IM-1 Robotic Moon Mission Post-Landing News Conference | Intuitive Machines

IM-1 Robotic Moon Mission Post-Landing News Conference | Intuitive Machines

On February 22, 2024, the IM-1 Mission Nova-C Moon Lander, named "Odysseus," became the first American spacecraft to land on the Moon’s surface since the NASA Apollo 17 moon landing in 1972. It appears that the lander is in a horizontal orientation instead of a vertical one and that constant and reliable communications with the lander remains an issue. Over the weekend, Intuitive Machines hopes to provide the first pictures and an update on the spacecraft's operational capabilities and status.

Follow IM-1 Mission Updates: 

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

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

Video Credit: Intuitive Machines

Release Date: Feb. 23, 2024

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

NASA Artemis V Moon Rocket Engine Test#7: Preparing for Crewed Missions

NASA Artemis V Moon Rocket Engine Test#7: Preparing for Crewed Missions

An Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 rocket engine (RS-25 developmental engine E0525) was tested on the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly A-1 Test Stand) at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, on February 23, 2024, at 13:04 Central Standard Time (19:04 UTC). 

This was the seventh hot fire test out of the 12 planned in the final round of certification testing ahead of production of an updated set of engines for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) that will be used beginning with Artemis V. 

The test had a planned duration of 550 seconds, with the RS-25 engine running up to 113% power level, more than the level needed to power SLS.

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Acknowledgement: SciNews

Duration: 10 minutes

Release Date: Feb. 23, 2024

#NASA #Space #Artemis #ArtemisV #Moon #Rocket #SpaceLaunchSystem #SLS #Engine #RS25 #RS25Testing #Gimble #AerojetRocketdyne #MoonToMars #DeepSpace #Propulsion #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #NASAStennis #Mississippi #MSFC #UnitedStates #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China's Tiangong Space Station Holds Youth Art Exhibition

China's Tiangong Space Station Holds Youth Art Exhibition

An exhibition, featuring 53 pieces of art made by children, was launched at China's orbiting Tiangong Space Station on Friday, February 23, 2024. Under the theme of "Chinese modernization in the eyes of children," this is the third exhibition of its kind held on the Tiangong. The paintings were selected from more than 20,000 pieces of artwork by youngsters from across China since October last year.

The Shenzhou-17 crew, namely Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, who arrived at the space station on Oct 26, 2023 for a six-month mission, displayed the paintings on two large silk scrolls.

The trio sent a message of encouragement to the youngsters across China, hoping that they will turn their best wishes for the motherland in the paintings into reality one day.

The 53 paintings, along with space supplies, were sent to the station by the Tianzhou-7, the latest cargo spacecraft launched by China on Jan 17.

The first Tiangong painting exhibition was held on Jan 1, 2022.

The Shenzhou-17 crew 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 Video News

Duration: 1 minute, 54 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 20, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Art #Children #ArtExhibition #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

NASA's Space to Ground: "It's All About the Science" | Week of Feb. 23, 2024

NASA's Space to Ground: "It's All About the Science" | Week of Feb. 23, 2024

Week of Feb. 23, 2024: NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. An uncrewed Roscosmos Progress 87 spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station’s aft port of the Zvezda service module on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, as the orbiting laboratory was 260 miles over the south Pacific Ocean. The spacecraft launched on a Soyuz rocket on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Progress delivered almost three tons of food, fuel and supplies to the International Space Station for the Expedition 70 crew.

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.

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

Duration: 3 minutes, 36 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 23, 2024 

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Progress87Spacecraft #CargoSpacecraft #Astronauts #LoralOHara #JasminMoghbeli #UnitedStates #AndreasMogensen #Europe #ESA #SatoshiFurukawa #JAXA #Japan #日本 #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition70 #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Mission Training Resource Reel | Johnson Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Mission Training Resource Reel | Johnson Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 crew trains for their upcoming mission to the International Space Station. Their training took place across the world, most notably at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and at SpaceX Headquarters in Hawthorne, California. The crew consists of NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin of Russia, mission specialist. Once aboard the International Space Station, they will become expedition 70/71 flight engineers, spending several months conducting science experiments and maintaining the orbital outpost.

Crew-8 is 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

www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/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.

