Liftoff: NASA TRACERS Earth Science Mission | SpaceX Falcon 9 in California

Liftoff: NASA TRACERS Earth Science Mission | SpaceX Falcon 9 in California

Technicians encapsulate the black twin satellites of NASA’s Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) mission within a payload fairing atop a shiny metallic stack of several other rideshare payloads at the Astrotech Space Operations facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The TRACERS mission is a pair of twin satellites that will study how Earth’s magnetic shield—the magnetosphere—protects our planet from the supersonic stream of material from the Sun called solar wind.

TRACERS Emblem

NASA's TRACERS mission, or the Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites, successfully lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg in California on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 at 11:13 a.m. PDT (2:13 p.m. EDT). 

Three additional NASA-funded payloads were also launched: the Athena Economical Payload Integration Cost (EPIC) SmallSat, the Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT) technology demonstration, and the Relativistic Electron Atmospheric Loss (REAL) CubeSat. 

TRACERS will fly in low Earth orbit through the polar cusps, funnel-shaped holes in the magnetic field, to study magnetic reconnection and its effects in Earth's atmosphere. 

Magnetic reconnection is a mysterious process that happens when the solar wind, made of electrically charged particles and magnetic fields from the Sun, collides with Earth's magnetic shield, causing magnetic field lines to violently snap and explosively fling away particles at high speeds. This process has huge impacts on Earth, from causing breathtaking auroras to disrupting communications and power grids on Earth. 

Find out more about the TRACERS mission and how it will help us better understand the ways space weather affects us on Earth: 
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/tracers/

https://tracers.physics.uiowa.edu/

Image Credit: SpaceX
Release Date: July 23, 2025

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Science #Astronomy #Sun #Heliophysics #SolarSystem #SolarWind #SpaceWeather #Planets #Earth #Atmosphere #TRACERSMission #MagneticField #Magnetosphere #EPICSmallSat #PExT #REALCubeSat #GSFC #UIowa #SpaceX #Falcon9Rocket #Vandenberg #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

A Glittering Gathering of Stars | Hubble Space Telescope

A Glittering Gathering of Stars | Hubble Space Telescope

This glittering gathering of stars is the globular cluster NGC 6558, and it was captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. NGC 6558 is closer to the center of the Milky Way than Earth is, and lies about 23,000 light years away in the constellation Sagittarius.

Globular clusters like NGC 6558 are tightly bound collections of tens of thousands to millions of stars, and they can be found in a wide range of galaxies. As this observation shows, the stars in globular clusters can be densely packed; this image is thronged with stars in a rich variety of hues. Some of the brightest inhabitants of this globular cluster are surrounded by prominent diffraction spikes, which are imaging artefacts caused by starlight interacting with the inner workings of Hubble.

Globular clusters equip astronomers with interesting natural laboratories in which to test their theories, as all the stars in a globular cluster formed at approximately the same time with similar initial composition. These stellar clusters therefore provide unique insights into how different stars evolve under similar conditions. This image comes from a set of observations investigating globular clusters in the inner Milky Way. Astronomers were interested in studying these globular clusters to gain greater insight into how globular clusters in the inner Milky Way form and evolve.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, R. Cohen
Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: May 16, 2022

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #GlobularCluster #NGC6558 #Stars #Sagittarius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Multiwavelength Milky Way Center Views - Part 2 | NASA Space Telescopes

Multiwavelength Milky Way Center Views - Part 2 | NASA Space Telescopes

The center of the Milky Way Galaxy is located in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, approximately 27,000 light-years from Earth. The densely packed starfields at our galaxy's center are hidden behind dust clouds and only become visible in infrared light. In the near-infrared they begin to appear, but are reddened for much the same reason that sunlight turns red when filtered through a smoky cloud. The dense dust clouds begin to stand out at longer infrared wavelengths, taking on changing rainbows of color depending on which parts of the spectrum contribute to the image. The very coldest, densest dust will only start to glow at the very longest wavelengths of light, rendered in red in the far-infrared image in this sequence.

Far-infrared: At these long infrared wavelengths, the hottest dust glows blue, while the coldest is red.

Credit: ESA, NASA, JPL-Caltech

Mid-infrared: Some of the hottest dust clouds begin to glow as one looks deeper into the infrared spectrum.

Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech

Near-infrared: The myriad stars and shadows caused by dust clouds are more vivid at shorter wavelengths of light.

Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech/S. Stolovy (Hershel)

The human eye can only see visible light, but objects give off a variety of wavelengths of light. To see an object as it truly exists, we would ideally look at its appearance through the full range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Telescopes show us objects as they appear emitting different energies of light, with each wavelength conveying unique information about the object. The Webb Space Telescope will study infrared light from celestial objects with much greater clarity and sensitivity than ever before.

Video Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), Greg Bacon (STScI)

Duration: 18 seconds
Release Date: July 23, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #Sagittarius #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #OpticalAstronomy #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #NASASpitzer #InfraredAstronomy #NASAChandra #XrayAstronomy #SpaceTelescopes #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #JPL #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Multiwavelength Milky Way Center Views - Part 1 | NASA Space Telescopes

Multiwavelength Milky Way Center Views - Part 1 | NASA Space Telescopes

The center of the Milky Way Galaxy is located in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, approximately 27,000 light-years from Earth. Observations using infrared light and X-ray light see through the obscuring dust and reveal the intense activity near the galactic core. The densely packed starfields at our galaxy's center are hidden behind dust clouds and only become visible in infrared light. The center of the galaxy, located in the lower right part of the image, becomes more apparent as you go to shorter, more high energy wavelengths. The entire image width covers about one-half a degree, about the same angular width as the full moon.

Infrared: Dusty clouds near young stars glow in infrared light and reveal their often-dramatic shapes.

Credit: NASA, ESA, Q.D. Wang (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), STScI

Near-Infrared: The galactic center is marked by the bright patch in the lower right. Along the left side are large arcs of warm gas that have been heated by clusters of bright massive stars.

Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, E. Churchwell (University of Wisconsin), SSC, STScI

X-ray: X-rays detected by Chandra expose a wealth of exotic objects and high-energy features. A supermassive black hole – some four million times more massive than the Sun – resides within the bright region in the lower right.

Credit: NASA, ESA, SSC, CXC, STScI

The human eye can only see visible light, but objects give off a variety of wavelengths of light. To see an object as it truly exists, we would ideally look at its appearance through the full range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Telescopes show us objects as they appear emitting distinct energies of light, with each wavelength conveying unique information about the object. The Webb Space Telescope will study infrared light from celestial objects with much greater clarity and sensitivity than ever before.

Video Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), Greg Bacon (STScI)

Duration: 24 seconds
Release Date: July 23, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #Sagittarius #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #OpticalAstronomy #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #NASASpitzer #InfraredAstronomy #NASAChandra #XrayAstronomy #SpaceTelescopes #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #JPL #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA TRACERS Earth Science Mission: SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch in California

NASA TRACERS Earth Science Mission: SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch in California

Technicians encapsulate the black twin satellites of NASA’s Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) mission within a payload fairing atop a shiny metallic stack of several other rideshare payloads at the Astrotech Space Operations facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The TRACERS mission is a pair of twin satellites that will study how Earth’s magnetic shield—the magnetosphere—protects our planet from the supersonic stream of material from the Sun called solar wind.

TRACERS Emblem

NASA's TRACERS mission, or the Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites, successfully lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg in California on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 at 11:13 a.m. PDT (2:13 p.m. EDT). 

Three additional NASA-funded payloads were also launched: the Athena Economical Payload Integration Cost (EPIC) SmallSat, the Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT) technology demonstration, and the Relativistic Electron Atmospheric Loss (REAL) CubeSat. 

TRACERS will fly in low Earth orbit through the polar cusps, funnel-shaped holes in the magnetic field, to study magnetic reconnection and its effects in Earth's atmosphere. 

Magnetic reconnection is a mysterious process that happens when the solar wind, made of electrically charged particles and magnetic fields from the Sun, collides with Earth's magnetic shield, causing magnetic field lines to violently snap and explosively fling away particles at high speeds. This process has huge impacts on Earth, from causing breathtaking auroras to disrupting communications and power grids on Earth. 

Find out more about the TRACERS mission and how it will help us better understand the ways space weather affects us on Earth: 
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/tracers/

https://tracers.physics.uiowa.edu/

Image Credit: SpaceX
Release Date: July 23, 2025

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Science #Astronomy #Sun #Heliophysics #SolarSystem #SolarWind #SpaceWeather #Planets #Earth #Atmosphere #TRACERSMission #MagneticField #Magnetosphere #EPICSmallSat #PExT #REALCubeSat #GSFC #UIowa #SpaceX #Falcon9Rocket #Vandenberg #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA TRACERS Earth Science Mission: SpaceX Falcon 9 Liftoff in California

NASA TRACERS Earth Science Mission: SpaceX Falcon 9 Liftoff in California

NASA's TRACERS mission, or the Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites, successfully lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg in California on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 at 11:13 a.m. PDT (2:13 p.m. EDT). 

