Earth: South Pacific Swirl | International Space Station

Earth: South Pacific Swirl | International Space Station

Earth from space is always breathtaking . . . especially this view of the South Pacific.

This circular cloud formation caught the eye of an astronaut while orbiting over the South Pacific Ocean. Traveling near the southernmost reaches of its orbit, the International Space Station (ISS) was more than 3,200 kilometers (2,000 miles) east of New Zealand and more than 4,400 kilometers (2,700 miles) west of South America.

The striking colors within the cloud formation are a result of the local sunrise. When the Sun is at a low angle (relative to the atmosphere and ISS), sunlight passes through a thicker slice of the atmosphere. This can enhance the red end of the visible color spectrum, leading to the pink hues visible at the center of the image.

When photos are taken close to the day-night line (also known as the terminator), the sunlight can cast shadows that accentuate contrasting cloud heights and make the sense of circular motion more distinct to the eye. This photo was taken while the astronaut was looking back toward the night hemisphere, so the clouds become less defined as they fade into the terminator.

The astronaut who took this photograph sent a message from the ISS to ask if this specific cloud formation had been a named tropical cyclone. However, because the weather system was short-lived, the storm dissipated before making landfall, and thus was not named.

Image Credit: NASA/JSC
Release Date: September 22, 2019

#NASA #ISS #Science #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Weather #Sunrise #Terminator #Pacific #Ocean #EarthObservation #Astronaut #FlightEngineer #Human #Spaceflight #Expedition60 #UnitedStates #JSC #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #STEM #Education

NASA Astronauts | SpaceX Crew Dragon

NASA Astronauts | SpaceX Crew Dragon

Returning flights of US astronauts from US soil

NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken familiarize themselves with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, the spacecraft that will transport them to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Their upcoming flight test is known as Demo-2, short for Demonstration Mission 2.

The Crew Dragon will launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In March 2019, SpaceX completed an uncrewed flight test of Crew Dragon known as Demo-1, which was designed to validate end-to-end systems and capabilities, bringing NASA closer to certification of SpaceX systems to fly a crew.

NASA is months away from setting a new course in Human Space Flight History. The Commercial Crew Program, a partnership between Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and Space X’s Crew Dragon are leading the way for the return to flight of US astronauts from US soil. NASA's Kennedy Space Center is leading the way in these efforts.

The agency has contracted six missions with up to four astronauts, per-mission, for each company. Commercial transportation to and from the space station will maintain a crew of seven astronauts, maximizing time dedicated to scientific research on the orbiting laboratory. This research is crucial for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight, which will allow humans to explore farther into space than ever before.

Image Credit: SpaceX
Image Date: August 30, 2018

#NASA #Earth #Space #ISS #SpaceX #ElonMusk #Astronaut #CrewDragon #BobBehnken #DougHurley #Falcon9 #Rocket #Spacecraft #Crew #Commercial #CommercialCrew #Human #Spaceflight #Science #Technology #Kennedy #KSC #Spaceport #Florida #LaunchAmerica #UnitedStates #History #STEM #Education

NASA Astronaut Bob Behnken in SpaceX Crew Dragon Spacesuit

NASA Astronaut Bob Behnken in SpaceX Spacesuit

Returning flights of US astronauts from US soil

NASA and SpaceX conducted a formal verification of the company’s emergency escape system on Sept. 18, 2019, at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida.

NASA astronaut Bob Behnken participated in the exercise to verify the crew can safely and quickly evacuate from the launch pad in the unlikely event of an emergency before liftoff of SpaceX’s first crewed flight test, called Demo-2.

As Boeing and SpaceX begin to make regular flights to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, the agency will continue to advance its mission to go beyond low-Earth orbit and establish a human presence on the Moon with the ultimate goal of sending astronauts to Mars.

NASA is months away from setting a new course in Human Space Flight History. The Commercial Crew Program, a partnership between Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and Space X’s Crew Dragon are leading the way for the return to flight of US astronauts from US soil. NASA's Kennedy Space Center is leading the way in these efforts.

