Phobos Moon over Mars | European Space Agency's Mars Express

Phobos Moon over Mars | European Space Agency's Mars Express

The European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft captured this image of the Martian moon, Phobos, and of the Peridier Crater, Syrtis Major quadrangle on the planet Mars. Phobos is the innermost and larger of the two natural satellites of Mars, the other being Deimos. The two moons were discovered in 1877 by American astronomer Asaph Hall. It is named after Phobos, the Greek god of fear and panic, who is the son of Ares (Mars) and twin brother of Deimos.

Phobos is a small, irregularly shaped object with a mean radius of 11 km (7 mi). Phobos orbits 6,000 km (3,700 mi) from the Martian surface, closer to its primary body than any other known planetary moon. It is so close that it orbits Mars much faster than Mars rotates, and completes an orbit in just 7 hours and 39 minutes. As a result, from the surface of Mars it appears to rise in the west, move across the sky in 4 hours and 15 minutes or less, and set in the east, twice each Martian day.

Phobos is one of the least reflective bodies in the Solar System, with an albedo of just 0.071. Surface temperatures range from about −4 °C (25 °F) on the sunlit side to −112 °C (−170 °F) on the shadowed side. The defining surface feature is the large impact crater, Stickney, which takes up a substantial proportion of the moon's surface. The surface is also home to many grooves, with there being numerous theories as to how these grooves were formed.

[Source: Wikipedia]

Map of the area on Mars: 

maps.planet.fu-berlin.de/#map=7/5049406.2/1411591.71

Technical data:

ESA Mars Express Orbit 21552

Instrument: HRSC

Image Date/Time: 2021-01-19 - 16:47

Colorized image (false colors) created using data processed from ESA archives

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/German Aerospace Center (DLR)/Free University of Berlin (FU Berlin)

Processing: Andrea Luck

Andrea's Flickr Page: https://bit.ly/3WmXjsS

Image Date: Jan. 19, 2021

Release Date: Dec. 17, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #Planet #Phobos #Geology #PeridierCrater #SyrtisMajor #Atmosphere #Clouds #Dust #Wind #Spacecraft #MarsExpress #HRSC #DLR #FUBerlin #Berlin #Germany #Deutschland #Europe #STEM #Education

Jupiter's Ocean Moon Europa Close-Up | NASA’s Juno Mission

Jupiter's Ocean Moon Europa Close-Up | NASA Juno Mission

The surface of Jupiter's moon Europa is shown in an image from the JunoCam color public engagement camera aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft. The data for this image was taken Sept. 29, 2022. During its flybys in the late 1990s and 2000, NASA's Galileo mission mapped much of Jupiter's moon Europa at a resolution of 0.6 miles per pixel (1 kilometer per pixel) or better, but there are some patches that were imaged only at low resolution. Images from JunoCam have now filled in one of those regions, shown here. Cracks, ridges, and bands show up clearly, and can be visually traced across images to match up to the cracks and ridges that appear in the earlier Galileo images. The way these features crosscut the surface can reveal which sections of the terrain are younger and which are older, helping scientists to fill in Europa's tectonic history. Paul Schenk processed the images. 

Scientists think Europa’s ice shell is 10 to 15 miles (15 to 25 kilometers) thick, floating on an ocean 40 to 100 miles (60 to 150 kilometers) deep. So while Europa is only one-fourth the diameter of Earth, its ocean may contain twice as much water as all of Earth’s oceans combined. Europa’s vast and unfathomably deep ocean is widely considered the most promising place to look for life beyond Earth. A passing spacecraft might even be able to sample Europa’s ocean without landing on the moon’s surface because it is possible that Europa’s ocean may be leaking out into space.

Learn more about Europa:

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/jupiter-moons/europa/overview/

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott J. Bolton, of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Juno is part of NASA’s New Frontiers Program, which is managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built and operates the spacecraft.

