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Very Large Telescope (VLT): Top 5 Science Results of Past 25 Years | ESO
The first episode of Chasing Starlight brings you the top 5 science results made with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). The VLT is one of the most powerful optical telescopes on the planet and this year marks its 25th anniversary. Join ESO astronomer Suzanna Randall to learn about these results.
00:00 Introduction
01:47 Helping establish the accelerated expansion of the Universe
04:02 Observing first light from a gravitational-wave source
06:30 Studying interstellar objects
09:11 Taking the first image of an exoplanet
12:52 Confirming a supermassive compact object at the Milky Way's center
Recap: Ax-2 Mission Launch to International Space Station Docking | Axiom Space
The crew of Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) launched from the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station on Sunday, May 21st, 2023, at 5:37pm ET. Follow their journey from launch day to the start of their eight-day mission aboard the orbiting laboratory at axiomspace.com
Mission Commander Peggy Whitson (United States) Axiom Space Biography
"Axiom Space is guided by the vision of a thriving home in space that benefits every human, everywhere. The leader in providing space infrastructure as a service, Axiom offers end-to-end missions to the International Space Station today while privately developing its successor – a permanent commercial destination in Earth’s orbit that will sustain human growth off the planet and bring untold benefits back home."
NASA's Espacio A Tierra | Saltando en vuelo: 19 de mayo de 2023
Espacio a Tierra, la versión en español de las cápsulas Space to Ground de la NASA, te informa semanalmente de lo que está sucediendo en la Estación Espacial Internacional.
Surprisingly STEM: Thermal Blanket Technician Paula Cain | NASA Goddard
You will surely get wrapped-up in this episode of Surprisingly STEM featuring Paula Cain, a thermal blanket technician at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. She covers why things sent into space need to be protected by a thermal blanket, and shares how two of her passions—fashion design and Star Trek—were interwoven into an exciting career at NASA!
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)
We are launching STEM Engagement to new heights with learning resources that connect teachers, students, parents and caregivers to the inspiring work at NASA. Join us as we apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics to explore space, improve aeronautics, examine Earth and strive to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon with the Artemis program.
Expedition 69 Crew NASA Astronauts Talks with Media | International Space Station
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 69 Flight Engineers Stephen Bowen, Frank Rubio, and Woody Hoburg of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview May 24, 2023 with the Associated Press and NBC6 Miami. Bowen, Rubio, and Hoburg are in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.
Station Commander: Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin & Andrey Fedyaev
Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
NASA: Flight Engineers Frank Rubio, Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg
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.
The Impact of NASA's DART Asteroid Mission: Altered Orbit | Johns Hopkins APL
In this video, the DART team looks back on the success of the world's first Planetary Defense test mission.
"If an asteroid one day is discovered heading for the Earth, what would you do?" The impetus for the DART mission was to answer that question, says Andy Cheng, DART investigation team lead.
Developed and led for NASA by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab (APL), DART demonstrated the planetary defense technique known as kinetic impact on Sept. 26, 2022. The DART spacecraft slammed into the moon of an asteroid and shifted its orbit, taking a critical step in demonstrating ways to protect our planet from a potentially hazardous impact. DART used an autonomous targeting system to aim itself at Dimorphos. The spacecraft, roughly the size of a small car, struck the smaller body at about 4 miles per second. Telescopes on Earth observed the asteroid system and measured the change in Dimorphos’ orbit around Didymos. A ride-along CubeSat named LICIACube, built by the Italian Space Agency, separated from DART before impact to observe the collision.
Prior to DART’s impact, it took Dimorphos 11 hours and 55 minutes to orbit its larger parent asteroid, Didymos. Since DART’s intentional collision with Dimorphos on Sept. 26, astronomers have been using telescopes on Earth to measure how much that time has changed. Now, the investigation team has confirmed the spacecraft’s impact altered Dimorphos’ orbit around Didymos by 32 minutes, shortening the 11 hour and 55-minute orbit to 11 hours and 23 minutes. This measurement has a margin of uncertainty of approximately plus or minus 2 minutes.
Before its encounter, NASA had defined a minimum successful orbit period change of Dimorphos as change of 73 seconds or more. This early data show DART surpassed this minimum benchmark by more than 25 times.
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory manages the DART mission for NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office as a project of the agency’s Planetary Missions Program Office.
Russian Progress MS-23 Cargo Spacecraft Launch | International Space Station
A Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket launched the Progress MS-23 spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station (ISS Progress 84 mission) on May 24, 2023, at 8:56am ET from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Progress MS-23 will deliver about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 69 crew aboard the International Space Station.
