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STEM Careers: NASA Space Waste Engineer Annie Meier | Kennedy Space Center
As the saying goes, “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” and at NASA, Annie Meier is that person! Annie is a space waste engineer working on technologies to convert waste into vital resources for human space travel. Trash can be used to produce important gasses and even water—commodities astronauts traveling to another planet can’t just pick up along the way.
Ready to convert your passion for sustainability into a career?
Don’t waste time, start preparing today with this hands-on activity:
NASA's Space to Ground: On Top of It | Week of April 19, 2024
NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub of Russia continue to prepare for an April 25, 2024, spacewalk that will see the Roscosmos duo work outside in the vacuum of space for about seven hours. Meanwhile, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are to become the first to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled for no earlier than 10:34 p.m. EDT Monday, May 6, from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex-41. The astronauts will spend about a week at the orbiting laboratory before the crew capsule makes a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.
After successful completion of the mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station.
China Satellites Successfully Complete Earth-Moon Communications Tests
China's experimental satellites Tiandu-1 and Tiandu-2 that accompanied the Queqiao-2 relay satellite to the Moon in March 2024, have conducted successful new experiments on lunar communication and navigation technologies, China's Deep Space Exploration Lab (DSEL) said on April 13, 2024.
The satellites carried out tests of high-reliability transmission and routing between Earth and the lunar surface. They also transmitted back the latest close-up images of the Moon.
The DSEL says the test satellites will conduct more experiments on lunar communication and navigation technologies, so as to provide strong support for design and construction of the planned International Lunar Research Station and China's own Queqiao integrated satellite network for lunar communication, navigation and remote sensing.
Tiandu-1, weighing 61 kilograms, is equipped with a Ka-band dual-frequency communicator, a laser retroreflector, and a space router.
Tiandu-2, weighing 15 kilograms, is fitted with communication and navigation devices.
China successfully launched the two test satellites along with the Queqiao-2 on March 20.
This orbital configuration provides several advantages over Queqiao, launched in 2018 for Earth-Moon relay communications.
Queqiao-2's orbit is closer to the Moon, greatly improving data transmission rates compared to Queqiao's distant path. It also enhances communication coverage of the lunar south pole region versus Queqiao's position around the Earth-Moon L2 Lagrangian point.
This optimized orbit is more fuel-efficient, allowing Queqiao-2 to maintain operations for an extended period using minimal propellant. Queqiao-2 will provide the relay services planned for ongoing lunar probes Chang'e-4 and the upcoming Chang'e-6 mission, conducting scientific exploration periodically.
The deployment of the Queqiao-2 relay satellite is a key step for China's future lunar exploration missions including Chang'e-6, Chang'e-7 and Chang'e-8.
The landing and sample collection sites for China's moon missions in the coming years are mainly in the lunar south pole region or on the far side of the moon. A more powerful relay satellite with more functions is necessary to provide communications and data transmission services for the missions, China National Space Administration (CNSA) said.
Chang'e-6 is scheduled for launch in the first half of 2024, while Chang'e-7 will be launched around 2026, and Chang'e-8 around 2028. Chang'e-7 and Chang'e-8 will form the basic model of a lunar research station to carry out further exploration of the lunar environment, according to the CNSA.
The Green Bank Observatory is the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope. To keep the telescope moving takes a lot of work. In this video, we meet technical manager, Anthony Nucilli who keeps the telescope turning smoothly.
The Green Bank Observatory (previously National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Green Bank) is an astronomical observatory located in the National Radio Quiet Zone in Green Bank, West Virginia, U.S. It is the operator of the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope.
This “clip” is part of the STEM in 30 episode: Astronomy Careers - More Than Meets the Eye - STEM in 30 Season 9 - Episode 7.
New Project: Travel Through NASA Chandra X-ray Observatory Images in 3D
A new project provides special 3D “experiences” on Instagram using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes through augmented reality, allowing users to travel virtually through objects in space. These new experiences of astronomical objects—including the debris fields of exploded stars—are being released to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of operations from Chandra, NASA’s flagship X-ray telescope.