JunoCam’s raw images are available for the public to peruse and process into image products at:

https://missionjuno.swri.edu/junocam/processing

More information about NASA citizen science can be found at:

https://science.nasa.gov/citizenscience

More information about Juno is available at:

https://www.nasa.gov/juno

and

https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu

Credits: 

Image Data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

Image Processing by Paul Schenk 

Image Date: Sept. 29, 2022

Release Date: Dec. 14, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Jupiter #Planet #Europa #Moon #Ocean #Astrobiology #Biosignatures #Habitability #Radiation #Juno #Spacecraft #JunoCam #LockheedMartin #SolarSystem #Exploration #JPL #MSFC #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #STEM #Education

LSP Launch Manager Omar Baez Shares Memories Post-SWOT Launch

LSP Launch Manager Omar Baez Shares Memories Post-SWOT Launch

Omar Baez, senior launch manager, Launch Services Program, talks with Megan Cruz, NASA Communications, after the successful launch of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Dec. 16, 2022. This was Omar's final mission before he retires from NASA. Omar is a veteran over 300 rocket launches during his career at NASA. Be sure to watch Omar's reaction to a video tribute from his team at the 5 minute, 38 second mark.

Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying SWOT occurred at 3:46 a.m. PST from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg. 

A collaboration between NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency and the UK Space Agency, SWOT will be the first satellite to survey nearly all water on Earth’s surface. The satellite will help researchers understand how much water flows in and out of Earth’s freshwater bodies and will provide insight into the ocean’s role in climate change. 

The instruments onboard will measure the height of water in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and the ocean, and will observe ocean features in higher definition than ever before. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is managing the launch service.

NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is managing the launch service.

Learn more about NASA’s Launch Services Program:

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/index.html

Learn more about SWOT: 

https://swot.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/overview/

Credit: Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

Duration: 7 minutes

Release Date: Dec. 16, 2022

#NASA #Space #Earth #Planet #SWOT #Satellite #Spacecraft #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #Oceans #Freshwater #SurfaceTopography #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #CSA #Canada #CNES #France #UKSpaceAgency #UnitedKingdom #KSC #JPL #VandenbergSpaceForceBase #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Orion Recovery Operations: Leadership Visit | NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission

Orion Recovery Operations: Leadership Visit | NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission

Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Kelvin Manning stands near the Artemis I Orion spacecraft inside the well deck of the USS Portland at U.S. Naval Base San Diego on Dec. 13, 2022. 

NASA Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, with the Exploration Ground Systems program, stands near the Artemis I Orion spacecraft inside the well deck of the USS Portland at U.S. Naval Base San Diego on Dec. 13, 2022. 

Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro stands near the Artemis I Orion spacecraft inside the well deck of the USS Portland at U.S. Naval Base San Diego on Dec. 13, 2022. 

Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro, third from left, and recovery team members look at the Artemis I Orion spacecraft inside the well deck of the USS Portland at U.S. Naval Base San Diego on Dec. 13, 2022. 

NASA Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, at right, and Melissa Jones, NASA’s Artemis I Recovery director, both with the Exploration Ground Systems program, look at the Artemis I Orion spacecraft inside the well deck of the USS Portland at U.S. Naval Base San Diego on Dec. 13, 2022. 

Team members with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems program successfully removed the Artemis I Orion spacecraft from the USS Portland Dec. 14.

The Orion spacecraft was secured inside the well deck after splashing down at 12:40 p.m. EST on Dec. 11, 2022. U.S. Navy divers helped recover the Orion spacecraft. NASA, the Navy and other Department of Defense partners worked together to secure the spacecraft inside the ship’s well deck approximately five hours after Orion splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja, California.

Engineers will conduct inspections around the spacecraft’s windows before installing hard covers and deflating the five airbags on the crew module uprighting system in preparation for the final leg of Orion’s journey over land. It will be loaded on a truck and transported back to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for post-flight analysis.  

Before its departure, teams will open Orion’s hatch as part of preparations for the trip to Kennedy and remove the Biology Experiment-1 payload which flew onboard Orion. The experiment involves using plant seeds, fungi, yeast, and algae to study the effects of space radiation before sending humans to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars. Removing the payload prior to Orion’s return to Kennedy allows scientists to begin their analysis before the samples begin to degrade.  

Once it arrives to Kennedy, Orion will be delivered to the Multi-Payload Processing Facility where additional payloads will be taken out, its heat shield and other elements will be removed for analysis, and remaining hazards will be offloaded.

