Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Comet 2I/Borisov: First Interstellar Comet | Hubble

Comet 2I/Borisov: First Interstellar Comet | Hubble
Deep Space Visitor Provides Clues to Birth of Planetary Systems
Oct. 16, 2019: No one knows where it came from. No one knows how long it has been drifting through the empty, cold abyss of interstellar space. But this year an object called comet 2I/Borisov came in from the cold. It was detected falling past our Sun by a Crimean amateur astronomer. This emissary from the black unknown captured the attention of worldwide astronomers who aimed all kinds of telescopes at it to watch the comet sprout a dust tail. The far visitor is only the second known object to enter our solar system coming from elsewhere in the galaxy, based on its speed and trajectory. Like a racetrack photographer trying to capture a speeding derby horse, Hubble took a series of snapshots as the comet streaked along at 110,000 miles per hour. Hubble provided the sharpest image to date of the fleeting comet, revealing a central concentration of dust around an unseen nucleus. The comet was 260 million miles from Earth when Hubble took the photo.

In 2017, the first identified interstellar visitor, an object formally named 'Oumuamua, swung within 24 million miles of the Sun before racing out of the solar system. Unlike comet 2I/Borisov, 'Oumuamua still defies any simple categorization. It did not behave like a comet, and it has a variety of unusual characteristics. Comet 2I/Borisov looks a lot like the traditional comets found inside our solar system, which sublimate ices, and cast off dust as they are warmed by the Sun. The wandering comet provides invaluable clues to the chemical composition, structure, and dust characteristics of planetary building blocks presumably forged in an alien star system.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has given astronomers their best look yet at an interstellar visitor—comet 2I/Borisov—whose speed and trajectory indicate it has come from beyond our solar system.

This Hubble image, taken on October 12, 2019, is the sharpest view of the comet to date. Hubble reveals a central concentration of dust around the nucleus (which is too small to be seen by Hubble).

Comet 2I/Borisov is only the second such interstellar object known to have passed through the solar system. In 2017, the first identified interstellar visitor, an object officially named 'Oumuamua, swung within 24 million miles of the Sun before racing out of the solar system. "Whereas 'Oumuamua appeared to be a rock, Borisov is really active, more like a normal comet. It's a puzzle why these two are so different," said David Jewitt of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), leader of the Hubble team who observed the comet.

As the second known interstellar object found to enter our solar system, the comet provides invaluable clues to the chemical composition, structure, and dust characteristics of planetary building blocks presumably forged in an alien star system a long time ago and far away.

"Though another star system could be quite different from our own, the fact that the comet's properties appear to be very similar to those of the solar system's building blocks is very remarkable," said Amaya Moro-Martin of the Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland.

Hubble photographed the comet at a distance of 260 million miles from Earth. The comet is falling past the Sun and will make its closest approach to the Sun on December 7, 2019, when it will be twice as far from the Sun as Earth is.

The comet is following a hyperbolic path around the Sun, and currently is blazing along at an extraordinary speed of 110,000 miles per hour. "It's traveling so fast it almost doesn't care that the Sun is there," said Jewitt.

By the middle of 2020 the comet will streak past Jupiter's distance of 500 million miles on its way back into interstellar space where it will drift for untold millions of years before skirting close to another star system.

Crimean amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov discovered the comet on August 30, 2019. After a week of observations by amateur and professional astronomers all over the world, the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center and JPL's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies computed a trajectory for the comet, which confirms that it came from interstellar space.

Until now, all cataloged comets have come from either a ring of icy debris at the periphery of our solar system, called the Kuiper belt, or the hypothetical Oort cloud, a shell of comets about a light-year from the Sun, defining the dynamical edge of our solar system.

Borisov and 'Oumuamua are only the beginning of the discoveries of interstellar objects paying a brief visit to our solar system, say researchers. According to one study there are thousands of such interlopers here at any given time, though most are too faint to be detected with current-day telescopes.

Observations by Hubble and other telescopes have shown that rings and shells of icy debris encircle young stars where planet formation is underway. A gravitational "pinball game" between these comet-like bodies or planets orbiting other stars can hurtle them deep into space where they go adrift among the stars.

Future Hubble observations of 2I/Borisov are planned through January 2020, with more being proposed.

"New comets are always unpredictable," said Max Mutchler, another member of the observing team. "They sometimes brighten suddenly or even begin to fragment as they are exposed to the intense heat of the Sun for the first time. Hubble is poised to monitor whatever happens next with its superior sensitivity and resolution."

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy in Washington, D.C.

