Hubble Spies a Serpentine Spiral Galaxy

Hubble Spies a Serpentine Spiral Galaxy

The lazily winding spiral arms of the galaxy NGC 5921 snake across this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. This galaxy lies approximately 80 million light-years from Earth, and much like our own galaxy, the Milky Way, contains a prominent bar. Roughly half of all spiral galaxies are thought to contain bars, and these bars affect their parent galaxies by fuelling star formation and affecting the motion of stars and interstellar gas. 

Appropriately, given NGC 5921’s serpentine spiral arms, this galaxy resides in the constellation Serpens in the northern celestial hemisphere. Serpens is the only one of the 88 modern constellations to consist of two unconnected regions —Serpens Caput and Serpens Cauda. These two regions—whose names mean the Serpent’s Head and the Serpent’s Tail, respectively—are separated by Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer. 

The scientific study behind this image was also split into two parts—observations from Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 and observations from the ground-based Gemini Observatory. These two observatories joined forces to better understand the relationship between galaxies like NGC 5921 and the supermassive black holes they contain. Hubble’s contribution to the study was to determine the masses of stars in the galaxies and also to take measurements that help calibrate the observations from Gemini. Together, the Hubble and Gemini observations provided astronomers with a census of nearby supermassive black holes in a diverse variety of galaxies.

Credit:

ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Walsh

Acknowledgement: R. Colombari

Release Date: April 4, 2022

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxy #NGC5921 #Spiral #Stars #Serpens #SerpensCaput #SerpensCauda #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA's Artemis I Moon Rocket at Sunrise | Kennedy Space Center

NASA's Artemis I Moon Rocket at Sunrise | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen at sunrise atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Sunday, April 3, 2022, as the Artemis I launch team conducts the wet dress rehearsal test at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASA’s Artemis I flight test, the wet dress rehearsal will run the Artemis I launch team through operations to load propellant, conduct a full launch countdown, demonstrate the ability to recycle the countdown clock, and drain the tanks to practice timelines and procedures for launch. 

Artemis I launch is currently scheduled for spring 2022.

The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate NASA's commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.  It will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon over the course of about a three-week mission. Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.

Learn more about Artemis I at:

NASA's Artemis Program:

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

Read the Artemis Plan (74-page PDF Free Download): 

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/artemis_plan-20200921.pdf

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS)

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html

NASA's Orion Spacecraft

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/about/index.html

Image Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Image Date: April 3, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Space #Moon #Spotlights #Testing #Artemis #ArtemisI #Orion #Spacecraft #SLS #Boeing #Rocket #DeepSpace #LockheedMartin #Orion #Spacecraft #Astronauts #Mars #JourneyToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #Exploration #SolarSystem #KSC #Kennedy #Florida #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Aurora Borealis over Hanford Reach in Washington

Aurora Borealis over Hanford Reach in Washington State

Photographer Mark Stewart: ". . . After 2 years of having the idea I finally capture the Aurora over the sand dunes in Washington 2 nights ago! What do you think?!"

"I had a the idea a few years ago, it feels great to see another idea come to fruition! Pictured here is the Aurora Borealis over the sand dunes at Hanford Reach! . . ."

The Hanford Reach National Monument is a national monument in the U.S. state of Washington. It was created in 2000, mostly from the former security buffer surrounding the Hanford Nuclear Reservation (Hanford Site). The area has been untouched by development or agriculture since 1943.

Learn more about aurora: 

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/aurora-news-stories/index.html

Hanford Reach National Monument

https://www.fws.gov/national-monument/hanford-reach 

Image Credit: Mark Stewart

Mark's website: https://www.mountainmarkphotography.com
Washington State Tourism: https://www.stateofwatourism.com

Release Date: April 1, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #MagneticField #Magnetosphere #SolarWind #Sun #HanfordReach #SandDunes #NationalMonument #Washington #UnitedStates #MarkStewart #Photography #Astrophotography #STEM #Education

Ingenuity: First Mars Helicopter | NASA's Perseverance Rover Mission

A Tribute to Ingenuity: First Mars Helicopter | NASA's Perseverance Rover Mission

Ingenuity's flights have repeatedly proven its ability to fly in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars, over a hundred million miles from Earth, without direct human control. Because radio signals take between 5–20 minutes to travel between Earth and Mars—depending on planetary positions—Ingenuity must operate autonomously, performing maneuvers planned, scripted and transmitted to it by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

For the first flight on April 19, 2021, Ingenuity took off, climbed to about 10 feet (3 meters) above the ground, hovered in the air briefly, completed a turn, and then landed. It was a major milestone: the very first powered, controlled flight in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars, and, in fact, the first such flight in any world beyond Earth. After that, the helicopter successfully performed additional experimental flights of incrementally farther distance and greater altitude.

