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Orion Completes Engine Burn for Earth Return | NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission
NASA's Artemis I Orion spacecraft successfully completed its return powered flyby burn on Dec. 5, 2022. Orion passed within 80 miles of the lunar surface ahead of its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 11, 2022.
Orion launched on the SLS rocket from Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test of our SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, and exploration ground systems for future Artemis missions—which will provide the foundation to send humans to the lunar surface, develop a long-term presence on and around the Moon, and pave the way for humanity to set foot on Mars.
The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 17 (1972-2022) | NASA
This video celebrates the 50th anniversary of Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972) by talking with Lunar Module Pilot Jack Schmitt about the significance of that mission and how it laid the groundwork for future human exploration of the Moon. Jack also discusses how the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which launched in 2009, has helped reinterpret Apollo-era data and given us new information about the lunar terrain that will help pave the way for the upcoming Artemis missions.
Apollo 17 was the final mission of NASA's Apollo program, the most recent time humans have set foot on the Moon or traveled beyond low Earth orbit. Commander Gene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison "Jack" Schmitt walked on the Moon, while Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans orbited above. Schmitt was the only professional geologist to land on the Moon
Historic Night Landing for China’s Shenzhou-14 Crew | China Space Station
China’s Shenzhou-14 crew landed on Earth on December 4, 2022, after accomplishing two historic firsts for the Chinese space program. During their 183 days in space, the three-astronaut crew—Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe—lived and worked on the Tiangong complex for 183 days on a mission to complete assembly of the permanent orbiting space station. They oversaw the final construction stage of the basic structure of the Tiangong space station. Before heading home, they also handed over control of the station to the three members of Shenzhou-15 who had arrived days earlier for the nation’s first in-orbit crew handover.
Open Star Cluster NGC 376 in The Small Magellanic Cloud | Hubble
A small portion of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is pictured in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. The SMC is a dwarf galaxy and one of the Milky Way’s nearest neighbors, lying only about 200,000 light-years from Earth. It makes a pair with the Large Magellanic Cloud, and both objects can be seen from the southern hemisphere, as well as from some northern latitudes.
Image Description: A large number of bright stars, each with a cross-shape extending from its center. In the center there is a dense collection of foreground stars. Five are orange and the rest are blue. The black background is filled with small stars—most of them, however, larger than a single point.
The Small Magellanic Cloud contains hundreds of millions of stars, but this image focuses on just a small fraction of them. These stars comprise the open cluster NGC 376, which has a total mass only about 3,400 times that of the Sun. Open clusters, as the name suggests, are loosely bound and sparsely populated. This distinguishes open clusters from globular clusters, which are often so thronged with stars that they have a continuous blur of starlight at their centers. In the case of NGC 376, individual stars can be picked out clearly even in the most densely populated parts of this image.
The data in this image come from two different astronomical investigations which relied on two of Hubble’s instruments: the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The first investigation used the ACS to explore a handful of star clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud and help astronomers explore topics including the abundance of low- and high-mass stars in different environments. The second investigation used both the WFC3 and ACS, and aimed to answer fundamental questions about the lives of stars and help astronomers understand precisely where, when, why and how stars form.
Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, A. Nota, G. De Marchi
Orion Approaches The Moon & Earth | NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission
On Dec. 4, 2022, the 19th day of the Artemis I Mission, the Moon grows larger in the frame as Orion prepares for its return powered flyby on Dec. 5, 2022. Orion will pass approximately 79 miles above the lunar surface before its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 11, 2022.
Orion launched on the SLS rocket from Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test of our SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, and exploration ground systems for future Artemis missions—which will provide the foundation to send humans to the lunar surface, develop a long-term presence on and around the Moon, and pave the way for humanity to set foot on Mars.
Ride Along with Orion Around The Moon | NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission
Cameras on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft give us amazing views of our adventure around the Moon. See up close views of the Moon from external cameras as well as the view from inside the capsule.