Credits: NASA, ESA, and D. Jewitt (UCLA)
Release Date: October 16, 2019


#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Comet #Comet2IBorisov #Interstellar #Planets #SolarSystem #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

NASA’s New Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU)

NASA’s New Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU)
Oct. 15, 2019: Kristine Davis, a spacesuit engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, wearing a ground prototype of NASA’s new Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), is seen during a demonstration of the suit, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The xEMU suit improves on the suits previous worn on the Moon during the Apollo era and those currently in use for spacewalks outside the International Space Station and will be worn by first woman and next man as they explore the Moon as part of the agency’s Artemis program.

Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
Image Date: October 15, 2019



#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #SLS #Rocket #Orion #ISS #CommercialCrew #Mars #Artemis #Moon #Astronauts #Spacesuit #Engineering #Women #OCSS #Human #Spaceflight #JourneyToMars #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #Exploration #STEM #Education

Introducing Artemis Generation Spacesuits | NASA

Introducing Artemis Generation Spacesuits | NASA
Oct. 15, 2019: NASA invited the media to get an up-close look at the next generation spacesuits the first woman and next man to explore the Moon will wear as part of the agency’s Artemis program.

NASA is preparing to send astronauts to the Moon by 2024 and is moving forward with design and development of the suits astronauts will wear on the lunar surface and other destinations, including Mars.

The public event took place on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and featured NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, who hosted a demonstration with spacesuit engineers.

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Duration: 53 minutes, 22 seconds
Capture Date: October 15, 2019



#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #SLS #Rocket #Orion #ISS #CommercialCrew #Mars #Artemis #Moon #Astronauts #Spacesuit #OCSS #Human #Spaceflight #JourneyToMars #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Orion Crew Survival System

NASA's Orion Crew Survival System
Dustin Gohmert, Orion Crew Survival Systems Project Manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, poses for a portrait while wearing the Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS) suit, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019 at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The Orion suit is designed for a custom fit and incorporates safety technology and mobility features that will help protect astronauts on launch day, in emergency situations, high-risk parts of missions near the Moon, and during the high-speed return to Earth.

Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
Image Date: October 15, 2019



#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #SLS #Rocket #Orion #ISS #CommercialCrew #Mars #Artemis #Moon #Astronauts #Spacesuit #OCSS #Human #Spaceflight #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Monday, October 14, 2019

A Galactic Portal: Galaxy NGC 4380 | Hubble

A Galactic Portal: Galaxy NGC 4380 | Hubble
The galaxy NGC 4380 looks like a special effect straight out of a science fiction or fantasy film in this Hubble Picture of the Week, swirling like a gaping portal to another dimension.

In the grand scheme of things, though, the galaxy is actually quite ordinary. Spiral galaxies like NGC 4380 are one of the most common types of galaxy in the Universe. These colossal collections of stars, often numbering in the hundreds of billions, are shaped like a flat disc, sometimes with a rounded bulge in the center. Graceful spiral arms outlined by dark lanes of dust wind around the bulging core, which glows brightly and has the highest concentration of stars in the galaxy.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, P. Erwin
Release Date: October 14, 2019



#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxy #NGC4380 #Spiral #Virgo #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Spot The Astronauts! | International Space Station

Spot The Astronauts! | International Space Station
NASA Astronaut Jessica Meir: "My view from Japan's Kibo module (JAXA) during yesterday’s spacewalk. NASA Astronauts Christina Koch and Andrew Morgan set us off to an epic start in this 5-spacewalk series to install new batteries on the International Space Station. Honored to fly the Canadarm2 to support the operations with this amazing team!"

Hint: Look way, way up to the top of the frame (center).

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Image Date: October 7, 2019




#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #EVA #Spacewalk #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #ChristinaKoch #AndrewMorgan #Batteries #Expedition61 #Human #Spaceflight #Robotics #Canadarm2 #Canada #Japan #日本 #JAXA #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #Spacecraft #UnitedStates #International #STEM #Education

Inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center! | Week of Oct. 11, 2019

Inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center! | Week of Oct. 11, 2019
This week, NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, launched aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket on a mission to study the weather where Earth meets space. Also, the agency's Exploration Ground Systems contucted a swing arm test of multiple arms on the mobile launcher, another step toward launch of NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft on Artemis I.

Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center
Duration: 2 minutes, 16 seconds
Release Date: October 11, 2019



#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Weather #ICON #NorthropGrumman #PegasusXL #SLS #Rocket #SolarSystem #Exploration #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #Kennedy #KSC #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Video

Power Play Spacewalks Aboard Space Station | This Week @NASA

Power Play Spacewalks Aboard Space Station
This Week @NASA
Week of Oct. 11, 2019: A pair of power plays aboard the space station, checking out progress of our Commercial Crew Program, and studying the frontier of space . . . a few of the stories to tell you about—This Week at NASA!

