NASA's Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers: New July 2022 Images | JPL

NASA's Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers: New July 2022 Images | JPL

MSL - sol 3545 - Mastcam

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

MSL - sol 3544 - Mastcam

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

MSL - sol 3544 - Mastcam

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

MSL - sol 3544 - Mastcam

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

MSL - sol 3544 - MAHLI

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

Mars2020 - sol 507 - Mastcam-Z

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

Mars2020 - sol 507 - Mastcam-Z

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

MSL - sol 3545 - Mastcam

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

Curiosity Rover Update for July 28, 2022

Sols 3546-3547: Staring at the Ground (excerpt)

Written by Keri Bean and Kristin Bennett

Today’s plan is chock full of goodies! We start out sol 3546 with a ChemCam observation of a sand ripple “Deposito” and an RMI observation of the Bolivar outcrop in the distance. Then we’ll do some Mastcam observations of Deposito, “Lilas” which is one of our robotic arm targets later in the sol, Bolivar, and “Deepdale.” Once all that wraps up, we’ll get into our robotic arm activities for the sol!

Today I (Keri) was the Arm Rover Planner, which means I was responsible for writing up the commands for the robotic arm activities in this plan. I noticed this lovely rock in our workspace. The top of it looked like a nice large flat spot where we could use our DRT to brush off some dust! The scientists also were thinking the same thing and agreed, so we added it to the plan. The scientists are also interested in the rough face pointing at the rover, so we are also taking some MAHLI images of that rough face “Simoni” followed by brushing away the surface dust on the top of the rock with DRT and taking some MAHLI and Mastcam images of Lilas.

Once the arm activities wrap up, we’ll begin driving! 

During the drive, the science team decided to add in an observation that we don’t often use: a MARDI sidewalk observation. MARDI is a camera that is pointing down at the ground. 

After all that completes, we will take some post-drive imaging with Hazcams, Navcams, and Mastcams which will help the next planning team determine their activities...

Full article: https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/mission-updates/9235/sols-3546-3547-staring-at-the-ground/

Perseverance Rover Update for July 21, 2022

Laser Marking on Mars

Written by Roger Wiens, Principal Investigator, SuperCam/Co-Investigator, SHERLOC instrument at Purdue University

https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/status/393/laser-marking-on-mars/

Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Rover Name: Curiosity

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

Launch: Nov. 6, 2011

Landing Date: Aug. 5, 2012, Gale Crater, Mars

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

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

Image Release Dates: July 24-29, 2022

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

Benefits of International Space Station Research & Development | This Week@NASA

Benefits of International Space Station Research & Development | This Week@NASA

Week of July 29, 2022: The benefits of International Space Station research and development, refining the architecture for the Mars Sample Return mission, and test firing a solid-rocket booster for our mega Moon rocket . . . a few of the stories to tell you about–This Week at NASA!

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Producer: Andre Valentine

Editor: Lacey Young

Music: Universal Production Music

Duration: 4 minutes, 8 seconds

Release Date: July 29, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Mars #MSR #Artemis #Astronauts #FlightEngineers #Science #Technology #Research #Laboratory #Experiments #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition67 #Europe #UnitedStates #Russia #Россия #Canada #Japan #日本 #International #STEM #Education #HD #Video

ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on Spacewalk | International Space Station

ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on Spacewalk | International Space Station

On July 21, 2022, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy completed her first ever spacewalk alongside cosmonaut and Expedition 67 Commander Oleg Artemyev of Russia. Not only that, but this spacewalk was also the first conducted by a European woman, and the first conducted by a European in a Russian Orlan spacesuit from the International Space Station.

Expedition 67 Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency) concluded their spacewalk at 5:55 p.m. EDT on July 21, 2022, after 7 hours and 5 minutes. Artemyev and Cristoforetti completed all but one of their major objectives, which included the deployment of 10 nanosatellites designed to collect radio electronics data during the spacewalk and installing platforms and workstation adapter hardware near the 37-foot-long manipulator system mounted to Nauka. The spacewalkers also relocated the arm’s external control panel and replaced a protective window on the arm’s camera unit. The last planned activity, to extend a Strela telescoping boom from Zarya to Poisk, will be completed on a future spacewalk.

