NASA Artemis II Crew Module Training | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis II Crew Module Training | Kennedy Space Center

The Artemis II crew (from left to right): Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; Christina Koch, mission specialist; Victor Glover, pilot; and Reid Wiseman, commander, don their Orion Crew Survival System Suits for a multi-day crew module training beginning Thursday, July 31, 2025, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

Behind the crew, wearing clean room apparel, are members of the Artemis II closeout crew. Testing included a suited crew test and crew equipment interface test, performing launch day and simulated orbital activities inside the Orion spacecraft. This series of tests marks the first time the crew entered their spacecraft that will take them around the Moon and back to Earth while wearing their spacesuits. 

The Artemis II crew will be sent on a ten-day Moon journey no earlier than April 2026.

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Follow updates on the Artemis blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Image Credit: NASA/Rad Sinyak
Date: July 31, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #ArtemisIICrewModule #Astronauts #AstronautTraining #CrewedMission #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #SpaceEngineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAKennedy #KSC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

The Journey of NS-34 | Blue Origin

The Journey of NS-34 | Blue Origin

"At the Kármán line, all walks of life come together."

On August 3, 2025, Blue Origin successfully completed its 14th human spaceflight and the 34th flight for the New Shepard program. The crew included: Arvi Bahal, Gökhan Erdem, Deborah Martorell, Lionel Pitchford, J.D. Russell, and H.E. Justin Sun—the winning bidder for the first New Shepard seat in 2021. Including today’s crew, New Shepard has now flown 75 people into space, including five people who have flown twice."

The Kármán line is a conventional definition of the edge of space; it is widely but not universally accepted. The international record-keeping body Fédération aéronautique internationale (FAI) defines the Kármán line at an altitude of 100 kilometers (54 nautical miles; 62 miles; 330,000 feet) above mean sea level. The Kármán line is mainly used for legal and regulatory purposes of differentiating between aircraft and spacecraft.

“It was an honor to see so many nations represented on our flight today,” said Phil Joyce, SVP, New Shepard. “The view of our fragile planet from space has a unifying effect on all who witness it, and I am always eager to see how our astronauts use this experience for the benefit of Earth.”

Learn more about the NS-34 crew:

https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-shepard-ns-34-mission

Fly to space: https://www.blueorigin.com/new-shepard/fly

Video Credit: Blue Origin

Duration: 2 minutes, 33 seconds

Release Date: Aug. 4, 2025

#NASA #Space #BlueOrigin #NewShepard #NewShepardRocket #NewShepardCrewCapsule #NS34Mission #NS34Crew #ArviBahal #GökhanErdem #DeborahMartorell #LionelPitchford #JDRussell #HEJustinSun #CommercialAstronauts #CommercialSpace #LaunchSiteOne #Texas #UnitedStates #FortheBenefitofEarth #JeffBezos #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Experienced NASA Astronaut Mike Fincke Returns | International Space Station

Experienced NASA Astronaut Mike Fincke Returns | International Space Station

Expedition 73 flight engineer and veteran NASA astronaut Mike Fincke: "ISS Expedition 73 in the house! Just got here yesterday, felt so very familiar, like I never left. Spending time getting reacquainted with my friends and the International Space Station. Very glad to be here."

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke is the pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission. This is his fourth spaceflight. The Pennsylvania native also traveled to space as part of Expedition 9 in 2004, Expedition 18 in 2009, and STS-134 in 2011. He was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1996. Upon his arrival to the International Space Station with Crew-11, he became an Expedition 73 flight engineer and began a long-duration science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory.

For Expedition 9, Fincke served as Science Officer and Flight Engineer during his six-month stay aboard the space station. While there, he performed four spacewalks. For Expedition 18, Fincke served as station commander, where he and his crew prepared the station for future six-person crews. For STS-134, he served as mission specialist and completed three spacewalks. Colonel Fincke has logged more than a year in orbit with nine spacewalks totaling 48 hours and 37 minutes of spacewalking time. 

