Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Expedition 69: Awaiting New Crew Arrival | International Space Station

Expedition 69: Awaiting New Crew Arrival | International Space Station 

In this image, Expedition 69 crew members await the arrival of three new crew members on a Russian Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft on Sept. 15, 2023: NASA Astronaut Loral O'Hara, Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub of Russia. In order from the closest to farthest: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa, NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli, Roscomos Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov (Russia), NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio, Roscomos Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin, and Station Commander Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia) in the far background.

NASA Astronaut Loral O'Hara is greeted by Expedition 69 crew members after the hatch of her Russian Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft was opened to allow boarding of the International Space Station. NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio can be seen hugging Loral here.


Russian Soyuz MS-23 (left) and the newly-arrived Soyuz MS-24 (right) spacecraft docked to the International Space Station on Sept. 15, 2023.

The hatches between the International Space Station and the newly arrived Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft officially opened at 5:16 p.m. EDT on Sept. 15, 2023. The arrival of three new crew members to the existing seven people already aboard for Expedition 69 temporarily increases the station’s population to ten.

NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub of Russia joined the space station’s Expedition 69 crew of NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Frank Rubio, Roscosmos cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin, Konstantin Borisov, and Sergey Prokopyev, as well European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen (Denmark) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa. O’Hara will spend six months aboard the orbital laboratory, while Kononenko and Chub will both spend one year on the orbital outpost.

On Sept. 27, 2023, Rubio, Petelin, and Prokopyev will return to Earth on the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft. The trio have been aboard the orbital laboratory since arriving Sept. 21, 2022.

Follow Expedition 69 updates here:

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

Expedition 69 Crew (September 2023)

Station Commander: Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)

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

European Space Agency: Flight Engineer Andreas Mogensen (Denmark)

JAXA: Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa (Japan)

NASA: Flight Engineers Frank Rubio, Jasmin Moghbeli, Loral O'Hara (USA)

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/JSC/ESA Astronaut Andreas Mogensen of Denmark
Image Date: Sept. 15, 2023

#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #Science #Docking #SoyuzMS24Spacecraft #СоюзМС24 #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Cosmonauts #OlegKononenko #NikolaiChub #Astronaut #LoralOHara #Expedition69 #Expedition70 #HumanSpaceflight #JSC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Monday, September 25, 2023

NASA OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Post-Landing Briefing: What's Next?

NASA OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Post-Landing Briefing: What's Next?

Mission experts recap the touchdown of OSIRIS-REx on Sept. 24, 2023. The OSIRIS-REx capsule delivered America's first pristine sample of rocks and dust from an asteroid.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule, carrying a sample of asteroid Bennu, touched down on the Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range at 10:52 a.m. EDT (14:52 UTC).

The OSIRIS-APEX mission will continue the discoveries of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft at a second asteroid, Apophis. An hour after Apophis’s dramatic close approach to Earth on April 13, 2029, The OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft will use Earth’s gravity to put itself on a course to rendezvous with the asteroid to begin an 18-month campaign of investigation and discovery. Having already challenged our understanding of “carbonaceous” (C-complex) asteroids during its exploration of Bennu, the spacecraft instrument suite will provide first-of-its-kind high-resolution data of a “stony” (S-complex) asteroid—dramatically advancing our knowledge of this asteroid class and its connection to the meteorite collection. After 15 months orbiting Apophis, APEX will use its thrusters to dig into the surface. This will allow us to observe subsurface material, which will provide otherwise inaccessible insight into space weathering and the surface strength of stony asteroids.

Follow sample-delivery updates on NASA's OSIRIS-REx blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/

OSIRIS-REx NASA page: 

https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

University of Arizona's OSIRIS-REx Mission Page: 

http://www.asteroidmission.org

University of Arizona's OSIRIS-APEX Mission Page:

https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/missions/osiris-apex


Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 1 hour

Release Date: Sept. 24, 2023


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #OSIRISRExMission #OSIRISAPEXMission #OSIRISRExSpacecraft #Asteroids #AstreroidBennu #ToBennuAndBack #SampleReturn #SpaceTechnology #CSA #Canada #CNES #France #JSC #GSFC #UArizona #LockheedMartin #Utah #DoD #KSC #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Ring of Fire: A Sunrise Solar Eclipse in Western Australia

Ring of Fire: A Sunrise Solar Eclipse in Western Australia

What is rising above the horizon behind those clouds? It is the Sun. However, most sunrises do not look like this. This is because sunrises do not usually include the Moon. In the early morning of May 10, 2013, from Western Australia, the Moon was between the Earth and the rising Sun. In an annular eclipse, the Moon is too far from the Earth to block the entire Sun. It leaves a ring of fire where sunlight pours around every edge of the Moon. 

