NASA's FY2026 Budget Terminates Public Affairs & Social Media Staff Nationwide

NASA's FY2026 Budget Terminates Public Affairs & Social Media Staff Nationwide

NASA will soon be deleting most of its social media accounts (including popular ones with millions of followers) and closing all public affairs offices at its 9+ field centers nationwide. NASA's overall Communications budget will be reduced around 45% in total. Furthermore, NASA's headquarters may be moved from Washington, DC, while having the public affairs/social media budget reduced at its headquarters by ~15%. This means NASA will be far less able to inform taxpayers about its work on behalf of the American people and the scientific community as a civilian space agency. Of course, this is in addition to having NASA's Education Division abolished, ending the agency's efforts to promote science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) public education.

Moreover, NASA's total science budget is being cut nearly 50%. This will result in the cancellation of 19 active science missions and end several planned ones deemed crucial by the National Academy of Sciences, including those involving partnerships with international space agencies. Many eliminated science missions support irreplaceable Earth and climate science. NASA's new budget will become the smallest since 1961, when adjusted for inflation, according to The Planetary Society: 
https://www.planetary.org/press-releases/the-planetary-society-reissues-urgent-call-to-reject-disastrous-budget-proposal-for-nasa

Contact your representatives in the United States Congress, House and Senate, to express your concerns for NASA's future:  https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials/

Although NASA's fiscal year 2026 budget request has not yet been approved, presidential executive orders are forcing NASA to proceed immediately with dismissing about 32% of its national workforce. Without urgent efforts to reverse course, the organizational, scientific, and technological damage to NASA, as we know it today, could last 10-15 years at minimum.

Review NASA's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request (PDF) Documents:

Download documents for free here: 
https://www.nasa.gov/fy-2026-budget-request/

Document List (6 total) as of May 30, 2025:

Fiscal Year 2026 Discretionary Budget Request

Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request Summary (28 pages) [Recommended reading: Source of most images provided here]

Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Technical Supplement

Fiscal Year 2026 Agency Fact Sheet

Fiscal Year 2026 Mission Fact Sheets

Sources: NASA/The Planetary Society/NASA Watch

Release Date: May 30, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #NASAHQ #NASACenters #NASABudgetFY2026 #NASABudget #NASACommunications #NASAScienceMissions #SMD #Sun #Heliophysics #SolarSystem #Planets #Earth #EarthScience #Moon #ArtemisProgram #Mars #Jupiter #SpaceExploration #STScI #Universe #UnitedStates #Infographics #STEM #Education

Liftoff: China Satellite for Natural Disaster Monitoring in Partnership with Italy

Liftoff: China Satellite for Natural Disaster Monitoring in Partnership with Italy

Cooling tiles (no longer needed) are shed to reduce weight as the Long March 2D rocket ascends

China launched an electromagnetic monitoring satellite on Saturday, June 14, 2025. It is expected to enhance the country's "space-air-ground" integrated monitoring capabilities for major natural disasters. A Long March-2D carrier rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 15:56 (Beijing Time), successfully sending the Zhangheng 1-02 satellite into its planned orbit, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).  The CNSA said that this marks a significant step forward for China in the field of space-based observation of the Earth's physical fields.

Named after the ancient Chinese inventor Zhang Heng, who created the world's first seismoscope over 1,800 years ago, the satellite was jointly developed by China and Italy. It is the first operational satellite dedicated to exploring the Earth's physical fields under China's medium and long-term civil space infrastructure development plan, according to the CNSA.

With a designed lifespan of six years, the satellite is equipped with nine payloads, including an electric field detector co-developed by China and Italy, as well as a high-energy particle detector developed by Italy.

It will carry out quasi-real-time monitoring of global electromagnetic fields, electromagnetic waves, the ionosphere and the neutral atmosphere, detecting electromagnetic anomalies caused by geological and human activities, as well as monitoring thunderstorm and lightening activity, according to the CNSA.

"One of its functions is to monitor the electromagnetic waves and electromagnetic fields of the Earth, as these influence the crustal activities and electromagnetic patterns on Earth. Another function of the satellite is to detect the ionosphere and the neutral atmosphere structure, mainly serving for [monitoring] extreme weather conditions," said Peng Wei, deputy director of the system engineering department of the CNSA.