Astronaut Mike Fincke NASA Biography: 

https://www.nasa.gov/people/edward-michael-mike-fincke/

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: JAXA Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi

JAXA Flight Engineer: Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy, Oleg Platonov

NASA Flight Engineers: Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke

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

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Date: Aug. 3, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #NASASpaceXCrew11 #Astronauts #MikeFincke #NicholeAyers #ZenaCardman #KimiyaYui #JonnyKim #AnneMcClain #JAXA #Japan #日本 #Cosmonaut #OlegPlatonov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA's Space Crew-11 Dragon Spacecraft Arrival | International Space Station

NASA's Space Crew-11 Dragon Spacecraft Arrival | International Space Station

NASA's Space Crew-11 Dragon spacecraft approaching the International Space Station

Expedition 73 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers taking photos of NASA's Space Crew-11 Dragon spacecraft

Expedition 73 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Nichole “Vapor” Ayers: "I got the best wake-up call ever this morning when we found out Crew-11 was going to be a little early! They made it safely to the International Space Station, and it was a beautiful rendezvous (so naturally I had to take a few photos). So happy to have our friends on board! Congrats! Zena, Mike, Kimiya, and Oleg! We are so glad you’re here. 😊"

On Aug. 2, 2025, the Crew-11 quartet joined the seven-member Expedition 73 crew. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Russia have started their seven-month research mission in low Earth orbit.

Crew-11 will conduct scientific research to prepare for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and benefit humanity on Earth. Participating crew members will simulate lunar landings, test strategies to safeguard vision, and advance other human spaceflight studies led by NASA’s Human Research Program. The crew also will study plant cell division and microgravity’s effects on bacteria-killing viruses, as well as perform experiments to produce a higher volume of human stem cells and generate on-demand nutrients.

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

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: JAXA Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi

JAXA Flight Engineer: Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy, Oleg Platonov

NASA Flight Engineers: Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke

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

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center/N. Ayers/T. Onishi (JAXA)
Date: Aug. 2, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #NASASpaceXCrew11 #SpaceXDragonSpacecraft #Astronauts #NicholeAyers #MikeFincke #ZenaCardman #KimiyaYui #JAXA #Japan #日本 #Cosmonaut #OlegPlatonov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Planet Mars Images: July 31-Aug. 2, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: July 31-Aug. 2, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars 2020 - sol 1580

Mars 2020 - sol 1578

Mars 2020 - sol 1578

Can you spot the dust devil?—Mars 2020 - sol 1580

MSL - sol 4616

Mars 2020 - sol 1582

MSL - sol 4614

MSL - sol 4616

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 31-Aug. 2, 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

Massive, Hot Wolf-Rayet Star WR 112 of Sagittarius (Infrared) | Webb Telescope

Massive, Hot Wolf-Rayet Star WR 112 of Sagittarius (Infrared) | Webb Telescope

WR 112 is located in the constellation of Sagittarius—the half-man/half-horse archer. It is a main sequence Wolf-Rayet star, known for extreme luminosity and rapid stellar winds. WR 112 is on the Ecliptic, the path that the Earth takes as it orbits the Sun.

Wolf–Rayet stars, often abbreviated as WR stars, are a rare heterogeneous set of stars with unusual spectra showing prominent broad emission lines of ionized helium and highly ionized nitrogen or carbon. The spectra indicate very high surface enhancement of heavy elements, depletion of hydrogen, and strong stellar winds. The surface temperatures of known Wolf–Rayet stars range from 20,000 K to around 210,000 K, hotter than almost all other kinds of stars.

Sagittarius is one of the constellations of the zodiac and is located in the Southern celestial hemisphere. It is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Its old astronomical symbol is  (♐︎). Its name is Latin for "archer". Sagittarius is commonly represented as a centaur drawing a bow. It lies between Scorpius and Ophiuchus to the west and Capricornus and Microscopium to the east.

The center of the Milky Way lies in the westernmost part of Sagittarius.

Image Processor Judy Schmidt: "Another in a series of James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) images of Wolf-Rayet stars that have intricate and fascinating dust shells around them. There's a very strong set of diffraction spikes (the blueish multi-colored rays emanating from the center star) in every filter this time. I tried to make them less distracting by both desaturating and dimming them. I think it looks a bit better like this, but it may also look somewhat unnatural or overprocessed."

Image Credit: Judy Schmidt
Release Date: August 1, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #NASAWebb #Stars #WolfRayetStars #WR112 #Sagittarius #Constellation #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #JWST #MIRI #InfraredAstronomy #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #JudySchmidt #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

The Tarantula Nebula in nearby Large Magellanic Cloud Galaxy | Hubble

The Tarantula Nebula in nearby Large Magellanic Cloud Galaxy | Hubble

A scene from a star-forming factory shines in this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture. It captures incredible details in the dusty clouds in a star-forming region called the Tarantula Nebula. What is possibly the most amazing aspect of this detailed image is that this nebula is not even in our galaxy. Instead, it is in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a dwarf galaxy that is located about 160,000 light-years away in the constellations Dorado and Mensa. 

