Under the Southern Cross | ESO

This photo from the Ultra High Definition Expedition to ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile shows the Danish 1.54-meter telescope admiring the starry southern skies. The Southern Cross—one of the most distinctive asterisms—can be seen to the left of the telescope’s open dome, nestled in the plane of the Milky Way.

The constellation of Crux (The Cross) is best known for this cross-shaped asterism, which comprises four stars—Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta Crucis. The closest of these stars, Gamma Crucis, sits just 88 light-years from Earth, while the furthest is 364 light-years away. The blue–white star Alpha Crucis, the bottom point of the Cross, is the 13th brightest star in the entire night sky.

The dark, inky smudge just above the Southern Cross is the Coalsack Nebula, one of the most prominent dark nebulae visible to the naked eye. This opaque cloud of interstellar dust obscures the light emitted by more distant stars, creating a seemingly starless void in the midst of the Milky Way. The fiery red emission nebula IC 2948 and distinctive Carina Nebula can be seen below the Cross as two patches of nebulosity.

The Southern Cross has great significance in the Southern Hemisphere. For centuries, it—like the Big Dipper in northern skies—served as a beacon for navigators because the longer bar of the Cross points almost exactly towards the south pole of the sky. The Cross has also played an important role in the spiritual beliefs of many southern cultures and it is also the logo of the European Southern Observatory.

Credit: ESO/B. Tafreshi
Release Date: August 6, 2018
#ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #SouthernCross #Asterisms #AlphaCrucis #BetaCrucis #GammaCrucis #DeltaCrucis #Nebula #Coalsack #IC2948 #Carina #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #LaSilla #Observatory #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

A globular cluster’s striking red eye | Hubble

The colorful globular cluster NGC 2108 is nestled within the Large Magellanic Cloud, in the constellation of the Swordfish (Dorado). It was discovered in 1835 by the astronomer, mathematician, chemist and inventor John Herschel, son of the famous William Herschel.

The most striking feature of this globular cluster is the gleaming ruby-red spot at the center left of the image. What looks like the cluster’s watchful eye is actually a carbon star. Carbon stars are almost always cool red giants, with atmospheres containing more carbon than oxygen—the opposite to our Sun. Carbon monoxide forms in the outer layer of the star through a combination of these elements, until there is no more oxygen available. Carbon atoms are then free to form a variety of other carbon compounds, such as C2, CH, CN, C3 and SiC2, which scatter blue light within the star, allowing red light to pass through undisturbed.

This image was captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), using three different filters.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Release Date: August 6, 2018

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SpaceX Dragon: Earth Return

Congratulations on a successful mission!

SpaceX: "Dragon returned home...after its second month-long stay at the International Space Station. It’s now headed to port for a cargo handover to NASA."

The SpaceX Dragon resupply ship, on its 15th Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-15) for NASA, is seen after the capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, where the SpaceX recovery team has retrieved the capsule and its more than 3,800 pounds of cargo, including a variety of technological and biological studies.

NASA and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the non-profit organization that manages research aboard the U.S. National Laboratory portion of the space station, will receive time-sensitive samples and begin working with researchers to process and distribute them within 48 hours of splashdown.

Dragon is the only space station resupply spacecraft currently capable of returning cargo to Earth, and this was the second trip to the orbiting laboratory for this spacecraft. SpaceX launched its 15th NASA-contracted commercial resupply mission to the station June 29 from Space Launch Complex 40 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on a Falcon 9 rocket that also previously launched NASA’s TESS mission to study exoplanets.

Credit: SpaceX
Image Date: August 3, 2018

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SpaceX Dragon Departure | International Space Station

The SpaceX Dragon resupply ship, on its 15th Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-15) for NASA, is seen after robotic flight controllers released the spacecraft using the International Space Station’s robotic arm. Expedition 56 Flight Engineer Serena Auñon-Chancellor of NASA monitored its departure.