Peng said that scientists will use these data to study the correlation between changes in the Earth's physical fields and geological activities, and to support research on the prediction of earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, extreme weather, and space weather disasters.

The satellite will significantly enhance China's early perception, risk assessment, and monitoring and early warning capabilities for major natural disasters, Peng added.

It will also provide data support for emergency management, resource mapping, and communications and navigation industries, while fostering scientific and technological cooperation in related fields among countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The Zhangheng 1-02 satellite is an updated version developed based on the Zhangheng 1-01 satellite, which is a scientific research satellite with the main task of verifying related technologies. The 02 satellite, an operational one built on the capabilities of the 01 satellite, will be more extensively involved in practical application.

The Zhangheng 1-01 satellite, launched in 2018, remains in normal operation, while the new satellite has richer physical measurements. Working in tandem, the two satellites will conduct collaborative observations, effectively improving the horizontal spatial and temporal resolution of observations, according to Peng.

"The operational satellite largely inherits the state of the scientific research satellite, with most aspects being similar, but it has a different payload - an ionospheric optical instrument. This payload mainly can measure certain parameters of the ionosphere and neutral atmosphere structure more accurately, and we expect it will improve the precision of these measurements by an order of magnitude," said Peng.

Saturday's launch marked the 581st mission of China’s Long March rocket series.

 

Image Credit: CGTN

Capture Date: June 14, 2025

#NASA #CNSA #Space #Satellite #Zhangheng102Satellite #Science #Sun #SpaceWeather #Planet #Earth #Atmosphere #NaturalDisasters #Geology #Earthquakes #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #China #中国 #Italy #Italia #LongMarchRocket #LongMarch2D #JSLC #STEM #Education

South Florida, The Bahamas, and Cuba | International Space Station

South Florida, The Bahamas, and Cuba | International Space Station

South Florida, the Bahamas, and Cuba are prominently featured in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above the Sunshine State.

The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is an island country of the Lucayan Archipelago consisting of more than 700 islands, cays, and islets in the Atlantic Ocean; north of Cuba and Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic); northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands; southeast of the U.S. state of Florida and east of the Florida Keys. Its capital is Nassau on the island of New Providence.

The Republic of Cuba is an island country consisting of the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Ocean meet. Cuba is located east of the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), south of the American state of Florida and the Bahamas, west of Hispaniola (Haiti/Dominican Republic), and north of both Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. 
Population: 11 million

Follow Expedition 73:

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

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy

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

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center

Caption Credit: Wikipedia
Image Date: May 20, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Cuba #Bahamas #CaribbeanSea #AtlanticOcean #Florida #UnitedStates #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #JSC #Expedition73 #STEM #Education

Planet Mars: 'Foggy' Valles Marineris & Noctis Labyrinthus | Europe's Mars Express

Planet Mars: 'Foggy' Valles Marineris & Noctis Labyrinthus | Europe's Mars Express

The largest canyon in the Solar System cuts a wide swath across the face of Mars. Named Valles Marineris, the grand valley extends over 3,000 kilometers long, spans as much as 600 kilometers across, and delves as much as 8 kilometers deep. By comparison, the Earth’s Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA is 800 kilometers long, 30 kilometers across, and 1.8 kilometers deep. The origin of the Valles Marineris remains unknown, although a leading hypothesis holds that it started as a crack billions of years ago as the planet cooled. Recently, several geologic processes have been identified in the canyon.

Nestled between the colossal martian ‘Grand Canyon’ (Valles Marineris) and the tallest volcanoes in the Solar System (the Tharsis region) lies Noctis Labyrinthus—a vast system of deep and steep valleys that stretches out for around 1,190 km (roughly the length of Italy here on Earth).

Over two decades ago, on June 2, 2003, the European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter launched and began its journey to the Red Planet—Europe’s first ever mission to Mars. The spacecraft entered orbit around Mars in December 2003. It used its vantage point to study the Martian atmosphere and climate, unravel the planet’s structure, mineralogy and geology, and search for traces of water across its surface. The mission carried a state-of-the-art package of eight instruments to achieve this, enabling it to probe surface, subsurface, atmosphere and more.

