NGC 6946 is a medium-sized, face-on spiral galaxy about 22 million light years away from Earth. In the past century, eight supernovas have been observed to explode in the arms of this galaxy. Chandra observations (purple) have, in fact, revealed three of the oldest supernovas ever detected in X-rays, giving more credence to its nickname of the "Fireworks Galaxy." This composite image also includes optical data from the Gemini Observatory in red, yellow, and cyan.
Image Credit:
X-ray: NASA/CXC/MSSL/R.Soria et al
Optical: AURA/Gemini OBs
Release Date: November 8, 2013
#NASA #Astronomy #Science #Space #NGC6946 #Galaxy #Fireworks #Supernova #Gemini #Observatory #Chandra #Xray #Observatory #Cosmos #Universe #STEM #Education
NASA astronaut and International Space Station commander Peggy Whitson is suited up in a U.S. spacesuit inside the crew lock portion of the U.S. Quest airlock preparing to exit the International Space Station on a contingency spacewalk. During the spacewalk on March 30 , 2017, which lasted two hours and 46 minutes, two astronauts successfully replaced a computer relay box, and installed a pair of antennas on station to enhance wireless communication for future spacewalks.
This was the 10th spacewalk for Whitson, who moves into third place all-time for cumulative spacewalking time, and the second for Jack Fischer.
For more information about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station.
Credit: NASA/JSC
Image Date: March 30 , 2017#NASA #ISS #Earth #Science #July4th #4thOfJuly #IndependenceDay #America #Spacewalk #EVA #Spacesuit #Astronaut #PeggyWhitson #Commander #Quest #Airlock #Human #Spaceflight #Expedition51 #UnitedStates #JSC #STEM
#Education
In 1984, Space Shuttle Discovery made its maiden spaceflight after launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. On board STS-41D was Judith Resnik, America’s second woman in space.
STS-41-D was the 12th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the first mission of Space Shuttle Discovery. It was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on August 30, 1984, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on September 5. Three commercial communications satellites were deployed into orbit during the six-day mission, and a number of scientific experiments were conducted. (Source: Wikipedia)
NASA offered Discovery to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum for public display and preservation, after a month-long decontamination process, as part of the national collection. Discovery replaced Enterprise in the Smithsonian's display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. (Source: Wikipedia)
Credit: NASA
Image Date: August 30, 1984#NASA #Space #Shuttle #Discovery #July4th #4thOfJuly #IndependenceDay #America #History #JudithResnik #Astronaut #Women #Human #Spaceflight #Expedition51 #Photography #UnitedStates #JSC #STEM
#Education
NASA astronaut Jack Fischer took this photograph of an American flag in one of the windows of the International Space Station's cupola, a dome-shaped module through which operations on the outside of the station can be observed and guided.
Throughout NASA's history, spacecraft and launch vehicles have always been decorated with flags. When Ed White became the first American astronaut to perform a spacewalk on June 3, 1965, his spacesuit was one of the first to be adorned with a flag patch. White's crewmate Jim McDivitt also wore a flag on his suit. The astronauts purchased the flags themselves, but following their flight, NASA made the flag patch a regular feature on the spacesuits. NASA astronauts still wear them today.
Image Credit: NASA
Release Date: June 14, 2017#NASA #ISS #Earth #Science #July4th #4thOfJuly #IndependenceDay #America #StarsAndStripes #History #Astronaut #JackFischer #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #Research #Laboratory #Microgravity #Technology #Engineering #JSC #UnitedStates #Photography #Expedition52 #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #STEM
#Education
U.S. Astronauts Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson wearing stars and stripes pose for a photo inside the space station module.
NASA astronauts Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson celebrated the Fourth of July from over 250 miles above Earth aboard the International Space Station. Fischer shared this photo on social media and said, "We sometimes have issues standing up straight, but we have no problems at all showing our American pride-Happy 4th!"
Image Credit: NASA
Release Date: July 4, 2017#NASA #ISS #Earth #Science #July4th #4thOfJuly #IndependenceDay #America #StarsAndStripes #History #Astronauts #JackFischer #PeggyWhitson #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #Research #Laboratory #Microgravity #Technology #Engineering #JSC #UnitedStates #Photography #Expedition52 #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #STEM
#Education
Congratulations to Jenni and Joshua on Canada Day 150!
