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Venus, our planetary neighbor, is a hot, hellish unforgiving world and NASA has selected two bold new missions to study this inferno-like planet: DAVINCI+ and VERITAS. Are Venus and Earth fundamentally unique worlds? Or are the differences between these ‘twins’ only cosmetic? Answering this question is key to understanding what makes other rocky planets habitable and, ultimately, emerge with life.
Scheduled for launch in 2029, NASA’s Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry and Imaging (DAVINCI) Mission will bring a suite of instruments to Venus to address long standing questions about Earth’s sister planet. A number of scientists think Venus may once have been more Earth-like in the past, with oceans and pleasant surface temperatures—DAVINCI data will help us determine if this intriguing possibility is true. Clues to Venus’ mysterious past may be hidden in atmospheric gases or in surface rocks formed in association with ancient water in the planet’s mountainous highlands.
During two flybys, the DAVINCI carrier, relay, and imaging spacecraft will collect data on the planet’s day side of unknown compounds that absorb ultraviolet light in the Venus upper atmosphere with an instrument called the Compact Ultraviolet to Visible Imaging Spectrometer (CUVIS); on the planet’s night side, the Venus Imaging System for Observational Reconnaissance (VISOR) will sense heat from Venus’ surface emerging from beneath the clouds to help us better understand the composition of diverse geological highlands regions across Venus. VISOR will also study clouds on the Venus day side in the ultraviolet, producing cloud motion video.
Venus has a scorching surface hotter than your home oven, and a complex atmosphere 90 times thicker than Earth’s made mostly of carbon dioxide and with sulfuric acid clouds. Two years after launch, the DAVINCI descent sphere will by dropped by the carrier spacecraft into this extreme environment to provide new direct measurements of the Venus atmosphere, and to reveal a bird’s eye view of the surface below the clouds. The descent location, the Alpha Regio “tessera,” is a mountainous highland region whose rocks may hold clues to the planet’s mysterious past. The titanium sphere is designed to withstand the harsh conditions of the Venus environment while protecting the instruments nestled inside.
The Venus Tunable Laser Spectrometer (VTLS) will measure key gases that offer clues to the planet’s past, including compounds that may hint at the possible history of past water. The Venus Mass Spectrometer (VMS) will study the atmosphere in detail, including noble gases and trace gases from 67 km to the near surface. The Venus Atmospheric Structure Investigation (VASI) will measure pressure, temperature, and winds throughout the descent. Peering through a transparent sapphire window at the bottom of the descent sphere, the Venus Descent Imager (VenDI) will map the 3-D topography and composition of Alpha Regio, with topographic resolution at up to sub-meter scales. Lastly, a student collaboration experiment called the Venus Oxygen Fugacity experiment (VfOx) will be mounted to the probe to measure oxygen in the deep atmosphere. Together, this set of data will help rewrite the textbooks on Venus and may even help us better understand Venus-like planets in other solar systems.
DAVINCI is a partnership between NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Lockheed Martin in Denver, Colorado, with instruments from NASA Goddard, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Malin Space Science Systems, and key supporting hardware from Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and the University of Michigan.
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: Year in Review 2023
From our home planet to the farthest reaches of the universe, review top highlights over 2023 from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the agency’s scientific nerve center.
Download a PDF of Goddard’s 2023 year in review booklet at:
Goddard is NASA’s premiere space flight complex and home to the nation’s largest organization of scientists, engineers, and technologists who build spacecraft, instruments, and new technology to study Earth, the Sun, our solar system, and the universe.
Video Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Swarupa Nune (eMITS) [Lead] Writer, Producer
Michael Randazzo (Abacus Technology) [Lead] Video Editor
Wade Sisler (NASA/GSFC) Producer
Rob Andreoli (ROTHE ARES Joint Venture) Videographer
John D. Philyaw (Abacus Technology) Videographer
Claire Andreoli (NASA/GSFC) Project Support
Dan Gallager (Abacus Technology) Project Support
David Ladd (Abacus Technology) Project Support
Deanna Kekesi (NASA/GSFC) Project Support
James Garvin (NASA, Chief Scientist Goddard) Project Support
Jeremy Eggers (NASA/WFF) Project Support
Katie Jepson (KBR Wyle Services, LLC) Project Support
Lacey Young (ROTHE ARES Joint Venture) Project Support
Laura Betz (Telophase) Project Support
Michael McClare (ROTHE ARES Joint Venture) Project Support
Miranda Chabot (NASA Intern) Project Support
Nancy Neal-Jones (NASA/GSFC) Project Support
Paul Morris (ROTHE ARES Joint Venture) Project Support
Ryan Fitzgibbons (ROTHE ARES Joint Venture) Project Support
Scott Wiessinger (ROTHE ARES Joint Venture) Project Support
Haiti & The Dominican Republic | International Space Station
An astronaut aboard the International Space Station took this photograph of Hispaniola while in orbit over the Atlantic Ocean. Hispaniola is divided into two countries, Haiti to the west and the Dominican Republic to the east. The island is part of the Greater Antilles, a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea stretching from Cuba (out of frame to the right) to Puerto Rico (bottom-left of the image). In this view, north is toward the bottom-right.
The oblique angle of the photo reveals Earth’s upper troposphere and stratosphere, visible as the light-blue strip in the top-left corner of the image. Atmospheric phenomena, such as a plume of smoke over the north-central part of the island and various cloud types, also make an appearance.
Sunglint brightens virtually all water surfaces in this image, highlighting the island’s hydrography. Sunglint occurs when sunlight reflects from a water surface directly back to the observer, or in this case, the camera. The Artibonite and Yaque del Sur rivers are especially visible against the darker landscape as bright, thin lines. The calm waters of interior lakes, such as Lago Enriquillo and nearby Lake Azuéi, and coastal bays along the island’s south side appear bright white, as sunglint is stronger in places with calmer winds and smoother water surfaces.
Trails of clouds stream downwind from Gonâve Island, west of Hispaniola, and the Tiburon Peninsula farther to the southwest. Such clouds likely form when warm, less-dense air near the ground rises and condenses. Clouds can also be caused by the orographic effect, which occurs when mountains act as a natural barrier that prevents the passage of air masses. Mountains force the air to rise and cool, triggering water vapor to condense into clouds on the windward side of a mountain while leaving the leeward side drier. This effect is evident along the Cordillera Central, where clouds have formed on the east side of the mountain range (windward) and mostly clear skies prevail on the west side (leeward).
Astronaut photograph ISS068-E-36387 was acquired on January 2, 2023, with a Nikon D5 digital camera using a focal length of 50 millimeters.
Image Credit: ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit at Johnson Space Center
Shenzhou-17 Crew Celebrates Spring Festival | China Space Station
Astronauts aboard China's Space Station may not have been able to join the millions of Chinese in journeying back to their hometown for the Spring Festival this year but they did throw their very own Chinese New Year's party in-orbit high above the Earth. They enjoyed a traditional New Year's Eve dinner with snacks sent from ground control.
The Spring Festival, centered around the Chinese New Year, is the most important annual festival in China. The Shenzhou-17 crew on duty in outer space held a unique celebration as they hung up festive decorations inside the Tiangong Space Station and extended New Year wishes to those back on the ground.
On the New Year's Eve on Friday, Chinese astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, and Jiang Xinlin put on auspicious suits with the lucky color red and hung up New Year paintings, stuck up signs with the Chinese character "fu", meaning fortune, and pasted Spring Festival couplets on the walls of the station's Tianhe core module, the Wentian experimental module, and the Mengtian experimental module, creating a strong festive vibe.
The three crew members also extended their blessings to the ground control team via video call.
Even up in space, the trio were still able to enjoy the traditional New Year's Eve dinner as the ground control team had sent them festive food such as dumplings, osmanthus cheese rice cakes, and several other favorite snacks.
"Hanging up Spring Festival couplets, watching the Spring Festival Gala, and staying up late on New Year's Eve together are the happiest moments of the year for us," said astronaut Tang Shengjie.
"Celebrating the Lunar New Year on the space station is truly extraordinary and holds significant meaning for us," added his crew-mate Jiang.
This marks the third time that Chinese astronauts have celebrated the Spring Festival in their own "space home," following the Shenzhou-13 and Shenzhou-15 missions of the previous two years.
During the first three days of the Spring Festival holiday, the astronauts are being permitted to carry out some of their own arrangements, including video chatting with relatives, friends and colleagues, and enjoying some entertainment activities. After this well-earned break, the three astronauts will then proceed with their planned program objectives.