This time-lapse video recorded the eclipse through the high refraction of the Earth's atmosphere just above the horizon. As the video continues, the Sun continues to rise, while the Sun and Moon begin to separate. 

The next annular solar eclipse will occur in less than three weeks. On Saturday, October 14, 2023, a ring of fire will be visible through clear skies from a thin swath crossing both North and South America.

WARNING: During an annular eclipse, it is never safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing. How to safely view an eclipse: 

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/2023/oct-14-annular/safety/

Not in the path of the eclipse? Watch with us from anywhere in the world. We will provide live broadcast coverage on Oct. 14, 2023 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. EDT (1530-1715 UTC) on NASA TV, NASA.gov and the NASA app.

Learn more about the upcoming annular solar eclipse: 

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/2023/oct-14-annular/overview/


Video Credits: Colin Legg, Geoff Sims, Peter Nanasi

Colin: https://www.facebook.com/ColinLeggPhotography/

Geoff: https://www.facebook.com/BeyondBeneath/

Peter: https://www.peternanasi.com

Photography & Editing: Colin Legg

Photography: Geoff Sims

Duration: 2 minutes, 16 seconds

Capture Date: May 10, 2013


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Moon #Sun #SolarEclipses #SolarEclipse #AnnularEclipse #EclipseMap #EyeProtection #SafetyMeasures #Canada #Mexico #SouthAmerica #GSFC #UnitedStates #Australia #STEM #Education #Timelapse #HD #Video #APoD

OSIRIS-REx: NASA's First Mission to Deliver Asteroid Samples to Earth

OSIRIS-REx: NASA's First Mission to Deliver Asteroid Samples to Earth

On September 24, 2023, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully delivered samples of asteroid Bennu to Earth, following a seven-year mission that saw the spacecraft travel nearly four billion miles through deep-space. These samples could give insights into the planetary formation of our solar system and the origins of life on Earth.

Designed, built, and flown by Lockheed Martin teams, the spacecraft has now begun its extended mission to the asteroid Apophis under its new mission name, OSIRIS-APEX.

Follow sample-delivery updates on NASA's OSIRIS-REx blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/

OSIRIS-REx NASA page: https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

University of Arizona's OSIRIS-REx Mission Page: http://www.asteroidmission.org

University of Arizona's OSIRIS-APEX Mission Page:

https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/missions/osiris-apex


Credit: Lockheed Martin Space

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 25, 2023


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #OSIRISRExMission #OSIRISRExSpacecraft #Asteroids #AstreroidBennu #ToBennuAndBack #SampleReturn #SpaceTechnology #CSA #Canada #CNES #France #JSC #GSFC #UArizona #LockheedMartin #Utah #DoD #KSC #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Aurora over Georgian Bluffs, Ontario, Canada

Aurora over Georgian Bluffs, Ontario, Canada


On Earth, auroras are mainly created by particles originally emitted by the Sun in the form of solar wind. When this stream of electrically charged particles gets close to our planet, it interacts with the magnetic field, which acts as a gigantic shield. While it protects Earth’s environment from solar wind particles, it can also trap a small fraction of them. Particles trapped within the magnetosphere—the region of space surrounding Earth in which charged particles are affected by its magnetic field—can be energized and then follow the magnetic field lines down to the magnetic poles. There, they interact with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper layers of the atmosphere, creating the flickering, colorful lights visible in the polar regions here on Earth.

Earth auroras have different names depending on which pole they occur at. Aurora Borealis, or the northern lights, is the name given to auroras around the north pole and Aurora Australis, or the southern lights, is the name given for auroras around the south pole.

