Wednesday, October 05, 2022

Meet NASA Astronaut Josh Cassada, Crew-5 Pilot | Johnson Space Center

Meet NASA Astronaut Josh Cassada, Crew-5 Pilot | Johnson Space Center

He’s already a particle physicist and a Navy combat pilot, but this is a first for Josh Cassada—his first trip to space. The pilot on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station explains how his varied background led him to become an astronaut. He also talks about his hopes for this mission to contribute to the next generation of exploration and science.

Astronaut Josh Cassada Official NASA Biography

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/josh-a-cassada

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/josh-a-cassada/biography


Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 2 minutes, 51 seconds

Release Date: October 5, 2022


#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #SpacexCrew5 #CrewDragon #Astronaut #JoshCassada #Pilot #Aviator #USNavy #Physicist #Scientist #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #UnitedStates #Science #Technology #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Meet NASA Astronaut Nicole Mann, Crew-5 Commander | Johnson Space Center

Meet NASA Astronaut Nicole Mann, Crew-5 Commander | Johnson Space Center

First indigenous woman from NASA to go to space!

A Marine combat pilot, a mechanical engineer, and a first-time space flyer—just some of the ways to describe Nicole Mann, commander of NASA’s next SpaceX Crew Dragon mission to the International Space Station.  Hear her describe her California childhood, her path from Naval Academy to pilot to astronaut, and how she expects this mission to contribute to the evolution of human possibilities.

Astronaut Nicole Mann Official NASA Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/nicole-a-mann

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/nicole-a-mann/biography


Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 3 minutes, 13 seconds

Release Date: October 5, 2022


#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #SpacexCrew5 #CrewDragon #Astronaut #NicoleMann #Commander #Leader #Pilot #Aviator #USMarines #Engineer #Aboriginal #NativeAmerican #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #JSC #UnitedStates #Science #Technology #STEM #Education #HD #Video

SpaceX Crew-5 Falcon 9 Rocket & Crew Dragon Closeup | Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX Crew-5 Falcon 9 Rocket & Crew Dragon Closeup | Kennedy Space Center







These are closeup views of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket, at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida prior to Crew-5 launch. Endurance is now carrying NASA astronauts Nicole Aunapu Mann, commander; Josh Cassada, pilot; and mission specialists Koichi Wakata, of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina (Russia) to the International Space Station for a science expedition mission as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff was successful at noon EDT on Oct. 5, 2022.


Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

Image Dates: October 1-3, 2022


#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #SpacexCrew5 #CrewDragon #Astronauts #NicoleMann #JoshCassada #KoichiWakata #JAXA #Cosmonaut #AnnaKikina #Роскосмос #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #Japan #日本 #Russia #Россия #UnitedStates #Science #STEM #Education

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Launch | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Launch | International Space Station


A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina (Russia) onboard, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission is the fifth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Mann, Cassada, Wakata, and Kikini launched at 12:00 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin a six month mission onboard the orbital outpost.

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: 


Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Image Date: October 5, 2022


#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #SpacexCrew5 #CrewDragon #Astronauts #NicoleMann #JoshCassada #KoichiWakata #JAXA #Cosmonaut #AnnaKikina #Роскосмос #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #Japan #日本 #Russia #Россия #UnitedStates #Science #STEM #Education

NASA SpaceX Crew-5 Launches to the International Space Station

NASA SpaceX Crew-5 Launches to the International Space Station

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon Endurance lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at noon EDT on Oct. 5, 2022. Onboard the Dragon spacecraft are NASA astronauts Nicole Aunapu Mann and Josh Cassada, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina (Russia) for the mission to the International Space Station.


Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

Duration: 57 seconds

Release Date: October 5, 2022


#NASA #Space #ISS #Roscosmos #JAXA #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #SpacexCrew5 #CrewDragon #Astronauts #NicoleMann #JoshCassada #KoichiWakata #Cosmonaut #AnnaKikina #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #Japan #日本 #Russia #Россия #UnitedStates #Science #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 Astronauts on Launch Day | Kennedy Space Center

NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 Astronauts on Launch Day | Kennedy Space Center

NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 astronauts walked out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 5, 2022. The Crew-5 flight carried NASA astronauts Nicole Aunapu Mann and Josh Cassada, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina (Russia) on the Dragon spacecraft, Endurance. They greeted family and friends before boarding Tesla Model X cars that took them to Launch Complex 39A. They successfully launched to orbit today on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket and are on their way to the International Space Station.


Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

Duration: 54 seconds

Release Date: October 5, 2022


#NASA #Space #ISS #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #SpacexCrew5 #CrewDragon #Astronauts #NicoleMann #JoshCassada #KoichiWakata #JAXA #Cosmonaut #AnnaKikina #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #Japan #日本 #Russia #Россия #UnitedStates #Science #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Tracing Interstellar Dust Within a Galactic Pair | Webb & Hubble

Tracing Interstellar Dust Within a Galactic Pair | Webb & Hubble


Image Description: The background of this Webb and Hubble composite image of galaxy pair VV 191 is black. Two large, very bright galaxies dominate the center of the image. The elliptical galaxy at left is extremely bright at its circular core, with dimmer white light extending to its transparent circular edges. At right is a bright spiral galaxy. It also has a bright white core, but has red and light purple spiral arms that start at the center and turn clockwise going outward. They end in faint red and appear to overlap the elliptical galaxy at left. Throughout the scene are a range of distant galaxies, the majority of which are very tiny and red, appearing as splotches.

Two galaxies and two telescopes come together in this image of galaxy pair VV 191, merging Hubble’s ultraviolet and visible-light view with Webb’s infrared vision.

Webb allowed researchers to trace light emitted from the bright elliptical galaxy on the left through the spiral galaxy on the right. In doing so, astronomers were able to study the effects of interstellar dust in the spiral galaxy.

See that faint, red arc around 10 o’clock at the core of the elliptical galaxy (left)? That’s actually a distant galaxy that has been gravitationally lensed, meaning the elliptical galaxy’s gravity is so great it has stretched and magnified the background galaxy’s appearance! The distant galaxy is also duplicated as a tiny, hard-to-see dot around 4 o’clock at the center of the elliptical galaxy. Webb reveals this far-off galaxy clearly for the first time, as it was so faint that it went undetected in Hubble’s data.

By teaming up, Webb and Hubble are able to bring us an even more comprehensive view of the universe.

Note: The data here is from Webb science in progress, which has not yet been peer reviewed.

Read more: https://go.nasa.gov/3rvYKaW


Credit: NASA, European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency, Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), R. Windhorst (Arizona State University), W. Keel (University of Alabama), S. Wyithe (University of Melbourne, Australia), and the JWST PEARLS Team

Release Date: October 5, 2022


#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #VV191 #Spiral #Elliptical #JamesWebb #SpaceTelescopes #JWST #Hubble #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Prelaunch | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Prelaunch | Kennedy Space Center

From left are NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina (Russia), NASA astronaut Nicole Aunapu Mann, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata 

From left are NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, pilot; Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina (Russia), mission specialist; NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, commander; and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, mission specialist

Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina (Russia), left, NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, second from left, NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, second from right, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, right

Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina (Russia), left, NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, second from left, NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, second from right, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, right

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-5 mission, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A
The American flag and a flag bearing the patch for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission are seen at the Press Site and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022, in Florida.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission is the fifth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina (Russia) are scheduled to launch at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Oct. 5, 2022, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

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/SpaceX/Kim Shiflett/Joel Kowsky
Image Dates: Oct. 2-5, 2022


#NASA #Space #ISS #ESA #Roscosmos #JAXA #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #SpacexCrew5 #CrewDragon #Astronauts #NicoleMann #JoshCassada #KoichiWakata #Cosmonaut #AnnaKikina #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #JSC #Japan #日本 #Russia #Россия #UnitedStates #Science #STEM #Education

Snoopy is Going to Space on NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission

Snoopy is Going to Space on NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission

There may not be any humans aboard NASA's Artemis I test flight, but there will be a special canine: Snoopy! Learn why Astronaut Snoopy is flying to space when Artemis launches on its historic mission around the Moon and back.  

Artemis I is the first integrated flight test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will send the uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the Moon and back to Earth. The mission will check out all spacecraft systems for the first time before crew fly aboard Artemis II. It's one more step toward taking the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars. 

