Planet Mars: View of Wilkerson Butte | NASA Mars Curiosity Rover | JPL

Planet Mars: View of Wilkerson Butte | NASA Mars Curiosity Rover | JPL

MSL - sol 4096

This butte on Mars, called "Wilkerson," is located across the Gediz Valley Ridge. It was captured by NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover on sol 4096. In geomorphology, a butte is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word butte comes from the French word butte, meaning knoll (but of any size); its use is prevalent in the Western United States, including the southwest where mesa (Spanish for "table") is used for the larger landform. Due to their distinctive shapes, buttes are frequently landmarks in plains and mountainous areas. To differentiate the two landforms, geographers use the rule of thumb that a mesa has a top that is wider than its height, while a butte has a top that is narrower than its height. [Source: Wikipedia]

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Celebrating 11+ Years on Mars (2012-2024)

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

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 Date: Feb. 21, 2024

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

Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket: Preparing for NASA Artemis Moon Missions

Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket: Preparing for NASA Artemis Moon Missions

Blue Origin's New Glenn vehicle successfully rolled out and upended today for the first time on the pad at Launch Complex 36 (LC-36) in Cape Canaveral, Florida. This milestone represents the first view of the advanced heavy-lift vehicle. It will support a multitude of customer missions and Blue Origin programs, including returning to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program. 

Everything on the pad is New Glenn hardware. The upending is one in a series of major manufacturing and integrated test milestones in preparation for New Glenn’s first launch later this year. The test campaign enables Blue Origin teams to practice, validate, and increase proficiency in vehicle integration, transport, ground support, and launch operations. These tests do not require engines that are now hotfiring at the historic 4670 Test Stand in Huntsville, Alabama, and at Launch Site One in West Texas.

The journey to the pad began in December 2023 when New Glenn’s first-stage modules were transported from Blue Origin's factory to the Integration Facility nine miles away. The tests will conclude in the coming weeks following several demonstrations of cryogenic fluid loading, pressure control, and the vehicle’s venting systems. Blue Origin's launch pad and ground systems are complete and will be activated for the first time during the test campaign. 

New Glenn is named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth. The rocket stands more than 320 feet (98 meters) high—roughly the height of a 30-story building—and features a seven-meter payload fairing, enabling twice the volume of standard five-meter class commercial launch systems. The fairing is large enough to hold three school buses. Its reusable first stage aims for a minimum of 25 missions and will land on a sea-based platform located roughly 620 miles (1,000 km) downrange. Reusability is integral to radically reducing cost-per-launch. 

The vehicle is powered by seven of Blue Origin’s BE-4 engines, the most powerful liquid oxygen (LOX)/liquefied natural gas (LNG) engine developed since Saturn V’s F1 engines. LNG is cleaner-burning and higher-performing than kerosene-based fuels. 

Blue Origin has several New Glenn vehicles in production and a full customer manifest. Customers include NASA, Project Kuiper, Telesat, and Eutelsat, among others. 

Learn more: https://www.blueorigin.com/new-shepard

Image Credit: Blue Origin

Release Date: Feb. 21, 2024

#NASA #Space #BlueOrigin #NewShepard #NewShepardRocket #CommercialSpace #Moon #ArtemisProgram #LunarExploration #Science #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #HumanSpaceflight #LC36 #CapeCanaveral #Florida #UnitedStates #Astronaut #JohnGlenn #History #STEM #Education

How Fieldwork in the Amazon is Supporting NASA Climate Science | JPL

How Fieldwork in the Amazon is Supporting NASA Climate Science | JPL

A joint U.S.-India satellite mission called NISAR—the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission—will soon set out with new tools to better understand climate change. As a way to validate the satellite’s global, space-based observations, NASA scientists went to the Peruvian Amazon to install a network of sensors that will help calibrate measurements from the NISAR spacecraft.

Why the Amazon? In tropical wetlands, changes in seasonal flooding cycles can lead to increased production of greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide. 

The Amazon rainforest, also called Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This region includes territory belonging to nine nations and formally acknowledged indigenous territories.

