Large Unmanned NASA Aircraft Flies Solo

Ikhana Flies in Public Airspace Without Chase Plane for First Time

NASA’s remotely-piloted Ikhana aircraft performs flight tests in preparation to fly in the National Airspace System without a safety chase aircraft. On June 12, 2018, NASA successfully flew the historic flight.

The flight will help to move the United States one step closer to normalizing unmanned aircraft operations in the airspace used by commercial and private pilots. The Ikhana aircraft is based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

Credit: NASA/Armstrong Flight Research Center
Duration: 2 minutes, 4 seconds
Release Date: June 14, 2018

#NASA #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Ikhana #Aircraft #Unmanned #UAS #UAV #Drone #Aviation #Aerospace #Armstrong #Edwards #AirForce #AFB #California #UnitedStates #Technology #Engineering #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Martian Dust Storm | NASA Curiosity Rover

June 13, 2018: These two views from NASA’s Curiosity rover, acquired specifically to measure the amount of dust inside Gale Crater, show that dust has increased over three days from a major Martian dust storm. The left-hand image shows a view of the east-northeast rim of Gale Crater on June 7, 2018 (Sol 2074); the right-hand image shows a view of the same feature on June 10, 2018 (Sol 2077). The images were taken by the rover’s Mastcam.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Release Date: June 13, 2017

#NASA #Mars #Astronomy #Science #Space #Curiosity #Rover #GaleCrater #Planet #Atmosphere #Dust #DustStorm #Weather #Mastcam #Exploration #RedPlanet #JPL #Pasadena #California #USA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Infographic

Massive Martian Dust Storm | NASA/JPL

Opportunity Rover Hunkers Down in Dust Storm

A massive Martian dust storm is seriously affecting operations of the agency’s Opportunity rover, which has been operating on the Martian surface for over 14 years. Scientists are now learning from various Mars missions currently operating to study this unprecedented event.

Animation: This series of images shows simulated views of a darkening Martian sky blotting out the Sun from NASA’s Opportunity rover’s point of view, with the right side simulating Opportunity’s current view in the global dust storm (June 2018).

The storm is one of the most intense ever observed on the Red Planet. As of June 10, it covered more than 15.8 million square miles (41 million square kilometers)—about the area of North America and Russia combined. It has blocked out so much sunlight, it has effectively turned day into night for Opportunity, which is located near the center of the storm, inside Mars' Perseverance Valley.

Opportunity Rover Launched: July 7, 2003

For more information about Opportunity, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/rovers
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/TAMU/Arizona State University
Release Date: June 13, 2017

#NASA #Mars #Astronomy #Science #Space #Opportunity #Rover #PerseveranceValley #Planet #Atmosphere #DustStorm #Weather #Exploration #RedPlanet #Sunlight #SolarPower #JPL #Pasadena #California #USA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Simulation

Martian Scenery | NASA Curiosity Rover

New Gale Crater Panoramas

Information on NASA's Mars activities:
https://www.nasa.gov/mars

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Seán Doran
Release Date: June 12, 2018

#NASA #Astronomy #Mars #Science #Space #Curiosity #Rover #Laboratory #MSL #Gale #Crater #Panorama #Robotics #Sol2072 #Sol1856 #MountSharp #JourneyToMars #RedPlanet #CitizenScience #JPL #STEM #Education

The Persian Gulf | International Space Station

U.S. Astronaut Ricky Arnold: "Even the dark of night cannot subdue the rich hues of the desert bordering the Persian Gulf." Qatar, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE...

The Persian Gulf is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Indian Ocean (Gulf of Oman) through the Strait of Hormuz and lies between Iran to the northeast and the Arabian Peninsula to the southwest. (Source: Wikipedia)

Credit: NASA Astronaut Ricky Arnold
Release Date: June 11, 2018

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #PersianGulf #Qatar #Dubai #AbuDhabi #Oman #Iran #SaudiArabia #Bahrain #UAE #الخليج الفارسي #Astronaut #RickyArnold #UnitedStates #Expedition56 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #Photography #STEM #Education #OrbitalPerspective #OverviewEffect #خلیج فارس

Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii | International Space Station

U.S. Astronaut A.J. (Drew) Feustel: "We can still see the Earth’s fury from the International Space Station as the lava continues to flow from Kilauea. Expedition 56 is thinking of Hawaii as the dynamic Earth continues to evolve."

Kilauea is a currently active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, and the most active of the five volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaii. Located along the southern shore of the island, the volcano is between 300,000 and 600,000 years old and emerged above sea level about 100,000 years ago.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Credit: NASA Astronaut Drew Feustel
Release Date: June 10, 2018

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Hawaii #Island #Kilauea #Volcano #Lava #Eruption #Geology #Geoscience #UnitedStates #Expedition56 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #Photography #STEM #Education #OrbitalPerspective #OverviewEffect

French Open, Paris | International Space Statio

U.S. Astronaut A.J. (Drew) Feustel: "Great to see some amazing tennis at the French Open in Roland-Garros. Congratulations to Simona Halep and Rafael Nadal on your wins. Thanks to all the players for a great show!"

Credit: NASA Astronaut Drew Feustel
Release Date: June 10, 2018

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Paris #France #FrenchOpen #RG18 #RolandGarros #Tennis #Sports #CNES #SimonaHalep #RafaelNadal #Astronaut #DrewFeustel #UnitedStates #Expedition56 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #Photography #STEM #Education #International

Lake Titicaca | International Space Station

U.S. astronaut Ricky Arnold: "The inviting azure waters of Lake Titicaca high atop the Andes of Peru and Bolivia. To the Incas, it was considered the birthplace of the sun. From the International Space Station, it looks like the birthplace of the purest shade of blue."

Lake Titicaca is a large, deep lake in the Andes on the border of Bolivia and Peru. By volume of water and by surface area, it is the largest lake in South America. (Source: Wikipedia)

Credit: NASA Astronaut Ricky Arnold/JSC
Release Date: June 6, 2018
#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #LakeTiticaca #Bolivia #Peru #Andes #SouthAmerica #Astronaut #RickyArnold #Expedition56 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #UnitedStates #Photography #STEM #Education #International #OrbitalPerspective #OverviewEffect

Red Sea & Nile River | International Space Station

U.S. astronaut Ricky Arnold: "Humankind’s most advanced technology serves as the foreground for a timeless land."

The Red Sea (also the Erythraean Sea) is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. To the north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez (leading to the Suez Canal). (Source: Wikipedia)

The Nile River is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa, and is commonly regarded as the longest river in the world, though some sources cite the Amazon River as the longest. The Nile, which is 6,853 km (4,258 miles) long, is an "international" river as its drainage basin covers eleven countries, namely, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Republic of the Sudan and Egypt. In particular, the Nile is the primary water source of Egypt and Sudan. (Source: Wikipedia)

Credit: NASA Astronaut Ricky Arnold
Release Date: June 7, 2018

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #RedSea #Nile #Egypt #SaudiArabia #Sinai #Africa #Asia #MiddleEast #Astronaut #RickyArnold #Expedition56 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #UnitedStates #Photography #STEM #Education #International #OrbitalPerspective #OverviewEffect #ⲫⲓⲁⲣⲱ #النيل

Space Station Crew Rotation | This Week@NASA

June 8, 2018: A new crew aboard the space station, Curiosity rover’s new science findings on Mars, and—Celebrating 60 years of NASA. . .a few of the stories to tell you about—This Week at NASA!

Credit: NASA
Duration: 2 minutes, 50 seconds
Release Date: June 8, 2018

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Astronomy #Earth #Mars #Curiosity #Soyuz #Rocket #ESA #Astronauts #AlexanderGerst #SerenaAuñónChancellor #UnitedStates #SergeiProkopyev #Cosmonaut #Russia #Expedition55 #Expedition56 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #STEM #Education #International #HD #Video

NASA's Space to Ground: Launches and Landings

Week of June 8, 2018 | NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. 