The Large Magellanic Cloud is the largest of the dozens of small satellite galaxies that orbit the Milky Way. The Tarantula Nebula is the largest and brightest star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and within the entire group of nearby galaxies that the Milky Way belongs to.

The Tarantula Nebula is home to the most massive stars known—a portion are roughly 200 times as massive as our Sun. The scene pictured here is located away from the center of the nebula, where there is a super star cluster called R136, but very close to a rare type of star called a Wolf–Rayet star. Wolf–Rayet stars are massive stars that have lost their outer shell of hydrogen and are extremely hot and luminous, powering dense and furious stellar winds.

This nebula is a frequent target for Hubble, whose multiwavelength capabilities are critical for capturing sculptural details in the nebula’s dusty clouds. The data used to create this image come from an observing program called Scylla. It is named for a multi-headed sea monster from the Greek myth of Ulysses. The Scylla program was designed to complement another Hubble observing program called Ultraviolet Legacy library of Young Stars as Essential Standards (ULYSSES). It targets massive young stars in the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds, while Scylla investigates the structures of gas and dust that surround these stars.

Image Description: A nebula. The top-left is dense with layers of fluffy pink and greenish clouds. Long strands of green clouds stretch out from here; a faint layer of translucent blue dust combines with them to create a three-dimensional scene. A sparse network of dark dust clouds in the foreground adds reddish-black patches atop the nebula. Blue-white and orange stars, from our galaxy and beyond, are spread amongst the clouds.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Murray
Release Date: Aug. 4, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Hubble #Space #Science #Nebulae #TarantulaNebula #StellarNursery #Stars #WolfRayetStars #Dorado #Constellation #LargeMagellanicCloud #LMC #DwarfGalaxies #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #STEM #Education

Meteor over West Virginia | NASA

Meteor over West Virginia | NASA

In this 30-second exposure photograph, a meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid and Alpha Capricornids meteor showers, Sunday, August 3, 2025, in Spruce Knob, West Virginia. 

The Perseids meteor shower peaks in mid-August, and is the most popular meteor shower of the year.

Perseids: Fast Facts

Comet of Origin: 109P/Swift-Tuttle

Radiant Constellation: Perseus

Active: July 17 to Aug. 23, 2025 (Peak night: Aug. 12-13)

Observed Under Dark Skies: About 25 meteors per hour

Meteor Velocity: 37 miles (59 km) per second

The Alpha Capricornids meteor shower is active annually from July 3 to August 15, with its peak activity typically occurring around July 30. Currently, the shower is active. The radiant, the point in the sky where the meteors appear to originate, is located in the constellation Capricornus. This shower is visible from the Earth's northern and southern hemispheres. 

The Alpha Capricornids meteor shower is considered a bright one and is known for producing up to 5 meteors per hour (ZHR) at its peak. The meteors from this shower strike the atmosphere at an average speed of 23 km/s. The parent body responsible for creating the debris that leads to the Alpha Capricornids shower is the periodic comet 169P/NEAT.

West Virginia is a mountainous state in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast, Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest. West Virginia is the 10th-smallest state by area and ranks as the 12th-least populous state

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Date: Aug. 3, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #SolarSystem #Planet #Earth #Meteors #PerseidMeteors #Perseids #AlphaCapricornids #MeteorShower #Meteor #Perseus #Capricornus #Constellations #Astrophotography #BillIngalls #Astrophotographer #SpruceKnob #WestVirginia #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Axiom Space Ax-4 Mission Recap | International Space Station

Axiom Space Ax-4 Mission Recap | International Space Station

Relive the success of the historic Ax-4 mission:

📆 20 Mission days

🌎 320 Orbits around Earth

🧪 Over 60 research events

📸 23 Outreach events

After 18 days in space, the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Ax-4 astronauts Peggy Whitson (USA), Shubhandshu Shukla (India/ISRO), Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland/ESA), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) returned to Earth and splashed down off the coast of California at 2:31 a.m. PT on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. Falcon 9 launched the spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, June 25 at 2:31 a.m. ET.

The private astronauts spent over two weeks aboard the International Space Station, conducting a mission of science, outreach, and commercial activities.

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

Axiom Space is building a commercial space station—Axiom Station. Axiom Space is the "principal provider of commercial human spaceflight services to the International Space Station and developer of advanced spacesuits for the Moon and low-Earth orbit."

"Axiom Space is building era-defining space infrastructure that will empower our civilization to transcend Earth for the benefit of every human, everywhere."

