Roscosmos Soyuz MS-21 Docked Crew Ship | International Space Station

Roscosmos Soyuz MS-21 Docked Crew Ship | International Space Station

The Soyuz MS-21 crew ship is pictured docked to the Prichal docking module, which is itself docked to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module attached to the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS). The orbiting lab was flying 259 miles above the Arafura Sea on the north coast of Australia at the time this photograph was taken.

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Learn more about the important research being operated on the International Space Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) Education

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Date: April 11, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Roscosmos #Cosmonauts #Soyuz #Союз #SoyuzMS21 #Prichal #Docking #Роскосмос #Russia #Россия #JSC #Houston #Texas #UnitedStates #ArafuraSea #Australia #PacificOcean #Expedition67 #International #Cooperation #UNOOSA #STEM #Education

NASA's Space to Ground: A New Chapter—Week of April 15, 2022

NASA's Space to Ground: A New Chapter—Week of April 15, 2022

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. NASA and SpaceX are preparing for a Commercial Crew swap taking place this month at the International Space Station. Meanwhile, the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) astronauts are staying busy as two cosmonauts gear up for a pair of spacewalks outside the orbiting lab’s Russian segment.

Two Commercial Crew missions are getting ready to trade places on the orbiting lab by the end of April. The four SpaceX-Crew-4 astronauts are in quarantine counting down to liftoff aboard the Dragon Freedom crew ship from Florida at 5:26 a.m. EDT on April 23, 2022. Commander Kjell Lindgren will lead Pilot Robert Hines and Mission Specialists Jessica Watkins and Samantha Cristoforetti on a ride to the station’s Harmony module where they will dock just over 24 hours later.

The new quartet will replace the SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts who are due to leave the station at the end of April inside the Dragon Endeavor crew ship. Commander Raja Chari, Pilot Tom Marshburn and Mission Specialists Kayla Barron and Matthias Maurer will splashdown off the coast of Florida after living and working nearly six months in space.

The four Ax-1 crew members continue to focus on their busy slate of space research ahead of their undocking planned for next week. 

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Learn more about the important research being operated on the International Space Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) Education

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Release Date: April 15, 2022

Duration: 2 minutes, 38 seconds

#NASA #Space #ISS #Axiom #AxiomSpace #Ax1 #SpaceX #CrewDragon #SpaceXCrew3 #SpaceXCrew4 #Spacecraft #Private #Mission #Astronauts #MichaelLópezAlegría #Spain #Espana #LarryConnor #UnitedStates #EytanStibbe #Israel #MarkPathy #Canada #Science #Research #Expedition67 #HD #Video

Electron Rocket Launch in New Zealand | Rocket Lab

Electron Rocket Launch in New Zealand | Rocket Lab

Neutron Launches Coming Soon to America via Wallops Island, Virginia

Electron launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula on April 2, 2022. The ‘Without Mission A Beat’ mission was Rocket Lab’s 25th Electron launch overall and first mission of 2022. The total number of satellites launched by Rocket Lab now totals 112. 

Electron deployed two BlackSky high-resolution Gen-2 Earth imaging satellites to a 430km circular low Earth orbit, where BlackSky is rapidly developing its satellite constellation to better meet global demand for real-time geospatial analytics. This expanded BlackSky’s constellation to 14 satellites. Rocket Lab has delivered the majority of BlackSky’s constellation to orbit on Electron missions since 2019. 

Electron Rocket Data

Length: 18m

Diameter (max): 1.2m

Stages: 2 + Kick Stage

Vehicle Mass (lift-off): 13,000kg

Material Structure: Carbon Fiber Composite/Monocoque

Propellant: LOX/Kerosene

Nominal Payload: 200kg / 440lbm to 500

Rocket Lab Update: “Neutron is a new generation of rocket that will advance the way space is accessed, and Virginia makes perfect sense as Neutron’s home base,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck. “Its position on the eastern seaboard is the ideal location to support both Neutron’s frequent launch cadence and the rocket’s return-to-Earth capability of landing back at its launch site after lift-off; and as one of only four states in the United States with an FAA spaceport license for missions to Earth orbit or on interplanetary trajectories."

