Training for NASA's Artemis II Crewed Moon Mission | Kennedy Space Center

Training for NASA's Artemis II Crewed Moon Mission | Kennedy Space Center

Members of the Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) landing and recovery team gather for a group photograph in front of the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) at the turn basin in the Launch Complex 39 area at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 1, 2023. The CMTA is being used to practice recovery after splashdown of the Orion spacecraft to prepare for the Artemis II crewed mission. EGS leads recovery efforts.

Liliana Villarreal, Artemis landing and recovery director with Exploration Ground Systems (EGS), stands in front of the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) at the turn basin in the Launch Complex 39 area at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 1, 2023

Liliana Villarreal, Artemis landing and recovery director with Exploration Ground Systems (EGS), stands in front of the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA)

Liliana Villarreal, Artemis landing and recovery director with Exploration Ground Systems (EGS), christens the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) with champagne during a naming ceremony at the turn basin in the Launch Complex 39 area at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 30, 2023

A crane lowers the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) into water at the turn basin in the Launch Complex 39 area at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 30, 2023. The CMTA is being used to practice recovery after splashdown of the Orion spacecraft to prepare for the Artemis II crewed mission. Exploration Ground Systems leads recovery efforts

Landing and recovery team members secure the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) in the water at the turn basin in the Launch Complex 39 area

The Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) landing and recovery team at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is training for recovery after splashdown of the Orion spacecraft to prepare for the Artemis II crewed mission. EGS leads recovery efforts. The Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) is being used to practice recovery after splashdown of the Orion spacecraft.

Learn more about the Artemis II Mission:

https://www.nasa.gov/subject/14152/artemis-ii-was-exploration-mission-2/

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Orion/Artemis_II

Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Image Dates: Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Earth #Moon #MoonToMars #Mars #Artemis #ArtemisII #Orion #Spacecraft #CMTA #Astronauts #Science #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #Exploration #EGS #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #Europe #ESA #STEM #Education

Pan of White Dwarf Star LAWD 37 | Hubble

Pan of White Dwarf Star LAWD 37 | Hubble

Hubble has used microlensing to measure the mass of a white dwarf star.

The dwarf, called LAWD 37, is a burned-out star in the center of this Hubble Space Telescope image that is featured in this pan video. Though its nuclear fusion furnace has shut down, trapped heat is sizzling on the surface at roughly 100,000 degrees Celsius, causing the stellar remnant to glow fiercely.

The white dwarf has a ‘spike’ because it is so bright that the light ‘bled’ into the Hubble camera’s CCD detector. This interfered with one of the observing dates for measuring that background star’s position on the sky.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), P. McGill (Univ. of California, Santa Cruz and University of Cambridge), K. Sahu (STScI), J. Depasquale (STScI), N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)  

Duration: 20 seconds

Release Date: Feb 2, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Einstein #Star #WhiteDwarf  #LAWD37 #GravitationalMicrolensing #Physics #Astrophysics #Musca #Constellation #Universe #Cosmos #SpaceTelescope #HST #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Hubble Measures Deflection of Starlight by a Foreground Object

Hubble Measures Deflection of Starlight by a Foreground Object

Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have for the first time directly measured the mass of a single, isolated white dwarf called LAWD 37—the surviving core of a burned-out Sun-like star. LAWD 37 has been extensively studied because it is only 15 light-years away in the constellation Musca.

This illustration shows how the gravity of a foreground white dwarf star warps space and bends the light from a distant star behind it. Astronomers using the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope have for the first time directly measured the mass of a single, isolated star other than our Sun—thanks to this optical trick of nature. The target was a white dwarf—the surviving core of a burned-out Sun-like star. The greater the temporary, infinitesimal deflection of the background star’s image, the more massive the foreground star is. Researchers found that the dwarf is 56 percent the mass of our Sun.

This effect, called gravitational lensing, was predicted as a consequence of Einstein’s general theory of relativity from a century ago. Observations of a solar eclipse in 1919 provided the first experimental proof for general relativity. However, Einstein did not think the same experiment could be done for stars beyond our Sun because of the extraordinary precision required.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), A. Feild

Release Date: Feb. 2, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Einstein #Star #WhiteDwarf  #LAWD37 #GravitationalMicrolensing #Physics #Astrophysics #Musca #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #HST #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #Illustration #Infographic #STEM #Education

Is Planet Earth's Polar Ice Melting? We Asked a NASA Expert

Is Planet Earth's Polar Ice Melting? We Asked a NASA Expert

Is polar ice melting? The sobering answer is yes, and it is the number one contributor to sea level rise. NASA scientist Dr. Brooke Medley tells us how NASA studies the relationship between ice sheets and sea level to better understand our changing planet. 