Station Commander: Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin & Andrey Fedyaev
Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
NASA: Flight Engineers Frank Rubio, Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg
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 69 Station, Crew & Earth Photos: May 2023 | International Space Station
The SpaceX Freedom Dragon crew ship with four Axiom Mission-2 private astronauts aboard approaches the International Space Station. Freedom, commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, with Pilot John Shoffner (USA) and Mission Specialists Ala Alqarni (Saudi Arabia) and Rayyanah Barnawi (Saudi Arabia).
Astronaut Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates inside the seven window cupola
Astronaut Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates observes a free-flying Astrobee robotic assistant
Astronauts Frank Rubio of NASA and Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates
Astronaut Stephen Bowen of NASA installs student-made hardware
Astronaut Stephen Bowen of NASA works on life support hardware
Station Commander: Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin & Andrey Fedyaev
Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
NASA: Flight Engineers Frank Rubio, Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg
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.
Fifth in line from the Sun, Jupiter is, by far, the largest planet in the solar system—more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined. Jupiter has more than 75 moons.
Jupiter has a long history of surprising scientists—all the way back to 1610 when Galileo Galilei found the first moons beyond Earth. This discovery changed the way we see the universe. Jupiter's familiar stripes and swirls are actually cold, windy clouds of ammonia and water, floating in an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium.
Jupiter's moon Io is the most volcanically active world in the solar system, with hundreds of volcanoes, some erupting lava fountains dozens of miles (or kilometers) high. Io is caught in a tug-of-war between Jupiter's massive gravity and the smaller but precisely timed pulls from two neighboring moons that orbit farther from Jupiter—Europa and Ganymede.
Juno Mission Profile
Launched: Aug. 5, 2011
Arrival at Jupiter: July 4, 2016
Goal: Understand origin and evolution of Jupiter, look for solid planetary core, map magnetic field, measure water and ammonia in deep atmosphere, observe auroras.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) manages the Juno mission for NASA. The mission's principal investigator is Scott Bolton of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The mission is part of NASA's New Frontiers Program, managed at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver built the spacecraft.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)/Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS)
The Pillars of Creation | NASA Chandra & Webb (X-ray & Infrared View)
Messier 16, also known as the Eagle Nebula, is a famous region of the sky often referred to as the “Pillars of Creation.” The Webb image shows the dark columns of gas and dust shrouding the few remaining fledgling stars just being formed. The Chandra sources, which look like dots, are young stars that give off copious amounts of X-rays. (X-ray: red, blue; infrared: red, green, blue)
The Eagle Nebula, also called M16, and often referred to as the "Pillars of Creation." Here, tall columns of gray gas and dust emerge from the bottom edge of the image, stretching toward our upper right. Backed by dark orange mist, the cloudy gray columns are surrounded by dozens of soft, glowing, pink and purple dots; massive stars emitting enormous amounts of X-rays. The shapes, hints of movement, and colors in this composite rendering create a dream-like image. The misty orange background suggests a dusky sky, and the glowing pink and purple stars resemble fireflies. Churning with turbulent gas and dust, the columns lean to our right with small offshoots pointing in the same direction. These details evoke an image of yearning cloud creatures at dusk, pointing at something just out of frame.
Credit: X-ray: Chandra: NASA/CXC/SAO, XMM: ESA/XMM-Newton; IR: JWST: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI, Spitzer: NASA/JPL/CalTech; Optical: Hubble: NASA/ESA/STScI, ESO; Image Processing: L. Frattare, J. Major, and K. Arcand
Spiral Galaxy NGC 1672 | NASA Chandra & Webb (X-ray & Infrared View)
NGC 1672 is a spiral galaxy, but one that astronomers categorize as a “barred” spiral. In regions close to their centers, the arms of barred spiral galaxies are mostly in a straight band of stars across the center that encloses the core, as opposed to other spirals that have arms that twist all the way to their core. The Chandra data reveals compact objects like neutron stars or black holes pulling material from companion stars as well as the remnants of exploded stars. Additional data from Hubble (optical light) helps fill out the spiral arms with dust and gas, while Webb data shows dust and gas in the galaxy’s spiral arms. (X-ray: purple; optical: red, green, blue; infrared: red, green, blue)
Image Description: Shown face on, this spiral galaxy has two major arms curving away from the bright swirling light at its core. One arm extends to our lower left with a gentle upward curve. The other extends to our upper right with a curve reminiscent of a question mark. Both arms have a cloudy, silver blue quality, and are dotted with bright white and purple stars of varying sizes. In this galaxy, categorized as a "barred" spiral, the arms do not appear to reach the bright core. The space around the bright pinkish core is a swirl of murky, pale silver cloud.
