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Thursday, July 14, 2022

China's Tianwen-1 Mars Rover & Orbiter Mission Completed | CGTN

China's Tianwen-1 Mars Rover & Orbiter Mission Completed | CGTN

The orbiter and rover of China's Tianwen-1 Mars probe have accomplished their planned scientific exploration tasks, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on June 29, 2022. The Tianwen-1 spacecraft orbited Mars 1,344 times in the last 706 days, and transmitted back to Earth about 1,040 gigabytes of medium-resolution visual data of the entire Martian surface. China was the first country to successfully send an orbiter, lander and rover to Mars on its first attempt. China is only the second country after the United States to successfully land and operate a spacecraft on Mars.

Tianwen-1 was an interplanetary mission of the China National Space Administration (CNSA). China sent a robotic spacecraft to Mars, consisting of 6 spacecraft: an orbiter, two deployable cameras, lander, a remote camera, and the Zhurong rover. The spacecraft, with a total mass of nearly five tons, was one of the heaviest probes launched to Mars and carried 14 scientific instruments. It was the first in a series of planned missions undertaken by CNSA as part of China's Planetary Exploration program.

The mission's scientific objectives included: investigation of Martian surface geology and internal structure, search for indications of current and past presence of water, and characterization of the space environment and of the Martian atmosphere.

Tianwen-1 Mars Mission

Launch Date: July 23, 2020

Orbital Arrival: February 10, 2021

Zhurong Rover Landing Date: May 14, 2021

Completion Date: June 29, 2022

Credit: China Global Television Network (CGTN)

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: June 29, 2022

#NASA #Mars #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planet #Zhurong #火星 #Rover #Tianwen1 #TW1 #天问 #CNSA #China #中国 #Geology #Atmosphere #Water #RedPlanet #Orbiter #Spacecraft #SolarSystem #Exploration #STEM #Education #History #HD #Video

Vega-C Rocket Liftoff | European Space Agency

Vega-C Rocket Liftoff | European Space Agency

The European Space Agency’s new Vega-C rocket lifted off for its inaugural flight VV21 at 15:13 CEST/13:13 UTC/10:13 local time from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on July 13, 2022. With new first and second stages and an uprated fourth stage, Vega-C increases performance to about 2.3 t in a reference 700 km polar orbit, from the 1.5 t capability of its predecessor, Vega. For flight VV21, Vega-C’s payload is LARES-2, a scientific mission of the Italian space agency ASI and six research CubeSats from France, Italy and Slovenia.

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

Image Date: July 13, 2022

#ESA #Space #Earth #Satellite #Vega #VegaC #Rocket #VV21 #Lares2 #ASI #Italy #Italia #Physics #Lasers #CubeSats #CommercialSpace #Kourou #Spaceport #FrenchGuiana #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

Expedition 67 Flight Engineers Pose for Dinner Portrait | International Space Station

Expedition 67 Flight Engineers Pose for Dinner Portrait | International Space Station

(Clockwise from left) Expedition 67 Flight Engineers Bob Hines, Jessica Watkins, and Kjell Lindgren, all from NASA, and Samantha Cristofroetti from ESA (European Space Agency), pose for a portrait during dinner time in the Unity module of the International Space Station.

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science

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: July 11, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #FlightEngineers #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #SamanthaCristoforetta #MissionMinerva #JessicaWatkins #BobHines #Science #Technology #Research #Laboratory #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition67 #Europe #Italy #Italia #JSC #UnitedStates #International #STEM #Education

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

New Vega-C Rocket Launch Highlights | European Space Agency

New Vega-C Rocket Launch Highlights | European Space Agency

The European Space Agency’s new Vega-C rocket lifted off for its inaugural flight VV21 at 15:13 CEST/13:13 UTC/10:13 local time from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. With new first and second stages and an uprated fourth stage, Vega-C increases performance to about 2.3 t in a reference 700 km polar orbit, from the 1.5 t capability of its predecessor, Vega. For flight VV21, Vega-C’s payload is LARES-2, a scientific mission of Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) and six research CubeSats from France, Italy and Slovenia.

