Friday, June 10, 2022

NASA's Space to Ground: The To-Do List | Week of June 10, 2022

NASA's Space to Ground: The To-Do List | Week of June 10, 2022

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. NASA and SpaceX are now targeting no earlier than June 28, 2022, for the launch of the cargo Dragon spacecraft flight, designated CRS-25, to the International Space Station, pending variables, including availability on the Eastern Range and space station scheduling.


Get email or text alerts when the International Space Station is flying over your location: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov


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.

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)


Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Duration: 2 minutes, 45 seconds
Release Date: June 10, 2022


#NASA #Space #ISS #Astronauts #FlightEngineers #HumanSpaceflight #Science #Technology #Engineering #Research #UnitedStates #Canada #Europe #Italy #Italia #Japan #日本 #Russia #Россия #International #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Thursday, June 09, 2022

NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover—New Closeup Image & Wheel Damage Inspection

NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover—New Closeup Image & Wheel Damage Inspection

"It's not the years . . . It's the mileage."

A routine check of the aluminum wheels on NASA's Mars Curiosity rover has found additional breaks on the wheels—the latest signs of wear and tear as the rover continues its journey, now exceeding 17 miles or 28 kilometers since its landing in August 2012. 

The Curiosity rover is climbing to sequentially higher and younger layers of lower Mount Sharp to investigate how the region's ancient climate changed billions of years ago. Clues about environmental conditions are recorded in the rock layers. During its first year on Mars, the mission succeeded at its main goal by finding that the region once offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life, if Mars has ever hosted life. The conditions in long-lived ancient freshwater Martian lake environments included all of the key chemical elements needed for life as we know it, plus a chemical source of energy that is used by many microbes on Earth.

MSL - Sol 948 - MAHLI

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

MSL - MAHLI - SOL 3492 - Image A

MSL - MAHLI - SOL 3492 - Image I

MSL - MAHLI - SOL 3492 - Image B

MSL - MAHLI - SOL 3492 - Image G

MSL - MAHLI - SOL 3492 - Image D

MSL - MAHLI - SOL 3492 - Image E

MAHLI - SOL 3492 - Image C

Curiosity Rover Update: Sols 3493-3495

"We’re up close to a nifty layered outcrop, which is getting lots of imaging including ChemCam LIBS on targets ‘Rukumata’ and ‘Guarico,' a ChemCam mosaic on ‘Kamakusa,’ MAHLI dogs-eye imaging of ‘Tabaco’ and the DRT location ‘Issano,’ which will also have APXS on it. Mastcam will also be imaging Issano pre- and post-DRT for comparison, and taking a mosaic of the outcrop as a whole. Off the outcrop, ChemCam is also doing LIBS on ‘Sisipelin,’ which Mastcam will also image, and ChemCam and Mastcam are both taking mosaics further afield towards the Gediz Vallis Ridge."

"Imaging the crater rim can help us to characterize the amount of dust in the atmosphere, which is especially important in the dusty season. Aside from the crater rim observations, we are also trying to catch dust devils with a dust devil survey and movie, keeping an eye on the clouds with a few cloud movies, and taking Mastcam tau observations as an additional way to quantify the amount of dust in the atmosphere."

"After this marathon of observations, we’ll drive about 30 m further and finish up the weekend with a morning ENV block with our weekly AM cloud and dust observations."

Caption Credit: Alex Innanen  

Release Date: June 4, 2022


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


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


Wheel Image Credits: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS / PipploIMP

Image Release Dates: June 3-9, 2022 


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #Crater #MountSharp #GaleCrater #Curiosity #Rover #Robotics #Wheels #WheelDamage #Technology #Engineering #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #CitizenScience #STEM #Education

Milky Way & Earth Glow | International Space Station

Milky Way & Earth Glow | International Space Station

This long-duration photograph was taken from the International Space Station at an altitude of 259 miles above the island nation of Vanuatu northeast of Australia. The Milky Way is pictured above Earth's atmospheric glow blanketing the planet's horizon.

