NASA's CAPSTONE-Advanced Space CubeSat | Rocket Lab's Electron Rocket in New Zealand

NASA's CAPSTONE CubeSat Mission | Rocket Lab's Electron Rocket in New Zealand

NASA's CAPSTONE CubeSat, provided by Advanced Space, has arrived at Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. The launch rehearsal for Rocket Lab's Electron rocket is complete and payload integration is about to begin. Launch is expected no earlier than May 31, 2022. The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, or CAPSTONE, is a CubeSat that will fly a unique orbit around the Moon intended for NASA’s future Artemis lunar outpost Gateway. Its six-month mission will help launch a new era of deep space exploration. 

Learn more: https://go.nasa.gov/3FzSrcD

Image Credit: Rocket Lab

Image Capture Dates: May 12-17, 2022

#NASA #Space #Satellite #Artemis #Moon #CAPSTONE #CubeSat #RocketLab #PeterBeck #Rocket #Electron #Cislunar #Orbit #Technology #Engineering #Navigation #Experiment #LunarGateway #Gateway #DeepSpace #Spaceflight #SolarSystem #Exploration #STEM #Education

CAPSTONE: Flying a New Path to the Moon | NASA Ames

CAPSTONE: Flying a New Path to the Moon | NASA Ames

The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, or CAPSTONE, is a CubeSat that will fly a unique orbit around the Moon intended for NASA’s future Artemis lunar outpost Gateway. Its six-month mission will help launch a new era of deep space exploration. 

Learn more: https://go.nasa.gov/3FzSrcD  

NASA's Ames Research Center is located in California's Silicon Valley. 

Credit: NASA Ames Research Center  

Music Provided by Universal Production Music: Fast Motion by Stephen Daniel Lemaire                        

Duration: 2 minutes, 10 seconds

Release Date: May 17, 2022

#NASA #Space #Satellite #Artemis #Moon #CAPSTONE #CubeSat #RocketLab #PeterBeck #Rocket #Electron #Cislunar #Orbit #Technology #Engineering #Navigation #Experiment #LunarGateway #Gateway #DeepSpace #Spaceflight #SolarSystem #Exploration #STEM #Education #HD #Video

ESA Astronaut Matthias Maurer in his SpaceX Flight Suit with Crewmates

ESA Astronaut Matthias Maurer in his SpaceX Flight Suit with Crewmates

European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer is pictured in his SpaceX flight suit before boarding the Dragon Endurance crew ship and departing for Earth on May 6, 2022. In the first image, Matthias is posing with (from left) NASA astronaut Bob Hines, ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, and NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins. In the second image, Matthias is posing with fellow ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.

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)

Image Date: May 4, 2022

#NASA #ESA #ISS #SpaceX #Endurance #Crew3 #Earth #Astronauts #MatthiasMaurer #Germany #Deutschland #BobHines #JessicaWatkins #SamanthaCristoforetti #Italy #Italia #Minerva #FlightEngineers #Women #Leaders #Pioneers #HumanSpaceflight #Science #Technology #Research #Laboratory #Europe #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA's Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2: Starliner Crew Spacecraft Launch Trailer

NASA's Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2: Starliner Crew Spacecraft Launch Trailer

Set to lift off on May 19, 2022, Starliner will launch on NASA's Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) headed for the International Space Station. OFT-2 will test end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner spacecraft and Atlas V rocket from launch to docking to a return to Earth in the desert of the western United States.

Starliner is expected to arrive at the space station for docking about 24 hours after launch with about 500 pounds of NASA cargo and crew supplies. After a successful docking, Starliner will spend five to 10 days aboard the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth. The spacecraft will return with nearly 600 pounds of cargo, including reusable Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System (NORS) tanks that provide breathable air to station crew members.

Following a successful completion of OFT-2, NASA and Boeing will determine a launch window for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, Starliner’s first flight with astronauts aboard.

This is the second uncrewed flight test of the company’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. 

For more updates about the flight test, visit https://blogs.nasa.gov/oft-2/

Boeing's Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft have been developed and tested to fly astronauts to and from the International Space Station from U.S. soil.

Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

Credit: NASA

Producer/Editor: Lacey Young 

Music: Universal Production Music

Duration: 52 seconds

Release Date: May 17, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Boeing #Spacecraft #Starliner #CST100 #ULA #Rocket #Atlas5 #CommercialCrew #CCP #Test #OFT2 #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #Science #Technology #CapeCanaveral #SpaceForce #Spaceport #Florida #LaunchAmerica #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Astronaut Kayla Barron in SpaceX Flight Suit with Samantha & Jessica

NASA Astronaut Kayla Barron in SpaceX Flight Suit with Samantha & Jessica

NASA astronaut Kayla Barron is pictured in her SpaceX flight suit before boarding the Dragon Endurance crew ship and departing for Earth on May 6, 2022. Kayla is posing with (from left) NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, and NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins.

