Exploring Planet Jupiter: Perijoves 63 & 65 | NASA Juno Mission

Exploring Planet Jupiter: Perijoves 63 & 65 | NASA Juno Mission

Jupiter - NASA Juno Spacecraft PJ65-21

Jupiter - NASA Juno Spacecraft PJ63-24

Jupiter - NASA Juno Spacecraft PJ65-21

Jupiter - NASA Juno Spacecraft PJ63-24

Since it arrived at Jupiter in 2016, NASA’s Juno spacecraft has been probing beneath the dense, forbidding clouds encircling the giant planet—the first orbiter to peer so closely. It seeks answers to questions about the origin and evolution of Jupiter, our solar system, and giant planets across the cosmos. Each perijove passes near a new part of Jupiter's cloud tops. A perijove indicates the point in the Juno spacecraft's orbit when it comes closest to planet Jupiter's center.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott J. Bolton, of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Juno is part of NASA’s New Frontiers Program. This is managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built and operates the spacecraft.

Learn more about NASA's Juno mission:

https://www.nasa.gov/juno

https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Release Date: Feb. 4, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planet #Jupiter #Perijove63 #Perijove65 #Atmosphere #JunoMission #JunoSpacecraft #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #JPL #MSFC #SwRI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

China's FAST Radio Telescope Discovers over 1,000 Pulsars in 2024

China's FAST Radio Telescope Discovers over 1,000 Pulsars in 2024

China’s Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), the world's largest radio telescope, keeps scanning the stars from the remote mountains of Guizhou as the country celebrates Spring Festival. Nicknamed "Sky Eye", FAST runs 24/7, helping scientists uncover the mysteries of space, from faint neutron stars (pulsars) and cosmic radio bursts to low frequency gravitational waves. At least 10 per cent of the available observation time is reserved for international astronomers.

Maintaining a 500-meter telescope, the size of 30 football fields, is a big job.

By November 2024, China’s FAST telescope has found over 1,000 pulsars, more than all other telescopes combined. These spinning stars flash like cosmic lighthouses, sending steady signals that could one day help guide our spaceships through the universe.

The telescope is located in a naturally deep and round karst depression in China's southwestern province of Guizhou.

The primary driving force behind the FAST project was Nan Rendong, a researcher with the Chinese National Astronomical Observatory, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He held the positions of chief scientist and chief engineer of the project. He died September 15, 2017, in Boston, United States due to lung cancer.

Learn more about FAST in China: 
https://fast.bao.ac.cn

Video Credit: ShanghaiEye魔都眼
Duration: 1 minute, 21 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 5, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Pulsars #FRB #FastRadioBursts #RadioTelescope #FAST #五百米口径球面射电望远镜 #Physics #Astrophysics #GuizhouProvince #China #NAOC #CAS #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Wilmore & Williams on Spacewalk—EVA 274 | International Space Station

Wilmore & Williams on Spacewalk—EVA 274 | International Space Station

NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams' camera is reflected in her spacesuit helmet's visor as she points it toward herself and takes an out-of-this-world "space-selfie" during a five-hour and 26-minute spacewalk. The International Space Station was orbiting 263 miles above the Pacific Ocean at the time of this photograph.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore works outside the International Space Station during a five-hour and 26-minute spacewalk. Wilmore swabbed external surfaces searching for microorganisms that may survive and reproduce near vents on the exterior of the orbital outpost. The space station was orbiting into a sunset 259 miles above Eastern Europe at the time of this photograph.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore works outside the International Space Station during a five-hour and 26-minute spacewalk. Wilmore swabbed external surfaces searching for microorganisms that may survive and reproduce near vents on the exterior of the orbital outpost.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore works outside the International Space Station during a five-hour and 26-minute spacewalk. Wilmore swabbed external surfaces searching for microorganisms that may survive and reproduce near vents on the exterior of the orbital outpost. The space station was orbiting 260 miles above Eastern Europe at the time of this photograph.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore works outside the International Space Station during a five-hour and 26-minute spacewalk. Wilmore swabbed external surfaces searching for microorganisms that may survive and reproduce near vents on the exterior of the orbital outpost.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore works outside the International Space Station during a five-hour and 26-minute spacewalk. Wilmore swabbed external surfaces searching for microorganisms that may survive and reproduce near vents on the exterior of the orbital outpost.

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore concluded their spacewalk at 1:09 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) Jan. 30, 2025. It was the ninth spacewalk for Williams and the fifth for Wilmore, and it was the 274th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. Williams surpassed former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson’s record for total spacewalking time by a female astronaut. Williams now has 62 hours, 6 minutes of total spacewalk time, fourth on NASA’s all-time list.

