The Iris Nebula: NGC 7023 in Cepheus (Wide-field view)

The Iris Nebula: NGC 7023 in Cepheus (Wide-field view)

NGC 7023, also known as the Iris Nebula because of its flower-like shape, is a bright reflection nebula. The bluish glow of the nebula comes from a hot, massive star at the center of the nebula, named HD 200775. Blue light from the star is scattered off dust grains in the nebula, giving it its distinctive color. The dust can also be seen on the outer portions of the nebula, where it has a faint brownish color and blocks out stars behind it. 

Distance: 1,300 light years

Image Credit: Frankastro

Release Date: May 17, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #IrisNebula #NGC7023 #ReflectionNebula #Caldwell4 #Star #HD200775 #Cepheus #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Universe #Astrophotography #Frankastro #Astrophotographer #STEM #Education

LandSpace Launches Methane-powered Rocket with Six Commercial Satellites

LandSpace Launches Methane-powered Rocket with Six Commercial Satellites

A new methane-powered rocket developed by China's private firm LandSpace Technology launched commercial six satellites into orbit on Saturday, May 17, 2025, doubling down on a cheap, cleaner fuel that the startup hopes will help it develop reusable rockets.

The Zhuque-2E Y2 carrier rocket blasted off at 12:12 p.m. (0412 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, marking the fifth flight for the Zhuque-2 series, according to a company statement.

Beijing-based LandSpace became the world's first company to launch a methane-liquid oxygen rocket in July 2023, ahead of U.S. rivals including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.

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

Image Credits: Landspace, CGTN
Capture Date: May 17, 2025

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #China #中国 #LandSpace #蓝箭 #Zhuque2EY2Rocket #Zhuque2 #LaunchVehicle #MethaneLiquidOxygen #CH4LOX #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter #JSLC #InnerMongolia #CommercialSpace #CommercialSpaceflight #STEM #Education

LandSpace Launches Zhuque-2E Rocket with Six Commercial Satellites (Drone view)

LandSpace Launches Zhuque-2E Rocket with Six Commercial Satellites (Drone view)

A new methane-powered rocket developed by China's LandSpace Technology launched six satellites into orbit on Saturday, May 17, 2025, doubling down on a cheap, cleaner fuel that the private startup hopes will help it develop reusable rockets.

The Zhuque-2E Y2 carrier rocket blasted off at 12:12 p.m. (0412 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, marking the fifth flight for the Zhuque-2 series, according to a company statement.

Beijing-based LandSpace became the world's first company to launch a methane-liquid oxygen rocket in July 2023, ahead of U.S. rivals including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.

Video Credit: CNSA Watcher
Duration: 28 seconds
Release Date: May 17, 2025

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #China #中国 #LandSpace #蓝箭 #Zhuque2EY2Rocket #Zhuque2 #LaunchVehicle #MethaneLiquidOxygen #CH4LOX #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter #JSLC #InnerMongolia #CommercialSpace #CommercialSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China's Private Firm LandSpace Launches Improved Methane-powered Rocket

China's Private Firm LandSpace Launches Improved Methane-powered Rocket

A new methane-powered rocket developed by China's LandSpace Technology launched six satellites into orbit on Saturday, May 17, 2025, doubling down on a cheap, cleaner fuel that the private startup hopes will help it develop reusable rockets.

The Zhuque-2E Y2 carrier rocket blasted off at 12:12 p.m. (0412 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, marking the fifth flight for the Zhuque-2 series, according to a company statement.

Beijing-based LandSpace became the world's first company to launch a methane-liquid oxygen rocket in July 2023, ahead of U.S. rivals including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.

Video Credit: ShanghaiEye魔都眼
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: May 17, 2025

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #China #中国 #LandSpace #蓝箭 #Zhuque2EY2Rocket #Zhuque2 #LaunchVehicle #MethaneLiquidOxygen #CH4LOX #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter #JSLC #InnerMongolia #CommercialSpace #CommercialSpaceflight #Satellites #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Jonny Kim's Kitchen: "Burgertime" | International Space Station

Jonny Kim's Kitchen: "Burgertime" | International Space Station

Expedition 73 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Jonny Kim: ". . . Here is a twist on the ranger burger, one of my favorites: beef steak, wheat snack bread, cheese spread as both topping and glue, potatoes au gratin layered in the middle, and a generous slather of gochujang red pepper paste from a care package on the SpX-32 Cargo Dragon." 