Star Cluster NGC 346 | NASA Chandra & Webb (X-ray & Infrared View)
NGC 346 is a star cluster in a nearby galaxy, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), about 200,000 light-years from Earth. Webb shows plumes and arcs of gas and dust that stars and planets use as source material during their formation. The purple cloud on the left seen with Chandra is the remains of a supernova explosion from a massive star. The Chandra data also reveals young, hot, and massive stars that send powerful winds outward from their surfaces. Additional data from Hubble and Spitzer is included, along with supporting data from XMM-Newton and the European Southern Observatory’s New Technology Telescope. (X-ray: purple and blue; infrared/optical: red, green, blue)
Image Description: Here, thousands of specks of light blanket the blackness of space. A ribbon of thick orange cloud runs along the bottom edge of the image, rounds our lower right corner, and streaks up the right side. A similar patch of roiling orange cloud can be found near our upper left. Between these gas plumes, centered near the top of the image, the star cluster is densely packed with specks of white, blue, and purple light. At our left, a large, bright white, gleaming dot is surrounded by purple mist. This is a hot, young, massive star, sending powerful winds outward from its surface. A patch of smaller dots, other young stars, can be found inside a faint purple mist near the center of the image.
Credit: X-ray: Chandra: NASA/CXC/SAO, XMM: ESA/XMM-Newton; IR: JWST: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI, Spitzer: NASA/JPL/CalTech; Optical: Hubble: NASA/ESA/STScI, ESO; Image Processing: L. Frattare, J. Major, and K. Arcand
NASA Artemis V Moon Rocket Engine Test | Preparing for Crewed Missions
An Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 rocket engine was tested on the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly A-1 Test Stand) at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, on May 23, 2023, at 2:48pm ET. This was the eighth hot fire test in a planned 12-test series of the newly redesigned RS-25 engines that will be used beginning with Artemis V. The test had a planned duration of 500 seconds, the same amount of time the engines must fire during an actual flight of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS).
Lead contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne is using advanced manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing, to reduce the cost and time needed to build new engines for use on missions beginning with Artemis V. Four RS-25 engines help power SLS at launch, including on its Artemis missions to the Moon.
Through Artemis, NASA is returning humans, including the first woman and the first person of color, to the Moon to explore the lunar surface and prepare for flights to Mars. SLS is the only rocket capable of sending the agency’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.
For information about the Space Launch System, visit:
NASA's Chandra Observatory & Webb Telescope Combine for Arresting Views
Four composite images deliver dazzling views from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and James Webb Space Telescope of two galaxies, a nebula, and a star cluster. Each image combines Chandra’s X-rays—a form of high-energy light—with infrared data from previously released Webb images. Data from the Hubble Space Telescope and retired Spitzer Space Telescope, plus the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton and the European Southern Observatory’s New Technology Telescope is also used. While most of these wavelengths of light are invisible to the human eye, the data have been mapped to colors so we can explore these cosmic wonders and details within. The data in these images have been released to the public before, but this is the first time they have been combined in this way.
The images include NGC 346, a star cluster in a nearby galaxy, the Small Magellanic Cloud, about 200,000 light-years from Earth. Webb shows plumes and arcs of gas and dust that stars and planets use as source material during their formation. The purple cloud on the left seen with Chandra is the remains of a supernova explosion from a massive star. The Chandra data also reveals young, hot, and massive stars that send powerful winds outward from their surfaces.
NGC 1672 is a spiral galaxy, but one that astronomers categorize as a “barred” spiral. In regions close to their centers, the arms of barred spiral galaxies are mostly in a straight band of stars across the center that encloses the core, as opposed to other spirals that have arms that twist all the way to their core. The Chandra data reveals compact objects like neutron stars or black holes pulling material from companion stars as well as the remnants of exploded stars.
Messier 16, also known as the Eagle Nebula, is a famous region of the sky often referred to as the “Pillars of Creation.” The Webb image shows the dark columns of gas and dust shrouding the few remaining fledgling stars just being formed. The Chandra sources, which look like dots, are young stars that give off copious amounts of X-rays.
Messier 74 is also a spiral galaxy—like our Milky Way—that we see face-on from our vantage point on Earth. It is about 32 million light-years away. In the composite, Webb outlines gas and dust in the infrared while Chandra data spotlights high-energy activity from stars at X-ray wavelengths. Hubble optical data showcases additional stars and dust along the dust lanes.
China's Shenzhou-16 Crewed Mission: Launch Preparations | China Space Station
The Shenzhou-16 crewed spacecraft is set to head for the China Space Station over the coming days as a combination of the spacecraft and the carrier rocket has been moved to the launch site at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The deputy chief designer of the China Manned Space Program's Taikonaut System told CGTN that everything is proceeding well and they are ready for the next phase of launch preparations.
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