NASA’s Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission was successfully recovered inside the well deck of the United States Navy's USS Portland on Dec. 11, 2022 off the coast of Baja California. After launching atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on Nov. 16, 2022, from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, Orion spent 25.5 days in space before returning to Earth, completing the Artemis I mission.

The Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, the SLS rocket, and Kennedy Space Center's Exploration Ground Systems. 

This 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.

Learn more: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i

Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

Image Dates: Dec. 13-14, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Space #Earth #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisI #Orion #Spacecraft #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #Exploration #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #USSPortland #USNavy #NavalBaseSanDiego #SanDiego #UnitedStates #Europe #International #STEM #Education

SpaceX Starship Engine Tests in Texas

SpaceX Starship Engine Tests in Texas

Ship 24 completes a single-engine static fire test at Starbase, Boca Chica, in Texas

"SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket (collectively referred to as Starship) represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond. Starship will be the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, with the ability to carry in excess of 100 metric tonnes to Earth orbit."

Key Parameters:

Height: 120m/394ft

Diameter: 9m/30ft

Payload to LEO: 100+t/220+klb

Capabilities:

Satellites: "Starship is designed to deliver satellites further and at a lower marginal cost per launch than our current Falcon vehicles. With a payload compartment larger than any fairing currently in operation or development, Starship creates possibilities for new missions, including space telescopes even larger than the James Webb."

Landing on Mars: "Starship will enter Mars’ atmosphere at 7.5 kilometers per second and decelerate aerodynamically. The vehicle’s heat shield is designed to withstand multiple entries, but given that the vehicle is coming into Mars' atmosphere so hot, we still expect to see some ablation of the heat shield (similar to wear and tear on a brake pad)."

Starship's Engines: Raptors

"The Raptor engine is a reusable methalox staged-combustion engine that powers the Starship launch system. Raptor engines began flight testing on the Starship prototype rockets in July 2019, becoming the first full-flow staged combustion rocket engine ever flown."

Raptor Engine Parameters:

Diameter: 1.3m/4ft

Height: 3.1m/10.2ft

Thrust: 230tf/500 klbf

First Lunar Private Mission

"Later this decade, Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa and the crew of dearMoon will become the first civilian passengers on a lunar Starship mission, featuring a fly-by of the Moon during their week-long journey. This flight is an important step toward enabling access for people who dream of traveling to space."

Download the Free Starship User Guide (PDF): 

https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf

Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX)

Image Capture Date: December 15, 2022

#NASA #SpaceX #ElonMusk #Space #Moon #Mars #Starship #SuperHeavy #Earth #Science #Technology #Engineering #Human #Spaceflight #Crew #Cargo #Commercial #BocaChica #Texas #Kennedy #KSC #Spaceport #CapeCanaveral #Florida #SolarSystem #Exploration #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Expedition 68 Crew Photos: Dec. 2022 | International Space Station

Expedition 68 Crew Photos: Dec. 2022 | International Space Station

Astronauts Nicole Mann and Frank Rubio pose with the Expedition 68 mission insignia

Cosmonaut Anna Kikina works on electronics maintenance

Cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin work on an Orlan spacesuit

Cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev works on an Orlan spacesuit

Astronaut Koichi Wakata works on the water recovery system

Astronaut Frank Rubio activates hardware for a space biology experiment

Astronaut Nicole Mann replaces life support gear on a spacesuit

The International Space Station orbits above the southern Pacific Ocean

NASA and Roscosmos continue to evaluate an external leak that occurred Dec. 14, 2022, from the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to the Rassvet module of the International Space Station. Roscosmos has identified the source of the leak as the external cooling loop of the Soyuz.

As part of the ongoing evaluation and investigation, Roscosmos flight controllers conducted a successful test of the Soyuz MS-22 thrusters at 3:08 a.m. EST Friday, Dec. 16. The systems that were tested were nominal, and Roscosmos assessments of additional Soyuz systems continue. Temperatures and humidity within the Soyuz spacecraft, which remains docked to the Rassvet module, are within acceptable limits.

