Monday, June 18, 2018

Crew Dragon Dreams | SpaceX Tribute Poster

Goal: Launching NASA Astronauts from U.S. Soil
Dragon 2.0. This is the next hurdle for SpaceX.
Learn more: www.spacex.com/crew-dragon
Commercial Crew: "The manned version of the Dragon spacecraft that has been successfully carrying cargo to the ISS for some time now. I believe there will be a high altitude abort test where a Falcon rocket will carry the Dragon to right before staging and perform an abort. I don't think this has been done before. During the Apollo program a special small rocket called "Little Joe" that used solid rocket motors took the Apollo spacecraft to enough height and speed where the test took place. More recently they just take off right from the ground (as with the Orion) and this test has already been performed on the Dragon."

"The motors used for abort on Dragon are built into the walls of the spacecraft rather than mounted on top and this is just one more step in the evolution of modern spacecraft."

"In looking at some of the pics above I notice they show a manned Dragon being launched by a Falcon Heavy. I'm not sure that is ever going to happen. In a way the Falcon 2.0 is already obsolete. The work on the BFR (or BFS) is now the main task taking place at SpaceX and it seems to be going well so far. If it works as expected then it will be a far safer and more reliable way of getting into space. The Falcon 2.0 will only be used until the big rocket is operational and that may be as soon as 2021 or 2022. To me this all seems to be happening at an incredible pace. It is very exciting and I have great confidence in the crew at SpaceX to get this job done."

Credit: Bill Davis
Release Date: June 17, 2018


#NASA #SpaceX #Space #ISS #Moon #Mars #Dragon #CrewDragon #Astronauts #Spacecraft #Falcon #Rocket #BFR #BFS #SolarSystem #Exploration #ElonMusk #JourneyToMars #Commercial #LaunchAmerica #KSC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Poster #Future #Colonization #Planet

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Martian Dust Storm | Hubble

What's happened to Mars? In 2001, Mars underwent a tremendous planet-wide dust storm—one of the largest ever recorded from Earth. To show the extent, these two Hubble Space Telescope storm watch images from late June and early September (2001) offer dramatically contrasting views of the martian surface. At left, the onset of smaller "seed" storms can be seen near the Hellas basin (lower right edge of Mars) and the northern polar cap. A similar surface view at right, taken over two months later, shows the fully developed extent of the obscuring global storm. Although this storm eventually waned, in recent days a new large dust storm has been taking hold of the red planet.

Image Credit: J. Bell (ASU), M. Wolff (Space Science Inst.), Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), NASA
Release Date: June 17, 2018


#NASA #Hubble #Space #Astronomy #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #DustStorm #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #STScI #STEM #Education #APoD

Saturday, June 16, 2018

Inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center! | Week of June 15, 2018


This week in space news, a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft will resupply the International Space Station with a launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida later this month. NASA's Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Tuesday.

Credit: Kennedy Space Center (KSC)
Duration: 1 minute, 43 seconds
Release Date: June 15, 2018


#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #SpaceX #Dragon #Cargo #Spacecraft #Earth #ICESat2 #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #Environment #Kennedy #KSC #Florida #Spaceport #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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    NASA Administrator Chats with Astronauts | This Week @NASA – June 15, 2018

    Administrator Bridenstine chats with a couple of our astronauts, a massive dust storm on Mars, and astronauts at work outside the space station. . .a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!

    Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Duration: 3 minutes, 39 seconds
    Release Date: June 15, 2018

    #NASA #Space #Earth #Moon #Mars #Planet #DustStorm #ISS #Astronauts #EVA #Spacewalk #JoeAcaba #MarkVandeHei #Bridenstine #Administrator #UnitedStates #Expedition56 #Human #Spaceflight #JourneyToMars #Spacecraft #Aerospace #Aircraft #STEM #Education #HD #Video

    NASA's Space to Ground | Week of June 15, 2018

    NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. Expedition 56 Commander Drew Feustel and Flight Engineer Ricky Arnold of NASA completed the sixth spacewalk at the International Space Station this year at 2:55 p.m. EDT, lasting 6 hours, 49 minutes on Thursday, June 14, 2018. The two astronauts installed new high-definition cameras that will provide enhanced views during the final phase of approach and docking of the SpaceX Crew Dragon and Boeing Starliner commercial crew spacecraft that will soon begin launching from American soil.

    They also swapped a camera assembly on the starboard truss of the station, closed an aperture door on an external environmental imaging experiment outside the Japanese Kibo module, and completed two additional tasks to relocate a grapple bar to aid future spacewalkers and secured some gear associated with a spare cooling unit housed on the station’s truss.

    This was the 211th spacewalk in support of assembly and maintenance of the unique orbiting laboratory where humans have been living and working continuously for nearly 18 years. Spacewalkers have now spent a total of 54 days, 23 hours and 29 minutes working outside the station.

    During the ninth spacewalk of Feustel’s career, he moved into third place for total cumulative time spent spacewalking with a total of 61 hours and 48 minutes. It was Arnold’s fifth spacewalk with a total time of 32 hours and 4 minutes.

    Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
    Duration: 2 minutes, 41 seconds
    Release Date: June 15, 2018


    #NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Astronauts #Spacewalk #EVA #DrewFeustel #RickyArnold #SpaceX #CrewDragon #Boeing #Starliner #ESA #DLR #AlexanderGerst #Europe #Germany #Deutschland #SerenaAuñónChancellor #UnitedStates #Expedition56 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #JSC #Houston #Texas #STEM #Education #HD #Video

    Friday, June 15, 2018

    A New Mars Impact Crater | NASA MRO

    June 15, 2018: This HiRISE image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captures a new, dated (within about a decade) impact crater that triggered a slope streak. When the meteoroid hit the surface and exploded to make the crater, it also destabilized the slope and initiated this avalanche.

    The crater itself is only 5 meters across, but the streak it started is 1 kilometer long! Slope streaks are created when dry dust avalanches leave behind dark swaths on dusty Martian hills. The faded scar of an old avalanche is also visible to the side of the new dark streak.

    The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

    Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
    Release Date: June 15, 2018


    #NASA #Mars #Space #Astronomy #Science #Geology #Meteor #ImpactCrater #Crater #Meteoroid #Landscape #Terrain #Geoscience #RedPlanet #MRO #Reconnaissance #Orbiter #Spacecraft #HiRISE #Camera #JPL #STEM #Education

    Mars: Dune Ripples in Hellas Planitia | NASA

    On the Migration of Ripples in Hellas Planitia — This is part of a large dune field inside the western rim of Hellas Planitia. The field is located at an elevation that is deeper than most dune fields at this latitude. How does that impact ripple migration?

    Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) image
    (258 km above the surface, less than 1 km top to bottom and north is to the right.)

    The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

    Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
    Release Date: June 13, 2018


    #NASA #Mars #Space #Astronomy #Science #Geology #HellasPlanitia #Dunes #Landscape #Terrain #Geoscience #RedPlanet #MRO #Reconnaissance #Orbiter #Spacecraft #HiRISE #Camera #JPL #STEM #Education

    Thursday, June 14, 2018

    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

    Wednesday, June 13, 2018

    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

    Monday, June 11, 2018

    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

    Sunday, June 10, 2018

    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

    Saturday, June 09, 2018

    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