Mars Images: March 2024 | NASA Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers
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Sunday, March 31, 2024
Mars Images: March 2024 | NASA Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers
Saturday, March 30, 2024
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks over the High Tatra Mountains in Slovakia
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks over the High Tatra Mountains in Slovakia
Petr Horálek: "Shown above is Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks gracing the evening sky above the summits of Kežmarský štít (8,389 ft/2,557 m), at right, and Lomnický štít (8,635 ft/2,632 m), at left in the Tatra Mountains of Slovakia. I had planned this image for a very long time, but despite precise planning, hundreds of kilometers of driving, and high-quality equipment, bad weather seemed to accompany me on my previous photo expeditions. However, March 19, 2024, I finally succeeded!"
"If you take a close look at the summit of Lomnický štít, you'll notice a small domed building. This structure is the Skalnaté pleso Observatory, one of the highest astronomical observatories in central Europe. It's known for its success in visual comet hunting. In fact, between 1946 and 1959, when comet Pons-Brooks last visited our Solar System, several comets were discovered here."
12P/Pons–Brooks is a periodic comet with an orbital period of 71 years. It fits the classical definition of a Halley-type comet with an orbital period between 20 and 200 years. It is also one of the brightest known periodic comets, reaching an absolute visual magnitude ~5 in its approach to perihelion.
Comet Pons-Brooks was discovered at Marseilles Observatory in July 1812 by Jean-Louis Pons.
Equipment Details:
Canon Ra camera; Tamron 70-200 mm lens at 200 mm; 1.4 x Teleconverter; ISO 2000; 42x20 seconds exposures - comet tracked on Vixen Polarie U; plus 7x20 seconds exposures for foreground image.
Location: Veľká Lomnica, Slovakia
Coordinates: 49.133, 20.355
Image & Caption Credit: Petr Horálek - Institute of Physics in Opava
Petr’s Website: https://www.petrhoralek.com
Image Date: March 19, 2024
Release Date: March 29, 2024
#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #Earth #Comets #Comet #Comet12PPonsBrooks #Perihelion #Lacerta #Constellation #SolarSystem #Astrophotography #PetrHorálek #Astrophotographer #CitizenScience #VeľkáLomnica #Slovakia #Europe #STEM #Education #EPoD
Globular Cluster Omega Centauri: A New Ten Million Star View
Image Credit & Copyright: Massimo Di Fusco & Mirco Turra
Massimo Di Fusco's Website:
https://www.astrobin.com/users/massimo.difusco/
Release Date: March 28, 2024
Volunteers Help NASA & European Space Agency Mission to Discover 5,000 Comets
Volunteers Help NASA & European Space Agency Mission to Discover 5,000 Comets
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, has discovered its 5,000th comet, thanks to the help of volunteer comet hunters participating in the NASA-funded Sungrazer Project.
The sungrazing comet was spotted in SOHO images on March 25, 2024, by Hanjie Tan in the Czech Republic, who has participated in the Sungrazer Project since he was 13 years old. The comet is small and has a short orbital period around the Sun. It belongs to the “Marsden group” of comets, which are thought to be related to the larger comet 96P/Machholz. The group is named after the late scientist Brian Marsden, who first recognized the group using SOHO observations.
To learn more about the discovery and SOHO, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/heliophysics/esa-nasa-solar-observatory-discovers-its-5000th-comet/
Since the early 2000s, the Sungrazer Project has allowed anyone with a computer to search for comets in images taken by the SOHO spacecraft.
To learn more about the Sungrazer Project, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/citizen-science/the-sungrazer-project/
Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
Producer & Editor: Lacey Young (MORI Associates)
Videographer: Joy Ng (National Institute of Aerospace)
Advisor: Beth Anthony (MORI Associates)
Scientist: Karl Battams (U.S. Naval Research Laboratory)
Duration: 2 minutes, 43 seconds
New Residents on The International Space Station | This Week @NASA
New Residents on The International Space Station | This Week @NASA
Week of March 29, 2024: A NASA astronaut is one of the International Space Station’s newest residents, planning for the upcoming total solar eclipse, and a notable award for an historic asteroid sample return mission . . . a few of the stories to tell you about–This Week at NASA!
