Friends of NASA

Thursday, December 07, 2023

What We Learn | International Space Station's 25th Anniversary (1998-2023)

What We Learn | International Space Station's 25th Anniversary (1998-2023)

We are celebrating 25 years of International Space Station operations! The International Space Station advances scientific knowledge in Earth, space, physical, and biological sciences, for the benefit of people living on our home planet.

Through this global endeavor, 273 people from 21 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 3,000 research and educational investigations from people in 108 countries and areas.

The International Space Station is a proving ground for long-duration spaceflight, including how humans will live and work around the Moon as part of Artemis.

Learn more about the International Space Station, including its assembly:

https://www.nasa.gov/reference/international-space-station/#hds-sidebar-nav-3

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.

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

Duration: 4 minutes

Release Date: Dec. 6, 2023

#NASA #Space #ISS #ISS25 #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #HumanSpaceflight #LongDurationMissions #UnitedStates #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Europe #ESA #Canada #CSA #ArtemisProgram #Moon #MoonToMars #History #STEM #Education #HD #Video

International Space Station's 25th Anniversary (1998-2023): The First Segments

International Space Station's 25th Anniversary (1998-2023): The First Segments

The mated Russian-built Zarya (left) and U.S.-built Unity modules are backdropped against the blackness of space and Earth’s horizon shortly after leaving Endeavour’s cargo bay on Dec. 13, 1998. A few days earlier, on Dec. 6, 1998, the space shuttle Endeavour, mission STS-88, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying the Unity connecting module and two pressurized mating adapters. The same day, the STS-88 crew captured the Russian Zarya module, launched Nov. 20, and mated it with the Unity node. Unity was the first piece of the International Space Station provided by the United States.

The components in the current space station were built in countries around the world with each piece performing once connected in space by complex robotics systems and humans in spacesuits—a testament to teamwork and cultural coordination.

Learn more about the space station, including its assembly:

https://www.nasa.gov/reference/international-space-station/#hds-sidebar-nav-3

Image Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Image Date: Dec. 13, 1998

#NASA #Space #ISS #ISS25 #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #SpaceShuttleEndeavour #STS88 #History #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Zarya #Заря́ #Unity #History #STEM #Education

SpaceX Starship | Second Flight Test | SpaceX Starbase in Texas

SpaceX Starship | Second Flight Test | SpaceX Starbase in Texas

"On November 18, 2023, Starship successfully lifted off at 7:02 a.m. CT from Starbase on its second integrated flight test. While it didn’t happen in a lab or on a test stand, it was absolutely a test. What we did with this second flight will provide invaluable data to continue rapidly developing Starship. The test achieved a number of major milestones, helping us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multiplanetary. The team at Starbase is already working final preparations on the vehicles slated for use in Starship’s third flight test."

"Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting second flight test of Starship!"

Starship lifted off from Starbase in Texas and achieved a number of major milestones, including all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy Booster starting up successfully and, for the first time, completed a full-duration burn during ascent.

Watch the liftoff of the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed.

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."

Key Starship Parameters:

Height: 120m/394ft

Diameter: 9m/29.5ft

Payload to LEO: 100 – 150 t (fully reusable)

Capabilities:

Satellites: "Starship is designed to deliver satellites further and at a lower marginal cost per launch than our current Falcon vehicles. With a payload compartment larger than any fairing currently in operation or development, Starship creates possibilities for new missions, including space telescopes even larger than the James Webb."

Raptor Engine Parameters:

Diameter: 1.3m/4ft

Height: 3.1m/10.2ft

Thrust: 230tf/500 klbf

Download the Free Starship User Guide (PDF):

https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf

Image Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Dec. 7, 2023

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #Moon #ArtemisIII #Mars #Starship #SuperHeavyBooster #ElonMusk #GwynneShotwell #Science #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #Starbase #BocaChica #Texas #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Orion Spacecraft & The Moon's Ocean of Storms | NASA Artemis I Mission

Orion Spacecraft & The Moon's Ocean of Storms | NASA Artemis I Mission

On Dec. 5, 2022, a camera on board the uncrewed Orion spacecraft captured this view as Orion approached its return powered flyby of the Moon. Beyond one of Orion's extended solar arrays lies dark, smooth, terrain along the western edge of the Oceanus Procellarum. Prominent on the lunar nearside Oceanus Procellarum, the Ocean of Storms, is the largest of the Moon's lava-flooded maria.

