Thursday, April 28, 2022

Peeking Above the Horizon | La Silla Observatory in Chile

Peeking Above the Horizon | La Silla Observatory in Chile

This image, taken at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert, shows the Milky Way as it peeks above the horizon, with two of the observatory’s telescopes bracketing the starry, dusty band as it stretches across the sky.

To the right stands the domed enclosure of the ESO 3.6-meter telescope and its adjacent smaller sibling, the now-decommissioned Coudé Auxiliary Telescope. To the left is the receiver dish for the Swedish–ESO Submillimeter Telescope, also now decommissioned. 

Stretching into the distance to the left, and nearly at the centre of the image, lie the other buildings and telescope enclosures hosted at La Silla, their outlines silhouetted against the glowing sky. Visible in the far distance are city lights which, although faint in absolute terms, can become noticeable over long exposures such as this one. The soft glow of light just to the left of centre, which gently curves through the sky, is called zodiacal light, and it’s sunlight scattered by dust particles in the plane of the Solar System.


Credit: ESO/P. Horálek

Release Date: April 25, 2022


#ESO #Earth #Astronomy #Space #Science #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Stars #ZodiacalLight #LaSilla #Observatory #Cosmos #Universe #Chile #Atacama #Desert #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

NASA’s Mars Helicopter Spots Gear That Helped Perseverance Rover Land

NASA’s Mars Helicopter Spots Gear That Helped Perseverance Rover Land

This image of Perseverance’s backshell and parachute was collected by NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter during its 26th flight on April 19, 2022. Images obtained during the flight may provide insight into the components’ performance during the rover’s entry, descent, and landing on Feb. 18, 2021.

Eyeing some of the components that enabled the rover to get safely to the Martian surface could provide valuable insights for future missions.

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter recently surveyed both the parachute that helped the agency’s Perseverance rover land on Mars and the cone-shaped backshell that protected the rover in deep space and during its fiery descent toward the Martian surface on Feb. 18, 2021. Engineers with the Mars Sample Return program asked whether Ingenuity could provide this perspective. What resulted were 10 aerial color images taken April 19 during Ingenuity’s Flight 26.

Entry, descent, and landing on Mars is fast-paced and stressful, not only for the engineers back on Earth, but also for the vehicle enduring the gravitational forces, high temperatures, and other extremes that come with entering Mars’ atmosphere at nearly 12,500 mph (20,000 kph). The parachute and backshell were previously imaged from a distance by the Perseverance rover.

However, images collected by the rotorcraft (from an aerial perspective and closer) provide more detail. The images have the potential to help ensure safer landings for future spacecraft such as the Mars Sample Return Lander, which is part of a multimission campaign that would bring Perseverance’s samples of Martian rocks, atmosphere, and sediment back to Earth for detailed analysis.

“Perseverance had the best-documented Mars landing in history, with cameras showing everything from parachute inflation to touchdown,” said JPL’s Ian Clark, former Perseverance systems engineer and now Mars Sample Return ascent phase lead. “But Ingenuity’s images offer a different vantage point. If they either reinforce that our systems worked as we think they worked or provide even one dataset of engineering information we can use for Mars Sample Return planning, it will be amazing. And if not, the pictures are still phenomenal and inspiring.”

In the images of the upright backshell and the debris field that resulted from it impacting the surface at about 78 mph (126 kph), the backshell’s protective coating appears to have remained intact during Mars atmospheric entry. Many of the 80 high-strength suspension lines connecting the backshell to the parachute are visible and also appear intact. Spread out and covered in dust, only about a third of the orange-and-white parachute – at 70.5 feet (21.5 meters) wide, it was the biggest ever deployed on Mars – can be seen, but the canopy shows no signs of damage from the supersonic airflow during inflation. Several weeks of analysis will be needed for a more final verdict.

The new area of operations in Jezero Crater’s dry river delta marks a dramatic departure from the modest, relatively flat terrain Ingenuity had been flying over since its first flight. Several miles wide, the fan-shaped delta formed where an ancient river spilled into the lake that once filled Jezero Crater. Rising more than 130 feet (40 meters) above the crater floor and filled with jagged cliffs, angled surfaces, projecting boulders, and sand-filled pockets, the delta promises to hold numerous geologic revelations – perhaps even proof that microscopic life existed on Mars billions of years ago.

Upon reaching the delta, Ingenuity’s first orders may be to help determine which of two dry river channels Perseverance should climb to reach the top of the delta. Along with route-planning assistance, data provided by the helicopter will help the Perseverance team assess potential science targets. Ingenuity may even be called upon to image geologic features too far afield for the rover to reach or to scout landing zones and sites on the surface where sample caches could be deposited for the Mars Sample Return program.

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages the project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley and NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity’s development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System.

At NASA Headquarters, Dave Lavery is the program executive for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter.

