New SpaceX Photos: Falcon 9 Starlink Launch & Starship Engine Test

New SpaceX Photos: Falcon 9 Starlink Launch & Starship Engine Test

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Starlink 5-4 mission at 12:10 a.m. EST (0510 GMT) on Feb. 12, 2023, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. With the 55 new satellites that traveled to space on Sunday’s mission, SpaceX has now launched 3,930 Starlink spacecraft since the first prototypes in 2018.

At SpaceX’s Starbase test site in Boca Chica, Texas, Starship Super Heavy Booster 7 completed a successful full duration static fire test of 31 Raptor engines, producing 7.9 million lb of thrust (~3,600 metric tons)—less than half of the booster’s capability on Feb. 9, 2023.

 

Image Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) 

Image Dates: Feb. 9 & 12, 2023

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #Moon #ArtemisIII #Mars #Starship #SuperHeavyBooster7
#Falcon9 #Rocket #Starlink #Satellite #Technology #Engineering #HumanSpaceflight #Crew #Cargo #CommercialSpace #CapeCanaveralSpaceForceStation #Florida #BocaChica #Texas #SolarSystem #Exploration #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Journey of a Gravitational Wave | National Science Foundation

Journey of a Gravitational Wave | National Science Foundation

The U.S. Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is a large-scale physics experiment and observatory designed to detect cosmic gravitational waves and to develop gravitational-wave observations as an astronomical tool. LIGO scientist David Reitze takes us on a 1.3 billion year journey that begins with the violent merger of two black holes in the distant universe. The event produced gravitational waves, tiny ripples in the fabric of space and time, which LIGO detected as they passed Earth on September 14, 2015.

This simulation shows how the merger would appear to our eyes if we could somehow travel in a spaceship for a closer look. It was created by solving equations from Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity using the LIGO data. The two merging black holes are each roughly 30 times the mass of the sun, with one slightly larger than the other. The event took place 1.3 billion years ago. This simulation was created by the multi-university Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes (SXS) project.

Credit: Credit: LIGO/SXS/R. Hurt and T. Pyle/National Science Foundation 

Duration: 2 minutes, 55 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 13, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Astrophysics #Physics #Earth #Stars #Galaxies #BlackHoles #Collision #Merger #GravitationalWaves #AlbertEinstein #Cosmos #Universe #LIGO #Detector #SXSProject #NSF #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Visualization #Simulation #HD #Video

What Exactly is an Engineer? | NASA STEM Education

What Exactly is an Engineer? | NASA STEM Education

What do engineers do all day? What do they look like? What types of projects do they work on? NASA Engineer Jessi Horelica heads back to the place where she was inspired to become an engineer to ask students these questions! Was Jessi able to spark an interest in engineering for these young students? Watch the video to find out!

Are you ready to build upon your engineering spark? You can build with pasta in this NASA STEM activity:

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/spaghetti-anyone/

We’re launching STEM Engagement to new heights with learning resources that connect teachers, students, parents, and caregivers to the inspiring work at NASA. Join us as we apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to explore space, improve aeronautics, examine Earth and strive to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon with the Artemis program. 

Visit NASA STEM Engagement for more:

https://www.nasa.gov/stem

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: Feb.13, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Aerospace #Science #Artemis #Earth #Moon #Mars #MoonToMars #Engineering #Engineers #Technology #SpaceCenterHouston #JSC #Houston #Texas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A New Meteor above The English Channel

A New Meteor above The English Channel

A small meteoroid has entered the Earth's atmosphere and was seen lighting up the sky above the English Channel, creating a stunning shooting star effect. The 1m (3ft) meteoroid was seen shortly before 03:00 GMT on Monday morning, Feb. 13, 2023.

Gijs de Reijke: "Asteroid Sar2667, about a meter in diameter, was expected to fall near the French city of Le Havre at 02:59h UTC. I drove to a photogenic spot close to home in the south of the Netherlands to capture it, just as the sky cleared."

Gijs de Reijke is a landscape photographer, storm chaser, and geography teacher from The Netherlands.