Williams and Wilmore completed their primary objectives, including removing a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss and collecting samples of surface material for analysis from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock.

Expedition 72 Updates:

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

Expedition 72 Crew

Station Commander: Suni Williams
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Aleksandr Gorbunov
NASA Flight Engineers: 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)
Capture Date: Jan. 30, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #Spacewalk #EVA #EVA274 #Astronauts #SuniWilliams #ButchWilmore #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #InternationalCooperation #LongDurationMissions #SpaceLaboratory #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #Expedition72 #STEM #Education

Planet Mars Images: Feb. 1-5, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: Feb. 1-5, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

MSL - sol 4443

MSL - sol 4443

MSL - sol 4441

MSL - sol 4441

MSL - sol 4441

MSL - sol 4442

Mars 2020 - sol 1406

Mars 2020 - sol 1405

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

Celebrating 3+ Years on Mars

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020    

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

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

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Image Release Date: Feb. 1-5, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #JezeroCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #MSSS #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #KevinGill #STEM #Education

Europe's Gaia Mission Finds a Mysterious Planet and Brown Dwarf | ESA

Europe's Gaia Mission Finds a Mysterious Planet and Brown Dwarf | ESA

New research, published on February 4, 2025, uses data collected by the European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft to confirm the existence of two mysterious celestial objects. Gaia-4b is a ‘Super-Jupiter’ exoplanet, and Gaia-5b a brown dwarf. These massive objects are unexpectedly orbiting low-mass stars.

Gaia-4b is a planet orbiting the previously unremarkable star Gaia-4 around 244 light-years away. Gaia-5b orbits the Gaia-5 star, around 134 light-years away from Earth. These two newly discovered objects are nearby, in our own galactic neighborhood. Their existence challenges current theories of planet formation, and Gaia's ongoing mission will provide valuable data to help us understand these intriguing objects.

“Gaia-4b is about twelve times more massive than Jupiter. With an orbital period of 570 days, it is a relatively cold gas giant planet,” explains first author Guðmundur Stefánsson of the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and first author of the new study.

“With a mass of around 21 Jupiters, Gaia-5b is a brown dwarf, more massive than a planet but too light to sustain nuclear fusion to be a star,” Guðmundur adds.

This is the first time a planet has been uniquely discovered by Gaia’s ability to sense the gravitational tug or ‘wobble’ the planet induces on a star. 

Learn more about ESA's Gaia Mission:

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Gaia_overview

Video Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC/M. Marcussen
Duration: 1 minute, 40 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 4, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #GaiaMission #GaiaSpaceTelescope #Stars #Exoplanets #Gaia4 #Gaia4b #Gaia5 #Gaia5b #BrownDwarf #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe  #Europe #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

Grand Canyons on The Moon's Far Side: Vallis Schrödinger & Vallis Planck | NASA LRO

Grand Canyons on The Moon's Far Side: Vallis Schrödinger & Vallis Planck | NASA LRO

The Schrödinger impact crater sits near to the Moon’s south pole. Sprouting off it are two canyons—called Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck—each comparable in size to the Grand Canyon here on Earth. These were formed when debris, thrown up by a meteor or comet hitting the Moon, crashed back into the surface.

Now, analysis suggests that these high-energy streams of rock could have excavated the canyons in under ten minutes.

Vallis Schrödinger (Latin for "Schrödinger Valley") is a long, nearly linear valley that lies on the far side of the Moon. It is oriented radially to the huge Schrödinger basin and most likely was formed during the original impact that created Schrödinger.

Vallis Planck is a long, linear valley located on the far side of the Moon. It is oriented radially to the huge Schrödinger basin, and was most likely formed by that impact. The selenographic coordinates of this feature are 58.4°S 126.1°E, and it has a length of 451 km.

Understanding this area of the Moon is important as the region has been selected for investigation as part of NASA’s Artemis missions.

Read the science paper: 
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-55675-z

This year, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) will celebrate its 16th anniversary orbiting the Moon (2009-2025). This mission has given scientists the largest volume of data ever collected by a planetary science mission at NASA. Considering that success and the continuing functionality of the spacecraft and its instruments, NASA awarded the mission an extended mission phase to continue operations. This is LRO's 5th extended science mission (ESM5). LRO continues to be one of NASA's most valuable tools for advancing lunar science.