Get all the info on this historic mission: https://nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i 

The history of Snoopy and NASA: https://go.nasa.gov/3cNgB65


Credits: NASA

Producers: Scott Bednar, Jessica Wilde, Sami Aziz

Videographer: Ben Smegelsky

Duration: 1 minute, 30 seconds

Release Date: October 4, 2022


#NASA #Space #Moon #Snoopy #Peanuts #CharlesSchulz #Apollo #Artemis #ArtemisI #Orion #Spacecraft #SLS #Rocket #DeepSpace #Orion #Spacecraft #Astronauts #MoonToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #Exploration #SolarSystem #Children #ArtemisGeneration #History #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

An Active Center: Spiral Galaxy ESO 021-G004 | Hubble

An Active Center: Spiral Galaxy ESO 021-G004 | Hubble

This swirling mass of celestial gas, dust, and stars is a moderately luminous spiral galaxy named ESO 021-G004, located just under 130 million light-years away. 

This galaxy has something known as an active galactic nucleus. While this phrase sounds complex, this simply means that astronomers measure a lot of radiation at all wavelengths coming from the center of the galaxy. This radiation is generated by material falling inwards into the very central region of ESO 021-G004, and meeting the behemoth lurking there—a supermassive black hole. As material falls towards this black hole it is dragged into orbit as part of an accretion disc; it becomes superheated as it swirls around and around, emitting characteristic high-energy radiation until it is eventually devoured.

The data comprising this image were gathered by the Wide Field Camera 3 aboard the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.


Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, D. Rosario et al.

Release Date: December 23, 2019


#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #Galaxy #ActiveGalacticNucleus #BlackHole #Spiral #ESO021G004 #Chamaeleon #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Tuesday, October 04, 2022

A Cosmic Couple: Star Hen 2-427 & Nebula M1-67 | Hubble

A Cosmic Couple: Star Hen 2-427 Nebula M1-67 | Hubble

Here we see the spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427—more commonly known as WR 124—and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it. Both objects, captured here by the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope are found in the constellation of Sagitta and lie 15,000 light-years away.

The star Hen 2-427 shines brightly at the very center of this explosive image and around the hot clumps of gas are ejected into space at over 150,000 kilometers per hour.

Hen 2-427 is a Wolf–Rayet star, named after the astronomers Charles Wolf and Georges Rayet. Wolf–Rayet are super-hot stars characterized by a fierce ejection of mass.

The nebula M1-67 is estimated to be no more than 10,000 years old—just a baby in astronomical terms—but what a beautiful and magnificent sight it makes.

Distance: 15,000 light years


Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA

Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt

Release Date: August 17, 2015


#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Star #WolfRayet #Hen2427 #WR124 #NebulaM167 #Sagitta #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #Astronomers #CharlesWolf #GeorgesRayet #History #STEM #Education

A Halloween Pumpkin Pair of Galaxies | Hubble

A Halloween Pumpkin Pair of Galaxies | Hubble

What looks like two glowing eyes and a crooked carved smile in this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope snapshot is the early stages of a collision between two galaxies. Residing in the constellation Canis Major, the entire view is 109,000 light-years across, approximately the diameter of our Milky Way.

The overall pumpkin-ish color corresponds to the glow of aging red stars in two galaxies, cataloged as NGC 2292 and NGC 2293, which only have a hint of spiral structure.

The ghostly arm making the “smile” may be just the beginning of the process of rebuilding a spiral galaxy, say researchers. The arm embraces both galaxies. It most likely formed when interstellar gas was compressed as the two galaxies began to merge. The higher density precipitates new star formation.


Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), and W. Keel (University of Alabama)

Release Date: October 29, 2020


#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #Galaxies #NGC2292 #NGC2293 #CanisMajor #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

The Red Spider Nebula | Hubble

The Red Spider Nebula | Hubble


Huge waves are sculpted in this two-lobed nebula some 3,000 light-years away in the constellation of Sagittarius. This warm planetary nebula harbors one of the hottest stars known and its powerful stellar winds generate waves 100 billion kilometers high. 

The waves are caused by supersonic shocks, formed when the local gas is compressed and heated in front of the rapidly expanding lobes. The atoms caught in the shock emit the spectacular radiation seen in this image.