Image Credit: Gijs de Reijke

Twitter Account: @GijsDeReijke

Image Date: Feb. 13, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #EnglishChannel #AtlanticOcean #Asteroid #Meteor #Meteoroid #Astrophotography #CitizenScience #STEM #Education

Galactic Trio on Crash Course: SDSSCGB 10189 | Hubble

Galactic Trio on Crash Course: SDSSCGB 10189 | Hubble

A spectacular trio of merging galaxies in the constellation Boötes takes center stage in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. These three galaxies are set on a collision course and will eventually merge into a single larger galaxy, distorting one another’s spiral structure through mutual gravitational interaction in the process. An unrelated foreground galaxy appears to float serenely alongside the collision, and the smudged shapes of much more distant galaxies are visible in the background.

This colliding trio—known to astronomers as SDSSCGB 10189—is a relatively rare combination of three large star-forming galaxies lying within only 50,000 light-years of one another. While that might sound like a safe distance, for galaxies this makes them extremely close neighbors! Our own galactic neighbors are much further away; Andromeda, the nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way, is more than 2.5 million light-years away from Earth.

Image Description: Three galaxies stand together just right of center. They are close enough that they appear to be merging into one. Their shapes are distorted, with strands of gas and dust running between them. Each is emitting a lot of light. Further to the left is an unconnected, dimmer spiral galaxy. The background is dark, with a few smaller, dim and faint galaxies and a couple of stars.

This observation was designed to help astronomers understand the origin of the largest, most massive galaxies in the universe. These galactic behemoths are called Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) and—as the name suggests—are defined as the brightest galaxies in any given galaxy cluster. Astronomers suspect that BCGs form through the merger of large, gas-rich galaxies like the ones in this image. They turned to Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys to investigate this galactic trio in painstaking detail, hoping to shed light on the formation of the Universe’s most massive galaxies.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, M. Sun

Release Date: Feb. 13, 2023

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #SDSSCGB10189 #BCG #Bootes #Constellation #Galaxy #Galaxies #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Saturn's Grandeur | NASA's Cassini Mission

Saturn's Grandeur | NASA Cassini Mission

The Cassini spacecraft ended its mission on Sept. 15, 2017. Cassini's end involved a series of close Saturn passes, approaching within the rings, then an entry into Saturn's atmosphere to destroy the spacecraft. This method was chosen because it is necessary to ensure protection and prevent biological contamination to any of the moons of Saturn thought to offer potential habitability.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit: https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and www.nasa.gov/cassini

The Cassini-Huygens mission was a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, managed the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center was based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado.

Technical details: Processed using RED, GRN, BL1 filtered images taken by Cassini's WAC on August 19, 2012.

Credit: NASA/Jet Propuslion Laboratory-Caltech/Space Science Institute (SSI)/Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (CICLOPS)

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Image Date: Aug. 19, 2012

Release Date: Feb. 8, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Science #Space #Saturn #Planet #Rings #SolarSystem #Exploration #Cassini #Spacecraft #JPL #California #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #ASI #History #STEM #Education

Send Free NASA e-Cards for Valentine's Day!

Send Free NASA e-Cards for Valentine's Day!

Send Free virtual NASA Valentines!

Browse a space-themed gallery and pick your favorite Valentine to share with a special person.

Visit: https://mars.nasa.gov/free-holiday-ecard/love-valentine/

This sample image shows a Valentine e-card with part of the Perseverance rover on the right, against a background of Mars dirt and a few rocks, with the words "Our love will Persevere!" superimposed over the dirt area in white script writing.

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Release Date: February 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ValentinesDay #ValentinesDay2023 #eCards #Free #Art #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Shenzhou-15 Taikonauts Complete First Spacewalk Successfully | China Space Station

Shenzhou-15 Taikonauts Complete First Spacewalk Successfully | China Space Station

Huang Weifen, chief astronaut system designer of the Astronaut Center of China, known in China as taikonauts' head coach, said Shenzhou-15's first Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) on Feb. 10, 2023, went "very well."

"Zhang Lu had moved and covered more than 100 meters in distance. And for Fei Junlong, it's his first time spacewalking, supported by robotic arms, has moved with large equipment while covering long distances. It's challenging." She told CGTN. "The three have cooperated well together, and aced today's assignment. I would give them a thumbs up." She said.