Three additional NASA-funded payloads were also launched: the Athena Economical Payload Integration Cost (EPIC) SmallSat, the Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT) technology demonstration, and the Relativistic Electron Atmospheric Loss (REAL) CubeSat. 

TRACERS will fly in low Earth orbit through the polar cusps, funnel-shaped holes in the magnetic field, to study magnetic reconnection and its effects in Earth's atmosphere. 

Magnetic reconnection is a mysterious process that happens when the solar wind, made of electrically charged particles and magnetic fields from the Sun, collides with Earth's magnetic shield, causing magnetic field lines to violently snap and explosively fling away particles at high speeds. This process has huge impacts on Earth, from causing breathtaking auroras to disrupting communications and power grids on Earth. 

Find out more about the TRACERS mission and how it will help us better understand the ways space weather affects us on Earth: 
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/tracers/

Video Credit: SpaceX
Duration: 26 seconds
Release Date: July 23, 2025

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Science #Astronomy #Sun #SolarSystem #SpaceWeather #Planets #Earth #Atmosphere #TRACERSMission #MagneticField #Magnetosphere #EPICSmallSat #PExT #REALCubeSat #GSFC #SpaceX #Falcon9Rocket #Vandenberg #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Planet Mars Images: July 20-23, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: July 20-23, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

MSL - sol 4605

MSL - sol 4605

Mars 2020 - sol 1571

Mars 2020 - sol 1570

Mars 2020 - sol 1572

Mars 2020 - sol 1572

Mars 2020 - sol 1571

MSL - sol 4602

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: July 20-23, 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

XRISM X-rays the Galaxy’s Sulfur [Alert: NASA Budget to Cancel Support] | NASA Goddard

XRISM X-rays the Galaxy’s Sulfur [Alert: NASA Budget to Cancel Support] | NASA Goddard

Astronomers used X-rays from two binary star systems to detect sulfur in the interstellar medium, the gas and dust found in the space between stars. It is the first direct measurement of sulfur’s gas and solid phases, a unique capability of X-ray spectroscopy, XRISM’s (pronounced “crism”) primary method of studying the cosmos.

The X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) is an X-ray space telescope. It is a science mission of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in partnership with NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), intended to study galaxy clusters, outflows from galaxy nuclei, and dark matter. NASA and JAXA co-developed Resolve, the mission’s microcalorimeter spectrometer.

NASA's support for the international XRISM astronomy mission is being canceled in NASA's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request, along with funds for 18 other active science missions.

Contact your representatives in the United States Congress, House and Senate, to express your concerns about severe science budget cuts at NASA: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials/

NASA's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request

 https://www.nasa.gov/fy-2026-budget-request/

XRISM is a next generation X-ray astronomy spacecraft, succeeding NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA's XMM-Newton. XRISM is intended to fill a gap in observational capabilities between the anticipated retirement of those older X-ray telescopes.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Producer: Sophia Roberts(eMITS)
Science Writer: Jeanette Kazmierczak (University of Maryland)
Scientist: Brian J. Williams (NASA/GSFC)
Duration: 1 minute, 48 seconds
Release Date: July 23, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #MilkyWayGalaxy #Sulfur #DarkMatter #Universe #Cosmos #Astrophysics #XRISM #XrayAstronomy #NASAGoddard #GSFC #UnitedStates #JAXA #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #Japan #日本 #ESA #Europe #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Europe's Ignis Mission: Return to Earth | Axiom Space | International Space Station

Europe's Ignis Mission: Return to Earth | Axiom Space | International Space Station

On July 15, 2025, with the splashdown of the Dragon spacecraft off the coast of California, the Ignis mission ended after a 20-day space journey. The European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland, during nearly 230 orbits around Earth, completed about 120 hours of telework on the International Space Station and contributed to more than 20 experiments from his orbital office.

Following medical checks on the recovery vessel, Sławosz flew to shore by helicopter and then traveled from the United States to Germany in order to undergo a week of recovery at the European Astronaut Center (EAC). Dozens of people gathered to give him a warm welcome at the Cologne Bonn airport.

