Ax-1 Tribute: First Private Crew Mission | International Space Station

Ax-1 Tribute: First Private Crew Mission | International Space Station

The Ax-1 crew members are home! Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada splashed down safely off the coast of Florida after 17 days in space. Here are a few images of their time aboard the International Space Station as the first all private crew mission. The crew conducted scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities.

Ax-1 Pilot Larry Connor

Ax-1 Mission Specialist Eytan Stibbe

Ax-1 Mission Specialist Mark Pathy

Ax-1 Commander Michael López-Alegría

Former NASA astronaut, Michael López-Alegría, is vice-president of business development for Axiom Space. López-Alegría has flown four times in space on space shuttle missions STS-73, STS-92, and STS-113. He was also the commander of the ISS Expedition 14, coming to and from the space station aboard a Russian Soyuz TMA-9.

More information about Axiom Space and the Ax-1 Mission can be found at www.axiomspace.com.

Credit: Axiom Space

Image Dates: April 13-25, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Axiom #AxiomSpace #Ax1 #SpaceX #CrewDragon #Spacecraft #Private #Commercial #Mission #Astronauts #MichaelLópezAlegría #Spain #Espana #LarryConnor #UnitedStates #EytanStibbe #Israel #MarkPathy #Canada #Science #Research #Kennedy #KSC #Florida #International #STEM #Education

NASA SpaceX Crew-4 Training: Behind the Scenes | Johnson Space Center

NASA SpaceX Crew-4 Training: Behind the Scenes | Johnson Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 training reel. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins, as well as European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, train for their long-duration mission to the International Space Station. Crew-4 will be the first spaceflight for Hines and Watkins and the second flight for Lindgren and Cristoforetti. 

Launch on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled for this week at Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The astronauts will conduct scientific research in areas such as materials science, health technologies, and plant science to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit.

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 the International Space Station (ISS):

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

Credit: NASA Video

Duration: 34 minutes

Release Date: April 18, 2022

#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #CrewDragon #Freedom #ISS #Astronaut #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #Human #Spaceflight #SpaceXCrew4 #JSC #Houston #Texas #UnitedStates #Science #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A Reflection Nebula, A Bok Globule & A Herbig Haro Object | Mayall Telescope

A Reflection Nebula, A Bok Globule & A Herbig Haro Object | Mayall Telescope

This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, United States. Also known as Barnard 175, vdB 152 is a reflection nebula atop of a dark Bok globule. Bok globules are isolated and relatively small dark nebulae, containing dense cosmic dust and gas from which star formation may take place. Embedded in the top right side of the nebula is the Herbig Haro object HH 450, a jet emitted from a newly forming star. The thin, red filaments in the upper-right corner of the image are the remnants of a supernova explosion. It is not yet clear whether or not the supernova remnant will collide with vdB 152. The image was generated with observations in the B (blue), V (green), I (yellow) and Hydrogen-Alpha (red) filters. In this image, North is down and East is to the right. 

Herbig–Haro (HH) objects are bright patches of nebulosity associated with newborn stars. They are formed when narrow jets of partially ionized gas ejected by stars collide with nearby clouds of gas and dust at several hundred kilometers per second. Herbig–Haro objects are commonly found in star-forming regions.

Credit: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage) and H. Schweiker (WIYN and NOIRLab/NSF/AURA)

Release Date: June 30, 2020

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebula #Nebulae #Reflection #BokGlobule #HerbigHaro #vdB152 #Barnard175 #Stars #Cepheus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #Optical #Mayall #Telescope #KittPeak #Observatory #Arizona #UnitedStates #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #STEM #Education

Hubble’s 32nd Year in Orbit | NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Hubble’s 32nd Year in Orbit | NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

The Hubble Space Telescope celebrated its 32nd year in orbit by premiering a stunning new Hubble image of a collection of five galaxies, known as Hickson Compact Group 40. Even after all these years, Hubble continues to uncover the mysteries of the universe. These are a few science achievements from Hubble’s latest year in orbit.

