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Solar Science: Introducing the Heliophysics Big Year! | NASA Goddard
In October 2023, NASA is launching the Heliophysics Big Year—a global celebration of solar science and the Sun’s influence on Earth, our solar system, and beyond. Modeled after the “Big Year” concept from citizen scientists in the bird-watching community, the Heliophysics Big Year challenges everyone to get involved with fun Sun-related activities.
SpaceX Test Fires Starship Super Heavy Booster 9 in Texas
SpaceX conducted a static-fire test of their Starship Super Heavy Booster 9 on Aug. 6, 2023. The test was conducted at the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. SpaceX briefly ignited the booster's 33 Raptor engines while anchored to the orbital launch mount at its Starbase site in South Texas.
Not all of the engines performed perfectly; four of them shut down prematurely, SpaceX representatives said during a webcast of today's test.
"A big congrats to the Starship team for getting through today's test," SpaceX's John Insprucker said during today's webcast. "That moves us another step closer to our next flight test."
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.
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 during the Artemis III mission through the Human Landing System (HLS) program.
Mars: A Look at Steep North Polar Cliffs | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
This very steep (more than 60 degrees) scarp shows mass wasting activity every year in the early northern spring, when it is first illuminated after the period of winter darkness. This observation was an attempt to image in late northern winter, in spite of poor illumination. The solar incidence angle is 91.3 degrees, meaning that the Sun is just below the horizon and there was no direct lighting when this image was acquired. However, the atmosphere scatters light to create some diffuse lighting, and the surface is very bright from winter frost deposition, so a useful image of the surface was obtained.
The image reveals relatively dark streaks down the steep slope, so mass wasting activity has already started. There is some direct illumination here close to noontime at this time of year, which may be sufficient to initiate some activity.
Black and white images are 5 km across; enhanced color images are 1 km.
Image Date: Nov. 22, 2022
Latitude (centered) 83.882°
Longitude (East) 235.184°
Spacecraft altitude: 316.7 km (196.8 miles)
This image was taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft’s High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument.
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is a spacecraft designed to study the geology and climate of Mars, to provide reconnaissance of future landing sites, and to relay data from surface missions back to Earth. It was launched on August 12, 2005, and reached Mars on March 10, 2006.
The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.
“For 17 years, MRO has been revealing Mars to us as no one had seen it before,” said the mission’s project scientist, Rich Zurek of JPL.
Astronaut Sultan Alneyadi Answers International Space University Student Questions
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi of United Arab Emirates (UAE) answered questions about life and work on the orbiting laboratory during an in-flight event Aug. 1, 2023, with International Space University students in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Alneyadi is in the midst of a science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.
Alneyadi is in the midst of his first long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through NASA’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.
Sultan Alneyadi is making history as the first astronaut from the Arab world to spend six months aboard the International Space Station.
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.
NASA CRS-19 Cygnus Cargo Spacecraft Arrival | International Space Station
Cygnus captured by the Canadarm2 robotic arm
Cygnus moments from being captured by the Canadarm2 robotic arm
Cygnus approaches the station above Turkmenistan
Cygnus approaches the station above the Red Sea
Cygnus approaches the station above the Euphrates River
NASA Astronauts Frank Rubio and Woody Hoburg in the cupola with Cygnus outside
Astronaut Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates is pictured in the cupola with Cygnus outside
NASA Astronauts Woody Hoburg and Frank Rubio practice robotics maneuvers
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft docking at the International Space Station was completed on Friday, August 4, 2023. Cygnus, carrying over 8,200 pounds of cargo and science experiments, launched atop the company’s Antares rocket at 8:31 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. At 5:52 a.m., Aug. 4, NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg, along with NASA astronaut Frank Rubio as backup, captured Cygnus using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm.
Highlights of space station research facilitated by delivery aboard this Cygnus are:
- The final iteration of a series of spacecraft fire protection experiments
- A new potable water dispenserthat provides hot water and improved sanitization
- Neural cells that will be cultured into 3D cell models for gene therapy testing
- A probe that measures plasma density of the upper atmosphere
- A memory card that contains creative works from students around the world
Cygnus will remain at the space station until October before it departs for a destructive re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
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.
The Rosy Glow of a Cosmic Seagull: Nebula Sh2-296 | ESO
ESOcast 205 Light: Colorful and wispy Sharpless 2-296 forms the “wings” of an area of sky known as the Seagull Nebula—named for its resemblance to a gull in flight. This celestial bird contains a fascinating mix of intriguing astronomical objects. Glowing clouds weave amid dark dust lanes and bright stars. The Seagull Nebula—made up of dust, hydrogen, helium and traces of heavier elements—is the hot and energetic birthplace of new stars.
Distance: 3,500 light years
Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Directed by: Herbert Zodet
Editing: Herbert Zodet
Web and technical support: Javier Enciso and Raquel Yumi Shida
Written by: Laura Hiscott and Calum Turner
Footage and photos: ESO, Nick Risinger, M. Kornmesser and Y. Beletsky (LCO)
Scientific consultants: Paola Amico and Mariya Lyubenova
How Images are Composed from Astronomical Data | James Webb Space Telescope
Want to know how the James Webb Space Telescope’s observations are transformed from black-and-white data into full-color images? Follow along as Joe DePasquale and Alyssa Pagan, science visuals developers at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, explain how they process the telescope’s images from start to finish.