Explore more: https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/ice-sheets/ 

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Producers: Scott Bednar, Jessica Wilde

Editor: Daniel Salazar

Duration: 1 minute, 16 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 1, 2023

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Meteorology #Weather #Climate #PolarIce #Melting #SeaLevelRise #ClimateChange #CarbonDioxide #CO2 #Methane #GreenHouseGases #GlobalWarming #GlobalHeating #Environment #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Earth from Orbit: Rope Clouds | NOAA/NASA

Earth from Orbit: Rope Clouds | NOAA/NASA

On Jan. 25, 2023, NOAA satellites captured an unusually long and long-lived rope cloud produced by a cold front over the Gulf of Mexico.

A rope cloud is a very long, narrow, rope-like band of cumulus cloud formations. Generally associated with a cold front or a land-sea breeze front, rope clouds tend to form at the dividing line between cooler and warmer air.

Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 1 minute, 18 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 2, 2023

#NASA #NOAA #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Meteorology #Weather #Clouds #RopeClouds #CIRA #UnitedStates #Mexico #AtlanticOcean #GulfofMexico #NorthAmerica #STEM #Education #HD #Video 

Exploring The Turbulent Tarantula Nebula | Hubble

Exploring The Turbulent Tarantula Nebula | Hubble

A snapshot of the Tarantula Nebula (also known as 30 Doradus) is the most recent from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. The Tarantula Nebula is a large star-forming region of ionized hydrogen gas that lies 161,000 light years from Earth in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and its turbulent clouds of gas and dust can be seen swirling between the region’s bright, newly-formed stars.

Image Description: Wispy, nebulous clouds extend from the lower-left of the image. At the top and right the dark background of space can be seen through the sparse nebula. Along the left and in the corner are many layers of brightly-colored gas and dark, obscuring dust. A cluster of small, bright blue stars in the same corner expands out across the image. Many much smaller stars cover the background.

The Tarantula Nebula is a familiar site for Hubble. It is the brightest star-forming region in our galactic neighborhood and home to the hottest, most massive stars known. This makes it a perfect natural laboratory in which to test out theories of star formation and evolution, and a rich variety of Hubble images of this region have been released to the public in recent years. The NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope also recently delved into this region, revealing thousands of never-before-seen young stars.

This new image combines data from two different observing proposals. The first was designed to explore the properties of the dust grains that exist in the void between stars and which make up the dark clouds winding through this image. This proposal, which astronomers named Scylla, complements another Hubble observing proposal called Ulysses and is revealing how interstellar dust interacts with starlight in a variety of environments. This image also incorporates data from an observing program studying star formation in conditions similar to the early Universe, as well as cataloguing the stars of the Tarantula Nebula for future science with Webb.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, C. Murray, E. Sabbi  

Acknowledgement: Y.-H. Chu  

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 2, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Nebula #30Doradus #TarantulaNebula #Dorado #Constellation #LMC #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #HST #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Zoom to First Kilonova Progenitor System Identified | NOIRLab

Zoom to First Kilonova Progenitor System Identified | NOIRLab

Travel 11,400 light-years: Astronomers using data from the SMARTS 1.5-meter Telescope at  the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab, have made the first confirmed detection of a star system that will one day form a kilonova—the ultra-powerful, gold-producing explosion created by merging neutron stars. These systems are so phenomenally rare that only about ten such systems are thought to exist in the entire Milky Way.

This unusual system, known as CPD-29 2176, is located about 11,400 light-years from Earth. It was first identified by NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. Later observations with the SMARTS 1.5-meter Telescope allowed astronomers to deduce the orbital characteristics and types of stars that make up this system—a neutron star created by an ultra-stripped supernova and a closely orbiting massive star that is in the process of becoming an ultra-stripped supernova itself.

An ultra-stripped supernova is the end-of-life explosion of a massive star that has had much of its outer atmosphere stripped away by a companion star. This class of supernova lacks the explosive force of a traditional supernova, which would otherwise “kick” a nearby companion star out of the system. 

