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How Will We Extract Water on The Moon? We Asked a NASA Technologist
We know the Moon contains water, but, could future astronauts access and make use of it? That is the goal. At NASA, we are actively trying to answer this question. Once it lands at the lunar south pole, our PRIME-1—Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1—will robotically sample and analyze ice from beneath the lunar surface, contributing to our search for water on the Moon:
Zoom to The Sunrise Arc—Home to The Most Distant Star Detected | NASA Webb
Travel 12.9 billion light years to the massive galaxy cluster called WHL0137-08, which contains the most strongly magnified galaxy known in the universe’s first billion years—the Sunrise Arc, and within that galaxy, the most distant star ever detected—Earendel. The journey begins with a ground-based image by astrophotographer Akira Fujii, then transitions into a plate from the Digitized Sky Survey. Next, an image from the Dark Energy Camera on the Victor M. Blanco observatory appears, and then finally the video arrives at the James Webb Space Telescope’s image of the galaxy cluster in the constellation Cetus.
Video Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
The Sunrise Arc & Earendel: The Most Distant Star Ever Detected | NASA Webb
The first image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows a massive galaxy cluster called WHL0137-08. It contains the most strongly magnified galaxy known in the universe’s first billion years—the Sunrise Arc, and within that galaxy, the most distant star ever detected—Earendel. The Sunrise Arc appears just below the diffraction spike at the 5 o’clock position. The fuzzier, white galaxies at the center of the image are part of the galaxy cluster bound together by gravity. The various redder, curved galaxies are background galaxies picked up by Webb’s sensitive mirror.
The second image from the Webb Telescope shows an inset on the right side of the most strongly magnified galaxy known in the universe’s first billion years—the Sunrise Arc. Within that galaxy is the most distant star ever detected—Earendel—first discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Observations using Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) reveals the star to be a massive B-type star more than twice as hot as our Sun, and about a million times more luminous. The star is approximately 12.9 billion light-years away. Earendel is positioned along a wrinkle in spacetime that gives it extreme magnification, allowing it to emerge into view from its host galaxy, which appears as a red smear across the sky. The star is detectable only due to the combined power of human technology and nature via an effect called gravitational lensing.
Credits: NASA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency
Dan Coe (STScI/AURA for ESA, JHU), Brian Welch (NASA-GSFC, UMD)
The Waxing Gibbous Moon above Earth's Horizon | International Space Station
The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured above Earth's horizon in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Namibia.
Station Commander: Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin & Andrey Fedyaev
Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
NASA: Flight Engineers Frank Rubio, Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg
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's Artemis II Moon Mission: Astronauts Visit Crew Spacecraft | NASA Kennedy
From left are: Jeremy Hansen (Canada), mission specialist; Victor Glover, pilot; Reid Wiseman, commander; and Christina Hammock Koch, mission specialist
From left are: Victor Glover, pilot; Reid Wiseman, commander; Christina Hammock Koch, mission specialist; and Jeremy Hansen (Canada), mission specialist
The European Service Module (ESM) for NASA’s Artemis II mission is shown inside Kennedy Space Center’s Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on Aug. 8, 2023
The Artemis II crew—NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Hammock Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen—visited the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on Aug. 8, 2023. The crew module is undergoing acoustic testing ahead of integration with the European Service Module. Artemis II is the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term lunar presence for science and exploration under Artemis.
Artemis II will be NASA’s first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft around the Moon to verify today’s capabilities for humans to explore deep space and pave the way for long-term exploration and science on the lunar surface.
Artemis II will launch no earlier than December 2024.
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)
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