The lunar terminator, shadow line between lunar night and day, runs along the left of this frame. The 41 kilometer diameter crater Marius is top center, with ray crater Kepler peeking in at the edge, just right of the solar array wing. Kepler's bright rays extend to the north and west, reaching the dark-floored Marius. By Dec. 11, 2022, the Orion spacecraft had reached its home world. The historic Artemis 1 mission ended with Orion's successful splashdown in planet Earth's water-flooded Pacific Ocean.

Image Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Image Date: Dec. 5, 2022

Release Date: Dec. 7, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Space #Earth #Moon #Geology #Terrain #OceanusProcellarum #OceanOfStorms #Craters #ArtemisMission #ArtemisI #OrionSpacecraft #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Science #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #UnitedStates #Europe #International #STEM #Education

Espacio a Tierra | Noticias candentes sobre los átomos fríos: 1 de diciembre de 2023

Espacio a Tierra | Noticias candentes sobre los átomos fríos: 1 de diciembre de 2023

Espacio a Tierra, la versión en español de las cápsulas Space to Ground de la NASA, te informa semanalmente de lo que está sucediendo en la Estación Espacial Internacional.

Ciencia de la NASA: https://ciencia.nasa.gov

Para obtener más información sobre la ciencia de la NASA, suscríbete al boletín semanal: https://www.nasa.gov/suscribete

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 3 minutes, 52 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 6, 2023

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #NASAenespañol #español #Science #ColdAtomLab #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Progress86Spacecraft #CargoSpacecraft #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #Russia #Россия #Japan #Expedition70 #SpaceLaboratory #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Spiral Galaxy M106 in Canes Venatici | Schulman Telescope

Spiral Galaxy M106 in Canes Venatici | Schulman Telescope

A popular target for amateur astronomers, spiral galaxy Messier 106 can be spotted with a small telescope in the constellation Canes Venatici. This view captures the entire galaxy, detailing the glowing spiral arms, wisps of gas, and dust lanes at the center of Messier 106, as well as the leisurely twisting bands of stars at the galaxy’s outer edges. Dwarf galaxy UGC 7358 appears in the lower left.

Distance: over 20 million light-years

Technical Details

Optics: Schulman 32-inch RCOS Telescope

Camera: SBIG AC4040BSI

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: Travis Deyoe / Mount Lemmon SkyCenter / University of Arizona

Release Date: May 12, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #M106 #Messier106 #NGC4258 #SpiralGalaxy #DwarfGalaxy #UGC7358 #CanesVenatici #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #UA #MountLemmonObservatory #SchulmanTelescope #Astrophotographer #TravisDeyoe #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Wednesday, December 06, 2023

Solar Minimum versus Solar Maximum | NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory

Solar Minimum versus Solar Maximum | NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory

Our Sun is a 4.5 billion-year-old yellow dwarf star—a hot glowing ball of hydrogen and helium—at the center of our solar system. It is about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) from Earth and it’s our solar system’s only star. The height of the Sun’s activity cycle, known as solar maximum, is a time of greatly increased solar storm activity. Sunspots, eruptions called solar flares, and coronal mass ejections are common at solar maximum.

Although the Sun is the center of our solar system and essential to our survival, it is only an average star in terms of its size. Stars up to 100 times larger have been found. Many solar systems have more than one star. By studying our Sun, scientists can better understand the workings of distant stars.

The Sun orbits the center of the Milky Way, bringing with it the planets, asteroids, comets, and other objects in our solar system. Our solar system is moving with an average velocity of 450,000 miles per hour (720,000 kilometers per hour). But even at this speed, it takes about 230 million years for the Sun to make one complete trip around the Milky Way.