Huang also said the Shenzhou-15 crew, now clocking some 70 days in space since arriving at the China Space Station (CSS) last November, performed very well in all tasks assigned so far, from maintenance of the space station to a large amount of scientific and technological experiments. She said that the Shenzhou 15 crew has planned three to four spacewalks altogether in their six-month tenure on CSS and the crew has been training for them both on the ground and in orbit.

Shenzhou-15 Crew Members: 

Fei Junlong (commander), Zhang Lu (taikonaut), and Deng Qingming (taikonaut) 

Credit: China Global Television Network (CGTN)

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Feb. 10, 2023

#NASA #Space #China #中国 #Earth #EVA #Spacewalk #Laboratory #CSS #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #Tianhe #天和核心舱 #Shenzhou15 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #Commander #FeiJunlong #ZhangLu #DengQingming #CNSA #CMSA #国家航天局 #Science #Technology #Engineering #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

75 Years of Tracking | NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center

75 Years of Tracking | NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center

NASA Armstrong’s Flight research center is honoring 75 years of advancing technology and science through flight.

For the next year there will be monthly reoccurring videos released to help tell the past 75 years of NASA Armstrong. This month’s theme is Tracking.

Stay updated with NASA Armstrong’s 75th anniversary celebrations: 

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/about/75years/index.html

The majority of archival footage and sound used in this video are in the public domain and can be found in government records, the Internet Archive, or Wikimedia Commons.

Credit: NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC)

Duration: 5 minutes

Release Date: Feb. 8, 2023

#NASA #Space #Aerospace #Aviation #Tracking #Aircraft #Supersonic #Sonicboom #UAV #UAS #UAM #Autonomy #FlightControl #Automation #Navigation #Science #Physics #Engineering #Civilian #Research #Aeronautical #FlightTests #LockheedMartin #NorthropGrumman #Armstrong #AFRC #EdwardsAFB #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF Passes by Planet Mars

Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF Passes by Planet Mars

"Last night 2/10/2023 Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF made a very close approach to Mars in our night sky passing about 1.3 degrees away from the Red Planet from our perspective here on Earth. In this image, you can also see some dusty reflection nebula in the background which also makes this scene quite interesting."

C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is a long-period comet from the Oort cloud that was discovered by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) on March 2, 2022. The comet has a bright green glow around its nucleus, due to the effect of sunlight on diatomic carbon and cyanogen.

Learn more about Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2022_E3_(ZTF)

Technical details:

Captured on Feb. 10, 2023 

Total acquisition time: 24 minutes

Captured & processed by Tom Masterson and Terry Hancock

Location: GrandMesaObservatory.com - Purdy Mesa, Colorado

12 x 120 second exposures

Camera: QHY367 Pro C

Gain 2850, Offset 76

Optics: Takahashi FSQ 130 APO Refractor @ F5

EQ Mount: Paramount ME

Image Acquisition Software: Maxim DL6 Pre-Processing in PixInsight Post Processed in Photoshop CC

Credit: The Transient Astronomer (Tom Masterson)

Capture Location: Grand Mesa Observatory

Website: GrandMesaObservatory.com

Image Date: Feb. 10, 2023

Release Date: Feb. 11, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planet #Mars #Comet #CometC2022E3ZTF #OortCloud #SolarSystem #ReflectionNebula #Nebula #Cosmos #Universe #GrandMesaObservatory #PurdyMesa #Colorado #UnitedStates #Astrophotography #STEM #Education

Landsat 8 Earth Satellite: A Decade of Service (2013-2023) | NASA Goddard

Landsat 8 Earth Satellite: A Decade of Service (2013-2023) | NASA Goddard

February 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of Landsat 8, launched by NASA in 2013 and operated by the US Geological Survey (USGS). Equipped with its Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) onboard instruments, Landsat 8 represented a significant advance in remote sensing technology and was the first to allow everyone in the world fully free and open access to its data from first light. In celebration of a decade of service, let us take a look back at some of the remarkable ways Landsat 8 has fundamentally altered the way we see our world.