Learn more about Vega-C: https://bit.ly/3aC8pIl

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Duration: 2 minutes, 50 seconds

Release Date: July 13, 2022

Science on SpaceX CRS-25 Cargo Resupply Mission | International Space Station

Science on SpaceX CRS-25 Cargo Resupply Mission | International Space Station

The 25th SpaceX cargo resupply services mission (SpaceX CRS-25) carrying scientific research and technology demonstrations to the International Space Station is scheduled for launch on July 14, 2022, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Experiments aboard the Dragon capsule include studies of the immune system, Earth’s oceans, soil communities, and cell-free biomarkers, along with mapping the composition of Earth’s dust and testing an alternative to concrete.

More info: https://go.nasa.gov/3PENKTO

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: July 13, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #Dragon #Spacecraft #Cargo #CommercialResupply #CRS25 #Astronauts #LaunchAmerica #Laboratory #Research #Science #Technology #HumanSpaceflight #Europe #Russia #Japan #Canada #Expedition67 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A History of Space Telescopes | Lockheed Martin

A History of Space Telescopes | Lockheed Martin

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the largest, most powerful space telescope ever built, and it will reveal what our universe looked like some 13.5 billion years ago. It just released its first science images, many of which were taken by NIRCam—the most precise and sensitive infrared camera ever built by Lockheed Martin.

Lockheed Martin has a long history of designing and building telescopes, from Hubble, to Spitzer and JWST.

Credit: Lockheed Martin

Duration: 1 minute, 29 seconds

Release Date: July 13, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #LockheedMartin #Hubble #Spitzer #Nebulae #Stars #Exoplanets #Galaxies #DeepField #Science #JamesWebb #WebbTelescope #JWST #Telescope #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #History #STEM #Education #HD #Video

SpaceX CRS-25 Falcon 9 Rocket Readied for Launch | NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX CRS-25 Falcon 9 Rocket Readied for Launch | NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the company’s Cargo Dragon spacecraft atop, is raised to a vertical position at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A on July 12, 2022, in preparation for the 25th commercial resupply services launch to the International Space Station. The mission will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the crew aboard the orbiting laboratory. Liftoff is scheduled for 8:44 p.m. EDT on Thursday, July 14, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A.

Learn More about the science aboard SpaceX CRS-25:

https://go.nasa.gov/3PENKTO

NASA's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program:

https://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/home/

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)

Image Credit: SpaceX

Image Date: July 12, 2022

Highlights: First Images of the James Webb Space Telescope | NASA

Highlights: First Images of the James Webb Space Telescope | NASA

NASA revealed the first five full-color images and spectrographic data from the world's most powerful space telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, a partnership with European Space Agency (ESA), and Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The world got its first look at the full capabilities of the mission at a live event streamed from the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, on July 12, 2022.

The event showcased these targets:

- Carina Nebula: A landscape speckled with glittering stars and cosmic cliffs

- Stephan’s Quintet: An enormous mosaic with a visual grouping of five galaxies

- Southern Ring Nebula: A nebula with rings of gas and dust for thousands of years in all directions

- WASP 96-b: A distinct signature of water in the atmosphere of an exoplanet orbiting a distant Sun-like star

- SMACS 0723: The deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date

All about Webb: https://webb.nasa.gov

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: July 13, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #CarinaNebula #SouthernRingNebula #StephansQuintet #Galaxies #DeepField #Stars #Science #JamesWebb #WebbTelescope #JWST #Telescope #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Expedition 67 Crew at Work | International Space Station

Expedition 67 Crew at Work | International Space Station

Expedition 67 Flight Engineers check thermal system components

Expedition 67 Flight Engineers Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency), and Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins, both from NASA, check thermal system components inside the International Space Station's Unity module.

Image Date: July 7, 2022

Expedition 67 Flight Engineer and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti participates in the Acoustic Diagnostics study. The investigation explores whether equipment noise levels and the microgravity environment may create possible adverse effects on astronaut hearing. The acoustic data will help researchers understand the International Space Station’s sound environment and may inform countermeasures to protect crew hearing.