More About Perseverance

A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).

Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.

JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.

For more information about Ingenuity: mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Release Date: April 27, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #River #Delta #Astrobiology #Geology #Geoscience #Jezero #Crater #Perseverance #Rover #Backshell #Parachute #Robotics #Technology #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #STEM #Education

NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 Flight Day 2 Highlights

 NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 Flight Day 2 Highlights

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts docked autonomously to the forward port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module at 7:37 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 27. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, and Jessica Watkins, along with European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, arrived after a one-day journey to begin a six-month science mission on the International Space Station. Following docking Lindgren, Hines, Watkins, and Cristoforetti joined the Expedition 67 crew of NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, Kayla Barron, and ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Sergey Korsakov, and Denis Matveev.


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.


Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 24 minutes

Release Date: April 28, 2022


#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #CrewDragon #Freedom #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronaut #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #Human #Spaceflight #Crew4 #LaunchAmerica #JSC #UnitedStates #Reasearch #Laboratory #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 Astronauts Arrive at International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 Astronauts Arrive at International Space Station

NASA astronauts Mission Commander Kjell Lindgren, Pilot Bob Hines, and Mission Specialist Jessica Watkins, and Mission Specialist Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA) now are aboard the International Space Station following Crew Dragon’s hatch opening about 9:15 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, April 27, 2022.


Crew-4 joins Expedition 67 crew of Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, all of NASA, Matthias Maurer of ESA, and cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Sergey Korsakov, and Denis Matveev of Roscosmos.

NASA TV coverage will conclude shortly after hatch opening and return for live coverage of the welcoming ceremony at 2:40 a.m. Thursday, April 28.

Crew-4 astronauts launched to International Space Station at 3:52 a.m. Wednesday, April 27, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The international crew of four will spend several months on the orbital complex on a science expedition mission.

Credit: NASA TV

Duration: 2 minutes, 9 seconds

Capture Date: April 27, 2022

#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #CrewDragon #Freedom #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronaut #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #Human #Spaceflight #Crew4 #LaunchComplex39A #Kennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Meet Bob Hines, NASA's Crew-4 Pilot

Meet Bob Hines, NASA's Crew-4 Pilot

It was an innate desire to explore that led Bob Hines into the Air Force, and now has him poised for his first trip to space as the pilot on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station.  Hear the story of his childhood in an Army family and his desire to fly, which led Hines to become a test pilot and later a research pilot for NASA before he was chosen as an astronaut, and now has him on the cusp of having a lifelong dream come true.


NASA Astronaut Bob Hines Official Biography

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/bob-hines

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/bob-hines/biography

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/hines-b.pdf


Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Video Credits

Director: Sami Aziz

Producer: Gary Jordan

Editor/Sound Mixer: Jamie Quinn

Cinematographer: Charles Clendaniel

Duration: 3 minutes, 33 seconds

Release Date: April 27, 2022

#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #CrewDragon #Freedom #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronaut #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #Human #Spaceflight #Crew4 #LaunchComplex39A #Kennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video


Meet Kjell Lindgren, NASA's Crew-4 Commander

Meet Kjell Lindgren, NASA's Crew-4 Commander


Exploration helps us “better understand who we are” and how we fit into the cosmic scheme of things—that’s why Dr. Kjell Lindgren is making his second trip to the International Space Station, this time as commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission.  Learn about his international childhood and his Air Force career, and how his choice to study medicine led him to NASA and ultimately to becoming an astronaut. 

NASA Astronaut Kjell Lindgren Official Biography

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/kjell-n-lindgren

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/kjell-n-lindgren/biography

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/lindgren-kn.pdf


Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Video Credits

Director: Sami Aziz

Producer: Gary Jordan

Editor: Jason Clemons

Cinematographer: Charles Clendaniel

Sound Mixer: Greg Wiseman

Duration: 2 minutes, 59 seconds

Release Date: April 27, 2022


#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #CrewDragon #Freedom #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronaut #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #Human #Spaceflight #Crew4 #LaunchComplex39A #Kennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Meet Jessica Watkins, NASA's Crew-4 Mission Specialist

Meet Jessica Watkins, NASA's Crew-4 Mission Specialist

A belief that exploration expands the boundaries of who we are as people, and unites us all at the same time, is why Jessica Watkins is so excited for her first spaceflight on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station. Join her for the story of how her childhood interest in being an astronaut, and finding her passion for geology in college, led her to being chosen as an astronaut and now to becoming the first Black woman to be a long-duration station crew member.