Mars Express has now been in space for two decades, despite a planned initial lifetime of just 687 Earth days. It has achieved its aforementioned aims and revealed a wealth of knowledge about Mars in that time, making it undeniably one of the most successful missions ever sent to the Red Planet.

The orbiter will continue its study of Mars until at least the end of 2026, with an indicative extension from January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2028 to support the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)-led Mars Moons eXploration (MMX) mission (Japan), followed by two years of post-operations.

Mars Express has conducted data relay for seven rovers and landing platforms (more information), and enabled scientific collaboration with a further five orbiters.

The past 20 years of observations from Mars Express have solidified our picture of Mars as a once-habitable planet, with warmer and wetter epochs that may have been oases for ancient life. This is a monumental shift from our previous view of the planet, which characterized it as an eternally cold and arid world.

Mars Express has identified and mapped signs of past water across Mars—from minerals that only form in the presence of water to water-carved valleys, groundwater systems, and ponds lurking below ground—and traced its influence and prevalence through martian history. It has peered deep into the martian atmosphere, mapping how gases (water, ozone, methane) are distributed and escape to space, and watching as dust is whipped up from the surface into the air. The mission has seen giant dust storms engulf the planet, creating familiar clouds like those we see on Earth, and tracked rare ultraviolet auroras. 

The orbiter has seen signs of recent and episodic volcanism and tectonics, and explored the planet’s unique surface features, mapping 98.8% of Mars and creating thousands of 3D images of impact craters, canyons (including the Valles Marineris system), the planet’s icy poles, immense volcanoes and more.

Learn more: 
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express

Image Data: 
North is approx down
Instrument: ESA Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC)
Orbit: 17508
Date: 2017-10-30 T18:09:05.764Z
Raw Data:
HH508_0000_RE3.IMG
HH508_0000_BL3.IMG
Notes: Green filter has been created mixing Red and Blue channels

Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FUBerlin
Image Processsing: Andrea Luck

Image Date: Oct. 30, 2017
Release Date: June 15, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planet #Mars #VallesMarineris #NoctisLabyrinthus #Geology #MarsExpress #MarsExpressSpacecraft #HRSC #Europe #DLR #FUBerlin #Berlin #Germany #Deutschland #STEM #Education

Shenzhou-20 Crew Advances Mission in Productive Week | China Space Station

Shenzhou-20 Crew Advances Mission in Productive Week | China Space Station

The ongoing Shenzhou-20 mission at China's Tiangong Space Station continued to make steady progress over the past week with the three-membered crew in excellent health and a range of scientific experiments proceeding as planned, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie, sent into space on April 25, 2025, carried out a variety of medical tests and scientific experiments during the productive week, the agency said.

Using devices, such as vision measuring machines and eye trackers, and related software, they conducted tests for several projects, including trust and coordination mechanisms, the representation of visual and gravitational motion, metacognitive monitoring research, and relationship cognition in microgravity, providing data for further studies on the ground.

Additionally, the crew conducted vascular ultrasound examinations to obtain hemodynamic data for related studies of their impact at specific on-orbit times during their stay in space.

They also carried out memory, strength, and heavy object tests for studies on the changing patterns and cognitive mechanisms of fine motor control in microgravity environment.

The astronauts also advanced the research exploring the effect mechanisms of space microgravity on microorganisms through studies on streptomyces in the biotechnology experiment cabinet.

They collected liquid culture samples and froze them for storage and further investigation on the ground.

For physics experiments, the crew replaced the sample cover for experimental insertions into the combustion cabinet and cleaned the containerless material experiment rack.

Meanwhile, the crew underwent Chinese medical examinations, including 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECG) examinations, and dynamic ECG and blood pressure monitoring sessions over the past week.

They have conducted physical exercise and properly used instruments to counteract the physiological effects of weightlessness, according to the agency.