NASA Astronaut Tracy Dyson and Belarusian cosmonaut Marina Vasilevskaya, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of Russia, were the newest visitors to the orbital outpost after docking to the Prichal docking module on March 25, 2024, aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-25 crew ship.
This is the first space mission for a citizen of the Eastern European nation of Belarus.
The arrival of three new crew members to the existing seven people already aboard for Expedition 70 temporarily increases the station’s population to 10.
Dyson, Novitskiy, and Vasilevskaya joined NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Alexander Grebenkin of Russia, already living and working aboard the space station.
Dyson will spend six months aboard the station as an Expedition 70 and 71 flight engineer, returning to Earth in September with Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub of Roscosmos (Russia), who will complete a year-long mission on the laboratory.
Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya will be aboard the station for 12 days, providing the ride home for O’Hara on Saturday, April 6, aboard Soyuz MS-24 for a parachute-assisted landing on steppe of Kazakhstan. O’Hara will have spent 204 days in space when she returns.
Follow Expedition 70 Updates:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/
Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Video Producer & Editor: Andre Valentine
Narrator: Emanuel Cooper
Duration: 2 minutes, 48 seconds
Release Date: March 30, 2024
#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Astronauts #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #Belarus #Беларусь #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #Expedition70 #Expedition71 #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #STEM #Education #HD #Video
Friday, March 29, 2024
Cosmonaut Vasilevskaya, NASA Astronauts Epps, Dyson & O'Hara on Space Station
Cosmonaut Vasilevskaya, NASA Astronauts Epps, Dyson & O'Hara on Space Station
Posing for a portrait aboard the International Space Station (from left) are, NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, Tracy C. Dyson, and Loral O'Hara of the United States, and Cosmonaut Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus. Dyson and Vasilevskaya, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of Russia (out of frame), were the newest visitors to the orbital outpost after docking to the Prichal docking module on March 25, 2024, aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-25 crew ship.
This is the first space mission for a citizen of the Eastern European nation of Belarus. Vasilevskaya, Epps, and O'Hara are on their first spaceflight missions.
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest.
The arrival of three new crew members to the existing seven people already aboard for Expedition 70 temporarily increases the station’s population to 10.
Dyson, Novitskiy, and Vasilevskaya joined NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Alexander Grebenkin of Russia, already living and working aboard the space station.
Dyson will spend six months aboard the station as an Expedition 70 and 71 flight engineer, returning to Earth in September with Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub of Roscosmos (Russia), who will complete a year-long mission on the laboratory.
Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya will be aboard the station for 12 days, providing the ride home for O’Hara on Saturday, April 6, aboard Soyuz MS-24 for a parachute-assisted landing on steppe of Kazakhstan. O’Hara will have spent 204 days in space when she returns.
Follow Expedition 70 Updates:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/
Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Image Date: March 25, 2024
China's 2nd Relay Satellite Queqiao-2 Enters Orbit around The Moon | CGTN
China's 2nd Relay Satellite Queqiao-2 Enters Orbit around The Moon | CGTN
Chinese relay satellite Queqiao-2 has successfully performed a near-moon braking procedure and entered its circumlunar orbit, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) reported on March 25, 2024. After about 112 hours of flight, the satellite began to perform a near-moon braking at a distance of about 440 km from the lunar surface at 12:46 a.m. Beijing Time on March 25, entered its circumlunar orbit later.
Queqiao-2, or Magpie Bridge-2, will serve as a relay platform for the fourth phase of China's lunar exploration program, providing Earth-Moon communications services for Chang'e-4, Chang'e-6, Chang'e-7, and Chang'e-8 missions. It is another key step for supporting future lunar exploration missions, such as retrieving samples from the far side of the moon.
Due to the Moon's perpetual one-sided facing away from Earth, probes landing on its far side are obstructed by the Moon itself, hindering direct measurement, control communication, and data transmission with Earth.
As the fourth phase of China's lunar exploration project focuses on landing exploration and sampling sites primarily situated in the Moon's South Pole and far side areas, the need arises for more versatile and robust relay satellites. These satellites will serve as a new relay communication station on the Moon for communication.
"As for now, following the successful launch of Queqiao-2, it is poised to fulfill subsequent missions including Chang'e-6, Chang'e-7, Chang'e-8, and other related endeavors," said Ge, China National Space Administration's spokesman for Queqiao-2's launch.