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Duration: 3 minutes, 59 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 11, 2019


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #ISS #Earth #Science #SpaceX #EVA #Spacewalk #Astronauts #ChristinaKoch #AndrewMorgan #Batteries #Expedition61 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #JWST #ICON #UnitedStates #STEM #Education
NASA's Space to Ground: Extravehicular Marathon
Week of October 11, 2019 | NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station.
Oct. 11, 2019: Expedition 61 Flight Engineers Christina Koch and Andrew Morgan of NASA concluded their spacewalk at the International Space Station at 2:23 p.m. EDT. During six-hour and 45-minute spacewalk, the two NASA astronauts continued the replacement of nickel-hydrogen batteries with newer, more powerful lithium-ion batteries on the far end of the station’s port truss.

Astronauts also were able to accomplish several get-ahead tasks setting up for the next spacewalk.

These new batteries provide an improved power capacity for operations with a lighter mass and a smaller volume than the nickel-hydrogen batteries. On Oct. 16, Morgan and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir are scheduled to venture outside for another spacewalk to continue the battery replacements on the first of the two power channels for the station’s far port truss. The following spacewalks dedicated to the battery upgrades are scheduled on Oct. 21 and 25.

After completion of the battery spacewalks, the second half of this sequence of spacewalks will focus on repairs to the space station’s Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. Dates for those spacewalks still are being discussed, but they are expected to begin in November.

Space station crew members have conducted 220 spacewalks in support of assembly and maintenance of the orbiting laboratory. Spacewalkers have now spent a total of 57 days 13 hours and 12 minutes working outside the station.

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/…/foreducat…/stem_on_station/index.html

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Duration: 2 minutes, 21 seconds
Release Date: October 11, 2019


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #EVA #Spacewalk #Astronauts #ChristinaKoch #AndrewMorgan #Batteries #Expedition61 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #JSC #Houston #Texas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Video

Friday, October 11, 2019

Kathy Sullivan: First American Woman to Walk in Space | NASA

Kathy Sullivan: First American Woman to Walk in Space 
35th Anniversary (1984-2019) 
Meet the Former NASA Astronaut
 
Thirty-five years ago, on October 11, 1984, NASA astronaut Kathy Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space. We video chatted with Kathy to ask her about this historic feat as well as her thoughts on the upcoming all-female spacewalk scheduled to take place October 21, 2019, with NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir.

More about women at NASA: https://women.nasa.gov

Credit: NASA/Johnson Space Center
Duration: 1 minutes, 27 seconds
Release Date: October 11, 2019


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #EVA #Spacewalk #Astronaut #KathySullivan #Women #Leadership #History #Career #Expedition61 #Human #Spaceflight #Future #Spacecraft #JSC #Houston #Texas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Video

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Japan's HTV-8 & Canadarm2 | International Space Station
The Kounotori H-II Transfer Vehicle 8 (HTV-8) from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is pictured attached to the International Space Station's Harmony module. The HTV-8 is loaded with more than four tons of supplies, spare parts and experiment hardware for the crew aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Named Kounotori, meaning “white stork” in Japanese, the craft delivered six new lithium-ion batteries and corresponding adapter plates that will replace aging nickel-hydrogen batteries for two power channels on the station’s far port truss segment. The batteries will be installed through a series of robotics and spacewalks the station’s crew members will conduct later this year.

Additional experiments on board HTV-8 include an upgrade to the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF-L), a small-sized satellite optical communication system (SOLISS), and a payload for testing the effects of gravity on powder and granular material (Hourglass).

The Canadian Space Agency's Canadarm2 is a 17-meter-long robotic arm. The Canadian robotic arm lends a helping hand to:
1) perform International Space Station maintenance
2) move supplies, equipment, Dextre and even astronauts
3) perform "cosmic catches" by grappling visiting vehicles and berthing them to the ISS

Original timelapse by Riccardo Rossi (ISAA)
Italian Space and Astronautics Association (ISAA)

Raw imagery courtesy of Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth: http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov
- Attribution-Non-Commercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License -

Music: "Peaceful Calm Ambient" by DHDMusic - Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 International License -
https://www.jamendo.com/artist/509200/dhdmusic

Timelapse HD 1080p video

Credit: AstronautiCAST/JSC
Duration: 3 minutes, 7 seconds
Capture Date: September 29, 2019
Release Date: October 4, 2019


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Planet #JAXA #Kounotori #Kounotori8 #HTV8 #Resupply #Cargo #Japan #日本 #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #Canadarm2 #Robotics #Canada #CSA #UnitedStates #Expedition61 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #STEM #Education #International #AstronautiCAST #ISAA #Timelapse #Video
NASA and SpaceX United
Returning flights of US astronauts from US soil
A view of one of the SpaceX suits that will be used for the Demo-2 launch at the SpaceX Headquarters, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019 in Hawthorne, California, USA.

The Crew Dragon will launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA is months away from setting a new course in Human Space Flight History. The Commercial Crew Program, a partnership between Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and Space X’s Crew Dragon are leading the way for the return to flight of US astronauts from US soil. NASA's Kennedy Space Center is leading the way in these efforts.