Shenzhou-20 Crew
Chen Dong (陈冬) - Commander - Third spaceflight
Chen Zhong Rui (陈中瑞) - Operator - First spaceflight
Wang Jie (王杰) - Flight Engineer - First spaceflight

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 37 seconds
Release Date: June 15, 2025

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

"Caution: Planets under construction": Planetary Disc of Star RIK 113 | ESO

"Caution: Planets under construction": Planetary Disc of Star RIK 113 | ESO

Astronomers may have caught a still-forming planet on camera, hidden somewhere in this stellar snapshot.

This picture is a close-up of the star RIK 113 in the constellation Scorpius around 431 light-years away. It is surrounded by a cloud of gas and dust called a protoplanetary disc. These discs are a common feature around young stars, containing all the building blocks needed to make a new planet. Over time, these dusty discs will fragment and condense under the influence of gravity, forming larger objects like protoplanets. These planetary embryos carve out gaps in the dust around them, forming the intricate, ring-like structures that we can see in this disc. 

This telescopic image showing two concentric orange rings. The inner ring is brighter and has swirling features around it. The outer ring is fainter and fuzzier.

The true complexity of this protoplanetary disc was first uncovered by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in a study published last year. These results showed the presence of a gap. This hinted at a planet-like object embedded within it.

This prompted another team of astronomers, led by Christian Ginski at the University of Galway, Ireland, to follow up with observations from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT). Using the SPHERE instrument they found that the inner ring has intriguing spiral features. A detailed analysis of the data uncovered not just one, but two potential signals from planets around RIK 113, not far from the original detection with ALMA.

For now, these signals are still more of a suggestion than a direct confirmation. However, with two separate studies from both ALMA and the VLT indicating the presence of at least one planet, these results are extremely promising for a future discovery.

Credit: ESO/C. Ginski et al.    
Release Date: June 9, 2025

#NASA #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #Star #RIK113 #Planets #PlanetaryDiscs #ProtoplanetaryDiscs #CircumstellarMaterial #Universe #VLT #SPHERE #ParanalObservatory #Chile #Europe #RadioAstronomy #ALMA #NSF #NRAO #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

ERNEST: Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Terrain | NASA/JPL

ERNEST: Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Terrain | NASA/JPL

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has developed the Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Sloped Terrain or ERNEST. This rover could lead to a new class of low-cost planetary rovers for exploration of previously inaccessible locations on Mars and the Moon.

ERNEST is a new class of rover with a minimal set of actuators and a two degrees of freedom Active Gimbal Suspension. It has advanced mobility capabilities designed for exploration of steep and rugged terrain on the Moon and Mars.

Shown here mounted on a pedestal, ERNEST has 4 steerable wheels that allows it to drive in straight-lines in any direction including sideways, and arcs about any center of rotation.

A 6 axes force-torque sensor measures interaction with the ground at each wheel.

A transverse rocker joint in passive suspension mode keeps all 4 wheels in contact with the ground automatically as ERNEST drives over undulating terrain.

The passive rocker can be switched into an actively controlled joint using a pair of solenoid-driven bolts to rigidly couple the rocker arm to an actuator.

The active rocker joint combined with a pivot joint rotating about a vertical axis forms ERNEST's active gimbal suspension.

ERNEST can be driven using an external power source through an umbilical connected to its switch panel or using on-board batteries.

ERNEST is a fully-functional rover with on-board avionics, computing, motor controllers, sensors and a wireless communication interface to enable autonomous navigation and mobility.

In its passive suspension mode, ERNEST is shown driving with all the capabilities of a conventional fully-steered rover at JPL's outdoor mini-yard rover test facility.

In its active suspension mode, ERNEST can additionally drive with several alternative gaits including squirming and lifting any of its wheels off the ground.

ERNEST's wire-mesh wheels provide compliance as shown here when driving rapidly over a bed of rocks while in its passive suspension mode.

When driving over ripples in loose sandy material, passive suspension vehicles can become trapped and not have the ability to escape.

By activating its active gimbal suspension, ERNEST shows that it can escape from this hazardous situation.

On a 35 degrees ramp composed of loose sandy material in the mini-yard, ERNEST shows that it is not able to climb the slope when in its passive suspension mode.