Image Date: July 8, 2022

Expedition 67 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren participates in the Acoustic Diagnostics study.

Image Date: July 8, 2022

Astronaut Bob Hines monitors an Astrobee robotic free-flyer

NASA astronaut and Expedition 67 Flight Engineer Bob Hines monitors an Astrobee robotic free-flyer as it tests its ability to autonomously navigate and maneuver inside the Kibo laboratory module using smartphone technology.

Image Date: June 24, 2022

Astronaut Jessica Watkins services combustion experiment components

Expedition 67 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins services components that support the Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction (SOFIE) fire safety experiment inside the International Space Station's Combustion Integrated Rack.

Image Date: June 24, 2022

Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti poses with food packets

Expedition 67 Flight Engineer and ESA astronaut (European Space Agency) Samantha Cristoforetti poses with food packets flying weightlessly inside the International Space Station's Unity module.

Image Date: July 2, 2022

Astronaut Bob Hines poses inside BEAM

Expedition 67 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Bob Hines poses inside the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) packed with cargo and attached to the International Space Station's Tranquility module.

Image Date: June 10, 2022

Astronaut Jessica Watkins replaces components on a life support device

Expedition 67 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins replaces components on the Major Constituents Analyzer, a life support device in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module, that ensures oxygen and carbon dioxide levels remain safe aboard the International Space Station.

Image Date: July 12, 2022

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)

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Dates: June 10-July 12, 2022

Vega-C Rocket Liftoff | European Space Agency

Vega-C Rocket Liftoff | European Space Agency

The European Space Agency's new Vega-C rocket lifted off for its inaugural flight VV21 at 15:13 CEST/13:13 UTC/10:13 local time from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. With new first and second stages and an uprated fourth stage, Vega-C increases performance to about 2.3 t in a reference 700 km polar orbit, from the 1.5 t capability of its predecessor, Vega. For flight VV21, Vega-C’s payload is LARES-2, a scientific mission of the Italian space agency ASI and six research CubeSats from France, Italy and Slovenia.

Credits: ESA-CNES-Arianespace/Optique video du CSG - S Martin

Image Date: July 13, 2022

Vega-C Rocket VV21 with LARES-2: Ready for Launch | European Space Agency

Vega-C Rocket VV21 with LARES-2: Ready for Launch | European Space Agency

Vega-C VV21 with LARES-2 ready for launch as the gantry is being retracted on July 13, 2022, at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Vega-C brings a new level of performance to ESA's launch family. With new first and second stages and an uprated fourth stage, Vega-C increases performance to about 2.3 t in a reference 700 km polar orbit, from the 1.5 t capability of its predecessor, Vega.

Vega-C features a new, more powerful first stage, P120C, based on Vega’s P80. Atop that is a new second stage, Zefiro-40, and then the same Zefiro-9 third stage as used on Vega.

The re-ignitable upper stage is also improved. AVUM+ has increased liquid propellant capacity, to deliver payloads to multiple orbits depending on mission requirements and to allow for longer operational time in space, to enable extended missions.

The P120C motor will do double service, with either two or four units acting as strap-on boosters for Ariane 6. Sharing this component streamlines industrial efficiency and improves cost-effectiveness of both launchers.

With its larger main stages and bigger fairing – which doubles the payload volume compared to Vega – Vega-C measures 34.8 m high, nearly 5 meters taller than Vega.

The new launcher configuration delivers a significant improvement in launch system flexibility. Vega-C can orbit larger satellites, two main payloads or can accommodate various arrangements for rideshare missions. ESA’s upcoming Space Rider return-to-Earth vehicle will be launched to orbit on Vega-C.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Image Date: July 13, 2022

Electron Launches “Wise One Looks Ahead” NROL-162 Mission | Rocket Lab

Electron Launches “Wise One Looks Ahead” NROL-162 Mission | Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket launched the “Wise One Looks Ahead” mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NROL-162) from Launch Complex 1, Pad A, on Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand, on July 13, 2022, at 06:30 UTC (18:30 NZST, 02:30 EDT). This mission is Rocket Lab’s 28th Electron launch to date. The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) develops, builds, launches, and operates space reconnaissance systems and conducts intelligence-related activities for U.S. national security.