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Duration: 2 minutes, 55 seconds
Release Date: June 8, 2018
#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Soyuz #Rocket #SoyuzMS09 #ESA #DLR #Astronauts #AlexanderGerst #Horizons #Europe #Germany #Deutschland #SerenaAuñónChancellor #UnitedStates #SergeiProkopyev #Cosmonaut #Russia #Expedition55 #Expedition56 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #JSC #Houston #Texas #STEM #Education #International #HD #Video

New Mars Science Results - June 2018 | NASA/JPL

June 7, 2018: NASA discusses new science results from NASA's Mars Curiosity rover. The media and public were invited to ask questions. Michelle Thaller, assistant director of science for communications, from NASA's Planetary Science Division, hosted the chat.

Participants included:
Paul Mahaffy, director of the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland
Jen Eigenbrode, research scientist at Goddard
Chris Webster, senior research fellow, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
Ashwin Vasavada, Mars Science Laboratory project scientist, JPL

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSFC
Duration: 58 minutes
Release Date: June 7, 2018

#NASA #Mars #Science #Curiosity #Rover #Methane #Atmosphere #Organics #Carbon #Life #Astrobiology #GaleCrater #Robotics #RedPlanet #Planet #Engineering #Technology #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #Discovery #SolarSystem #Exploration #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Mars: Gale Crater Panorama | NASA/JPL

A panorama around Gale Crater, the Curiosity rover's location on Mars.
Ancient Organics Discovered on Mars
June 7, 2018: NASA's Curiosity rover has found new evidence preserved in rocks on Mars that suggests the planet could have supported ancient life, as well as new evidence in the Martian atmosphere that relates to the search for current life on the Red Planet. While not necessarily evidence of life itself, these findings are a good sign for future missions exploring the planet's surface and subsurface.

The new findings—"tough" organic molecules in 3-billion-year-old sedimentary rocks near the surface, as well as seasonal variations in the levels of methane in the atmosphere—appear in the June 8 edition of the journal Science.

Organic molecules contain carbon and hydrogen, and also may include oxygen, nitrogen and other elements. While commonly associated with life, organic molecules also can be created by non-biological processes and are not necessarily indicators of life.

"With these new findings, Mars is telling us to stay the course and keep searching for evidence of life," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, in Washington. "I'm confident that our ongoing and planned missions will unlock even more breathtaking discoveries on the Red Planet."

"Curiosity has not determined the source of the organic molecules," said Jen Eigenbrode of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who is lead author of one of the two new Science papers. "Whether it holds a record of ancient life, was food for life, or has existed in the absence of life, organic matter in Martian materials holds chemical clues to planetary conditions and processes."

Although the surface of Mars is inhospitable today, there is clear evidence that in the distant past, the Martian climate allowed liquid water - an essential ingredient for life as we know it—to pool at the surface. Data from Curiosity reveal that billions of years ago, a water lake inside Gale Crater held all the ingredients necessary for life, including chemical building blocks and energy sources.

"The Martian surface is exposed to radiation from space. Both radiation and harsh chemicals break down organic matter," said Eigenbrode. "Finding ancient organic molecules in the top five centimeters of rock that was deposited when Mars may have been habitable, bodes well for us to learn the story of organic molecules on Mars with future missions that will drill deeper."

Seasonal Methane Releases
In the second paper, scientists describe the discovery of seasonal variations in methane in the Martian atmosphere over the course of nearly three Mars years, which is almost six Earth years. This variation was detected by Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite.

Water-rock chemistry might have generated the methane, but scientists cannot rule out the possibility of biological origins. Methane previously had been detected in Mars' atmosphere in large, unpredictable plumes. This new result shows that low levels of methane within Gale Crater repeatedly peak in warm, summer months and drop in the winter every year.

"This is the first time we've seen something repeatable in the methane story, so it offers us a handle in understanding it," said Chris Webster of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, lead author of the second paper. "This is all possible because of Curiosity's longevity. The long duration has allowed us to see the patterns in this seasonal 'breathing.'"

Finding Organic Molecules
To identify organic material in the Martian soil, Curiosity drilled into sedimentary rocks known as mudstone from four areas in Gale Crater. This mudstone gradually formed billions of years ago from silt that accumulated at the bottom of the ancient lake. The rock samples were analyzed by SAM, which uses an oven to heat the samples (in excess of 900 degrees Fahrenheit, or 500 degrees Celsius) to release organic molecules from the powdered rock.