Switching to its active suspension mode, ERNEST successfully ascends the ramp and climbs down the platform after reaching the top of the slope.

ERNEST's active gimbal suspension can also be used to climb large step obstacles.

In the passive suspension mode, ERNEST's front wheels easily clamber over the wheel-height step obstacle but its rear wheels are not able to surmount the step.

Switching to its active suspension mode, ERNEST can lift its wheels in sequence through a coordinated motion of its rocker and pivot joints and drive wheels to step up on to the platform.

ERNEST's robust mobility system is shown here driving sideways down the wheel-height platform.

A classic trap for 4-wheel passive suspension vehicles is a half wheel-height object that the front wheels easily climb over, but the rear wheels cannot surmount.

The vehicle is subsequently not able to drive either forwards or backwards because the wheels cannot drive over the obstacle.

ERNEST shows that it is able to overcome this type of trap using its active suspension.

ERNEST's unprecedented mobility capabilities in a minimally actuated 4-wheel vehicle configuration could lead to a new class of low-cost planetary rovers for exploration of previously inaccessible locations on Mars and the Moon.

Learn more about JPL:
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov

Video Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
Duration: 7 minutes
Release Date: June 10, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Moon #RedPlanet #Planet #Mars #Astrobiology #Geology #Robotics #Rovers #PlanetaryRovers #ERNEST #ActiveSuspension #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Video

Europe's Sentinel Earth Satellites: Monitoring Oceans from Space | EUMETSAT

Europe's Sentinel Earth Satellites: Monitoring Oceans from Space | EUMETSAT

Oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth’s surface. Discover how we keep an eye on them from space! This video explores the vital role of the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) in operating the ocean monitoring Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-6 satellites, part of Europe’s Copernicus Program. From tracking sea surface temperatures and ocean color to monitoring sea level rise, these satellites provide essential marine data to scientists, governments, and climate services around the globe. Copernicus is the Earth observation component of the European Union’s space program, looking at our planet and its environment.

The European Union has entrusted EUMETSAT with operating the four Sentinel missions dedicated to monitoring the Earth's atmosphere, oceans and climate on its behalf. EUMETSAT carries out these tasks in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) and is already responsible for the Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-6 marine missions, and in 2025, it will operate Sentinel-4 and Sentinel-5.

EUMETSAT has established cooperation with Earth observation satellite operators in Europe, China, India, Japan, South Korea and the United States.

Learn more:
https://www.eumetsat.int/who-we-are

https://www.eumetsat.int/what-we-monitor/ocean

United Nations: What is Climate Change?
https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change

Video Credit: EUMETSAT
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: June 11, 2025

#NASA #ESA #EUMETSAT #Space #Science #Satellites #Planet #Earth #Oceans #SeaLevels #SeaTemperatures #Oceanography #Environment #Weather #Meteorology #Climate #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #SentinelSatellites #Sentinel3 #Sentinel6 #EarthObservation #Europe #EuropeanUnion #InternationalCooperation #CivilianSpace #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Ax-4 Mission: Crew Payload Training | NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

Ax-4 Mission: Crew Payload Training | NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

Before going into quarantine, Axiom Space's Ax-4 crew stopped by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center to complete their training in the Payload Operations Center. 

NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are reviewing launch opportunities no earlier than Thursday, June 19, 2025, for the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 4.

On June 12, NASA and Axiom Space delayed the mission as the agency continued to work with Roscosmos to understand the most recent repair efforts to seal small leaks. The leaks, located in the aft (back) most segment of the International Space Station’s Zvezda service module, have been monitored by flight controllers for the past few years.

Following the most-recent repair, pressure in the transfer tunnel has been stable. Previously, pressure in this area would have dropped. This could indicate the small leaks have been sealed. Teams are also considering the stable pressure could be the result of a small amount of air flowing into the transfer tunnel across the hatch seal from the main part of space station. By changing pressure in the transfer tunnel and monitoring over time, teams are evaluating the condition of the transfer tunnel and the hatch seal between the space station and the back of Zvezda.