Video Credit: Science Journal Nature

Image Credits: NASA, LRO, Arizona State University (ASU)

Duration: 2 minutes, 47 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 4, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ApolloProgram #ArtemisProgram #Moon #Geology #SchrödingerCrater #VallisSchrödinger #VallisPlanck #LRO #Orbiter #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #ASU #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #NatureJournal #HD #Video

NASA’s PUNCH Solar Wind Mission | Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA’s PUNCH Solar Wind Mission | Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA’s Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere, or PUNCH Mission, is a constellation of four small satellites in low Earth orbit that will make global, 3D observations of the Sun’s corona to better understand how the mass and energy there becomes the solar wind that fills the solar system.

Watch the video to learn how imaging the Sun’s corona and the solar wind together will help scientists better understand the entire inner heliosphere—Sun, solar wind, and Earth—as a single connected system.

Learn more about NASA's PUNCH Mission:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/punch/

Video Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Producer: Beth Anthony (eMITS)
Duration: 2 minutes, 22 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 4, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Earth #Satellites #Science #Sun #Corona #Heliosphere #SolarWind #SpaceWeather #PUNCHMission #Polarimeter #SolarSystem #Heliophysics #Astrophysics #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Visualization #Animation #HD #Video

Exploring Planet Jupiter: Perijoves 63, 68 & 69 | NASA Juno Mission

Exploring Planet Jupiter: Perijoves 63, 68 & 69 | NASA Juno Mission

Jupiter - NASA Juno Spacecraft PJ63-37

Jupiter - NASA Juno Spacecraft PJ68-29

Jupiter - NASA Juno Spacecraft PJ69-19

Jupiter - NASA Juno Spacecraft PJ68-29

Jupiter - NASA Juno Spacecraft PJ68-33

Jupiter - NASA Juno Spacecraft PJ69-31

Since it arrived at Jupiter in 2016, NASA’s Juno spacecraft has been probing beneath the dense, forbidding clouds encircling the giant planet—the first orbiter to peer so closely. It seeks answers to questions about the origin and evolution of Jupiter, our solar system, and giant planets across the cosmos. Each perijove passes near a new part of Jupiter's cloud tops. A perijove indicates the point in the Juno spacecraft's orbit when it comes closest to planet Jupiter's center.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott J. Bolton, of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Juno is part of NASA’s New Frontiers Program. This is managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built and operates the spacecraft.

Learn more about NASA's Juno mission:

https://www.nasa.gov/juno

https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Release Dates: Feb. 3-4, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planet #Jupiter #Perijove63 #Perijove68 #Perijove69 #Atmosphere #JunoMission #JunoSpacecraft #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #JPL #MSFC #SwRI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

China Commercial Startup Building Reusable Passenger Spaceplane: Flight Animation

China Commercial Startup Building Reusable Passenger Spaceplane: Flight Animation

China commercial startup Space Transportation, also known as Lingkong Tianxing Technology, tested a hypersonic prototype of their passenger spaceplane during late January 2025. This vehicle design involves two reusable rocket boosters and a reusable rocket plane, combining vertical takeoff and landing operations. It would be capable of a 1-hour trip from Shanghai, China, to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates—a distance of over 6,400 km or nearly 4,000 miles. Founded in 2018 by Yudong Wang, Space Transportation focuses on reducing the costs of space exploration and on developing spaceplanes, plus hypersonic and supersonic aircraft. As testing continues, Space Transportation’s ambitious goal is to make commercial spaceplane, along with supersonic and hypersonic travel, an everyday reality. It may soon help to introduce a new era in global transportation. 

This vehicle is being developed by Sichuan Lingkong Tianxing Technology as part of a parallel effort to develop a supersonic passenger jet capable of Mach 4.1, over twice as fast as the British-French Concorde supersonic plane, according to the company. Supersonic aircraft development has been delayed for decades due to challenges, such as noise, economic feasibility, and a lack of mature technology.

Learn more:
https://www.spacetransportation.com.cn

Video Credit: Lingkong Tianxing Technology
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: Jan. 24, 2025

#NASA #Space #Earth #SpaceTransportation #CommercialSpace #Spaceplane #PassengerAircraft #Spaceflight #CommercialAviation #China #中国 #HypersonicFlight #CommercialTravel #LingkongTianxingTechnology #凌空天星科技 #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

The Bullseye Galaxy: LEDA 1313424 in Pisces | Hubble Space Telescope

The Bullseye Galaxy: LEDA 1313424 in Pisces | Hubble Space Telescope

High-resolution imagery from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope has allowed researchers to hone in on more of the Bullseye galaxy’s rings—and helped confirm the galaxy that dove through its core.