Sponsored by the Polish government and supported by ESA, the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MRiT), and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), the mission had an ambitious technological and scientific program with several experiments led by ESA and proposed by the Polish space industry.

Ignis Mission:
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/ignis

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

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.

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

Video Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)
Duration: 4 minutes
Release Date: July 23, 2025

#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #AxiomSpace #Ax4Mission #Ax4 #SpaceX #Falcon9Rocket #CrewDragonSpacecraft #Astronauts #CommercialAstronauts #ESA #SławoszUznańskiWiśniewski #MRiT #POLSA #Poland #Polska #Expedition73 #CommercialSpace #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Astronauts Discuss Life in Space | International Space Station

NASA Astronauts Discuss Life in Space | International Space Station

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 73 flight engineers Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview July 22, 2025, with conference attendees at the ASCEND aerospace technical conference in Las Vegas. McClain and Ayers are in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

Ascend Conference (July 22-24, 2025), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA 
https://www.ascend.events/

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: 21 minutes
Release Date: July 22, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Planet #Earth #Astronauts #AnneMcClain #NicholeAyers #UnitedStates #Japan #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #AscendConference #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Galactic 'Eyes' of IC 2163 & NGC 2207: Infrared & Ultraviolet | Webb & Hubble

The Galactic 'Eyes' of IC 2163 & NGC 2207: Infrared & Ultraviolet | Webb & Hubble

These galaxies have only grazed one another so far, with the smaller spiral on the left, cataloged as IC 2163, ever so slowly ‘creeping’ behind NGC 2207, the spiral galaxy on the right, millions of years ago.

This first image is a combination of mid-infrared light from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope and visible and ultraviolet light from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. The second image features the pair as seen by Webb's MIRI instrument.

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)
Duration: 30 seconds
Release date: Oct. 31, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Galaxies #InteractingGalaxies #IC2163 #NGC2207 #Supernovae #CanisMajor #Constellation #Universe #HST #InfraredAstronomy #MidInfrared #MIRI #JWST #Ultraviolet #SpaceTelescopes #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Infrared Universe: The Galactic 'Eyes' of IC 2163 & NGC 2207 | Webb & Hubble

Infrared Universe: The Galactic 'Eyes' of IC 2163 & NGC 2207 | Webb & Hubble

NGC 2207 is a pair of colliding spiral galaxies. Their bright nuclei resemble a striking set of eyes. Though individual stars are too far apart to collide, the material between the stars merges to create high-density pockets of gas. These regions gravitationally collapse, triggering a firestorm of star birth. The galaxy collision will go on for several millions of years, leaving the galaxies’ shapes completely altered.

The human eye can only see visible light, but objects give off a variety of wavelengths of light. To see an object as it truly exists, we would ideally look at its appearance through the full range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Telescopes show us objects as they appear emitting distinct energies of light with each wavelength conveying unique information about the object. The Webb Space Telescope is studying infrared light from celestial objects with much greater clarity and sensitivity than ever before. 

This video shows a pair of spiral galaxies, IC 2163 at left and NGC 2207 at right, that reside 114 million light-years from Earth. Both galaxies have increased star formation rates. Combined, they are estimated to form the equivalent of two dozen new stars that are the size of the Sun annually. Our Milky Way galaxy forms the equivalent of two or three new Sun-like stars per year.

Both galaxies have hosted seven known supernovae. Each may have cleared space in their arms, rearranging gas and dust that later cooled, and allowed new many stars to form.

Optical: Hubble data shows trails of stars and gas trace out spiral arms, stretched by the tidal pull between the galaxies.

Infrared: Spitzer data reveals the glow of warm dust; raw material for the creation of new stars and planets.

Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech

X-ray: Chandra view reveals areas of active star formation and the birth of super star clusters.

Credit: NASA, CXC, SAO, S. Mineo et al.

Adapted from Cool Cosmos by IPAC, with additional contributions from Bruno Merin and Miguel Merin (Pludo).

Video Credits: NASA, ESA, Greg Bacon (STScI)

Duration: 48 seconds

Release Date: July 21, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Galaxies #InteractingGalaxies #IC2163 #NGC2207 #CanisMajor #Constellation #Universe #OpticalAstronomy #HST #JWST #InfraredAstronomy #NASAChandra #NASASpitzer #SpaceTelescopes #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #JPL #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11: Final Training Sessions | International Space Station

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11: Final Training Sessions | International Space Station

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 commander and NASA astronaut Zena Cardman poses for a photo during a training session at SpaceX facilities in Hawthorne, California. 