Natives of Calgary and Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, are newest recruits
July 1, 2017 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named two new astronauts who will join Jeremy Hansen and David Saint-Jacques as part of Canada’s corps of space explorers. After a year-long evaluation, the Canadian Space Agency has selected Jenni Sidey and Joshua Kutryk from among 17 finalists and 3,772 applicants to be Canada’s newest astronauts.
Born in Calgary, Alberta, Dr. Jenni Sidey studied at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, where she was an engineer and lecturer until being recruited as an astronaut.
Biography of Dr. Jennifer (Jenni) Anne MacKinnon Sidey:
http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts/bio-jennifer-sidey.asp
Lieutenant-Colonel (LCol) Joshua Kutryk hails from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. He studied at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, as well as in Florida and Alabama. Prior to joining the Canadian Space Program, LCol Kutryk worked as an experimental test pilot and a fighter pilot in Cold Lake, Alberta, and as a CF-18 fighter pilot in Bagotville, Quebec.
Biography of Joshua Kutryk:
http://asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts/bio-joshua-kutryk.asp
Prime Minister Trudeau made the historic announcement on Parliament Hill during Canada Day celebrations to mark the nation’s 150th anniversary. He was joined by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, who is responsible for Canada’s space program.
The nation’s newest astronauts are being named as space agencies around the world identify options for future missions that go beyond the International Space Station.
These new recruits will be part of the next generation of space explorers that pushes the limits of science and technology while advancing public understanding of our universe. In the process, they will inspire young Canadians to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Canada’s space program is part of the Government of Canada’s investments in science and technology under the Innovation and Skills Plan, a multi-year strategy to create well-paying jobs for the middle class and those working hard to join it.
Quotes:
"Today, as we celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, we also look towards an exciting future of space exploration. We are a society of creative thinkers, explorers, innovators. As we embark on Canada’s next 150 years and beyond, we can count on these two Canadians to help shape our future."
—The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
“Canada’s participation in space is important for scientific discovery and innovation. The technologies that are designed for space today can one day be used to improve the lives of all Canadians. These innovations also have the potential to create new jobs and opportunities for Canadians. Our country’s newest astronauts will play a key role in advancing space technologies while pushing the frontiers of scientific knowledge. That’s how Canada’s space program drives innovation for a better Canada.”
- The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
Quick Facts
- Jenni Sidey and Joshua Kutryk become Canada’s 13th and 14th astronauts. Starting in August 2017, they will embark on two years of training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
- Canada’s newest astronauts could eventually participate in missions to the International Space Station and other missions into deep space. They could also travel on commercial spacecraft.
- Canada’s fourth astronaut recruitment campaign was launched in June 2016. The search attracted 3,772 applicants from a variety of backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
- In Budget 2016, the Government of Canada invested $379M over eight years to extend Canada’s participation in the International Space Station until 2024.
- In 2018, David Saint-Jacques will become the next Canadian astronaut to take part in a long-duration mission aboard the Space Station.
#NASA #Canada #CSA #ISS #Astronauts #JenniSidey #JoshuaKutryk #Astronaut #Calgary #FortSaskatchewan #Alberta #CanadaDay #CanadaDay150 #CanadaDay2017 #JustinTrudeau #Moon #Mars #DeepSpace #JourneyToMars #Space #Science #Human #Spaceflight #Photography #Technology #Engineering #International #Cooperation #STEM #Education
NASA Astronaut Karen Nyberg: "Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian colleagues & friends! The Canadarm2 glows maple leaf red in this shot from 2013."
Credit: NASA/JSC, U.S. Astronaut Karen Nyberg
Release Date: July 1, 2017#NASA #Canada #ISS #CanadaDay #CanadaDay150 #CanadaDay2017 #CSA #Robotics #Canadarm2 #MapleLeaf #Space #Science #Human #Spaceflight #Photography #Technology #Engineering #International #Cooperation #STEM #Education
JunoCam images aren’t just for art and science—sometimes they are processed to bring a chuckle. This image, processed by citizen scientist Jason Major, is titled “Jovey McJupiterface.” By rotating the image 180 degrees and orienting it from south up, two white oval storms turn into eyeballs, and the “face” of Jupiter is revealed.
The original image was acquired by JunoCam on NASA’s Juno spacecraft on May 19, 2017 at 11:20 a.m. PT (2: 20 p.m. ET) from an altitude of 12,075 miles (19,433 kilometers).