Additional spacewalks are planned to continue outfitting the European robotic arm and to activate Nauka’s airlock for future spacewalks.

The work on the European robotic arm will be used to move spacewalkers and payloads around the Russian segment of the station.

This was the sixth spacewalk in Artemyev’s career, and the first for Cristoforetti. It was the sixth spacewalk at the station in 2022 and the 251st spacewalk for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

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.

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

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center/European Space Agency (ESA)/Roscosmos

Capture Date: July 21, 2022

Release Date: July 28, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #ESA #Spacewalk #EVA #Cosmonaut #OlegArtemyev #Astronaut #FlightEngineer #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #MissionMinerva #Italy #Italia #ASI #Science #Technology #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition67 #Europe #UnitedStates #Russia #Россия #International #STEM #Education

Growing the Low-Earth Orbit Economy: International Space Station Benefits

Growing the Low-Earth Orbit Economy: International Space Station Benefits

As a platform used by small businesses, entrepreneurs, and researchers to test their science and technology in space, the International Space Station has supported development of new and improved products, spawned new commercial ventures, and provided growth for existing ones. It has expanded the overall space industry, especially in the fields of robotics, small satellites, and in-space manufacturing. Much of this equipment and technology benefits life on Earth as well as the space economy.

 Learn more: https://go.nasa.gov/3ATR9Jo

Explore other station benefits: https://www.nasa.gov/stationbenefits

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)/Science@NASA

Duration: 1 minute, 14 seconds

Release Date: July 29, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Astronauts #FlightEngineers #Science #Technology #Research #Laboratory #Experiments #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition67 #Europe #UnitedStates #Russia #Россия #Canada #Japan #日本 #International #STEM #Education #HD #Video

What's Up for August 2022 | Skywatching Tips from NASA

What's Up for August 2022 | Skywatching Tips from NASA

What are some skywatching highlights in August 2022? 

The daily parade of four naked-eye planets in the mornings comes to an end this month. However, there are still lots of great highlights, especially if you have access to binoculars. Plus, Saturn and Jupiter are returning to nighttime skies! The outlook for Perseid meteors is not great due to a full moon on the peak night of August 12, but it is still worth keeping an eye out for early Perseids after midnight the week before. August is also a great month to learn an easy-to-spot constellation—Cygnus the swan.

Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Duration: 4 minutes, 9 seconds

Release Date: July 29, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Skywatching #Earth #Moon #Planets #Mars #Jupiter #Saturn #Uranus #SolarSystem #Stars #Nebulas #Constellations #MilkyWay #Galaxy #JPL #Pasadena #California #Skywatching #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Tonight's Sky: August 2022

Tonight's Sky: August 2022

In August 2022, a flock of star-studded figures soars overhead. Look for the Vega and Lyra constellations, which point to Epsilon Lyrae and the Ring Nebula. You can also spot three bright summer stars: Vega, Deneb, and Altair, which form the Summer Triangle. Keep watching for space-based views of these and other stars and nebulas.

“Tonight’s Sky” is a monthly video of constellations you can observe in the night sky. The series is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope, in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning.

Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Duration: 4 minutes, 48 seconds

Release Date: July 25, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Hubble #Science #Earth #Stars #RingNebula #Messier57  #DumbellNebula #Messier27 #PlanetaryNebulas #Lyra #Constellations #Galaxy #MilkyWay #Planets #SolarSystem #Skywatching #STScI #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Pillars of Creation (infrared close-up view) | ESO

The Pillars of Creation (infrared close-up view) | ESO

This shows a zoom into the center of an infrared view of the Pillar of Creation's columns and their immediate surroundings in more detail. The pillars themselves are less prominent than on the Hubble visible-light image of this region. This is because near-infrared light penetrates the thinner parts of the gas and dust clouds and only the heads remain opaque. A number of red objects can be seen associated with the pillars. Some of these are just background sources seen through the dust, but some are probably young stars embedded in the pillars. The purple arc near the bottom of the picture is Herbig-Haro object 216, a fast-moving clump of heated gas emanating from a young star.