"After having been in orbit for more than 100 days, the entire astronaut crew is in very good working condition, physical and mental condition, and are in good health. They will resume work on the fourth day of the Chinese New Year and make a lot of preparations in advance for the following extravehicular missions and some on-orbit experiments," said Wang Chunhui, deputy chief designer of astronaut system, China Astronaut Research and Training Center.
The Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship was launched on Oct. 26 last year, sending the three crew members into orbit to carry out a six-month mission aboard the Tiangong space station.
El fascinante desafío de observar en persona | NOIRLab
Cosmoview Episodio 75: Los observatorios de clase mundial de NOIRLab de NSF: el Observatorio Cerro Tololo, el Observatorio Nacional Kitt Peak, el Observatorio Internacional Gemini y el Observatorio Vera C. Rubin, están construidos en algunos de los lugares más altos y secos del planeta, a menudo alejados de las principales áreas pobladas. Trasladarse y trabajar en ellos presenta algunos desafíos, pero también ofrece a los astrónomos y astrónomas la oportunidad de descubrir entornos únicos y remotos.
Video Credit:
Images and Videos: International Gemini Observatory/CTIO/KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/DOE/FNAL/DECam/T. Matsopoulos/R. Hahn/T. Slovinský/N. Bartmann
The Challenges & Charms of In-Person Observing | NOIRLab
Cosmoview Episode 75: The National Science Foundation NOIRLab’s world-class observatories—Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Kitt Peak National Observatory, the International Gemini Observatory, and Vera C. Rubin Observatory—were built at locations among the highest and driest locations on Earth, often situated far from major inhabited areas. This means that getting to and working on-site presents special challenges. However, it also provides astronomers with the opportunity to discover out-of-the-way and unique environments.
Credit:
Images and Videos: International Gemini Observatory/CTIO/KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/DOE/FNAL/DECam/T. Matsopoulos/R. Hahn/T. Slovinský/N. Bartmann
Spacecraft & Robots at Sunset | International Space Station
The last rays of an orbital sunset illuminate Earth's atmosphere in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 259 miles above Central America. In the foreground from left are, Northrop Grumman's Cygnus resupply ship, with its prominent cymbal-shaped UltraFlex solar arrays, and the Soyuz MS-24 crew spacecraft.
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)
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.
Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch of NASA PACE Earth Science Mission | Cape Canaveral
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission to a sun-synchronous orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral in Florida, on February 8, 2024, at 06:33 UTC (01:33 EST). Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage landed on Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral. Falcon 9’s first stage (B1081) previously supported Crew-7, CRS-29 and a SpaceX Starlink mission.
PACE is NASA’s newest earth-observing satellite that will help increase our understanding of Earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and climate by delivering hyperspectral observations of microscopic marine organisms called phytoplankton as well new data on clouds and aerosols.
Studying the Health of Earth's Oceans & Climate | This Week @NASA
Week of February 9, 2024: Studying the health of our Earth's oceans and climate, a private astronaut crew heads home from the International Space Station, and mission milestones for NASA's Lucy spacecraft . . . a few of the stories to tell you about—This Week at NASA!
Video Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Shenzhou-17 Crew Reflects on Meaning of Spring Festival to The Chinese People
China's Shenzhou-17 mission crew extended best wishes to Chinese people around the world at the Tiangong Space Station as the Chinese New Year approaches. To celebrate the Chinese New Year, the mission crew wrote Spring Festival couplets, tasted dumplings, and appreciated the panoramic view of the motherland while completing various scientific tasks.
"The whole country celebrates as the Year of the Dragon approaches, and families reunite as spring draws near. The motherland at such moment is really beautiful. This joy and peace is the most precious happiness in our eyes and the warmth that we miss most in our hearts. Although we are far away from our motherland, family and relatives, we have received all the Spring Festival greetings you sent us. We will have a fulfilling and happy Chinese New Year in space," said taikonaut Tang Hongbo.
"At the in-orbit Tiangong space station, we are missing our motherland and our family. Spending the Chinese New Year in space for the first time is a rare life experience. At this moment of family reunion, I miss the rivers and mountains of the motherland and the relatives in my hometown. The twinkling lights of a myriad families at this moment light up the Chinese people's yearning for a better life, but also ignited the enthusiasm of people like us who still stick to their posts," said taikonaut Tang Shengjie.
