This week in 1966, the AS-203 rocket launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. This week in 1966, the AS-203 rocket launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The Apollo AS-203 mission was an uncrewed test of the vehicle’s second stage, the S-IVB stage, and the instrument unit of the Saturn V to obtain flight information under orbital conditions. The configuration of the Saturn IB was designed to match the Saturn V as closely as possible. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center designed, developed and managed the production of the Saturn I and the Saturn V rocket that took astronauts to the moon.
Today Marshall is developing NASA's Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket ever built, that will be capable of sending astronauts deeper into space than ever before, including to Mars.
The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological, and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space.
Image Credit: NASA
Image Date: July 5, 1966
Release Date: July 5, 2017#NASA #Space #Science #Apollo #Rocket #ApolloAS203 #SaturnIB #Moon #Lunar #SLS #SpaceLaunchSystem #Orion #Spacecraft #Mars #JourneyToMars #Human #Spaceflight #Kennedy #KSC #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #Exploration #SolarSystem #History #STEM #Education
This image from the Digitized Sky Survey shows spiral galaxy Messier 77 and its surroundings. Messier 77 appears at the center and the edge-on galaxy NGC 1055 to its upper-right.
Credit: NASA/ESA, Digitized Sky Survey 2
Release Date: July 5, 2017#ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxy #Messier77 #NGC1068 #Barred #Spiral #TypeII #Seyfert #NGC1055 #Cetus #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #VLT #Chile #Paranal #Observatory #Atacama #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education
July 5, 2017: ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has captured a magnificent face-on view of the barred spiral galaxy Messier 77. The image does justice to the galaxy’s beauty, showcasing its glittering arms criss-crossed with dust lanes—but it fails to betray Messier 77’s turbulent nature.
This picturesque spiral galaxy appears to be tranquil, but there is more to it than meets the eye. Messier 77 (also known as NGC 1068) is one of the closest active galaxies, which are some of the most energetic and spectacular objects in the Universe. Their nuclei are often bright enough to outshine the whole of the rest of the galaxy. Active galaxies are among the brightest objects in the Universe and emit light at most, if not all, wavelengths, from gamma rays and X-rays all the way to microwaves and radiowaves. Messier 77 is further classified as a Type II Seyfert galaxy, characterised by being particularly bright at infrared wavelengths.
This impressive luminosity is caused by intense radiation blasting out from a central engine—the accretion disc surrounding a supermassive black hole. Material that falls towards the black hole is compressed and heated up to incredible temperatures, causing it to radiate a tremendous amount of energy. This accretion disc is thought to be enshrouded by thick doughnut-shaped structure of gas and dust, called a “torus”. Observations of Messier 77 back in 2003 were the first to resolve such a structure using the powerful VLT Interferometer.
This image of Messier 77 was taken in four different wavelength bands represented by blue, red, violet and pink (hydrogen-alpha) colors. Each wavelength brings out a different quality: for example, the pinkish hydrogen-alpha highlights the hotter and younger stars forming in the spiral arms, while in red are the fine, thread-like filamentary structures in the gas surrounding Messier 77 [1]. A foreground Milky Way star is also seen beside the galaxy center, displaying tell-tale diffraction spikes. Additionally, many more distant galaxies are visible; sitting at the outskirts of the spiral arms, they appear tiny and delicate compared to the colossal active galaxy .
Located 47 million light-years away in the constellation of Cetus (The Sea Monster), Messier 77 is one of the most remote galaxies of the Messier catalogue. Initially, Messier believed that the highly luminous object he saw through his telescope was a cluster of stars, but as technology progressed its true status as a galaxy was realized. At approximately 100,000 light-years across, Messier 77 is also one of largest galaxies in the Messier catalogue—so massive that its gravity causes other nearby galaxies to twist and become warped [2].
This image was obtained using the FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph 2 (FORS2) instrument mounted on Unit Telescope 1 (Antu) of the VLT, located at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. It hails from ESO’s Cosmic Gems program, an outreach initiative that produces images of interesting, intriguing or visually attractive objects using ESO telescopes for the purposes of education and outreach.
Notes
[1] Similar red filaments are also found in NGC 1275. They are cool, despite being surrounded by a very hot gas at around 50 million degrees Celsius. The filaments are suspended in a magnetic field which maintains their structure and demonstrates how energy from the central black hole is transferred to the surrounding gas.