LEDA 1313424, aptly nicknamed the Bullseye, is two and a half times the size of our Milky Way and has nine rings—six more than any other known galaxy. Hubble has confirmed eight rings, and data from the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii confirmed a ninth. Hubble and Keck also identified the galaxy that dove through the Bullseye, creating these rings: the blue dwarf galaxy sitting to its immediate center-left. This relatively tiny interloper traveled like a dart through the core of the Bullseye about 50 million years ago, leaving rings in its wake like ripples in a pond. A thin trail of gas now links the pair, though they are currently separated by 130,000 light-years.

The research team’s paper was published on February 4, 2025 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters:
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ad9f5c

Credits: NASA, ESA, Imad Pasha (Yale), Pieter van Dokkum (Yale)
Release Date: Feb. 4, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Hubble #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #LEDA1313424 #InteractingGalaxies #DwarfGalaxy #Pisces #Constellation #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #STEM #Education

Ax-4 Mission | Crew Press Conference | Axiom Space

Ax-4 Mission | Crew Press Conference | Axiom Space

Axiom Space held a virtual press conference with the astronauts of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), the company’s fourth commercial astronaut mission to the International Space Station. The Ax-4 crew presented their training and experience, preparedness, and mission objectives. This was the first opportunity for reporters to talk with the full Ax-4 crew.

The Ax-4 mission will “realize the return” to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary, with each nation’s first and only government-sponsored flight taking place more than 40 years ago. While Ax-4 marks each nation’s second human spaceflight mission in history, it will be the first time all three nations will execute a mission on board the space station. This historic mission underscores how Axiom Space is redefining the pathway to low-Earth orbit and elevating national space programs globally.

The Ax-4 crew includes Commander Peggy Whitson of the United States, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of the European Space Agency (ESA)/Poland, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary. 

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Ax-4 crew aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the space station from Florida no earlier than spring 2025. Once docked, the Ax-4 astronauts plan to spend up to 14 days on board implementing a full mission comprised of microgravity research, technology demonstrations, educational outreach, and media events.

Learn more about Ax-4: https://www.axiomspace.com/missions/ax4

Video Credit: Axiom Space
Duration: 57 minutes
Release Date: Jan. 31, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Axiom #AxiomSpace #Ax4Mission #Ax4 #Ax4Crew #PeggyWhitson #ShubhanshuShukla #India #BhāratGaṇarājya #ESA #SławoszUznańskiWiśniewski #Poland #Polska #TiborKapu #Hungary #Magyarország #CommercialAstronauts #SpaceX #CrewDragon #Falcon9Rocket #CommercialSpace #Science #SpaceLaboratory #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The star that should have exploded already: T Coronae Borealis | ESO

The star that should have exploded already: T Coronae Borealis | ESO

T Coronae Borealis, nicknamed the Blaze Star, erupts every 80 years or so, becoming visible to the naked eye. Based on recent behavior the star should have flared again in late 2024, but it did not! Astronomers are thus eagerly waiting for this imminent explosion. In this episode of Chasing Starlight we tell you how professional telescopes can quickly react to sudden cosmic events like this one.

T Coronae Borealis (T CrB), nicknamed the Blaze Star, is a binary star and a recurrent nova about 3,000 light-years (920 pc) away in the constellation Corona Borealis.

Video Credits: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Directed by: L. Calçada, M. Kornmesser
Hosted by: S. Randall
Written by: H. Huysegoms
Editing: M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada
Videography: A. Tsaousis
Animations & footage: ESO, M. Kornmesser, Liam Young, B. Tafreshi, ESA/Hubble, VPHAS+ team, P. Horálek, L. Calçada, H. Zodet
Scientific Consultant:  P. Amico
Filming Locations: ESO Supernova
Duration: 5 minutes
Release Date: Jan.  31, 2025

#NASA #FoN #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #TCoronaeBorealis #BlazeStar #VariableStar #BinaryStar #CoronaBorealis #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS: Multiple Tails over Chile

Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS: Multiple Tails over Chile

What is happening to Comet G3 ATLAS? After passing near the Sun in mid-January 2025, the head of the comet has become dimmer and dimmer. By late January, the comet had become a headless wonder—although it continued to show impressive tails after sunset in the skies of Earth's Southern Hemisphere. A key reason is likely that the comet's nucleus of ice and rock, at the head's center, has fragmented. Comet G3 ATLAS passed well inside the orbit of planet Mercury when at its solar closest, a distance that where heat destroys many comets. Some of comet G3 ATLAS' scattering remains will continue to orbit the Sun . . .