Learn more:
The Colors of the Aurora (U.S. National Park Service)
https://www.nps.gov/articles/-articles-aps-v8-i1-c9.htm

NASA - About Aurora
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/aurora-news-stories/index.html

Image Details: 

Canon 6D, Samyang 14mm f/2.8 @ f/2.8, ISO 6400, 15 seconds


Image Credit & Copyright: Northern Lights Graffiti (CC by 2.0)

Location: Georgian Bluffs, Ontario

Image Date: Sept. 18, 2023


#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Planet #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #MagneticField #Magnetosphere #SolarWind #Sun #Astrophotography #Astrophotographer #NorthernLightsGraffiti #GeorgianBluffs #Ontario #Canada #STEM #Education

Reflection Nebula NGC 7129 in Cepheus | Schulman Telescope

Reflection Nebula NGC 7129 in Cepheus | Schulman Telescope

NGC 7129 is a reflection nebula located 3,300 light years away in the constellation Cepheus. A young open cluster is responsible for illuminating the surrounding nebula. The nebula is rosebud-shaped. The young stars have blown a large, oddly shaped bubble in the molecular cloud that once surrounded them at their birth. The rosy pink color comes from glowing dust grains on the surface of the bubble being heated by the intense light from the young stars within. Ultraviolet and visible light produced by the young stars is absorbed by the surrounding dust grains.

Optics: Schulman 32-inch RCOS Telescope

Camera: SBIG STL11000

The 0.81 m (32 in) Schulman Telescope is a Ritchey-Chrétien reflector built by RC Optical Systems and installed in 2010. It is operated by the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter and is Arizona's largest dedicated public observatory. The Schulman Telescope was designed from inception for remote control over the Internet by amateur and professional astrophotographers worldwide. It is currently the world's largest telescope dedicated for this purpose.


Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona

Caption Acknowledgements: Wikipedia

Release Date: Sept. 1, 2011


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC7129 #ReflectionNebula #StellarNursery #Stars #StarCluster #Cepheus #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #UA #MountLemmonObservatory #SchulmanTelescope #Astrophotographer #AdamBlock #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Asteroid Bennu Sample Processed for Study | NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission

Asteroid Bennu Sample Processed for Study | NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission






NASA’s OSIRIS-REx curation teams process the sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission in a cleanroom, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range. The sample was collected from the asteroid Bennu in October 2020 by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. 

The clean room team has finished disassembling the sample capsule and packaging its components, including the unopened sample canister. Now packed in shipping containers—along with the environmental samples the recovery team collected around the capsule’s landing site this—the items are scheduled to be delivered on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, to their permanent home at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. 

Follow sample-delivery updates on NASA's OSIRIS-REx blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/

OSIRIS-REx NASA page: https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

University of Arizona's OSIRIS-REx Mission Page: http://www.asteroidmission.org


Image Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber

Image Capture Date: Sept. 24, 2023


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #OSIRISRExMission #OSIRISRExSpacecraft #Asteroids #AstreroidBennu #ToBennuAndBack #SampleReturn #SpaceTechnology #CSA #Canada #CNES #France #JSC #GSFC #UArizona #LockheedMartin #Utah #DoD #KSC #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education 

Aurora Borealis over Scotland

Aurora Borealis over Scotland

Astrophotographer Alan Tough: "This was the scene around local midnight. At times, the reds were so intense the colour could be picked up by the unaided eye."

On Earth, auroras are mainly created by particles originally emitted by the Sun in the form of solar wind. When this stream of electrically charged particles gets close to our planet, it interacts with the magnetic field, which acts as a gigantic shield. While it protects Earth’s environment from solar wind particles, it can also trap a small fraction of them. Particles trapped within the magnetosphere—the region of space surrounding Earth in which charged particles are affected by its magnetic field—can be energized and then follow the magnetic field lines down to the magnetic poles. There, they interact with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper layers of the atmosphere, creating the flickering, colorful lights visible in the polar regions here on Earth.


Earth auroras have different names depending on which pole they occur at. Aurora Borealis, or the northern lights, is the name given to auroras around the north pole and Aurora Australis, or the southern lights, is the name given for auroras around the south pole.

Learn more:
The Colors of the Aurora (National Park Service)
https://www.nps.gov/articles/-articles-aps-v8-i1-c9.htm

NASA - About Aurora
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/aurora-news-stories/index.html
    
Image Credit & Copyright: Alan Tough
Location: Scotland, United Kingdom
Image Date: Sept. 24, 2023



#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Planet #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #MagneticField #Magnetosphere #SolarWind #Sun #Astrophotography #Astrophotographer #AlanTough #Scotland #UK #UnitedKingdom #STEM #Education #International

Sunday, September 24, 2023

Asteroid Bennu Sample Retrieved for Study | NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission

Asteroid Bennu Sample Retrieved for Study | NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission

On Scene Commander of Recovery, Jasmine Nakayama, attaches the sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to a helicopter for transport to the cleanroom, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, shortly after the capsule landed in the Utah desert.


The sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is seen en route to the cleanroom, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, shortly after the capsule landed in the Utah desert.


The sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is lowered into the parking lot in front of the cleanroom hangar by helicopter, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023.


From left to right, Lockheed Martin Mission Operations Assurance Lead Graham Miller, Lockheed Martin Recovery Specialist Michael Kaye, and Lockheed Martin Recovery Specialist Levi Hanish, prepare the sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission for transport, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, shortly after the capsule landed.

On Scene Commander of Recovery, Jasmine Nakayama, attaches the sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to a helicopter for transport to the cleanroom, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, shortly after the capsule landed.

A capsule containing a sample of asteroid Bennu from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Mission is seen en route to a local cleanroom, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, shortly after the capsule landed in the Utah desert. 

At 12:37 p.m. EDT (10:37 a.m. MDT), a helicopter gently placed NASA’s OSIRIS-REx sample capsule, attached to the end of a 100-foot cable, on the ground outside a hangar on the Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range. Two technicians on the ground helped guide the capsule down. 

Once the helicopter line was detached and the helicopter had departed, the clean room team removed the capsule from its metal transport cradle. They loaded the capsule onto a cart and wheeled it into the hangar where a temporary clean room had been set up. In the hangar, the capsule was fully unwrapped and cleaned, and then taken into the clean room for disassembly.    

To protect the clean room from contaminants, only six people are allowed inside. Covered from head to toe in bunny suits, hoods, nitrile gloves, shoe covers, plus hair and beard covers, their job is to disassemble the capsule and remove the unopened sample canister inside. They will package all the parts for transport by aircraft to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Monday morning.  

Follow sample-delivery updates on NASA's OSIRIS-REx blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/

OSIRIS-REx NASA page: https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

University of Arizona's OSIRIS-REx Mission Page: http://www.asteroidmission.org


Image Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber

Image Capture Date: Sept. 24, 2023


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #OSIRISRExMission #OSIRISRExSpacecraft #Asteroids #AstreroidBennu #ToBennuAndBack #SampleReturn #SpaceTechnology #CSA #Canada #CNES #France #JSC #GSFC #UArizona #LockheedMartin #Utah #DoD #KSC #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education

Asteroid Bennu Sample Lands on Earth Successfully | NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission

Asteroid Bennu Sample Lands on Earth Successfully | NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission

The sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is seen shortly after touching down in the Utah desert, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023.


Lockheed Martin System Safety Engineer Victoria Thiem performs preliminary checks on the sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, shortly after the capsule landed.

From left to right, NASA Astromatierals Curator Francis McCubbin, NASA Sample Return Capsule Science Lead Scott Sandford, and University of Arizona OSIRIS-REx Principal Investigator Dante Lauretta, collect science data, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023.


The sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is seen shortly after touching down in the desert, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range. The sample was collected from the asteroid Bennu in October 2020 by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft.

Follow sample-delivery updates on NASA's OSIRIS-REx blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/

OSIRIS-REx NASA page: https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

University of Arizona's OSIRIS-REx Mission Page: http://www.asteroidmission.org


Image Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber

Image Capture Date: Sept. 24, 2023


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #OSIRISRExMission #OSIRISRExSpacecraft #Asteroids #AstreroidBennu #ToBennuAndBack #SampleReturn #SpaceTechnology #CSA #Canada #CNES #France #JSC #GSFC #UArizona #LockheedMartin #Utah #DoD #KSC #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education 

NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission Capsule from Asteroid Bennu Lands in Utah Desert

NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission Capsule from Asteroid Bennu Lands in Utah Desert

The capsule containing asteroid Bennu samples, collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Mission, has successfully landed at the U.S. Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range, on September 24, 2023, at 10:52 EDT. 

Watch Live on NASA TV: nasa.gov/nasatv  

10 a.m. EDT — Live coverage of  NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return

5 p.m. EDT — Media briefing on NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return

All times U.S. Eastern Daylight Time, which equates to UTC-4.