With its tech demo now complete, Ingenuity transitions to a new operations demonstration phase to explore how future rovers and aerial explorers can work together. As of March 24, 2022, Ingenuity has completed 23 flights. Data from Ingenuity helps the NASA's Perseverance Rover team find potential science targets.

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages this technology demonstration project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA’s Science, Aeronautics, and Space Technology mission directorates. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley and NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity’s development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Martin Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System.

Ingenuity's rotors measure 1.2 m (4 ft), and its entire body is 0.49 m (1 ft 7 in) tall. Its fuselage measures 13.6 cm × 19.5 cm × 16.3 cm (5.4 in × 7.7 in × 6.4 in), with four landing legs of 0.384 m (1 ft 3.1 in) each. It is operated by solar-charged batteries that power dual counter-rotating rotors mounted one above the other.

The Martian atmosphere is extremely thin—at the surface just about one percent of the pressure of Earth’s atmosphere at sea level.

Learn more about Ingenuity:

go.nasa.gov/ingenuity

Ingenuity Fact Sheet:

https://mars.nasa.gov/files/mars2020/MarsHelicopterIngenuity_FactSheet.pdf

Name: Ingenuity

Main Job: A technology demonstration to test the first powered flight on Mars. The helicopter rode to Mars attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover.

Launch: July 30, 2020, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

Landed: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

Length of Mission: Technology demonstration complete; transitioned to new operations demo phase

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020    

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

Mars Helicopter (Ingenuity) is now in an operations demo phase.

For more about Perseverance:

mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

nasa.gov/perseverance

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Kevin M. Gill

Mars2020 - Sol 46 - Watson (White Balanced)

Release Date: April 1, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Atmosphere #Jezero #Crater #Perseverance #Rover #Mars2020 #Sol46 #Robotics #Ingenuity #Helicopter #Ginny #Aircraft #Solar #History #Technology #Engineering #SolarSystem #Exploration #JPL #UnitedStates #Artemis #JourneyToMars #STEM #Education

Artemis I Moon Rocket: Launch Pad Testing | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Artemis I Moon Rocket: Launch Pad Testing | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B illuminated by spotlights, Saturday, April 2, 2022, as the Artemis I launch team conducts the wet dress rehearsal test at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASA’s Artemis I flight test, the wet dress rehearsal will run the Artemis I launch team through operations to load propellant, conduct a full launch countdown, demonstrate the ability to recycle the countdown clock, and drain the tanks to practice timelines and procedures for launch. 

Artemis I launch is currently scheduled for spring 2022.

The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate NASA's commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.  It will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon over the course of about a three-week mission. Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.

Learn more about Artemis I at:

NASA's Artemis Program:

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

Read the Artemis Plan (74-page PDF Free Download): 

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/artemis_plan-20200921.pdf

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS)

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html

NASA's Orion Spacecraft

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/about/index.html

Image Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Image Date: April 2, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Space #Moon #Spotlights #Testing #Artemis #ArtemisI #Orion #Spacecraft #SLS #Boeing #Rocket #DeepSpace #LockheedMartin #Orion #Spacecraft #Astronauts #Mars #JourneyToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #Exploration #SolarSystem #KSC #Kennedy #Florida #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Artemis I: KSC Aerial View | NASA Astronauts Sunita & Matthew

Artemis I Moon Rocket: KSC Aerial View | NASA Astronauts Sunita & Matthew

NASA Artemis Astronaut Matthew Dominick: "Suni and I flew into NASA's Kennedy Space Center with a view of this giant moon rocket on the pad. People from around the world worked to get this rocket on the pad and now they are working through the weekend to get this beast through final testing."

Artemis I launch is currently scheduled for spring 2022.

NASA Astronaut Sunita L. Williams Official NASA Biography

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/sunita-l-williams/biography

Sunita L. Williams (Suni) was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998 and is a veteran of two space missions Expeditions 14/15 and 32/33. She is currently training for the first post-certification mission of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft—the second crewed flight for that vehicle—and her third long duration mission aboard the International Space Station.