In recent years, Instagram experiences—previously referred to as filters—of NASA mission control, the International Space Station, and the Perseverance Rover on Mars have allowed users to virtually explore what NASA does. This new set of Chandra Instagram filters joins this space-themed collection.
The new Instagram experiences are created from 3D models based on data collected by Chandra and other telescopes along with mathematical models. Traditionally, it has been very difficult to gather 3D data of objects in space due to their two-dimensional projection on the sky. New instruments and techniques, however, have allowed astronomers in recent years to construct data-driven models of what these distant objects look like in three dimensions.
These advancements in astronomy have paralleled the explosion of opportunities in virtual, extended, and augmented reality. Such technologies provide virtual digital experiences, which now extend beyond Earth and into the cosmos.
This new set of Chandra Instagram filters was made possible by a collaboration including NASA, the Smithsonian Institution, as well as students and researchers at Brown University.
Setting this Chandra set apart from other Instagram experiences, they will include an option to also listen to sonifications of data of the same object. Sonification is the process of translating data into sounds and notes, instead of colors as is typically done in communicating astronomical data. This is a project that Chandra has led on behalf of NASA.
China Shenzhou-18 Crew Rocket Moved to Launchpad | China Space Station
The combination of the Shenzhou-18 spaceship and a Long March-2F Y18 carrier rocket has been vertically transferred to the launching area at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Wednesday morning, April 17, 2024. Shenzhou-18 will transport the seventh crew of three astronauts to the China Space Station and replace the Shenzhou-17 crew currently onboard.
Weighing over 40 tons, with a total height of nearly 60 meters, the combination has four support points distributed along the circumference of the rocket's core stage that measures only 3.35 meters in diameter. The total weight of the combination and the launch platform is nearly 800 tons.
According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), the facilities and equipment at the launch site are in good condition, and various pre-launch function checks and joint tests will be carried out as planned. The manned spaceship will be launched at an appropriate time in the near future, said the CMSA.
Shenzhou-17 Crew:
Hongbo Tang (Commander)
Shengjie Tang (Mission Specialist)
Xinlin Jiang (Mission Specialist)
The Shenzhou-18 crew members will be announced shortly before launch.
"This will be the first manned mission conducted in April since we started building the space station. Considering the characteristics of high winds and dust during this season, we have conducted statistical analysis of meteorological data over the past 30 years in the launch site, and formulated targeted preventive measures and response strategies. Meanwhile, we have updated power supply system of certain facilities, strengthened equipment operation assessments and status checks, and organized interdisciplinary collaborative training and emergency drills. We have also improved the comprehensive situational awareness and critical information collection and dissemination capabilities of the launch site, optimized our product testing projects and timing, therefore, further improving the site's ability to handle continuous missions," said Wang Xuewu, deputy director of Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
NASA's "Espacio a Tierra" | Encima de la sombra: 12 de abril 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:
Astrophotographer Julien Looten: "For the first Milky Way of the year 2024, I take you to Quercy Park, in the Southwest of France, sometimes nicknamed 'the Quercy's Black Triangle.' It has been renowned since the 2000s for offering one of the most beautiful night skies in France for stargazing. Indeed, the almost complete absence of light pollution, due to the low number of nearby cities and villages as well as the efforts of local officials to turn off streetlights, allows for the admiration and capture of the Milky Way."
"Here is a portrait of the Milky Way, reflected in the calm waters of Lacam Lake!"
"Water is very scarce in Quercy as it easily seeps into the ground . . . This lake was an invaluable source in the Middle Ages for shepherds and their flocks! Capturing this kind of shot is always a challenge; it requires perfectly calm water, without currents or wind, as well as a very clear sky . . . Those conditions were met that evening! Thus, the Milky Way reveals itself both in the sky and in the landscape, for the greatest pleasure of the eyes."