[2] NGC 1055 is located about 60 million light-years away. It is an edge-on galaxy, in contrast to Messier 77. This Astronomy Picture of the Day portrays both of them together, in a field of view about the size of the Moon (APOD).
Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Release Date: July 5, 2017
#ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxy #Messier77 #NGC1068 #Barred #Spiral #TypeII #Seyfert #Cetus #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #VLT #Chile #Paranal #Observatory #Atacama #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education
This true color image captured by NASA'S Cassini spacecraft before a distant flyby of Saturn's moon Titan on June 27, 2012, shows a south polar vortex, or a swirling mass of gas around the pole in the atmosphere of the moon.
The south pole of Titan (3,200 miles, or 5,150 kilometers, across) is near the center of the view.
Since Cassini arrived in the Saturn system in 2004, Titan has had a visible "hood" high above the north pole (see Haze Layers on Titan). It was northern winter at Cassini's arrival, and much of the high northern latitudes were in darkness. But the hood, an area of denser, high altitude haze compared to the rest of the moon's atmosphere, was high enough to be still illuminated by sunlight. The seasons have been changing since Saturn's August 2009 equinox signaled the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere and fall in the southern hemisphere for the planet and its many moons. Now the high southern latitudes are moving into darkness. The formation of the vortex at Titan's south pole may be related to the coming southern winter and the start of what will be a south polar hood.
These new, more detailed images are only possible because of Cassini's newly inclined orbits, which are the next phase of Cassini Solstice Mission. Previously, Cassini was orbiting in the equatorial plane of the planet, and the imaging team's images of the polar vortex between late March and mid-May were taken from over Titan's equator. At that time, images showed a brightening or yellowing of the detached haze layer on the limb, or edge of the visible disk of the moon, over the south polar region.
Scientists think these new images show open cell convection. In open cells, air sinks in the center of the cell and rises at the edge, forming clouds at cell edges. However, because the scientists can't see the layer underneath the layer visible in these new images, they don't know what mechanisms may be at work.
Cosmic ray hits on the camera detectors appear as bright dots in the black and white version of the image.
Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this natural color view. The images were obtained with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera late on June 26, 2012 at a distance of approximately 301,000 miles (484,000 kilometers) from Titan. Image scale is 2 miles (3 kilometers) per pixel.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado.
For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov .
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/Kevin M. Gill
Release Date: July 10, 2012#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Science #Space #Saturn #Planet #Titan #Moon #Atmosphere #Polar #Vortex #SouthPole #SolarSystem #Exploration #Cassini #Spacecraft #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #ASI #STEM #Education
NGC 6946 is a medium-sized, face-on spiral galaxy about 22 million light years away from Earth. In the past century, eight supernovas have been observed to explode in the arms of this galaxy. Chandra observations (purple) have, in fact, revealed three of the oldest supernovas ever detected in X-rays, giving more credence to its nickname of the "Fireworks Galaxy." This composite image also includes optical data from the Gemini Observatory in red, yellow, and cyan.
Image Credit:
X-ray: NASA/CXC/MSSL/R.Soria et al
Optical: AURA/Gemini OBs
Release Date: November 8, 2013
#NASA #Astronomy #Science #Space #NGC6946 #Galaxy #Fireworks #Supernova #Gemini #Observatory #Chandra #Xray #Observatory #Cosmos #Universe #STEM #Education
NASA astronaut and International Space Station commander Peggy Whitson is suited up in a U.S. spacesuit inside the crew lock portion of the U.S. Quest airlock preparing to exit the International Space Station on a contingency spacewalk. During the spacewalk on March 30 , 2017, which lasted two hours and 46 minutes, two astronauts successfully replaced a computer relay box, and installed a pair of antennas on station to enhance wireless communication for future spacewalks.
This was the 10th spacewalk for Whitson, who moves into third place all-time for cumulative spacewalking time, and the second for Jack Fischer.
For more information about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station.
Credit: NASA/JSC
Image Date: March 30 , 2017#NASA #ISS #Earth #Science #July4th #4thOfJuly #IndependenceDay #America #Spacewalk #EVA #Spacesuit #Astronaut #PeggyWhitson #Commander #Quest #Airlock #Human #Spaceflight #Expedition51 #UnitedStates #JSC #STEM
#Education
In 1984, Space Shuttle Discovery made its maiden spaceflight after launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. On board STS-41D was Judith Resnik, America’s second woman in space.