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

Duration: 53 minutes

Release Date: Feb. 23, 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 #HD #Video

The Strongest Solar Flare of the Current Cycle | NASA SDO

The Strongest Solar Flare of the Current Cycle | NASA SDO

The Sun emitted a X6.3 class solar flare on February 22, 2024, peaking at approximately 22:34 UTC, the strongest solar flare of the current solar cycle, so far. 

Video Credits: NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams

Acknowledgement: SciNews

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Feb. 23, 2024

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

Moon Dreams | International Space Station

Moon Dreams | International Space Station

Earth's atmosphere refracts the Moon's light as it sets below the horizon in this photograph from the International Space Station while orbiting 260 miles above the Pacific Ocean.

The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured above the Earth's horizon in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above a cloudy Western Europe.

A full Moon rises just above the blue glow of Earth's horizon as the International Space Station orbited 271 miles over the South Pacific Ocean.

The waning crescent Moon was pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above the Indian Ocean.

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) 

Image Dates: Nov. 30, 2023 - Feb 21, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #Astronauts #LoralOHara #JasminMoghbeli #UnitedStates #AndreasMogensen #Europe #ESA #SatoshiFurukawa #JAXA #Japan #日本 #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition70 #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education

Evidence for Neutron Star Inside SN 1987a Supernova Remnant | NASA Webb

Evidence for Neutron Star Inside SN 1987a Supernova Remnant | NASA Webb

The NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope has found the best evidence yet for emission from a neutron star at the site of a recently observed supernova. The supernova, known as SN 1987A, occurred 160,000 light-years from Earth in the neighboring Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy. SN 1987A was a type II supernova that was observed on Earth in 1987, the first supernova that was visible to the naked eye since 1604—before the advent of telescopes. It provided the astronomical community a rare opportunity to study the evolution of a supernova and what was left behind, from the very beginning. SN 1987A was a core-collapse supernova, meaning the compacted remains at its core are expected to have formed either a neutron star or a black hole. Evidence for such a compact object has long been sought, and whilst indirect evidence for the presence of a neutron star has previously been found, this is the first time that the effects of high energy emission from the young neutron star has been detected.

LEFT: Webb’s 2023 NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) image of SN 1987A that highlights the object’s central structure, expanding with several thousands km/s. The blue region is the densest part of the clumpy ejecta, containing heavy elements like carbon, oxygen, magnesium and iron, as well as dust. The bright ‘ring of pearls’ is the result of the collision of the ejecta with a ring of gas ejected about 20,000 years before the explosion. Now spots are found even exterior to the ring, with diffuse emission surrounding it. These are the locations of supernova shocks hitting more exterior material from the progenitor star. The outer ejecta is now illuminated by X-rays from the collision, while the inner ejecta is powered mainly by radioactivity and a putative compact object.

RIGHT: An international team of astronomers has now used two of Webb’s instruments to study the emissions from the core of SN 1987A. The top image features the data from Webb’s MRS (Medium Resolution Spectrograph) mode of the MIRI instrument (Mid-InfraRed Instrument). The bottom image depicts data from Webb’s NIRSpec (Near Infrared Spectrograph) at shorter wavelengths. Spectral analysis of the MIRI results showed a strong signal due to ionized argon from the center of the ejected material that surrounds the original site of SN 1987A. The NIRSpec data found even more heavily ionized chemical species, particularly five times ionized argon (meaning argon atoms that have lost five of their 18 electrons). Weak lines of ionized sulphur were also detected with MIRI. This indicated to the science team that there is a source of high-energy radiation in the center of the SN 1987A remnant, illuminating an almost point-like region in the center. The most likely source is believed to be a newly born neutron star.

Image Description: A graphic with three images, each of a glowing, ring-shaped nebula. The left side shows a large, full-color image of the nebula and its surroundings, labelled “NIRCam”. A rectangle in the center of the nebula is highlighted and two images of this area are pulled out to the right. Both are shown in shades of orange. The top one is labelled “MIRI MRS Argon II” and the bottom one “NIRSpec IFU Argon VI.

Read the research paper: 

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adj5796

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, and C. Fransson (Stockholm University), M. Matsuura (Cardiff University), M. J. Barlow (University College London), P. J. Kavanagh (Maynooth University), J. Larsson (KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

Release Date: February 24, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #NeutronStar #Emission #SN1987A #Supernova #SupernovaRemnant #Dorado #Constellation #LargeMagellanicCloud #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #JWST #SpaceTelescope #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

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]

Support FriendsofNASA.org

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