For more information, visit nasa.gov/hubble.

Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Paul Morris; Miranda Chabot

Music & Sound

“Fiber Optics” by Andrew Michael Britton [PRS] and David Stephen Goldsmith [PRS] via Atmosphere Music Ltd., and Universal Production Music.

Duration: 3 minutes, 41 seconds

Release Date: April 22, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Hubble #HubbleAnniversary #Galaxies #HicksonCompactGroup40 #Elliptical #Spiral #Lenticular #Collision #Galactic #Hydra #Constellation #Science #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

SpaceX Starlink Launch & Crew-4 Falcon | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX Starlink Launch & Crew-4 Falcon | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

On Thursday, April 21, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 53 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This was the 12th flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2, and now nine Starlink missions. Meanwhile, another SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is vertical with the company’s Crew Dragon atop for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission at Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watson, along with European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, will launch aboard Dragon, named Freedom by the Crew-4 crew, atop the Falcon 9 to the International Space Station (ISS). Launch is targeted for this week. The astronauts will conduct scientific research in areas such as materials science, health technologies, and plant science to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit.

Image Credit: SpaceX

Image Date: April 21, 2022

#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #Starlink #CrewDragon #Freedom #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronaut #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #Human #Spaceflight #Crew4 #CCP #LaunchComplex39A #Kennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Spacewalkers Oleg Artemyev & Denis Matveev | International Space Station

Spacewalkers Oleg Artemyev & Denis Matveev | International Space Station

Russian cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev of Roscosmos completed their major objectives in which they installed and connected a control panel for the European robotic arm, a 37-foot-long manipulator system mounted to the recently arrived Nauka multipurpose laboratory module on April 18, 2022. They also removed protective covers from the arm and installed handrails on Nauka. The arm will be used to move spacewalkers and payloads around the Russian segment of the station.

Artemyev and Matveev concluded their spacewalk after 6 hours and 37 minutes.

This was the fourth spacewalk in Artemyev’s career, and the first for Matveev. It will be the fourth spacewalk at the station in 2022 and the 249th spacewalk for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

During the next Russian spacewalk scheduled for Thursday, April 28, the duo will jettison thermal blankets used to protect the arm during its July 2021 launch with Nauka. They will also flex the arm’s joints, release launch restraints, and monitor the arm’s ability to use two grapple fixtures.

Additional spacewalks are planned to continue outfitting the European robotic arm and to activate Nauka’s airlock for future spacewalks.

Two spacewalkers from Roscosmos are pictured on either side of the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module as the International Space Station (ISS) orbits 260 miles above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Conakry, the capitol of Guinea. 

Cosmonauts (from left) Denis Matveev and Oleg Artemyev worked outside the station's Russian segment for six hours and 37 minutes outfitting Nauka and configuring the European robotic arm.

Cosmonauts (from left) Denis Matveev and Oleg Artemyev 

Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev waves to the camera while working outside the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module 

Expedition 66/67 Integrated Crew (April 2022)

Commander: Thomas Marshburn (NASA-U.S.)

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Oleg Artemyev, Sergey Korsakov, 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 (ISS):

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

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.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Date: April 18, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #OlegArtemyev #DenisMatveev #ESA #Europe #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Russia #Россия #FlightEngineers #Science #Technology #Engineering #Human #Spaceflight #Research #Laboratory #UnitedStates #International #Expedition67 #STEM #Education

NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams: Changing Your Perspective | Johnson Space Center

NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams: Changing Your Perspective | Johnson Space Center

In this episode of "Down to Earth", veteran astronaut Sunita 'Suni' Williams sits down with environmental studies student, Adrien Prouty, to discuss her previous missions, and what it was like to view our home planet from 250-miles up.

Sunita L. Williams (Suni) was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998 and is a veteran of two International Space Station (ISS) missions: Expeditions 14/15 and 32/33. Williams has spent a total of 322 days in space. 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 (ISS).

NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams Official Biography

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

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/williams-s.pdf

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 6 minutes

Release Date: April 22, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Astronaut #Astronauts #SunitaWilliams #Pilot #Helicopter #USNavy #DownToEarth #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #Boeing #Starliner #HumanSpaceflight #AdrienProuty #JSC #Houston #Texas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

SpaceX Crew-3 Astronauts in Dragon Spacesuits | International Space Station

SpaceX Crew-3 Astronauts in Dragon Spacesuits | International Space Station

The four commercial crew astronauts representing the SpaceX Crew-3 mission are pictured in their Dragon spacesuits for a fit check aboard the International Space Station's Harmony module. From left, are European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer, and NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron.

Clockwise from bottom, are NASA astronaut Raja Chari; European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer; and NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron.

Expedition 66/67 Integrated Crew (April 2022)

Commander: Thomas Marshburn (NASA-U.S.)

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Oleg Artemyev, Sergey Korsakov, 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 (ISS):

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

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.

Credit: NASA's Johnson's Space Center (JSC)

Image Date: April 21, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Astronauts #SpaceXCrew3 #CrewDragon #Spacesuits #TomMarshburn #KaylaBarron #RajaChari #MatthiasMauer #ESA #Europe #DLR #Germany #Deutschland #FlightEngineers #Science #Technology #Engineering #Human #Spaceflight #Research #Laboratory #UnitedStates #Expedition66 #Expedition67 #STEM #Education

A New Astronaut Crew for the International Space Station | This Week@NASA

A New Astronaut Crew for the International Space Station | This Week@NASA

Week of April 22, 2022: NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts prepare for launch, an update on our Artemis I mega Moon rocket and spacecraft, and celebrating our home planet for Earth Day—just a few of the stories to tell you about This Week at NASA!

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 3 minutes, 45 seconds

Release Date: April 22, 2022

#NASA #Space #ArtemisI #Artemis #SpaceX #SpaceXCrew4 #ISS #CrewDragon #Spacecraft #Freedom #Earth #EarthDay #EarthDay2022 #Science #Technology #Engineering #UnitedStates #LaunchAmerica #CCP #CommercialCrewProgram #Human #Spaceflight #Expedition67 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Happy Earth Day from NASA's Moon Rocket Artemis I | Kennedy Space Center

Happy Earth Day from NASA's Artemis I Moon Rocket | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s Artemis 1 on Launch Pad 39B consisting of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher, Thursday, April 21, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

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/Aubrey Gemignani

Image Date: April 21, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Space #Moon #Earth #EarthDay #EarthDay2022 #Artemis #ArtemisI #Rocket #Orion #Spacecraft #SLS #Boeing #DeepSpace #LockheedMartin #Astronauts #Mars #JourneyToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #Exploration #SolarSystem #LaunchComplex39B #KSC #Kennedy #Florida #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

SpaceX Crew-4: Ready for Launch | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX Crew-4: Ready for Launch | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts, from left, Jessica Watson, Bob Hines, and Kjell Lindgren, and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy stand inside the crew access arm at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A during a dry dress rehearsal on April 20, 2022.

Named Freedom by the Crew-4 crew, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon will carry the astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP). Liftoff, powered by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, is targeted for no earlier than 4:15 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. Crew-4 will be the first spaceflight for Hines and Watkins and the second flight for Lindgren and Cristoforetti. 

Credit: SpaceX

Image Date: April 20, 2022

#NASA #Space #SpaceX #SpaceXCrew4 #ISS #CrewDragon #Spacecraft #Freedom #Science #Technology #Engineering #UnitedStates #LaunchAmerica #CCP #CommercialCrewProgram #Human #Spaceflight #Expedition67 #STEM #Education

Earth from Orbit: NOAA Satellites Celebrate Earth Day 2022

Earth from Orbit: NOAA Satellites Celebrate Earth Day 2022!

