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Monday, September 04, 2023

Spiral Galaxy IC 1776 in Pisces: Galactic Isolation | Hubble Space Telescope

Spiral Galaxy IC 1776 in Pisces: Galactic Isolation | Hubble Space Telescope

The swirls of the galaxy IC 1776 stand in splendid isolation in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. This galaxy lies over 150 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Pisces. IC 1776 recently played host to a catastrophically violent explosion—a supernova—which was discovered in 2015 by the Lick Observatory Supernova Search, a robotic telescope which scours the night sky in search of transient phenomena, such as supernovae. A network of automatic robotic telescopes are spread across the globe, operated by both professional and amateur astronomers, and, without human intervention, reveal short-lived astronomical phenomena such as wandering asteroids, gravitational microlensing, or supernovae.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy. It is irregularly-shaped and its spiral arms are difficult to distinguish. The edges are faint and the core has a pale yellow glow. It is dotted with small, wispy, blue regions where stars are forming. A few stars and small galaxies in warm colors are visible around it.

Hubble investigated the aftermath of the supernova SN 2015ap during two different observing programs, both designed to comb through the debris left by supernovae explosions in order to better understand these energetic events. A variety of telescopes automatically follow up the detection of supernovae to obtain early measurements of these events’ brightnesses and spectra. Complementing these measurements with later observations which reveal the lingering energy of supernovae can shed light on the systems which gave rise to these cosmic cataclysms in the first place.

Credit: European Space Agency/Hubble & NASA, A. Filippenko

Release Date: Sept. 4, 2023

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #IC1776 #SpiralGalaxies #Star #Supernovae #SupernovaSN2015ap #Constellation #Pisces #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

India's Chandrayaan-3 Vikram Moon Lander "Hops" on The Moon

India's Chandrayaan-3 Vikram Moon Lander "Hops" on The Moon

ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 lander, named Vikram, performed a hop experiment on Sept. 3, 2023. The lander fired its engines, elevated itself by about 40 cm as expected, and landed safely at a distance of 30–40 cm away in the South Pole region of the Moon at Shiv Shakti Point (69.373 S, 32.319E).

Credit: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Acknowledgement: SciNews

Duration: 1 minute, 33 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 4, 2023

#NASA #ISRO #Space #Astronomy #Science #Moon #SouthPole #India #Chandrayaan3Mission #Chandrayaan3Lander #VikramLander #Chandrayaan3Rover #PragyanRover #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education #BhāratGaṇarājya #HD #Video

NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 Recovery: Home Safe | International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 Recovery: Home Safe | International Space Station

NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev of Russia splashed down safely in the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, at 12:17 a.m. EDT on Sept. 4, 2023, after 186 days in space.

Teams on the SpaceX recovery ship, including two fast boats, secured Dragon and ensured the spacecraft was safe for the recovery effort. As the fast boat teams completed their work, the recovery ship moved into position to hoist Dragon onto the main deck with the astronauts inside. Once on the main deck, the crew were taken out of the spacecraft and received medical checks before taking a helicopter ride to board a plane for Houston.

Crew-6 is SpaceX’s sixth operational mission for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked from the forward-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module on Sept 3, 2023, to complete a six-month science mission.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission launched March 2, 2023, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and docked to the International Space Station the next day.

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/SpaceX

Acknowledgement: SciNews

Duration: 4 minutes

Capture Date: Sept. 4, 2023

#NASA #Space #Earth #Science #ISS #SpaceX #CrewDragon #CrewDragonEndeavour #Spacecraft #SpaceXCrew6 #Astronauts #SultanAlNedayi #MBRSC #UAE #Cosmonaut #AndreyFedyaev #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #Roscosmos #WilliamHoburg #StephenBowen #HumanSpaceflight #AtlanticOcean #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 Landing in Atlantic Ocean | International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 Landing in Atlantic Ocean | International Space Station

Support teams worked around the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft shortly after it landed

Support teams raised the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft aboard the recovery ship MEGAN shortly after it landed

Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev of Russia, left, NASA astronaut Warren “Woody" Hoburg, second from left, NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, second from right, and United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, right, are seen inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship MEGAN shortly after having landed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida

United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi is helped out of the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship MEGAN

Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev is helped out of the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship MEGAN

NASA astronaut Warren "Woody" Hoburg helped out of the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship MEGAN

NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen is helped out of the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship MEGAN

Teams on the SpaceX recovery ship, including two fast boats, secured Dragon and ensured the spacecraft was safe for the recovery effort. As the fast boat teams completed their work, the recovery ship moved into position to hoist Dragon onto the main deck with the astronauts inside. Once on the main deck, the crew were taken out of the spacecraft and receive medical checks before taking a helicopter ride to board a plane for Houston.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission launched March 2, 2023, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and docked to the International Space Station the next day.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Date: Sept. 4, 2023

Sunday, September 03, 2023

United Arab Emirates Astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi | International Space Station

United Arab Emirates Astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi | International Space Station

United Arab Emirates Astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi: "Space, this is not a goodbye. I will see you later, whether on a new mission to the ISS or a farther destination . . ."