Follow sample-delivery updates on NASA's OSIRIS-REx blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/

OSIRIS-REx NASA page: https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

University of Arizona's OSIRIS-REx Mission Page: http://www.asteroidmission.org


Credit: Gianluca Masi/The Virtual Telescope Project/NASA/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

Acknowledgement: SciNews

Duration: 2 minutes, 51 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 24, 2023


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #OSIRISRExMission #OSIRISRExSpacecraft #Asteroids #AstreroidBennu #ToBennuAndBack #SampleReturn #SpaceTechnology #CSA #Canada #CNES #France #JSC #GSFC #UArizona #LockheedMartin #Utah #DoD #KSC #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Preparing for Asteroid Bennu Samples: Earth Return Today! | NASA's OSIRIS-REx

Preparing for Asteroid Bennu Samples: Earth Return Today! | NASA's OSIRIS-REx

Stephen Lee, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Flight Operations team, performs preflight checks in preparation for the retrieval of the sample return capsule from NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range. 

Members of NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Flight Operations team are seen preparing for the retrieval of the sample return capsule from NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range.

Members of NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Flight Operations team perform preflight checks in preparation for the retrieval of the sample return capsule from NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range.

OSIRIS-REx is NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission. It launched in September 2016 on a journey to explore a near-Earth asteroid called Bennu. In October 2020, the spacecraft ventured to the asteroid’s surface and collected about 250 grams of material for delivery to Earth. The mission’s thrilling finale is taking place today, September 24, 2023, as OSIRIS-REx releases a capsule containing the Bennu samples for touchdown in the Utah desert by parachute.

Watch Live on NASA TV: nasa.gov/nasatv  

10 a.m. EDT — Live coverage of  NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return

5 p.m. EDT — Media briefing on NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return

All times U.S. Eastern Daylight Time, which equates to UTC-4.

Follow sample-delivery updates on NASA's OSIRIS-REx blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/

OSIRIS-REx NASA page: https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

University of Arizona's OSIRIS-REx Mission Page: http://www.asteroidmission.org


Image Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber

Image Date: Aug. 29, 2023


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #OSIRISRExMission #OSIRISRExSpacecraft #Asteroids #AstreroidBennu #ToBennuAndBack #SampleReturn #SpaceTechnology #CSA #Canada #CNES #France #JSC #GSFC #UArizona #LockheedMartin #Utah #DoD #KSC #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education

NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission Delivers Asteroid Bennu Samples to Earth Today!

NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission Delivers Asteroid Bennu Samples to Earth Today!

OSIRIS-REx is NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission. It launched in September 2016 on a journey to explore a near-Earth asteroid called Bennu. In October 2020, the spacecraft ventured to the asteroid’s surface and collected about 250 grams of material for delivery to Earth. The mission’s thrilling finale is taking place today, September 24, 2023, as OSIRIS-REx releases a capsule containing the Bennu samples for touchdown in the Utah desert.

Watch Live on NASA TV: nasa.gov/nasatv  

10 a.m. EDT — Live coverage of  NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return

5 p.m. EDT — Media briefing on NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return

All times U.S. Eastern Daylight Time, which equates to UTC-4.

Follow sample-delivery updates on NASA's OSIRIS-REx blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/

OSIRIS-REx NASA page: https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

University of Arizona's OSIRIS-REx Mission Page: http://www.asteroidmission.org


Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Walt Feimer (KBR Wyle Services, LLC): Lead Animator

Adriana Manrique Gutierrez (KBR Wyle Services, LLC): Animator

Angeles Miron (Skillbridge Intern (U.S. Navy)): Animator

Jenny McElligott (AIMM): Animator

Jonathan North (KBR Wyle Services, LLC): Animator

Kim Dongjae (KBR Wyle Services, LLC): Animator

Michael Lentz (KBR Wyle Services, LLC): Lead Art Director, Animator

Dante Lauretta (The University of Arizona): Lead Scientist

Dan Gallagher (KBR Wyle Services, LLC): Lead Producer

Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET Systems, Inc.): Support

Rani Gran (NASA/GSFC): Public Affairs Officer

Duration: 2 minutes, 44 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 21, 2023