Credit:

CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva/Spaceengine/M. Zamani/D. de Martin/N. Bartmann

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Feb. 2, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #StarSystem #CPD292176 #Kilonova #NeutronStars #Cosmos #Universe #SMARTS #Telescope #Observatory #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #CTIO #Chile #SouthAmerica #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Remembering Shuttle Columbia Crew: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Octavia Butler & Panel

Remembering Shuttle Columbia Crew: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Octavia Butler & Panel

Looking Back: On Feb. 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia fell apart as it was attempting to reenter Earth’s atmosphere at the end of its 16-day mission, killing all seven astronauts on board: David M. Brown, Rick D. Husband, Laurel Blair Salton Clark, Kalpana Chawla, Michael P. Anderson, William C. McCool and Ilan Ramon.

We will never forget: https://go.nasa.gov/3YezowF

Back then, the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer (as the PBS NewsHour was then known) marked the tragedy with coverage of the national memorial service, but also a philosophical discussion about the sociocultural significance of astronauts and what space travel itself represents for humanity. Among the panelists was acclaimed science fiction author Octavia Butler, who offered insight into the place that space and its explorers occupy in our collective imagination.

Newshour anchor Jim Lehrer also spoke with historian Roger Launius, then of the Air and Space Museum in Washington, science writer Timothy Ferris and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Tyson reflected how astronauts hold a special place in American culture due in part to the way humanity has always valorized those who’ve risked their lives to be on the frontier of discovery.

Credit: PBS NewsHour

Duration: 17 minutes

Program Broadcast Date: Feb. 4, 2003

Release Date: Feb. 1, 2023

#NASA #Space #HumanSpaceflight #History #SpaceShuttle #NASARemembers #SpaceShuttleColumbia #STS107 #Astronauts #ScienceFiction #Author #OctaviaButler #Astrophysicist #NeildeGrasseTyson #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #PBSNewsHour #HD #Video

Satellite Drag Sail: Space Debris Prevention | European Space Agency

Satellite Drag Sail: Space Debris Prevention | European Space Agency

Setting sail for safer space: This is a camera view from a satellite after it unfurled a sail like a ship of old, although its purpose was not to start a journey, but only hasten its fall back to Earth.

The Drag Augmentation Deorbiting System Nano (ADEO-N)—a 3.6-sq-m aluminium-coated polyamide membrane attached to four metallic booms—deployed from a 10 cm box aboard the ION Satellite Carrier. Launched in 2021, this is a satellite platform flown by D-ORBIT in Italy, used to deliver miniature ‘CubeSats’ into their individual orbits.

By increasing the overall area of the satellite, ADEO-N sail will increase the gradual air drag acting upon it from atoms at the top of the atmosphere, and speed up its atmospheric reentry accordingly.

The technology was developed by HPS in Germany through an ESA General Support Technology Program project, developing and testing promising space technologies. Previous versions have already been deployed but this in-flight test represented the final technological proof-of-concept for the ADEO family.

European Space Agency structural engineer Tiziana Cardone oversaw the project: “The ADEO-N sail will ensure that the satellite will reenter in around one year and three months, while otherwise it would have reentered in four to five years.”

The aim is to contribute to ESA’s Zero Debris Initiative—as ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher has remarked: “If you bring a spacecraft to orbit you have to remove it.”

More information: http://bit.ly/3l57wgp

 

Image Credit: HTS

Story Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Image Date: Dec. 16, 2022

#NASA #ESA #Space #Earth #Satellite #Technology #DragSail #HTS ##HPS #ADEONSail #SpaceDebris #Europe #Germany #Deutschland #STEM #Education

Retired NASA Astronaut Mark Kelly Reflects on Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster

Retired NASA Astronaut Mark Kelly Reflects on Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster

Twenty Years Later: Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, marked 20 years since the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on its way home. The tragedy killed all seven astronauts on board. It was also the beginning of the end for the space shuttle program and changed how we explore space now. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien spoke with retired astronaut and Senator Mark Kelly about the Columbia disaster. 

Feb. 1, 2003, at 8:59am ET, space shuttle Columbia broke up on reentry. The entire crew perished.

