being studied for catch-enabling hardware on future vehicles. The ship also intentionally flew at a higher angle of attack in the final phase of descent, purposefully stressing the limits of flap control to gain data on future landing profiles. Finally, adjusting the flight’s launch window to the late afternoon at Starbase enabled the ship to reenter over the Indian Ocean in daylight, providing better conditions for visual observations.

Future ships, starting with the vehicle planned for the seventh flight test, will fly with significant upgrades including redesigned forward flaps, larger propellant tanks, and the latest generation tiles and secondary thermal protection layers as we continue to iterate towards a fully reusable heat shield. Learnings from this and subsequent flight tests will continue to make the entire Starship system more reliable as we close in on full and rapid reusability.

"Starship is essential to both SpaceX’s plans to deploy its next-generation Starship system as well as for NASA, which will use a lunar lander version of Starship for landing astronauts on the Moon during the Artemis III mission through the Human Landing System (HLS) program."

Key Starship Parameters:
Height: 121m/397ft
Diameter: 9m/29.5ft
Payload to LEO: 100 – 150t (fully reusable)

Learn more about Starship:
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/

Download the Free Starship User Guide (PDF):

https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf

Image Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)
Capture Date: Nov. 19, 2024

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #Mars #Moon #MoonToMars #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #Starship #Spacecraft #Starship6 #TestFlight6 #HeavyBooster #SuperHeavyRocket #ElonMusk #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #SpaceExploration #Starbase #Mechazilla #BocaChica #Texas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

City Lights of Florida with Earth Airglow | International Space Station

City Lights of Florida with Earth Airglow | International Space Station

As the International Space Station soared 257 miles above, Expedition 72 Commander and NASA astronaut Suni Williams captured this image of Florida at night. City lights illuminate the state and both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts are visible in this image.

Airglow occurs when atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere, excited by sunlight, emit light to shed their excess energy. Or, it can happen when atoms and molecules that have been ionized by sunlight collide with and capture a free electron. In both cases, they eject a particle of light—called a photon—in order to relax again. The phenomenon is similar to auroras, but where auroras are driven by high-energy particles originating from the solar wind, airglow is energized by ordinary, day-to-day solar radiation.

Unlike auroras, which are episodic and fleeting, airglow constantly shines throughout Earth’s atmosphere, and the result is a tenuous bubble of light that closely encases our entire planet. (Auroras, on the other hand, are usually constrained to Earth’s poles.) Just a tenth as bright as all the stars in the night sky, airglow is far more subdued than auroras, too dim to observe easily except in orbit or on the ground with clear, dark skies and a sensitive camera. However, it is a marker nevertheless of the dynamic region where Earth meets space . . .

Florida is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Straits of Florida and Cuba to the south. About two-thirds of Florida occupies a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. It has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States, spanning approximately 1,350 miles (2,170 km), not including its many barrier islands. It is the only state that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

Expedition 72 Updates:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 72 Crew
Station Commander: Suni Williams
Roscosmos (Russia): Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Aleksandr Gorbunov
NASA: Butch Wilmore, Don Pettit, Nick Hague

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's Johnson Space Center (JSC)/S. Williams
Image Date: Nov. 17, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Stars #Earth #Florida #CityLights #AtlanticOcean #GulfOfMexico #Airglow #Astronauts #AstronautPhotography #SuniWilliams #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #InternationalCooperation #LongDurationMissions #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #UnitedStates #Expedition72 #STEM #Education

NASA Tests Swimming Robots for Exploring Oceans on Icy Moons | JPL

NASA Tests Swimming Robots for Exploring Oceans on Icy Moons | JPL

A futuristic NASA mission concept envisions a swarm of dozens of self-propelled, cellphone-size robots exploring the oceans beneath the icy shells of moons like Jupiter’s Europa and Saturn’s Enceladus, looking for chemical and temperature signals that could point to life. A series of prototypes for the concept, called SWIM (Sensing With Independent Micro-swimmers), braved the waters of a competition swim pool at Caltech in Pasadena, California, for testing in 2024. 

The prototype used in most of the pool tests was about 16.5 inches (42 centimeters) long, weighing 5 pounds (2.3 kilograms). As conceived for spaceflight, the robots would have dimensions about three times smaller—tiny compared to existing remotely operated and autonomous underwater scientific vehicles. 

Led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the SWIM project was supported by NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program under the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). Work on the project took place from spring 2021 to fall 2024.

More information about SWIM can be found at: https://go.nasa.gov/4eDCuSO

Video Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: Nov. 20, 2024

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