—Sultan AlNeyadi

The hatch of SpaceX’s Crew-6 “Endeavour” Crew Dragon spacecraft, with NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren (Woody) Hoburg, Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev of Russia, and United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, was closed on Sept. 3, 2023, at 09:19 UTC (05:19 EDT). Crew-6 is SpaceX’s sixth operational mission for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked from the forward-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module at 7:05 a.m. EDT to complete a six-month science mission.

NASA TV coverage will resume at 11 p.m. ET Sunday until Endeavour splashes down at approximately 12:07 a.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 4, near Tampa off the coast of Florida and Crew-6 members are recovered.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission launched March 2, 2023, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and docked to the International Space Station the next day.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Release Date: Sept. 3, 2023

Reflection Nebula NGC 6590 in Sagittarius Star Cloud: Wide-field view

Reflection Nebula NGC 6590 in Sagittarius Star Cloud: Wide-field view

An image like this shows that our galaxy is always "partly cloudy." Not unlike Earthly clouds that block parts of the sky (say on a starry night), tremendous clouds of gas and dust obscure the things that are beyond them. However, breaks in these galactic clouds can also be seen, even towards the densest part of our galaxy. M24 is the large oval collection of bluish stars that stands out among the others in the right of this picture. To look at this stellar association of young and bright stars is to peer through a break in the obscuring clouds to places much deeper towards an inner spiral arm. The stars of M24 are many thousands of light years away (perhaps 10,000). The northern part of this star cloud boasts several dark nebula that provides contrast for all of the stars in the background. Near the right of the frame, IC 1284 glows bright red, while NGC 6590 scatters bluish light around a few bright stars.

This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.

Credit: Kitt Peak National Observatory/NOIRLab/National Science Foundation (NSF)/Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)/Fred Calvert/Adam Block

Release Date: June 25, 2014

#NASA #UniversityofArizona #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #SagittariusStarCloud #M24 #IC4715 #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6590 #ReflectionNebula #IC1284 #Sagittarius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #PhillipsTelescope #MountLemmonSkyCenter #StewardObservatory #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Reflection Nebula NGC 6590 in Sagittarius | Steward Observatory

Reflection Nebula NGC 6590 in Sagittarius | Steward Observatory

NGC 6590 is a reflection nebula in the constellation of Sagittarius. This nebula is near the similar reflection nebula NGC 6589. Both nebulas are flanked by red emission nebula IC 1284.

Distance: ~5,900 light years away

What causes the colors in this beautiful nebulosity in Sagittarius? The colors of this nebulosity are caused by gas and dust. The blue color of the nebula nearest the bright stars is caused by reflections off interstellar dust. The dust emits little visible light of its own—in the absence of a nearby star the dust would appear dark, blocking light from background stars. The red color of the nebula farthest from the bright stars is caused by glowing hydrogen gas. Energetic light from the central stars ionizes hydrogen gas, which glows red when recombining with a local electron.

Technical Details:

Optics: Phillips 24-inch RCOS Telescope

Camera: SBIG STL11000

Credit: Adam Block/Steward Observatory/University of Arizona

Image Date: Aug. 1, 2009

#NASA #UniversityofArizona #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6590 #ReflectionNebula #NGC6589 #IC1284 #Sagittarius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #PhillipsTelescope #MountLemmonSkyCenter #StewardObservatory #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Meet Artemis Team Member & NASA Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli

Meet Artemis Team Member & NASA Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli

NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli is a member of the Artemis Team, a select group of astronauts charged with focusing on the development and training efforts for early Artemis missions to The Moon. Moghbeli is a naval aviator, test pilot, and aerospace engineer.

Since this video was released in 2020, Jasmin has become the mother of twin girls. She has also become commander of NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 Mission and a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station. This is Moghbeli's first spaceflight. She became a NASA astronaut in 2017.

Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli Official NASA Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/jasmin-moghbeli

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/jasmin-moghbeli/biography

Through the Artemis program, NASA and a coalition of international partners, will return to the Moon to learn how to live on other worlds for the benefit of all. With Artemis missions, NASA will send the first woman and the next man to the Moon in 2024 and about once per year thereafter.

Through the efforts of humans and robots, we will explore more of the Moon than ever before; to lead a journey of discovery that benefits our planet with life changing science, to use the Moon and its resources as a technology testbed to go even farther and to learn how to establish and sustain a human presence far beyond Earth.

Learn more: www.nasa.gov/ArtemisTeam

Video Credits: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Producer: Paul Wizikowski

Directors: Ryan Cristelli and Paul Wizikowski

Editor: Jamie Quinn

Duration: 2 minutes, 49 seconds

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Moon #ArtemisProgram #Artemis #SpaceX #SpaceXCrew7 #CrewDragonSpacecraft #Astronaut #JasminMoghbeli #Commander #NavalAviator #TestPilot #AerospaceEngineer #Marine #USMC #IranianAmerican #Women #Leaders #Pioneers #HumanSpaceflight #JSC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Hurricane Idalia Moves Inland | International Space Station

Hurricane Idalia Moves Inland | International Space Station

An astronaut on the International Space Station used a handheld camera to capture this oblique photo at 10:44 a.m. Eastern Time (14:44 Universal Time) on August 30, 2023, several hours after landfall. Idalia had weakened to a category 1 storm by this time with sustained winds of 150 kilometers (90 miles) per hour. It continued to weaken as it moved northeast over Georgia, South Carolina, and then offshore over the Atlantic Ocean on August 31. As the storm moved north over the Gulf, it quickly strengthened and made landfall over the Big Bend region of Florida on the morning of August 30, 2023, as a category 3 storm.

This astronaut photograph was acquired on August 30, 2023, with an Apple camera using a focal length of 1 millimeter. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 69 crew. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public.

Expedition 69 Crew (Early Sept. 2023)

Station Commander: Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin, Andrey Fedyaev, Konstantin Borisov

Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

European Space Agency: Flight Engineer Andreas Mogensen (Denmark)

JAXA: Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa (Japan)

NASA: Flight Engineers Frank Rubio, Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg, Jasmin Moghbeli (USA)

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Caption Credit: Kathryn Hansen

Image Date: Aug. 30, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ISS #Planet #Earth #Atmosphere #Weather #Meteorology #Hurricanes #HurricaneIdalia #Florida #Georgia #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #Russia #Roscosmos #HumanSpaceflight #UAE #JAXA #Japan #日本 #ESA #Europe #UnitedStates #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition69 #STEM #Education

NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 Trains for International Space Station Mission

NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 Trains for International Space Station Mission

NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps seated inside a T-38 trainer jet

NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps & Matthew Dominick

NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps prepares for T-38 training

NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps during a training session

NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps and Matthew Dominick train together

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick prepares for spacewalk training

NASA astronaut Mike Barratt prepares for spacewalk training

NASA astronauts Mike Barratt & Matthew Dominick

Four crew members are now assigned to launch on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission for a long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station, including Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps, Commander Matthew Dominick, and Mission Specialist Mike Barratt.

All three NASA astronauts will join Expedition 70 and 71 crew members aboard the station in early 2024 to conduct a wide-ranging set of operational and research activities.

This will be the first trip to the International Space Station for Epps and Dominick. This will be Barratt’s third trip to the space station. In 2009, Barratt served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 19 and 20 as the station transitioned its standard crew complement from three to six, and performed two spacewalks. He flew aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 2011 on STS-133, which delivered the Permanent Multipurpose Module and fourth Express Logistics Carrier. He has spent a total of 212 days in space.

NASA Astronaut Jeanette Epps Official NASA Biography

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/jeanette-j-epps

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/jeanette-j-epps/biography

NASA Astronaut Matthew Dominick Official Biography

www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/matthew-dominick/

NASA Astronaut Michael Barratt Official Biography

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/michael-reed-barratt/biography

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/barratt_michael.pdf

Image Credit: NASA/JSC

Image Dates: Jan.-May 2023

#NASA #Space #Earth #Science #ISS #SpaceX #SpaceXCrew8 #Astronauts #JeanetteEpps #MikeBarratt #MissionSpecialists #MatthewDominick #Commander #LongDurationMission #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition70 #Expedition71 #STEM #Education

NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 Departure | International Space Station

NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 Departure | International Space Station

NASA TV coverage will resume at 11 p.m. ET Sunday until Endeavour splashes down at approximately 12:07 a.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 4, near Tampa off the coast of Florida and Crew-6 members are recovered.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission launched March 2, 2023, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and docked to the International Space Station the next day.

