U.S. Astronaut Randy Bresnik: "Eastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula looks very inviting…"
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel. The peninsula lies east of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a northwestern geographic partition separating the region of Central America from the rest of North America. (Source: Wikipedia)
Credit: NASA/JSC
Release Date: August 19, 2017#NASA #ISS #Earth #Science #Planet #Yucatan #Peninsula #Mexico #Caribbean #Sea #EarthObservation #Astronaut #RandyBresnik #Human #Spaceflight #Expedition52 #JSC #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #STEM
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U.S. Astronaut Randy Bresnik: "…but all we had to do was look down to be reminded that they were 250 miles high, not 250 fathoms deep"
Outside the International Space Station, Expedition 52 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Sergey Ryazanskiy conducted a spacewalk Aug. 17 to assess the condition of the exterior of the Russian segment of the complex and to install struts and handrails to facilitate future excursions. During the outing, Ryazanskiy manually deployed five small nanosatellites to collect data on a variety of scientific investigations. The spacewalk, which was the 202nd in support of space station assembly and maintenance, was the ninth in Yurchikhin’s career and the fourth for Ryazanskiy.
Credit: NASA/JSC
Release Date: August 19, 2017#NASA #ISS #Earth #Science #Spacewalk #EVA #Cosmonaut #Commander #FyodorYurchikhin #FlightEngineer #SergeyRyazanskiy #космонавт #Роскосмос #Roscosmos #Russia #Россия #Astronaut #RandyBresnik #Human #Spaceflight #Expedition52 #UnitedStates #JSC #STEM
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U.S. Astronaut Randy Bresnik: "As the sun rose on our Russian crew’s 7.5 hr spacewalk, their helmets lights gave off a glow that made it look like they were underwater…"
Outside the International Space Station, Expedition 52 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Sergey Ryazanskiy conducted a spacewalk Aug. 17 to assess the condition of the exterior of the Russian segment of the complex and to install struts and handrails to facilitate future excursions. During the outing, Ryazanskiy manually deployed five small nanosatellites to collect data on a variety of scientific investigations. The spacewalk, which was the 202nd in support of space station assembly and maintenance, was the ninth in Yurchikhin’s career and the fourth for Ryazanskiy.
Credit: NASA/JSC
Release Date: August 19, 2017#NASA #ISS #Earth #Science #Spacewalk #EVA #Cosmonaut #Commander #FyodorYurchikhin #FlightEngineer #SergeyRyazanskiy #космонавт #Роскосмос #Roscosmos #Russia #Россия #Astronaut #RandyBresnik #Human #Spaceflight #Expedition52 #UnitedStates #JSC #STEM
#Education
International Space Station crew members captured this nighttime image of Johannesburg, South Africa, a few minutes before crossing over the Indian Ocean on Aug. 7.
Credit: NASA/JSC
Image Date: August 7, 2017#NASA #ISS #Earth #Science #Planet #Johannesburg #SouthAfrica #EarthObservation #Canadarm2 #Dextre #CSA #Canada #Robotics #Photography #Astronauts #Human #Spaceflight #Expedition52 #UnitedStates #JSC #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #STEM
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Darth Vader and other Star Wars characters from the 501st Legion address students and sponsors in the Center for Space Education at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Teams from across the state of Florida were gathered at Kennedy for the finals of the Zero Robotics Middle School Summer Program national championship. The five-week program allows rising sixth- through ninth-graders to write programs for small satellites called SPHERES (Synchronized, Position, Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites). Finalists saw their code tested aboard the International Space Station.
A middle-school student high-fives a Star Wars character from the 501st Legion in the Center for Space Education at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Teams from across the state of Florida were gathered at Kennedy for the finals of the Zero Robotics Middle School Summer Program national championship. The five-week program allows rising sixth- through ninth-graders to write programs for small satellites called SPHERES (Synchronized, Position, Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites). Finalists saw their code tested aboard the International Space Station.
Smoke from the wildfires in Canada's Northwest Territories, as well as British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are seen in this image from the Suomi NPP satellite. The smoke spewing from the fires has been swept up by the jet stream and is being carried across the continent. The largest fires seem to be in the Northern Territories. Fire is worrisome enough but the smoke that is produced from wildfires is extremely dangerous. Wind patterns have the ability to move smoke and dangerous particles across continents to affect people in far-flung parts of the world. The hotter the fire is the higher the smoke goes into the atmosphere and the farther it can travel. Winds in the upper atmosphere are stronger and allow the smoke to travel greater distances.
Smoke from extremely hot wildfires can even trigger massive thunderstorms, as they did in August of 2014 in Canada's Northern Territories. Once in the stratosphere, above the part of the atmosphere where weather occurs, aerosol particles can travel long distances. In a case from 2010, the smoke from a massive thunderstorm triggered by Russian wildfires reached the eastern United States. The smoke stayed in the stratosphere for a long time because it was above the part of the atmosphere where weather occurs, so it was not able to rain or fall out easily.
There is some comfort, however, if you aren't able to smell the smoke. Chances are the smoke most likely won't negatively affect you, but always check the Air Quality Index in your area to be sure, especially if the skies seem hazy. If you do smell smoke, take precautions to avoid it.
The Suomi NPP satellite's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument captured a look at multiple fires, smoke from those fires, and cloud cover over northern Canada on August 14, 2017. The Suomi NPP satellite is a joint mission between NASA and NOAA.
