Sunday, January 25, 2026

A Stellar Blast Setting Clouds Ablaze: Herbig-Haro Objects 80 & 81 | Hubble

A Stellar Blast Setting Clouds Ablaze: Herbig-Haro Objects 80 & 81 | Hubble

This NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope image captures a jet of gas from a forming star shooting across the dark expanse. The bright pink and green patches running diagonally through the image are HH 80/81, a pair of Herbig-Haro (HH) objects previously observed by Hubble in 1995. The patch to the upper left is part of HH 81, and the bottom streak is part of HH 80.

Herbig-Haro objects are bright, glowing regions that occur when jets of ionized gas ejected by a newly forming star collide with slower, previously ejected outflows of gas from that star. HH 80/81’s outflow stretches over 32 light-years, making it the largest protostellar outflow known. 

Protostars are fed by infalling gas from the surrounding environment, several can be seen in residual “accretion disks” orbiting the forming star.  Ionized material within these disks can interact with the protostars’ strong magnetic fields, channeling a portion of the particles toward the pole and outward in the form of jets. 

As the jets eject material at high speeds, they can produce strong shock waves when the particles collide with previously ejected gas. These shocks heat the clouds of gas and excite the atoms, causing them to glow in what we see as HH objects.

HH 80/81 are the brightest HH objects known to exist. The source powering these luminous objects is the protostar IRAS 18162-2048. It is roughly 20 times the mass of the Sun, and it is the most massive protostar in the entire L291 molecular cloud. From Hubble data, astronomers measured the speed of parts of HH 80/81 to be over 1,000 km/s, the fastest recorded outflow in radio and visual wavelengths from a young stellar object. Unusually, this is the only HH jet found that is driven by a young, very massive star, rather than a type of young, low-mass star. 

The sensitivity and resolution of Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 was critical to astronomers, allowing them to study fine details, movements, and structural changes of these objects. The HH 80/81 pair lies 5,500 light-years away within the Sagittarius constellation.


Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and B. Reipurth (Planetary Science Institute)
Image Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
Release Date: Jan. 12, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Protostars #IRAS181622048 #ProtostellarOutflows #HerbigHaroObjects #HH80 #HH81 #SagittariusConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #PSI #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Protostar Collection | Hubble Space Telescope

Collection of Protostars | Hubble Space Telescope

A protostar is swathed in the gas of an emission nebula within star-forming region GAL-305.20+00.21.
Star-forming region G033.91+0.11 is home to a protostar hidden within a reflection nebula.
The Cepheus A region is home to a number of infant stars, including a protostar that is responsible for much of the region’s illumination.
A protostar’s jets of high-speed particles are responsible for the bright region of excited, glowing hydrogen in this Hubble image.

Newly developing stars shrouded in thick dust get their first baby pictures in these images from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble took these infant star snapshots in an effort to learn how massive stars form.

Protostars are shrouded in thick dust that blocks light, but Hubble can detect the near-infrared emission that shines through holes formed by the protostar’s jets of gas and dust. The radiating energy can provide information about these “outflow cavities,” like their structure, radiation fields, and dust content. Researchers look for connections between the properties of these young stars—like outflows, environment, mass, brightness—and their evolutionary stage to test massive star formation theories.

These images were taken as part of the SOFIA Massive (SOMA) Star Formation Survey that investigates how stars form, especially massive stars with more than eight times the mass of our Sun.

This Hubble image showcases the star-forming region GAL-305.20+00.21. The bright spot in the center-right of the image is an emission nebula, glowing gas that is ionized by a protostar buried within the larger complex of gas and dust clouds.

Glittering much closer to home, this Hubble image depicts the star-forming region G033.91+0.11 in our Milky Way galaxy. The light patch in the center of the image is a reflection nebula, where light from a hidden protostar bounces off gas and dust.