"On the occasion of the 2024 Chinese New Year, at China's space station that is nearly 400 kilometers away from earth, we wish our great motherland vitality and prosperity, we wish the people of all ethnic groups good luck and good health in the Year of the Dragon," said taikonaut Jiang Xinlin.
"In the new year, let us be full of energy and work together to build and develop our motherland well. The Shenzhou-17 mission crew, from China's space station, wish you all a happy Chinese New Year," said the three crew members.
The Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, falls on Feb. 10 this year, marking the arrival of the Year of the Dragon, and is China's most important festival for family reunions.
The Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship was launched into space on Oct. 26 last year, sending three taikonauts of Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin to the Tiangong space station for a six-month mission.
The taikonauts have been stationed at the space station for half of their six-month space mission since the end of October 2023. They completed the crew rotation with the Shenzhou-16 astronauts and have conducted tasks, including space station maintenance, life and health support, spacesuit inspection and testing, a Tianzhou-6 cargo ship equipment inspection and preparation for upcoming spacewalks, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
Shenzhou-17 is the sixth crew of three astronauts on a mission to the China Space Station. Shenzhou-17 is also the twelfth crewed and seventeenth flight overall of China's Shenzhou spaceflight program. Shenzhou-17 also features the youngest crew of any Chinese space mission to date.
China's Shenzhou-17 Crew: Happy New Year Greetings! | China Space Station
China's Shenzhou-17 mission crew extended their best wishes to Chinese people around the world from the China Space Station.
While celebrating the Lunar New Year, Chinese astronauts are at work conducting experiments on China's Tiangong Space Station (CSS). The national celebrations last up to 16 days in China, but only the first 7 days are considered a public holiday (February 10th–February 16th, 2024). The Shenzhou-17 crew aboard China's Tiangong Space Station has been conducting a series of scientific experiments and technology verification objectives, as well as additional extravehicular activities and payload missions.
The taikonauts have been stationed at the space station for half of their six-month space mission since the end of October 2023. They completed the crew rotation with the Shenzhou-16 astronauts and have conducted tasks, including space station maintenance, life and health support, spacesuit inspection and testing, a Tianzhou-6 cargo ship equipment inspection and preparation for upcoming spacewalks, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
Shenzhou-17 is the sixth crew of three astronauts on a mission to the China Space Station. Shenzhou-17 is also the twelfth crewed and seventeenth flight overall of China's Shenzhou spaceflight program. Shenzhou-17 also features the youngest crew of any Chinese space mission to date.
Shenzhou-17 (神舟十七) Crew:
Hongbo Tang (汤洪波) - Commander
Shengjie Tang (唐胜杰) - Mission Specialist
Xinlin Jiang (江新林) - Mission Specialist
Video Credit: China Global Television Network (CGTN)
Expedition 70 & Ax-3 Crews Plus Cygnus Capture | International Space Station
Expedition 70 Flight Engineers (from left) Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O'Hara, both NASA astronauts, are pictured inside the cupola with Northrop Grumman's Cygnus resupply ship outside in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm.
Members of the Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) and Expedition 70 crews join each other for movie night inside the International Space Station's Harmony module. From left are, Ax-3 Pilot Walter Villadei; Ax-3 Commander Michael López-Alegría; Expedition 70 Flight Engineers Loral O'Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli, both from NASA; and Ax-3 Mission Specialists Marcus Wandt and Alper Gezeravcı.
From left are, Ax-3 Mission Specialist Alper Gezeravcı; Ax-3 Pilot Walter Villadei; Ax-3 Commander Michael López-Alegría; Expedition 70 Flight Engineer Loral O'Hara from NASA; Ax-3 Mission Specialist Marcus Wandt; and Expedition 70 Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency); partially obscured at top right is, Expedition 70 Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency).