Video Credit: NASA, Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), Scientific Visualization Studio (SVS)

Duration: 20 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 6, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #SpaceWeather #Sun #Star #SolarMaximum #Earth #SolarFlares #CME #Ultraviolet #Plasma #MagneticField #Astrophysics #Heliophysics #Physics #Satellite #SDO #SolarSystem #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Meet the Perseverance Rover's Mars Sample "Pelican Point" | NASA/JPL

Meet the Perseverance Rover's Mars Sample "Pelican Point" | NASA/JPL

Meet the 22nd Martian sample collected by NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover—“Pelican Point,” the first sample taken from an area in Jezero Crater that has intrigued scientists since orbital images showed it to be rich in carbonate, a mineral linked to habitability. What formed this “Margin Unit”—ancient volcanoes, an ancient shore line, or something else? By answering that question, scientists can better understand the evolution of the Red Planet.

As of early December 2023, the Perseverance rover has collected and sealed 23 scientifically selected samples inside pristine tubes as part of the Mars Sample Return campaign. The next stage is to get them to Earth for study.

Considered one of the highest priorities by the scientists in the Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032, Mars Sample Return (MSR) would be the first mission to return samples from another planet and provides the best opportunity to reveal the early evolution of Mars, including the potential for ancient life. NASA is teaming with the European Space Agency (ESA) on this important endeavor.

A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, as well as be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).

Read about all the carefully selected samples: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-rock-samples

Learn more about the Mars Sample Return campaign: https://mars.nasa.gov/msr

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/JHU-APL/Purdue/USGS

Duration: 1 minute, 20 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 6, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #Mars2020 #PerseveranceRover #JezeroCrater #PelicanPoint #Sample22 #MarsSampleReturn #MSR #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Spiral Galaxy Messier 106: Wide View | Mayall Telescope

Spiral Galaxy Messier 106: Wide View | Mayall Telescope

This image of the spiral galaxy Messier 106, or NGC 4258, was taken with the 4-meter Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, a Program of the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab. A popular target for amateur astronomers, Messier 106 can also be spotted with a small telescope in the constellation Canes Venatici. This view captures the entire galaxy, detailing the glowing spiral arms, wisps of gas, and dust lanes at the center of Messier 106 as well as the leisurely twisting bands of stars at the galaxy’s outer edges. Two dwarf galaxies also appear in the image—NGC 4248 is to the lower right of Messier 106, and UGC 7358 is to the left of Messier 106.

Distance: over 20 million light-years

Image Credit:

KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

Acknowledgment: PI: M.T. Patterson (New Mexico State University)

Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), M. Zamani & D. de Martin

Release Date: March 16, 2021

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Galaxies #Galaxy #M106 #Messier106 #NGC4258 #SpiralGalaxy #BlackHoleJets #DwarfGalaxies #NGC4248 #UGC7358 #CanesVenatici #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #KittPeakNationalObservatory #KPNO #MayallTelescope #Arizona #NSF #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Unrivaled View of Spiral Galaxy Messier 106 | Mayall Telescope

Unrivaled View of Spiral Galaxy Messier 106 | Mayall Telescope

CosmoView Episode 24: This celestial snapshot captures the majesty of the spiral galaxy Messier 106, also known as NGC 4258. The image is arguably the best yet captured of the entire galaxy. Obtained using the 4-meter Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab, this image shows not only the glowing spiral arms, wisps of gas, and dust lanes at the core of the galaxy but also the leisurely twisting bands of stars at its outer edges.

Credits:

Images and Videos: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, M.T. Patterson (New Mexico State University)

Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: March 19, 2021

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Galaxies #Galaxy #M106 #Messier106 #NGC4258 #SpiralGalaxy #BlackHoleJets #DwarfGalaxies #NGC4248 #UGC7358 #CanesVenatici #Constellation #Universe #KittPeakNationalObservatory #KPNO #MayallTelescope #Arizona #NSF #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Spiral Galaxy Messier 106 | Mayall Telescope

Spiral Galaxy Messier 106 | Mayall Telescope

This image of the spiral galaxy Messier 106, or NGC 4258, was taken with the 4-meter Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab.

A popular target for amateur astronomers, Messier 106 can also be spotted with a small telescope in the constellation Canes Venatici. This view captures the entire galaxy, detailing the glowing spiral arms, wisps of gas, and dust lanes at the center of Messier 106 as well as the leisurely twisting bands of stars at the galaxy’s outer edges. Two dwarf galaxies also appear in the image—NGC 4248 in the lower right and UGC 7358 in the lower left.

Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

Acknowledgment: PI: M.T. Patterson (New Mexico State University)

Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), M. Zamani & D. de Martin

Release Date: March 16, 2021

Tuesday, December 05, 2023

Spiral Galaxy Messier 106: Fulldome View | Hubble

Spiral Galaxy Messier 106: Fulldome View | Hubble

Seen here in fulldome format, the central structure of spiral galaxy Messier 106 is observed in fantastic detail. Within the bright core, a supermassive black hole is believed to be voraciously feeding on a constant influx of gas from the surrounding galaxy, causing the accretion disc surrounding it to expel huge amounts of radiation.

Note: The full dome video display format is designed for projection systems in planetariums.

Video Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), and R. Gendler (for the Hubble Heritage Team). Acknowledgment: J. GaBany

Duration: 50 seconds

Release Date: Nov. 23, 2015

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Hubble #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #M106 #Messier106 #NGC4258 #SpiralGalaxy #BlackHoleJets #CanesVenatici #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #Art #Visualization #FullDome #HD #Video

The Anomalous Arms of Spiral Galaxy Messier 106 | Hubble

The Anomalous Arms of Spiral Galaxy Messier 106 | Hubble

This video rotates around an artist's impression of Messier 106 (M106), showing how the 'anomalous arms' of hot gas are structured. The jets powered by matter falling into the black hole at the center of the galaxy are inclined compared to the plane of the galaxy. These disrupt the gas within the galaxy's disc, heating it up and pushing it out of the plane of the galaxy, arching away from the jets. Hubble's image of M106 clearly shows the arching red gaseous arms, though the jets coming from the galaxy's center are not visible.

Video Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), L. Calçada

Duration: 26 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 17, 2016

Zoom on Spiral Galaxy Messier 106 in Canes Venatici | Hubble

Zoom on Spiral Galaxy Messier 106 in Canes Venatici | Hubble

This video zooms in on nearby spiral galaxy Messier 106. The sequence begins with a view of the night sky centered on M 106, with the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear) visible. It then zooms through observations from the Digitized Sky Survey 2, and ends with an image that combines data from Hubble with amateur observations by astrophotographers Robert Gendler and Jay GaBany. Gendler combined these images with high resolution Hubble data to produce this stunning image.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), Digitzed Sky Survey 2, R. Gendler, J. GaBany, G. Bacon

Duration: 39 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 17, 2016

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Hubble #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #M106 #Messier106 #NGC4258 #SpiralGalaxy #CanesVenatici #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #AmateurAstronomers #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Spiral Galaxy Messier 106 in Canes Venatici | Hubble

Spiral Galaxy Messier 106 in Canes Venatici | Hubble

This image combines Hubble Space Telescope observations of Messier 106 with additional information captured by amateur astronomers Robert Gendler and Jay GaBany. Gendler combined Hubble data with his own observations to produce this stunning color image.

Messier 106 is a relatively nearby spiral galaxy, a little over 20 million light-years away.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), and R. Gendler (for the Hubble Heritage Team). Acknowledgment: J. GaBany

Release Date: Feb. 5, 2013

New Expedition 70 Crew Photos | International Space Station

New Expedition 70 Crew Photos | International Space Station

European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen poses wearing a Santa Claus hat

NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli works on the BioFabrication Facility

NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara treats brain cell-like samples

NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli processes liver stem cell samples

O'Hara configures spacewalking tools

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa next to research hardware

Mogensen poses with a spacesuit

Furukawa removes hardware from Kibo's airlock

Expedition 70 Crew

Station Commander: Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency (Denmark)

Roscosmos (Russia): Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, Konstantin Borisov

JAXA: Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa (Japan)

NASA: Jasmin Moghbeli, Loral O'Hara (USA)

Follow Expedition 70 Updates:

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

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Dates: Oct. 27-Nov. 24, 2023

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronauts #LoralOHara #JasminMoghbeli #UnitedStates #AndreasMogensen #Denmark #Danmark #Europe #SatoshiFurukawa #JAXA #Japan #日本 #Cosmonauts #Russia #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition70 #STEM #Education

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Thursday, December 07, 2023

Wednesday, December 06, 2023

Tuesday, December 05, 2023