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.


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)

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Date: May 30, 2022


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #ISS #Astronauts #FlightEngineers #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Airglow #Vanuatu #Island #Oceania #SouthPacific #Ocean #Stars #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Science #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition67 #JSC #UnitedStates #Europe #Italy #Italia #SolarSystem #Exploration #Photography #STEM #Education

Earth from Orbit: 2022 Hurricane Season Begins | NOAA

Earth from Orbit: 2022 Hurricane Season Begins | NOAA

The 2022 hurricane season is officially underway. The eastern Pacific hurricane season began on May 15, while June 1 marked the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season. 

NOAA satellites monitored the first named storms in each hurricane basin. Tropical Storm Agatha formed in the eastern Pacific Ocean on May 28 and rapidly intensified into a Category 2 hurricane with peak winds of 110 miles per hour by the next day. Remnants from Agatha helped fuel what would become the Atlantic’s first tropical cyclone, Alex, that affected south Florida at the beginning of June. 

Credits:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA)

Music: 

“Abandoned Agony,” by William Charles Baker [PRS]; Ninja Tune Production Music; Universal Production Music

Duration: 1 minute, 38 seconds

Release Date: June 9, 2022


#NASA #NOAA #Space #Satellites #GOES #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Weather #Forecasting #Meteorology #Science #Hurricanes #Atlantic #Pacific #Oceans #UnitedStates #NorthAmerica #Canada #Mexico #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #STEM #Education #International #HD #Video

Moonset Dreaming | International Space Station

Moonset Dreaming | International Space Station

NASA astronaut and flight engineer Jessica Watkins: "As beautiful as the Earth is, I can't seem to take my eyes off of the Moon. Every moonset on the International Space Station brings us one step closer to earthrise on the Moon as we conduct scientific research and develop new technologies that will help pave the way to the lunar surface."

The NASA-led Artemis program is a new generation of lunar exploration missions designed to send humans farther into space than ever before. The Artemis missions are increasingly complex endeavours that will lay the foundation for sustainable human and robotic exploration of Earth's only natural satellite, the Moon. Through Artemis, NASA aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, heralding a new era for space exploration and utilization. 

While NASA is leading the Artemis missions, international partnerships will play a key role in achieving a sustainable and robust presence on the Moon while preparing to conduct a historic human mission to Mars.

Jessica Watkins' Biography (NASA)


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.

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)

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Release Date: June 9, 2022
 

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #ISS #Astronaut #FlightEngineer #JessicaWatkins #Geologist #Artemis #Moon #Moonset #Earth #Planet #Science #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition67 #UnitedStates #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #Exploration #STEM #Education


Russian Progress 81 Cargo Craft Approaches International Space Station

Russian Progress 81 Cargo Craft Approaches International Space Station


The Progress 81 cargo craft approaches the International Space Station for a docking to the Zvezda service module's rear port.

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.


Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center

Image Date: June 3, 2022


#NASA #Space #ISS #Astronauts #FlightEngineers #Cosmonauts #Progress81 #Cargo #Spacecraft #Docking #HumanSpaceflight #Science #Technology #Engineering #JSC #UnitedStates #Italy #Italia #Europe #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Expedition67 #International #STEM #Education

American Rocketry Challenge 20 Year Anniversary!

 American Rocketry Challenge 20 Year Anniversary!

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2022, the American Rocketry Challenge featured more than 4,000 American middle and high school-aged students from 724 teams and 41 states. This year's finals (May 14, 2022) featured 100 finalists competing for the title of National Champion at Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia.

"The American Rocketry Challenge is the world’s largest rocket contest with nearly 5,000 students nationwide competing each year. The contest gives middle and high school students the opportunity to design, build, and launch model rockets and to gain hands-on experience solving engineering problems."