Rick Husband

Willie McCool

Michael Anderson

Kalpana Chawla

David Brown

Laurel Clark

Ilan Ramon

We will never forget. https://go.nasa.gov/3YezowF

Credit: PBS NewsHour

Duration: 7 minutes

Release Date: Feb. 1, 2023

#NASA #Space #HumanSpaceflight #History #SpaceShuttle #NASARemembers #SpaceShuttleColumbia #Astronauts #MarkKelly #STS107 #UnitedStates #TEM #Education #MilesOBrien #PBSNewsHour #HD #Video

SpaceX Starship Prepares for Super Heavy Static-fire 33-Engine Test

SpaceX Starship Prepares for Super Heavy Static-fire 33-Engine Test

SpaceX plans a long-awaited static-fire test of all 33 Raptor engines in its Super Heavy booster during February 2023  at its Starbase test site at Boca Chica, Texas—one of the final technical milestones before an orbital launch attempt.

"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 Low-Earth Orbit (LEO): 100-250+ t (orbit dependent)

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: Jan. 23, 2023

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #ElonMusk #GwynneShotwell #Moon #Mars #Starship #SuperHeavy #RaptorEngines #Science #Technology #Engineering #HumanSpaceflight #Satellites #CommercialSpace #SolarSystem #Exploration #BocaChica #Texas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Expedition 68: New Canadarm2 & Moon Photos | International Space Station

Expedition 68: New Canadarm2 & Moon Photos | International Space Station

The Canadarm2 robotic arm is pictured extending away from the International Space Station with flight support equipment gripped in its leading end effector before being jettisoned toward the Earth's atmosphere. The flight hardware secured a pair of roll-out solar arrays inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo ship’s trunk during its ascent to orbit and rendezvous with the space station in November 2022. The jettisoned support equipment drifted safely away from the station and will eventually harmlessly burn up in the atmosphere with no chance for recontacting the space station.

The Canadarm2 robotic arm is pictured extending away from the International Space Station after jettisoning flight support equipment toward the Earth's atmosphere.

Flight support equipment is pictured descending toward the Earth's atmosphere after being jettisoned from the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm.

The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured above the Earth's horizon from the International Space Station as it orbited 259 miles above the Gulf of Mexico.

Follow Expedition 68 crew updates at:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

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.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Dates: Jan. 30, 2023 to Jan. 31, 2023

#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #Canadarm2 #Robotics #Moon #Astronauts #NicoleMann #FrankRubio #JoshCassada #KoichiWakata #JAXA #Japan #Cosmonauts #Роскосмос #Russia #Science #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #JSC #UnitedStates #Canada #CSA #Research #Laboratory #STEM #Education

NASA Astronauts Robert Behnken & Douglas Hurley | Medal of Honor Ceremony

NASA Astronauts Robert Behnken & Douglas Hurley | Medal of Honor Ceremony

Former NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are seen as they arrive prior to being awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor

Former NASA astronauts Robert Behnken, left, and Douglas Hurley, right, are seen after being awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor

Former NASA astronauts Robert Behnken, left, and Douglas Hurley, right, are seen after being awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor

Former NASA astronaut Robert Behnken is seen after being awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor

Former NASA astronaut Douglas Hurley is seen after being awarded the Congressional Space Medal

Former NASA astronauts Robert Behnken, left, and Douglas Hurley, right, are seen after being awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor by Vice President Kamala Harris during a ceremony in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023 in Washington

Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks during a ceremony awarding the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to former NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in Washington

Former NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley were awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor by Vice President Kamala Harris during a ceremony in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in Washington, DC. Former astronauts Behnken and Hurley were awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor for their bravery in NASA’s SpaceX Demonstration Mission-2 to the International Space Station in 2020, the first crewed flight as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Demo-2 was the final step before NASA's Commercial Crew Program certified Crew Dragon for operational, long-duration missions to the space station, enabling NASA to continue important research and technology investigations onboard the station.

To learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/crew/index.html

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.

Image Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Image Date: Jan. 31, 2023

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #ISS #SpaceX #Astronauts #DouglasHurley #RobertBehnken #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition63 #ElonMusk #CrewDragon #CommercialCrew #LaunchAmerica #Technology #Engineering #KSC #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #History #STEM #Education

First Kilonova Progenitor System Identified | NOIRLab

First Kilonova Progenitor System Identified | NOIRLab

Cosmoview Episode 61: Astronomers using data from the SMARTS 1.5-meter Telescope at  the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab, have made the first confirmed detection of a star system that will one day form a kilonova—the ultra-powerful, gold-producing explosion created by merging neutron stars. These systems are so phenomenally rare that only about ten such systems are thought to exist in the entire Milky Way.