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 commander and NASA astronaut Zena Cardman participates in a training session at SpaceX facilities in Hawthorne, California. Her name, “Z. Cardman” is prominently shown with the American flag.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission specialist and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Russia poses for a photo during a training session at SpaceX facilities in Hawthorne, California.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission specialist and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov participates in a training session at SpaceX facilities in Hawthorne, California. His name, “O. Platonov” is prominently shown with the Russian flag. 

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 pilot and NASA astronaut Mike Fincke poses for a photo during a training session at SpaceX facilities in Hawthorne, California.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 pilot and NASA astronaut Mike Fincke poses for a photo during a training session at SpaceX facilities in Hawthorne, California.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission specialist and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui participates in a training session at SpaceX facilities in Hawthorne, California.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission specialist and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui poses for a photo during a training session at SpaceX facilities in Hawthorne, California. 

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 Mission is targeted to launch no earlier than July 31, 2025, with Commander Zena Cardman of NASA leading Pilot Mike Fincke of NASA and Mission Specialists Kimiya Yui of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Oleg Platonov of Roscosmos (Russia). Once aboard the International Space Station, the Commercial Crew foursome will spend several months studying stem cell production methods to develop advanced cures, new ways to treat bacterial infections, space agriculture techniques, and more.

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke are serving as commander and pilot of the mission. The crew also has two mission specialists, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Russia. They have trained for their mission across the world, including NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, SpaceX facilities in Hawthorne, California, and international training locations.

NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than July 31 at 12:09 p.m. EDT for Crew-11 Mission launch, pending mission readiness. The crew will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A.

The flight is the 11th crew rotation with SpaceX to the station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The crew will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future missions to the Moon, as well as benefit people on Earth.

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

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

Image Credits: SpaceX

Image Dates: March 6-June 23, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #SpaceX #SpaceXCrew11 #SpaceXDragonSpacecraft #Astronauts #MikeFincke #ZenaCardman #JAXA #KimiyaYui #Japan #日本 #Cosmonaut #OlegPlatonov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #Hawthorne #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Soaring over Planet Mars | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Soaring over Planet Mars | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has seen many places on the planet since 2006. The great canyon systems of Mars are among the most interesting . . .

Candor Chasma

Rich Zurek: "The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has seen many places on the planet. One of the most interesting is one of the great canyon systems on Mars. This is a branch of that canyon system, called Candor Chasma. You can see the tortured ground that is there, the layers, the many buttes and mesas that poke up above this. The scale of these things is such that we’re looking across a couple of miles of territory. There is no vertical exaggeration in this stereo image made by taking images at separate times on separate orbits. Some of these buttes extend up a football field in size. Fault systems that were produced by earthquakes, in this case Marsquakes, give us clues as to whether this is material that was eroded away or actually whether it was deposited and then eroded later. The stress patterns show us the canyon formed first, was filled with material and eroded away leaving these buttes, with the buttes being formed by more resistant rock at the top of the buttes—darker in these images."

Mojave Crater

Rich Zurek: "One of the questions we have about Mars is, where we see the effects of water on its surface, how did that water get there? It may have been different in different places. Did it erupt from underground as springs, for instance? Or did it fall from the sky in rainfall? And it may have been associated with events like impact craters. One of those impact craters is Mojave Crater. And here we’re going to look at a perspective view that was formed from two images forming a stereo pair. As you can see, water ponded on the terraces. And then it overflowed and ran down to the next terrace. If you look at the rim of the crater, you see channels that run right up to the top. So these aren’t springs. This must have been rainfall that carved this part of the planet."

Nili Fossae

Rich Zurek: "The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is able to look at not only the structure of the surface, its topography and shape, but also its composition. We’re going to zoom in to an area called Nili Fossae that is very diverse. And that’s shown here in false color. What we’re looking at are the mineral signatures—fingerprints—that appear in reflected sunlight, although it’s at wavelengths that our eyes are not sensitive to. Straight edges are the edges of the images that were taken; we don’t have complete coverage. What we’re most interested in here are the areas that are colored green. Those are areas in which carbonates are present. Carbonates indicate that here’s an environment that could have been conducive to life, and if not life today, it could have preserved the signature of life that may have occurred in the past. That is, the organic molecules should also be preserved today, if they were ever produced on its surface. This very diverse area shows a complex mineral signature and also shows that there are many different kinds of water environments on the planet. So water was not uniform in its activity. It may have persisted in some areas longer than in other areas. And its interaction with the rock has left us clues about what that ancient history was."