Learn more: https://rocketcontest.org

Follow The American Rocketry Challenge:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rocketcontest/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RocketContest/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RocketContest

YouTube: https://bit.ly/39gx70c


Major Partners: 

The National Association of Rocketry: 

https://www.nar.org

Aerospace Industries Association of America (AIA): 

https://www.aia-aerospace.org


Video Credit: The American Rocketry Challenge

Duration: 2 minutes, 20 seconds

Release Date: June 8, 2022


#NASA #Space #Rockets #Rocketry #Students #Competition #Challenge #Contest #Champions #HighSchool #MiddleSchool #Science #Physics #Technology #Engineering #Math #ThePlains #Virginia #UnitedStates #America #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Wednesday, June 08, 2022

Fresh Fruit Arrives on Russian Progress 81 Cargo Ship | International Space Station

Fresh Fruit Arrives on Russian Progress 81 Cargo Ship | International Space Station

Pictured clockwise from left are, Roscosmos Flight Engineers Sergey Korsakov and Denis Matveev; NASA Flight Engineers Jessica Watkins and Kjell Lindgren; European Space Agency (ESA) Flight Engineer Samantha Cristofretti; and Roscosmos Commander Oleg Artemyev.

Pictured from left are, Roscosmos Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov; European Space Agency Flight (ESA) Engineer Samantha Cristofretti; Roscosmos Flight Engineer Denis Matveev; and NASA Flight Engineers Jessica Watkins and Bob Hines.

Expedition 67 crew members pose with fresh fruit flying weightlessly in microgravity delivered recently aboard the Progress 81 (81P) cargo craft. The 81P docked to the Zvezda service module's rear port aboard the International Space Station after a three-and-half-hour trip that began with a launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. 

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.


Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Date: June 3, 2022


#NASA #Space #ISS #Astronauts #FlightEngineers #Cosmonauts #Progress81 #Cargo #Spacecraft #Food #Fruit #HumanSpaceflight #Science #Technology #Engineering #JSC #UnitedStates #Italy #Italia #Europe #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #International #International #STEM #Education

A Brief History of China's Human Spaceflight Program

A Brief History of China's Human Spaceflight Program

What is the three-step plan of China's human spaceflight program? 

From Shenzhou-5 to Shenzhou-14, here is an overview of China's pursuit of space exploration. In October 2003, China became the third country, after the Soviet Union and the United States, to launch a human being, Yang Liwei (杨利伟), into Earth orbit. In June 2012, Liu Yang (刘洋) became the first Chinese woman in space.

The China Manned Space (CMS) Program was developed by the People's Republic of China and is run by its China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The CMS Program has three initial steps:

1. Crewed spacecraft launch and return.

2. A space laboratory with capabilities for extravehicular activities, space rendezvous, and spacecraft docking.

3. A long-term space station presence in Earth orbit and beyond. 

China's new long-term space station is called Tiangong (天宮). The first module, the Tianhe core module, was launched in April 2021.

In 2022, two lab modules, Wentian and Mengtian, will be added. This will complete the station's basic three-module structure.


Credit: New China TV/GLOBALink
Duration: 3 minutes, 47 seconds
Release Date: June 6, 2022

#NASA #Space #China #中国 #Earth #Moon #Mars #HumanSpaceflight #History #Taikonauts #YangLiwei #太空 #Leadership #Tiangong #天宫 #SpaceStation #Shenzhou #UNOOSA #UnitedNations #CNSA #CMSA #国家航天局 #Science #Technology #Engineering #SolarSystem #Exploration #STEM #Education #International #HD #Video

Earth's Oceans on World Oceans Day 2022 | International Space Station

Earth's Oceans on World Oceans Day 2022 | International Space Station

Earth as seen from the International Space Station and captured by European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on the occasion of World Oceans Day 2022.

World Oceans Day is an international day that takes place annually on June 8. "World Oceans Day" was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008. The international day supports the implementation of worldwide Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fosters public interest in the protection of the ocean and the sustainable management of its resources.