European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut and Expedition 70 Commander Andreas Mogensen shows off a pair of cube-shaped Astrobee robotic free flyers inside the International Space Station's Kibo laboratory module. The autonomous robots are powered by fans and vision-based navigation and are demonstrating their ability to assist astronauts with routine chores and provide remote monitoring abilities for mission controllers on the ground.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 70 Flight Engineer Loral O'Hara wears personal protective equipment during scieintific maintenance duties aboard the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut and Expedition 70 Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa processes cell samples inside a Kubik incubator for the Immune Cell Activation biotechnology experiment. The study is investigating ways to develop novel therapeutic tools to target central nervous system diseases and cutaneous cancers such as melanoma.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 70 Flght Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli works inside the Life Science Glovebox for the Microgravity Associated Bone Loss-A investigation. She was processing bone cell samples obtained from human donors on Earth and exploring space-caused bone loss. Results may help doctors learn how to protect and treat astronauts on long-term missions and inform treatments for bone conditions on Earth.
Northrop Grumman's Cygnus resupply ship is pictured attached to the International Space Station shortly after the Canadarm2 robotic arm grappled and installed it to the Unity module's Earth-facing port.
The International Space Station has returned to its standard configuration of seven Expedition 70 crew members conducting advanced microgravity research and orbital lab maintenance. The four Axiom Mission 3 guests ended their stay at the orbital outpost on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, and returned to Earth on Friday, Feb. 9th.
The crew of the “Freedom” Crew Dragon spacecraft for Axiom Space’s Ax-3 mission to the International Space Station included commander Michael López-Alegría (United States-Spain), pilot Walter Villadei (Italy), mission specialist Alper Gezeravcı (Türkiye) and European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Marcus Wandt (Sweden).
The Ax-3 astronauts completed 18 days aboard the orbiting laboratory at the conclusion of their mission. The SpaceX Dragon returned to Earth with more than 550 pounds of science and supplies, including NASA experiments and hardware.
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)
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.
Ax-3 Crew Dragon Recovery Operations and Astronauts Egress | Axiom Space
Ax-3 SpaceX Crew Dragon Spacecraft on recovery boat Shannon
Ax-3 Pilot Walter Villadei (Italy)
Ax-3 Mission Specialist European Space Agency (ESA) Project Astronaut Marcus Wandt (Sweden)
Ax-3 Mission Specialist Alper Gezeravcı (Türkiye)
Ax-3 Mission SpaceX Crew Dragon Spacecraft
SpaceX recovery boat Shannon approaches the AX-3 Crew Dragon spacecraft after it safely splashed down off the coast of Florida
Splashdown of AX-3 Crew Dragon spacecraft: "Welcome Back to Earth!"
The crew of Axiom Space’s Ax-3 mission to the International Space Station, commander Michael López-Alegría (United States-Spain), pilot Walter Villadei (Italy), mission specialist Alper Gezeravcı (Türkiye) and European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Marcus Wandt (Sweden), was successfully recovered from SpaceX’s “Freedom” Crew Dragon spacecraft.
SpaceX’s “Freedom” Crew Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the coast of Florida, on February 9, 2024, at 13:30 UTC (8:30am EST).
The Ax-3 astronauts completed 18 days aboard the orbiting laboratory at the conclusion of their mission. The SpaceX Crew Dragon returned to Earth with more than 550 pounds of science and supplies, including NASA experiments and hardware.
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.
Ax-3 Crew Dragon Recovery Operations and Astronauts Egress | Axiom Space
The crew of Axiom Space’s Ax-3 mission to the International Space Station, commander Michael López-Alegría (United States-Spain), pilot Walter Villadei (Italy), mission specialist Alper Gezeravcı (Türkiye) and European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Marcus Wandt (Sweden), was successfully recovered from SpaceX’s “Freedom” Crew Dragon spacecraft.
SpaceX’s “Freedom” Crew Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the coast of Florida, on February 9, 2024, at 13:30 UTC (8:30am EST).
The Ax-3 astronauts completed 18 days aboard the orbiting laboratory at the conclusion of their mission. The SpaceX Crew Dragon returned to Earth with more than 550 pounds of science and supplies, including NASA experiments and hardware.
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
NASA's Space to Ground: Homeward Bound | Week of Feb. 9, 2024
NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. The International Space Station has returned to its standard configuration of seven Expedition 70 crew members conducting advanced microgravity research and orbital lab maintenance. The four Axiom Mission 3 guests ended their stay at the orbital outpost on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, and returned to Earth on Friday, Feb. 9th.
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)
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.
Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
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