NASA is supporting the ongoing investigation with the use of the Canadarm2 robotic arm to provide additional viewing of the Soyuz exterior on Sunday, Dec. 18. To accommodate this change in plans, NASA has determined a new target date for the upcoming U.S. spacewalk to install an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA), which was originally scheduled for Monday, Dec. 19. The spacewalk will take place Wednesday, Dec. 21.

The Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft carried NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin into space after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sept. 21.

The leak was first detected around 7:45 p.m. EST Dec. 14, when data pressure sensors in the cooling loop showed low readings. At that time, Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin were preparing to conduct a spacewalk. The spacewalk was cancelled, so the cosmonauts did not exit the space station or become exposed to the leaking coolant. From data analysis and cameras aboard the space station, the majority of fluid had leaked out by yesterday, Dec. 15, around 1:30 p.m. EST.

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:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Dates: Dec. 3-10, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Astronauts #FlightEngineers #FrankRubio #JoshCassada #NicoleMann #KoichiWakata #Roscosomos #Роскосмос #Cosmonauts #SergeyProkopyev #AnnaKikina #DmitriPetelin #Science #Technology #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #UnitedStates #Russia #Россия #Japan #日本 #STEM #Education

Stellar X-rays Exceeding Safety Limits | NASA Chandra

Stellar X-rays Exceeding Safety Limits | NASA Chandra

Astronomers have made the best study yet of how magnetically active stars are when they are young. This gives scientists a window into how X-rays from stars like the Sun, but billions of years younger, could partially or completely evaporate the atmospheres of planets orbiting them. 

Many stars begin their lives in “open clusters”, loosely packed groups of stars with up to a few thousand members, all formed roughly at the same time. This makes open clusters valuable for astronomers investigating the evolution of stars and planets, because they allow the study of many stars of similar ages forged in the same environment. The composite image featured shows one of those clusters, NGC 3293, which is 11 million years old and is located about 8,300 light-years from Earth in the Milky Way galaxy.

A team of astronomers studied a sample of over 6,000 stars in 10 different open clusters with ages between 7 million and 25 million years. One of the goals of this study was to learn how the magnetic activity levels of stars like our Sun change during the first tens of millions of years after they form. The researchers used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory for this study because stars that have more activity linked to magnetic fields are brighter in X-rays.

The researchers combined the Chandra data of the stars’ activity with data from ESA’s Gaia satellite, Herschel Space Observatory, and NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. They also compared their results for the open clusters with previously published Chandra studies of stars as young as 500,000 years old. The team found that the X-ray brightness of young, Sun-like stars is roughly constant for the first few million years, and then fades from 7 to 25 million years of age. This decrease happens more quickly for heftier stars.

A star’s activity directly influences the formation processes of planets in the disk of gas and dust that surrounds all nascent stars. The most boisterous, magnetically active young stars quickly clear away their disks, halting the growth of planets. The X-rays also affect the potential habitability of the planets that emerge after the disk has disappeared. If a star is extremely active, as with many NGC 3293 stars in the Chandra data, then scientists predict they will blast their planets with energetic X-ray radiation and ultraviolet light. Luckily for us here on Earth, our planet possesses its own magnetic field that protected it and its atmosphere against this high-energy radiation from a very young Sun.

Image Credit: NASA/CXC/Penn State Univ./K. Getman et al.; Infrared: ESA/NASA JPL-Caltech/Herschel Space Observatory/JPL/IPAC; NASA JPL-Caltech/SSC/Spitzer Space Telescope; Optical: MPG/ESO/G. Beccari

Duration: 2 minutes, 55 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 15, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #NASAChandra #ChandraXrayObservatory #Stars #StarCluster #NGC3293 #SupernovaRemnant #Carina #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #NASAMarshall #MSFC #CXC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Stellar X-rays Exceeding Safety Limits | NASA Chandra

Stellar X-rays Exceeding Safety Limits | NASA Chandra

Summary: A new study of 10 star clusters provides insight into how active Sun-like stars are when they are very young. These clusters contain stars with ages between 7 million and 25 million years old. The research combined data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory with the European Space Agency (ESA) Gaia mission. The results showed relatively constant stellar activity for the first million years and then a decline.