Orion is the only spacecraft capable of carrying humans from Earth on Artemis missions to deep space and bringing them back to Earth from the vicinity of the Moon. More than just a crew module, Orion has a launch abort system to keep astronauts safe if an emergency happens during launch, and a European-built service module that is the powerhouse that fuels and propels Orion and keeps astronauts alive with water, oxygen, power, and temperature control, as well as a heat shield that can handle high-speed returns from deep space. SLS is the most powerful rocket in the world and the only rocket capable of launching Orion with astronauts and their supplies on Artemis missions to the Moon.
Orion launched on the SLS rocket from Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test of our SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, and exploration ground systems for future Artemis missions—which will provide the foundation to send humans to the lunar surface, develop a long-term presence on and around the Moon, and pave the way for humanity to set foot on Mars.
Highlights From the First 13 Days | NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission
On Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, Artemis I reached the halfway point of its 26-day mission around the Moon, flying roughly 270,000 miles (434,000 km) from the Earth—farther from our home planet than any spacecraft designed to send humans to space and back has gone before.
From Artemis I's launch at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, to its first "Earthrise", to close-up views of the lunar surface, take a look back at some of the highlights from the first half of this mission.
Artemis I is an uncrewed test of our Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for future Artemis missions—which will send humans to the lunar surface, develop a long-term, sustainable presence on and around the Moon, and pave the way for humanity to set foot on Mars.
The Earth-Moon System | NASA's Artemis I Orion Spacecraft
On flight day 13, Nov. 28, 2022, NASA's Artemis I Orion spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth during the Artemis I mission when it was 268,563 miles away from our home planet. Orion has traveled farther than any other spacecraft built for humans.
The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration. It will demonstrate NASA's commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. Orion is completing a 25-day test of all key systems. It will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon. Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.
On the Artemis III Mission, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.
New Earth & Moon Views | NASA's Artemis I Orion Spacecraft
Flight Day 13: Earth, Array, and Moon
Flight Day 17: Orion Points to Earth
Flight Day 17: Orion's Array Over the Moon
Flight Day 17: A Sliver of Home
Flight Day 16: Orion's Optical Navigation Camera Captures Moon
Flight Day 16: Orion and Our Lunar Neighbor
Flight Day 12: Orion in Orange
Flight Day 12: Orion in Yellow
NASA's Artemis I Orion spacecraft reentered the lunar sphere of influence on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, making the Moon the main gravitational force acting on the spacecraft. It will exit the lunar sphere of influence for a final time on Tuesday, Dec. 6, one day after its return powered flyby about 79 miles above the lunar surface and ahead of Orion’s splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 11, 2022.
The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration. It will demonstrate NASA's commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. Orion is completing a 25-day test of all key systems. It will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon. Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.
On the Artemis III Mission, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.
In 1922, Pearl Young became the first woman physicist hired by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) which later became NASA. Since that time, women have been paving the way for future generations working as human computers, engineers, scientists and astronauts. Today, there are many women in leadership throughout NASA, including Artemis I Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy.
Artemis, the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon and the hunt, is a fitting symbol for NASA’s new missions through space. Through the Artemis program, we will see the first woman and first person of color walk on the surface of the Moon. Then, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars.
Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
It's the most wonderful time of the year—time to read our Fan Mail! 💌
Episode 3: Happy Holiday season from NASA's Astronaut Corps! Enjoy the 2022 edition of astronauts reading fan mail featuring Jeanette Epps, Kayla Barron, Kjell Lindgren, Megan McArthur, Zena Cardman, Reid Wiseman, and Anil Menon.
Orion Spacecraft Coming Home | NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission Update
Orion has left its distant lunar orbit and is on its return journey home. The spacecraft successfully completed the distant retrograde departure burn at 3:53 p.m. CST, firing its main engine for 1 minute 45 seconds on Dec. 1, 2022, to set the spacecraft on course for a close lunar flyby before its return home.
The burn changed Orion’s velocity by about 454 feet per second and was performed using the Orion main engine on the European Service Module. The engine is an orbital maneuvering system engine modified for use on Orion and built by Aerojet Rocketdyne. The engine has the ability to provide 6,000 pounds of thrust. The proven engine flying on Artemis I flew on 19 space shuttle flights, beginning with STS-41G in October 1984 and ending with STS-112 in October 2002.
