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

Journey to Circinus West Molecular Cloud | Victor Blanco Telescope

Journey to Circinus West Molecular Cloud | Victor Blanco Telescope

A celestial shadow known as the Circinus West molecular cloud creeps across this image 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. It is located about 2,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Circinus. It stretches 180 light-years across and boasts a mass 250,000 times that of the Sun.

This winding, shadowy form, accentuated by a densely-packed starry background, is the Circinus West molecular cloud—a region rich in gas and dust and known for its host of newly formed stars. Molecular Clouds, the cradles of star formation, are interstellar clouds that are so dense and cold that atoms within them bond with each other to form molecules. Circinus West, for example, is so dense that light cannot pass through, giving it a dark, mottled appearance, earning its designation as a dark nebula. The cloud’s flourishing population of young stars offers astronomers insight into the processes driving star formation and molecular cloud evolution.

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 the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab.

Dark Energy Camera (DECam)

https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/ctio/victor-blanco-4m-telescope/decam/

Learn about the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope:

https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/telescopes/victor-blanco-4m-telescope

Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA/N. Bartmann (NSF NOIRLab)
Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), D. de Martin & M. Kosari (NSF NOIRLab)

Duration: 1 minute
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 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up: Circinus West Molecular Cloud | Victor Blanco Telescope

Close-up: Circinus West Molecular Cloud | Victor Blanco Telescope

A celestial shadow known as the Circinus West molecular cloud creeps across this image 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. It is located about 2,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Circinus. It stretches 180 light-years across and boasts a mass 250,000 times that of the Sun.

This winding, shadowy form, accentuated by a densely-packed starry background, is the Circinus West molecular cloud—a region rich in gas and dust and known for its host of newly formed stars. Molecular Clouds, the cradles of star formation, are interstellar clouds that are so dense and cold that atoms within them bond with each other to form molecules. Circinus West, for example, is so dense that light cannot pass through, giving it a dark, mottled appearance, earning its designation as a dark nebula. The cloud’s flourishing population of young stars offers astronomers insight into the processes driving star formation and molecular cloud evolution.

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 the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab.

Dark Energy Camera (DECam)

https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/ctio/victor-blanco-4m-telescope/decam/

Learn about the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope:

https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/telescopes/victor-blanco-4m-telescope

Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA/N. Bartmann (NSF NOIRLab)
Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), D. de Martin & M. Kosari (NSF NOIRLab)

Duration: 30 seconds
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 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Circinus West Molecular Cloud: A Vast Stellar Nursery | Victor Blanco Telescope

Circinus West Molecular Cloud: A Vast Stellar Nursery | Victor Blanco Telescope

A celestial shadow known as the Circinus West molecular cloud creeps across this image 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. It is located about 2,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Circinus. It stretches 180 light-years across and boasts a mass 250,000 times that of the Sun.

This winding, shadowy form, accentuated by a densely-packed starry background, is the Circinus West molecular cloud—a region rich in gas and dust and known for its host of newly formed stars. Molecular Clouds, the cradles of star formation, are interstellar clouds that are so dense and cold that atoms within them bond with each other to form molecules. Circinus West, for example, is so dense that light cannot pass through, giving it a dark, mottled appearance, earning its designation as a dark nebula. The cloud’s flourishing population of young stars offers astronomers insight into the processes driving star formation and molecular cloud evolution.

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 the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab.

Dark Energy Camera (DECam)

https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/ctio/victor-blanco-4m-telescope/decam/

Learn about the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope:

https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/telescopes/victor-blanco-4m-telescope

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 #STEM #Education

Shenzhou-20 Astronauts Welcomed by Shenzhou-19 Crew | China Space Station

Shenzhou-20 Astronauts Welcomed by Shenzhou-19 Crew | China Space Station

Astronauts aboard the Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft were greeted by the Shenzhou-19 crew that they will be replacing, after successfully docking with China's Tiangong Space Station in orbit on Friday, April 25, 2025, to begin the handover of duties.

The Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, with Commander Chen Dong and crew members Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie aboard, docked with the space station's core Tianhe module at 23:49 Thursday (Beijing Time).

At 01:17 Friday (Beijing Time), the Shenzhou-19 crew opened the hatch and greeted the new arrivals. The two teams took group photos and sent messages to ground staff, while the commanders of the two space missions exchanged greetings.

"On behalf of the Shenzhou-19 crew, I welcome all of you to the Chinese space station. Chen Dong and I previously conducted the Shenzhou-14 mission together. This time, we can work together on the space station again, I feel really happy and very lucky. Congratulations to Chen Dong on his return to the Chinese space station and to [Chen] Zhongrui and Wang Jie on fulfilling their space dream. Let's build our space home together in the coming days," said Cai Xuzhe, commander of the Shenzhou-19 crew.

"I feel very warm in my heart coming to our space home again. It feels like I'm back to the familiar scene where I carried out the Shenzhou-14 mission with Cai Xuzhe. And I also feel very warm seeing [Song] Lingdong and [Wang] Haoze again. [The distance between us] used to be as far as 400 kilometers, but today we are face to face. I'm very happy. We were launched on China Space Day to meet with you, so we are very lucky and proud. We will have a very short time together on the station, so let's cherish it and work hard together to complete the subsequent tasks well," said Chen Dong, commander of the Shenzhou-20 mission.

Space station newcomers in the Shenzhou-20 crew thanked their predecessors for their hard work over the past six months and said they were looking forward to the handover.