Credit: Rocket Lab

Duration: 1 minute, 45 seconds

Release Date: July 13, 2022

#NASA #Space #Satellite #RocketLab #PeterBeck #Rocket #Electron #NRO #NROL162 #Reconnaissance #Intelligence #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #Military #DOD #Technology #Engineering #UnitedStates #Australia #MahiaPeninsula #NewZealand #STEM #Education #HD #Video

City lights of Italy | International Space Station

City Lights of Italy | International Space Station

The city lights of Italy, including the French island of Corse and Italian islands of Sardinia and Sicily, are pictured from the International Space Station from 261 miles above the Mediterranean Sea while flying into an orbital sunrise. In the top foreground, is a portion of the Candarm2 robotic arm.

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)

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center

Image Date: July 4, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #ESA #MediterraneanSea #Mediterranean #Italy #Italia #Sardinia #Sicily #France #Corse #Corsica #Science #Technology #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition67 #CNES #Europe #JSC #UnitedStates #Candarm2 #Robotics #CSA #Canada #International #STEM #Education

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

"STRAIGHT UP!"—A Virgin Orbit Launch Film

"STRAIGHT UP!"—A Virgin Orbit Launch Film

On July 1, 2022, Virgin Orbit completed their fourth consecutive satellite launch mission, named "Straight Up." This launch carried seven satellites to Low Earth Orbit for the United States Space Force (USSF), who procured this launch for the Rocket Systems Launch Program, with payloads provided by the Department of Defense Space Test Program (STP).

Virgin Orbit’s fully mobile LauncherOne system conducted its first ever evening flight from a bare concrete pad and a runway at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. The launch began at 10:50 p.m. local time, Friday, July 1, and concluded with the successful deployment of all seven payloads at approximately 12:55 a.m. Pacific on the morning of July 2, completing the company’s first nighttime demonstration of the company’s responsive space launch capabilities.

The launch’s name, Straight Up, is inspired by American singer Paula Abdul’s breakthrough song from her debut studio album, Forever Your Girl. Released through Virgin Records on June 21,1988, it was the most successful debut album ever at the time of its release. The iconic dance-pop tune has remained Abdul’s biggest international hit to date.

Credit: Virgin Orbit

Duration: 2 minutes, 39 seconds

Release Date: July 12, 2022

#NASA #Space #Earth #Satellite #LEO #Orbit #Military #DOD #USSF #VirginOrbit #CommercialSpace #LauncherOne #Mojave #Spaceport #NewMexico #UnitedStates #RichardBranson #UK #STEM #Education #HD #Video

SpaceX CRS-25 Falcon 9 Rocket Rollout | NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX CRS-25 Falcon 9 Rocket Rollout | NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, topped with the Cargo Dragon spacecraft, is rolled out from the company’s hangar at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 12, 2022, to the launch pad in preparation for the 25th commercial resupply services launch. The mission will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the crew aboard the International Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 8:44 p.m. EDT on Thursday, July 14, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A.

Learn More about the science aboard SpaceX CRS-25: https://go.nasa.gov/3PENKTO

NASA's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program:

https://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/home/

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)

Image Credit: SpaceX

Image Date: July 12, 2022

Watch "First Images: The James Webb Space Telescope" (NASA Broadcast) [Replay]

Watch "First Images: The James Webb Space Telescope" (NASA Broadcast) [Replay]

Watch as the mission team reveals the long-awaited first images from the James Webb Space Telescope. Webb, an international collaboration led by NASA with our partners the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, is the biggest telescope ever launched into space. It will unlock mysteries in our solar system, look beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it.

All about Webb: https://webb.nasa.gov

Credit: NASA TV

Duration: 54 minutes

Release Date: July 12, 2022

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