Technical information: This image shows an enlarged section of the full mosaic covering 6.2 x 7.5 light-years (1.9 x 2.3 pc) centered on the pillars. North is up and East left.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/M.McCaughrean & M.Andersen (AIP)

Release Date: December 20, 2001

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Nebula #EagleNebula #PillarsOfCreation #Stars #Infrared #Messier16 #NGC6611 #HerbigHaroObject216 #SerpensCauda #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

The Eagle Nebula | European Southern Observatory

The Eagle Nebula | European Southern Observatory

Three-color composite mosaic image of the Eagle Nebula (Messier 16, or NGC 6611), based on images obtained with the Wide-Field Imager camera on the MPG/European Southern Observatory (ESO) 2.2-meter telescope at the La Silla Observatory. At the center, the so-called “Pillars of Creation” can be seen. This wide-field image shows not only the central pillars, but also several others in the same star-forming region, as well as a huge number of stars in front of, in, or behind the Eagle Nebula. The cluster of bright stars to the upper right is NGC 6611, home to the massive and hot stars that illuminate the pillars. The “Spire”—another large pillar—is in the middle left of the image.

This image is a composite of 3 filters in the visible range: B (blue), V (green) and R (red).

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Release Date: July 16, 2009

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Nebula #EagleNebula #PillarsOfCreation #Spire #Stars #Messier16 #NGC6611 #SerpensCauda #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #LaSillaObservatory #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

"The Eagle's Eggs" (infrared wide view) | European Southern Observatory

"The Eagle's Eggs" (infrared wide view) | European Southern Observatory

Messier 16 (M16), also known as the Eagle Nebula, is located in the southern constellation of Serpens (the Snake).

Using the infrared multi-mode ISAAC instrument on the 8.2-m VLT ANTU telescope, European astronomers were able to image the Eagle Nebula at near-infrared wavelength. The ISAAC near-infrared images cover a 9 x 9 arcminutes region, in three broad-band colors and with sufficient sensitivity to detect young stars of all masses and—most importantly—with an image sharpness as good as 0.35 arcseconds.

The wide-field view of M16 shows that there is much happening in the region. The first impression one gets is of an enormous number of stars. Those which are blue in the infrared image are either members of the young NGC 6611 cluster—whose massive stars are concentrated in the upper right (north west) part of the field—or foreground stars which happen to lie along the line of sight towards M16.

Most of the stars are fainter and more yellow. They are ordinary stars behind M16, along the line of sight through the galactic bulge, and are seen through the molecular clouds out of which NGC 6611 formed. Some very red stars are also seen: these are either very young and embedded in gas and dust clouds, or just brighter stars in the background shining through them.

This photo is the result of a three-color composite mosaic image of the Eagle Nebula (Messier 16), based on 144 individual images obtained with the infrared multi-mode instrument ISAAC on the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory. At the center, the so-called "Pillars of Creation" can be seen. This wide-field infrared image shows not only the central three pillars but also several others in the same star-forming region, as well as a huge number of stars in front of, in, or behind the Eagle Nebula. The cluster of bright blue stars to the upper right is NGC 6611, home to the massive and hot stars that illuminate the pillars.

Technical information: This image was made using the near-infrared camera ISAAC on the ESO 8.2-m VLT ANTU telescope on April 8 and May 8 - 10, 2001. The full field measures approximately 9.1 x 9.1 arcmin, covering roughly 17 x 17 light-years (5.3 x 5.3 pc) at the distance to the region (about 6,500 light-years or 2 kpc). This required a 16-position mosaic (4 x 4 grid) of ISAAC pointings : at each pointing, a series of images were taken in each of the near-infrared J s - (centered at 1.24 µm wavelength), H- (1.65µm), and K s - (2.16 µm) bands. North is up and East left.

The total integration time for each pixel in the mosaic was 1200, 300, and 300 seconds in the central 4.5 x 4.5 arcmin region, and 200, 50, and 50 seconds in the outer part, in J s -, H-, and K s - bands, respectively. The seeing FWHM (full width at half maximum) was excellent, at 0.38, 0.36, and 0.33 arcsec in J s, H, and K s, respectively. Point sources are detected in the central region at the 3-sigma level (brightest pixel above background noise) at 22.6, 21.3, and 20.4 magnitudes in J s, H, and K s, respectively. These limits imply that a 1 million year old, 0.075 solar-mass object on the star/brown dwarf boundary could be detected in M16 through roughly 15, 20, and 30 magnitudes of visual extinction at J s, H, and K s, respectively.