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #OSIRISRExMission #OSIRISRExSpacecraft #Asteroids #AstreroidBennu #ToBennuAndBack #SampleReturn #SpaceTechnology #CSA #Canada #CNES #France #JSC #GSFC #UArizona #LockheedMartin #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education #Visualization #Animation #HD #Video

Saturday, September 23, 2023

Artemis II Crew Transportation Vehicles (CTVs) | Kennedy Space Center

Artemis II Crew Transportation Vehicles (CTVs) | Kennedy Space Center

Artemis II crew members (from left) Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman walk out of Astronaut Crew Quarters inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to the Artemis crew transportation vehicles prior to traveling to Launch Pad 39B as part of an integrated ground systems test at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, to test the crew timeline for launch day.
Artemis II crew members (front to back) NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen walk out of Astronaut Crew Quarters inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to the Artemis crew transportation vehicles prior to traveling to Launch Pad 39B.




Artemis II NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen arrive to Launch Pad 39B and prepare to enter the mobile launcher and proceed to the crew access arm as part of an integrated ground systems test at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Sept. 20, to test the crew timeline for launch day.

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, left, and NASA astronaut Christina Koch view the crew transport vehicles (CTVs) outside of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. The specially designed, fully electric, environmentally friendly vehicles were manufactured by Canoo Technologies, Inc. of Torrance California.

These are pictures related to the Launch Demonstration Test ISSV-1A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 19-20, 2023. The test ensures the ground systems team is ready to support the Artemis II crew timeline on launch day. 

The Crew Transportation Vehicles (CTVs) are "engineered to carry fully-suited astronauts, flight support crew, and equipment to the launch pad. These zero-emission vehicles have an exclusive interior and exterior design that provide for astronaut crew comfort and safety while on the nine-mile journey to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center."

NASA’s Artemis II Crew: 

Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, plus Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency.

Canoo's website: https://www.canoo.com/NASA

Learn more about the Artemis II Mission: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii

Artemis II will launch no earlier than December 2024.


Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett/Frankie Martin

Image Dates: Sept. 19-20, 2023


#NASA #CSA #Space #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #CTV #CrewTransportationVehicles #Canoo #NASASLS #OrionSpacecraft #DeepSpace #Astronauts #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #ReidWiseman #MoonToMars #Science #SpaceExploration #HumanSpaceflight #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #Canada #ForAllHumanity #STEM #Education

Gretchen Morales-Valle Helps Make Aviation Safer: The First “A” in NASA

Gretchen Morales-Valle Helps Make Aviation Safer: The First “A” in NASA

Growing up in tropical Puerto Rico, Gretchen Morales-Valle never imagined that ice could build up on aircraft. After an interview at NASA, she learned about Glenn’s Icing Research Tunnel and the center’s work to simulate the icy atmospheric conditions that planes can encounter in flight. Today, she works as an electrical and test engineer in this facility and is proud to do impactful work that helps keep people safe when they fly.

Learn more about the Glenn Research Center: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/home/index.html


Video Credit: NASA's Glenn Research Center

Duration: 5 minutes, 34 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 22, 2023


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NASA’s OSIRIS-REx: Returning Samples of Asteroid Bennu | Johns Hopkins APL

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx: Returning Samples of Asteroid Bennu | Johns Hopkins APL

Seven years ago, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft—short for Origins, Spectral interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer—set out for the small, top-shaped asteroid called Bennu to collect a sample from its surface. However, this simple concept in words belies the physical challenges of these small asteroids that scientists and engineers had to overcome.

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, along with colleagues in Canada and across the United States, played a critical part in developing a solution.

On Sunday, Sept. 24th, 2023, the OSIRIS-REx mission will release a capsule containing a 4.5-billion-year-old sample of an asteroid to Earth for curation and study. This is the first time that NASA has returned an asteroid sample and is the largest asteroid sample ever delivered to Earth. The asteroid is rich in organic material and the sample could tell us about the origins of life on Earth. 

Find out how they used APL’s Small Body Mapping Tool and autonomous technology that together helped make the sampling mission possible. https://jhuapl.link/yqi

Learn more about Johns Hopkins APL: https://www.jhuapl.edu/

OSIRIS-REx NASA page: https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

Follow sample-delivery updates on NASA's OSIRIS-REx blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/

University of Arizona's OSIRIS-REx Mission Page: http://www.asteroidmission.org


Credit: Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL)

Duration: 4 minutes, 31 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 22, 2023

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