The agency has contracted six missions with up to four astronauts, per-mission, for each company. Commercial transportation to and from the space station will maintain a crew of seven astronauts, maximizing time dedicated to scientific research on the orbiting laboratory. This research is crucial for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight, which will allow humans to explore farther into space than ever before.

Image Credit: SpaceX

Image Date: September 18, 2019

#NASA #Earth #Space #ISS #SpaceX #ElonMusk #Astronaut #CrewDragon #BobBehnken #Falcon9 #Rocket #Spacecraft #Crew #Commercial #CommercialCrew #Emergency #Human #Spaceflight #Science #Technology #Kennedy #KSC #Spaceport #Florida #LaunchAmerica #UnitedStates #History #STEM #Education

Inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center! | Week of Sept. 27, 2019

Inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center! | Week of Sept. 27, 2019

Kennedy Space Center senior leaders viewed a mock-up of the cargo logistics module for Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser inside the SSPF. And the Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor (OSCAR) is approaching another major milestone.

Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)
Duration: 2 minutes, 2 seconds
Release Date: Week of September 27, 2019



#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #SierraNevada #DreamChaser #ISS #Cargo #Resupply #SLS #Orion #Artemis #Moon #Mars #Kennedy #KSC #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Video

NASA's Space to Ground: New Arrivals | Week of Sept. 27, 2019

NASA's Space to Ground: New Arrivals 

Week of Sept. 27, 2019

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. 

Sept. 27, 2019: A Japanese space freighter is on track to deliver more than four tons of cargo to the International Space Station on Saturday morning. The Expedition 60 crew is preparing for its arrival while also researching a variety of microgravity phenomena.


Flight Engineers Christina Koch and Andrew Morgan are practicing on a computer the techniques they will use to maneuver the Canadarm2 robotic arm and capture the HTV-8 resupply ship on Saturday. The duo will be in the cupola monitoring the cargo craft’s approach when Koch will command the Canadarm2 to reach out and grapple the HTV-8 at 7:15 a.m. EDT.


Today, Astronaut Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency) started his morning playing with slime for the Non-Newtonian Fluids in Microgravity experiment. Koch and Morgan joined him for the fun research being filmed for students on Earth to excite them about space research.


New station resident Jessica Meir of NASA began her day observing and photographing protein crystal samples in a microscope. The research is exploring cancer therapies targeting a protein responsible for tumor growth and survival.


Meir and the station’s other new crewmates, cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates, joined the rest of the station crew to review their roles in the event of an emergency. All nine crewmembers practiced evacuating the station, communications and using safety hardware during the afternoon.


Commander Alexey Ovchinin and Flight Engineer Nick Hague are less than a week away from returning to Earth after 203 days in space. They are finalizing packing and readying their Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft for the undocking on Oct. 3. The duo will parachute to Earth with Almansoori aboard their Soyuz crew ship and land in Kazakhstan.


Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science


For more information about STEM on Station:
Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/stem_on_station/


Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Duration: 2 minutes, 29 seconds
Release Date: September 27, 2019


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Soyuz #Rocket #Research #Microgravity #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #Cosmonauts #OlegSkripochka #HazzaaAliAlmansoori #UAE ‎#Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Japan #日本 #Expedition61 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #JSC #Houston #Texas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Video

T-60 Seconds with NASA Astronaut Jessica Meir

T-60 Seconds with NASA Astronaut Jessica Meir

You’ve got to know a lot to earn a master’s degree in space science and a doctorate in marine biology, and that’s before you consider all you need to learn to become a NASA astronaut. As it turns out, little of that knowledge applied as astronaut Jessica Meir sat for a barrage of questions just before her launch to the International Space Station—take a look.

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Duration: 1 minute, 26 seconds
Release Date: September 20, 2019


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Research #Microgravity #Astronaut #JessicaMeir #Expedition61 #Human #Spaceflight #Earth #Women #Leader #Scientist #Biologist #UnitedStates #Maine #Caribou #Sweden #Sverige #STEM #Education #Video

Congratulations to NASA Astronaut Jessica Meir

Congratulations to NASA Astronaut Jessica Meir

Congratulations on arriving at the International Space Station! Official portrait of NASA Astronaut Jessica Meir in a WB-57 high altitude flight suit.