"I'm really happy that we are reunited again in Tiangong now. Your performance in all aspects has been excellent, and all the work you have done has been very successful and perfect. We will learn from you to maintain, operate and develop Tiangong well," said Chen Zhongrui, a Shenzhou-20 astronaut.

"You have been working and living in orbit for half a year, thanks for your hard efforts. Seeing that you have taken care of our space home so well, I give you a sincere thumbs up. In the next few days, let's do a good job in the handover together. We will quickly adjust our state, adapt to the work and life in space as soon as possible, and do our best to run our leg well," said Wang Jie, another member of the new crew.

The Shenzhou-19 crew members warmly welcomed the new arrivals, saying they had prepared them some food to restore their energy after the long journey in to space.

"Congratulations on coming to our own space station. You have worked so hard. We have prepared steaming hot dumplings for you so that you can replenish your energy and have a good rest. In the following days, let's work hard to learn from each other, communicate with each other, and complete the entire handover task together well," said Song Lingdong, a Shenzhou-19 astronaut.

"It's really exciting to see the three of you. With your arrival, our space station is bustling again. In the next few days, let's work and live well together, and hand in hand create a brilliant future together," said Wang Haoze, another member of the Shenzhou-19 mission.

"Building our dreams in Tiangong and continuing to work hard! China's space station is always worth looking forward to!" the six astronauts chorused, before sharing a group hug.

The six astronauts will live and work together for about five days to complete planned tasks and handover work, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The Shenzhou-20 manned spaceship blasted off atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket at 17:17 (Beijing Time) Thursday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 3 minutes, 39 seconds
Release Date: April 25, 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

NASA's Space to Ground: Birthday Homecoming | Week of April 25, 2025

NASA's Space to Ground: Birthday Homecoming | Week of April 25, 2025

 

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft delivered 6,700 pounds of science and supplies to the orbital residents after docking to the Harmony module’s space-facing port at 8:40 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. McClain and Ayers are also getting ready for a May 1 spacewalk when they will prepare the station for a new rollout solar array and relocate an antenna that communicates with commercial vehicles.

Follow Expedition 73:

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

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: 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
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center 
Duration: 4 minutes
Release Date: April 25, 2025

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China's Shenzhou-20 Astronauts Enter Tiangong Space Station, Meet Shenzhou-19 Crew

Shenzhou-20 Astronauts Enter China's Tiangong Space Station, Meet Shenzhou-19

The three astronauts of China's Shenzhou-20 spaceflight mission on April 25, 2025, entered the Tiangong space station and met with the Shenzhou-19 mission crew on board, starting a new round of in-orbit crew handover. The Shenzhou-20 spaceship, with Commander Chen Dong and crew members Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie aboard, docked with the space station's core Tianhe module at 23:49 Thursday (Beijing Time).

At 01:17 Friday (Beijing Time), the Shenzhou-19 crew opened the hatch and greeted the new arrivals. The two teams took group photos and sent messages to ground staff, while the commanders of the two space missions exchanged greetings.

"On behalf of the Shenzhou-19 crew, I welcome all of you to the Chinese space station. Chen Dong and I previously conducted the Shenzhou-14 mission together. This time, we can work together on the space station again, I feel really happy and very lucky. Congratulations to Chen Dong on his return to the Chinese space station and to [Chen] Zhongrui and Wang Jie on fulfilling their space dream. Let's build our space home together in the coming days," said Cai Xuzhe, commander of the Shenzhou-19 crew.

"I feel very warm in my heart coming to our space home again. It feels like I'm back to the familiar scene where I carried out the Shenzhou-14 mission with Cai Xuzhe. And I also feel very warm seeing [Song] Lingdong and [Wang] Haoze again. [The distance between us] used to be as far as 400 kilometers, but today we are face to face. I'm very happy. We were launched on China Space Day to meet with you, so we are very lucky and proud. We will have a very short time together on the station, so let's cherish it and work hard together to complete the subsequent tasks well," said Chen Dong, commander of the Shenzhou-20 mission.

Space station newcomers in the Shenzhou-20 crew thanked their predecessors for their hard work over the past six months and said they were looking forward to the handover.

China launched the Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft on April 24, 2025, sending three astronauts to its orbiting space station for a six-month mission. The spacecraft, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off at 17:17 (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

Shenzhou-20 is the 35th flight mission of China's crewed space program, and the fifth crewed mission during the application and development stage of China's space station.

The crew is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China in late October this year.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 15 seconds
Release Date: April 24, 2025

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Drone Show Celebrating China's Space Program at Shenzhou-20 Crew Launch Site

Drone Show Celebrating China's Space Program at Shenzhou-20 Crew Launch Site

The evening before the launch of the Shenzhou-20 crewed mission to the China Space Station, a thousand drones illuminated the sky at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Against the backdrop of the night sky, "technology painted a brilliant starry river."

China launched the Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft on April 24, 2025, sending three astronauts to its orbiting space station for a six-month mission. The spacecraft, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off at 17:17 (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The crew members are mission commander Chen Dong and crew members Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie. Wang Jie is the first astronaut from China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region where this launch pad is located.

The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) was founded in 1958. It was the first of China's four spaceports. The launch center has been the focus of many of China's historic space ventures, including the country's first satellite Dong Fang Hong I in 1970 and their first crewed space mission, Shenzhou V, on October 15, 2003. JSLC is now a home for many new Chinese commercial space launch firms, like Landspace.

Video Credit: CMSA/Xinhua
Duration: 50 seconds
Release Date: April 23, 2025

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