Ax-4 will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson is commanding Ax-4 and will be flying on her fifth mission to the orbiting lab. She is leading first time space flyers Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from India and Mission Specialists Sławosz Uzanański-Wiśniewksi from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. The four private astronauts are preparing for a two-week stay on the orbital laboratory to conduct a wide array of space research supporting human health, space commercialization, and more.

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. 

Once docked, the Ax-4 astronauts plan to spend up to 14 days onboard implementing a full mission comprised of microgravity research, technology demonstrations, educational outreach, and media events.

The Ax-4 Mission will “realize the return” to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary, with each nation’s first government-sponsored flight in more than 40 years. While Ax-4 marks these countries' second human spaceflight mission in history, it will be the first time all three nations will execute a mission on board the International Space Station.

The Ax-4 research complement includes around 60 scientific studies and activities representing 31 countries, including the U.S., India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, UAE, and nations across Europe. This will be the most research and science-related activities conducted on an Axiom Space mission aboard the International Space Station to date.

Ax-4 Crew

Peggy Whitson (United States)
https://www.axiomspace.com/astronaut/peggy-whitson

Shubhanshu Shukla (India)
https://www.axiomspace.com/astronaut/shubhanshu-shukla

Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland)
https://www.axiomspace.com/astronaut/slawosz-uznanski

Tibor Kapu (Hungary)
https://www.axiomspace.com/astronaut/tibor-kapu

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

Video Credit: Axiom Space
Duration: 40 seconds
Release Date: June 13, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #AxiomSpace #Ax4Mission #Ax4 #SpaceX #CrewDragonSpacecraft #PeggyWhitson #UnitedStates #ShubhanshuShukla #India #BhāratGaṇarājya #SławoszUznańskiWiśniewski #Poland #Polska #TiborKapu #Hungary #Magyarország #CommercialSpace #Astronauts #Europe #MSFC #Huntsville #Alabama #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China Launches Satellite for Natural Disaster Monitoring in Partnership with Italy

China Launches Satellite for Natural Disaster Monitoring in Partnership with Italy

China launched an electromagnetic monitoring satellite on Saturday, June 14, 2025. It is expected to enhance the country's "space-air-ground" integrated monitoring capabilities for major natural disasters. A Long March-2D carrier rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 15:56 (Beijing Time), successfully sending the Zhangheng 1-02 satellite into its planned orbit, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).  The CNSA said that this marks a significant step forward for China in the field of space-based observation of the Earth's physical fields.

Named after the ancient Chinese inventor Zhang Heng, who created the world's first seismoscope over 1,800 years ago, the satellite was jointly developed by China and Italy. It is the first operational satellite dedicated to exploring the Earth's physical fields under China's medium and long-term civil space infrastructure development plan, according to the CNSA.

With a designed lifespan of six years, the satellite is equipped with nine payloads, including an electric field detector co-developed by China and Italy, as well as a high-energy particle detector developed by Italy.

It will carry out quasi-real-time monitoring of global electromagnetic fields, electromagnetic waves, the ionosphere and the neutral atmosphere, detecting electromagnetic anomalies caused by geological and human activities, as well as monitoring thunderstorm and lightening activity, according to the CNSA.

"One of its functions is to monitor the electromagnetic waves and electromagnetic fields of the Earth, as these influence the crustal activities and electromagnetic patterns on Earth. Another function of the satellite is to detect the ionosphere and the neutral atmosphere structure, mainly serving for [monitoring] extreme weather conditions," said Peng Wei, deputy director of the system engineering department of the CNSA.

Peng said that scientists will use these data to study the correlation between changes in the Earth's physical fields and geological activities, and to support research on the prediction of earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, extreme weather, and space weather disasters.

The satellite will significantly enhance China's early perception, risk assessment, and monitoring and early warning capabilities for major natural disasters, Peng added.

It will also provide data support for emergency management, resource mapping, and communications and navigation industries, while fostering scientific and technological cooperation in related fields among countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The Zhangheng 1-02 satellite is an updated version developed based on the Zhangheng 1-01 satellite, which is a scientific research satellite with the main task of verifying related technologies. The 02 satellite, an operational one built on the capabilities of the 01 satellite, will be more extensively involved in practical application.