From Caribou, Maine, Jessica Meir is a graduate of Brown University, has an advanced degree from the International Space University, and earned her doctorate from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Meir’s September launch to the station will mark her first spaceflight. She was selected as an astronaut in 2013. On September 25, 2019, Jessica became the first woman from the U.S. state of Maine to reach Earth orbit and visit the International Space Station.

Meir launched to the International Space Station on board Soyuz MS-15 on September 25, 2019, as a flight engineer for Expeditions 61 and 62. She is due to return to Earth in the spring of 2020. Due to holding dual American and Swedish citizenship, she is the first Swedish woman in space, and the second Swedish national in space.

Jessica's Official NASA Astronaut Bio:
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/meir-u-jessica
https://www.nasa.gov/…/default/files/atoms/files/meir-ju.pdf

Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz
Release Date: April 22, 2019

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Research #Microgravity #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #Expedition61 #Human #Spaceflight #Earth #Women #Leader #Scientist #Biologist #UnitedStates #Maine #Caribou #Sweden #Sverige #STEM #Education

NASA Astronaut Moments: Jessica Meir - Exploring Extreme Environments

NASA Astronaut Moments: 

Jessica Meir - Exploring Extreme Environments

Astronaut Jessica Meir is no stranger to extreme environments. She’s studied penguins in Antarctica and mapped caves in Italy, all of which prepared her for the ultimate extreme environment: space.

From Caribou, Maine, Jessica Meir is a graduate of Brown University, has an advanced degree from the International Space University, and earned her doctorate from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Meir’s September launch to the station will mark her first spaceflight. She was selected as an astronaut in 2013. On September 25, 2019, Jessica became the first woman from the U.S. state of Maine to reach Earth orbit and visit the International Space Station.

Meir launched to the International Space Station on board Soyuz MS-15 on September 25, 2019, as a flight engineer for Expeditions 61 and 62. She is due to return to Earth in the spring of 2020. Due to holding dual American and Swedish citizenship, she is the first Swedish woman in space, and the second Swedish national in space.

Jessica's Official NASA Astronaut Bio:
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/meir-u-jessica
https://www.nasa.gov/…/default/files/atoms/files/meir-ju.pdf

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Duration: 3 minute, 42 seconds
Release Date: September 24, 2019

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Research #Microgravity #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #Expedition61 #Human #Spaceflight #Earth #Women #Leader #Scientist #Biologist #UnitedStates #Maine #Caribou #Sweden #Sverige #STEM #Education #Video

View of Soyuz Rocket Launch | International Space Station

View of Soyuz Rocket Launch | International Space Station

Sept. 25, 2019: NASA Astronaut Christina Koch captured this image of three multinational crewmembers launching to the International Space Station aboard their Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan, including NASA astronaut Jessica Meir.

Christina: "What it looks like from the International Space Station when your best friend achieves her lifelong dream to go to space. Caught the second stage in progress! We can’t wait to welcome you onboard, crew of Soyuz 61!"

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, Oleg Skripochka of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, and Hazzaa Ali Almansoori from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched safely for their mission aboard the International Space Station on the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft at 9:57 a.m. EDT.

The crew began their six-hour trip to the orbital laboratory during which they will orbit Earth four times.

From Caribou, Maine, Jessica Meir is a graduate of Brown University, has an advanced degree from the International Space University, and earned her doctorate from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Meir’s September launch to the station will mark her first spaceflight. She was selected as an astronaut in 2013. Jessica is the first woman from Maine to reach orbit!

United Arab Emirates’ Hazzaa Ali Almansoori, a Roscosmos spaceflight participant, will return with to Earth Oct. 3rd. This is his first spaceflight.