A collaboration between NASA and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), NISAR will use a sophisticated radar system to track wetland inundation and other changes to Earth’s surface. The satellite is expected to launch in early 2024 from ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India.

For more information on the NISAR mission, visit: https://nisar.jpl.nasa.gov/

Credits: Video production and NISAR animations: NASA/JPL-Caltech; Methane animations: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio; Amazon field work footage courtesy of A. Pruna

Duration: 2 minutes, 16 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 21, 2024

#NASA #ISRO #Space #Planet #Earth #Science #NISAR #Satellite #Amazon #SyntheticApertureRadar #SAR #EarthObservation #Land #Ice #Climate #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #India #BhāratGaṇarājya #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

IM-1 Robotic Moon Landing Mission Flight Plan (Animation) | Intuitive Machines

IM-1 Robotic Moon Landing Mission Flight Plan (Animation) | Intuitive Machines

Intuitive Machines Chief Technology Officer, Tim Crain Ph.D., covers the overall flightpath of the IM-1 Mission. The IM-1 Mission Nova-C Moon Lander, named "Odysseus", is targeted to touch down at the lunar South Pole at 5:30pm ET (2230 UTC) Feb. 22, 2024. The lander continues to be in excellent health.

All powered NASA science instruments on board have completed their transit checkouts, received data, and are operating as expected, including: LN-1 (Lunar Node 1 Navigation Demonstrator), NDL (Navigation Doppler Lidar for Precise Velocity and Range Sensing), RFMG (Radio Frequency Mass Gauge), ROLSES (Radio-wave Observations at the Lunar Surface of the Photoelectron Sheath), SCALPSS (Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies). Since the LRA (Laser Retroreflector Array) instrument is a passive experiment designed for the lunar surface, it cannot conduct any operations in transit. 

Follow IM-1 Mission Updates: 

https://www.intuitivemachines.com/im-1

If all goes well, IM-1 will become the first American spacecraft to set down softly on the Moon’s surface since the NASA Apollo 17 moon landing in 1972.

China's Chang'e 3 Mission, the first Chinese landing on the Moon in 2013, was the first spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976.

In 2023, after the Chandrayaan-3 Lander successfully soft-landed on the Moon, India became the fourth country, after the United States, Russia and China, to accomplish this.

NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative allows NASA to send science investigations and technology demonstrations to the lunar surface. Under Artemis, NASA will study more of the Moon than ever before, and CLPS will demonstrate how NASA is working with commercial companies to achieve robotic lunar exploration.

Learn more about CLPS:

https://www.nasa.gov/content/commercial-lunar-payload-services

Image Credit: Intuitive Machines

Duration: 3 minutes 

Release Date: Feb. 21, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Moon #ArtemisProgram #IntuitiveMachines #IM1Mission #IM1Spacecraft #NovaCLander #CommercialSpace #CLPS #SpaceTechnology #MSFC #GSFC #UnitedStates #History #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

IM-1 Robotic Moon Mission Pre-Landing Update | Intuitive Machines

IM-1 Robotic Moon Mission Pre-Landing Update | Intuitive Machines

IM-1 Mission Nova-C Moon robotic lander, named "Odysseus", after lunar orbit insertion.

IM-1 Mission Nova-C Moon Lander Flight Plan for Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024

IM-1 Mission Nova-C Moon Lander Odysseus’ Terrain Relative Navigation camera captured this image of the Bel’kovich K crater in the Moon’s northern equatorial highlands on Feb. 21, 2024. It is an approximate 50 km diameter crater with mountains in the center, made when the crater was formed.

The IM-1 Mission Nova-C Moon Lander, named "Odysseus", is targeted to touch down at the lunar South Pole at 5:30pm ET (2230 UTC) Feb. 22, 2024. The lander continues to be in excellent health.