The Zhangheng 1-01 satellite, launched in 2018, remains in normal operation, while the new satellite has richer physical measurements. Working in tandem, the two satellites will conduct collaborative observations, effectively improving the horizontal spatial and temporal resolution of observations, according to Peng.

"The operational satellite largely inherits the state of the scientific research satellite, with most aspects being similar, but it has a different payload - an ionospheric optical instrument. This payload mainly can measure certain parameters of the ionosphere and neutral atmosphere structure more accurately, and we expect it will improve the precision of these measurements by an order of magnitude," said Peng.

Saturday's launch marked the 581st mission of China’s Long March rocket series.

 

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: June 14, 2025

#NASA #CNSA #Space #Satellite #Zhangheng102Satellite #Science #Sun #SpaceWeather #Planet #Earth #Atmosphere #NaturalDisasters #Geology #Earthquakes #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #China #中国 #Italy #Italia #LongMarchRocket #LongMarch2D #JSLC #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Shape of Sagittarius in Three Dimensions | Space Telescope Science Institute

The Shape of Sagittarius in Three Dimensions | Space Telescope Science Institute

This visualization reveals stars of the Sagittarius constellation in three dimensions. Watch as the familiar pattern on the sky distorts into a whole new perspective.

The sequence starts with a view of the asterism called the "Teapot", the most recognizable feature of the constellation Sagittarius. In the background, like steam coming out of the spout of the teapot, is our galaxy, the Milky Way. That same spout, or the tip of the arrow of the archer, points towards the bright center of the Milky Way, covered by deep layers of interstellar dust. To the right of Saggitarius, between it and the constellation Scorpius, the Messier 7 star cluster is easily visible, over 900 ly away.

As the camera starts to orbit around the stars of Sagittarius, the true depth of the layers of dust covering the center of the Milky Way begins to reveal itself in three-dimensional space and the constellation slowly morphs into an elongated shape.

This visualization features over 11 million stars down to a magnitude of 13.5 across the sky. The positions, colors, and luminosities are based on the Gaia and Hipparcos star catalogs, complemented by the HYG Database. This includes data from the Yale and Gliese catalogs. Insterstellar dust is visualized using the Edenhofer map out to a distance of 1.25 kiloparsecs (~4,000 ly) from the Sun. The rest of the Milky Way plane is recreated using simulated spiral galaxy data for stars and dust from the Horizon GalMer database.

Video Credits: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Visualization: Christian Nieves, Frank Summers (STScI)
Motion Graphics: Ralf Crawford (STScI)
Data: 
Gaia DR3 – ESA/Gaia/DPAC 
Hipparcos Catalog – ESA
HYG-Database (v4.1) – Astronexus CC BY-SA 4.0 
Edenhofer et al (2023). A Parsec-Scale Galactic 3D Dust Map out to 1.25 kpc from the Sun -- Dataset for the 1.25 kpc 3D Dust Map and the 2 kpc 3D Dust Map (v1.0.2) [Data set]. Zenodo. 
Horizon GalMer Database – Chilingarian I. V., Di Matteo P., Combes F., Melchior A.-L., Semelin B., 2010, A&A, 518, A61
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: June 2, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #SagittariusConstellation #Sagittarius #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #Visualization #3D #HD #Video