The burn is one of two maneuvers required ahead of Orion’s splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 11, 2022. The second will occur on Monday, Dec. 5, when the spacecraft will fly 79.2 miles above the lunar surface and perform the return powered flyby burn, which will commit Orion on its course toward Earth.
Artemis All Access – Episode 4: Artemis All Access is your look at the latest in Artemis I, the people and technology behind the mission, and what is coming up next. This uncrewed flight test around the Moon will pave the way for a crewed flight test and future human lunar exploration as part of Artemis.
Learn more about the mission and track the Orion spacecraft’s current position at:
Tracking Clouds on Saturn’s Moon Titan | James Webb Space Telescope
These are images of Saturn’s moon Titan, captured by the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam instrument on November 4, 2022. The image on the left uses a filter sensitive to Titan’s lower atmosphere. The bright spots are prominent clouds in the northern hemisphere. The image on the right is a color composite image.
Image Description: Side-by-side images of Saturn’s moon Titan, captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera on 4 November 2022, with clouds and other features labeled. Left image labeled “lower atmosphere and clouds” is various shades of red. Right image labeled “atmosphere and surface,” is shades of white, blue, and brown.
Titan is the only moon in the Solar System with a dense atmosphere, and it is also the only planetary body other than Earth that currently has rivers, lakes, and seas. Unlike Earth, however, the liquid on Titan’s surface is composed of hydrocarbons including methane and ethane, not water. Its atmosphere is filled with thick haze that obscures visible light reflecting off the surface.
Scientists have waited for years to use Webb’s infrared vision to study Titan’s atmosphere, including its fascinating weather patterns and gaseous composition, and also see through the haze to study albedo features (bright and dark patches) on the surface. Further Titan data are expected from NIRCam and NIRSpec as well as the first data from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) in May or June of 2023. The MIRI data will reveal an even greater part of Titan’s spectrum, including some wavelengths that have never before been seen. This will give scientists information about the complex gases in Titan’s atmosphere, as well as crucial clues to deciphering why Titan is the only moon in the Solar System with a dense atmosphere.
Note: This post highlights data from Webb science in progress, which has not yet been through the peer-review process.
Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), Canadian Space Agency (CSA), A. Pagan of Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), JWST Titan GTO Team
Exploring The Moon with NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)
NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative allows NASA to send science investigations and technology demonstrations to the lunar surface. Under Artemis, NASA will study more of the Moon than ever before, and CLPS will demonstrate how NASA is working with commercial companies to achieve robotic lunar exploration.
NASA's Space to Ground: Power Preparations | Week of December 2, 2022
NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. On Dec. 1, 2022, The roll-out-solar array, also known as an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array, or iROSA, was extracted from inside the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship’s unpressurized trunk by ground controllers remotely commanding the Canadarm2 robotic arm. The iROSA was then placed on a starboard truss structure attachment point. From there, the spacewalkers will retrieve the roll-out solar array on Saturday and install it on the starboard truss segment. The new iROSA is augmenting the space station’s power generation system.
Astronauts Mann and Wakata later joined NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio and continued preparing for a spacewalk planned to start at 7:25 a.m. EST on Saturday. The quartet reviewed the steps Cassada and Rubio will use to install the roll-out solar array on the station’s Starboard- 4 truss segment during the seven-hour excursion. Mann and Wakata will be inside the station supporting the duo before, during, and after the spacewalk.
Expedition 68 Crew
Station Commander Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Anna Kikina & Dmitri Petelin
NASA: Flight Engineers Nicole Mann, Frank Rubio & Josh Cassada
JAXA (Japan): Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata
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 Station:
Mars: Elorza Crater | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
NASA first imaged this central depression in Elorza Crater in 2007, where we found plenty of recurring slope lineae (RSL). This observation was taken during the Martian summer of 2011, and we wanted to monitor any changes and understand the possible activity of those RSL. This clip cover the central portion of our observation in enhanced color, and is less than 1 km across.
Elorza Crater is about 40 kilometers in diameter and is located approximately 300 kilometers to the north of Valles Marineris. Its floor contains several deposits of material with heavily cratered surfaces, overlying a less-cratered substrate.
This is a non-narrated clip with ambient sound. The enhanced color image is less than 5 km (3 mi) across and the spacecraft altitude was 260 km (162 mi).
The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.
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