Friends of NASA

Monday, April 11, 2022

Spiral Snapshot | Hubble

Spiral Snapshot | Hubble

The spiral galaxy M91 fills the frame of this Wide Field Camera 3 observation from the NASA/European Space Agency (ESA) Hubble Space Telescope. M91 lies approximately 55 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Coma Berenices and—as is evident in this image—is a barred spiral galaxy. While M91’s prominent bar makes for a spectacular galactic portrait, it also hides an astronomical monstrosity. Like our own galaxy, M91 contains a supermassive black hole at its center. A 2009 study using archival Hubble data found that this central black hole weighs somewhere between 9.6 and 38 million times as much as the Sun.

Whilst archival Hubble data allowed astronomers to weigh M91’s central black hole, more recent observations have had other scientific aims. This observation is part of an effort to build a treasure trove of astronomical data exploring the connections between young stars and the clouds of cold gas in which they form. To do this, astronomers used Hubble to obtain ultraviolet and visible observations of galaxies already seen at radio wavelengths by the ground-based Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).

Observing time with Hubble is a highly valued, and much sought-after, resource for astronomers. To obtain data from the telescope, astronomers first have to write a proposal detailing what they want to observe and highlighting the scientific importance of their observations. These proposals are then anonymised and judged on their scientific merit by a variety of astronomical experts. This process is incredibly competitive: following Hubble’s latest call for proposals, only around 13% of the proposals were awarded observing time.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team

Release Date: April 11, 2022

#NASA #Hubble #ALMA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxy #M91 #NGC4548 #BlackHole #Spiral #Stars #ComaBerenices #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

The Long March 6A: Understanding China's Latest Medium-Lift Rocket

The Long March 6A: Understanding China's Latest Medium-Lift Rocket

Welcome to another episode of the Dongfang Hour Space Updates! This week we discuss in detail the second new rocket that China has inaugurated in 2022: the Long March 6A. The Long March 6A is a Chinese launch vehicle of the Long March family. It was developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST). The vehicle is a further development of the Long March 6, with 2 YF-100 engines on the first stage as opposed to 1 on the Long March 6, augmented by 4 solid rocket boosters.

The Long March 6A is China's first rocket with solid rocket boosters. The maiden launch of the Long March 6A took place March 29, 2022, successfully reaching orbit. It was also the first launch from the newly built launch complex 9A at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China's Shanxi province.

Video Credit: Dongfang Hour

Host: Jean Deville

Dongfang Hour Website & Newsletter: https://www.dongfanghour.com

Visual Credits: CCTV, CGTN, NASA, Arianespace, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Limited (CASIC), Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST)

Release Date: April 11, 2022

#NASA #Space #China #中国 #Rockets #LongMarch #LongMarch6A #长征六号甲运载火箭 #LM6A #ChangZheng6A #Satellites #Taikonauts #Tiangong #天宫 #SpaceStation #CNSA #CMSA #国家航天局 #Science #Technology #Engineering #STEM #Education #International #DongfangHour #HD #Video

NASA’s Self-Driving Perseverance Mars Rover is Breaking Records | JPL

NASA’s Self-Driving Perseverance Mars Rover is Breaking Records | JPL

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is using its self-driving capabilities as it treks across Jezero Crater seeking signs of ancient life and gathering rock and soil samples for planned return to Earth.

With the help of special 3D glasses, rover drivers on Earth plan routes with specific stops, but

increasingly allow the rover to "take the wheel" and choose how it gets to those stops. Perseverance's auto-navigation system, known as AutoNav, makes 3D maps of the terrain ahead, identifies hazards, and plans a route around any obstacles without additional direction from controllers back on Earth.

Now the rover can drive through these more complex terrains, which helps Perseverance achieve its science goals and break driving records. The rover is traversing from an area near its landing site, "Octavia E. Butler Landing," to an area where an ancient river flowed into a body of water and deposited sediments (known as a delta).

To track Perseverance's drive, visit: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/where-is-the-rover/

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

For more information on Perseverance, visit: https://mars.nasa.gov/perseverance

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech//ASU/MSSS

Duration: 2 minutes, 40 seconds

Release Date: April 8, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #Jezero #Crater #Perseverance #Curiosity #Rovers #Rover #SelfDriving #Autonomous #Robotics #Technology #Engineering #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Chinese Astronauts in Space Answer Questions from American Children

Chinese Astronauts in Space Answer Questions from American Children

Chinese astronauts on the Tiangong Space Station orbiting Earth interacted with U.S. schoolchildren by answering questions during the "My question to Taikonauts" event held by the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C. in the United States on Saturday, April 9, 2022.

Wang Yaping, China's second female astronaut is presently aboard China's Tiangong space station on a six-month mission, along with her crewmates, Nie Haisheng and Ye Guangfu.

Wang Yaping is China's second female astronaut or taikonaut. On November 7, 2021, Wang Yaping became China's first female spacewalker. Wang became China's second female spacefarer as a member of the Shenzhou 10 spaceship crew when it orbited the Earth in June 2013.

Tiangong is a space station being constructed by China in low Earth orbit between 340 and 450 km (210 and 280 mi) above the surface. Being China's first long-term space station, it is the goal of the "Third Step" of the China Manned Space Program. It is hoped that the research conducted on the station will improve researchers' ability to conduct science experiments in space.

Former NASA Astronaut Donald A. Thomas also gave a presentation to students at the Chinese Embassy. Don Thomas is a veteran of four NASA Space Shuttle flights: STS-65, STS-70, STS-83, STS-94

Donald A. Thomas NASA Bio

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/thomas_donald.pdf

Credit: China Central Television (CCTV) News Agency

Duration: 3 minutes, 28 seconds

Release Date: April 10, 2022

#NASA #Space #China #中国 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #NieHaisheng #YeGuangfu #Women #WangYaping #王亚平 #Tiangong #天宫 #SpaceStation #Shenzhou13 #UNOOSA #UnitedNations #CNSA #CMSA #国家航天局 #Science #Technology #Students #DonaldAThomas #American #Embassy #Washington #DC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #International #CCTV #HD #Video