The main goal of the fourth phase is to carry out scientific exploration on the Moon's South Pole and set up a fundamental type of lunar scientific research station. The fourth phase will be carried out in three steps, with the Chang'e-6, Chang'e-7 and Chang'e-8 probes being launched before 2030.
The Chang'e-6 is expected to be launched in the first half of 2024. The Chang'e-8 will constitute, together with Chang'e-7, the basic model of a lunar research station.
Queqiao-1 was launched in 2018 and supported the Chang'e 4 lunar farside mission.
Video Credit: China Global Television Network (CGTN)
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: March 26, 2024
#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Satellites #Earth #China #中国 #Moon #LunarCommunicationSatellites #Queqiao2 #鹊桥二号中继星 #Change6 #Change7 #Change8 #CNSA #CASC #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education #HD #Video
"Celebrating the Legacy of The US Delta Rocket Program" | United Launch Alliance
"Celebrating the Legacy of The US Delta Rocket Program" | United Launch Alliance
"Following more than 60 years of lifting historic missions to space and becoming a pillar in American rocketry, the Delta program is coming to a close with its final launch. Here is a look back at examples of its groundbreaking firsts and iconic missions launched on Delta rockets."
"Delta quickly established its record of excellence in the 1960s launching Ekko—the world's first communication satellite, Tyros, the first space-based weather observatory, and NASA's Pioneer and Explorer scientific spacecraft."
"The introduction of the Delta 2 rocket on Valentine's Day 1989 ushered in the GPS era—a capability that improves life on Earth every day from navigation to banking, agriculture and beyond. The Beloved Delta 2 earned its place in history with 155 flights with eight of those missions to Mars for NASA including the Spirit and Opportunity rovers."
"The Delta program's commitment to vehicle improvement to meet customer needs culminated in the Delta 4 family of launch vehicles with a wide range of increased capabilities delivering missions for the space force, the national reconnaissance office, NASA, and commercial clients."
"Every Delta 4 launch has been successful as America's trusted heavy lifter. The triple barrel Delta 4 heavy launched NASA's first Orion spacecraft on an uncrewed Moon mission and sent NASA's Parker Solar Probe to surf the atmosphere of our Sun."
"The 16th and final flight of the Delta 4 heavy rocket carries the National Reconnaissance Office's NROL70, capping off the incredible legacy of this program."
NASA's Space to Ground: A Very Busy Week of March 29, 2024
NASA's Space to Ground: A Very Busy Week of March 29, 2024
NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station.
Follow Expedition 70 Updates:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/
Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science
For more information about STEM on Station:
https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Duration: 3 minutes, 25 seconds
Release Date: March 29, 2024
New Expedition 70 Crew Photos: March 2024 | International Space Station
New Expedition 70 Crew Photos: March 2024 | International Space Station
Expedition 70 Flight Engineers (from left) Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps enjoy breakfast on a Sunday morning inside the International Space Station's Unity Module.
Expedition 70 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps prepares tubes to collect samples from the crew for the Immunity Assay investigation. Immunity Assay looks at the impact of spaceflight on cellular immune functions in blood samples, tests that could only previously be conducted on Earth.
Follow Expedition 70 Updates:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/
Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Image Dates: March 6-11, 2024
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Crew & Cargo Spacecraft Views | International Space Station
Crew & Cargo Spacecraft Views | International Space Station
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/
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.
Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Image Dates: March 20-25, 2024
#NASA #Space #Astronomy #ISS #Science #Earth #SoyuzSpacecraft #SoyuzMS24 #SoyuzMS25 #DragonSpacecraft #CRS30 #Astronauts #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #Belarus #Беларусь #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition70 #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education
NOAA Satellites Detect Severe Solar Storm
NOAA Satellites Detect Severe Solar Storm
Between March 23–24, 2024, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites, and others operated by international partners, observed numerous flares erupt from the sun, including a powerful X-class solar flare. Additionally, a surge of extremely hot plasma, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), raced toward Earth resulting in geomagnetic storms and auroras.
This CME reached our planet at 10:37 a.m. EDT (1437 GMT) on Sunday, March 24, 2024, triggering a severe G4-class geomagnetic storm, marking the most potent solar storm since 2017. However, according to a Geomagnetic Storm Watch from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, there was no reason for the public to be alarmed.