JunoCam's raw images are available for the public to peruse and process into image products at: www.missionjuno.swri.edu/junocam
More information about Juno is at:
https://www.nasa.gov/juno and http://missionjuno.swri.edu
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Jason Major
Release Date: June 29, 2017#NASA #Astronomy #Science #Space #Jupiter #Planet #Atmosphere #Cyclones #Clouds #Storms #Juno #JunoCam #Spacecraft #Exploration #SolarSystem #Technology #Engineering #JPL #Pasadena #California #USA #UnitedStates #LockheedMartin #MSFC #Marshall #SwRI #STEM #Education
A NASA Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket was successfully launched at 4:25 a.m., Thursday, June 29. The rocket flew to an altitude of about 118 miles. The mission was a test of a new multi-canister ejection system for deploying vapors in ionosphere or aurora sounding rocket missions.
Credit: NASA Wallops Flight Facility
Release Date: June 29, 2017#NASA #Earth #Science #Artificial #Clouds #Vapor #Wallops #Malemute #Terrier #Sounding #Rocket #Launch #Technology #WFF #Flight #Virginia #UnitedStates #Photography #STEM #Education
Image: NASA Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket launch | June 29, 2017: July 4 fireworks came early when a NASA Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket was successfully launched at 4:25 a.m., Thursday, June 29, from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
During the 8-minute flight, 10 canisters about the size of a soft drink can were ejected in space, 6 to 12 miles away from the 670-pound main payload.
The canisters deployed blue-green and red vapor that formed artificial clouds visible from New York to North Carolina.
During an ionosphere or aurora science mission, these clouds, or vapor tracers, allow scientists on the ground to visually track particle motions in space.
The development of the multi-canister ampoule ejection system will allow scientists to gather information over a much larger area than previously possible when deploying the tracers just from the main payload.
The rocket, after being delayed multiple times over the last 30 days, flew to an altitude of about 118 miles.
Wallops received nearly 2,000 reports and photos of the cloud sightings from areas as far north as New York, south to North Carolina, and inland throughout Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and points in-between.
NASA's Wallops Flight Facility provides agile, low-cost flight and launch range services to meet government and commercial sector needs for accessing flight regimes worldwide from the Earth’s surface to the moon. Wallops' flight assets ranging from research aircraft, unmanned aerial systems and high-altitude balloons to suborbital and orbital rockets provide a full-range of capability, while operational launch range and airfield capabilities meet ongoing and emerging needs in the science, aerospace, defense, and commercial industries.
Article Credit: NASA/Wallops
Image Credit: NASA/Terry Zaperach#NASA #Earth #Science #Artificial #Clouds #Wallops #Malemute #Terrier #Sounding #Rocket #Launch #Technology #WFF #Flight #Virginia #UnitedStates #STEM #Education
June 22, 2017: This image was acquired by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on April 18, 2017, at 14:04 local Mars time. It reminded the HiRISE team of the rugged and open terrain of a stark shore-line, perhaps of the British Isles. A close-up in enhanced color produces a striking effect, giving the impression of a cloud-covered cliff edge with foamy waves crashing against it.
The reality is that the surface of Mars is much dryer than our imaginations might want to suggest. This is only a tiny part of a much larger structure; an inverted crater—a crater that has been infilled by material that is more resistant to erosion than the rocks around it—surrounded by bluish basaltic dunes. The edge of these elevated light-toned deposits are degraded, irregular and cliff-forming.
Dunes visible below the cliff, give the impression of an ocean surface, complete with foam capped waves crashing against the “shore line,” demonstrating the abstract similarity between the nature of a turbulent ocean and a Martian dune field.
Meridiani Planum has an overall smooth terrain, which starkly contrasts with the more common boulder- and crater-laden landscapes observed over much of the rest of Mars. This makes it relatively younger in character than many other areas of the planet. Meridiani is one of the Mars Exploration Rover landing sites, and, is known for its layers and sediments. The orbital detection of hematite was one of the main reasons for sending Opportunity to this area.
Salt-bearing rocks—also called sulphates—were observed in the very first image from Opportunity, so perhaps it’s apt that this HiRISE image reminds us of the turmoil and rugged beauty of a cliff-face, a coastline, being worn down by a relentless sea.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
Article Credit: Jon Kissi, Livio L. Tornabene, Zach Morse, Eric Pilles and Gavin Tolometti
Release Date: June 22, 2017#NASA #Astronomy #Science #Space #Mars #MeridianiPlanum #Crater #Dunes #Basalt #MRO #HiRISE #Spacecraft #Opportunity #Rover #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #STEM #Education
June 22, 2017: NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope was placed in Johnson Space Center’s historic Chamber A on June 20, 2017, to prepare for its final three months of testing in a cryogenic vacuum that mimics temperatures in space.