Throughout history, humans have wondered what Earth looked like from above.

The Mesopotamians believed the world was a flat disk floating in an ocean, while Hindu mythology says the Earth is supported by four elephants standing on the back of a giant turtle. Others imagined the world as part of a giant tree, among other ideas.

The ancient Greeks first suggested the world was spherical, and Ptolemy is credited as the first to conceive of the world in mathematical terms, publishing his treatise Geographia in AD 150. By the Middle Ages, the belief in a spherical Earth in Europe was relatively widespread. 

With the birth of the space age, our actual view of the planet from above has changed as well. From blurry images that were stitched together with no frame of reference as to where they were looking, to today’s modern high resolution imagery, our perspective and ideas about what makes the world go round are constantly changing and improving. 

Since 1970–also the year of the first official Earth Day–National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites have been monitoring Earth’s weather, environment, oceans, and climate, building upon early pioneering efforts by NASA and others. They provide critical information that feeds forecasts and warns us of severe weather and environmental hazards. NOAA operates two primary types of satellites: geostationary and polar-orbiting.

Credits:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA)

Music: 

“Simple Plans,” by Sam Hamilton [PRS]; Volta Music; Universal Production Music

Credit: NOAA Satellites

Duration: 2 minutes, 16 seconds

Release Date: April 22, 2022

#NASA #NOAA #Earth #EarthDay #OrbitalPerspective #Satellites #Planet #Atmosphere #Weather #Meteorology #Envionment #Climate #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #Oceans #Science #Technology #UnitedStates #STEM #History #Humanity #Education #HD #Video

Happy Earth Day! | Axiom Space 1 Mission | International Space Station

Happy Earth Day! | Axiom Space 1 Mission | International Space Station

Axiom 1 Mission Commander Michael López-Alegría: "Going to space is an amazing adventure, but more than anything else it offers perspective in the most literal sense. You see the world differently and come home with a new frame of reference- a new way of looking at the world. We are all far more alike than we are different."

As the International Space Station orbits Earth, its four pairs of solar arrays soak up the sun’s energy to provide electrical power for the numerous research and science investigations conducted every day, as well as the continued operations of the orbiting platform.

Former NASA astronaut, Michael López-Alegría, is vice-president of business development for Axiom Space. López-Alegría has flown four times in space already on space shuttle missions STS-73, STS-92, and STS- 113. He was also the commander of International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 14, coming to and from the space station aboard a Russian Soyuz TMA-9.

Ax-1 crew members Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada are on a 10-day space mission. The crew is spending over eight days on the International Space Station conducting scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities.

Learn more about Ax-1 at Axiom Space: https://www.axiomspace.com

Credit: Michael López-Alegría/Axiom Space

Image Date: April 21, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #EarthDay #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #AxiomSpace #Ax1 #PlvsVltra #FurtherBeyond #PrivateMission #Astronauts #MichaelLópezAlegría #Spain #Espana #España #UnitedStates #Science #Technology #SolarArrays #RenewableEnergy #STEM #Education

NASA's Space to Ground: Home: Week of April 22, 2022

NASA's Space to Ground: Home | Week of April 22, 2022

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

The four private astronauts from Axiom Space are now due to depart the International Space Station on Saturday night, April 23, 2022 and return to Earth the next day. Four commercial crew astronauts are also looking ahead to their mission aboard the orbiting lab set to begin after the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) crew departs.

NASA, SpaceX and Axiom Space are planning for the Ax-1 crew to undock from the station inside the Dragon Endeavour crew ship on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. EDT. Ax-1 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria will lead Pilot Larry Connor and Mission Specialists Mark Pathy and Eytan Stibbe back to Earth inside Endeavour for a splash down at 1:46 p.m. on Sunday off the coast of Florida.