Dragon’s thrusters were fired to move the spacecraft a safe distance from the station before SpaceX flight controllers in Hawthorne, California, commanded its deorbit burn. The capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, where the SpaceX recovery team will retrieve the capsule and its more than 3,800 pounds of cargo, including a variety of technological and biological studies.

NASA and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the non-profit organization that manages research aboard the U.S. National Laboratory portion of the space station, will receive time-sensitive samples and begin working with researchers to process and distribute them within 48 hours of splashdown.

Dragon is the only space station resupply spacecraft currently capable of returning cargo to Earth, and this was the second trip to the orbiting laboratory for this spacecraft. SpaceX launched its 15th NASA-contracted commercial resupply mission to the station June 29 from Space Launch Complex 40 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on a Falcon 9 rocket that also previously launched NASA’s TESS mission to study exoplanets.

Credit: Russian Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev/Roscosmos
Image Date: August 3, 2018
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SpaceX Dragon Departure | International Space Station

The SpaceX Dragon resupply ship, on its 15th Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-15) for NASA, is seen prior to robotic flight controllers releasing the spacecraft using the International Space Station’s robotic arm. Expedition 56 Flight Engineer Serena Auñon-Chancellor of NASA monitored its departure.

Dragon’s thrusters were then fired to move the spacecraft a safe distance from the station before SpaceX flight controllers in Hawthorne, California, commanded its deorbit burn. The capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, where the SpaceX recovery team will retrieve the capsule and its more than 3,800 pounds of cargo, including a variety of technological and biological studies.

NASA and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the non-profit organization that manages research aboard the U.S. National Laboratory portion of the space station, will receive time-sensitive samples and begin working with researchers to process and distribute them within 48 hours of splashdown.

Dragon is the only space station resupply spacecraft currently capable of returning cargo to Earth, and this was the second trip to the orbiting laboratory for this spacecraft. SpaceX launched its 15th NASA-contracted commercial resupply mission to the station June 29 from Space Launch Complex 40 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on a Falcon 9 rocket that also previously launched NASA’s TESS mission to study exoplanets.

Credit: Russian Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev/Roscosmos
Image Date: August 3, 2018

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NASA Astronaut Victor Glover to Fly SpaceX Crew Dragon

Congratulations, Victor!

NASA astronaut Victor Glover is seen during a NASA event where it was announced that he, and NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins are assigned to the first mission to the International Space Station onboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, Friday, Aug. 3, 2018 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Astronauts assigned to crew the first flight tests and missions of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon were announced during the event.

NASA Astronaut Victor Glover's Biography
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/victor-j-glover/

Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Release Date: August 3, 2018

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NASA Astronaut Suni Williams to Fly Boeing's Starliner

Congratulations, Suni!

NASA astronaut Suni Williams is seen during a NASA event where it was announced that she, and NASA astronaut Josh Cassada are assigned to the first mission to the International Space Station onboard Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, Friday, Aug. 3, 2018 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Astronauts assigned to crew the first flight tests and missions of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon were announced during the event.

NASA Astronaut Suni Williams' Biography
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/sunita-l-williams/

Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Release Date: August 3, 2018

#NASA #Earth #Space #ISS #Boeing #Starliner #CST100 #Spacecraft #Rocket #ULA #Atlas5 #Astronaut #SuniWilliams #Crew #Commercial #CommercialCrew #Human #Spaceflight #Technology #Kennedy #KSC #Spaceport #Florida #LaunchAmerica #UnitedStates #History #STEM #Education

NASA Astronaut Nicole Aunapu Mann to Fly Boeing's Starliner

Congratulations, Nicole!

NASA astronaut Nicole Aunapu Mann is seen during a NASA event where it was announced that she, NASA astronaut Eric Boe, and Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson are assigned to the Boeing CST-100 Starliner Crew Test Flight to the International Space Station, Friday, Aug. 3, 2018 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Astronauts assigned to crew the first flight tests and missions of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon were announced during the event. 