NASA Artemis Astronaut Matthew Dominick Official NASA Biography

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-team/

Matthew Stuart Dominick (born December 7, 1981; LCDR, USN) is a US Navy test pilot and a NASA astronaut candidate of the class of 2017. He has more than 1,600 hours of flight time in 28 aircraft, 400 carrier-arrested landings, 61 combat missions, and almost 200 flight test carrier landings. Matthew is part of an initial team of NASA astronauts—the Artemis Team—to help pave the way for the next lunar missions including sending the first woman and next man to walk on the lunar surface.

The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate NASA's commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.  It will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon over the course of about a three-week mission. Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.

Learn more about Artemis I at:

NASA's Artemis Program:

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

Read the Artemis Plan (74-page PDF Free Download): 

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/artemis_plan-20200921.pdf

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS)

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html

NASA's Orion Spacecraft

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/about/index.html

Image Credit: Matthew Dominick/Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Date: April 1, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Space #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisI #Rocket #Orion #Spacecraft #SLS #Astronauts #SuniWilliams #MatthewDominick #USN #Pilots #Aviators #NorthropT38Talon #T38 #DeepSpace #Astronauts #Mars #JourneyToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #Exploration #SolarSystem #LaunchComplex39B #Aerial #KSC #Kennedy #Florida #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Mars: Reminiscent of The American West | NASA's Perseverance Rover

Mars: Reminiscent of The American West | NASA's Perseverance Rover

This new panoramic view from NASA's Perseverance Rover of a stark Martian landscape is like a scene from a classic American western film or similar to views of Spain's Tabernas Desert—but without vegetation. You can almost imagine dramatic soundtrack elements from Italian composer, Ennio Morricone, playing in the background like those featured in Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). 

When will the first feature-length "films" be made on Mars?

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020    

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

Mars Helicopter (Ingenuity) is now in an operations demo phase.

For more about Perseverance:

mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

nasa.gov/perseverance

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Kevin M. Gill

Mars2020 - Sol 395 - Mastcam-Z

Release Date: March 18, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #Jezero #Crater #Perseverance #Rover #Sol395 #Western #Films #SergioLeone #EnnioMorricone #History #Music #Culture #Robotics #Technology #Engineering #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #Artemis #JourneyToMars #STEM #Education

Tonight's Sky: April 2022

 Tonight's Sky: April 2022

Clear April nights are filled with starry creatures. Near the Big Dipper, you will find several interesting binary stars. You can also spot galaxies like the Pinwheel Galaxy, M82, and M96—the last of which is an asymmetric galaxy that may have been gravitationally disrupted by encounters with its neighbors. Keep watching for space-based views of these celestial objects.

About this Series

“Tonight’s Sky” is a monthly video of constellations you can observe in the night sky. The series is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope, in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning.

Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Duration: 5 minutes

Release Date: March 29, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Hubble #Space #Science #Skywatching #Galaxies #Pinwheel #M101 #M82 #M96 #Earth #Moon #Planets #Saturn #Venus #Mars #Jupiter #SolarSystem #Stars #BigDipper #Mizar #Alcor #Binary #DoubleStar #UrsaMajor #Leo #Constellations #MilkyWay #Galaxy #STScI #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #Skywatching #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The President’s Budget and the State of NASA | This Week @NASA

The President’s Budget and the State of NASA | This Week @NASA

This Week @NASA – April 1, 2022: What the President’s budget means for NASA, a record-setting astronaut returns safely to Earth, and the next Commercial Crew mission to the space station . . . a few of the stories to tell you about—This Week at NASA!

0:00 Introduction

0:14 The President’s Budget and the State of NASA

1:21 Record-Setting U.S. Astronaut Returns to Earth

1:47 NASA Previews SpaceX Crew-4 Mission

2:16 Final Test Ahead of Artemis I Moon Mission

2:43 Hubble Spots Farthest Star Ever Seen

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 

Producer: Andre Valentine

Editor: Sonnet Apple

Music: Universal Production Music

Duration: 3 minutes, 38 seconds

Release Date: April 1, 2022

#NASA #Space #SpaceX #CrewDragon #CCP #Budget #BillNelson #ISS #Astronaut #MarkVandeHei #Cosmonauts #AntonShkaplerov #PyotrDubrov #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Soyuz #Spacecraft #Science #Technology #Engineering #Research #Laboratory #Russia #Россия #Kazakhstan #космонавт #UnitedStates #Expedition66 #International #Human #Spaceflight #CommercialCrew #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Happy Trails: NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Looks Back | JPL

Happy Trails: NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Looks Back | JPL 

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover looks back at its wheel tracks on March 17, 2022, the 381st Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is trying to cover more distance in a single month than any rover before it—and it is doing so using artificial intelligence. On the path ahead are sandpits, craters, and fields of sharp rocks that the rover will have to navigate around on its own. At the end of the 3-mile (5-kilometer) journey, which began March 14, 2022, Perseverance will reach an ancient river delta within Jezero Crater, where a lake existed billions of years ago.