STS-41-D was the 12th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the first mission of Space Shuttle Discovery. It was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on August 30, 1984, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on September 5. Three commercial communications satellites were deployed into orbit during the six-day mission, and a number of scientific experiments were conducted. (Source: Wikipedia)
NASA offered Discovery to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum for public display and preservation, after a month-long decontamination process, as part of the national collection. Discovery replaced Enterprise in the Smithsonian's display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. (Source: Wikipedia)
Credit: NASA
Image Date: August 30, 1984#NASA #Space #Shuttle #Discovery #July4th #4thOfJuly #IndependenceDay #America #History #JudithResnik #Astronaut #Women #Human #Spaceflight #Expedition51 #Photography #UnitedStates #JSC #STEM
#Education
NASA astronaut Jack Fischer took this photograph of an American flag in one of the windows of the International Space Station's cupola, a dome-shaped module through which operations on the outside of the station can be observed and guided.
Throughout NASA's history, spacecraft and launch vehicles have always been decorated with flags. When Ed White became the first American astronaut to perform a spacewalk on June 3, 1965, his spacesuit was one of the first to be adorned with a flag patch. White's crewmate Jim McDivitt also wore a flag on his suit. The astronauts purchased the flags themselves, but following their flight, NASA made the flag patch a regular feature on the spacesuits. NASA astronauts still wear them today.
Image Credit: NASA
Release Date: June 14, 2017#NASA #ISS #Earth #Science #July4th #4thOfJuly #IndependenceDay #America #StarsAndStripes #History #Astronaut #JackFischer #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #Research #Laboratory #Microgravity #Technology #Engineering #JSC #UnitedStates #Photography #Expedition52 #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #STEM
#Education
U.S. Astronauts Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson wearing stars and stripes pose for a photo inside the space station module.
NASA astronauts Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson celebrated the Fourth of July from over 250 miles above Earth aboard the International Space Station. Fischer shared this photo on social media and said, "We sometimes have issues standing up straight, but we have no problems at all showing our American pride-Happy 4th!"
Image Credit: NASA
Release Date: July 4, 2017#NASA #ISS #Earth #Science #July4th #4thOfJuly #IndependenceDay #America #StarsAndStripes #History #Astronauts #JackFischer #PeggyWhitson #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #Research #Laboratory #Microgravity #Technology #Engineering #JSC #UnitedStates #Photography #Expedition52 #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #STEM
#Education
Congratulations to Jenni and Joshua on Canada Day 150!
Natives of Calgary and Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, are newest recruits
July 1, 2017 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named two new astronauts who will join Jeremy Hansen and David Saint-Jacques as part of Canada’s corps of space explorers. After a year-long evaluation, the Canadian Space Agency has selected Jenni Sidey and Joshua Kutryk from among 17 finalists and 3,772 applicants to be Canada’s newest astronauts.
Born in Calgary, Alberta, Dr. Jenni Sidey studied at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, where she was an engineer and lecturer until being recruited as an astronaut.
Biography of Dr. Jennifer (Jenni) Anne MacKinnon Sidey:
http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts/bio-jennifer-sidey.asp
Lieutenant-Colonel (LCol) Joshua Kutryk hails from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. He studied at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, as well as in Florida and Alabama. Prior to joining the Canadian Space Program, LCol Kutryk worked as an experimental test pilot and a fighter pilot in Cold Lake, Alberta, and as a CF-18 fighter pilot in Bagotville, Quebec.
Biography of Joshua Kutryk:
http://asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts/bio-joshua-kutryk.asp
Prime Minister Trudeau made the historic announcement on Parliament Hill during Canada Day celebrations to mark the nation’s 150th anniversary. He was joined by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, who is responsible for Canada’s space program.
The nation’s newest astronauts are being named as space agencies around the world identify options for future missions that go beyond the International Space Station.
These new recruits will be part of the next generation of space explorers that pushes the limits of science and technology while advancing public understanding of our universe. In the process, they will inspire young Canadians to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Canada’s space program is part of the Government of Canada’s investments in science and technology under the Innovation and Skills Plan, a multi-year strategy to create well-paying jobs for the middle class and those working hard to join it.
Quotes:
"Today, as we celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, we also look towards an exciting future of space exploration. We are a society of creative thinkers, explorers, innovators. As we embark on Canada’s next 150 years and beyond, we can count on these two Canadians to help shape our future."