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)

Image Date: May 4, 2022

#NASA #ESA #ISS #SpaceX #Endurance #Crew3 #Earth #Astronauts #KaylaBarron #JessicaWatkins #SamanthaCristoforetti #Italy #Italia #Minerva #FlightEngineers #Women #Leaders #Pioneers #HumanSpaceflight #Science #Technology #Research #Laboratory #Europe #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Armstrong Supports U.S. Navy F/A-18E Wing Testing

 NASA Armstrong Supports U.S. Navy F/A-18E Wing Testing

NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California conducted complex loads calibration tests on a F/A-18E aircraft from the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) in Patuxent River, Maryland. The Boeing F/A-18E is a twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft variant based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. 

NAVAIR retired its previous loads test aircraft and NASA Armstrong staff are assisting to prepare the new aircraft for its role to help safely manage in flight maneuvers and determine how the F/A-18E fleet will perform if proposed upgrades are incorporated.

This video shows the wing loads calibration testing that concluded in March 2022.

For more information: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/home/index.html

Credit: Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC)

Duration: 1 minute, 28 seconds

Release Date: May 12, 2022

#NASA #Aerospace #Flight #Boeing #Hornet #FA18E #USNavy #NAVAIR #Military #Aviation #Science #Physics #Engineering #Research #Aeronautical #Tests #LockheedMartin #Armstrong #AFRC #EdwardsAFB #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

75 Years of NASA Armstrong: Space Flight History

75 Years of NASA Armstrong: Space Flight History

NASA Armstrong’s Flight Research Center is honoring 75 years of advancing technology and science through flight.

For the next year there will be monthly reoccurring videos released to help tell the past 75 years of NASA Armstrong. This month’s theme is space flight!

Stay updated with NASA Armstrong’s 75th anniversary celebrations: 

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/home/index.html

Credit: Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC)

Duration: 16 minutes

Release Date: May 12, 2022

#NASA #Aerospace #Flight #Spaceflight #X15 #Apollo #LiftingBody #SpaceShuttle #Orion #Supersonic #Aviation #Aircraft #Science #Physics #Engineering #Technology #Research #Aeronautical #FlightTests #TestPilots #Armstrong #AFRC #EdwardsAFB #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #History #HD #Video

NASA's X-59 Arrives Back in California Following Critical Ground Tests

NASA's X-59 Arrives Back in California Following Critical Ground Tests

The X-59, NASA's quiet supersonic experimental aircraft, has arrived back at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, following several months of critical ground tests in Fort Worth, Texas.

This new technology, along with a potential change in regulations, will allow airliners to fly faster over land, cutting passenger travel time in half without disturbing people on the ground.

For more information about NASA's quiet supersonic mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/X59

X-59 Free Maker Bundle (STEM Education):

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/x-59-maker-bundle-v8.pdf

The NASA Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) is an aeronautical research center. Its primary campus is located inside Edwards Air Force Base in California and is considered NASA's premier site for aeronautical research. 

Credit: NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center

Duration: 2 minutes, 13 seconds

Release Date: April 18, 2021

#NASA #Aerospace #Flight #Supersonic #X59 #Sonicboom #Quiet #Aviation #Science #Physics #Engineering #Research #Aeronautical #FlightTests #LockheedMartin #Armstrong #AFRC #EdwardsAFB #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA’s X-59 Supersonic Aircraft: The Quiet Crew | Kurt Long

NASA’s X-59 Supersonic Aircraft: The Quiet Crew | Kurt Long

In this episode of The Quiet Crew, you will meet Aerospace Engineer, Kurt Long. You will learn about his role developing the X-59's life support systems and his love for adventure and extreme vacations. He is part of the crew on a mission to transform aviation as NASA and communities work together to verify that the X-59’s quiet, supersonic design can turn a sonic boom into a sonic thump.

This new technology, along with a potential change in regulations, will allow airliners to fly faster over land, cutting passenger travel time in half without disturbing people on the ground.

For more information about NASA's quiet supersonic mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/X59

X-59 Free Maker Bundle (STEM Education):

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/x-59-maker-bundle-v8.pdf

The NASA Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) is an aeronautical research center. Its primary campus is located inside Edwards Air Force Base in California and is considered NASA's premier site for aeronautical research. 

