Friday, December 15, 2023

NASA Sparks Commercial Delivery Service to the Moon

NASA Sparks Commercial Delivery Service to the Moon

As NASA prepares to send humans back to the Moon, we will send science and technology instruments ahead of time to lay the foundation for a sustainable human presence. Through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS initiative, we are enabling American companies to send our science experiments and technologies to the lunar surface for us. This unique commercial delivery service is poised to change the way we work and perform science at the Moon, greatly expanding our capabilities for exploration. 


Learn more about this innovative approach: https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-lunar-payload-services/


Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 1 minute, 44 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 15, 2023


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Moon #CLPS #ArtemisProgram #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #CommercialSpace #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Sun Emits X2.8 Class Solar Flare | NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory

The Sun Emits X2.8 Class Solar Flare | NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory

The Sun emitted a strong X2.8 class solar flare (upper right side) on December 14, 2023, peaking at 12:02 p.m. EST. Solar flares are sudden explosions of energy in the Sun’s atmosphere that can release a large amount of radiation into space. 

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory watches the Sun constantly and captured images of the event.

Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.

This flare is classified as an X2.8 flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.

To see how such space weather may affect Earth, please visit: 

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center: https://spaceweather.gov

This is the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts. NASA works as a research arm of the nation’s space weather effort. NASA observes the Sun and our space environment constantly with a fleet of spacecraft that study everything from the Sun’s activity to the solar atmosphere, and to the particles and magnetic fields in the space surrounding Earth.


Credit: NASA Goddard (GSFC)/Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) images, the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams

Acknowledgement: SciNews

Duration: 1 minute, 33 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 15, 2023


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

Mars: New December 2023 Images | NASA Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars: New December 2023 Images | NASA Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars 2020 - sol 1000
Mars 2020 - sol 1000
Mars 2020 - sol 1000
MSL - sol 4033
MSL - sol 4033
MSL - sol 4035
MSL - sol 4035
Mars 2020 - sol 1000
  

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: Dec. 12-14, 2023

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

Cómo correr en microgravedad | NASA

Cómo correr en microgravedad | NASA

Durante las misiones espaciales, en especial aquellas de larga duración, hacer ejercicio ayuda a los astronautas a no perder masa ósea y muscular. El astronauta de la NASA Frank Rubio muestra cómo usar la cinta corredera a bordo de la Estación Espacial Internacional.

Mira el recorrido completo de la estación espacial: https://youtu.be/0JU4z-iLmGQ

Astronaut Frank Rubio’s Official NASA Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/frank-rubio/


Crédito: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 2 minutes, 32 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 15, 2023


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ISS #NASAenespañol #español #Microgravedad #Astronauts #Astronaut #FrankRubio #HumanSpaceflight #UAE #Russia #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #MicrogravityResearch #SpaceResearch #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #Expedition69 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's "Space to Ground": In The Holiday Spirit | Week of Dec. 15, 2023

NASA's "Space to Ground": In The Holiday Spirit | Week of  Dec. 15, 2023

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. A U.S. cargo spacecraft is poised to undock from the International Space Station and return to Earth as mission managers monitor weather conditions at the return splashdown zones. Meanwhile, the seven Expedition 70 residents turned their attention to a variety of health activities and lab maintenance activities.

NASA and SpaceX are postponing the Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, undocking of a SpaceX Dragon cargo resupply spacecraft from the International Space Station due to unfavorable weather conditions as a cold front passes through the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida.

Joint teams continue to evaluate weather conditions to determine the best opportunity for Dragon to autonomously undock from the space station with the next available opportunity no earlier than 5:05 p.m. EST Sunday, Dec. 17.

After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Florida.

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)

Duration: 2 minutes, 40 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 14, 2023


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

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Panning across Interacting Galaxy System Arp-Madore 2105-332 | Hubble

Panning across Interacting Galaxy System Arp-Madore 2105-332 | Hubble


This image features an interacting galaxy system known as Arp-Madore 2105-332, that lies about 200 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Microscopium. This system belongs to the Arp-Madore catalogue of peculiar galaxies. The wonderful quality of this image also reveals several further galaxies, not associated with this system but fortuitously positioned in such a way that they appear to be forming a line that approaches the leftmost (in this image) component of Arp-Madore 2105-332. This is known individually as 2MASX J21080752-3314337. The rightmost galaxy, meanwhile, is known as 2MASX J21080362-3313196. These hefty names do not lend themselves to easy memorization, but they do actually contain valuable information. They are coordinates in the right ascension and declination system used widely by astronomers to locate astronomical objects.