"I miss cooking for my family, but this hits the spot in its own way."

NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim's Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/jonny-kim/

Follow Expedition 73:

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

Expedition 73 Crew

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

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

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

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

For more information about STEM on Station:

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

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center/J. Kim

Release Date: April 30, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Astronauts #JonnyKim #Food #KoreanAmericans #Burgers #AnneMcClain #NicholeAyers #UnitedStates #TakuyaOnishi #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #JSC #Expedition73 #STEM #Education

Can Studying Lunar Regolith Prepare Us for Life on The Moon? | NASA Langley

Can Studying Lunar Regolith Prepare Us for Life on The Moon? | NASA Langley

Lunar regolith, or the dust that covers the surface of the Moon, consists can damage fabric, clog mechanisms, and coat solar array panels and prevent them from absorbing sunlight. 

Learn how NASA and its commercial partners are developing technologies to address these challenges and turn regolith into part of the solution for a sustainable future.

Learn more about NASA's Langley Research Center:
https://www.nasa.gov/langley/

Video Credit: NASA's Langley Research Center
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: May 16, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Moon #ArtemisProgram #LunarResearch #LunarRegolith #Dust #DustMitigation #MaterialScience #HumanSpaceflight #NASALangley #Hampton #Virginia #UnitedStates #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Lights of Southeast Asia | International Space Station

Lights of Southeast Asia | International Space Station

Southeast Asia occupies the bottom two-thirds of this image. The scene is dark except for nighttime lights coming from urban areas, the white and purple glow from a thunderstorm, and green dots from fishing boats. A strip of green airglow is visible across the planet's horizon at the top.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit, aboard the International Space Station, took this nighttime photo while orbiting near the Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia. In the foreground, bright flashes of lightning from a thunderstorm loom near fishing boats offshore of Burma’s largest city, Yangon. This view from the space station looks across a populated region where the countries of Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, and Laos share borders.

At the time of this photograph, little to no moonlight illuminated the scene. This allows astronauts to see and photograph a variety of light sources with a high degree of contrast against the dark land and water surfaces. Bright light associated with lightning is a common occurrence during the monsoon season across Southeast Asia.

City lights can be seen throughout much of the landscape. Several interconnected cities, such as Chiang Mai and Phitsanulok, are located within Thailand’s central river valley, where the Chao Phraya River runs. Beyond these city lights, the darkness leading toward the horizon indicates the vegetated landscapes of rural Thailand with few light sources.

Another frequent sighting from the space station is the green lights from fishing boats, seen here clustered offshore near the storm. The bright green lights are used to attract plankton and fish to the boats and stand out against the dark ocean water. Looking toward Earth’s horizon, a faint green layer of airglow hovers between the darkness of space and the land below.

The southernmost part of Burma, shown here in October 2024, experienced damage from the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck five months later in March 2025. The earthquake epicenter was located near Mandalay, Burma, approximately 628 kilometers (390 miles) north of Yangon, just out of frame.

Image details: "Nikon Z9 digital camera using a focal length of 50 millimeters."

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center/D. Pettit

Text Credit: Andrea Wenzel, Amentum-JETS II Contract at NASA-JSC

Image Date: Oct. 27, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #SoutheastAsia #Weather #Lightning #Myanmar #Thailand #Astronauts #DonPettit #AstronautPhotography #Timelapse #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #InternationalCooperation #LongDurationMissions #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #UnitedStates #Expedition72 #STEM #Education

Planet Earth Views | International Space Station

Planet Earth Views | International Space Station

Expedition 73 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Anne McClain: "One of my favorite views out the window is the depth and patterns in the clouds. From the ground, they often look 2D. From an airplane, we see the enormity but not necessarily the patterns. Shadows can extend hundreds of miles, and the various patterns and shades are simply stunning. When the sun goes down, a lightning flash can accentuate that depth. We live on the most beautiful planet!"