Learn more about Rocket Lab's Neutron rocket here: https://www.rocketlabusa.com/launch/neutron

Image Credit: Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab Website: https://www.rocketlabusa.com

BlackSky Website: https://www.blacksky.com

Release Date: April 14, 2022

#NASA #Space #Aerospace #Earth #Satellites #RocketLab #Electron #Rocket #Launch #BlackSky #Gen2 #NewZealand #MahiaPeninsula #Commercial #RemoteSensing #EarthObservation #PeterBeck #Timelapse #Photography #STEM #Education

Hubble Confirms Largest Comet Nucleus Ever Seen | NASA Goddard

Hubble Confirms Largest Comet Nucleus Ever Seen | NASA Goddard

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has determined the size of the largest icy comet nucleus ever found. And, it’s big! With a diameter of approximately 80 miles across, it’s about 50 times larger than typical comets. Its 500-trillion-ton mass is a hundred thousand times greater than the average comet.

Denizens of deep space, comets are among the oldest objects in the solar system. These icy "Lego blocks" are leftover from the early days of planet construction. They were unceremoniously tossed out of the solar system in a gravitational pinball game among the massive outer planets. The kicked-out comets took up residence in the Oort Cloud, a vast reservoir of far-flung comets encircling the solar system out to many billions of miles into deep space.

A typical comet's spectacular multimillion-mile-long tail, which makes it look like a skyrocket, belies the fact that the source at the heart of the fireworks is a solid nucleus of ice mixed with dust—a dirty snowball. Most comet nuclei measure a few miles across and so would fit inside a small town, but Hubble astronomers have uncovered a whopper. Comet C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein) could be as big as 85 miles across, over twice the width of the state of Rhode Island.

Comet C/2014 UN271 was discovered by astronomers Pedro Bernardinelli and Gary Bernstein in archival images from the Dark Energy Survey at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. It was first serendipitously observed in 2010. Hubble observations in 2022 were needed to discriminate the solid nucleus from the huge dusty shell enveloping it, with help from radio observations.

The comet is now less than 2 billion miles from the Sun, and in a few million years will loop back to its nesting ground in the Oort Cloud.

For more information, visit: https://nasa.gov/hubble

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Paul Morris: Lead Producer 

Music Credits: 

“Ash Cloud” by Samuel Sim [PRS] via Sound Pocket Music [PRS] and Universal Production Music

Additional Credits: Pop Sound Effects by erhnbcc via Motion Array

Illustration of comet by NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva (Spaceengine)

Duration: 59 seconds

Release Date: April 12, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Hubble #Comet #CometC2014UN271 #OortCloud #Science #SolarSystem #exploration #Cosmos #Universe #CerroTololo #Observatory #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Artemis I Moon Rocket in Starshine | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis I Moon Rocket in Starshine | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft atop arrived at Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for a final test before its Artemis I Moon mission. United Launch Alliance (ULA) under a collaborative partnership with Boeing, built the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) upper stage of the SLS rocket that will propel Orion to the Moon. 

Artemis I moon launch (uncrewed) is currently scheduled for no earlier than June 2022.

The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate NASA's commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.  It will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon over the course of about a three-week mission. Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.

NASA's Artemis Program:

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS)

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html

NASA's Orion Spacecraft

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/about/index.html

Image Credit: United Launch Alliance (ULA)

Image Date: April 8, 2022

#NASA #ESA #ULA #Space #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisI #Orion #Spacecraft #SLS #Boeing #Rocket #DeepSpace #LockheedMartin #Astronauts #Mars #JourneyToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #Exploration #SolarSystem #KSC #Kennedy #Florida #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Why Quantum? Why Now? NASA Celebrates World Quantum Day

Why Quantum? Why Now? NASA Celebrates World Quantum Day

April 14 marks the annual World Quantum Day, and NASA's Space Communications and Navigation program is excited to celebrate! Whether you know it or not, quantum physics touches our lives each day. Everything physical around us is made of matter, from the air we breathe to the water we drink—even our own bodies are made of matter. In its smallest measurable form, matter is made up of atoms. Within atoms are even smaller particles called electrons, protons, and neutrons—and protons and neutrons are made of even smaller units of matter called quarks. 

Quantum physics is the study of these extremely small atomic particles and quarks. Quantum aims to understand the nature of energy and matter through these small particles in order to better understand the world around us and apply quantum theories to real-world technology solutions. 

NASA uses quantum technologies every day, from atomic clocks to future quantum communications networks. Hear from some of our NASA Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) quantum experts at NASA’s Glenn Research Center, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and NASA Headquarters as they discuss why quantum is critical to advancing space communications and exploration. 