Both the galaxies are of a type known as emission-line galaxies. This simply means that, when observed with spectrometers, the spectra of both galaxies exhibit characteristic bright peaks, known as emission lines. This is distinct from, for example, absorption-line galaxies whose spectra contain distinct gaps, known as absorption lines. Emission lines are produced when gases are very hot, and therefore have sufficient energy that the atoms and molecules are ‘excited’ and emit light. In other words, emission-line galaxies are highly energetic places, marking them out as likely hotbeds of star formation.

As with many galaxy types, categorizing a galaxy as an emission-line galaxy does not exclude it from having other descriptions that refer to its other properties. Arp-Madore 2105-332, for example, is also a ‘peculiar’ galaxy, reflecting the atypical shapes of its two constituent galaxies.

Image Description: A pair of interacting galaxies, one smaller than the other. Each has a bright spot at the center and two loosely-wound spiral arms, with threads of dark dust following the arms. They appear as a broad, soft glow in which individual stars can’t be seen. A number of bright stars and smaller, background galaxies can also be seen — three such galaxies lie in a vertical line below the right-hand galaxy of the pair.


Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton

Acknowledgement: L. Shatz

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 14, 2023


#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Galaxies #ArpMadore2105332 #Galaxy #2MASXJ210807523314337 #2MASXJ210803623313196 #EmissionLineGalaxies #PeculiarGalaxies #Microscopium #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #STScI #GSFC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Case of the Missing Space Tomatoes | International Space Station

The Case of the Missing Space Tomatoes | International Space Station

Two rogue tomatoes have been recovered nearly a year after astronaut Frank Rubio accidentally lost track of them while harvesting for the XROOTS experiment, proving Rubio did not eat the tomatoes as they previously suspected. The rogue fruit was found in a plastic bag dehydrated and slightly squished with discoloration, but with no visible microbial or fungal growth.

XROOTS uses hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to grow plants without soil or other growth media. Current plant systems may not scale well in a space environment due to mass, maintenance, and sanitation issues. XROOT’s soil-less techniques could provide suitable solutions for plant systems needed for future space exploration missions.

Research aboard the space station is advancing the technology and scientific knowledge needed to successfully grow plants in space and help humans push the boundaries of space travel.


Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 2 minutes, 17 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 14, 2023


#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #Science #Astronaut #FrankRubio #XROOTS #Tomatoes #LongDurationMission #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition69 #SpaceExperiments #SpaceResearch #SpaceLaboratory #SpaceTechnology #JSC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center 2023 Highlights

NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center 2023 Highlights

NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) "explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery."

Named in honor of Neil A. Armstrong, a former research test pilot at the center and the first man to step on the moon, Armstrong is located in Edwards, California, in the western Mojave Desert. The center is uniquely situated to take advantage of year-round flying weather and 301,000 acres of remote area with varied topography to advance technology and science through flight.

Learn more about the Armstrong Flight Research Center: 

Credit: NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC)

Duration: 5 minutes

Release Date: Dec. 14, 2023


#NASA #Earth #Aerospace #Flight #Aviation #Aircraft #Engineering #CivilianResearch #AeronauticalResearch #FlightTests #LockheedMartin #Boeing #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #Moon #NeilArmstrong #AFRC #EdwardsAFB #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Big Astronomy: Full Length Planetarium Show | NOIRLab

Big Astronomy: Full Length Planetarium Show | NOIRLab

Big Astronomy, or Astronomía a Gran Escala, is a multifaceted research and outreach project, supported by several partners and funded by the National Science Foundation, that showcases the award-winning bilingual planetarium show Big Astronomy: People, Places, Discoveries. The planetarium show transports viewers to Chile where the dark skies and dry, remote setting create ideal conditions for observing the Universe. Against a backdrop of breathtaking visuals and a hypnotic soundtrack, Big Astronomy introduces the diverse people who push the limits of technology, enable scientific discovery and expand what we know about the Universe using state-of-the-art telescopes.


Credit: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Big Astronomy

Duration: 26 minutes

Release Date: Dec. 14, 2023


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #Constellations #Cosmos #Universe #NOIRLab #NSF #AURA #Telescopes #Chile #SouthAmercia #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Planetariums #HD #Video

NASA's Johnson Space Center: The Year 2023 in Review

NASA's Johnson Space Center: The Year 2023 in Review


Highlights of the year 2023 at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. 