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 2 minutes, 45 seconds

Release Date: May 12, 2022

#NASA #Aerospace #Flight #Supersonic #X59 #Sonicboom #Quiet #Aviation #AerospaceEngineer #KurtLong #Science #Physics #Engineering #Research #Aeronautical #FlightTests #LockheedMartin #Armstrong #AFRC #EdwardsAFB #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Hubble Spies a Glittering Gathering of Stars

Hubble Spies a Glittering Gathering of Stars

This glittering gathering of stars is the globular cluster NGC 6558, and it was captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. NGC 6558 is closer to the center of the Milky Way than Earth is, and lies about 23,000 light years away in the constellation Sagittarius.

Globular clusters like NGC 6558 are tightly bound collections of tens of thousands to millions of stars, and they can be found in a wide range of galaxies. As this observation shows, the stars in globular clusters can be densely packed; this image is thronged with stars in a rich variety of hues. Some of the brightest inhabitants of this globular cluster are surrounded by prominent diffraction spikes, which are imaging artefacts caused by starlight interacting with the inner workings of Hubble.

Globular clusters equip astronomers with interesting natural laboratories in which to test their theories, as all the stars in a globular cluster formed at approximately the same time with similar initial composition. These stellar clusters therefore provide unique insights into how different stars evolve under similar conditions. This image comes from a set of observations investigating globular clusters in the inner Milky Way. Astronomers were interested in studying these globular clusters to gain greater insight into how globular clusters in the inner Milky Way form and evolve.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, R. Cohen

Release Date: May 16, 2022

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #GlobularCluster #NGC6558 #Stars #Sagittarius #Constellation  #Science #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Galaxies #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #ESA #Europe #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #History #STEM #Education

May 2022 Lunar Eclipse

May 2022 Lunar Eclipse 

The entire surface of the Moon has been obscured by the shadow of the Earth. A small amount of indirect sunlight is still reaching the Moon, passing through Earth's atmosphere, resulting in a reddish hue. Totality lasted for 1 hour and 25 minutes.

Technical details: 

Lunar Eclipse May 15-16, 2022. Image taken with Canon T7i camera and Celestron C6 SCT.

Credit: James Willinghan

Location: Frostburg, Maryland, United States

Image Date: May 15-16, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Eclipse #LunarEclipse #Moon #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Sun #Science #Totality #Astrophotography #Maryland #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Seeks Novel Food Systems in Deep Space Food Challenge Phase 2

NASA Seeks Novel Food Systems in Deep Space Food Challenge Phase 2

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency have coordinated to open Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge, targeted at developing novel food production system technologies for long-duration deep space missions. The challenge incentivizes the public to develop novel food system solutions for long duration space missions. 

NASA invites both new and existing teams to build and demonstrate prototypes of their designs and produce food for judging. Interested participants from the United States can compete in Phase 2 for part of a prize purse up to $1 million. Competitors are asked to create a food production technology, system, or approach that could potentially be integrated into a complete food system to sustain a crew of four on a three-year deep space mission. Everything needed to store, prepare and deliver food to the crew, including production, processing, transport, consumption, and disposal of waste should be considered. 

For more information, go to: https://www.deepspacefoodchallenge.org

Credit: NASA Space Tech

Duration: 1 minute, 48 seconds

Release Date: May 13, 2022

#NASA #Space #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #Food #Artemis #Moon #Mars #DeepSpace #DeepSpaceFoodChallenge #Science #Health #Astronauts #LongDuration #HumanSpaceflight #JourneyToMars #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island & New Brunswick | International Space Station

Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island & New Brunswick | International Space Station

The Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick, are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above the North American continent. The major bodies of water seen in the photograph (from right) are the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Northumberland Strait, and New London Bay.

Expedition 67 Crew

Commander Oleg Artemyev (Russia)

Roscosmos Flight Engineers: Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov (Russia)

NASA Flight Engineers: Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, Jessica Watkins (USA)

European Space Agency (ESA) Flight Engineer: Samantha Cristoforetti (Italy)

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.

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Date: May 7, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #CSA #Canada #Provinces #NewBrunswick #NovaScotia #PrinceEdwardIsland #PEI #Atlantic #Maritimes #AtlanticOcean #Astronauts #FlightEngineers #HumanSpaceflight #Science #Technology #Research #Laboratory #UnitedStates #OverviewEffect #Expedition67 #STEM #Education

NASA Astronaut Jessica Watkins Talks with AccuWeather, KMGH-TV in Colorado

NASA Astronaut Jessica Watkins Talks with AccuWeather, KMGH-TV in Colorado

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESSICA!

Aboard the International Space Station, NASA Expedition 67 Flight Engineer Jessica Watkins discussed living and working in space during an in-flight interview May 13, 2022, with AccuWeather Network and KMGH-TV in Denver, Colorado. Watkins is in the midst of a six-month long mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program. 