Learn more: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/scan/worldquantumday

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 4 minutes, 24 seconds

Release Date: April 14, 2022

#NASA #Space #SCaN #Astronomy #Quantum #QuantumPhysics #Physics #WorldQuantumDay #Science #Technology #Cryptography #RemoteSensing #GPS #Navigation #Telecommunications #Communications #Computers #Electronics #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Welcome Aboard: Axiom 1 & International Space Station Crews

Welcome Aboard: Axiom 1 & International Space Station Crews

The 11-person crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) comprises of (clockwise from bottom right) Expedition 67 Commander Tom Marshburn with Flight Engineers Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev, Sergey Korsakov, Raja Chari, Kayla Barron, and Matthias Maurer; and Axiom Mission 1 astronauts (center row from left) Mark Pathy, Eytan Stibbe, Larry Conner, and Michael Lopez-Alegria.

6 nations represented: Spain, Israel, Germany, Russia, United States, Canada

Ax-1 crew members Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada are on a 10-day space mission. The crew is spending eight days on the International Space Station conducting scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities.

Learn more about Ax-1 at Axiom Space: https://www.axiomspace.com

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

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

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center 

Image Date: April 9, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Atmosphere #Axiom #AxiomSpace #Ax1 #Private #Mission #Astronauts #MichaelLópezAlegría #Spain #Espana #LarryConnor #UnitedStates #EytanStibbe #Israel #MarkPathy #Canada #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Germany #Deutschland #Science #Research #Expedition67 #International #STEM #Education

A Dead Star’s Shroud | Kitt Peak National Observatory

A Dead Star’s Shroud | Kitt Peak National Observatory

This image, which looks a little like an enormous bubble in space, features a planetary nebula known as EGB 6. It was imaged by the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. Planetary nebulae, notoriously, have nothing to do with planets. They form during the dying millennia of intermediate-mass stars, stars with masses between one and eight times the mass of the Sun. “Dying millennia” might sound like a very long time, but compared to the overall lifespan of a star, planetary nebulae are extremely short-lived. Towards the end of their life cycle, intermediate-mass stars enter the red giant phase, during which fusion reactions temporarily reignite in a dying star’s core. Layers of gas, shed or ejected during the red giant phase, absorb vast amounts of energy and create the gorgeous phenomena known as planetary nebulae. The dying millenia only last about 20,000 years, a mere blink of an eye when you consider that intermediate-mass stars shine steadily for between 30 million to 10 billion years (depending on their mass) before they die.

Credit: International Gemini Observatory/National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab)/National Science Foundation (NSF)/Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)

Image processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)

Release Date: December 19, 2019

#NASA #Gemini #Astronomy #Space #Science #EGB6 #Nebula #Planetary #Stars #Leo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Observatory #Telescope #Optical #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #KittPeak #KPNO #Tucson #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

A Martian Sunrise and a NASA Robotic Lander | Mars Insight Mission

A Martian Sunrise and a NASA Robotic Lander | Mars Insight Mission

Mars Insight Lander: "I’ll never tire of sunrise on Mars. ☀️ Each morning, that distant dot climbs higher in the sky, giving me energy for another round of listening to the rumbles beneath my feet." 

InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is a Mars lander designed to give the Red Planet its first thorough checkup since it formed 4 billion years ago. It is the first outer space robotic explorer to study in-depth the "inner space" of Mars: its crust, mantle, and core.

InSight's robotic arm is over 5 feet 9 inches (1.8 meters) long. It lifts a seismometer and heat flow probe from the deck and places them on the surface. The camera on the arm will provide color 3D views of the landing site, instrument placement, and activities. Sensors measure weather and magnetic field variations.

Learn more about Mars Insight: http://mars.nasa.gov/insight

JPL manages InSight for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA’s Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supports spacecraft operations for the mission.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Kevin M. Gill

InSight - Sol 1198 - IDC

Release Date: April 10, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Mars #Sun #Sunrise #Insight #Robotic #Lander #Science #Engineering #JPL #Caltech #MSFC #LockheedMartin #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis "You Are Going" Free eBook for Children

NASA Artemis "You Are Going" Free eBook for Children

Available in Italian, German, Spanish, English and French

"Today is the International Day of Human Spaceflight. NASA is marking this occasion with Italian, German, Spanish, and French translations of our free digital 18-page illustrated Artemis children’s book, You Are Going."

Access the translations and other resources here: http://nasa.gov/youaregoing

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/you-are-going/

With Artemis, NASA is going back to the Moon. And we want you to come along!