Learn more about Johnson Space Center: 

The Johnson Space Center (JSC) was established in 1961 as the Manned Spacecraft Center, the home and Mission Control Center for the U.S. human space flight program. In 1973, it was renamed in honor of the late President, and Texas native, Lyndon B. Johnson.

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Duration: 3 minutes, 39 seconds
Release Date: Dec. 13, 2023


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #JWST #Earth #ISS #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #Mars #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #HumanSpaceflight #JSC #Houston #Texas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Deciphers Ancient History of Martian Lake | JPL

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Deciphers Ancient History of Martian Lake | JPL

This 360-degree mosaic from the “Airey Hill” location inside Jezero Crater was generated using 993 individual images taken by the Perseverance Mars rover’s Mastcam-Z from Nov. 3-6. The rover remained parked at Airey Hill for several weeks during solar conjunction.
This image of Mars’ Jezero Crater is overlaid with mineral data detected from orbit by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The green color represents carbonatesminerals that form in watery environments with conditions that might be favorable for preserving signs of ancient life. NASA’s Perseverance is currently exploring the green area above Jezero’s fan (center).

Now at 1,000 days on Mars, the mission has traversed an ancient river and lake system, collecting valuable samples along the way.

Marking its 1,000th Martian day on the Red Planet, NASA’s Perseverance rover recently completed its exploration of the ancient river delta that holds evidence of a lake that filled Jezero Crater billions of years ago. The six-wheeled scientist has to date collected a total of 23 samples, revealing the geologic history of this region of Mars in the process.

One sample called “Lefroy Bay” contains a large quantity of fine-grained silica, a material known to preserve ancient fossils on Earth. Another, “Otis Peak,” holds a significant amount of phosphate. This is often associated with life as we know it. Both of these samples are also rich in carbonate, which can preserve a record of the environmental conditions from when the rock was formed.

The discoveries were shared Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) fall meeting in San Francisco.

“We picked Jezero Crater as a landing site because orbital imagery showed a delta—clear evidence that a large lake once filled the crater. A lake is a potentially habitable environment, and delta rocks are a great environment for entombing signs of ancient life as fossils in the geologic record,” said Perseverance’s project scientist, Ken Farley of Caltech. “After thorough exploration, we’ve pieced together the crater’s geologic history, charting its lake and river phase from beginning to end.”

Jezero formed from an asteroid impact almost 4 billion years ago. After Perseverance landed in February 2021, the mission team discovered the crater floor is made of igneous rock formed from magma underground or from volcanic activity at the surface. They have since found sandstone and mudstone, signaling the arrival of the first river in the crater hundreds of millions of years later. Above these rocks are salt-rich mudstones, signaling the presence of a shallow lake experiencing evaporation. The team thinks the lake eventually grew as wide as 22 miles (35 kilometers) in diameter and as deep as 100 feet (30 meters).

Later, fast-flowing water carried in boulders from outside Jezero, distributing them atop of the delta and elsewhere in the crater.

“We were able to see a broad outline of these chapters in Jezero’s history in orbital images, but it required getting up close with Perseverance to really understand the timeline in detail,” said Libby Ives, a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California that manages the mission.

Enticing Samples

The samples Perseverance gathers are about as big as a piece of classroom chalk and are stored in special metal tubes as part of the Mars Sample Return campaign, a joint effort by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). Bringing the tubes to Earth would enable scientists to study the samples with powerful lab equipment too large to take to Mars.

To decide which samples to collect, Perseverance first uses an abrasion tool to wear away a patch of a prospective rock and then studies the rock’s chemistry using precision science instruments, including the JPL-built Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry, or PIXL.

At a target the team calls “Bills Bay,” PIXL spotted carbonates—minerals that form in watery environments with conditions that might be favorable for preserving organic molecules. (Organic molecules form by both geological and biological processes.) These rocks were also abundant with silica, a material that is excellent at preserving organic molecules, including those related to life.

“On Earth, this fine-grained silica is what you often find in a location that was once sandy,” said JPL’s Morgan Cable, the deputy principal investigator of PIXL. “It’s the kind of environment where, on Earth, the remains of ancient life could be preserved and found later.”

Perseverance’s instruments are capable of detecting both microscopic, fossil-like structures and chemical changes that may have been left by ancient microbes, but they have yet to see evidence for either.

At another target PIXL examined, called “Ouzel Falls,” the instrument detected the presence of iron associated with phosphate. Phosphate is a component of DNA and the cell membranes of all known terrestrial life and is part of a molecule that helps cells carry energy.