—The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
“Canada’s participation in space is important for scientific discovery and innovation. The technologies that are designed for space today can one day be used to improve the lives of all Canadians. These innovations also have the potential to create new jobs and opportunities for Canadians. Our country’s newest astronauts will play a key role in advancing space technologies while pushing the frontiers of scientific knowledge. That’s how Canada’s space program drives innovation for a better Canada.”
- The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
Quick Facts
- Jenni Sidey and Joshua Kutryk become Canada’s 13th and 14th astronauts. Starting in August 2017, they will embark on two years of training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
- Canada’s newest astronauts could eventually participate in missions to the International Space Station and other missions into deep space. They could also travel on commercial spacecraft.
- Canada’s fourth astronaut recruitment campaign was launched in June 2016. The search attracted 3,772 applicants from a variety of backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
- In Budget 2016, the Government of Canada invested $379M over eight years to extend Canada’s participation in the International Space Station until 2024.
- In 2018, David Saint-Jacques will become the next Canadian astronaut to take part in a long-duration mission aboard the Space Station.
#NASA #Canada #CSA #ISS #Astronauts #JenniSidey #JoshuaKutryk #Astronaut #Calgary #FortSaskatchewan #Alberta #CanadaDay #CanadaDay150 #CanadaDay2017 #JustinTrudeau #Moon #Mars #DeepSpace #JourneyToMars #Space #Science #Human #Spaceflight #Photography #Technology #Engineering #International #Cooperation #STEM #Education
NASA Astronaut Karen Nyberg: "Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian colleagues & friends! The Canadarm2 glows maple leaf red in this shot from 2013."
Credit: NASA/JSC, U.S. Astronaut Karen Nyberg
Release Date: July 1, 2017#NASA #Canada #ISS #CanadaDay #CanadaDay150 #CanadaDay2017 #CSA #Robotics #Canadarm2 #MapleLeaf #Space #Science #Human #Spaceflight #Photography #Technology #Engineering #International #Cooperation #STEM #Education
JunoCam images aren’t just for art and science—sometimes they are processed to bring a chuckle. This image, processed by citizen scientist Jason Major, is titled “Jovey McJupiterface.” By rotating the image 180 degrees and orienting it from south up, two white oval storms turn into eyeballs, and the “face” of Jupiter is revealed.
The original image was acquired by JunoCam on NASA’s Juno spacecraft on May 19, 2017 at 11:20 a.m. PT (2: 20 p.m. ET) from an altitude of 12,075 miles (19,433 kilometers).
JunoCam's raw images are available for the public to peruse and process into image products at: www.missionjuno.swri.edu/junocam
More information about Juno is at:
https://www.nasa.gov/juno and http://missionjuno.swri.edu
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Jason Major
Release Date: June 29, 2017#NASA #Astronomy #Science #Space #Jupiter #Planet #Atmosphere #Cyclones #Clouds #Storms #Juno #JunoCam #Spacecraft #Exploration #SolarSystem #Technology #Engineering #JPL #Pasadena #California #USA #UnitedStates #LockheedMartin #MSFC #Marshall #SwRI #STEM #Education
A NASA Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket was successfully launched at 4:25 a.m., Thursday, June 29. The rocket flew to an altitude of about 118 miles. The mission was a test of a new multi-canister ejection system for deploying vapors in ionosphere or aurora sounding rocket missions.
Credit: NASA Wallops Flight Facility
Release Date: June 29, 2017#NASA #Earth #Science #Artificial #Clouds #Vapor #Wallops #Malemute #Terrier #Sounding #Rocket #Launch #Technology #WFF #Flight #Virginia #UnitedStates #Photography #STEM #Education
Image: NASA Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket launch | June 29, 2017: July 4 fireworks came early when a NASA Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket was successfully launched at 4:25 a.m., Thursday, June 29, from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
During the 8-minute flight, 10 canisters about the size of a soft drink can were ejected in space, 6 to 12 miles away from the 670-pound main payload.
The canisters deployed blue-green and red vapor that formed artificial clouds visible from New York to North Carolina.
During an ionosphere or aurora science mission, these clouds, or vapor tracers, allow scientists on the ground to visually track particle motions in space.
The development of the multi-canister ampoule ejection system will allow scientists to gather information over a much larger area than previously possible when deploying the tracers just from the main payload.