Astronomers have made the most extensive study yet of how magnetically active stars are when they are young. This gives scientists a window into how X-rays from stars like the Sun, but billions of years younger, could partially or completely evaporate the atmospheres of planets orbiting them.

Many stars begin their lives in “open clusters,” loosely packed groups of stars with up to a few thousand members, all formed roughly at the same time. This makes open clusters valuable for astronomers investigating the evolution of stars and planets, because they allow the study of many stars of similar ages forged in the same environment.

A team of astronomers led by Konstantin Getman of Penn State University studied a sample of over 6,000 stars in 10 different open clusters with ages between 7 million and 25 million years. One of the goals of this study was to learn how the magnetic activity levels of stars like our Sun change during the first tens of millions of years after they form. Getman and his colleagues used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory for this study because stars that have more activity linked to magnetic fields are brighter in X-rays.

They combined their results for the open clusters with previously published Chandra studies of stars as young as 500,000 years old. The team found that the X-ray brightness of young, Sun-like stars is roughly constant for the first few million years, and then fades from 7 to 25 million years of age. This decrease happens more quickly for heftier stars.

This composite image shows one of those clusters, NGC 3293, which is 11 million years old and is located about 8,300 light-years from Earth in the Milky Way galaxy. The image contains X-rays from Chandra (purple) as well as infrared data from ESA’s Herschel Space Observatory (red), longer-wavelength infrared data from NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope (blue and white), and optical data from the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile appearing as red, white and blue.

Color Code:

X-ray: purple; Infrared: red, blue, white; Optical: red, green, blue

Image Credit: NASA/CXC/Penn State Univ./K. Getman et al.; Infrared: ESA/NASA JPL-Caltech/Herschel Space Observatory/JPL/IPAC; NASA JPL-Caltech/SSC/Spitzer Space Telescope; Optical: MPG/ESO/G. Beccari

Release Date: Dec. 15, 2022

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #NASAChandra #ChandraXrayObservatory #Stars #StarCluster #NGC3293 #SupernovaRemnant #Carina #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #NASAMarshall #MSFC #CXC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

A Northern Jet on Jupiter | NASA's Juno Mission | JPL

A Northern Jet on Jupiter | NASA's Juno Mission | JPL

This image of a "jet" in Jupiter's atmosphere was taken by the JunoCam public engagement camera aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft on May 23, 2022. Jupiter's atmosphere is organized into belts and zones, separated by jets, which are associated with turbulence along belt-zone boundaries, leading to chaotic regions of multicolored clouds. In this image, the color in these two regions has been enhanced to bring out detail and show the different layers of cloud decks. Juno's orbit around Jupiter changes every time the spacecraft passes the giant planet, with the point of closest approach—the perijove, or "PJ"—moving steadily northward. As the perijove changes, the resolution of images taken in the northern hemisphere steadily increases. 

This image of Jet N3 was acquired on PJ42, Juno's 42nd pass by Jupiter, at 41.6 degrees north from an altitude of 2,361 miles (3,800 kilometers). It shows features as small as 1.6 miles (2.6 kilometers) across. Citizen scientist Sergio Díaz processed the image to enhance the color and contrast.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS 

Image Processing: Sergio Díaz CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Image Date: May 23, 2022

Release Date: Dec. 14, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Jupiter #Planet #Atmosphere #Weather #Meteorology #Jet #Juno #Spacecraft #Exploration #SolarSystem #Technology #Engineering #JPL #UnitedStates #MSFC #SwRI #CitizenScience #STEM #Education

NASA's SWOT Launch | SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket | Vandenberg Space Force Base

NASA's SWOT Launch | SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket | Vandenberg Space Force Base

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches with the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft onboard, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. A collaboration between NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency and the UK Space Agency, SWOT will be the first satellite to survey nearly all water on Earth’s surface. The satellite will help researchers understand how much water flows in and out of Earth’s freshwater bodies and will provide insight into the ocean’s role in climate change. The instruments onboard will measure the height of water in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and the ocean, and will observe ocean features in higher definition than ever before. 

NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is managing the launch service.