Follow Expedition 73:

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

Expedition 73 Crew

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

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

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

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

For more information about STEM on Station:

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

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center/A. McClain 

Release Date: May 15, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Moon #Astronauts #AnneMcClain #AstronautPhotography #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #JSC #Expedition73 #STEM #Education

Moon Views | International Space Station

Moon Views | International Space Station

Expedition 73 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers:"I’m still in awe of our view of the world and beyond. Today was the Flower Moon and it did NOT disappoint!🌕🌸These were shot from a few different lenses for perspective. I love how you can see the texture in the clouds and on the Moon itself."

Follow Expedition 73:

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

Expedition 73 Crew

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

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

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

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

For more information about STEM on Station:

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

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center/N. Ayers
Release Date: May 12, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Moon #Astronauts #NicholeAyers #AstronautPhotography #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #JSC #Expedition73 #STEM #Education

NASA's Space to Ground: Bon Appétit | Week of May 16, 2025

NASA's Space to Ground: Bon Appétit | Week of May 16, 2025

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. 

Follow Expedition 73:

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

Expedition 73 Crew

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

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

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

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

For more information about STEM on Station:

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

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center 
Duration: 3 minutes, 45 seconds

Release Date: May 16, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Astronauts #Food #AnneMcClain #NicholeAyers #JonnyKim #UnitedStates #TakuyaOnishi #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #JSC #Expedition73 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Portrait of Expedition 73 Flight Engineer & NASA Astronaut Nichole Ayers

Portrait of Expedition 73 Flight Engineer & NASA Astronaut Nichole Ayers

NASA astronaut Nichole “Vapor” Ayers at the NASA Johnson Space Center photo studio on October 24, 2024. Ayers is currently serving as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station as part of Expedition#73.

Astronaut Nichole Ayers NASA Biography:
https://www.nasa.gov/people/nasa-astronaut-nichole-ayers
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/nasa-astronaut-nichole-ayers/

Follow Expedition 73:

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

Expedition 73 Crew

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

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

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

Image Credit: Josh Valcarcel/Johnson Space Center
Image Date: October 24, 2024

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

New Portrait of Crew-11 Commander & NASA Astronaut Zena Cardman

New Portrait of Crew-11 Commander & NASA Astronaut Zena Cardman

NASA astronaut Zena Cardman posed for a portrait in a photography studio at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

NASA astronauts Commander Zena Cardman and Pilot Mike Fincke, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Mission Specialist Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Oleg Platonov of Russia will join crew members aboard the International Space Station no earlier than July 2025.

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.

Cardman previously was assigned to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, and Fincke previously was assigned to NASA’s Boeing Starliner-1 mission. NASA decided to reassign the astronauts to Crew-11 in overall support of planned activities aboard the International Space Station. Cardman carries her experience training as a commander on Dragon spacecraft, and Fincke brings long-duration spaceflight experience to this crew complement.

NASA astronaut Zena Cardman biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/zena-cardman/

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/cardman-z.pdf

Image Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel
Image Date: March 22, 2024

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

High-Resolution Sea Surface Height Data | NASA’s SWOT Earth Satellite

High-Resolution Sea Surface Height Data | NASA’s SWOT Earth Satellite

Small things matter, at least when it comes to ocean features like waves and eddies. A recent NASA-led analysis using data from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite found that ocean features as small as a mile across potentially have a larger impact on the movement of nutrients and heat in marine ecosystems than previously thought.

Too small to see well with previous satellites, but too large to see in their entirety with ship-based instruments, these relatively small ocean features fall into a category known as the submesoscale. The SWOT satellite, a joint effort between NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), can observe these features and is demonstrating just how important they are, driving much of the vertical transport of things like nutrients, carbon, energy, and heat within the ocean. They also influence the exchange of gases and energy between the ocean and atmosphere.