NASA Astronaut Nicole Aunapu Mann Biography
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/nicole-a-mann/biography/

Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Release Date: August 3, 2018

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NASA Assigns Commercial Crews | International Space Station

First Test Flights, Missions on Commercial Spacecraft
NASA introduced to the world on Aug. 3, 2018, the first U.S. astronauts who will fly on American-made, commercial spacecraft to and from the International Space Station—an endeavor that will return astronaut launches to U.S. soil for the first time since the space shuttle’s retirement in 2011. The agency assigned nine astronauts to crew the first test flight and mission of both Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. The astronauts are, from left to right: Sunita Williams, Josh Cassada, Eric Boe, Nicole Mann, Christopher Ferguson, Douglas Hurley, Robert Behnken, Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover.

“Today, our country’s dreams of greater achievements in space are within our grasp,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “This accomplished group of American astronauts, flying on new spacecraft developed by our commercial partners Boeing and SpaceX, will launch a new era of human spaceflight. Today’s announcement advances our great American vision and strengthens the nation’s leadership in space.”

The agency assigned nine astronauts to crew the first test flight and mission of both Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. NASA has worked closely with the companies throughout design, development and testing to ensure the systems meet NASA’s safety and performance requirements.

“The men and women we assign to these first flights are at the forefront of this exciting new time for human spaceflight,” said Mark Geyer, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “It will be thrilling to see our astronauts lift off from American soil, and we can’t wait to see them aboard the International Space Station.”

Starliner Test Flight Astronauts

Eric Boe was born in Miami and grew up in Atlanta. He came to NASA from the Air Force, where he was a fighter pilot and test pilot and rose to the rank of colonel. He was selected as an astronaut in 2000 and piloted space shuttle Endeavour for the STS-126 mission and Discovery on its final flight, STS-133.

Christopher Ferguson is a native of Philadelphia. He is a retired Navy captain, who piloted space shuttle Atlantis for STS-115, and commanded shuttle Endeavour on STS-126 and Atlantis for the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program, STS-135. He retired from NASA in 2011 and has been an integral part of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner program.

Nicole Aunapu Mann is a California native and a lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps. She is an F/A-18 test pilot with more than 2,500 flight hours in more than 25 aircraft. Mann was selected as an astronaut in 2013. This will be her first trip to space.

Boeing’s Starliner will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Crew Dragon Test Flight Astronauts

Robert Behnken is from St. Ann, Missouri. He has a doctorate in engineering and is a flight test engineer and colonel in the Air Force. He joined the astronaut corps in 2000 and flew aboard space shuttle Endeavour twice, for the STS-123 and STS-130 missions, during which he performed six spacewalks totaling more than 37 hours.

Douglas Hurley calls Apalachin, New York, his hometown. He was a test pilot and colonel in the Marine Corps before coming to NASA in 2000 to become an astronaut. He piloted space shuttle Endeavor for STS-127 and Atlantis for STS-135, the final space shuttle mission.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

After each company successfully completes its crewed test flight, NASA will begin the final process of certifying that spacecraft and systems for regular crew missions to the space station. The agency has contracted six missions, with as many as four astronauts per mission, for each company.

Starliner First Mission Astronauts

Josh Cassada grew up in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. He is a Navy commander and test pilot with more than 3,500 flight hours in more than 40 aircraft. He was selected as an astronaut in 2013. This will be his first spaceflight.

Sunita Williams was born in Euclid, Ohio, but considers Needham, Massachusetts, her hometown. Williams came to NASA from the Navy, where she was a test pilot and rose to the rank of captain before retiring. Since her selection as an astronaut in 1998, she has spent 322 days aboard the International Space Station for Expeditions 14/15 and Expeditions 32/33, commanded the space station and performed seven spacewalks.

Crew Dragon First Mission Astronauts

Victor Glover is from Pomona, California. He is a Navy commander, aviator and test pilot with almost 3,000 hours flying more than 40 different aircraft. He made 400 carrier landings and flew 24 combat missions. He was selected as part of the 2013 astronaut candidate class, and this will be his first spaceflight.