Image Credit: NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team.
Caption Credit: NASA/Goddard, Lynn Jenner with information from NASA stories cited above.
Release Date: August 15, 2017#NASA #Earth #Science #Space #Satellite #Smoke #Wildfires #Fires #Atmosphere #Clouds #Canada #BritishColumbia #NorthwestTerritories #Alberta #Saskatchewan #Manitoba #UnitedStates #NorthAmerica #EarthObservation #NOAA #SuomiNPP #VIIRS #MODIS #Goddard #GSFC #STEM #Education
U.S. Astronaut Peggy Whitson: "Over 638 days in space and the view is still amazing! Soaking up some sunset time in the cupola…"
NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson's Official Biography:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/whitson.pdf
The Cupola is a panoramic control tower for the International Space Station, a dome-shaped module with windows through which operations on the outside of the station can be observed and guided. It is a pressurized observation and work area that accommodates command and control workstations and other hardware. Through the robotics workstation, astronauts control the station’s robotic arm, which helps with the attachment and assembly of station elements much like the operator of a building crane perched in a control cabin. Crew members in the Cupola can communicate with other crew members in another part of the station or outside during spacewalk activities. Spacewalks can be observed from the Cupola along with visiting spacecraft and external areas of the station with the Cupola offering a viewing spectrum of 360 degrees.
Credit: NASA
Release Date: August 6, 2017#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Astronaut #PeggyWhitson #Commander #Leader #Scientist #USA #UnitedStates #Science #Sunset #Cupola #Spacecraft #Technology #Engineering #Human #Spaceflight #Expedition52 #JSC #STEM #Education #Mars #JourneyToMars
U.S. Astronaut Jack Fischer: "I’m so proud to be a part of this international team—Expedition 52"
The Expedition 52 crew poses for a unique portrait. Pictured clockwise from top right are, Flight Engineers Paolo Nespoli, Jack Fischer, Peggy Whitson, Sergey Ryazanskiy, Randy Bresnik and Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin.
Credit: NASA/JSC
Release Date: August 12, 2017#NASA #ISS #Earth #Science #Planet #Cosmonauts #Astronauts #Crew #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #ESA #Italy #Italia #CSA #JAXA #JackFischer #Flight #Engineers #Commander #FyodorYurchikhin #Human #Spaceflight #Expedition52 #UnitedStates #JSC #International #Cooperation #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #STEM
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Composite image showing Hurricane Gert in the Atlantic, from 09:00 UTC on Tuesday, August 15, 2017.
For more information, visit the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS) web site: http://www.gdacs.org
Infrared data from the geostationary satellites of EUMETSAT and NOAA overlays a computer-generated model of the Earth, containing NASA's Blue Marble Next Generation imagery.
Credit & Copyright: 2017 EUMETSAT
Image Date: August 15, 2017#NASA #EUMETSAT #Satellite #Space #Earth #Hurricane #Gert #Storm #Atlantic #Ocean #Weather #Meteorology #Infrared #BlueMarble #Goddard #GSFC #NOAA #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education
Aug. 15, 2017: Typhoon Banyan's eye became visible again in satellite imagery from NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite. A visible image showed powerful storms tightly wound around Typhoon Banyan's center as it moved through the Pacific Ocean. On Aug. 15 at 01:48 UTC (Aug. 14 at 9:48 p.m. EDT the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided a visible look at Banyan. The VIIRS image showed a tight concentration of strong thunderstorms around the center of circulation. The visible image also showed Banyan's eye had become visible again, although it appeared ragged. The previous day, the eye was covered by high clouds and was only seen in microwave imagery.
At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) on August 15, Typhoon Banyan's maximum sustained winds were near 85 knots (97.8 mph/157.4 kph). The storm was located about 515 nautical miles east-northeast of the Minami Tori Shima Atoll, near 29.3 degrees north latitude and 162.6 degrees east longitude. It was moving to the north at 13 knots (15 mph/25 kph).
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) forecast calls for Banyan to track northeastward as it rounds the western edge of a sub-tropical ridge (elongated area) of high pressure. JTWC forecasters noted that vertical wind shear will increase as a shortwave trough (elongated area) of low pressure approaches Banyan, and it will weaken the storm. After 11 p.m. EDT on August 15, the storm will move into cooler sea surface temperatures that will also sap the storm's strength.
By August 17 the storm is expected to become a strong extra-tropical storm in the open waters of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean.
Credits: NOAA/NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team
Release Date: August 15, 2017#NASA #Earth #Science #Satellite #Space #Typhoon #Banyan #Storm #Pacific #Ocean #Weather #Meteorology #SuomiNPP #VIIRS #NOAA #Goddard #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education
U.S. Astronaut Randy Bresnik: "Nestled between the continent of Africa and Madagascar the stunning Mayotte Island is ringed by its eye-catching reef."
Mayotte is an insular department and region of France officially named the Department of Mayotte. It consists of a main island, Grande-Terre (or Maore), a smaller island, Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeast Africa, between northwestern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique. (Source: Wikipedia)
Visit Mayotte:
http://us.france.fr/en/discover/mayotte-0
Credit: NASA/JSC
Release Date: August 14, 2017#NASA #ISS #Earth #Science #Planet #Mayotte #Island #Reef #Archipelago #France #IndianOcean #Mozambique #Africa #Astronaut #RandyBresnik #Human #Spaceflight #Expedition52 #JSC #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #STEM
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