Credit: NASA/SpaceX

Duration: 2 minutes, 16 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 3, 2023

Saturday, September 02, 2023

Ancient Bristlecone Pine & The Milky Way Galaxy

Ancient Bristlecone Pine & The Milky Way Galaxy

This gnarly tree is an ancient bristlecone pine growing in the White Mountains of California at an elevation of about 10,000 ft (3,048 m). These bristlecone trees are the oldest living non-clonal organisms in the world. Some of them have been dated to be nearly 5,000 years old. So, they were already alive when the pyramids were being built in Egypt.

Conditions in these remote mountains are very severe, with cold temperatures, a short growing season, high winds, and barren dolomite soil. Yet bristlecone pines thrive in these surroundings and attain their great age not in spite of the harsh environment, but because of it—the pines grow very slowly which makes their wood very dense and resistant to insects, disease, and erosion. They also face little competition for resources as few other species can survive such relentless conditions.

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, California Coordinates: 37.3853, -118.1782

The Fading Milky Way

Light pollution is a growing environmental problem that threatens to erase the night sky before its time. A recent study revealed that perhaps two-thirds of the world's population can no longer look upwards at night and see the Milky Way—a hazy swath of stars that on warm summer nights spans the sky from horizon to horizon.

The Milky Way is dimming, not because the end of the Universe is near, but rather as a result of light pollution: the inadvertent illumination of the atmosphere from street lights, outdoor advertising, homes, schools, airports and other sources. Every night billions of bulbs send their energy skyward where microscopic bits of matter—air molecules, airborne dust, and water vapor droplets—reflect much of the wasted light back to Earth.

(Source: NASA)

Learn more:

International Dark-Sky Association

https://www.darksky.org/light-pollution

Globe at Night

https://www.globeatnight.org

Night Sky Network (NASA JPL)

https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm

Image Credit: Photographer: Marcin Zajac

Summary Author: Marcin Zajac

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/inyo/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=70821&actid=50

Marcin’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrcnzajac

Image Date: Feb. 7, 2022

Release Date: Sept. 1, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #MilkyWayGalaxy #Stars #LightPollution #Astrophotographer #MarcinZajac #Astrophotography #CitizenScience #Skywatching #Cosmos #Universe #SolarSystem #Earth #AncientBristleconePineForest #WhiteMountains #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #EPoD

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

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

Mars 2020 - sol 899

Mars 2020 - sol 897

MSL - sol 3931

Mars 2020 - sol 897

MSL - sol 3154

Mars 2020 - sol 890

MSL - sol 3930

MSL - sol 3926

Support FriendsofNASA.org

Celebrating 11+ 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

Celebrating 2+ Years on 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 return to Earth.

Mars Helicopter (Ingenuity)

Launch: July 30, 2020

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

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

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

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Image Release Dates: Aug. 19-28, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #IngenuityHelicopter #JezeroCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #KevinGill #STEM #Education

Expedition 69 Astronaut Andreas Mogensen Calls Home to Denmark

Expedition 69 Astronaut Andreas Mogensen Calls Home to Denmark

[Event starts at 1 minute, 12 second mark] Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 69 Flight Engineer and European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogenson of Denmark discussed living and working in space during an in-flight interview August 31, 2023, with Danish media and the public. Mogenson was launched aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” on August 25 as part of Crew-7. It is a science mission with astronauts living and working at the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and to demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions.

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen is on his first long-duration mission to the International Space Station. Andreas was the pilot on the SpaceX Crew Dragon that carried him and the rest of Crew-7 to the Space Station—a first for a European!

The name of European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen’s second mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is ‘Huginn’.

Inspired by Norse mythology, the name is taken from one of two ravens who serve the god Odin. Called Huginn and Muninn, these two birds sit on Odin’s shoulders and are sent flying across the world at dawn. They return at night to inform him of the many events they have seen and heard. In Old Norse, ‘Huginn’ means ‘thought’ and ‘Muninn’ means ‘mind’ or ‘memory’.

Visit esa.int/huginn for more information on the Huginn mission.