Learn more: https://www.usgs.gov/landsat-missions/landsat-8

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio

Chris Burns [KBRWyle]: Lead Producer

Chris Burns [KBRWyle]: Lead Writer

Duration: 9 minutes

Release Date: Feb. 11, 2023

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Meteorology #Satellite #Landsat8 #Landsat #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #GlobalWarming #ClimateChange #Environment #GSFC #USGS #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

New Mars Images: Feb. 2023 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers | JPL

New Mars Images: Feb. 2023 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers | JPL

Mars2020 - Sol 700 - Mastcam-Z

MSL - Sol 3735 - Mastcam

MSL - Sol 3735 - Mastcam

Mars2020 - Sol 700 - Mastcam-Z

Mars2020 - Sol 702 - Mastcam-Z

Mars2020 - Sol 700 - NavLeft

Mars2020 - Sol 145 - SuperCam

MSL - Sol 3735 - ChemCam

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

Celebrating 10 Years+ on Mars! (2012-2023)

Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Rover Name: Curiosity

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

Launch: Nov. 6, 2011

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

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

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

Mars Helicopter (Ingenuity)

Launch: July 30, 2020    

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

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Image Release Dates: Feb. 7-10, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #JezeroCrater #Robotics #Technology #Engineering #JPL #UnitedStates #MoonToMars #CitizenScience #KevinGill #STEM #Education

SpaceX Starship Static-fire Test in Texas: 31 Raptor Engines

SpaceX Starship Static-fire Test in Texas: 31 Raptor Engines

At SpaceX’s Starbase test site in Boca Chica, Texas, Starship Super Heavy Booster 7 completed a successful full duration static fire test of 31 Raptor engines, producing 7.9 million lbf of thrust (~3,600 metric tons)—less than half of the booster’s capability on Feb. 9, 2023. 

"Starship is essential to both SpaceX’s plans to deploy its next-generation Starship system as well as for NASA, which will use a lunar lander version of Starship for landing astronauts on the moon on the Artemis III mission through the Human Landing System (HLS) program."

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 up to 150 metric tonnes to Earth orbit reusable, and up to 250 metric tonnes expendable.

Key Starship Parameters:

Height: 120m/394ft

Diameter: 9m/30ft

Payload to 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

Image Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX)

Caption Credit: SpaceX/Jeff Foust at SpaceNews.com

Image Date: Feb. 9, 2023

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #Moon #ArtemisIII #Mars #Starship #SuperHeavyBooster7

#ElonMusk #GwynneShotwell #Science #Technology #Engineering #HumanSpaceflight #Crew #Cargo #CommercialSpace #BocaChica #Texas #SolarSystem #Exploration #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Celebrating Diversity in Space & Technology | This Week at NASA

Celebrating Diversity in Space & Technology | This Week at NASA

Making space for all with the National Museum of African American History and Culture, celebrating the DART Mission, and spotting a tiny asteroid with the James Webb Space Telescope . . . a few of the stories to tell you about—This Week @NASA.

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Feb. 10, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #JWST #WebbTelescope #DARTMission #Asteroids #AfricanAmerican #History #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Expedition 68: New Feb. 2023 Crew Photos | International Space Station

Expedition 68: New Feb. 2023 Crew Photos | International Space Station

Astronaut Frank Rubio sets up the new Particle Vibration experiment

Cosmonaut Anna Kikina works on preventive maintenance

Cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev replaces orbital plumbing components

Astronaut Josh Cassada waters tomato plants

Red dwarf tomato plants growing in the Veggie plant growth facility

Astronaut Koichi Wakata is pictured during his second spacewalk

Cosmonaut Anna Kikina practices European robotic arm maneuvering techniques

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: Feb. 1-5, 2023

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

The Himalayas & Tibetan Plateau | International Space Station

The Himalayas & Tibetan Plateau | International Space Station

The Himalayas, pictured from the International Space Station at an altitude of 259 miles, separate China's Tibetan Plateau from the Indian subcontinent countries of Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Bhutan.

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 Date: Feb. 1, 2023

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Asia #Himalayas #TibetanPlateau #Tibet #西藏 #China #中国 #India #BhāratGaṇarājya #Astronauts #JAXA #Japan #Cosmonauts #Роскосмос #Russia #Science #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #JSC #UnitedStates #Canada #CSA #Research #Laboratory #STEM #Education