After removal of instrumental signatures and the bright infrared sky background, all frames in a given band were carefully aligned and adjusted to form a seamless mosaic. The three monochromatic mosaics were then scaled to the cube root of their intensities to reduce the enormous dynamic range and enhance faint nebular features. The mosaics were then combined to create the color-coded image, with the J s -band being rendered as blue, the H-band as green, and the K s -band as red. A total of 144 individual 1024 x 1024 pixel ISAAC images were merged to form this mosaic.

Credit: European Southern Observatory/M.McCaughrean & M.Andersen (AIP)

Release Date: December 20, 2001

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Nebula #EagleNebula #PillarsOfCreation #Stars #Infrared #Messier16 #NGC6611 #SerpensCauda #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #Telescope #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

NASA's Space to Ground: Decades of Results | Week of July 29, 2022

NASA's Space to Ground: Decades of Results | Week of July 29, 2022

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station.

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:

nasa.gov/stationbenefits

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) 

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 2 minutes, 36 seconds

Release Date: July 29, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceXCrew5 #SpaceX #Astronauts #Research #Laboratory #Science #Technology #HumanSpaceflight #Europe #Russia #Россия #Japan #日本 #Canada #UnitedStates #International #Expedition67 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

New Views of The Pillars of Creation: Hubble's Universe Unfiltered

New Views of The Pillars of Creation: Hubble's Universe Unfiltered

Presented by Dr. Frank Summers, Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

One of Hubble's most famous images was taken in 1995. The iconic "Pillars of Creation" shows the tall and beautiful gaseous pillar structures that can form inside star-forming regions. Within these dark clouds, stars are being born. Hubble kicked off its 25th anniversary year in 2015 with some images that used its improved cameras to revisit these beautiful pillars. This larger, higher resolution, and expanded wavelength examination uncovered new details, new features, and new perspectives on a classic image.  

For more information: 

https://hubblesite.org/science

Background Notes:

—Most will remember that there was an initial flaw in Hubble's mirror that was corrected in 1993. After that repair mission, it took some time for the public to recognize just how amazing Hubble's views of the universe really were. The 'Pillars of Creation' image, released in November 1995, was a watershed in that regard. The image was shown on television news and reproduced in newspapers and magazines everywhere. The widespread attention helped certify Hubble's status to the public as the pre-eminent observatory of our time.

—The "teapot" in Sagittarius is not the full constellation. It is a star pattern, called an "asterism," within the larger collection of connected stars that makes up the entire constellation. One can search online to see the full Sagittarius constellation as it depicts the archer. A similar asterism is the Big Dipper, which is a star pattern within the constellation of Ursa Major.

—The visible and infrared views of astronomical objects are generally similar enough that one can identify common structures between the views. When using other wavelengths, like X-rays or radio waves, it can be very hard to identify how the two different wavelength views correspond. Astronomers must record the exact sky coordinates of an image in order to be able to precisely compare against views by other telescopes and in other wavelengths.

Video Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute (

Duration: 16 minutes

Release Date: March 4, 2016

#NASA #ESA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebula #EagleNebula #Infrared #Messier16 #NGC6611 #PillarsOfCreation #SerpensCauda #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Revisiting The Pillars of Creation | Hubble

Revisiting The Pillars of Creation | Hubble

Hubblecast 82: The NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope has revisited one of its most iconic and popular images: the Eagle Nebula’s Pillars of Creation. This time Hubble has not just one image for us, but two: as well as the new visible-light image the telescope used infrared light to produce a second breathtaking picture of the region. Between them these images show the pillars in more detail than ever before. In this Hubblecast we explore the different ways in which Hubble, and other telescopes, have captured this iconic object.