Mogensen completed his 10-day ‘iriss’ mission to the International Space Station in 2015. The name "iriss" combined Iris and ISS. Iris was a Greek goddess, the messenger of the gods of Olympus and the personification of the rainbow. As messenger, she represents the link between humanity and the cosmos, and between the heavens and Earth.

Representing Europe in space, Andreas will carry out science throughout his mission and bring back the knowledge to Earth, for the benefit of humankind.

Astronaut Andreas Mogensen's Official ESA Biography:

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Astronauts/Andreas_Mogensen

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 16 minutes

Release Date: Aug. 31, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Space #Earth #Science #ISS #SpaceXCrew7 #Europe #Denmark #Danmark #Astronaut #AndreasMogensen #HuginnMission #LongDurationMission #HumanSpaceflight #JSC #UnitedStates #SpaceResearch #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition69 #Expedition70 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Europe's New Ariane 6 Rocket: Upper Stage Hot Fire Test | European Space Agency

Europe's New Ariane 6 Rocket: Upper Stage Hot Fire Test | European Space Agency

On Sept. 1, 2023, the European Space Agency’s all-new Ariane 6 launch vehicle fired its two upper stage engines to simulate the way they will have to operate together at the German aerospace agency’s engine test center in Lampoldshausen, Germany. The test of the new Vinci engine and a smaller Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) took place on a purpose-built test bench.

Vinci, the upper stage engine of Ariane 6, fed by liquid hydrogen and oxygen, can be stopped and restarted multiple times to place satellites into different orbits and then de-orbit the upper stage, so it is not left behind as hazardous space debris.

The APU makes it possible for Vinci to restart in space, by maintaining adequate pressure in the fuel tanks and preventing bubbles in the fuel lines. The power unit uses small amounts of liquid hydrogen and oxygen from the main tanks, replacing a system which relied on large quantities of tanked helium.

Ariane 6 is an all-new design, created to succeed Ariane 5 as Europe's heavy-lift launch system. This autonomous capability to reach Earth orbit and deep space is the foundation of Europe's vision of space-enabled navigation, Earth observation, scientific and security services. This vision is reality thanks to the sustained dedication of thousands of talented people working in the European Space Agency’s 22 Member States who call themselves "Space Team Europe".

The European Space Agency (ESA) owns and manages the Ariane 6 program and defines its performance objectives. ArianeGroup is the prime contractor, and the launch operator is Arianespace. France's space agency, CNES, operates Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana—the home of Ariane launchers since the first liftoff in 1979.

ESA's new Ariane 6 rocket takes up the baton from the Ariane 5, supporting Europe’s institutional missions and is intended to meet the needs of the commercial launch market.

Video Credits: ESA/Arianegroup/DLR - Hill Media

Acknowledgement: SciNews

Duration: 2 minutes, 24 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 2, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Europe #ArianeGroup #Arianespace #Ariane6 #Ariane6Rocket #UpperStage #VinciEngine #TestFire #Spacecraft #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #CommercialSpace #DLR #Lampoldshausen #Germany #Deutschland #Spaceport #FrenchGuiana #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Aditya-L1 Launch: India's First Space Mission to The Sun | ISRO

Aditya-L1 Launch: India's First Space Mission to The Sun | ISRO

For ISRO’s PSLV-C57 mission, a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in the “XL” configuration (PSLV-XL) launched the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, from the First Launch Pad (FLP) of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota, India, on September 2, 2023, at 06:20 GMT (11:50 IST). Aditya-L1 is ISRO’s first space-based mission to study the Sun—named after Surya—the Hindu god of Sun, also known as Aditya. It will travel 1.5 million km (932,000 miles) from the Earth—1% of the Earth-Sun distance. India's space agency says it will take four months to travel that far. And L1 stands for Lagrange point 1—the place between Sun and Earth where the Indian spacecraft is heading. A Lagrange point is a place where the gravitational forces of two large objects, such as the Sun and the Earth, cancel each other out, allowing a spacecraft to "hover".

Once Aditya-L1 reaches this "parking spot", it will be able to orbit the Sun at the same rate as the Earth. This also means the satellite will require less fuel to operate.

Credit: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Acknowledgement: SciNews

Duration: 4 minutes, 36 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 2, 2023

#NASA #ISRO #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Sun #AdityaL1 #AdityaL1Spacecraft #LagrangePoint #LagrangePoint1 #PSLVC57 #PSLVXL #RocketLaunch #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #DhawanSpaceCentre #Sriharikota #India #BhāratGaṇarājya #STEM #Education #HD #Video

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