All powered NASA science instruments on board have completed their transit checkouts, received data, and are operating as expected, including: LN-1 (Lunar Node 1 Navigation Demonstrator), NDL (Navigation Doppler Lidar for Precise Velocity and Range Sensing), RFMG (Radio Frequency Mass Gauge), ROLSES (Radio-wave Observations at the Lunar Surface of the Photoelectron Sheath), SCALPSS (Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies). Since the LRA (Laser Retroreflector Array) instrument is a passive experiment designed for the lunar surface, it cannot conduct any operations in transit. 

Follow IM-1 Mission Updates: 

https://www.intuitivemachines.com/im-1

If all goes well, IM-1 will become the first American spacecraft to set down softly on the Moon’s surface since the NASA Apollo 17 moon landing in 1972.

China's Chang'e 3 Mission, the first Chinese landing on the Moon in 2013, was the first spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976.

In 2023, after the Chandrayaan-3 Lander successfully soft-landed on the Moon, India became the fourth country, after the United States, Russia and China, to accomplish this.

NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative allows NASA to send science investigations and technology demonstrations to the lunar surface. Under Artemis, NASA will study more of the Moon than ever before, and CLPS will demonstrate how NASA is working with commercial companies to achieve robotic lunar exploration.

Learn more about CLPS:

https://www.nasa.gov/content/commercial-lunar-payload-services

Image Credit: Intuitive Machines

Release Date: Feb. 21, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Moon #ArtemisProgram #IntuitiveMachines #IM1Mission #IM1Spacecraft #NovaCLander #CommercialSpace #CLPS #SpaceTechnology #MSFC #GSFC #UnitedStates #History #STEM #Education

NASA's "Espacio a Tierra" | La vuelta de campana: 16 de febrero de 2024

NASA's "Espacio a Tierra" | La vuelta de campana: 16 de febrero de 2024

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.

Aprende más sobre la ciencia a bordo de la estación espacial:

https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-research-and-technology/ciencia-en-la-estacion/

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: 4 minutes, 19 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 21, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #NASAenespañol #español #Astronauts #LoralOHara #JasminMoghbeli #UnitedStates #AndreasMogensen #Denmark #Europe #ESA #SatoshiFurukawa #JAXA #Japan #日本 #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition70 #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8: Falcon-9 Rocket Launch Prep | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8: Falcon-9 Rocket Launch Prep | Kennedy Space Center

Crew-8 Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps (NASA)

Crew-8 Commander Matthew Dominick (NASA)

Crew-8 Mission Specialist Alexander Grebenkin of Roscosmos (Russia)

Crew-8 Pilot Michael Barratt (NASA)

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission at SpaceX’s hangar at NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Official NASA-SpaceX Crew-8 portrait with Roscosmos cosmonaut and Mission Specialist Aleksandr Grebenkin of Russia, and Pilot Michael Barratt, Commander Matthew Dominick, and Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps—all three NASA astronauts

NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 Mission Insignia

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission arrives at SpaceX’s hangar at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024, after a short journey from a nearby processing facility at Cape Canaveral. NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin are slated to launch to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, powered by the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A no earlier than 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Learn more about the SpaceX Crew-8 Mission:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/nasas-spacex-crew-8/ 

    

NASA Astronaut Jeanette Epps Official Biography:

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

NASA Astronaut Matthew Dominick Official Biography

https://www.nasa.gov/people/matthew-dominick

NASA Astronaut Michael Barratt Official Biography

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

Alexander Grebenkin graduated from Irkutsk High Military Aviation School, Irkutsk, Russia, majoring in engineering, maintenance, and repair of aircraft radio navigation systems. He graduated from Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics with a degree in radio communications, broadcasting, and television.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program works with the American aerospace industry to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the orbital outpost on American-made rockets and spacecraft launching from American soil.

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: SpaceX

Image Dates: Nov. 16, 2023-Feb. 19, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #SpaceX #SpaceXCrew8 #CrewDragonSpacecraft #Earth #Astronauts #MatthewDominick #MichaelBarratt #JeanetteEpps #Cosmonaut #AleksandrGrebenkin #LongDurationMission #HumanSpaceflight #KSC #UnitedStates #Russia #Россия #Роскосмос #Expedition70 #Expedition71 #STEM #Education

What Does a Warming Arctic Mean for the Future? | European Space Agency

What Does a Warming Arctic Mean for the Future? | European Space Agency

The Arctic is experiencing disproportionately higher temperature increases compared to the rest of the planet, triggering a series of cascading effects. This rapid warming has profound implications for global climate patterns, human populations and wildlife. 

The Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer mission (CIMR) will provide measurements to decision makers with evidence of change and impact in the polar regions—with a focus on the Arctic. 

The mission has the largest radiometer developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and will provide high-resolution measurements related to sea ice, the ocean, snow and ice-sheet surfaces. This will be crucial in understanding the evolution of the climate in the polar region.

CIMR is one of six Copernicus Sentinel Expansion missions that ESA is developing on behalf of the EU. The missions will expand the current capabilities of the Copernicus Space Component—"the world’s biggest supplier of Earth observation data."

This video features interviews with Craig Donlon, CIMR Mission Scientist, Rolv Midthassel, CIMR Payload Manager, Claudio Galeazzi, CIMR Project Manager, Mariel Triggianese, CIMR Satellite Engineering and AIV Manager, and Marcello Sallusti, CIMR System Performance and Operations Manager.

In the meantime, Craig has changed his role but will retain his position as Mission Scientist.

Video Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Duration: 12 minutes, 35 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 15, 2024

#NASA #Planet #Earth #Science #Space #Satellite #CIMR #Radiometer #ESA #Europe #Oceans #NorthPole #ArcticOcean #Arctic #Climate #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #Environment #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #CopernicusProgramme #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Star Clusters: Stellar Beads on a String | NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

Star Clusters: Stellar Beads on a String | NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

Astronomers have discovered one of the most powerful eruptions from a black hole ever recorded. This mega-explosion billions of years ago may help explain the formation of a striking pattern of star clusters around two massive galaxies, resembling ‘beads on a string.’

This discovery was made in the system known as SDSS J1531, which is located 3.8 billion light-years from Earth. Researchers used several telescopes for this study, including NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Low Frequency Array, or LOFAR, which is a network of radio telescopes in Europe.

SDSS J1531 is a massive galaxy cluster containing hundreds of individual galaxies and huge reservoirs of hot gas and dark matter. In the heart of SDSS J1531, two of the cluster’s largest galaxies are colliding with each other. Surrounding these merging giants is a set of 19 large clusters of stars, called superclusters, arranged in an ‘S’ formation that resembles beads on a string.

A team of astronomers used X-ray, radio and optical data to unravel how this unusual chain of star clusters probably formed. The discovery of evidence for an ancient, titanic eruption in SDSS 1531 provided a vital clue. The eruption likely occurred when the supermassive black hole in the center of one of the large galaxies produced an extremely powerful jet. As the jet moved through space, it pushed the surrounding hot gas away from the black hole, creating a gigantic cavity.

The Chandra data revealed wing-like shaped X-ray emission tracing dense gas near the center of SDSS J1531. These wings are the edge of the cavity and the less dense gas in between is part of the cavity. LOFAR shows radio waves from the remains of the jet’s energetic particles filling in the giant cavity. Together, these data provide compelling signs of an ancient, massive explosion.

How did this giant eruption lead to the unusual pattern of 19 star clusters? The astronomers also found cold and warm gas located near the opening of the cavity using the Atacama Large Millimeter and submillimeter Array, ALMA, and the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii. They argue that some of the hot gas pushed away from the black hole eventually cooled to form the cold and warm gas seen in the data.

The team thinks tidal effects from the two merging galaxies compressed this gas along curved paths, leading to the star clusters forming in the “beads on a string” pattern. Scientists have witnessed black holes doing many things over the years, but making a string of star clusters may be a first.

Credit: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

Duration: 3 minutes, 28 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 21, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #BlackHoles #Stars #StarClusters #GalaxyClusters #SDSSJ1531 #CoronaBorealis #Constellation #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #NASAChandra #ChandraObservatory #SpaceTelescope #Xray #MSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Charles Bolden Jr: "Space Exploration Should Not Be Politicized" | TRT World

Charles Bolden Jr: "Space Exploration Should Not Be Politicized" | TRT World

The InnerView travels to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, where Imran Garda reconnects with astronaut and former NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Jr. 