Michael Hopkins was born in Lebanon, Missouri, and grew up on a farm near Richland, Missouri. He is a colonel in the Air Force, where he was a flight test engineer before being selected as a NASA astronaut in 2009. He has spent 166 days on the International Space Station for Expeditions 37/38, and conducted two spacewalks.

Additional crew members will be assigned by NASA’s international partners at a later date.

NASA’s continuous presence on the space station for almost 18 years has enabled technology demonstrations and research in biology and biotechnology, Earth and space science, human health, physical sciences. This research has led to dramatic improvements in technology, infrastructure and medicine, and thousands of spinoff technologies that have improved quality of life here on Earth.

The new spaceflight capability provided by Boeing and SpaceX will allow NASA to maintain a crew of seven astronauts on the space station, thereby maximizing scientific research that leads to breakthroughs and also aids in understanding and mitigating the challenges of long-duration spaceflight.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is facilitating the development of a U.S. commercial crew space transportation capability with the goal of achieving safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from the International Space Station and low-Earth orbit. The public-private partnerships fostered by the program will stimulate growth in a robust commercial space industry and spark life-changing innovations for future generations.

Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

Credit: NASA
Release Date: August 3, 2018

#NASA #Earth #Space #ISS #SpaceX #ElonMusk #CrewDragon #Falcon9 #Rocket #Boeing #Spacecraft #Starliner #CST100 #Crew #Commercial #CommercialCrew #ULA #Atlas5 #Test #Mission #Human #Spaceflight #Technology #Kennedy #KSC #Spaceport #Florida #LaunchAmerica #UnitedStates #History #STEM #Education

Crews to Fly U.S. Commercial Spacecraft Announced | NASA

Preparing to Launch U.S. Astronauts on American Soil in 2019

The first U.S. astronauts who will fly on American-made, commercial spacecraft to and from the International Space Station, wave after being announced, Friday, Aug. 3, 2018 at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The astronauts are, from left to right: Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, Bob Behnken, Doug Hurley, Nicole Aunapu Mann, Chris Ferguson, Eric Boe, Josh Cassada, and Suni Williams. The agency assigned the nine astronauts to crew the first flight

“For the first time since 2011, we are on the brink of launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil.”
—NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine

Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Release Date: August 3, 2018

#NASA #Earth #Space #ISS #SpaceX #ElonMusk #CrewDragon #Falcon9 #Rocket #Boeing #Spacecraft #Starliner #CST100 #Crew #Commercial #CommercialCrew #ULA #Atlas5 #Human #Spaceflight #Technology #Kennedy #KSC #Spaceport #Florida #LaunchAmerica #UnitedStates #History #STEM #Education

Mars & The Moon | International Space Station

ESA Astronaut Alexander Gerst: "On our horizon. Moon and Mars in one photo. These two companions are the undiscovered continents of our time. They are within our reach. What would you feel if you stood on their surface, looking back at Earth?"

Follow Alexander and the Horizons mission:
http://bit.ly/AlexanderGerstESA and on bit.ly/HorizonsBlogESA

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/NASA–A. Gerst
Release Date: August 2, 2018

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Moon #Mars #Planet #RedPlanet #JourneyToMars #ExploreFarther #SolarSystem #Exploration #Humanity #Astronaut #AlexanderGerst #Horizons #Europe #Germany #Deutschland #Expedition56 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #Photography #STEM #Education #International #OrbitalPerspective #OverviewEffect

Planet Uranus | NASA Voyager 2

The dark side of Uranus imaged by a departing Voyager 2 spacecraft on Feb. 2, 1986 from a distance of 1.189 million kilometers.