Jessica Watkins Official NASA Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/jessica-watkins/biography/


Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Video Credits

Director: Sami Aziz

Producer: Gary Jordan

Editor: Jason Clemons

Cinematographer: Charles Clendaniel

Sound Mixer: Greg Wiseman

Duration: 2 minutes, 59 seconds

Release Date: April 27, 2022


#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #CrewDragon #Freedom #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronaut #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #Human #Spaceflight #Crew4 #LaunchComplex39A #Kennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Meet Samantha Cristoforetti, NASA's Crew-4 Mission Specialist

Meet Samantha Cristoforetti, NASA's Crew-4 Mission Specialist


From an adventurous childhood in the Italian Alps to her trailblazing role as one of the first women in the Italian air force, European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti has been exploring most of her life and is ready for more, as a mission specialist on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station.  Watch and listen to her story of childhood dreams of spaceflight, and traveling the world to complete her high school and college education, led her to the military and ultimately to becoming an astronaut, and now the opportunity for a second trip to the “outpost of humanity up there in space.”


Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 3 minutes, 28 seconds

Release Date: April 27, 2022


#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #CrewDragon #Freedom #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronaut #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #Human #Spaceflight #Crew4 #CCP #LaunchComplex39A #Kennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 Mission Overview | Johnson Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 Mission Overview | Johnson Space Center

The next flight to the International Space Station is ready to launch!  NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission will deliver four new crewmembers to the space station and power the next increment of groundbreaking science research.  Join NASA’s Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, for a look into their expedition to low-Earth orbit, and share their excitement about the prospect of flying on the Dragon vehicle for the first time.


Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Video Credits

Director: Sami Aziz

Producer: Gary Jordan

Editor: John Streeter

Cinematographer: Charles Clendaniel

Sound Mixer: Greg Wiseman

Duration: 3 minutes, 38 seconds

Release Date: April 27, 2022


#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #CrewDragon #Freedom #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #Human #Spaceflight #Crew4 #LaunchComplex39A #Kennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA SpaceX Crew-4 Prelaunch & Launch Highlights | Kennedy Space Center

NASA SpaceX Crew-4 Prelaunch & Launch Highlights | Kennedy Space Center

Featured highlights of the SpaceX Crew-4 prelaunch milestones and launch. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, and Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti are on their way to the International Space Station, following the picture-perfect launch of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Freedom by the crew, launched atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida at 3:52 a.m. EDT.

Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Duration: 1 minute, 18 seconds

Capture Date: April 27, 2022


#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #CrewDragon #Freedom #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronaut #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #Human #Spaceflight #Crew4 #CCP #LaunchComplex39A #Kennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video


NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 Liftoff to the International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 Liftoff to the International Space Station

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti onboard, Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission is the fourth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Lindgren, Hines, Watkins, and Cristoforetti launched at 3:52 a.m. ET from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin a six month mission onboard the orbital outpost. 






In this three minute exposure, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station


Image Credits: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani/Joel Kowsky

Caption Credit: NASA/KSC

Capture Date: April 27, 2022


#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #CrewDragon #Freedom #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronaut #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #Human #Spaceflight #Crew4 #CCP #LaunchComplex39A #Kennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education






NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 Launches to International Space Station | Kennedy Space Center

NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 Launch to International Space Station | Kennedy Space Center


The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 3:52 a.m. EDT on April 27, 2022. Onboard the Dragon spacecraft are Crew-4 astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, and Jessica Watkins, all NASA astronauts, along with Samantha Cristoforetti with European Space Agency (ESA) for the mission to the International Space Station.


Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Duration: 33 seconds

Capture Date: April 27, 2022


#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #CrewDragon #Freedom #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronaut #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #Human #Spaceflight #Crew4 #CCP #LaunchComplex39A #Kennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 Depart for Launchpad | Kennedy Space Center

NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 Depart for Launchpad | Kennedy Space Center







NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 depart for the SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft sitting on Launchpad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA on April 27, 2022.

European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti later launched in this spacecraft alongside NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert “Bob” Hines and Jessica Watkins. Collectively, the astronauts are known as Crew-4.

During their journey to the orbital outpost Samantha and Jessica will serve as Mission Specialists, Kjell will be Commander and Bob will be the crew’s Pilot.

Samantha first flew to space in 2014 for her Italian Space Agency ASI-sponsored mission Futura. Her ESA space mission, known as Minerva, will officially begin once she reaches the Station.

Crew-4 will be welcomed by the International Space Station’s current crew, including ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer. Samantha and Matthias will enjoy a brief handover in orbit before Matthias returns to Earth with Crew-3.

Throughout her mission, Samantha will hold the role of US Orbital Segment (USOS) lead, taking responsibility for all operations within the US, European, Japanese and Canadian modules and components of the Space Station. She will support around 35 European and many more international experiments in orbit.

For more about Samantha and her Minerva mission, visit the Minerva mission page: 

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Minerva


Caption & Image Credit: ESA - S. Corvaja/NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Capture Date: April 27, 2022

#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #CrewDragon #Freedom #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronaut #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #Human #Spaceflight #Crew4 #CCP #LaunchComplex39A #Kennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 Launch to the International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 Launch to the International Space Station




A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti onboard, Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission is the fourth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Lindgren, Hines, Watkins, and Cristoforetti launched at 3:52 a.m. ET from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin a six month mission onboard the orbital outpost.