Directed by: Georgia Bladon

Visual design and editing: Martin Kornmesser

Written by: Georgia Bladon and Nicky Guttridge

Narration: Sara Mendes da Costa

Images: NASA, ESA/Hubble and the Hubble Heritage Team, J. Hester and P. Scowen (Arizona State University), ESO, Digitized Sky Survey 2, M. McCaughrean & M. Andersen (AIP)

Video: NASA, European Space Agency/Hubble 

Animations: Martin Kornmesser, Luis Calcada, NASA, ESA/Hubble 

Music: Toomas Erm (European Southern Observatory)

Web and technical support: Mathias Andre and Raquel Yumi Shida

Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen

Duration: 6 minutes

Release Date: January 5, 2015

#NASA #ESA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebula #EagleNebula #Infrared #Messier16 #NGC6611 #PillarsOfCreation #SerpensCauda #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Stellar Powerhouses in The Eagle Nebula | Hubble

Stellar Powerhouses in The Eagle Nebula | Hubble

A spectacular section of the well-known Eagle Nebula has been targeted by the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. This collection of dazzling stars is called NGC 6611, an open star cluster that formed about 5.5 million years ago and is found approximately 6,500 light-years from the Earth. It is a very young cluster, containing many hot, blue stars, whose fierce ultraviolet glow make the surrounding Eagle Nebula glow brightly. The cluster and the associated nebula together are also known as Messier 16.

Astronomers refer to areas like the Eagle Nebula as HII regions. This is the scientific notation for ionized hydrogen from which the region is largely made. Extrapolating far into the future, this HII region will eventually disperse, helped along by shockwaves from supernova explosions as the more massive young stars end their brief but brilliant lives.

In this image, dark patches can also be spotted, punctuating the stellar landscape. These areas of apparent nothingness are actually very dense regions of gas and dust, which obstruct light from passing through. Many of these may be hiding the sites of the early stages of star formation, before the fledgling stars clear away their surroundings and burst into view. Dark nebulae, large and small, are dotted throughout the Universe. If you look up to the Milky Way with the naked eye from a dark, remote site, you can easily spot some huge dark nebulae blocking the background starlight.

This picture was created from images from Hubble’s Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys through the unusual combination of two near-infrared filters (F775W, colored blue, and F850LP, colored red). The image has also been subtly colorized using a ground-based image taken through more conventional filters. The Hubble exposure times were 2,000s in both cases and the field of view is about 3.2 arcminutes across.

Credit: European Space Agency/Hubble & NASA

Release Date: January 3, 2011

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebula #EagleNebula #Messier16 #NGC6611 #StarCluster #SerpensCauda #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #AURA #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on Spacewalk | International Space Station

ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on Spacewalk | International Space Station

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti begins her first spacewalk

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy exits the Space Station to begin her first ever spacewalk, alongside cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev on July 21, 2022. This spacewalk was also the first conducted by a European woman, and the first conducted by a European in an Orlan spacesuit from the International Space Station.

 Credit: ESA/NASA/Roscosmos/Sergey Korsakov

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti & cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev on spacewalk

Credit: Roscosmos/Sergey Korsakov

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti during a spacewalk

Credit: Roscosmos/Sergey Korsakov

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti in Orlan spacesuit

European astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy prepares for her first ever spacewalk alongside cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev. 

Screenshot taken from GoPro video

Credit: ESA/NASA/Roscosmos/Sergey Korsakov

    Screenshot taken from GoPro video

Credit: ESA/NASA/Roscosmos/Sergey Korsakov

On July 21, 2022, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy completed her first ever spacewalk alongside cosmonaut and Expedition 67 Commander Oleg Artemyev of Russia. Not only that, but this spacewalk was also the first conducted by a European woman, and the first conducted by a European in a Russian Orlan spacesuit from the International Space Station.

Expedition 67 Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency) concluded their spacewalk at 5:55 p.m. EDT on July 21, 2022, after 7 hours and 5 minutes. Artemyev and Cristoforetti completed all but one of their major objectives, which included the deployment of 10 nanosatellites designed to collect radio electronics data during the spacewalk and installing platforms and workstation adapter hardware near the 37-foot-long manipulator system mounted to Nauka. The spacewalkers also relocated the arm’s external control panel and replaced a protective window on the arm’s camera unit. The last planned activity, to extend a Strela telescoping boom from Zarya to Poisk, will be completed on a future spacewalk.

Additional spacewalks are planned to continue outfitting the European robotic arm and to activate Nauka’s airlock for future spacewalks.

The work on the European robotic arm will be used to move spacewalkers and payloads around the Russian segment of the station.