The agency has contracted six missions with up to four astronauts, per-mission, for each company. Commercial transportation to and from the space station will maintain a crew of seven astronauts, maximizing time dedicated to scientific research on the orbiting laboratory. This research is crucial for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight, which will allow humans to explore farther into space than ever before

Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
Image Date: October 10, 2019



#NASA #Space #Science #SpaceX #ElonMusk #CrewDragon #CommercialCrew #LaunchAmerica #Astronauts #Human #Spaceflight #Technology #Engineering #Kennedy #KSC #Spaceport #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Japan's Kounotori HTV-8 | International Space Station

Japan's Kounotori HTV-8 | International Space Station
The Kounotori H-II Transfer Vehicle 8 (HTV-8) from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is pictured attached to the International Space Station's Harmony module (out of frame). The HTV-8 is loaded with more than four tons of supplies, spare parts and experiment hardware for the crew aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Named Kounotori, meaning “white stork” in Japanese, the craft delivered six new lithium-ion batteries and corresponding adapter plates that will replace aging nickel-hydrogen batteries for two power channels on the station’s far port truss segment. The batteries will be installed through a series of robotics and spacewalks the station’s crew members will conduct later this year.

Additional experiments on board HTV-8 include an upgrade to the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF-L), a small-sized satellite optical communication system (SOLISS), and a payload for testing the effects of gravity on powder and granular material (Hourglass).

Special thanks to Mitsuko Inoue for your support!

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Image Date: October 3, 2019



#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #JAXA #Kounotori #Kounotori8 #HTV8 #Resupply #Cargo #Japan #日本 #宇宙航空研究開発機構 #UnitedStates #Expedition61 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #Photography #STEM #Education #International #OrbitalPerspective #OverviewEffect

Japan's Kounotori HTV-8 | International Space Station

Japan's Kounotori HTV-8 | International Space Station
The Kounotori H-II Transfer Vehicle 8 (HTV-8) from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is pictured attached to the International Space Station's Harmony module (out of frame). The HTV-8 is loaded with more than four tons of supplies, spare parts and experiment hardware for the crew aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Named Kounotori, meaning “white stork” in Japanese, the craft delivered six new lithium-ion batteries and corresponding adapter plates that will replace aging nickel-hydrogen batteries for two power channels on the station’s far port truss segment. The batteries will be installed through a series of robotics and spacewalks the station’s crew members will conduct later this year.

Additional experiments on board HTV-8 include an upgrade to the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF-L), a small-sized satellite optical communication system (SOLISS), and a payload for testing the effects of gravity on powder and granular material (Hourglass).


Special thanks to Mitsuko Inoue for your support!

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Image Date: October 3, 2019



#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #JAXA #Kounotori #Kounotori8 #HTV8 #Resupply #Cargo #Japan #日本 #UnitedStates #Expedition61 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #Photography #STEM #Education #International #OrbitalPerspective #OverviewEffect

Wednesday, October 09, 2019

NASA Astronaut Christina Koch: Official Portrait

NASA Astronaut Christina Koch: Official Portrait
Christina Hammock Koch was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 2013. She completed astronaut candidate training in July 2015. Koch graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Physics and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering. She is currently working onboard the International Space Station on her first spaceflight as part of Expedition 59, 60 and upcoming Expedition 61 scheduled for October. Koch is slated to set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with an expected total of 328 days in space.

Official Biography: NASA astronaut Christina Koch
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-h-kochhttps://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-hammock-koch/biographyhttps://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/hammock-cm.pdf

Credit: NASA/Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Image Date: 2018


NASA #Space #ISS #Science #EVA #Spacewalks #Astronauts #ChristinaKoch #Women #Engineer #Expedition61 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #JSC #Houston #Texas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Tuesday, October 08, 2019

Spot the Spacewalker: NASA Astronaut Christina Koch

Spot the Spacewalker: NASA Astronaut Christina Koch
NASA astronaut Christina Koch (top center) conducts a spacewalk at the Port-6 (P6) truss structure work site to upgrade International Space Station power systems. She and fellow NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan (out of frame) worked outside in the vacuum of space for seven hours and one minute to begin the latest round of upgrading the station's large nickel-hydrogen batteries with newer, more powerful lithium-ion batteries.

Official Biography: NASA astronaut Christina Koch
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-h-koch
https://www.nasa.gov/…/bio…/christina-hammock-koch/biography
https://www.nasa.gov/…/def…/files/atoms/files/hammock-cm.pdf


Credit: NASA/Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Image Date: October 6, 2019


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #EVA #Spacewalks #Astronauts #ChristinaKoch #AndrewMorgan #Expedition61 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #JSC #Houston #Texas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education