Joe shares what happens before the data are downloaded (hint: a lot!) and why its raw images appear almost black. He goes on to explain how stretching and compression are techniques they use to reveal the bulk of what Webb captured.
Alyssa shares how they assign color and compose Webb’s final images to emphasize scientifically valuable details. She also explains how infrared light is different than visible light, and how she and Joe compose the final full-color images.
Video Credits:
Producer: NASA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, Danielle Kirshenblat (STScI)
Video: Greg Bacon (STScI), Jackie Barrientes (STScI), Claire Blome (STScI), Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Quyen Hart (STScI), Leah Hustak , Joyce Kang (STScI), Danielle Kirshenblat (STScI), Kelly Lepo (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Yessi Perez (STScI)
Zooming into The Cosmic Seagull: Nebula Sh2-296 | ESO
This zoom video starts from a wide view of the Milky Way and zooms in to the colorful and wispy Sharpless 2-296. This nebula forms the “wings” of an area of sky known as the Seagull Nebula—named for its resemblance to a gull in flight. This celestial bird contains a fascinating mix of intriguing astronomical objects. Glowing clouds weave amid dark dust lanes and bright stars. The Seagull Nebula—made up of dust, hydrogen, helium and traces of heavier elements—is the hot and energetic birthplace of new stars.
Distance: 3,500 light years
Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO), Nick Risinger
Panning across The Cosmic Seagull: Nebula Sh2-296 | ESO
This pan video explores the colorful and wispy Sharpless 2-296. This nebula forms the “wings” of an area of sky known as the Seagull Nebula—named for its resemblance to a gull in flight. This celestial bird contains a fascinating mix of intriguing astronomical objects. Glowing clouds weave amid dark dust lanes and bright stars. The Seagull Nebula—made up of dust, hydrogen, helium and traces of heavier elements—is the hot and energetic birthplace of new stars.
Distance: 3,500 light years
Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/VPHAS+ team/N.J. Wright (Keele University)
Chandrayaan-3 Mission Update: These are images of the Moon as viewed by India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft during its successful Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) on Aug. 5, 2023. A soft lunar landing in the South Polar region is currently scheduled for Aug. 23, 2023. The European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA's Deep Space Network are assisting India's Deep Space Network with tracking and communications for Chandrayaan-3.
Chandrayaan-3 is India's effort to become the fourth country, after the United States, Russia and China, to successfully soft-land on the Moon.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft would also be the first to land at the lunar south pole, an area of special interest for space agencies and private space companies because of the presence of water ice that could support future surface activities.
Video Credit: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
Colorful and wispy Sharpless 2-296 forms the “wings” of an area of sky known as the Seagull Nebula—named for its resemblance to a gull in flight. This celestial bird contains a fascinating mix of intriguing astronomical objects. Glowing clouds weave amid dark dust lanes and bright stars. The Seagull Nebula—made up of dust, hydrogen, helium and traces of heavier elements—is the hot and energetic birthplace of new stars.
Distance: 3,500 light years
Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/VPHAS+ team/N.J. Wright (Keele University)
The lenticular galaxy NGC 6684 bathes this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope in a pale light. Captured with Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys, this lenticular galaxy is around 44 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Pavo. Pavo—whose name is Latin for peacock—is a constellation in the southern sky and one of four constellations collectively known as the Southern Birds.
Lenticular galaxies like NGC 6684 (lenticular means lens-shaped) possess a large disc but lack the prominent spiral arms of galaxies like the Andromeda Galaxy. This leaves them somewhere between elliptical galaxies and spiral galaxies, and lends these galaxies a diffuse, ghostly experience. NGC 6684 also lacks the dark dust lanes that thread through other galaxies, adding to its spectral, insubstantial appearance.
Image Description: A galaxy, large and occupying most of the view from the center. The whole galaxy is made of smooth, diffuse light. The galaxy is surrounded by a smoky grey halo. Many stars shine around the galaxy, on a black background.
The data in this image were captured during a census of the nearby Universe entitled Every Known Nearby Galaxy which aims to observe all galaxies within 10 megaparsecs (32.6 million light-years) that the telescope has not already visited. Before this program began Hubble had observed roughly 75% of these nearby galaxies, and completing this census will reveal insights into the stars making up a wide variety of galaxies, in a wide variety of environments.
SpaceX Fires Up Starship Super Heavy Booster 9 in Texas
[Ignition starts at ~2 minute and 20 second mark] SpaceX conducted a static-fire test of their Starship Super heavy booster 9 on Aug. 6, 2023. The test was conducted at the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. SpaceX briefly ignited the booster's 33 Raptor engines while anchored to the orbital launch mount at its Starbase site in South Texas.
Not all of the engines performed perfectly; four of them shut down prematurely, SpaceX representatives said during a webcast of today's test.
"A big congrats to the Starship team for getting through today's test," SpaceX's John Insprucker said during today's webcast. "That moves us another step closer to our next flight test."
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.
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 during the Artemis III mission through the Human Landing System (HLS) program.
Emission Nebula vdB93 in Monoceros | Schulman Telescope
This image of emission nebula vdB93 shows you a close up of the round diffused nebula in the head of the larger Seagull Nebula (IC 2177) bathed in the Milky Way galaxy constellation of Monoceros. Emission nebulae are bright, diffuse clouds of ionized gas that emit their own light.
Optics Schulman 32-inch RCOS Telescope
Camera SBIG STL11000
Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona