Friends of NASA (FoN) is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to building international support for peaceful space exploration, commerce, scientific discovery, and STEM education.
Intuitive Machines flight dynamics lead Shaun Stewart reacts to watching the IM-2 mission animation during landing.
Intuitive Machines, Inc, a space exploration, infrastructure, and services company, announced that its IM-2 mission lunar lander, named Athena, carrying PRIME-1 and other NASA technology demonstrations and science investigations, will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center no earlier than February 26, 2025. In case of unfavorable launch conditions, such as inclement weather, backup opportunities will be determined based on the lunar blackout window and other factors.
Commanded using Intuitive Machines’ commercial Lunar Data Network, IM-2 will be the Company’s second of four manifested lunar missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (“CLPS”) initiative. Through the CLPS initiative and Artemis campaign, NASA is leveraging American companies to send scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to the Moon, advancing our understanding of the Moon and planetary processes, while paving the way for future crewed missions. Athena’s mission is designed to validate resource prospecting, mobility, and communications infrastructure in the Moon’s Mons Mouton region, one of nine potential Artemis III landing sites.
Intuitive Machines Payload Integration Manager Michael Oelke reacts to watching the IM-2 mission animation during lunar surface operations.
Intuitive Machines, Inc, a space exploration, infrastructure, and services company, announced that its IM-2 mission lunar lander, named Athena, carrying PRIME-1 and other NASA technology demonstrations and science investigations, will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center no earlier than February 26, 2025. In case of unfavorable launch conditions, such as inclement weather, backup opportunities will be determined based on the lunar blackout window and other factors.
Commanded using Intuitive Machines’ commercial Lunar Data Network, IM-2 will be the Company’s second of four manifested lunar missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (“CLPS”) initiative. Through the CLPS initiative and Artemis campaign, NASA is leveraging American companies to send scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to the Moon, advancing our understanding of the Moon and planetary processes, while paving the way for future crewed missions. Athena’s mission is designed to validate resource prospecting, mobility, and communications infrastructure in the Moon’s Mons Mouton region, one of nine potential Artemis III landing sites.
Metal-Poor Galaxy NGC 3109 in Hydra | Victor Blanco Telescope
This galaxy, NGC 3109, is a somewhat nondescript—but fascinating—member of our Local Group of galaxies. Located around four million light-years from Earth in the constellation Hydra, it is about 40,000 light-years across. Despite its beautiful blue hues, this irregular dwarf galaxy appears featureless with no central bulge or picturesque arms. However, spectroscopic analysis has shown that NGC 3109 is one of the most metal-poor galaxies in the Local Group. For most of us, metals are conductive, malleable elements like aluminum or copper, but to astronomers metals are all elements other than hydrogen and helium—such as carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. Stars consume hydrogen and helium to produce heavier elements. These metals are released into the interstellar medium when a star dies and are found in successive generations of stars. Metal-poor galaxies like NGC 3109 have a similar composition to the stars—and therefore the galaxies—in the early Universe, so they may provide insight into the chemical evolution of early galaxies.
This image was taken by the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) that was built by the U.S. Department of Energy. It is mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at NSF Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF NOIRLab, in Chile.
Credit: Dark Energy Survey / DOE / FNAL / DECam / CTIO / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA
Image Processing: R. Colombari & M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab) Release Date: Feb. 19, 2025
Earth Set & Rise: Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Moon Views | Firefly Aerospace
Firefly Aerospace update: "Blue Ghost's third and final lunar orbit maneuver is complete! Early this morning, our GhostRiders performed a 16-second burn with our RCS thrusters to enter a near-circular low lunar orbit. Up next, we'll perform a 19-second Descent Orbit Insertion at our 100-km perilune to begin our descent to Blue Ghost's final destination, Mare Crisium, on March 2. Footage [here] captured by Blue Ghost shortly after our second lunar orbit maneuver. More to come soon!"
Firefly Aerospace is targeting no earlier than 3:45 a.m. EST on Sunday, March 2, 2025, to land the Blue Ghost lunar lander on the Moon. This is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and Artemis campaign to establish a long-term lunar presence. 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.
NASA continues to work with multiple American companies to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface through the agency’s CLPS initiative. This pool of companies may bid on contracts for end-to-end lunar delivery services, including payload integration and operations, launching from Earth, and landing on the surface of the Moon.
Part of The Veil Nebula in Cygnus: A Supernova Remnant | Hubble
In this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture, Hubble has once again lifted the veil on a famous—and frequently photographed—supernova remnant: the Veil Nebula. This nebula is the remnant of a star roughly twenty times as massive as the Sun that exploded about 10,000 years ago. It is located about 2,400 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus.
This view combines images taken in three filters by Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 instrument, highlighting emission from hydrogen, sulphur and oxygen atoms. This image shows just a small fraction of the Veil Nebula; if you could see the entire nebula without the aid of a telescope, it would be as wide as six full Moons placed side by side.
Although this image captures the Veil Nebula at just a single point in time, it will help researchers understand how the supernova remnant has evolved over decades. Combining this snapshot with Hubble observations from 1994 will reveal the motion of individual knots and filaments of gas over that span of time, enhancing our understanding of this stunning nebula.
Image Description: A colorful, glowing nebula that reaches beyond the top and bottom of the image. It is made of translucent clouds of gas: wispy and thin with hard edges in some places, and puffy and opaque in others. Blue, red and yellow colors mix together, showing light emitted by different types of atoms in the hot gas. Bright and pointlike stars are scattered across the nebula. The background is black.
Spiral Galaxy Messier 106 & Stellar Companions in Canes Venatici
Astrophotographer Francesco Radici: "Taking advantage of a clear night, at least in the first part of the night, last Friday I went out with my equipment towards the usual site from which I photograph lately, in Pietralunga (PG), Bortle 4 (SQM 21.45 from LPM) and I was able to take advantage of the excellent seeing and darkness to shoot without any filter on this beautiful field, for which I had already carried out several hours of shooting from home, to enhance the hydrogen emissions of the main galaxy, M106. I had already shot the same target from home in previous years, but I was curious to do it from a good sky, which would allow me not to use any filter to best bring out the colors of the stars and collect signals coming from the countless galaxies in the background distant who knows how many millions (billions?) of light years. Unfortunately the shooting was interrupted due to the increasingly insistent fog, until the sky was completely covered. Surprisingly, the few shots taken, just 3 hours and 20 minutes, were enough to obtain a good result. There's no doubt about it, Newton's 10 inches on galaxies are priceless. I hope you like it too."
Messier 106 (also known as NGC 4258) is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781. M106 is at a distance of about 22 to 25 million light-years away from Earth. M106 contains an active nucleus classified as a Type 2 Seyfert, and the presence of a central supermassive black hole has been demonstrated from radio-wavelength observations of the rotation of a disk of molecular gas orbiting within the inner light-year around the black hole. NGC 4217 is a possible companion galaxy of Messier 106.
Technical details:
40*300s T-20 G100 No Filter (3h20m) Bortle 4 Sky 90*600 T-20° G100 Optolong L-Ultimate (15h) Bortle 6 Sky Equipment: Skywatcher Newton 250/1200 Skywatcher 1x Coma Corrector Omegon veTEC571C Color Optolong L-Ultimate 2' 3nm Ha/OIII Filter Touptek OAG X + ASI290MM Mini Guide Camera Ioptron CEM70
NASA: "Where Dreams Come True" (1978) Historical Documentary
This National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) color educational film was written, produced and directed by African American William Greaves, plus shot and edited by cinematographer and African American Robert Ipcar. The film was narrated by Mexican and American film and televison actor Ricardo Montalban. "Where Dreams Come True" is a 1978 film highlighting the contributions of women and minorities and encouraging more to consider a career at the agency. This NASA documentary includes interviews with astronaut-scientists Kathryn Sullivan (first first American woman to walk in space and former head of NOAA) and Ronald McNair, research psychologist Patricia Cowings, engineer Ruben Ramos, and former astronaut and deputy NASA administrator Frederick Gregory. Much of the world depicted in this film relates to the fledgling Space Shuttle program that was 2 years away from its first mission. Ronald McNair later died during the Space Shuttle Challenger STS-51L accident eight years later in 1986.
Opening: Dr. Patricia S. Cowings speaks. Title: "Where Dreams Come True", narrated by Ricardo Montalban (:06-1:16). Mission control room at NASA. Men, women, all ethnicities. Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) takes off with the Space Shuttle on its back, piggyback style. Men radio from NASA to the jet. The Director of Shuttle Operations, Isaac Gilham, in the Dryden Flight Research Center (now known as the Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center) in Southern California. The Space Shuttle Columbia comes in for a landing on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base. Gilham speaks (1:17-4:00). Gilham speaks with a colleague at NASA Dryden, behind him is a UAV or drone with the words "Mini Shifter" (?) on the nose. It looks similar to the Israeli Scout UAV. A NASA test plane. Northrop HL-10 flying aircraft. Johnson Space Center in Houston TX. Space Center complex in Houston (4:01-5:51). Dr. Ronald McNair, a new NASA astronaut and physics professor, speaks outside at the Johnson Space Center complex (5:52-8:36). Dr. McNair is a karate instructor, he shows off his skills. McNair jogs. He wears a helmet and does parasailing. A woman on a sailboat. She does parasailing as well. She is geologist and astronaut Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan who speaks (8:37-11:45). Dr. Sullivan answers a question and continues to speak. Northrop T-38 Plane. Astronaut Frederick Gregory in the cockpit, he takes off in the T-38 test plane and flies over Edwards. Gregory speaks (11:46-14:14). Astronauts walk. NASA employees during various tasks (looking at machinery, in the computer room, turning on computers, testing an astronaut) (14:15-15:52). A man is tested in a rotating chair, he spins repeatedly. Dr. Patricia S. Cowings speaks outside, she's a psychophysiologist, which is the study of the relationship between physiological signals recorded from the body and brain to psychological processes and disorders. These biological signals may be generated by activity of organs in the body or by muscle activity. NASA employees in a wide variety of jobs (15:53-17:58). Computer. A black woman looks up at a launch tower. An Asian man looks at a model of the Space Shuttle. Paul Ernesto Reyes, NASA employee, speaks. He discusses the payloads required for the shuttle. Reyes walks through the NASA plant (17:59-20:29). Men and women look at computers. A woman wears a headset. Reyes speaks. A man and a woman review pictures enlarged on a screen. Space Shuttle. NASA control screen. Reuben Ramos, NASA Communications Systems Engineer, speaks (20:30-22:33). Apollo 11 Lunar Module coming in to land on the moon in 1969 and landing - 'The Eagle has landed.' Dr. Patricia S. Cowings speaks. Cowings works with a man at a computer. Gemini IV spacewalk by Astronaut Ed White (22:34-24:48). Isaac Gilham speaks. Astronaut Frederick Gregory speaks. Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan speaks (24:49-26:41). Dr. Ronald McNair speaks. On the tarmac or in the computer room, NASA at work. Isaac Gilham speaks to men at a meeting. Men and women, of all races work at NASA. Earth as seen from outer space (26:42-28:18). End credits (28:19-29:01).
Ronald Erwin McNair (October 21, 1950 – January 28, 1986) was an American NASA astronaut and physicist. He died during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L. He was serving as one of three mission specialists in a crew of seven. Kathryn Dwyer Sullivan (born October 3, 1951) is an American geologist and a former NASA astronaut. A crew member on three Space Shuttle missions, she was the first American woman to walk in space on October 11, 1984. Patricia S. Cowings (born 1948) is an aerospace psychophysiologist. She was the first American woman to be trained as a scientist astronaut by NASA, although she did not travel to space. She is most well known for her studies in the physiology of astronauts in outer space, as well as helping find cures for astronaut's motion sickness.
Video Credit: NASA Duration: 29 minutes Release Date: Feb. 21, 2025
Intuitive Machines "Chaos" Flight Controller Brooklyn Herman reacts to watching the IM-2 mission animation during Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI).
Intuitive Machines, Inc, a space exploration, infrastructure, and services company, announced that its IM-2 mission lunar lander, named Athena, carrying PRIME-1 and other NASA technology demonstrations and science investigations, will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center no earlier than February 26, 2025. In case of unfavorable launch conditions, such as inclement weather, backup opportunities will be determined based on the lunar blackout window and other factors.
Commanded using Intuitive Machines’ commercial Lunar Data Network, IM-2 will be the Company’s second of four manifested lunar missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (“CLPS”) initiative. Through the CLPS initiative and Artemis campaign, NASA is leveraging American companies to send scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to the Moon, advancing our understanding of the Moon and planetary processes, while paving the way for future crewed missions. Athena’s mission is designed to validate resource prospecting, mobility, and communications infrastructure in the Moon’s Mons Mouton region, one of nine potential Artemis III landing sites.
Shenzhou-19 Crew Conducts Scientific Experiments & Training | China Space Station
The Shenzhou-19 crew members aboard China's Tiangong Space Station conducted a range of scientific experiments and tasks last week, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
In a video released by the CMSA on Sunday, February 23, 2025, astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze were seen busy working in the space station's core module Tianhe where they have stayed for nearly four months.
The crew conducted research into how exercise impacts muscles and bones in space. They have collected data on plantar pressure, joint kinematics, and muscle parameters during running and resistance exercises under a variety of load conditions. This will help elucidate the changes in muscle-tendon interaction during spaceflight.
The crew also completed vascular ultrasound examinations to explore the pan-vascular network blood flow patterns in the weightless environment by collecting morphological characteristics, hemodynamic parameters, and functional data of multiple organs in the human body under varying orbital durations.
To understand how being in space affects eyesight, the astronauts took a series of eye tests with high-tech equipment. Researchers will use their data to study the changes in astronauts' visual function during long-duration spaceflight and develop strategies for maintaining eye health.
In addition to human health, the crew worked on several physics experiments. They completed tasks including reconfiguring equipment in the fluid physics rack and changing the burner in the combustion science rack.
The crew also spent time training skills for rendezvous and docking mission, and performing other tasks such as maintenance on key experiment equipment and life support systems.
The Shenzhou-19 astronauts entered the orbiting space station for a six-month spaceflight on October 30, 2024, last year. Their mission includes 86 space science research and technology experiments, as announced by CMSA prior to launch.
Shenzhou-19 Crew: Commander Cai Xuzhe (蔡旭哲) Mission Specialist Wang Haoze (王浩泽) Mission Specialist Song Lingdong (宋令东)
Intuitive Machines, Inc, a space exploration, infrastructure, and services company, announced that its IM-2 mission lunar lander, named Athena, carrying PRIME-1 and other NASA technology demonstrations and science investigations, will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center no earlier than February 26, 2025. In case of unfavorable launch conditions, such as inclement weather, backup opportunities will be determined based on the lunar blackout window and other factors.
Commanded using Intuitive Machines’ commercial Lunar Data Network, IM-2 will be the Company’s second of four manifested lunar missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (“CLPS”) initiative. Through the CLPS initiative and Artemis campaign, NASA is leveraging American companies to send scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to the Moon, advancing our understanding of the Moon and planetary processes, while paving the way for future crewed missions. Athena’s mission is designed to validate resource prospecting, mobility, and communications infrastructure in the Moon’s Mons Mouton region, one of nine potential Artemis III landing sites.
NASA's X-59 Supersonic Research Aircraft & F-15D: EM Testing | Lockheed Martin
NASA test pilot Jim Less prepares to exit the cockpit of the quiet supersonic X-59 aircraft in between electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing. The EMI testing ensures an aircraft’s systems function properly under various conditions of electromagnetic radiation. The X-59 is the centerpiece of the NASA’s Quesst mission, designed to demonstrate quiet supersonic technology and provide data to address a key barrier to commercial supersonic travel.
NASA’s F-15D research aircraft is positioned adjacent to the X-59 during electromagnetic (EM) compatibility testing at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. Researchers activated the F-15D’s radar, C-band transponder, and radios at varying distances. A NASA F-15 aircraft sits 20 feet off the left side of the X-59 aircraft, with a white hangar and hills in the background, during electromagnetic interference testing.
The X-59’s first flight is expected to occur in 2025.
The X-59’s engine, a modified F414-GE-100, packs 22,000 pounds of thrust. This will enable the X-59 to achieve the desired cruising speed of Mach 1.4 (925 miles per hour) at an altitude of approximately 55,000 feet. It sits in a nontraditional spot–atop the aircraft—to aid in making the X-59 quieter.
The X-59's goal is to help change existing national and international aviation rules that ban commercial supersonic flight over land.
NASA Expert Answers Your Questions About Asteroid 2024 YR4
You have heard about asteroid 2024 YR4 and we have heard your questions—so let us talk about it. What are the chances it will hit Earth? Why do those odds keep changing? And should you be worried? (Spoiler alert: No). Get the facts from a NASA expert and learn how we track asteroids, update predictions, and keep an eye on the skies.
China's Tianwen-2 Probe to Collect Samples from Asteroid 2016HO3
China's soon-to-be-launched Tianwen-2 probe will explore the asteroid 2016 HO3 in an effort to better understand the formation and evolution of the solar system, said an expert of the National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The Tianwen-2 probe, scheduled for launch in the first half of 2025, will collect samples from near-Earth asteroid 2016 HO3 and explore comet 311P, the China National Space Administration announced on Thursday, February 20, 2025.
Asteroid 2016 HO3 orbits stably near Earth and is known as Earth's quasi-satellite. It is the first quasi-satellite of Earth discovered. The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) in Hawaii, USA, first captured the trace of 2016 HO3 in 2016.
However, it is neither a natural satellite of Earth nor a typical near-Earth asteroid. Instead, it is an asteroid that orbits the Sun with nearly identical orbital parameters to Earth, causing it to move in near-synchrony with our planet and "wander" around Earth.
It contains ancient materials from the early solar system, making it a "living fossil" useful for studying how the solar system formed and evolved.
A number of scientists speculate that this celestial body, with a diameter of about 40 to 100 meters, is likely a remnant of an ancient impact event.
"When the Tianwen-2 probe comes close to it, it will take photos to analyze its morphological features on the surface, rotation characteristics, and other basic physical properties. We will also analyze collected spectral data to examine some of its material components, to find out what is the similarity between its material composition and that of the Moon and Earth? This is a key focus of our exploration this time," said Yan Wei, a senior engineer at the National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
China's soon-to-be-launched Tianwen-2 probe will explore the Comet 311P in an effort to better understand the composition, structure, and evolution of small space objects, said an expert of the National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The Tianwen-2 probe, scheduled for launch in the first half of 2025, will collect samples from near-Earth asteroid 2016 HO3 and explore Comet 311P, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced on Thursday, February 20, 2025.
Comet 311P orbits in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter where most asteroids reside, containing over 90 percent of the asteroids in the solar system. It displays features of both comets and asteroids. It has become the seventh main-belt comet confirmed by human beings, and it is also the most peculiar one so far.
"The main-belt comet is another type of asteroid. It should be noted that it is not a true comet, but it may share some characteristics with comets, which is why it is called a main-belt comet or active asteroid. It may emit substances, including gas and particles, when it is close to the sun, which has been observed and is another research hotspot," said Yan Wei, a senior engineer at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
According to the conventional theory, comets typically originate from the outer edges of the solar system and are rich in ice. As they approach the sun, the heat causes the ice to vaporize, forming their characteristic tails. However, Comet 311P, located in the asteroid belt—far closer to the sun than typical comets—faces intense solar radiation, making it unlikely to retain volatile substances like water ice. This comet challenges astronomers' traditional understanding.
The Tianwen-2 probe is set to visit Comet 311P, the "rebel" of the asteroid belt, to uncover the mysteries that defy current knowledge.
Comet 311P/PanSTARRS also known as P/2013 P5 (PanSTARRS) is an active asteroid (object with asteroid-like orbit but with comet-like visual characteristics) discovered by Bryce T. Bolin using the Pan-STARRS telescope on August 27, 2013. Observations made by the Hubble Space Telescope revealed that it had six comet-like tails. The tails are suspected to be streams of material ejected by the asteroid as a result of a rubble pile asteroid spinning fast enough to remove material from it. This is similar to 331P/Gibbs, which was found to be a quickly-spinning rubble pile as well.
Protecting the Horseshoe Crab: A "Far Out" Mini Episode | NASA Kennedy
Kennedy Space Center is known for launching rockets into our cosmos, but it is also home to an expansive wildlife refuge and national seashore where more than 1,200 plant and wildlife species reside. Its 144,000 acres are teaming with creatures you might expect, such as alligators, snakes and eagles, and those you may not know as well like the endangered scrub-jay, tortoise and horseshoe crab.
In this mini-episode of "Far Out," viewers will meet people on the environmental team that are responsible for ensuring the wildlife remains protected and thriving at the space center.
%20Francesco%20Radici.jpg)
.jpg)