Video Credit: Axiom Space
Duration: 4 minutes, 30 seconds

Release Date: Aug 1, 2025

#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #AxiomSpace #Ax4Mission #Ax4 #Astronauts #CommercialAstronauts #PeggyWhitson #UnitedStates #ShubhanshuShukla #ISRO #India #BhāratGaṇarājya #SławoszUznańskiWiśniewski #Poland #Polska #ESA #TiborKapu #Hungary #Magyarország #Expedition73 #CommercialSpace #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video

New Shepard Human Spaceflight Mission NS-34: Apogee | Blue Origin

New Shepard Human Spaceflight Mission NS-34: Apogee | Blue Origin

"Reaching apogee. Seeing what unites us."

"Today, Blue Origin successfully completed its 14th human spaceflight and the 34th flight for the New Shepard program. The crew included: Arvi Bahal, Gökhan Erdem, Deborah Martorell, Lionel Pitchford, J.D. Russell, and H.E. Justin Sun—the winning bidder for the first New Shepard seat in 2021. Including today’s crew, New Shepard has now flown 75 people into space, including five people who have flown twice."

“It was an honor to see so many nations represented on our flight today,” said Phil Joyce, SVP, New Shepard. “The view of our fragile planet from space has a unifying effect on all who witness it, and I am always eager to see how our astronauts use this experience for the benefit of Earth.”

Apogee: This is the most distant point (ap-) on an elliptical orbit around Earth (-gee). The word is derived from the Greek "apogaion" meaning "away from the Earth". Earth in Greek is "gaia/ge".

Learn more about the NS-34 crew:
https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-shepard-ns-34-mission

Fly to space: https://www.blueorigin.com/new-shepard/fly

Video Credit: Blue Origin

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Aug. 3, 2025

#NASA #Space #BlueOrigin #NewShepard #NewShepardRocket #NewShepardCrewCapsule #NS34Mission #NS34Crew #ArviBahal #GökhanErdem #DeborahMartorell #LionelPitchford #JDRussell #HEJustinSun #CommercialAstronauts #CommercialSpace #LaunchSiteOne #Texas #UnitedStates #FortheBenefitofEarth #JeffBezos #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Black Marble: Stories from the Night Sky | Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA's Black Marble: Stories from the Night Sky | Goddard Space Flight Center

"Viewed from space, Earth at night tells endless stories. Using satellite data, we can track population growth, natural disaster damage, cultural celebrations, and even space weather. Studying these glowing patterns helps us understand human activity, respond to disasters, and witness a changing world."

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio
Emme Watkins (eMITS): Lead Producer
Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET Systems, Inc.): Technical Support
Tassia Owen (Global Science and Technology, Inc.): Project Support
Christina Brooke Mitchell (eMITS): Project Support
Zhuosen Wang (University of Maryland): Scientist
Mike Carlowicz (NASA/HQ): Narrator
Kel Elkins (Science Systems and Applications Inc): Scientific Visualizer 
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: Aug. 1, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Satellites #Sun #SolarSystem #Planet #Earth #EarthAtNight #BlackMarble #HumanActivity #PopulationGrowth #LightPollution #NaturalDisasters #SpaceWeather #GSFC #STEM #Education #HD #Video

African Continent by Night with Russian Soyuz | International Space Station

African Continent by Night with Russian Soyuz | International Space Station

Expedition 73 Station Commander and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi: "The African continent at night and Soyuz. . . Soyuz, so cool . . . Shutter speed is 10 seconds."

Onishi's Biography:

https://humans-in-space.jaxa.jp/en/astronaut/onishi-takuya/

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

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: JAXA (Japan) Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi

JAXA Flight Engineer: Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy, Oleg Platonov

NASA Flight Engineers: Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke

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: JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi
Image Dates: Aug. 3, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Planet #Earth #Africa #Nightview #Atmosphere #Airglow #SoyuzSpacecraft #TakuyaOnishi #AstronautPhotography #Astronauts #Japan #日本 #JAXA #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Expedition 73 Welcomes NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 | International Space Station

Expedition 73 Welcomes NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 | International Space Station

Expedition 73 Commander and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi: "Zena, Mike, Kimiya and Oleg, welcome on board the International Space Station! We are very happy and excited to have you on our expedition."

On Aug. 2, 2025, the Crew-11 quartet joined the seven-member Expedition 73 crew. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Russia have started their seven-month research mission in low Earth orbit.