SAM measured small organic molecules that came off the mudstone sample -fragments of larger organic molecules that don't vaporize easily. Some of these fragments contain sulfur, which could have helped preserve them in the same way sulfur is used to make car tires more durable, according to Eigenbrode.

The results also indicate organic carbon concentrations on the order of 10 parts per million or more. This is close to the amount observed in Martian meteorites and about 100 times greater than prior detections of organic carbon on Mars' surface. Some of the molecules identified include thiophenes, benzene, toluene, and small carbon chains, such as propane or butene.

In 2013, SAM detected some organic molecules containing chlorine in rocks at the deepest point in the crater. This new discovery builds on the inventory of molecules detected in the ancient lake sediments on Mars and helps explains why they were preserved.

Finding methane in the atmosphere and ancient carbon preserved on the surface gives scientists confidence that NASA's Mars 2020 rover and ESA's (European Space Agency's) ExoMars rover will find even more organics, both on the surface and in the shallow subsurface.

These results also inform scientists' decisions as they work to find answers to questions concerning the possibility of life on Mars.

"Are there signs of life on Mars?" said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program, at NASA Headquarters. "We don't know, but these results tell us we are on the right track."

This work was funded by NASA's Mars Exploration Program for the agency's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) in Washington. Goddard provided the SAM instrument. JPL built the rover and manages the project for SMD.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSFC
Release Date: June 7, 2018

#NASA #Mars #Science #Curiosity #Rover #Methane #Atmosphere #Organics #Carbon #Life #Astrobiology #GaleCrater #Robotics #RedPlanet #Planet #Engineering #Technology #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #Discovery #SolarSystem #Exploration #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Ancient Organics Discovered on Mars | NASA

June 7, 2018: Since arriving at Mars in 2012, NASA's Curiosity rover has drilled into rocks in search of organics—molecules containing carbon. Organics are the building blocks of all life on Earth, though they can also come from non-living sources. The surface of Mars readily destroys these molecules, making them difficult to detect. Now, Curiosity has discovered ancient organics that have been preserved in rocks for billions of years. This finding helps scientists better understand the habitability of early Mars, and it paves the way for future missions to the Red Planet.

Music provided by Killer Tracks: "Crystalline" by Enrico Cacace & Manuel Bandettini, "Based On True Events" by Eric Chevalier, "Mirrored Cubes" by Laurent Dury, "Lost In The Sky" by Matthews Samar

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Duration: 3 minutes, 17 seconds
Release Date: June 7, 2018

#NASA #Mars #Science #Curiosity #Rover #Methane #Organics #Carbon #Life #Astrobiology #Robotics #RedPlanet #Planet #Engineering #Technology #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #Discovery #SolarSystem #Exploration #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover Finds Ancient Organic Material, Mysterious Methane

NASA's Curiosity rover has discovered ancient organic molecules on Mars, embedded within sedimentary rocks that are billions of years old.
June 7, 2018: NASA's Curiosity rover has found new evidence preserved in rocks on Mars that suggests the planet could have supported ancient life, as well as new evidence in the Martian atmosphere that relates to the search for current life on the Red Planet. While not necessarily evidence of life itself, these findings are a good sign for future missions exploring the planet's surface and subsurface.

The new findings—"tough" organic molecules in 3-billion-year-old sedimentary rocks near the surface, as well as seasonal variations in the levels of methane in the atmosphere—appear in the June 8 edition of the journal Science.

Organic molecules contain carbon and hydrogen, and also may include oxygen, nitrogen and other elements. While commonly associated with life, organic molecules also can be created by non-biological processes and are not necessarily indicators of life.

"With these new findings, Mars is telling us to stay the course and keep searching for evidence of life," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, in Washington. "I'm confident that our ongoing and planned missions will unlock even more breathtaking discoveries on the Red Planet."