Image Credit: NASA/JSC
Image Date: September 25, 2019

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Soyuz #Rocket #Research #Microgravity #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #Cosmonaut #OlegSkripochka #HazzaaAliAlmansoori #UAE #الإمارات‎#Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #Expedition61 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #وكالةالإمارات للفضاء

Soyuz Rocket Blasts Off to Station With Multinational Crew

Soyuz Rocket Blasts Off to Station With Multinational Crew

Congratulations to NASA's Jessica Meir and UAE's Hazzaa Ali Almansoori!

Sept. 25, 2019: Three multinational crewmembers blasted off to the space station today aboard their Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan. NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, Oleg Skripochka of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, and Hazzaa Ali Almansoori from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched safely for their mission aboard the International Space Station on the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft at 9:57 a.m. EDT.

The crew began their six-hour trip to the orbital laboratory during which they will orbit Earth four times.

From Caribou, Maine, Jessica Meir is a graduate of Brown University, has an advanced degree from the International Space University, and earned her doctorate from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Meir’s September launch to the station will mark her first spaceflight. She was selected as an astronaut in 2013. Jessica is the first woman from Maine to reach orbit!

United Arab Emirates’ Hazzaa Ali Almansoori, a Roscosmos spaceflight participant, will return with to Earth Oct. 3rd. This is his first spaceflight.

Video Credit: NASA/JSC/Roscosmos
Duration: 1 minute, 26 seconds
Release Date: September 25, 2019

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Soyuz #Rocket #Research #Microgravity #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #Cosmonauts #OlegSkripochka #HazzaaAliAlmansoori #UAE #الإمارات‎#Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #Expedition61 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Video #وكالةالإمارات للفضاء

Galaxy Messier 86: Beacon of Light | Hubble

Galaxy Messier 86: Beacon of Light | Hubble

This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the galaxy Messier 86. Despite its being discovered over 235 years ago by astronomer Charles Messier, the morphological classification of Messier 86 remains unclear; astronomers are still debating over whether it is either elliptical or lenticular (the latter being a cross between an elliptical and spiral galaxy).

Messier 86 is part of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies and is situated about 50 million light-years from Earth. The galaxy is moving through space remarkably quickly—its current trajectory is bringing it in our direction, back towards the center of its cluster from the far side, at the incredible speed of over 875,000 kilometers per hour! Because of the speed with which it is moving through the cluster, Messier 86 is undergoing a process known as ram-pressure stripping; the resistive material filling the gaps between individual cluster galaxies is pulling at the gas and dust in Messier 86 and stripping them out as the galaxy moves, creating a long trail of hot gas that is emitting X-ray radiation.

Astronomers are using these data to study elliptical and lenticular galaxies, both of which are often found at the centers of galaxy clusters. By studying the cores of these galaxies, astronomers hope to determine details of the central structure and to analyze both the history of the galaxy and the formation of its core.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, P. Cote et al.
Release Date: September 23, 2019


#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxy #Messier86 #Virgo #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education

Earth by Moonlight | International Space Station

Earth by Moonlight | International Space Station

Original timelapse by Riccardo Rossi (ISAA)
ISAA (Italian Space and Astronautics Association)

Raw imagery courtesy of Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth: http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov
- Attribution-Non-Commercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License -

Music: "Slow motion Perception" by Carlos Carty - Attribution 4.0 International License
https://www.jamendo.com/artist/488420/carlos-carty

Timelapse HD 1080p video

Credit: AstronautiCAST/JSC
Duration: 4 minutes, 33 seconds
Capture Date: September 13, 2019
Release Date: September 19, 2019

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Earth #Planet #Moon #ISS #Italy #Europe #Aurora #Stars #Spacecraft #Astronauts #Expedition60 #Photography #Art #Science #OrbitalPerspective #OverviewEffect #AstronautiCAST #ISAA #STEM #Education #Timelapse #Video

Earth from Space: Clarence Strait, Australia | European Space Agency

Earth from Space: Clarence Strait, Australia | ESA

The European Space Agency's Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite takes us over Clarence Strait, a narrow body of water in Australia’s Northern Territory in this week's edition of the Earth from Space program.