Credit: European Space Agency (ESA) & Garrelt Mellema (Leiden University, the Netherlands)

Release Date: July 24, 2001

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#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #PlanetaryNebula #Nebula #RedSpiderNebula #NGC6537 #Sagittarius #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Spirals & Supernovae: Galaxy NGC 1015 | Hubble

Spirals & Supernovae: Galaxy NGC 1015 | Hubble


This spectacular image from Hubble shows the majestic galaxy NGC 1015, found nestled within the constellation of Cetus (The Whale) 118 million light-years from Earth. In this image, we see NGC 1015 face-on, with its beautifully symmetrical swirling arms and bright central bulge creating a scene akin to a sparkling Catherine wheel firework.

NGC 1015 has a bright, fairly large center and smooth, tightly wound spiral arms and a central “bar” of gas and stars. This shape leads NGC 1015 to be classified as a barred spiral galaxy—just like our home, the Milky Way. Bars are found in around two-thirds of all spiral galaxies, and the arms of this galaxy swirl outwards from a pale yellow ring encircling the bar itself. Scientists believe that any hungry black holes lurking at the center of barred spirals funnel gas and energy from the outer arms into the core via these glowing bars, feeding the black hole, fueling star birth at the center and building up the galaxy’s central bulge.

In 2009, a Type Ia supernova named SN 2009ig was spotted in NGC 1015—one of the bright dots to the upper right of the galaxy’s center. These types of supernovae are extremely important: they are all caused by exploding white dwarfs which have companion stars, and always peak at the same brightness—5 billion times brighter than the Sun. Knowing the true brightness of these events, and comparing this with their apparent brightness, gives astronomers a unique chance to measure distances in the Universe.


Credit: European Space Agency  (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, A. Riess (STScl/JHU)

Release Date: March 12, 2018


#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #Galaxy #Barred #Spiral #NGC1015 #Supernova #SN2009ig #Cetus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #JHU #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Cosmic Ice Sculptures: Dust Pillars in The Carina Nebula | Hubble

Cosmic Ice Sculptures: Dust Pillars in The Carina Nebula | Hubble


Enjoying a frozen treat on a hot summer day can leave a sticky mess as it melts in the Sun and deforms. In the cold vacuum of space, there is no edible ice cream, but there is radiation from massive stars that is carving away at cold molecular clouds, creating bizarre, fantasy-like structures.

These one-light-year-tall pillars of cold hydrogen and dust, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope, are located in the Carina Nebula. Violent stellar winds and powerful radiation from massive stars are sculpting the surrounding nebula. Inside the dense structures, new stars may be born.

This image of dust pillars in the Carina Nebula is a composite of 2005 observations taken of the region in hydrogen light (light emitted by hydrogen atoms) along with 2010 observations taken in oxygen light (light emitted by oxygen atoms), both times with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys. The immense Carina Nebula is an estimated 7,500 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina.


Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), and the Hubble Heritage Project (STScI/AURA)

Acknowledgment: M. Livio (STScI) and N. Smith (University of California, Berkeley, USA)

Release Date: September 16, 2010


#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Stars #Dust #DustPillars #CarinaNebula #Carina #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #AURA #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Staring into Hurricane Ian's Eye | Landsat 8 Satellite

Staring into Hurricane Ian's Eye | Landsat 8 Satellite


On September 28, 2022, the Landsat 8 satellite passed directly over Hurricane Ian’s eye as the storm approached southwest Florida.

The Operational Land Imager aboard the Landsat 8 satellite captured this natural-color image of Hurricane Ian’s eye on Sept. 28, 2022 at 11:57 a.m. EDT (15:57 UTC), three hours before the storm crashed into the coast in Caya Costa, Florida.

When Ian’s eyewall made landfall, its maximum sustained winds were 150 miles (240 kilometers) per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center. That is the equivalent of a category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale and fast enough to tear the roofs off homes and snap power lines.

The eye of a hurricane is a circular zone of fair weather at the storm’s center. It is surrounded by a towering ring of extremely powerful thunderstorms called an eyewall, the part of the hurricane with the strongest winds. The swirling clouds along the edges of the eyewall are mesovortices—small-scale rotational features found in hurricanes with unusually strong winds.

Read more—Staring Into Ian's Eye: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/150427/staring-into-ians-eye


Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Release Date: Oct. 4, 2022


#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Meteorology #Satellite #HurricaneIan #Hurricanes #USGS #Landsat8 #OLI #Landsat #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #GlobalWarming #ClimateChange #Environment #GulfOfMexico #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education