You Are Going, illustrated by former NASA intern Shane Tolentino, shares a glimpse into future Artemis missions. Learn all about the elements that will help make Artemis possible: the powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, the Gateway, and so much more.

In this story, NASA invites you—a member of the Artemis Generation—to feel connected to each Artemis mission and discover all of the exciting possibilities of going to space.

So, what are you waiting for? You Are Going!

English: 

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/you-are-going/img/YouAreGoing_web.pdf

French (Français):     

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/you-are-going/img/YouAreGoing_01042022_French.pdf

German (Deutsch):

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/you-are-going/img/YouAreGoing_12162021_German.pdf

Italian (Italiano):

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/you-are-going/img/YouAreGoing_01052021_Italian.pdf

Spanish (Español):

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/you-are-going/img/YouAreGoing_01192022_Spanish.pdf

Credit: NASA Artemis

Release Date: April 12, 2022

#NASA #eBook #Books #Children #Students #Artemis #ArtemisGeneration #Space #Astronomy #Science #Technology #Moon #Earth #German #Spanish #Español #French #Français #English #Italian #Italiano #Languages #Learning #Human #Spaceflight #STEM #Education

NASA's Artemis I Moon Rocket in Spotlights | Kennedy Space Center

NASA's Artemis I Moon Rocket in Spotlights | Kennedy Space Center

In this 30-second exposure, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Friday, April 8, 2022, as the Artemis I launch team prepares for wet dress rehearsal testing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASA’s Artemis I flight test, the wet dress rehearsal will run the Artemis I launch team through operations to load propellant, conduct a full launch countdown, demonstrate the ability to recycle the countdown clock, and drain the tanks to practice timelines and procedures for launch. 

Artemis I moon launch (uncrewed) is currently scheduled for spring 2022.

The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate NASA's commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.  It will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon over the course of about a three-week mission. Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.

Learn more about Artemis I at:

NASA's Artemis Program:

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS)

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html

NASA's Orion Spacecraft

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/about/index.html

Image Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Image Date: April 8, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Space #Moon #Moonlight #Artemis #ArtemisI #Orion #Spacecraft #SLS #Boeing #Rocket #DeepSpace #LockheedMartin #Orion #Spacecraft #Astronauts #Mars #JourneyToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #Exploration #SolarSystem #KSC #Kennedy #Florida #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Earth View: Axiom 1 Mission | International Space Station

Earth View: Axiom 1 Mission | International Space Station

Axiom 1 Mission Commander Michael López-Alegría: "The atmosphere that protects our planet from the harsh elements of space is so incredibly thin, like the skin of an apple. 📸"

Former NASA astronaut, Michael López-Alegría, is vice-president of business development for Axiom Space. López-Alegría has flown four times in space already on space shuttle missions STS-73, STS-92, and STS- 113. He was also the commander of International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 14, coming to and from the space station aboard a Russian Soyuz TMA-9.

Ax-1 crew members Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada are on a10-day space mission. The crew is spending eight days on the International Space Station conducting scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities.

Learn more about Ax-1 at Axiom Space: https://www.axiomspace.com

Credit: Michael López-Alegría/Axiom Space

Image Date: April 11, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Atmosphere #Axiom #AxiomSpace #Ax1 #PlvsVltra #FurtherBeyond #Private #Mission #Astronauts #MichaelLópezAlegría #Spain #Espana #LarryConnor #UnitedStates #EytanStibbe #Israel #MarkPathy #Canada #Science #Research  #International #STEM #Education

SpaceX Dragon Axiom 1 Spacecraft Approaches International Space Station

SpaceX Dragon Axiom 1 Spacecraft Approaches International Space Station

On April 9, 2022, the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour crew ship carrying four Axiom Mission 1 (AX-1) astronauts  approaches the International Space Station after launching from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida the day before. 

Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada are aboard.

During their 10-day mission, the crew will spend eight days on the International Space Station conducting scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities. 

Learn more about Ax-1 at Axiom Space:

https://www.axiomspace.com

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Date: April 9, 2022

#NASA #Space #Earth #Moon #ISS #Axiom #AxiomSpace #Ax1 #SpaceX #CrewDragon #Spacecraft #Private  #Mission #Astronauts #MichaelLópezAlegría #Spain #Espana #LarryConnor #UnitedStates #EytanStibbe #Israel #MarkPathy #Canada #Science #Research #International #STEM #Education

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