Engineers will perform the test to prove that the telescope can operate in space at these temperatures. Chamber A will simulate an environment where the telescope will experience extreme cold -- around 37 Kelvin (minus 236 degrees Celsius or minus 393 degrees Fahrenheit).
In space, the telescope must be kept extremely cold, in order to be able to detect the infrared light from very faint, distant objects. To protect the telescope from external sources of light and heat (like the sun, Earth, and moon), as well as from heat emitted by the observatory, a five-layer, tennis court-sized sunshield acts like a parasol that provides shade. The sunshield separates the observatory into a warm, sun-facing side (reaching temperatures close to 400 degrees Fahrenheit) and a cold side (185 degrees below zero). The sunshield blocks sunlight from interfering with the sensitive telescope instruments.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the scientific successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. Webb is an international project led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.
For more information about Chamber A, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/nasas-apollo-era-test-chamber-now-james-webb-space-telescope-ready
For more information about the Webb telescope visit: www.jwst.nasa.gov or www.nasa.gov/webb
Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn
Image Date: June 21, 2017
Release Date: June 22, 2017#NASA #Astronomy #Science #Space #Telescope #JWST #JamesWebb #Galaxies #Stars #Exoplanets #Planets #Enceladus #Europa #SolarSystem #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #ESA #CSA #Goddard #GSFC #JSC #Testing #UnitedStates #STScI #STEM #Education
June 22, 2017: Like the Nile River Valley, the Indus River Basin in Pakistan is an ancient seat of civilization. People have lived and farmed in the river’s fertile floodplain for millennia, in spite of the arid conditions that make it difficult to grow food in the rest of the region.
In modern times, the sinuous shape of the Indus River emerges even in nighttime satellite imagery. Though the river itself is only barely visible, the dark crops and vegetation growing along its banks help reveal the general shape of the river. The brighter, more reflective land beyond the dark band of farmed land is desert.
The image is based on data collected in 2016 by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the NASA-NOAA Suomi NPP satellite. It is part of a global composite that was made by selecting the best cloud-free nights in each month over each landmass on Earth. VIIRS includes a special “day/night band,” a low-light sensor that measures light emissions and reflections, allowing researchers to distinguish the intensity, types, and sources of night lights and to observe how they change over time.
Many of the largest cities and towns in Pakistan are clustered along the Indus. Karachi, a city of 9.3 million people, lies along the southernmost stretch of the river, near where it empties into the Arabian Sea at the Indus River Delta. Other bright cities along the river include Hyderabad (1.1 million people), Larkana (270,000 people), and Sukkur (300,000 people).
The border between Pakistan and India stands out among the night lights of this region. For security purposes, India has installed thousands of kilometers of floodlights along it, a feature bright enough to be seen from the International Space Station. According to news reports, Indian authorities are in the process of transitioning to LED floodlights.
Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Román, NASA GSFC
Article Credit: Adam Voiland
Instrument(s): Suomi NPP - VIIRS
Image Date: 2016
Release Date: June 22, 2017#NASA #Earth #Science #Space #Satellite #Indus #River #Night #Pakistan #Karachi #Hyderabad #Larkana #Sukkur #India #Bhārat #Gaṇarājya #Agriculture #ArabianSea #Asia #SouthAsia #SuomiNPP #VIIRS #EarthObservation #LightPollution #STEM #Education #پاکستان
Image: The total solar eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017, stretches across the U.S. from coast to coast, providing scientists with a unique opportunity to study the eclipse from different vantage points.
June 21, 2017: The first total solar eclipse in the continental United States in nearly 40 years takes place on Aug. 21, 2017. Beyond providing a brilliant sight in the daytime sky, total solar eclipses provide a rare chance for scientists to collect data only available during eclipses. NASA is funding 11 scientific studies that will take advantage of this opportunity.
“When the moon blocks out the sun during a total eclipse, those regions of Earth that are in the direct path of totality become dark as night for almost three minutes,” said Steve Clarke, director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. “This will be one of the best-observed eclipses to date, and we plan to take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn as much as we can about the sun and its effects on Earth.”