After assessing PIXL’s findings on each of these abrasion patches, the team sent up commands for the rover to collect rock cores close by: Lefroy Bay was collected next to Bills Bay, and Otis Peak at Ouzel Falls.

“We have ideal conditions for finding signs of ancient life where we find carbonates and phosphates, which point to a watery, habitable environment, as well as silica, which is great at preservation,” Cable said.

Perseverance’s work is, of course, far from done. The mission’s ongoing fourth science campaign will explore Jezero Crater’s margin, near the canyon entrance where a river once flooded the crater floor. Rich carbonate deposits have been spotted along the margin, which stands out in orbital images like a ring within a bathtub.

More About the Mission

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, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).

Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with the European Space Agency, would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.

JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.

For more about Perseverance:

mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/


Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Release Date: Dec. 12, 2023


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

Recientemente: Las primeras imágenes enviadas por nuestra nave espacial Psyche

Recientemente: Las primeras imágenes enviadas por nuestra nave espacial Psyche


FriendsofNASA.org: Recientemente en la NASA, la versión en español de las cápsulas This Week at NASA, te informa semanalmente de lo que está sucediendo en la NASA. 

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: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 2 minutes, 48 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 12, 2023


#NASA #Space #ISS #ISS25 #Earth #NASAenespañol #español #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #Science #Astronauts #Europe #JAXA #Canada #Japan #Cosmonauts #Russia #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition70 #History #PsycheMission #Asteroids #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Ax-3 Mission Overview | Axiom Space | International Space Station

Ax-3 Mission Overview | Axiom Space | International Space Station

Axiom Space held a virtual press conference with leaders from NASA and SpaceX, as well as leaders from the Italian Air Force, the Turkish Space Agency (TUA), and the European Space Agency (ESA) to provide a high-level review of mission operations and objectives to officially kick off major media efforts leading up to Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3).

Ax-3 will be the first all-European commercial astronaut mission to launch to the ISS—redefining the pathway to low-Earth orbit (LEO) and helping chart a course toward Axiom Station, the world’s first commercial space station.

As part of Ax-3, Türkiye is sending its first astronaut to space in a larger effort to expand the nation’s space exploration capabilities and establish a national human spaceflight program. Ax-3 will also be the first commercial spaceflight mission for an ESA-sponsored astronaut. For Italy, the Ax-3 mission represents a whole-of-country effort to expand its access to space for the purposes of research, development, and innovation. 

The Ax-3 crewmembers are Commander Michael López-Alegría of the U.S. and Spain, Pilot Walter Villadei of the Italian Air Force, and Mission Specialists Alper Gezeravcı of Türkiye and Marcus Wandt of Sweden and ESA. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Ax-3 crew aboard a Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) no earlier than January 2024 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"Axiom Space is guided by the vision of a thriving home in space that benefits every human, everywhere. The leader in providing space infrastructure as a service, Axiom offers end-to-end missions to the International Space Station today while privately developing its successor – a permanent commercial destination in Earth’s orbit that will sustain human growth off the planet and bring untold benefits back home."

More information about Axiom can be found at www.axiomspace.com

Video Credit: Axiom Space

Duration: 44 minutes

Release Date: Dec. 13, 2023


#NASA #Space #ISS #AxiomSpace #Ax3Mission #Ax3 #AX3Crew #Astronauts #MichaelLópezAlegría #WalterVilladei #AlperGezeravcı #MarcusWandt #SpaceX #CrewDragon #Falcon9Rocket #CommercialSpace #Science #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #ESA #Italy #Türkiye #Sweden #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA 2023: "Nothing is Beyond Our Reach"

NASA 2023: "Nothing is Beyond Our Reach"

"NASA’s mission is to explore the unknown in air and space, to innovate for the benefit of humanity, and to inspire the world through discovery." 

"NASA showed the world that anything is possible in 2023."