Jessica Watkins Official NASA Biography

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

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 

Duration: 20 minutes

Release Date: May 13, 2022

#NASA #ESA #ISS #Space #Earth #Science #Astronaut #JessicaWatkins #Geologist #FlightEngineer #Interview #HumanSpaceflight #AccuWeather #Colorado #CU #UnitedStates #Media #Research #Laboratory #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Hubble Captures Image of Giant Elliptical Galaxy

Hubble Captures Image of Giant Elliptical Galaxy

Image: A field of galaxies. A large elliptical galaxy in the top left quadrant, with more distant galaxies visible through its fringes. 

This new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image spotlights the giant elliptical galaxy, UGC 10143, at the heart of galaxy cluster, Abell 2147, about 486 million light-years away in the head of the serpent, the constellation Serpens. UGC 10143 is the biggest and brightest member of Abell 2147, which itself may be part of the much larger Hercules Supercluster of galaxies. UGC 10143’s bright center, dim extended halo, and lack of spiral arms and star-forming dust lanes distinguish it as an elliptical galaxy. Ellipticals are often near the center of galaxy clusters, suggesting they may form when galaxies merge.

This image of UGC 10143 is part of a Hubble survey of globular star clusters associated with the brightest galaxies in galaxy clusters. Globular star clusters help astronomers trace the origin and evolution of their galactic neighbors. The Hubble survey looked at the distribution, brightness, and metal content of more than 35,000 globular star clusters.

The image uses data from Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. Any gaps were filled by Hubble’s Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 and the Pan-STARRS collaboration. The color blue represents visible blue light, and reddish-orange represents near infrared light.

Image Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), and W. Harris (McMaster University); Image processing: G. Kober (NASA Goddard/Catholic University of America)

Release Date: May 13, 2022

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #EdwinHubble #Science #Stars #Galaxies #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #ESA #Europe #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #History #STEM #Education

NASA's Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers—New May 2022 Images | JPL

NASA's Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers—New May 2022 Images | JPL

A pareidolia is an optical illusion that makes us see a familiar pattern, here a "door", where there is none. 

Pareidolia: Dictionaries describe this term as a human tendency to see recognizable shapes in objects or data that are otherwise not familiar to us.

Learn more about pareidolia and Martian "space oddities:"

https://mars.nasa.gov/multimedia/space-oddities/

Image Technical Details: Mosaic of 113 pictures taken by MastCam Right camera (110mm focal length) aboard Curiosity rover on sol 3466 (May 7, 2022) at 11:19 am Martian local time. Sky extended in post-processing.

Perseverance May 2022 Update: One of the prime objectives of NASA's Mars Perseverance rover mission is to collect a diverse cache of rock samples for eventual return to Earth. Among the highest priority rocks to sample are those that make up the well-preserved delta located on the western side of Jezero crater. This delta was one of the key attributes that made this landing site so appealing in our search for ancient Martian life. Close examination of deltaic rocks is critical for interpreting their depositional environment and establishing whether this paleoenvironment may have been habitable.

Since landing in Jezero crater last year, the rover has been investigating and drilling crater floor rocks to add to the sample cache. However, the rover has not yet had access to coveted deltaic rocks—until now, that is. After conducting a “rapid traverse” toward the delta, Perseverance finally arrived at the delta front. Last week the rover parked at a site called Enchanted Lake, where the team was hopeful we might sample deltaic rocks for the very first time. 

Unfortunately, the rover can only collect a finite number of samples so the team has to carefully weigh all options, keeping in mind what has already been sampled and also trying to anticipate what we might encounter along the rest of the traverse. Although we are eager to drill into the delta, we have to be judicious.

Therefore, our first action item at Enchanted Lake was to examine the rocks there using the rover’s remote science instruments in order to decide whether they fit the desired criteria for sampling. The rocks at this site displayed many distinct—and interesting—characteristics compared to the others we have studied thus far in Jezero. Yet, after a thorough assessment, the team decided to forego sampling at this location. It was a difficult decision to make, but we feel optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead. The data collected at Enchanted Lake will be used instead to build context for future investigations of the delta.

The rover is now headed east toward a location called Hawksbill Gap, another promising location for sampling the delta. While traversing along the delta front, Perseverance will continue to collect data to help characterize the contact between the crater floor and deltaic rocks before ascending onto the delta itself. What about our long-awaited sample of delta rocks? For that, we will have to wait a bit longer.

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

Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Rover Name: Curiosity

Main Job: To determine if Mars was ever habitable to microbial life. 

Launch: November 6, 2011

Landing: August 5, 2012, Gale Crater, Mars

Image & Caption Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Thomas Appéré

Image Release Dates: May 11-13, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #Jezero #Gale #Crater #Perseverance #Curiosity #Rover #Technology #Engineering #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #ThomasAppéré #Human #Perception #Pareidolia #STEM #Education