Victoria Crater

Rich Zurek: "One of the early images taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was of Victoria Crater in order to help the Opportunity rover figure out which way to move around the crater as it looked for a way to get down inside. Here you see that image, taken from 180 miles above the surface of Mars. We’re going to use that image to zoom in and see what it would look like from the rover’s point of view, if it were on the edge of the crater looking out over it, and then match that with an image that was actually taken from the rover Opportunity on the Mars surface."

The MRO is a spacecraft designed to study the geology and climate of Mars, to provide reconnaissance of future landing sites, and to relay data from surface missions back to Earth. It was launched on August 12, 2005, and reached Mars on March 10, 2006. 

The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE). It was built by BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD), Washington.

For more information on MRO, visit:

science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter

Images are from the HiRISE instrument onboard MRO. 

Final image is from the Mars Exploration Rover “Opportunity.”

Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Narration: Rich Zurek, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project Scientist
Duration: 4 minutes, 22 seconds
Release Date: May 27, 2009

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #Planet #RedPlanet #Geology #Geoscience #Landscape #Terrain #CandorChasma #MojaveCrater #NiliFossae #VictoriaCrater #Astrobiology #MRO #MarsOrbiter #RichardZurek #ProjectScientist #MarsSpacecraft #HiRISECamera #JPL #Caltech #UA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A Concentration of Black Holes Found in Globular Star Cluster NGC 6397 | Hubble

A Concentration of Black Holes Found in Globular Star Cluster NGC 6397 | Hubble

This European Space Agency (ESA) Space Sparks episode summarizes an exciting discovery from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Scientists were expecting to find an intermediate-mass black hole at the heart of the globular cluster NGC 6397, but instead they found evidence of a concentration of smaller black holes lurking there. Recent Hubble data have led to the first measurement of the extent of a collection of black holes in a core-collapsed globular cluster.

NGC 6397 sits 7,800 light-years away within the Milky Way galaxy, making it one of the closest globular clusters to Earth in the constellation Ara. This ancient stellar jewelry box glitters with the light from hundreds of thousands of stars.

The cluster’s blue stars are near the end of their lives. These stars have used up their hydrogen fuel that makes them shine. Now they are converting helium to energy in their cores, which fuses at a higher temperature and appears blue.

The reddish glow is from red giant stars that have consumed their hydrogen fuel and have expanded in size. The myriad small white objects include stars like our Sun.

Credits:
Directed by: Bethany Downer and Nico Bartmann   
Editing: Nico Bartmann   
Web and technical support: Enciso Systems   
Written by: Bethany Downer    
Footage and photos: ESA/Hubble, N. Bartmann

Duration: 1 minute, 39 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 11, 2021

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #NGC6397 #Caldwell86 #StarClusters #GlobularStarClusters #BlackHoles #Ara #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Globular Star Cluster NGC 6397 in Ara: An ancient stellar jewelry box | Hubble

Globular Star Cluster NGC 6397 in Ara: An ancient stellar jewelry box | Hubble

This glittering image captures a globular cluster called NGC 6397 (also known as Caldwell 86) that was discovered by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1752. It sits 7,800 light-years away within the Milky Way galaxy, making it one of the closest globular clusters to Earth in the constellation Ara. This ancient stellar jewelry box glitters with the light from hundreds of thousands of stars.

The cluster’s blue stars are near the end of their lives. These stars have used up their hydrogen fuel that makes them shine. Now they are converting helium to energy in their cores, which fuses at a higher temperature and appears blue.

The reddish glow is from red giant stars that have consumed their hydrogen fuel and have expanded in size. The myriad small white objects include stars like our Sun.

This image is composed of a series of observations taken from July 2004 to June 2005 with Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. The research team used Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 to measure the distance to the cluster.

Learn more: "How White Dwarfs Get Their ‘Kicks’"
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/how-white-dwarfs-get-their-kicks/

Credit: NASA, ESA, and T. Brown and S. Casertano (STScI)

Acknowledgement: NASA, ESA, and J. Anderson (STScI)

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #NGC6397 #Caldwell86 #StarClusters #GlobularStarClusters #Ara #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education