Samantha is the third ESA astronaut to travel to the orbital outpost in a Crew Dragon. During the journey she and Jessica will serve as Mission Specialists. Kjell is Crew-4 Commander and Bob is Crew-4 Pilot.

Upon arrival, Crew-4 will be greeted by the Space Station’s current crew—including ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer. Samantha and Matthias will enjoy a brief handover in orbit before he returns to Earth with Crew-3.

Samantha first flew to space in 2014 for her Italian Space Agency ASI-sponsored mission Futura. Her ESA space mission, known as Minerva, will officially begin once she reaches the Station.

Throughout her mission, Samantha will hold the role of US Orbital Segment (USOS) lead, taking responsibility for all operations within the US, European, Japanese and Canadian modules and components of the Space Station. She will support around 35 European and many more international experiments in orbit.

For more about Samantha and her Minerva mission, visit the Minerva mission page: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Minerva


Caption Credit: NASA/ESA

Image Credit: ESA - S. Corvaja

Image Date: April 27, 2022


#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #CrewDragon #Freedom #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronaut #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #Human #Spaceflight #Crew4 #CCP #LaunchComplex39A #Kennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover: New April 2022 Images | JPL

NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover: New April 2022 Images | JPL

After collecting eight rock-core samples from its first science campaign and completing a record-breaking, 31-Martian-day (or sol) dash across about 3 miles (5 kilometers) of Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover arrived at the doorstep of Jezero Crater’s ancient river delta April 13. Dubbed “Three Forks” by the Perseverance team (a reference to the spot where three route options to the delta merge), the location serves as the staging area for the rover’s second science expedition, the “Delta Front Campaign.”

“The delta at Jezero Crater promises to be a veritable geologic feast and one of the best locations on Mars to look for signs of past microscopic life,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “The answers are out there—and Team Perseverance is ready to find them.”

The delta, a massive fan-shaped collection of rocks and sediment at the western edge of Jezero Crater, formed at the convergence of a Martian river and a crater lake billions of years ago. Its exploration tops the Perseverance science team’s wish list because all the fine-grained sediment deposited at its base long ago is the mission’s best bet for finding the preserved remnants of ancient microbial life.

Processed and de-fisheyed 16-tile navcam-left image from NASA's Perseverance rover from Sol 419 [2022-April-25] 

Captured at 14:29 local time in Jezero.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Del-4Ri

Mars2020 - Sol 415 - Mastcam-Z

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

MSL - Sol 3454 - MAHLI 

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

MSL - Sol 3451 - MAHLI 

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

Mars2020 - Sol 417 - Mastcam-Z 

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

MSL - Sol 3451 - MastCam 

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

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers.

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 about Perseverance: nasa.gov/perseverance

For more information on NASA's Mars missions, visit: mars.nasa.gov


Caption Credit: NASA/JPL

Image Dates: April 23-26, 2022


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #River #Delta #Astrobiology #Geology #Geoscience #Jezero #Crater #Perseverance #Rover #Robotics #Technology #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #STEM #Education

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 Astronaut Jessica Watkins Talks with NBC News

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 Astronaut Jessica Watkins Talks with NBC News


NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins is getting ready to fly to space for the first time as part of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-4 long-duration mission to the International Space Station. Watkins will live and work aboard the space station where she will perform scientific research in its unique microgravity environment and conduct spacewalks.

Jessica will work with fellow NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Bob Hines, along with European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy, on the International Space Station. Jessica Watkins and her crewmates will launch on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket early Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The astronauts will conduct scientific research in areas such as materials science, health technologies, and plant science to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit.

Jessica Watkins Official NASA Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/jessica-watkins/biography/

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.

NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins is also a member of the Artemis Team, a select group of astronauts charged with focusing on the development and training efforts for early Artemis missions to the moon.

Through the Artemis program NASA and a coalition of international partners will return to the Moon to learn how to live on other worlds for the benefit of all. With the Artemis missions, NASA will send the first woman and the next man to the Moon.

Through the efforts of humans and robots, we will explore more of the Moon than ever before; to lead a journey of discovery that benefits our planet with life changing science, to use the Moon and its resources as a technology testbed to go even farther and to learn how to establish and sustain a human presence far beyond Earth.

Learn more: www.nasa.gov/ArtemisTeam

Learn about the important research on the International Space Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 


Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 11 minutes, 51 seconds

Release Date: January 21, 2022


#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #CrewDragon #Freedom #ISS #Astronaut #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Italy #Human #Spaceflight #SpaceXCrew4 #JSC #Houston #Texas #UnitedStates #Science #STEM #Education #NBCNews #HD #Video