The rocket, after being delayed multiple times over the last 30 days, flew to an altitude of about 118 miles.
Wallops received nearly 2,000 reports and photos of the cloud sightings from areas as far north as New York, south to North Carolina, and inland throughout Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and points in-between.
NASA's Wallops Flight Facility provides agile, low-cost flight and launch range services to meet government and commercial sector needs for accessing flight regimes worldwide from the Earth’s surface to the moon. Wallops' flight assets ranging from research aircraft, unmanned aerial systems and high-altitude balloons to suborbital and orbital rockets provide a full-range of capability, while operational launch range and airfield capabilities meet ongoing and emerging needs in the science, aerospace, defense, and commercial industries.
Article Credit: NASA/Wallops
Image Credit: NASA/Terry Zaperach#NASA #Earth #Science #Artificial #Clouds #Wallops #Malemute #Terrier #Sounding #Rocket #Launch #Technology #WFF #Flight #Virginia #UnitedStates #STEM #Education
June 22, 2017: This image was acquired by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on April 18, 2017, at 14:04 local Mars time. It reminded the HiRISE team of the rugged and open terrain of a stark shore-line, perhaps of the British Isles. A close-up in enhanced color produces a striking effect, giving the impression of a cloud-covered cliff edge with foamy waves crashing against it.
The reality is that the surface of Mars is much dryer than our imaginations might want to suggest. This is only a tiny part of a much larger structure; an inverted crater—a crater that has been infilled by material that is more resistant to erosion than the rocks around it—surrounded by bluish basaltic dunes. The edge of these elevated light-toned deposits are degraded, irregular and cliff-forming.
Dunes visible below the cliff, give the impression of an ocean surface, complete with foam capped waves crashing against the “shore line,” demonstrating the abstract similarity between the nature of a turbulent ocean and a Martian dune field.
Meridiani Planum has an overall smooth terrain, which starkly contrasts with the more common boulder- and crater-laden landscapes observed over much of the rest of Mars. This makes it relatively younger in character than many other areas of the planet. Meridiani is one of the Mars Exploration Rover landing sites, and, is known for its layers and sediments. The orbital detection of hematite was one of the main reasons for sending Opportunity to this area.
Salt-bearing rocks—also called sulphates—were observed in the very first image from Opportunity, so perhaps it’s apt that this HiRISE image reminds us of the turmoil and rugged beauty of a cliff-face, a coastline, being worn down by a relentless sea.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
Article Credit: Jon Kissi, Livio L. Tornabene, Zach Morse, Eric Pilles and Gavin Tolometti
Release Date: June 22, 2017#NASA #Astronomy #Science #Space #Mars #MeridianiPlanum #Crater #Dunes #Basalt #MRO #HiRISE #Spacecraft #Opportunity #Rover #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #STEM #Education
June 22, 2017: NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope was placed in Johnson Space Center’s historic Chamber A on June 20, 2017, to prepare for its final three months of testing in a cryogenic vacuum that mimics temperatures in space.
Engineers will perform the test to prove that the telescope can operate in space at these temperatures. Chamber A will simulate an environment where the telescope will experience extreme cold -- around 37 Kelvin (minus 236 degrees Celsius or minus 393 degrees Fahrenheit).
In space, the telescope must be kept extremely cold, in order to be able to detect the infrared light from very faint, distant objects. To protect the telescope from external sources of light and heat (like the sun, Earth, and moon), as well as from heat emitted by the observatory, a five-layer, tennis court-sized sunshield acts like a parasol that provides shade. The sunshield separates the observatory into a warm, sun-facing side (reaching temperatures close to 400 degrees Fahrenheit) and a cold side (185 degrees below zero). The sunshield blocks sunlight from interfering with the sensitive telescope instruments.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the scientific successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. Webb is an international project led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.
For more information about Chamber A, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/nasas-apollo-era-test-chamber-now-james-webb-space-telescope-ready
For more information about the Webb telescope visit: www.jwst.nasa.gov or www.nasa.gov/webb
Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn
Image Date: June 21, 2017
Release Date: June 22, 2017#NASA #Astronomy #Science #Space #Telescope #JWST #JamesWebb #Galaxies #Stars #Exoplanets #Planets #Enceladus #Europa #SolarSystem #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #ESA #CSA #Goddard #GSFC #JSC #Testing #UnitedStates #STScI #STEM #Education