Crew-11 will conduct scientific research to prepare for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and benefit humanity on Earth. Participating crew members will simulate lunar landings, test strategies to safeguard vision, and advance other human spaceflight studies led by NASA’s Human Research Program. The crew also will study plant cell division and microgravity’s effects on bacteria-killing viruses, as well as perform experiments to produce a higher volume of human stem cells and generate on-demand nutrients.

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

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: JAXA Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi

JAXA Flight Engineer: Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy, Oleg Platonov

NASA Flight Engineers: Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke

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

Image Credit: T. Onishi/JAXA

Date: Aug. 2, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #NASASpaceXCrew11 #Astronauts #MikeFincke #ZenaCardman #KimiyaYui #JAXA #Japan #日本 #Cosmonaut #OlegPlatonov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 Launch | Kennedy Space Center

NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 Launch | Kennedy Space Center

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station.

The Falcon 9 first stage landing back at the launch site.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Russia, started their approximately 15-hour journey to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission. Liftoff occurred at 11:43 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A in Florida.

The number of crew aboard the space station will increase to 11 for a short time as Crew-11 joins NASA astronauts Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, and Jonny Kim, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, and Alexey Zubritsky of Russia.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 will depart the space station after the arrival of Crew-11 and a handover period. Ahead of Crew-10’s return, mission teams will review weather conditions at the splashdown sites off the coast of California prior to departure from station.

During their mission, Crew-11 will conduct scientific research to prepare for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and benefit humanity on Earth. Participating crew members will simulate lunar landings, test strategies to safeguard vision, and advance other human spaceflight studies led by NASA’s Human Research Program. The crew also will study plant cell division and microgravity’s effects on bacteria-killing viruses, as well as perform experiments to produce a higher volume of human stem cells and generate on-demand nutrients.

The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. It provides reliable access to space, maximizing the use of the station for research and development and supporting future missions beyond low Earth orbit by partnering with private companies to transport astronauts to and from the space station.

Learn more about the agency’s Commercial Crew Program at:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

Image Credits: SpaceX, NASA's Kennedy Space Center/Joel Kowsky
Date: Aug. 1, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #NASASpaceXCrew11 #SpaceXDragonSpacecraft #SpaceXFalcon9Rocket #Astronauts #MikeFincke #ZenaCardman #KimiyaYui #Japan #JAXA #Cosmonaut #OlegPlatonov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition73 #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

What's Up for August 2025? | Skywatching Tips from NASA | JPL

What's Up for August 2025? | Skywatching Tips from NASA | JPL

Here are examples of skywatching highlights for the northern hemisphere in August 2025:

A close conjunction of Jupiter and Venus peaks on the 11th and 12th. Viewing the Perseid meteors will be hampered by a bright Moon. And look for the Dumbbell Nebula, which offers a peek into how stars like our Sun go out in style.

0:00 Intro
0:13 August planet viewing
1:17 Perseids outlook
1:43 The Dumbbell Nebula
3:07 August Moon phases

Video Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Duration: 3 minutes, 27 seconds
Release Date: Aug. 1, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Skywatching #Earth #Moon #Planets #Venus #Jupiter #Meteors #Perseids #PerseidMeteors #SolarSystem #Nebulae #DumbbellNebula #Stars #Constellations #MilkyWayGalaxy #Skywatching #JPL #California #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Meet Astronaut Kimiya Yui of Japan: Crew-11 Mission Specialist | JAXA

Meet Astronaut Kimiya Yui of Japan: Crew-11 Mission Specialist | JAXA

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui will serve as mission specialist for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station. With 142 days in space, Crew-11 will be his second trip to the orbiting laboratory. He graduated from the School of Science and Engineering at the National Defense Academy of Japan in 1992. He later joined the Air Self-Defense Force at the Japan Defense Agency (currently Ministry of Defense). In 2008, Yui joined the Air Staff Office at the Ministry of Defense as a lieutenant colonel. Yui was selected to become an astronaut in 2009. During his previous mission, he flew as a flight engineer for Expedition 44/45 and became the first Japanese astronaut to capture JAXA’s H-II Transfer Vehicle. In addition to constructing a new experimental environment aboard Kibo, he conducted a total of 21 experiments for JAXA. In November 2016, Yui was assigned as chief of the JAXA Astronaut Group.

Kibō (Japanese: きぼう; lit. 'Hope'), also known as the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), is a Japanese science module on the International Space Station (ISS) developed by JAXA. It is the largest single ISS module, and is attached to the Harmony module.

JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui biography:

https://humans-in-space.jaxa.jp/en/astronaut/yui-kimiya/

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center 
Duration: 2 minutes, 55 seconds
Release Date: Aug. 1, 2025

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