Learn about Samantha's Minerva Mission: https://bit.ly/MissionMinerva

Samantha Cristoforetti's Biography (ESA)

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Astronauts/Samantha_Cristoforetti

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: ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti

Image Date: June 4, 2022 


#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Planet #Oceans #WorldOceansDay2022 #ESA #Astronaut #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #ASI #Photography #Art #Science #HumanSpaceflight #Astronauts #Expedition67 #Europe #UnitedStates #International #STEM #Education



NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover—New June 2022 Images | JPL

NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover—New June 2022 Images | JPL

MSL - Sol 926 - MastCam

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

MSL - Sol 3491 - MAHLI

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

MSL - Sol 3495 - Mastcam

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

MSL - Sol 3495 - Mastcam

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

MSL - Sol 3495 - Mastcam

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

MSL - Sol 647 - MAHLI - Radiometricly Corrected

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

MSL - Sol 647 - MAHLI - White Balanced

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


Curiosity Rover Update: Sols 3493-3495

"We’re up close to a nifty layered outcrop, which is getting lots of imaging including ChemCam LIBS on targets ‘Rukumata’ and ‘Guarico,' a ChemCam mosaic on ‘Kamakusa,’ MAHLI dogs-eye imaging of ‘Tabaco’ and the DRT location ‘Issano,’ which will also have APXS on it. Mastcam will also be imaging Issano pre- and post-DRT for comparison, and taking a mosaic of the outcrop as a whole. Off the outcrop, ChemCam is also doing LIBS on ‘Sisipelin,’ which Mastcam will also image, and ChemCam and Mastcam are both taking mosaics further afield towards the Gediz Vallis Ridge."

"Imaging the crater rim can help us to characterize the amount of dust in the atmosphere, which is especially important in the dusty season. Aside from the crater rim observations, we are also trying to catch dust devils with a dust devil survey and movie, keeping an eye on the clouds with a few cloud movies, and taking Mastcam tau observations as an additional way to quantify the amount of dust in the atmosphere."

"After this marathon of observations, we’ll drive about 30 m further and finish up the weekend with a morning ENV block with our weekly AM cloud and dust observations."

Caption Credit: Alex Innanen  

Release Date: June 4, 2022


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

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

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


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #Crater #MountSharp #GaleCrater #Curiosity #Rover #Robotics #Technology #Engineering #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #CitizenScience #STEM #Education

Italy | International Space Station

Italy | International Space Station


Italy viewed from the International Space Station. Images captured by European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.

Learn about Samantha's Minerva Mission: https://bit.ly/MissionMinerva

Samantha Cristoforetti's Biography (ESA)

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Astronauts/Samantha_Cristoforetti

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: ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti

Image Date: June 2, 2022


#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Planet #Italy #Italia #ESA #Astronaut #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #ASI #Photography #Art #Science #HumanSpaceflight #Astronauts #Expedition67 #Europe #UnitedStates #International #STEM #Education

Tuesday, June 07, 2022

Crew Photo Inside Boeing Starliner | International Space Station

Crew Photo Inside Boeing Starliner | International Space Station

Expedition 67 Flight Engineers (clockwise from bottom) Samantha Cristoforetti, Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, and Jessica Watkins, smile for a portrait from inside the Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew ship. The quartet is looking through the Harmony module's forward international docking adapter, to which Starliner is docked, and into the International Space Station.

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.


Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Date: June 1, 2022


#NASA #Space #ISS #Astronauts #FlightEngineers #Boeing #Starliner #CST100 #Spacecraft #CommercialCrew #OFT2 #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #Science #Technology #Engineering #LaunchAmerica #JSC #UnitedStates #Italy #Italia #Europe #International #STEM #Education


NASA’s Europa Clipper Mission Completes Main Body of the Spacecraft

NASA’s Europa Clipper Mission Completes Main Body of the Spacecraft

Mission launch is scheduled for 2024


June 7, 2022: The agency’s mission to explore Jupiter’s icy moon takes a big step forward as engineers deliver a major component of the spacecraft. The main body of NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft has been delivered to the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California. Over the next two years there, engineers and technicians will finish assembling the craft by hand before testing it to make sure it can withstand the journey to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa.