Learn more about SWOT: 

https://swot.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/overview/

Image Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber

Capture Date: Dec. 16, 2022

#NASA #Space #Earth #Planet #SWOT #Satellite #Spacecraft #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #Oceans #Freshwater #SurfaceTopography #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #CSA #Canada #CNES #France #UKSpaceAgency #UnitedKingdom #KSC #JPL #VandenbergSpaceForceBase #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Astronauts Cassada & Rubio on Spacewalk | International Space Station

NASA Astronauts Cassada & Rubio on Spacewalk | International Space Station

NASA astronauts (left to right) Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio pictured during a spacewalk installing a roll-out solar array, or iROSA, to the International Space Station's starboard truss structure. Once all six iROSAs are installed, the station’s power generation is expected to increase to a combined total of more than 250 kW, more than a 30% increase, benefiting space station research and operations.

Expedition 68 Flight Engineers Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio of NASA concluded their spacewalk at 2:21 p.m. EST, Dec. 3, 2022, after 7 hours and 5 minutes.

Cassada and Rubio completed their major objectives to install an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA) and disconnect a cable to ensure the 1B channel can be reactivated. They also completed an additional task to release several bolts for the upcoming iROSA installation on the 4A power channel on the port truss.

It was the 256th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, upgrades and maintenance, and was the second spacewalk for both astronauts. Cassada and Rubio are in the midst of a planned six-month science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

The next U.S. spacewalk is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, to install an iROSA on the 4A power channel on the port truss. This will be the fourth iROSAs out of a total six planned for installation. The iROSAs will increase power generation capability by up to 30%, increasing the station’s total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts.

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:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Date: Dec. 3, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #ESA #iROSA #SolarArray #Spacewalk #EVA #Astronauts #FlightEngineers #FrankRubio #JoshCassada #NicoleMann #KoichiWakata #Science #Technology #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #UnitedStates #Russia #Россия #Japan #日本 #International #STEM #Education

NASA's SWOT Spacecraft Separates from SpaceX Falcon 9 Second Stage

NASA's SWOT Spacecraft Separates from SpaceX Falcon 9 Second Stage

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft has separated from the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage, beginning the first mission dedicated to surveying nearly all water on Earth’s surface. SWOT launched on the Falcon 9 rocket at 3:46 a.m. on Dec. 16, 2022. 

SWOT will be NASA’s first global survey of nearly all water on Earth’s surface. Scientists plan to use its observations to better understand the global water cycle, furnish insight into the ocean’s role in how climate change unfolds, and provide a global inventory of water resources. The SWOT mission is a collaborative effort between NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES) with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the UK Space Agency.

NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is managing the launch service.

Learn more about SWOT: 

https://swot.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/overview/

Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

Duration: 32 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 16, 2022

#NASA #Space #Earth #Planet #SWOT #Satellite #Spacecraft #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #Oceans #Freshwater #SurfaceTopography #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #CSA #Canada #CNES #France #UKSpaceAgency #UnitedKingdom #JPL #VandenbergSpaceForceBase #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Majestic Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 6956 | Hubble

Majestic Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 6956 | Hubble

Image center: blue, and pinkish-white swirls of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 6956. Dark, reddish-brown dust lanes along the inner part of the spiral arms. Inky black background with foreground and distant stars and galaxies.

Against an inky black backdrop, the blue swirls of spiral galaxy NGC 6956 stand out radiantly. NGC 6956 is a barred spiral galaxy, a common type of spiral galaxy with a bar-shaped structure of stars in its center. This galaxy exists 214 million light-years away in the constellation Delphinus.

Scientists used NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to image NGC 6956 to study its Cepheid variable stars, which are stars that brighten and dim at regular periods. Since the period of Cepheid variable stars is a function of their brightness, scientists can measure how bright these stars appear from Earth and compare it to their actual brightness to calculate their distance. As a result, these stars are extremely useful in determining the distance of cosmic objects, which is one of the hardest pieces of information to measure for extragalactic objects.

This galaxy also contains a Type Ia supernova, which is the explosion of a white dwarf star that was gradually accreting matter from a companion star. Like Cepheid variable stars, the brightness of these types of supernovae and how fast they dim over time enables scientists to calculate their distance. Scientists can use the measurements gleaned from Cepheid variable stars and Type Ia supernovae to refine our understanding of the rate of expansion of the universe, also known as the Hubble Constant.