The SpaceX Crew-4 mission awaits its launch date as mission managers monitor weather conditions at the Ax-1 splashdown site and review mission data after Endeavour’s return. The Falcon 9 rocket that will the launch the Crew-4 astronauts to space inside the Dragon Freedom crew ship successfully fired its nine Merlin engines on Wednesday during its static fire test. In the meantime, Crew-4 Commander Kjell Lindgren with Pilot Robert Hines and Mission Specialists Jessica Watkins and Samantha Cristoforetti, continue training for their mission while in quarantine at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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

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 Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 3 minutes, 25 seconds

Release Date: April 22, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #EarthDay #AxiomSpace #Ax1 #SpaceX #CrewDragon #SpaceXCrew4 #Spacecraft #Astronauts #Spain #Espana #UnitedStates #EytanStibbe #Israel #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Canada #Europe #ESA #Science #Research #Expedition67 #HD #Video

NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Starts New Science Campaign at River Delta | JPL

NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Starts New Science Campaign at River Delta | JPL

MSL - Sol 3447 - MAHLI | Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill | Release Date: April 18, 2022

MSL - Sol 3447 - MastCam | Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill | Release Date: April 19, 2022

MSL - Sol 3447 - MastCam | Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill | Release Date: April 19, 2022

MSL - Sol 3447 - MastCam | Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill | Release Date: April 19, 2022

Mars2020 - Sol 411 - Mastcam-Z | Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Kevin M. Gill | Image Date: April 18, 2022

MSL - Sol 3444 - MastCam | Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill | Image Date: April 17, 2022

MSL - Sol 3444 - MastCam | Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill | Image Date: April 17, 2022

MSL - Sol 3444 - MastCam | Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill | Image Date: April 17, 2022

After collecting eight rock-core samples from its first science campaign and completing a record-breaking, 31-Martian-day (or sol) dash across about 3 miles (5 kilometers) of Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover arrived at the doorstep of Jezero Crater’s ancient river delta April 13. Dubbed “Three Forks” by the Perseverance team (a reference to the spot where three route options to the delta merge), the location serves as the staging area for the rover’s second science expedition, the “Delta Front Campaign.”

“The delta at Jezero Crater promises to be a veritable geologic feast and one of the best locations on Mars to look for signs of past microscopic life,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “The answers are out there—and Team Perseverance is ready to find them.”

The delta, a massive fan-shaped collection of rocks and sediment at the western edge of Jezero Crater, formed at the convergence of a Martian river and a crater lake billions of years ago. Its exploration tops the Perseverance science team’s wish list because all the fine-grained sediment deposited at its base long ago is the mission’s best bet for finding the preserved remnants of ancient microbial life.

Using a drill on the end of its robotic arm and a complex sample collection system, Perseverance is gathering rock cores for return to Earth—the first part of the Mars Sample Return campaign.

“We’ve been eyeing the delta from a distance for more than a year while we explored the crater floor,” said Ken Farley, Perseverance project scientist at Caltech in Pasadena. “At the end of our fast traverse, we are finally able to get close to it, obtaining images of ever-greater detail revealing where we can best explore these important rocks.”

Caption Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

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

Image Release Dates: April 17-21, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #River #Delta #KodiakHill #Astrobiology #Geology #Jezero #Crater #Perseverance #Rover #Robotics #Technology #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #STEM #Education

View of SpaceX Dragon Endurance Crew Ship | International Space Station

View of SpaceX Dragon Endurance | International Space Station

The SpaceX Dragon Endurance crew ship is pictured from a window aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour crew ship. Endurance is docked to the Harmony module's forward-facing port while Endeavour is docked to Harmony's space-facing port on the International Space Station.

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.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Date: April 12, 2022

#NASA #Space #SpaceX #ISS #CrewDragon #Spacecraft #Endeavour #Endurance #DragonCrew3 #Science #Technology #Engineering #UnitedStates #LaunchAmerica #CommercialCrewProgram #CCP #Human #Spaceflight #Expedition66 #Expedition67 #STEM #Education