This unusual system, known as CPD-29 2176, is located about 11,400 light-years from Earth. It was first identified by NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. Later observations with the SMARTS 1.5-meter Telescope allowed astronomers to deduce the orbital characteristics and types of stars that make up this system—a neutron star created by an ultra-stripped supernova and a closely orbiting massive star that is in the process of becoming an ultra-stripped supernova itself.

An ultra-stripped supernova is the end-of-life explosion of a massive star that has had much of its outer atmosphere stripped away by a companion star. This class of supernova lacks the explosive force of a traditional supernova, which would otherwise “kick” a nearby companion star out of the system. 

Credits:

Images and Videos: CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, Fermilab, T. Puzia (PUC), J. da Silva/Spaceengine/M. Zamani, P. Marenfeld, N. Bartmann  

Duration: 1 minute, 28 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 1, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #StarSystem #CPD292176 #Kilonova #NeutronStars #Cosmos #Universe #SMARTS #Telescope #Observatory #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #CTIO #Chile #SouthAmerica #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Orion Spacecraft Breaks Records on Artemis I Moon Mission

NASA's Orion Spacecraft Breaks Records on Artemis I Moon Mission

On Nov. 16, 2022, NASA's Orion spacecraft left Earth for a record-breaking mission—Artemis I. Over the course of 25.5 days, Orion performed two lunar flybys, coming within 80 miles of the lunar surface. At its farthest distance during the mission, Orion traveled nearly 270,000 miles from our home planet, more than 1,000 times farther than where the International Space Station orbits Earth, to intentionally stress systems before flying crew on Artemis II.

During the flight test, Orion stayed in space longer than any spacecraft designed for astronauts has done without docking to a space station. While in a distant lunar orbit, Orion surpassed the record for distance traveled by a spacecraft designed to carry humans, previously set during Apollo 13.

Upon re-entry, Orion performed a skip entry technique that enables the spacecraft to splashdown accurately and consistently at the selected landing site. The spacecraft endured temperatures about half as hot as the surface of the Sun at about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Within about 20 minutes, Orion slowed from nearly 25,000 mph to about 16 mph for its 11 parachute-assisted splashdown on Dec. 11.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 3 minutes, 18 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 1, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Space #Earth #Moon #Artemis #ArtemisI #Orion #Spacecraft #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Science #Engineering #Technology #Exploration #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #UnitedStates #Europe #International #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 Astronauts Awarded Congressional Space Medals of Honor

NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 Astronauts Awarded Congressional Space Medals of Honor

On Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, Vice President Kamala Harris awarded former NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Hurley and Behnken received the award for bravery in NASA’s SpaceX Demonstration Mission-2 (Demo-2) to the International Space Station in 2020.

NASA's Commercial Crew Program began a new era of human spaceflight as American astronauts launched from American soil on an American rocket to the International Space Station. Behnken and Hurley flew on SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft, which lifted off on a Falcon 9 rocket on May 30, 2020, from Launch Complex 39A in Florida. This mission was the final flight test for SpaceX, validating the company's crew transportation system, including the launch pad, rocket, spacecraft, and operational capabilities.

Once in orbit, Behnken and Hurley were welcomed aboard the ISS, and became members of the Expedition 63 crew. They performed tests on Crew Dragon in addition to conducting research and other tasks with the space station crew. Upon conclusion of the mission, the Crew Dragon autonomously undocked, re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and splashed down just off Florida's Atlantic Coast. 

Demo-2 was the final step before NASA's Commercial Crew Program certified Crew Dragon for operational, long-duration missions to the space station, enabling NASA to continue important research and technology investigations onboard the station.

To learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/crew/index.html

Credit: NASA

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Jan. 31, 2023

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #ISS #SpaceX #Astronauts #DouglasHurley #RobertBehnken #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition63 #ElonMusk #CrewDragon #CommercialCrew #LaunchAmerica #Technology #Engineering #KSC #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #History #STEM #Education #HD #Video