He was appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama to lead the American space agency in 2009, and he held the top job until his resignation in 2017. Bolden discusses how advances that come from international cooperation in space exploration have the power to save humanity from itself. For example, why is NASA not allowed to cooperate with China?

0:00 Intro

01:56 Why did Fox News take aim at Charles Bolden Jr.?

06:45 Why is it important to keep politics out of NASA?

07:38 ‘We are creating climate refugees’

10:50 Bolden’s role at NASA

12:07 On the value of compromise

13:30 International cooperation in space

14:30 The Wolf Amendment

18:40 Billionaires in space

21:30 Looking back at the life of Charles Bolden Jr.

Charles F. Bolden Jr.—Former NASA Administrator (2009-2017) Official NASA Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/the-honorable-charles-f-bolden-jr/

TRT World is a Turkish public broadcaster that broadcasts in English 24 hours a day from Ankara.

Website: https://www.trtworld.com

Video Credit: TRT World

Duration: 26 minutes, 40 seconds

Release Date: Aug. 7, 2023

#NASA #Space #Science #Planet #Earth #NASAAdministrator #CharlesBolden #Astronaut #AfricanAmerican #Pioneer #Leader #STEM #Education #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #Humanity #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #China #中国 #ImranGarda #TRTWorld #Türkiye #HD #Video

How Going to Space Changed Astronaut Charlie Bolden's World Perspective

How Going to Space Changed Astronaut Charlie Bolden's World Perspective

The PBS NewsHour's Geoff Bennett spoke to retired Maj. Gen. and former NASA administrator, Charles Bolden, about how his time in space changed his perspective on the world. 

Charles F. Bolden Jr.—Former NASA Administrator (2009-2017) Official NASA Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/the-honorable-charles-f-bolden-jr/

Video Credit: PBS NewsHour

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Feb. 12, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #Planet #Earth #NASAAdministrator #CharlesBolden #Astronaut #AfricanAmerican #Pioneer #Leader #STEM #Education #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #Humanity #InternationalCooperation #PBSNewsHour #HD #Video

'The Space Race' Documentary: "Black Astronauts' Efforts to Overcome Injustice"

'The Space Race' Documentary: "Black Astronauts' Efforts to Overcome Injustice"

A new National Geographic documentary explores the little-known stories of the first Black pilots and engineers who were pioneers of NASA's space program. Geoff Bennett has this look at the film, “The Space Race,” that is streaming on Disney+ and Hulu in the United States. Why did the Soviet Union send a Black person to space first, before America, in 1980 with Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez—a Cuban pilot?

The Space Race | Official Trailer | National Geographic

https://youtu.be/2Z-iDBrj5gI

Charles F. Bolden Jr.—Former NASA Administrator (2009-2017) 's Official NASA Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/the-honorable-charles-f-bolden-jr/

Video Credit: PBS NewsHour

Duration: 10 minutes

Release Date: Feb. 12, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #Planet #Earth #NASAAdministrator #CharlesBolden #Astronauts #Pilots #Engineers #AfricanAmericans #Pioneers #Leaders #Equity #RacialDiscrimination #SocialInjustice #UnitedStates #USFederalGovernment #AmericanSociety #AmericanHistory #Documentary #STEM #Education #PBSNewsHour #HD #Video

Central & East Asia in Winter | International Space Station

Central Asia in Winter | International Space Station

A portion of the Pamir Mountains, a mountain range at the northwest junction of the Himalayas and crossing several Central Asia countries, is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above Uzbekistan.

Winter in Mongolia—captured by NASA Astronaut Loral O'Hara

A duo of Tibetan lakes, Qingche and Luotuo, in China are covered with ice as snow drifts through the mountainous terrain. The International Space Station was orbiting 260 miles above when NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli captured this image.