"Curiosity has not determined the source of the organic molecules," said Jen Eigenbrode of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who is lead author of one of the two new Science papers. "Whether it holds a record of ancient life, was food for life, or has existed in the absence of life, organic matter in Martian materials holds chemical clues to planetary conditions and processes."

Although the surface of Mars is inhospitable today, there is clear evidence that in the distant past, the Martian climate allowed liquid water - an essential ingredient for life as we know it—to pool at the surface. Data from Curiosity reveal that billions of years ago, a water lake inside Gale Crater held all the ingredients necessary for life, including chemical building blocks and energy sources.

"The Martian surface is exposed to radiation from space. Both radiation and harsh chemicals break down organic matter," said Eigenbrode. "Finding ancient organic molecules in the top five centimeters of rock that was deposited when Mars may have been habitable, bodes well for us to learn the story of organic molecules on Mars with future missions that will drill deeper."

Seasonal Methane Releases
In the second paper, scientists describe the discovery of seasonal variations in methane in the Martian atmosphere over the course of nearly three Mars years, which is almost six Earth years. This variation was detected by Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite.

Water-rock chemistry might have generated the methane, but scientists cannot rule out the possibility of biological origins. Methane previously had been detected in Mars' atmosphere in large, unpredictable plumes. This new result shows that low levels of methane within Gale Crater repeatedly peak in warm, summer months and drop in the winter every year.

"This is the first time we've seen something repeatable in the methane story, so it offers us a handle in understanding it," said Chris Webster of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, lead author of the second paper. "This is all possible because of Curiosity's longevity. The long duration has allowed us to see the patterns in this seasonal 'breathing.'"

Finding Organic Molecules
To identify organic material in the Martian soil, Curiosity drilled into sedimentary rocks known as mudstone from four areas in Gale Crater. This mudstone gradually formed billions of years ago from silt that accumulated at the bottom of the ancient lake. The rock samples were analyzed by SAM, which uses an oven to heat the samples (in excess of 900 degrees Fahrenheit, or 500 degrees Celsius) to release organic molecules from the powdered rock.

SAM measured small organic molecules that came off the mudstone sample -fragments of larger organic molecules that don't vaporize easily. Some of these fragments contain sulfur, which could have helped preserve them in the same way sulfur is used to make car tires more durable, according to Eigenbrode.

The results also indicate organic carbon concentrations on the order of 10 parts per million or more. This is close to the amount observed in Martian meteorites and about 100 times greater than prior detections of organic carbon on Mars' surface. Some of the molecules identified include thiophenes, benzene, toluene, and small carbon chains, such as propane or butene.

In 2013, SAM detected some organic molecules containing chlorine in rocks at the deepest point in the crater. This new discovery builds on the inventory of molecules detected in the ancient lake sediments on Mars and helps explains why they were preserved.

Finding methane in the atmosphere and ancient carbon preserved on the surface gives scientists confidence that NASA's Mars 2020 rover and ESA's (European Space Agency's) ExoMars rover will find even more organics, both on the surface and in the shallow subsurface.

These results also inform scientists' decisions as they work to find answers to questions concerning the possibility of life on Mars.

"Are there signs of life on Mars?" said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program, at NASA Headquarters. "We don't know, but these results tell us we are on the right track."

This work was funded by NASA's Mars Exploration Program for the agency's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) in Washington. Goddard provided the SAM instrument. JPL built the rover and manages the project for SMD.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSFC
Release Date: June 7, 2018

#NASA #Mars #Science #Curiosity #Rover #Methane #Atmosphere #Organics #Carbon #Life #Astrobiology #Robotics #RedPlanet #Planet #Engineering #Technology #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #Discovery #SolarSystem #Exploration #STEM #Education

Astronaut Training | European Space Agency

How do astronauts train for upcoming missions? 

This infographic breaks down the time spent at different training centers for a typical mission.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)
Release Date: June 4, 2018

#NASA #ESA #Space #Science #ISS #Soyuz #Союз #Rocket #Spacecraft #Astronaut #Training #Europe #UnitedStates #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #JAXA #Japan #日本 #Human #Spaceflight #Baikonur #Cosmodrome #Kazakhstan #Qazaqstan #STEM #Education #Art #Infographic