SWOT Mission, visit: https://swot.jpl.nasa.gov/

Credits:
Data Visualizer - Kel Elkins (USRA)
Scientist - Matt Archer (NASA/JPL)
Science Writer - Jane Lee (NASA/JPL)
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: May 15, 2025

#NASA #Space #Earth #Planet #SWOT #Satellite #Spacecraft #Atmosphere #Oceans #Freshwater #SurfaceTopography #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #CSA #Canada #CNES #France #UKSpaceAgency #UnitedKingdom #JPL #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Visualization #HD #Video

Axiom Mission 4 Crew: Falcon 9 Launch Preparations | International Space Station

Axiom Mission 4 Crew: Falcon 9 Launch Preparations | International Space Station

From left to right: Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Commander Peggy Whitson of the United States, Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of the European Space Agency (ESA)/Poland, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary

From left to right: Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Commander Peggy Whitson of the United States, and Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of the European Space Agency (ESA)/Poland

From left to right: Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of the European Space Agency (ESA)/Poland, Commander Peggy Whitson of the United States, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary

From left to right: Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Commander Peggy Whitson of the United States, and Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of the European Space Agency (ESA)/Poland

From left to right: Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Commander Peggy Whitson of the United States, and Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of the European Space Agency (ESA)/Poland

From left to right: Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of the European Space Agency (ESA)/Poland, Commander Peggy Whitson of the United States, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary

From left to right: Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Commander Peggy Whitson of the United States, and Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of the European Space Agency (ESA)/Poland

Axiom Mission 4 Patch

SpaceX is now targeting no earlier than Sunday, June 8, 2025, for Falcon 9 to launch Ax-4, for Axiom Space's fourth mission to the International Space Station, from Pad 39A in Florida.

The Axiom Space Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) is the company’s fourth commercial astronaut mission to the International Space Station. The Ax-4 crew includes Commander Peggy Whitson of the United States, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of the European Space Agency (ESA)/Poland, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary. 

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Ax-4 crew aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station from Florida. Once docked, the Ax-4 astronauts plan to spend up to 14 days onboard implementing a full mission comprised of microgravity research, technology demonstrations, educational outreach, and media events.

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

The Ax-4 research complement includes around 60 scientific studies and activities representing 31 countries, including the U.S., India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, UAE, and nations across Europe. This will be the most research and science-related activities conducted on an Axiom Space mission aboard the International Space Station to date, underscoring the mission's global significance and collaborative nature to advance microgravity research in low-Earth orbit (LEO).

Ax-4 Crew

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

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

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

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

Image Credits: SpaceX, Axiom Space

Release Dates: Jan. 30-May 15, 2025

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

Lunar Eclipse over Cerro Tololo in Chile

Lunar Eclipse over Cerro Tololo in Chile

A total lunar eclipse as viewed from Cerro Tololo in Chile during March 2025. Cerro Tololo is located at an altitude of 2,200 meters above sea level.

This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are exactly or very closely aligned with Earth between the other two. During these rare events, the full Moon rapidly darkens and then glows red as it enters the Earth's shadow. A small amount of indirect sunlight is still reaching the Moon, passing through Earth's atmosphere, resulting in a reddish hue. This light appears reddish due to the Rayleigh scattering of blue light—the same reason sunrises and sunsets are more orange than during the day.

Credit: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/O. Smékal
Release Date: May 14, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #Earth #CerroTololo #Chile #Moon #LunarEclipse #LunarEclipse2025 #Astrophotography #STEM #Education

25 Years of NASA Student Launch

25 Years of NASA Student Launch

Students from the University of Massachusetts Amherst team carry their high-powered rocket toward the launch pad at NASA’s 2025 Student Launch launch day competition in Toney, Alabama, on May 4, 2025. More than 980 middle school, high school, and college students from across the nation launched more than 40 high-powered amateur rockets just north of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the competition.

To compete, students follow the NASA engineering design lifecycle by going through a series of reviews for nine months leading up to launch day. Each year, a payload challenge is issued to the university teams, and this year’s task focused on communication. Teams were required to have “reports” from STEMnauts, non-living objects inside their rocket, that had to relay real-time data to the student team’s mission control. This Artemis Student Challenge took inspiration from the agency’s Artemis missions, where NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefit, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Learn about NASA's Student Launch Program: 
nasa.gov/studentlaunch

Image Credit: NASA/Charles Beason
Text Credit: NASA/Beth Ridgeway
Release Date: May 9, 2025

#NASA #Space #Earth #Aerospace #Rocketry #Rockets #RocketLaunch #RocketCompetition #Students #StudentLaunch #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisGeneration #University #College #HighSchool #MiddleSchool #Schools #NASAMarshall #MSFC #Huntsville #Alabama #UnitedStates #Technology #Engineering #Teamwork #STEM #Education