This delta is one of the best locations on Mars for the rover to look for signs of past microscopic life. Using a drill on the end of its robotic arm and a complex sample collection system in its belly, Perseverance is collecting rock cores for return to Earth—the first part of the Mars Sample Return campaign.

“The delta is so important that we’ve actually decided to minimize science activities and focus on driving to get there more quickly,” said Ken Farley of Caltech, Perseverance’s project scientist. “We’ll be taking lots of images of the delta during that drive. The closer we get, the more impressive those images will be.”

 A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).

Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with European Space Agency (ESA), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.

JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020    

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

Mars Helicopter (Ingenuity) is now in an operations demo phase.

For more about Perseverance:

mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

nasa.gov/perseverance

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Release Date: March 18, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #Jezero #Crater #Perseverance #Rover #Sol381 #Ingenuity #Helicopter #Robotics #Technology #Engineering #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #STEM #Education

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Captures Puff, Whir, Zap Sounds from Mars | JPL

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Captures Puff, Whir, Zap Sounds from Mars | JPL

Listen closely to new sounds from Mars recorded by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover, including puffs and pings from a rover tool, light Martian wind, the whirring of the agency's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, and laser zaps. Most of the sounds – best heard through headphones with the sound up – were recorded using the microphone belonging to Perseverance’s SuperCam instrument, mounted on the head of the rover’s mast. Other sounds, including the puffs and pings from the rover’s Gaseous Dust Removal Tool, or gDRT, blowing shavings off rock faces, were recorded by another microphone mounted on the chassis of the rover. 

A new study based on recordings made by the rover reveals that the speed of sound is slower on the Red Planet than on Earth and that, mostly, a deep silence prevails in the much thinner atmosphere. For more information on the study go to: 

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/what-sounds-captured-by-nasas-perseverance-rover-reveal-about-mars

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020    

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

Mars Helicopter (Ingenuity) is now in an operations demo phase.

For more about Perseverance go to mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ and nasa.gov/perseverance.

Credit: NASA/ JPL-Caltech / ASU / MSSS / LANL / CNES / IRAP

Duration: 1 minute, 29 seconds

Release Date: April 1, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Atmosphere #Wind #Astrobiology #Geology #Jezero #Crater #Perseverance #Rover #gDRT #Audio #Sound #Microphone #Ingenuity #Helicopter #Robotics #Technology #Engineering #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Astronaut Mark Vande Hei Arrives in Houston

 NASA Astronaut Mark Vande Hei Arrives in Houston

After a record-setting 355-day mission to the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei arrives to Ellington Field in Houston on Thursday, March 31, 2022, following his return to Earth on Wednesday, March 30. Vande Hei now holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by an American. His extended mission will provide researchers the opportunity to observe the effects of long-duration spaceflight on humans as the agency plans to return to the Moon under the Artemis program and prepare for exploration of Mars.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: March 31, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Astronaut #MarkVandeHei #Cosmonauts #AntonShkaplerov #PyotrDubrov #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Soyuz #Spacecraft #MS19 #Science #Technology #Engineering #Research #Laboratory #Russia #Россия #Kazakhstan #космонавт #UnitedStates #Expedition66 #International #Human #Spaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Space to Ground: Back to the World

NASA's Space to Ground: Back to the World

Week of April 1, 2022: NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Expedition 67 is officially underway following Wednesday’s undocking of three International Space Station crew members. Meanwhile, the seven orbital residents had a full schedule of human research and lab maintenance tasks on Thursday, March 31, 2022.

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei returned to Houston on Thursday, following his landing in Kazakhstan on Wednesday at 7:28 a.m. EDT with cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov. The trio undocked from the station’s Rassvet module in their Soyuz MS-19 crew ship just over four hours earlier officially ending the Expedition 66 mission.

The station’s new commander, NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn, assumed command of the station from Shkaplerov the day before and will lead Expedition 67 until his departure. 