The August 2017 total solar eclipse will provide a unique opportunity to study Earth, the sun, and their interaction because of the eclipse’s long path over land. The path of the total eclipse crosses the U.S. from coast to coast, so scientists will be able to take ground-based observations over a period of more than an hour to complement the wealth of data provided by NASA satellites.
The 11 NASA-funded studies across a range of disciplines, using the total solar eclipse to observe our sun and Earth, test new instruments, and even leverage the skills of citizen scientists to expand our understanding of the sun-Earth system. The studies are listed below, followed by the name of the principal investigator and their home institution.
Studying the sun
During a total solar eclipse, the moon blocks out the sun’s overwhelmingly bright face, revealing the relatively faint solar atmosphere, called the corona. Scientists can also use an instrument called a coronagraph—which uses a disk to block out the light of the sun—to create an artificial eclipse. However, a phenomenon called diffraction blurs the light near the disk in a coronagraph, making it difficult to get clear pictures of the inner parts of the corona, so total solar eclipses remain the only opportunity to study these regions in clear detail in visible light. In many ways, these inner regions of the corona are the missing link in understanding the sources of space weather—so total solar eclipses are truly invaluable in our quest to understand the sun-Earth connection.
The sun-focused studies are:
Exploring the Physics of the Coronal Plasma through Imaging Spectroscopy during the 21 August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse (Shadia Habbal, University of Hawaii)
Testing a Polarization Sensor for Measuring Temperature and Flow Speed in the Solar Corona during the Total Solar Eclipse of 2017 August 21 (Nat Gopalswamy, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center)
Chasing the 2017 Eclipse: Interdisciplinary Airborne Science from NASA's WB-57 (Amir Caspi, Southwest Research Institute)
Measuring the Infrared Solar Corona During the 2017 Eclipse (Paul Bryans, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research)
Citizen Science Approach to Measuring the Polarization of Solar Corona During Eclipse 2017 (Padma Yanamandra-Fisher, Space Science Institute)
Rosetta-stone experiments at infrared and visible wavelengths during the August 21 2017 Eclipse (Philip Judge, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research)
Studying Earth
Total solar eclipses are also an opportunity to study Earth under uncommon conditions. The sudden blocking of the sun during an eclipse reduces the light and temperature on the ground, and these quick-changing conditions can affect weather, vegetation and animal behavior.
The Earth-focused studies are:
Solar eclipse-induced changes in the ionosphere over the continental US (Philip Erickson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Quantifying the contributions of ionization sources on the formation of the D-region ionosphere during the 2017 solar eclipse (Robert Marshall, University of Colorado Boulder)
Empirically-Guided Solar Eclipse Modeling Study (Gregory Earle, Virginia Tech)
Using the 2017 Eclipse viewed by DSCOVR/EPIC & NISTAR from above and spectral radiance and broadband irradiance instruments from below to perform a 3-D radiative transfer closure experiment (Guoyong Wen, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center)
Land and Atmospheric Responses to the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse (Bohumil Svoma, University of Missouri)
Article Credit: NASA Goddard
Image Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio
Release Date: June 21, 2017#NASA #Astronomy #Science #Space #Solar #Eclipse #Eclipse2017 #Sun #Moon #Corona #Atmosphere #SolarEclipse #Heliophysics #Coronagraph #NorthAmerica #Canada #UnitedStates #Mexico #Totality #STEM #Education
Still image showing the Earth, moon, and sun aligned during solar eclipse | June 21, 2017: On August 21, 2017, the Earth will cross the shadow of the moon, creating a total solar eclipse. Eclipses happen about every six months, but this one is special. For the first time in almost 40 years, the path of the moon's shadow passes through the continental United States. This visualization shows the Earth, moon, and sun at 17:05:40 UTC during the eclipse.
In the animation from which this still was taken, the Earth, moon, sun, and shadow cones are viewed through a telescopic lens on a virtual camera located far behind the Earth. Long focal lengths like the one used here appear to compress the distance between near and far objects. Despite appearances, the geometry of the scene is correct. The moon's umbra cone is roughly 30 Earth diameters long, barely enough to reach the Earth, while the sun is almost 400 times farther away.
Credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
Release Date: June 21, 2017#NASA #Astronomy #Science #Space #Solar #Eclipse #Eclipse2017 #Sun #Moon #Corona #Atmosphere #SolarEclipse #NorthAmerica #Canada #UnitedStates #Mexico #Totality #STEM #Education #Visualization