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. Uranus is similar in composition to Neptune, and both have different bulk chemical composition from that of the larger gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. For this reason, scientists often classify Uranus and Neptune as "ice giants" to distinguish them from the gas giants. Uranus's atmosphere is similar to Jupiter's and Saturn's in its primary composition of hydrogen and helium, but it contains more "ices" such as water, ammonia, and methane, along with traces of other hydrocarbons. It is the coldest planetary atmosphere in the Solar System, with a minimum temperature of 49 K (−224 °C; −371 °F), and has a complex, layered cloud structure with water thought to make up the lowest clouds and methane the uppermost layer of clouds. The interior of Uranus is mainly composed of ices and rock.

Like the other giant planets, Uranus has a ring system, a magnetosphere, and numerous moons. The Uranian system has a unique configuration among those of the planets because its axis of rotation is tilted sideways, nearly into the plane of its solar orbit. Its north and south poles, therefore, lie where most other planets have their equators. In 1986, images from Voyager 2 showed Uranus as an almost featureless planet in visible light, without the cloud bands or storms associated with the other giant planets. Observations from Earth have shown seasonal change and increased weather activity as Uranus approached its equinox in 2007. Wind speeds can reach 250 meters per second (900 km/h; 560 mph).
(Source: Wikipedia)

Credit: NASA/JPL
Processing: Jason Major
Image Date: Feb. 2, 1986
Release Date: July 31, 2018
#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Uranus #Planet #Atmosphere #SolarSystem #Voyager2 #Voyager #Spacecraft #JPL #Caltech #STEM #Education

SpaceX Dragon & Canadarm2 | International Space Station

The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft is pictured attached to the International Space Station's Harmony module as the orbital complex was flying over the South Atlantic Ocean between the southern tips of South America and Africa. The Dragon space freighter is framed on the left by the Canadarm2 robotic arm and a pair of the station's main solar arrays.

Credit: NASA/JSC
Image Date: July 14, 2018

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Skywatching: What's Up for August 2018 | NASA/JPL

What's up in the night sky this month? The best meteor shower of the year! The Perseids peak on a moonless summer night—from 4 p.m. on the 12th until 4 a.m. on the 13th EDT. Thanks to a new moon, the days before and after the peak will also provide nice, dark skies. The best time to look for shooting stars is from a few hours after twilight until dawn on the days surrounding the peak.

For more star parties and astronomy events near you, visit: https://nightsky.nasa.gov

Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
Duration: 2 minutes, 17 seconds
Release Date: August 1, 2018

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Skywatching #MeteorShower #Meteors #Perseids #Perseus #Comet #SwiftTuttle #Moon #Mars #Venus #Jupiter #Saturn #Planets #SolarSystem #Stars #Constellations #MilkyWay #Galaxy #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Saturn's Rings by Sunlight | NASA Cassini

Color-composite of raw images acquired in visible light by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on Nov. 4, 2006.

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius about nine times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth, but with its larger volume, Saturn is over 95 times more massive. Saturn is a gas giant because it is predominantly composed of hydrogen and helium. It lacks a definite surface, though it may have a solid core.
(Source: Wikipedia)

The Cassini spacecraft ended its mission on Sept. 15, 2017.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit: https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and http://www.nasa.gov/cassini

The Cassini-Huygens mission was 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, California, managed 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 was based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Jason Major
Image Date: November 4, 2006
Release Date: August 1, 2018

#NASA #Astronomy #Science #Space #Saturn #Planet #Rings #SolarSystem #Exploration #Cassini #Spacecraft #JPL #California #UnitedStates #ESA #ASI #History #STEM #Education

Boeing Starliner | International Space Station

Preparing to Launch Astronauts from U.S. Soil
In this illustration, a Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is shown in low-Earth orbit. NASA is partnering with Boeing and SpaceX to build a new generation of human-rated spacecraft capable of taking astronauts to the International Space Station and expanding research opportunities in orbit. Boeing's upcoming Orbital Flight Test is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract with the goal of returning human spaceflight launch capabilities to the United States.

Image Credit: Boeing
Release Date: August 1, 2018

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