ESA - We are Europe's gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out http://www.esa.int/ESA to get up to speed on everything space related.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)
Duration: 2 minutes, 45 seconds
Release Date: September 20, 2019


#NASA #ESA #Earth #Space #Satellite #Australia #ClarenceStrait #Darwin #Djukbinj #TimorSea #AdelaideRiver #Europe #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #EarthFromSpace #Copernicus #Sentinel2 #STEM #Education #Video

Inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center | Week of Sept. 20, 2019

Inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center | Week of Sept. 20, 2019

NASA's Exploration Ground Systems performed another successful test of the sound suppression system at Launch Pad 39B in preparation for Artemis I. During the test, the system released 450,000 gallons of water across the mobile launcher and flame deflector in a little over 30 seconds. Also, NASA and SpaceX were awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Interactive Program for the launch broadcast of SpaceX's Demo-1 mission. Under the agency's Commercial Crew Program, SpaceX launched its inaugural uncrewed Demo-1 flight test to the International Space Station in March.

Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)
Duration: 2 minutes, 18 seconds
Release Date: September 20, 2019


#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #SLS #Rocket #Orion #Artemis #Moon #Mars #SpaceX #LaunchAmerica #CCP #Kennedy #KSC #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Video

Highlighting Artemis with Help from Hollywood | This Week @NASA

Highlighting Artemis with Help from Hollywood 

This Week @NASA

Week of Sept. 20, 2019 | Highlighting Artemis with help from Hollywood, preparing to launch to the only laboratory in microgravity, and testing new lunar landing technology . . . a few of the stories to tell you about—This Week at NASA!

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Duration: 4 minutes, 28 seconds
Release Date: September 20, 2019

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Artemis #Moon #Mars #JourneyToMars #Film #ScienceFiction #AdAstra #Astronauts #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Video

NASA's Space to Ground: Dress Rehearsals | Week of Sept. 20, 2019

NASA's Space to Ground: Dress Rehearsals

Week of Sept. 20, 2019

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station.

Three Expedition 60 crewmembers finalized four days in a row of rodent research aboard the International Space Station this week. Meanwhile, more space science is underway as the orbiting lab residents prepare to swap crews.

Astronauts living in space have shown signs of accelerated aging and scientists are looking to understand why. The crew has spent all week observing mice aboard the station since they show similar physiological changes in microgravity. Scientists are hoping results from the rodent study may provide insights and therapies for aging conditions and muscle diseases to promote healthier humans on Earth and in space.

NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Andrew Morgan conducted the rodent research this week with assistance from ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano. The trio performed the biological research using the Life Sciences Glovebox installed inside Japan’s Kibo laboratory module.

Flight Engineer Nick Hague of NASA set up fluid research hardware inside the U.S. Destiny laboratory module throughout Thursday. The new science gear will support the Ring Sheared Drop experiment to understand how fluids flow in the human body and other materials. Observations may lead to a deeper understanding of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and improved production of advanced materials.

Commander Alexey Ovchinin is still gathering items he will pack inside the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft for his return home in a couple of weeks. He and Hague will soar back to Earth inside the Soyuz crew ship and parachute to a landing in Kazakhstan on Oct. 3.

Spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori will hitch a ride back to Earth with Hague and Ovchinin after he launches to the station next week. He will join Expedition 61 crewmembers Jessica Meir of NASA and Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos aboard the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft when it launches on Wednesday at 9:57 a.m. EDT. The trio will dock to the aft end of the Zvezda service module at 3:45 p.m. the same day.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Duration: 3 minutes, 19 seconds
Release Date: September 20, 2019

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Soyuz #Rocket #Research #Microgravity #Astronauts #JessicaMeir #Cosmonauts #OlegSkripochka #HazzaaAliAlmansoori #UAE #الإمارات‎#Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Expedition61 #Human #Spaceflight #Spacecraft #JSC #Houston #Texas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Video #وكالةالإمارات للفضاء