The high-mass star-forming region Cepheus A hosts a collection of baby stars, including one large and luminous protostar, accounting for about half of the region’s brightness. While much of the region is shrouded in opaque dust, light from hidden stars breaks through outflow cavities to illuminate and energize areas of gas and dust, creating pink and white nebulae. The pink area is an HII region, where the intense ultraviolet radiation of the nearby stars has converted the surrounding clouds of gas into glowing, ionized hydrogen. Cepheus A lies about 2,400 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus.

Shrouded in gas and dust, the massive protostar IRAS 20126+4104 lies within a high-mass star-forming region about 5,300 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. This actively forming star is a B-type protostar, characterized by its high luminosity, bluish-white color, and very high temperature. The bright region of ionized hydrogen at the center of the image is energized by jets emerging from the poles of the protostar, which ground-based observatories previously observed.


Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and R. Fedriani (Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
Release Date: Jan. 17, 2026


#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #StellarNurseries #Stars #Protostars #GAL305200021 #CepheusA #G03391011 #IRAS201264104 #SOMAStarFormationSurvey #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Crew-12 Completes Dragon Spacecraft Training | International Space Station

NASA Crew-12 Completes Dragon Spacecraft Training | International Space Station


European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot, mission specialist of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Mission: "Crew-12 ready to go! We passed our final exams for the Dragon! Yayyyy! This week was our final week of Dragon training . . . which concluded so many hours in Dragon simulators!"

"This week we also had joint sim sessions with Mission Control Houston (MCC-H) and SpaceX Mission Control Center (MCC-X) to make sure that the integrated teams are ready to work together on launch day and throughout the mission!"

"Thanks to the SpaceX teams and NASA's Johnson Space Center teams for preparing us! We’re looking forward to this big adventure!"

Crew-12 will carry NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot of France, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev of Russia to the orbiting laboratory. The crew will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral in Florida. The agency is working with SpaceX and its international partners to review options to advance the launch of Crew-12 from its original target date of Sunday, Feb. 15.

Follow Expedition 74:

Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Mike Fincke (NASA)
JAXA Flight Engineer (Japan): Kimiya Yui
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Oleg Platonov, Sergey-Kud Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev
NASA Flight Engineers: Zena Cardman, Chris Williams

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, S. Adenot
Release Date: Jan. 25, 2026

#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #NASASpaceXCrew12 #SpaceXCrew12 #SpaceXDragonSpacecraft #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #JackHathaway #SophieAdenot #France #Europe #ESA #Cosmonauts #AndreyFedyaev #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition75 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Aurorae over Alberta Farm

Aurorae over Alberta Farm




Photographer Bruce Vogel: "Located at 56 degrees north in Alberta, Canada. Pics recorded during an hour period at 2200 hrs MST. Complete night sky activated. Horses did not react but were active. Bright greens and reds moving across sky and shooting up from horizon."

Alberta is a province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, the Northwest Territories to its north, and the U.S. state of Montana to its south. Alberta and Saskatchewan are the only two landlocked Canadian provinces.


Image Credit: Bruce Vogel
Location: Grimshaw, Alberta, Canada
Date: Jan. 20, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planets #Earth #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #MagneticField #Magnetosphere #SolarWind #Sun #Stars #Photography #BruceVogel #Photographer #CitizenScience #Alberta #Canada #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education

NASA's Crew-12 Mission: Launch Preparations | International Space Station

NASA's Crew-12 Mission: Launch Preparations | International Space Station

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station, poses for a portrait in her pressure suit at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California.
European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot, mission specialist of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station, poses for a portrait in her pressure suit
Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, mission specialist of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station, poses for a portrait in his pressure suit
NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway, pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station, poses for a portrait in his pressure suit
Official mission insignia for NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission

The official mission insignia of the Expedition 75 crew aboard the International Space Station. This patch embodies Expedition 75's mission on the orbital outpost, a beacon of human aspiration. Radiant golden and white lines surge from Earth, forging a bond between our planet and the cosmos, illustrating the profound impact of the International Space Station's work on humanity. Above, the cupola's windows, depicted as geometric blue forms, serve as a poignant reminder of our home, connecting astronauts to their loved ones and the breathtaking beauty of Earth. Below, majestic mountain ranges underscore the vital role of our planet's landscapes and ecosystems in our quest for knowledge and preservation. The gradient arc, cradling Earth's curvature, symbolizes our fragile atmosphere and the International Space Station's orbital path, a testament to our relentless pursuit of discovery and growth.