This was the sixth spacewalk in Artemyev’s career, and the first for Cristoforetti. It was the sixth spacewalk at the station in 2022 and the 251st spacewalk for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

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.

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

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center/European Space Agency (ESA)/Roscosmos

Capture Date: July 21, 2022

Release Date: July 28, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #ESA #Spacewalk #EVA #Cosmonaut #OlegArtemyev #Astronaut #FlightEngineer #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #MissionMinerva #Italy #Italia #ASI #Science #Technology #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition67 #Europe #UnitedStates #Russia #Россия #International #STEM #Education

Rising Eagle: Stellar Spire in The Eagle Nebula | Hubble

Rising Eagle: Stellar Spire in The Eagle Nebula | Hubble

Appearing like a winged fairy-tale creature poised on a pedestal, this object is actually a billowing tower of cold gas and dust rising from a stellar nursery called the Eagle Nebula. The soaring tower is 9.5 light-years or about 90 trillion kilometers high, about twice the distance from our Sun to the next nearest star.

Stars in the Eagle Nebula are born in clouds of cold hydrogen gas that reside in chaotic neighborhoods, where energy from young stars sculpts fantasy-like landscapes in the gas. The tower may be a giant incubator for those newborn stars. A torrent of ultraviolet light from a band of massive, hot, young stars [off the top of the image] is eroding the pillar.

The starlight also is responsible for illuminating the tower's rough surface. Ghostly streamers of gas can be seen boiling off this surface, creating the haze around the structure and highlighting its three-dimensional shape. The column is silhouetted against the background glow of more distant gas.

The edge of the dark hydrogen cloud at the top of the tower is resisting erosion, in a manner similar to that of brush among a field of prairie grass that is being swept up by fire. The fire quickly burns the grass but slows down when it encounters the dense brush. In this celestial case, thick clouds of hydrogen gas and dust have survived longer than their surroundings in the face of a blast of ultraviolet light from the hot, young stars.

Inside the gaseous tower, stars may be forming. Some of those stars may have been created by dense gas collapsing under gravity. Other stars may be forming due to pressure from gas that has been heated by the neighboring hot stars.

The first wave of stars may have started forming before the massive star cluster began venting its scorching light. The star birth may have begun when denser regions of cold gas within the tower started collapsing under their own weight to make stars.

The bumps and fingers of material in the center of the tower are examples of these stellar birthing areas. These regions may look small but they are roughly the size of our solar system. The fledgling stars continued to grow as they fed off the surrounding gas cloud. They abruptly stopped growing when light from the star cluster uncovered their gaseous cradles, separating them from their gas supply.

Ironically, the young cluster's intense starlight may be inducing star formation in some regions of the tower. Examples can be seen in the large, glowing clumps and finger-shaped protrusions at the top of the structure. The stars may be heating the gas at the top of the tower and creating a shock front, as seen by the bright rim of material tracing the edge of the nebula at top, left. As the heated gas expands, it acts like a battering ram, pushing against the darker cold gas. The intense pressure compresses the gas, making it easier for stars to form. This scenario may continue as the shock front moves slowly down the tower.

The dominant colors in the image were produced by gas energized by the star cluster's powerful ultraviolet light. The blue color at the top is from glowing oxygen. The red color in the lower region is from glowing hydrogen. The Eagle Nebula image was taken in November 2004 with the Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Release Date: April 25, 2005

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebula #EagleNebula #Messier16 #NGC6611 #PillarsOfCreation #SerpensCauda #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #AURA #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

The Pillars of Creation—fade from visible to infrared | Hubble

The Pillars of Creation—fade from visible to infrared | Hubble

This video compares two new views of the Eagle Nebula’s Pillars of Creation captured by Hubble by fading from one into the other.

First, the pillars are shown as seen in visible light, capturing the multi-colored glow of gas clouds, wispy tendrils of dark cosmic dust, and the rust-colored elephants’ trunks of the nebula’s famous pillars.

The video then fades into an image taken in infrared light, which penetrates much of the obscuring dust and gas and unveils a more unfamiliar view of the pillars.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency/Hubble and the Hubble Heritage Team

Duration: 36 seconds

Release Date: January 5, 2015

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Nebula #EagleNebula #Infrared #Messier16 #NGC6611 #PillarsOfCreation #SerpensCauda #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video