Lakes Mansarovar (top) and Rakshastal, on the Chinese side of the Himalayan border with India, are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above the Indian subcontinent.

Follow Expedition 70 Updates:

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

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)

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's Johnson Space Center (JSC) 

Release Dates: Jan. 30-Feb. 10, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Asia #CentralAsia #Tajikistan #China #中国 #Mongolia #МонголУлс #Astronauts #LoralOHara #JasminMoghbeli #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #JAXA #Japan #Cosmonauts #Roscosmos #Russia #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition70 #EarthObservation #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education

Views of Egypt & The Red Sea | China Space Station

Views of Egypt & The Red Sea | China Space Station

China Manned Space Agency on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, released a bird's eye view of Egypt in northeast Africa and the Red Sea taken by astronaut Tang Shengjie who is currently on-board China's space station. Tang is the country's youngest astronaut to work at the space station. He is serving as a member of the Shenzhou-17 crew that launched to space on October 26, 2023.

Tang and his two colleagues, Tang Hongbo and Jiang Xinlin, will stay at the space station for about six months, as they continue to research human adaptation to the space environment. So far, they have successfully completed many tasks, including spacewalks, moving equipment out of the space station for space experiments, managing equipment and facilities, and maintaining experiment facilities for long term science research.

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 Crew:

Hongbo Tang (Commander)

Shengjie Tang (Mission Specialist)

Xinlin Jiang (Mission Specialist)

Video Credit: China Manned Space Agency (CMSA)/CCTV

Duration: 1 minute, 19 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 20, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Africa #Egypt #NileRiver #RedSea #China #中国 #Shenzhou17 #神舟十七号 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #HongboTang #ShengjieTang #XinlinJiang #SpaceLaboratory #CSS #ChinaSpaceStation #TiangongSpaceStation #中国空间站 #CMSA #国家航天局  #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Liftoff of Astroscale Japan Orbital Debris Mission on Rocket Lab Electron

Liftoff of Astroscale Japan Orbital Debris Mission on Rocket Lab Electron

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket successfully deployed the ADRAS-J satellite for Astroscale Japan Inc. to conduct an orbital debris inspection demonstration mission from Mahia, New Zealand on February 19, 2024. This was the 44th Electron rocket launch. The mission, named “On Closer Inspection”, launched from Pad B at Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 03:52 NZDT February 19th, 2024 (14:52 UTC, February 18th). 

Electron deployed the Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J), a satellite designed to test technologies and operations for approaching and monitoring debris objects in orbit, also known as space junk. The mission is the first phase in assessing the potential for satellites to rendezvous with orbital debris objects in future and assist in de-orbiting them, supporting space sustainability for future generations.

Following the successful launch on Electron, the 150-kilogram ADRAS-J satellite will now approach an aged, derelict rocket stage in orbit to observe it closely, understand how it behaves and determine potential methods for its assisted deorbiting in future. The rocket stage it will be observing is the Japanese H-2A upper stage left in low Earth orbit after the launch of the GOSAT Earth observation satellite in 2009. ADRAS-J will fly around the stage, 11 meters long and four meters in diameter, inspecting it with cameras and sensors. Astroscale’s full mission will take between three and six months to complete.

“Congratulations to the Astroscale team on this historic mission that paves the way for new and innovative ways to reduce orbital debris and ensure space remains safely accessible,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck. “It’s a real honor to provide a dedicated launch service and enable the kind of precise orbital maneuvers required for an advanced mission like this.”

To enable the ADRAS-J satellite to rendezvous with the derelict H-2A upper stage in orbit, Rocket Lab had to design a mission with strict launch timing and precision orbital deployment parameters. Rocket Lab only received the final perigee, apogee, and inclination from Astroscale 20 days before launch, parameters that are typically determined many months in advance of a launch. Only then could argument of perigee targets for different days within the launch window be selected, essentially determining the timing of Electron Kick Stage burns to facilitate the unique elliptical orbit required depending on the launch date. The mission demanded highly accurate orbital insertion with tighter margins than required on most standard missions. The exact T-0 was only able to be defined the day prior to launch and the required LTAN accuracy only allows for +/- 15 seconds, demonstrating Rocket Lab’s capability to deliver rapid and responsive advanced guidance, navigation and control analysis.