To learn more about the missions mentioned in this highlight video, take a deep dive into these links:

OSIRIS-REx: https://go.nasa.gov/41h1xWJ

James Webb Space Telescope: https://go.nasa.gov/3uY0u1V

Psyche: https://go.nasa.gov/3uVtcQZ

Nuclear Propulsion: https://go.nasa.gov/3uVtcQZ

International Partnerships: https://go.nasa.gov/47UUKV2 (PDF)

Earth Observations: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/

Earth Information Center: https://go.nasa.gov/3Rc1GG8

Sustainable Flight Demonstrator: https://go.nasa.gov/46WqY0Q

International Space Station 25 Years in Low Earth Orbit: https://youtu.be/zY2Zn1cKExY

Frank Rubio Record: https://go.nasa.gov/41nyGjI

International Science Missions: https://go.nasa.gov/3TgZ1he

First Woman Issue #2: https://www.nasa.gov/calliefirst/

NASA+: https://plus.nasa.gov/

Moon to Mars Architecture: https://go.nasa.gov/4ahH7Rl

Artemis III Spacesuit Prototype: https://go.nasa.gov/4719ArL

Space Launch System Hardware Production: https://go.nasa.gov/41hwYQM

RS-25 Tests: https://go.nasa.gov/3RkhF59

Engines Installed: https://go.nasa.gov/47ROoWI

Orion Production: https://go.nasa.gov/41jHxCK

Artemis II Crew Announced: https://go.nasa.gov/3Rc20EQ


Video Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: Dec. 12, 2023


#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #JWST #Earth #ISS #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #Mars #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #UnitedStates #Europe #International #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Pan of Star Cluster IC 348 in Perseus | Webb Telescope

Pan of Star Cluster IC 348 in Perseus | Webb Telescope

This image from the near-infrared camera (NIRCam) instrument on the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope shows the central portion of the star cluster IC 348. Astronomers combed the cluster in search of tiny, free-floating brown dwarfs: objects too small to be stars but larger than most planets. They found three brown dwarfs that are less than eight times the mass of Jupiter. The smallest weighs just three to four times as much as Jupiter, challenging theories for star formation.

The wispy curtains filling the image are interstellar material reflecting the light from the cluster’s stars—known as a reflection nebula. The material also includes carbon-containing molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. The bright star closest to the center of the frame is actually a pair of type B stars in a binary system, the most massive stars in the cluster. Winds from these stars may help sculpt the large loop seen on the right side of the field of view.


Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, and K. Luhman (Penn State University) and C. Alves de Oliveira (European Space Agency), N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 13, 2023


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #Starclusters #Starcluster #IC348 #BrownDwarfStars #ReflectionNebula #Perseus #Constellation #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #JWST #Infrared #SpaceTelescope #ESA #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #CSA #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Star Cluster IC 348: Three Brown Dwarf Stars Identified | Webb Telescope

Star Cluster IC 348: Three Brown Dwarf Stars Identified | Webb Telescope



These images from the near-infrared camera (NIRCam) instrument on the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope shows the central portion of the star cluster IC 348. Astronomers combed the cluster in search of tiny, free-floating brown dwarfs: objects too small to be stars but larger than most planets. They found three brown dwarfs that are less than eight times the mass of Jupiter. The smallest weighs just three to four times as much as Jupiter, challenging theories for star formation.

The wispy curtains filling the image are interstellar material reflecting the light from the cluster’s stars—what is known as a reflection nebula. The material also includes carbon-containing molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. The bright star closest to the center of the frame is actually a pair of type B stars in a binary system, the most massive stars in the cluster. Winds from these stars may help sculpt the large loop seen on the right side of the field of view.

Image 1 Description: Wispy hair-like filaments of pink-purple fill the middle of the image, curving left and right on either side of the center. On the right, the filaments form a dramatic loop that seems to extend toward the viewer. At lower left are additional yellowish filaments. Two prominent, bright stars near the center of the image show Webb’s eight-point diffraction spikes. Dozens of fainter stars are scattered across the image.

Image 2 Description: Image of a star cluster and nebula, with three image details pulled out in square boxes stacked vertically along the right. Main image is showing wispy pink-purple filaments and a scattering of stars. Each of the three boxes along the right corresponds to a small detail, numbered and circled, in the main image. Box 1 (top): A detail from the lower left of the main image shows a pair of small circular pinkish-white spots on a yellowish-brown background. Box 2 (middle): A detail from the middle of the lower part of the main image shows a single small circular pinkish spot on a yellowish-brown background. Box 3: A detail from the lower right edge of the main image shows a small circular pinkish spot on a dark brown background.


Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, and K. Luhman (Penn State University) and C. Alves de Oliveira (European Space Agency)

Release Date: Dec. 13, 2023


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #Starclusters #Starcluster #IC348 #BrownDwarfStars #ReflectionNebula #Perseus #Constellation #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #JWST #Infrared #SpaceTelescope #ESA #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #ESA #CSA #STEM #Education