Crew-12 will carry NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot of France, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev of Russia to the orbiting laboratory. The crew will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral in Florida. The agency is working with SpaceX and its international partners to review options to advance the launch of Crew-12 from its original target date of Sunday, Feb. 15.

Follow Expedition 74:

Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineer: Sergei Mikaev
NASA Flight Engineer: Chris Williams

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, NASA's Johnson Space Center
Release Date: Jan. 21, 2026

#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #NASASpaceXCrew12 #SpaceXCrew12 #SpaceXDragonSpacecraft #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #JackHathaway #SophieAdenot #France #Europe #ESA #Cosmonauts #AndreyFedyaev #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition75 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Earth & Moon Views | Europe's Ignis Mission | International Space Station

Earth & Moon Views | Europe's Ignis Mission | International Space Station

European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski captured these stunning timelapse videos during his 20-day stay aboard the International Space Station as part of Axiom Mission 4, known as Ignis. Filmed from the Cupola—the Space Station’s iconic seven-windowed observation module – the footage showcases breathtaking views of Earth and the Moon from orbit.

Launched on June 25, 2025 aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, Sławosz conducted 13 experiments proposed by Polish institutions in collaboration with ESA, plus three ESA-led investigations. These spanned human research, materials science, biology, biotechnology and technology demonstrations.

The Ax-4 mission marks the second commercial human spaceflight for an ESA project astronaut. Ignis was sponsored by the Polish government and supported by ESA, the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MRiT) and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA). 


Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)
Duration: 10 minutes
Release Date: Jan. 24, 2026

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

Saturday, January 24, 2026

Aurora over Scotland

Aurora over Scotland



On Earth, auroras are mainly created by particles originally emitted by the Sun in the form of solar wind. When this stream of electrically charged particles gets close to our planet, it interacts with the magnetic field that acts as a gigantic shield. While it protects Earth’s environment from solar wind particles, it can also trap a small fraction of them. Particles trapped within the magnetosphere—the region of space surrounding Earth where charged particles are affected by its magnetic field—can be energized and then follow the magnetic field lines down to the magnetic poles. There, they interact with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper layers of the atmosphere, creating the flickering, colorful lights visible in the polar regions here on Earth.

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. To the south-east Scotland has its only land border that is 96 miles (154 km) long and shared with England. The country is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and south, the North Sea to the north-east and east, and the Irish Sea to the west.

Image Credit: Alan Tough
Location: Bishopmill, Scotland, UK
Image Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 14mm
Release Date:  Jan. 19, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Earth #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #SolarSystem #Sun #Astrophotography #Astrophotographer #Bishopmill #Scotland #UnitedKingdom #UK #STEM #Education

Cosmonaut Photos: U.S. State of Hawaii, Pacific Ocean | International Space Station

Cosmonaut Photos: U.S. State of Hawaii, Pacific Ocean | International Space Station






These images were shared by Expedition 74 Station Commander and Cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of Russia aboard the International Space Station.

Hawaii is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, the only state that is an archipelago, the only state in the tropics, one of only two states, along with Florida, with regions that have a tropical climate, and one of the two U.S. states, along with Texas, that were internationally recognized sovereign countries before becoming U.S. states.

Hawaii consists of 137 volcanic islands that make up almost the entire Hawaiian archipelago (the exception is Midway Atoll). Spanning 1,500 miles (2,400 km), the state is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania. Hawaii's ocean coastline is consequently the fourth-longest in the U.S., at about 750 miles (1,210 km). The eight main islands, from northwest to southeast, are Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui, and Hawaiʻi, after which the state is named; the last is often called the "Big Island" or "Hawaiʻi Island" to avoid confusion with the state or archipelago.