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. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Expedition 67 Crew 

New Commander: Thomas Marshburn

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Sergey Korsakov, Oleg Artemyev, and Denis Matveev

European Space Agency (ESA) Flight Engineer Matthias Maurer (DLR/German Aerospace Center)

NASA (U.S.) Flight Engineers: Raja Chari & Kayla Barron

Learn more about the important research being operated on the International Space Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) Education

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 2 minutes, 43 seconds

Release Date: April 1, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Astronauts #Astronaut #MarkVandeHei #ThomasMarshburn #Cosmonaut #AntonShkaplerov #ESA #Europe #FlightEngineers #Science #Technology #Engineering #Research #Laboratory #Soyuz #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Russia #Россия #UnitedStates #Expedition67 #Human #Spaceflight #International #STEM #Education #HD #Video

What's Up for April 2022: Skywatching Tips from NASA

What's Up for April 2022: Skywatching Tips from NASA

What are some skywatching highlights in April 2022? 

The gathering of planets in the morning sky increases from three to four, as Jupiter joins the party. Two close conjunctions—between Mars and Saturn, and Venus and Jupiter—provide highlights at the beginning and end of the month. And the Big Dipper hosts a surprise: a double star you just might be able to "split" with your own eyes.

0:00 Intro

0:09 Morning planets & TWO conjunctions!

1:28 The Big Dipper's hidden "double star"

3:09 April moon phases

Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Duration: 3 minutes, 32 seconds

Date: March 31, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Skywatching #Earth #Moon #Planets #Saturn #Venus #Mars #Jupiter #SolarSystem #Stars #BigDipper #Mizar #Alcor #Binary #DoubleStar #Constellations #MilkyWay #Galaxy #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 News Conference | International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 News Conference | International Space Station

March 31, 2022: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts discuss their upcoming mission to the International Space Station and take questions from media. The mission will carry NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins as well as European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket to the space station. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Wednesday, April 20, 2022.

Samantha Cristoforetti's Biography (ESA)

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Astronauts/Samantha_Cristoforetti

Jessica Watkins' Biography (NASA)

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/jessica-watkins/biography

Kjell Lindgren's Biography (NASA)

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/kjell-n-lindgren/biography

Robert Hines' Biography (NASA)

https://www.nasa.gov/content/bob-hines-nasa-astronaut

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. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

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

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 57 minutes

Release Date: March 31, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #Dragon #CrewDragon #SpaceXCrew4 #Astronauts #LaunchAmerica #Commercial #CCP #Science #Technology #Kennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #Photography #STEM #Education #SamanthaCristoforetti #JessicaWatkins #KjellLindgren #RobertHines #Human #Spaceflight #UnitedStates #Europe #Russia #Japan #Canada #JSC #Expedition67 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

SpaceX Starship Super Heavy: New Graphical Images & Data

SpaceX Starship Super Heavy: New Graphical Images & Data

"SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket (collectively referred to as Starship) represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond. Starship will be the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, with the ability to carry in excess of 100 metric tonnes to Earth orbit."

Key Parameters:

Height: 120m/394ft

Diameter: 9m/30ft

Payload to LEO: 100+t/220+klb

Capabilities:

Satellites: "Starship is designed to deliver satellites further and at a lower marginal cost per launch than our current Falcon vehicles. With a payload compartment larger than any fairing currently in operation or development, Starship creates possibilities for new missions, including space telescopes even larger than the James Webb."

Landing on Mars: "Starship will enter Mars’ atmosphere at 7.5 kilometers per second and decelerate aerodynamically. The vehicle’s heat shield is designed to withstand multiple entries, but given that the vehicle is coming into Mars' atmosphere so hot, we still expect to see some ablation of the heat shield (similar to wear and tear on a brake pad)."

Starship's Engines: Raptors

"The Raptor engine is a reusable methalox staged-combustion engine that powers the Starship launch system. Raptor engines began flight testing on the Starship prototype rockets in July 2019, becoming the first full-flow staged combustion rocket engine ever flown."

Raptor Engine Parameters:

Diameter: 1.3m/4ft

Height: 3.1m/10.2ft

Thrust: 230tf/500 klbf

First Lunar Private Mission

"In 2023, Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa and the crew of dearMoon will become the first civilian passengers on a lunar Starship mission, featuring a fly-by of the Moon during their week-long journey. This flight is an important step toward enabling access for people who dream of traveling to space."

Download the Free Starship User Guide (PDF): 

https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf

Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX)

Release Date: March 16, 2022

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