Video Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NASA, Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA)
Duration: 1 minute, 45 seconds
Release Date: March 28, 2024
#NASA #NOAA #CIRA #Space #SpaceWeather #Earth #Sun #Science #CME #GeomagneticStorm #G4class #SolarFlare #Xclass #Aurora #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video
A Tribute to Dr. Nancy Grace Roman: NASA’s First Chief of Astronomy
A Tribute to Dr. Nancy Grace Roman: NASA’s First Chief of Astronomy
As NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy, the late Dr. Nancy Grace Roman paved the way for space telescopes and for women in the sciences. She is credited with making NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope a reality. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a groundbreaking, wide-field survey telescope named in her honor, will launch by May 2027 and greatly expand our view of the universe.
This video paints an intimate picture of Dr. Roman, the person. We learn from her close friend Dr. Joan Gordon, astronomer Rachael Beaton, and Dr. Roman herself about her inspiration, passion, trailblazing nature, and what she might have thought about having a space telescope named after her.
Scheduled to launch in the mid-2020s, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will function as Hubble’s wide-eyed cousin. While just as sensitive as Hubble's cameras, the Roman Space Telescope's 300-megapixel Wide Field Instrument will image a sky area 100 times larger. This means a single Roman image will hold the equivalent detail of 100 pictures from Hubble.
Learn more about Dr. Nancy Grace Roman
https://science.nasa.gov/people/nancy-roman/
Learn about NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope:
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/the-nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope
Video Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Video Editor: Danielle Kirshenblat
Writer: Ann Jenkins
Story Editors: Martha Saladino, Alexander Cotnoir
Additional Footage and Images:
NASA
NASA Goddard
NASA’s Incredible Discovery Machine: The Story of the Hubble Space Telescope
NASA SM-2 Media Guide
AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Roman Collection
Dr. Joan Gordon
Maia Weinstock
U.S. Census
University of Chicago Library, Special Collection Research Center
VOA News
Duration: 7 minutes, 32 seconds
Release Date: March 27, 2024
#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Women #Leaders #Pioneers #NancyGraceRoman #Astronomer #History #RomanSpaceTelescope #Exoplanets #Planets #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Stars #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescope #ESA #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education #HD #Video
New Mars Images: March 2024 | NASA Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers
New Mars Images: March 2024 | NASA Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers
NASA Astronaut Loral O’Hara—Exploring Science | International Space Station
NASA Astronaut Loral O’Hara—Exploring Science | International Space Station
NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara is returning home after six months aboard the International Space Station. During her time on the orbiting laboratory, O’Hara contributed to dozens of scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to prepare for future space exploration missions and generate innovations and benefits for humanity on Earth.
Here is a look at some of the scientific activities O’Hara conducted during her mission: https://go.nasa.gov/3IQ5uJJ
Astronaut Loral O'Hara's Official NASA Biography:
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/loral-ohara/
Follow Expedition 70 Updates:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/
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.
Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Duration: 2 minutes, 23 seconds
Release Date: March 28, 2024
#NASA #Space #Astronomy #ISS #Science #Earth #Moon #FirstQuarterMoon #ArtemisProgram #Astronauts #LoralOHara #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #Belarus #Беларусь #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition70 #SpaceLaboratory #MicrogravityExperiments #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Collins Aerospace Zero G Spacesuit Milestone Test with Former NASA Astronauts
Collins Aerospace Zero G Spacesuit Milestone Test with Former NASA Astronauts
Danny Olivas and Dan Burbank, two former NASA astronauts, discuss how their experiences with tests have shaped their opinions regarding the next generation spacesuit designed by Collins Aerospace and the direction of commercial space travel.
Learn more: https://collins.aero/3QSLRoU
Former NASA Astronaut John Daniel “Danny” Olivas Official Biography
https://www.nasa.gov/people/dr-john-daniel-danny-olivas-pe/
Former NASA Astronaut Dan Burbank Official Biography (PDF)
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/burbank.pdf
Video Credit: Collins Aerospace
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: March 27, 2024
#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ISS #Microgravity #Moon #ArtemisProgram #Astronauts #DannyOlivas #DanBurbank #Spacesuits #NextGenSpacesuit #xEVAS #EVA #Spacewalks #Moonwalks #Marswalks #HumanSpaceflight #CollinsAerospace #MoonToMars #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #SpaceTechnology #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video