Follow Expedition 74:

Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineer: Sergei Mikaev
NASA Flight Engineer: Chris Williams

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: Roscosmos/S. Kud Sverchkov
Date: Jan. 18, 2026

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Planets #Earth #Hawaii #Islands #Volcanoes #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #SergeyKudSverchkov #CosmonautPhotography #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #JSC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis III Moon Landing Rocket: Core Stage Major Join Complete

NASA Artemis III Moon Landing Rocket: Core Stage Major Join Complete






Teams with Boeing—NASA’s Prime Contractor for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket—mate the forward and aft ends of the core stage for the agency’s Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on January 8, 2026. 

This operation secures four of the five major components of the core stage in place: the forward skirt, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and the liquid hydrogen tanks. The final component—the engine section—was structurally completed in 2022 and shipped to Kennedy Space Center for final assembly and integration. Now joined, teams will continue integrating critical systems and perform various checks and tests to ensure the hardware is ready for shipment to Kennedy later this year.

The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Over the course of about 30 days, the Artemis III astronauts will travel to lunar orbit, where two crew members will descend to the surface and spend approximately a week near the South Pole of the Moon conducting new science before returning to lunar orbit to join their crew for the journey back to Earth. Launch is currently scheduled for mid-2027.

Follow updates on the Artemis blog: 
https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS)
https://www.nasa.gov/sls


Read the Artemis Plan (74-page PDF Free Download): 
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/artemis_plan-20200921.pdf

NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF)
https://www.nasa.gov/michoud-assembly-facility/

Image Credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker
Date: Jan. 8, 2026 

#NASA #Space #Earth #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisIII #SLS #SLSRocket #CoreStage #Boeing #CrewedMissions #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Science #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #MSFC #MAF #NewOrleans #Louisiana #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

'Ultra' Green Earth Aurora Borealis & Orange Airglow | International Space Station

'Ultra' Green Earth Aurora Borealis & Orange Airglow | International Space Station

Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Kud-Sverchkov of Russia has shared views of the northern lights over Scandinavia and Russia.

Earth auroras have different names depending on the pole they occur at. Aurora Borealis, or the northern lights, is the name given to auroras around the north pole and Aurora Australis, or the southern lights, is the name given for auroras around the south pole.

Auroras are caused by solar storms emitting high-speed charged particles colliding with Earth's atmosphere, creating vibrant light displays.

You will notice orange airglow in this video. Airglow occurs when atoms and molecules in the Earth's upper atmosphere, excited by sunlight, emit light to shed their excess energy. Or, it can happen when atoms and molecules that have been ionized by sunlight collide with and capture a free electron. In both cases, they eject a particle of light—called a photon—in order to relax again. The phenomenon is similar to auroras, but where auroras are driven by high-energy particles originating from the solar wind, airglow is energized by ordinary, day-to-day solar radiation. 

Unlike episodic and fleeting auroras, airglow shines constantly throughout Earth’s atmosphere, and the result is a tenuous bubble of light that closely encases our entire planet. (Auroras, on the other hand, are usually constrained to Earth’s poles.) Just a tenth as bright as all the stars in the night sky, airglow is far more subdued than auroras, too dim to observe easily except in orbit or on the ground with clear, dark skies and a sensitive camera.


Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineer: Sergei Mikaev
NASA Flight Engineer: Chris Williams

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.

Video Credit: Sergei Kud-Sverchkov/TASS
Duration: 46 seconds
Release Date: Jan. 19, 2026

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Planets #Earth #Aurora #Airglow #Scandinavia #SolarSystem #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #SergeyKudSverchkov #CosmonautVideography #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #JSC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Day of Remembrance 2026

NASA's Day of Remembrance 2026

Guests gather to commemorate NASA’s Day of Remembrance on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The annual event honors the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, as well as other astronauts who lost their lives in the pursuit of spaceflight. Marking the 40th anniversary of the Challenger tragedy, NASA Kennedy and the Astronauts Memorial Foundation, which was founded after the shuttle Challenger accident in 1986 to honor the sacrifices of fallen astronauts, hosted this year’s ceremony.