“Today’s successful launch of ADRAS-J marks another milestone toward our efforts to grow the on-orbit servicing sector while creating a sustainable space environment,” said Astroscale founder & CEO Nobu Okada. “We are grateful for the collaboration with Rocket Lab, whose expertise in dedicated launch services has been instrumental to the start of this ground breaking mission.”

‘On Closer Inspection’ was Rocket Lab’s second launch of 2024 and the Company’s 44th Electron launch overall.

Image Credit: Phil Yeo

Image Date: Feb. 19, 2024

#NASA #Space #Aerospace #Earth #Satellites #SpaceDebris #OrbitalDebris #RocketLab #ElectronRocket #RocketLaunch #OnCloserInspection #F44Mission #ADRASJSatellite #AstroscaleJapan #Japan #日本 #MahiaPeninsula #NewZealand #CommercialSpace #Timelapse #Photography #STEM #Education

Launch of Astroscale Japan Orbital Debris Mission by New Zealand's Rocket Lab

Launch of Astroscale Japan Orbital Debris Mission by New Zealand's Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket successfully deployed the ADRAS-J satellite for Astroscale Japan Inc. to conduct an orbital debris inspection demonstration mission from Mahia, New Zealand on February 19, 2024. This was the 44th Electron rocket launch. The mission, named “On Closer Inspection”, launched from Pad B at Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 03:52 NZDT February 19th, 2024 (14:52 UTC, February 18th). 

Electron deployed the Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J), a satellite designed to test technologies and operations for approaching and monitoring debris objects in orbit, also known as space junk. The mission is the first phase in assessing the potential for satellites to rendezvous with orbital debris objects in future and assist in de-orbiting them, supporting space sustainability for future generations.

Following the successful launch on Electron, the 150-kilogram ADRAS-J satellite will now approach an aged, derelict rocket stage in orbit to observe it closely, understand how it behaves and determine potential methods for its assisted deorbiting in future. The rocket stage it will be observing is the Japanese H-2A upper stage left in low Earth orbit after the launch of the GOSAT Earth observation satellite in 2009. ADRAS-J will fly around the stage, 11 meters long and four meters in diameter, inspecting it with cameras and sensors. Astroscale’s full mission will take between three and six months to complete.

“Congratulations to the Astroscale team on this historic mission that paves the way for new and innovative ways to reduce orbital debris and ensure space remains safely accessible,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck. “It’s a real honor to provide a dedicated launch service and enable the kind of precise orbital maneuvers required for an advanced mission like this.”

To enable the ADRAS-J satellite to rendezvous with the derelict H-2A upper stage in orbit, Rocket Lab had to design a mission with strict launch timing and precision orbital deployment parameters. Rocket Lab only received the final perigee, apogee, and inclination from Astroscale 20 days before launch, parameters that are typically determined many months in advance of a launch. Only then could argument of perigee targets for different days within the launch window be selected, essentially determining the timing of Electron Kick Stage burns to facilitate the unique elliptical orbit required depending on the launch date. The mission demanded highly accurate orbital insertion with tighter margins than required on most standard missions. The exact T-0 was only able to be defined the day prior to launch and the required LTAN accuracy only allows for +/- 15 seconds, demonstrating Rocket Lab’s capability to deliver rapid and responsive advanced guidance, navigation and control analysis.

“Today’s successful launch of ADRAS-J marks another milestone toward our efforts to grow the on-orbit servicing sector while creating a sustainable space environment,” said Astroscale founder & CEO Nobu Okada. “We are grateful for the collaboration with Rocket Lab, whose expertise in dedicated launch services has been instrumental to the start of this ground breaking mission.”

‘On Closer Inspection’ was Rocket Lab’s second launch of 2024 and the Company’s 44th Electron launch overall.

Video Credit: Rocket Lab

Duration: 1 minute, 10 seconds

Image Date: Feb. 19, 2024

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