The spacecraft body is the mission’s workhorse. Standing 10 feet (3 meters) tall and 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide, it’s an aluminum cylinder integrated with electronics, radios, thermal loop tubing, cabling, and the propulsion system. With its solar arrays and other deployable equipment stowed for launch, Europa Clipper will be as large as an SUV; when extended, the solar arrays make the craft the size of a basketball court. It is the largest NASA spacecraft ever developed for a planetary mission.

“It’s an exciting time for the whole project team and a huge milestone,” said Jordan Evans, the mission’s project manager at JPL. “This delivery brings us one step closer to launch and the Europa Clipper science investigation.”

Set to launch in October 2024, Europa Clipper will conduct nearly 50 flybys of Europa, which scientists are confident harbors an internal ocean containing twice as much water as Earth’s oceans combined. And the ocean may currently have conditions suitable for supporting life. The spacecraft’s nine science instruments will gather data on Europa’s atmosphere, surface, and interior—information that scientists will use to gauge the depth and salinity of the ocean, the thickness of the ice crust, and potential plumes that may be venting subsurface water into space.

Those instruments already have begun arriving at JPL, where the phase known as assembly, test, and launch operations has been underway since March. The ultraviolet spectrograph, called Europa-UVS, arrived in March. Next came the spacecraft’s thermal emission imaging instrument, E-THEMIS, delivered by the scientists and engineers leading its development at Arizona State University. E-THEMIS is a sophisticated infrared camera designed to map Europa’s temperatures and help scientists find clues about the moon’s geological activity—including regions where liquid water may be near the surface.

By the end of 2022, most of the flight hardware and the remainder of the science instruments are expected to be complete.

The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, designed Europa Clipper’s body in collaboration with JPL and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “The flight system designed, built, and tested by APL—using a team of hundreds of engineers and technicians—was the physically largest system ever built by APL,” said APL’s Tom Magner, the mission’s assistant project manager.

“What arrived at JPL represents essentially an assembly phase unto itself. Under APL’s leadership, this delivery includes work by that institution and two NASA centers. Now the team will take the system to an even higher level of integration,” said Evans.

The main structure is actually two stacked aluminum cylinders dotted with threaded holes for bolting on the spacecraft’s cargo: the radio frequency module, radiation monitors, propulsion electronics, power converters, and wiring. The radio frequency subsystem will power eight antennas, including an enormous high-gain antenna that measures 10 feet (3 meters) wide. The structure’s web of electrical wires and connectors, called the harness, weighs 150 pounds (68 kilograms) by itself; if stretched out, it would run almost 2,100 feet (640 meters)—twice the perimeter of a football field.

The heavy-duty electronics vault, built to withstand the intense radiation of the Jupiter system, will be integrated with the main spacecraft structure along with the science instruments.

Inside the main body of the spacecraft are two tanks—one to hold fuel, one for oxidizer—and the tubing that will carry their contents to an array of 24 engines, where they will combine to create a controlled chemical reaction that produces thrust.

“Our engines are dual purpose,” said JPL’s Tim Larson, the deputy project manager. “We use them for big maneuvers, including when we approach Jupiter and need a large burn to be captured in Jupiter’s orbit. But they’re also designed for smaller maneuvers to manage the attitude of the spacecraft and to fine tune the precision flybys of Europa and other solar system bodies along the way.”

Those big and small maneuvers will come into play a lot during the six-year, 1.8-billion-mile (2.9-billion-kilometer) journey to this ocean world, which Europa Clipper will begin investigating in earnest in 2031.

More About the Mission

Missions such as Europa Clipper contribute to the field of astrobiology, the interdisciplinary research on the variables and conditions of distant worlds that could harbor life as we know it. While Europa Clipper is not a life-detection mission, it will conduct detailed reconnaissance of Europa and investigate whether the icy moon, with its subsurface ocean, has the capability to support life. Understanding Europa’s habitability will help scientists better understand how life developed on Earth and the potential for finding life beyond our planet.

Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with APL for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission.


More information about Europa can be found here: europa.nasa.gov


Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL

Release Date: June 7, 2022


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Jupiter #Europa #Moon #Ocean #Astrobiology #Biosignatures #Habitability #Radiation #EuropaClipper #Spacecraft #SolarSystem #Exploration #APL #Marshall #MSFC #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education


Johns Hopkins APL Delivers "Backbone" of NASA's Europa Clipper Spacecraft

 Johns Hopkins APL Delivers "Backbone" of NASA's Europa Clipper Spacecraft

After years of design and construction, two cross-country trips and thousands of hours of labor, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) has delivered NASA's Europa Clipper propulsion module—the spacecraft's “workhorse"—and its radio frequency module to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for integration with the remainder of the spacecraft. 

At about 10 feet (3 meters) tall and 5 feet (1.5 meters) in diameter, Europa Clipper’s propulsion module comprises about two-thirds of the spacecraft’s main body. It’s effectively the backbone, carrying its own electronics system and thermal control, and anchoring the spacecraft's telecommunications subsystem. 

The completed structure was shipped May 31 from Joint Base Andrews (JBA) in Maryland to JPL, marking a major milestone for the team developing the largest spacecraft ever for a NASA planetary mission.

More About the Europa Clipper Mission

Missions, such as Europa Clipper, contribute to the field of astrobiology—the interdisciplinary research on the variables and conditions of distant worlds that could harbor life as we know it. While Europa Clipper is not a life-detection mission, it will conduct detailed reconnaissance of Europa and investigate whether the icy moon, with its subsurface ocean, has the capability to support life. Understanding Europa’s habitability will help scientists better understand how life developed on Earth and the potential for finding life beyond our planet.

Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission.

Download Europa Clipper Ocean World poster: go.nasa.gov/3Gsjzt5

For more information on the mission go to: https://europa.nasa.gov/


Credit: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (Applied Physics Laboratory, or APL) 

Duration: 1 minute, 32 seconds

Release Date: June 6, 2022


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Jupiter #Europa #Moon #Ocean #Astrobiology #Biosignatures #Habitability #Radiation #EuropaClipper #Spacecraft #SolarSystem #Exploration #APL #Marshall #MSFC #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Main Body of NASA’s Europa Clipper Spacecraft Arrives at JPL

Main Body of NASA’s Europa Clipper Spacecraft Arrives at JPL

Mission launch is scheduled for 2024

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (Applied Physics Laboratory, or APL) delivered the main body of NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, where assembly, test, and launch operations are underway. The structure, which is a huge component of the spacecraft, hosts electronics, radios, cabling, and the propulsion system. The June 1, 2022, arrival of the propulsion module marks a major milestone in Clipper's journey.

Clipper will conduct a detailed survey to determine whether Jupiter’s icy moon Europa harbors conditions suitable for life. The spacecraft, in orbit around Jupiter, will make nearly 50 flybys of Europa, shifting its flight path for each time to soar over a different location so that it eventually scans nearly the entire moon.

Over the next two years, engineers will assemble and perform rigorous checkout and testing before the spacecraft is shipped to Cape Canaveral, Florida. It is expected to launch to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa in 2024. 

More About the Europa Clipper Mission

Missions, such as Europa Clipper, contribute to the field of astrobiology—the interdisciplinary research on the variables and conditions of distant worlds that could harbor life as we know it. While Europa Clipper is not a life-detection mission, it will conduct detailed reconnaissance of Europa and investigate whether the icy moon, with its subsurface ocean, has the capability to support life. Understanding Europa’s habitability will help scientists better understand how life developed on Earth and the potential for finding life beyond our planet.

Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission.

Download Europa Clipper Ocean World poster: go.nasa.gov/3Gsjzt5

For more information on the mission go to: https://europa.nasa.gov/


Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)/Caltech /Johns Hopkins APL

Duration: 49 seconds

Release Date: June 6, 2022


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