Astronauts Memorial Foundation president and CEO Thad Altman (center) stands as the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard presents colors during NASA’s Day of Remembrance ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, as well as other fallen astronauts who lost their lives in the name of space exploration and discovery, were honored by Kennedy employees and guests at the annual memorial event. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Challenger tragedy.
Alison Smith Balch, daughter of NASA astronaut Michael J. Smith, pilot of Challenger STS 51-L, speaks during NASA’s Day of Remembrance on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The annual event commemorates the crews of Apollo 1 and the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia. Marking the 40th anniversary of the Challenger tragedy, NASA Kennedy and the Astronauts Memorial Foundation, founded after the shuttle Challenger accident in 1986 to honor the sacrifices of fallen astronauts, hosted this year’s ceremony.
Former Kennedy Space Center director, Bob Cabana, speaks to Jane Smith-Wolcott, widow of Challenger pilot Michael Smith during NASA’s Day of Remembrance ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. The annual event commemorates the crews of Apollo 1 and the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia. Marking the 40th anniversary of the Challenger tragedy, NASA Kennedy and the Astronauts Memorial Foundation, founded after the shuttle Challenger accident in 1986 to honor the sacrifices of fallen astronauts, hosted this year’s ceremony.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns as part of NASA's Day of Remembrance, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Wreaths were laid in memory of those men and women that lost their lives in the quest for space exploration.
NASA leadership and guests are seen during a moment of silence led by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman as part of NASA's Day of Remembrance, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Wreaths were laid in memory of those men and women that lost their lives in the quest for space exploration.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, right, greets former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, left, following a wreath laying ceremony as part of NASA's Day of Remembrance, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Wreaths were laid in memory of those men and women that lost their lives in the quest for space exploration.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, left, speaks with, second from left to right, former NASA Administrators Bill Nelson, Charles Bolden, and Sean O'Keefe following a wreath laying ceremony as part of NASA's Day of Remembrance, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Wreaths were laid in memory of those men and women that lost their lives in the quest for space exploration.
 

On our Day of Remembrance, we pause to honor all members of the NASA family that have perished in the pursuit of exploration, including the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia. On Jan. 22, 2026, we pause to honor their memory and reflect on the importance of maintaining a strong safety culture. Here are images from ceremonies at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida and at Arlington National Cemetery.

Visit our Day of Remembrance tribute page: 
https://nasa.gov/dor


Image Credits: NASA/Keegan Barber/Kim Shiflett
Date: Jan. 22, 2026

#NASA #Space #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #Astronomy #Science #NASARemembers #Astronauts #Apollo1 #SpaceShuttleChallenger #STS51L #SpaceShuttleColumbia #STS107 #Scientists #Engineers #Technicians #Heroes #Leaders #SafetyCulture #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #America #UnitedStates #History #NASAKennedy #Florida #ArlingtonNationalCemetery #Virginia #STEM #Education

Friday, January 23, 2026

The Journey of NS-38 | Blue Origin

The Journey of NS-38 | Blue Origin

From training to touchdown. This is the story of NS-38. On January 22, 2026, Blue Origin successfully launched the 38th flight of the New Shepard program.

Blue Origin: "Space is for everyone."

Every New Shepard mission helps us build a more accessible future in space.

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

Video Credit: Blue Origin
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: Jan. 23, 2026

#NASA #Space #BlueOrigin #NewShepard #NewShepardRocket #NewShepardCrewCapsule #NS38Mission #NS38Crew #CommercialAstronauts #CommercialSpace #LaunchSiteOne #Texas #UnitedStates #FortheBenefitofEarth #JeffBezos #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Green & Red Auroral 'Ribbons' over Europe | International Space Station

Green & Red Auroral 'Ribbons' over Europe | International Space Station

Expedition 74 Flight Engineer and NASA Astronaut Chris Williams aboard the International Space Station shared this photo. Green and red aurorae stream across Earth’s horizon above the city lights of Europe in this photograph, looking north across Italy toward Germany. The International Space Station was orbiting 262 miles above the Mediterranean Sea at approximately 10:02 p.m. local time when the image was captured. 


Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineer: Sergei Mikaev
NASA Flight Engineer: Chris Williams

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.

Credit: NASA/Chris Williams
Release Date: Jan. 19, 2026

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Europe #Italy #Italia #MediterraneanSea #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #Astronauts #ChrisWilliams #AstronautPhotography #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #JSC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Roman & Webb Space Telescopes: Surveying the Universe | NASA Goddard

Roman & Webb Space Telescopes: Surveying the Universe | NASA Goddard

The James Webb and Nancy Grace Roman space telescopes are NASA’s latest flagship astrophysics observatories. One is in space already and the other will join it there soon. These two telescopes have their own objectives and together will advance our understanding of the universe. This video series compares Roman and Webb.

The Webb and Roman telescopes will help us answer questions about the fundamental nature of the universe. Webb’s deep gaze will see the earliest galaxies and help astronomers learn more about the young cosmos. It will let researchers study individual galaxies in great detail.

Roman’s unique combination of incredible detail and broad coverage allows it to survey large swaths of the sky, revealing millions of never-before-seen galaxies. Astronomers will study them as populations and to see the hidden large-scale structure of the universe, revealing new insight into the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter.

More details: https://science.nasa.gov/roman-and-webb

Learn more about Roman and the discoveries it will enable: https://www.stsci.edu/roman

Learn about Dr. Nancy Grace Roman: 
https://science.nasa.gov/people/nancy-roman/

Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: Jan. 23, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #NASARoman #RomanSpaceTelescope #NancyGraceRoman #NASAWebb #WebbTelescope #JWST #SpaceTelescopes #Exoplanets #Planets #SolarSystem #Stars #MilkyWayGalaxy #Galaxies #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophysics #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Cosmonaut Photos: Cape Verde, Atlantic Ocean | International Space Station

Cosmonaut Photos: Cape Verde, Atlantic Ocean | International Space Station





These images were shared by Expedition 74 Station Commander and Cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of Russia aboard the International Space Station.

Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state in the central Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa. It consists of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about 4,033 square kilometers (1,557 sq mi). These islands lie between 600 and 850 kilometers (370 and 530 miles) west of Cap-Vert, the westernmost point of continental Africa it is named for.


Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineer: Sergei Mikaev
NASA Flight Engineer: Chris Williams

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: Roscosmos/S. Kud Sverchkov
Date: Jan. 17, 2026

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China Long March-12 Rocket Launches New Internet Satellite Group in Hainan

China Long March-12 Rocket Launches New Internet Satellite Group in Hainan

🚀 Long March 12 Y5 🛰️ SatNet LEO Group 19

China launched a Long March-12 carrier rocket on Monday, January 19, 2026, in the southern island province of Hainan, sending a group of Internet satellites into space. The rocket lifted off at 15:48 from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site. The payloads, the 19th group of low-orbit Internet satellites carrying multiple core technologies, entered into preset orbit successfully.

The satellite group launched on Monday was developed by GalaxySpace. This commercial firm is based in Beijing and is one of several Chinese aerospace firms to contribute to the construction of Starlink-style satellite networks over recent years. It was the second time the company has undertaken such space infrastructure development.

Learn more about GalaxySpace:
https://www.yinhehangtian.cn/en

"We have achieved a fully digitalized workflow for the first time. By targeting the specific needs of mass production, we have gone through automated testing, intelligent assembly and inspection, and optimized launch site processes, which significantly improved overall efficiency," said Cheng Ming, head of the GalaxySpace's smart satellite factory.

The Long March-12 rocket used in this mission is China's first 4-meter single-core launch vehicle. It has a payload capacity of no less than 12 tons to low-Earth orbit and no less than 6 tons to a 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. The rocket can support both single and multiple satellite launches to a range of orbits.

Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co., Ltd., or HICAL, is a Chinese state-owned company that operates the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site, China's first commercial spaceport. Established in 2022, HICAL is the first commercially incorporated company in China to independently own and manage a spaceport.


Video Credit: China Spaceflight
Duration: 17 seconds
Release Date: Jan. 20, 2026

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