Image Description: In a gradient from orange-red to green-blue, this image captures the Comet C/2024 G3 around dusk. The background is covered by countless stars of all sizes. At the forefront, the comet appears as a white feather-shaped object. The core of the comet (its tip) is bright white. From there, two tails originate: towards the right projects a fainter tail, almost like a veil. Approaching the top, it projects a brighter tail, almost looking like the bushy tail of a cat. It becomes fainter the further you go from the comet’s core.

This impressive image of comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS was captured on January 29, 2025, from the European Southern Observatory's Paranal Observatory by Abel de Burgos Sierra, ESO Fellow in Chile. Gas and dust particles are ejected from the nucleus and pushed away from the Sun by the solar wind and radiation, creating a spectacular display with multiple tails.

Credit: A. de Burgos Sierra/European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Release Date: Feb. 3, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planet #Earth #Comets #Comet #CometC2024G3ATLAS #C2024G3 #Dusk #OortCloud #SolarSystem #Astrophotography #Astrophotographer #ADeBurgosSierra #ParanalObservatory #AtacamaDesert #Chile #SouthAmerica #STEM #Education

Planet Mars Images: Feb. 2-3, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: Feb. 2-3, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars 2020 - sol 1407

Mars 2020 - sol 1407

MSL - sol 4439

MSL - sol 4439

MSL - sol 4439

MSL - sol 4439

Mars 2020 - sol 1406

MSL - Sol 4441

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

Celebrating 3+ Years on Mars

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020    

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

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

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Image Release Date: Feb. 2-3, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #JezeroCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #MSSS #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #KevinGill #STEM #Education

China's 'Space Transportation' Startup Tests Hypersonic Spaceplane Prototype

China's 'Space Transportation' Startup Tests Hypersonic Spaceplane Prototype

China commercial startup Space Transportation, also known as Lingkong Tianxing Technology, tested a prototype of their hypersonic passenger spaceplane during late January 2025, as shown in a released clip of a vertical takeoff. Founded in 2018 by Yudong Wang, Space Transportation focuses on reducing the costs of space exploration and on developing hypersonic aircraft. As testing continues, Space Transportation’s ambitious goal is to make commercial hypersonic travel a reality. It may soon introduce a new era in global transportation. The vehicle design involves two reusable rocket boosters and a reusable rocket plane. It would be capable of a 1-hour trip from Shanghai, China, to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates—a distance of over 6,400 km or nearly 4,000 miles.

This vehicle is being developed by Sichuan Lingkong Tianxing Technology as part of a parallel effort to develop a supersonic passenger jet capable of Mach 4.1, over twice as fast as the British-French Concorde supersonic plane, according to the company. Supersonic aircraft development has been delayed for decades due to challenges, such as noise, economic feasibility, and a lack of mature technology.

Learn more: https://www.spacetransportation.com.cn

Video Credit: Lingkong Tianxing Technology
Duration: 4 seconds
Release Date: Jan. 24, 2025

#NASA #Space #Earth #SpaceTransportation #CommercialSpace #Spaceflight #CommercialAviation #China #中国 #HypersonicFlight #CommercialTravel #LingkongTianxingTechnology #凌空天星科技 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Blue Ghost Moon Mission Prepares for Trans-Lunar Injection | Firefly Aerospace

Blue Ghost Moon Mission Prepares for Trans-Lunar Injection | Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace: "T-5 days until Blue Ghost says goodbye to Earth! With the accuracy we achieved on our first two burns, we were able to skip the third Earth orbit maneuver. Blue Ghost is already in a good position to perform our trans-lunar injection in just under a week. Our GhostRiders continue to capture some incredible shots of our home planet along the way."

A trans-lunar injection (TLI) is a propulsive maneuver used to send a spacecraft to the Moon.

The Blue Ghost lander is currently on its 45-day journey to the Moon. Blue Ghost is seeking to land in Mare Crisium to deliver ten NASA science instruments and technology demonstrations to the Moon. They will perform numerous science and technology demonstrations, including lunar subsurface drilling, sample collection, and X-ray imaging of Earth’s magnetic field to advance research for future human missions on the Moon and provide insights into how space weather impacts the planet. Mare Crisium is a lunar mare located in the Moon's Crisium basin, just northeast of Mare Tranquillitatis. It was formed by the flooding of basaltic lava that filled an ancient asteroid impact.

Learn more: https://fireflyspace.com/missions/blue-ghost-mission-1/

Video Credit: Firefly Aerospace
Duration: 17 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 3, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planet #Earth #ArtemisProgram #Moon #LunarLanders #FireflyAerospace #BlueGhostLunarLander #BlueGhostMission1 #BGM1 #UnitedStates #Robotics #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education #HD #Video