New Expedition#73 Crew Photos: Part 2 | International Space Station

New Expedition#73 Crew Photos: Part 2 | International Space Station

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Anne McClain celebrates her 46th birthday with a cake, gifts, and cards aboard the International Space Station's Unity module.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers cleans and services life support components that are part of the Oxygen Generation System rack located inside the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Jonny Kim stows research samples inside a cryogenic storage unit for installation inside a science freezer for preservation inside the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module. Offically called the Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS, or MELFI, the ultra-cold storage unit enables space biology research by preserving biological samples for analysis including blood, saliva, urine, microbes, and more.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut and Expedition 73 Commander is pictured during maintenance operations on the Japanese robotic arm's Small Fine Arm inside the Kibo laboratory module. The Small Fine Arm is used for precise and dexterous robotic maneuvers when grappling small components or payloads on the outside of the International Space Station. There are two other robotic arms on the outside of the orbital outpost including the Canadarm2 robotic arm and the European robotic arm (ERA). Canadarm2 can be used to maneuver spacecraft, spacewalkers, and large payloads. ERA can also be used to maneuver spacewalkers and space station components.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Anne McClain checks out a pair of spacesuits during routine maintenance operations inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers works inside the Kibo laboratory module to test imaging operations of a 3D research microscope, also known as the Extant Life Volumetric Imaging System, or ELVIS. The specialized 3D imaging device, located in Kibo's Life Science Glovebox, could be used to monitor water quality, detect potentially infectious organisms, and study liquid mixtures and microorganisms in space and on Earth.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Jonny Kim works on spacesuit maintenance operations inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers checks out a spacesuit stowed inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock.

NASA and Axiom Space are postponing the launch of Axiom Mission 4 to the International Space Station. As part of an ongoing investigation, NASA is working with Roscosmos to understand a new pressure signature, after the recent post-repair effort in the aft most segment of the International Space Station’s Zvezda service module.

Cosmonauts aboard the space station recently performed inspections of the pressurized module’s interior surfaces, sealed some additional areas of interest, and measured the current leak rate. Following this effort, the segment now is holding pressure. The postponement of Axiom Mission 4 provides additional time for NASA and Roscosmos to evaluate the situation and determine whether any additional troubleshooting is necessary. NASA defers to Roscosmos to answer specific questions about the Zvezda module.

A new launch date for the fourth private astronaut mission will be provided once available.

Follow Expedition 73:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy

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

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Image Dates: May 29-June 10, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Astronauts #UnitedStates #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #MicrogravityResearch #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #STEM #Education

New Expedition#73 Crew Photos: Part 1 | International Space Station

New Expedition#73 Crew Photos: Part 1 | International Space Station

NASA astronauts (left to right) Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, both Expedition 73 Flight Engineers, pose for a portrait together aboard the International Space Station's Harmony module. Moments earlier, Ayers finished trimming McClain's hair using an electric razor with a suction hose attached that collects the loose hair to protect the station's atmosphere.

Astronauts Takuya Onishi of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Nichole Ayers of NASA, Expedition 73 Commander and Flight Engineer respectively, are pictured inside the International Space Station's Harmony module. Ayers trims Onishi's hair using an electric razor with a suction hose attached that collects loose hairs to protect the station's atmosphere.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Jonny Kim repairs ethernet cables aboard the International Space Station's Harmony module.

Astronauts Jonny Kim of NASA and Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Expedition 73 flight engineer and commander respectively, work inside the International Space Station's Harmony module gathering and organizing cargo to be packed inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft before its departure.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Anne McClain works inside the Destiny laboratory module's Materials Science Research Rack and swaps filters inside the Kermit microscope. Kermit is an all-in-one fluorescence microscope system used to conduct biological, physical, and materials science research.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers conducts research operations inside the Kibo laboratory module's Life Science Glovebox aboard the International Space Station. Ayers was processing samples of deep-sea bacteria to test a specialized 3D microscope for its ability to monitor water quality, detect potentially infectious organisms, and study liquid mixtures and microorganisms in space and on Earth.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers replaces components on an experimental carbon dioxide removal device. Also called the Thermal Amine Scrubber, the advanced life support mechanism is testing a new method that removes carbon dioxide from the station’s atmosphere and recovers water for oxygen generation.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers works inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft readying the vehicle to be packed with completed science experiments, time-critical research samples, and International Space Station hardware before its departure.

Follow Expedition 73:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy

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

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Image Dates: May 14-31, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Astronauts #UnitedStates #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #MicrogravityResearch #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #STEM #Education

Planet Mars Images: June 5-12, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: June 5-12, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

MSL - sol 4566—"White-balanced image"

Mars 2020 - sol 874

Mars 2020 - sol 1531

MSL - sol 4568

MSL - sol 4562

MSL - sol 4560

MSL - sol 4562

MSL - sol 4564

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 4+ 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 Dates: June 5-12, 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