Image Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), and D. Jones (University of California – Santa Cruz)

Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)

Release Date: Dec. 15, 2022

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NASA's SWOT Launch: SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket | Vandenberg Space Force Base

NASA's SWOT Launch: SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket | Vandenberg Space Force Base

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, lifts off from Space Launch Complex-4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Dec. 16, 2022, at 3:46 a.m. PST. A collaboration between NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency and the UK Space Agency, SWOT will be the first satellite to survey nearly all water on Earth’s surface. The satellite will help researchers understand how much water flows in and out of Earth’s freshwater bodies and will provide insight into the ocean’s role in climate change. The instruments onboard will measure the height of water in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and the ocean, and will observe ocean features in higher definition than ever before. 

NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is managing the launch service.

Learn more about SWOT: 

https://swot.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/overview/

Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

Duration: 1 minute, 32 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 16, 2022

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NASA's Space to Ground: What's Past is Prologue | Week of Dec. 16, 2022

NASA's Space to Ground: What's Past is Prologue | Week of Dec. 16, 2022 

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. On Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, an external leak was detected from the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to the Rassvet module on the International Space Station. The external radiator cooling loop of the Soyuz is the suspected leak source.

The Roscosmos Mission Control team in Moscow postponed Wednesday evening’s planned spacewalk with two cosmonauts to evaluate the situation and data from the Soyuz spacecraft. None of the crew members aboard the space station was in danger, and all conducted normal operations throughout the day.

Roscosmos is closely monitoring Soyuz spacecraft temperatures, which remain within acceptable limits. NASA and Roscosmos continue to coordinate external imagery and inspection plans to aid in evaluating the external leak location. Plans for an additional inspection of the Soyuz exterior using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm are underway.

The leak was first detected around 7:45 p.m. EST Dec. 14 when data from multiple pressure sensors in the cooling loop showed low readings. At that time, cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin were preparing to conduct a spacewalk. The cosmonauts did not exit the space station, and no crew members were exposed to the leaking coolant.

The Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft carried NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin into space after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sept. 21.

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:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 4 minutes

Release Date: Dec. 15, 2022

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Orion Arrives in San Diego on USS Portland | NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission

Orion Arrives in San Diego on USS Portland | NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission

Image Description: "Team members with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems program successfully removed the Artemis I Orion spacecraft from the USS Portland Dec. 14, after the ship arrived at U.S. Naval Base San Diego."

NASA's Artemis I Orion spacecraft is "Back on dry land. Yesterday, NASA's Explorations Ground Systems team offloaded Orion from the USS Portland for initial inspections, ahead of its journey to the Kennedy Space Center for post-flight analysis. We'll remove a few payloads in San Diego and the remainder at Kennedy," reported Jim Free, NASA’s Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development.

Engineers will conduct inspections around the spacecraft’s windows before installing hard covers and deflating the five airbags on the crew module uprighting system in preparation for the final leg of Orion’s journey over land. It will be loaded on a truck and transported back to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for post-flight analysis.  

Before its departure, teams will open Orion’s hatch as part of preparations for the trip to Kennedy and remove the Biology Experiment-1 payload which flew onboard Orion. The experiment involves using plant seeds, fungi, yeast, and algae to study the effects of space radiation before sending humans to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars. Removing the payload prior to Orion’s return to Kennedy allows scientists to begin their analysis before the samples begin to degrade.  

Once it arrives to Kennedy, Orion will be delivered to the Multi-Payload Processing Facility where additional payloads will be taken out, its heat shield and other elements will be removed for analysis, and remaining hazards will be offloaded.

NASA’s Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission was successfully recovered inside the well deck of the United States Navy's USS Portland on Dec. 11, 2022 off the coast of Baja California. After launching atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on Nov. 16, 2022, from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, Orion spent 25.5 days in space before returning to Earth, completing the Artemis I mission.

The Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, the SLS rocket, and Kennedy Space Center's Exploration Ground Systems. 

This 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.

Learn more: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i

Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

Image Date: Dec. 14, 2022

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