Technical details: Panorama composed of 10 photographs - 13 seconds per shot (no tracking or stacking) - ISO 1600 - Sigma 28mm f/1.4 (f/1.6) - Canon 6D Astrodon Camera
NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Astronauts: Williams, Fincke & Wilmore
From left to right, NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams (left), pilot ; Mike Fincke, backup pilot; and Butch Wilmore, commander, pose in front of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft
From left to right, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore pose in front of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, set to carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) to the International Space Station, rolls out of the company’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. The spacecraft was being transported to United Launch Alliance's Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral to be lifted and connected to the Atlas V rocket for launch no earlier than Monday, May 6, 2024.
Boeing's Starliner Spacecraft: Launchpad Arrival | NASA Kennedy
The Boeing Starliner spacecraft is lifted at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Starliner will be secured atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. The spacecraft rolled out from Boeing's Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center earlier in the day.
This is an important milestone ahead of the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission launch on May 6, 2024.
Starliner will carry NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station for a docking to the forward port of the Harmony module. Ahead of Starliner’s launch, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 crewmates will board the Dragon spacecraft, currently docked to the forward port, for a relocation to the zenith port of Harmony to allow for Starliner docking. The date shift also allows additional time for the crew aboard the microgravity laboratory to complete science and cargo logistics ahead of the departure of the Dragon cargo spacecraft.
As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Williams and Wilmore will spend about a week docked to the International Space Station ahead of a return to Earth in the western United States. The flight test will help NASA verify whether the Starliner system is ready to fly regular crew rotation missions to space station for the agency.
Through the Commercial Crew Program (CCP), NASA is working with business partners to build rockets and spacecraft. The Commercial Crew Program has made it possible for astronauts to launch to space from the United States once again.
Boeing's Starliner Spacecraft Prepared for Crew Launch | NASA Kennedy
See Boeing teams and United Launch Alliance (ULA) crews roll Starliner out of Boeing factory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center—an important milestone ahead of the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission launch on May 6, 2024.
Teams transported the spacecraft to the ULA Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41. There, teams stacked Starliner atop the Atlas V rocket that will carry it to orbit on its Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station.
Following a review of the International Space Station operations, NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test now is targeting no earlier than Monday, May 6, 2024, for Starliner’s first launch with astronauts to the orbital complex. The date adjustment optimizes space station schedule of activities planned toward the end of April, including a cargo spacecraft undocking and a crew spacecraft port relocation required for Starliner docking. NASA and Boeing also are performing prelaunch closeout work and completing final certification for flight.
Starliner will carry NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station for a docking to the forward port of the Harmony module. Ahead of Starliner’s launch, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 crewmates will board the Dragon spacecraft, currently docked to the forward port, for a relocation to the zenith port of Harmony to allow for Starliner docking. The date shift also allows additional time for the crew aboard the microgravity laboratory to complete science and cargo logistics ahead of the departure of the Dragon cargo spacecraft.
As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Williams and Wilmore will spend about a week docked to the International Space Station ahead of a return to Earth in the western United States. The flight test will help NASA verify whether the Starliner system is ready to fly regular crew rotation missions to space station for the agency.
Through the Commercial Crew Program (CCP), NASA is working with business partners to build rockets and spacecraft. The Commercial Crew Program has made it possible for astronauts to launch to space from the United States once again.
Examples of Black Hole Locations in The Milky Way Galaxy | ESO Animation
This artist’s animation, done with Space Engine software, shows the locations and distances (in light-years [ly]) to examples of our galaxy’s stellar black holes: Gaia BH3, a black hole now found to be the most massive stellar black hole ever identified; Cygnus X-1, the next most massive stellar black hole; and Gaia BH1, the closest black hole to Earth. At the center of our galaxy, lurks Sagittarius A*, a supermassive black hole.
Note that, due to a projection effect, Gaia BH3 looks closer to the Sun than Gaia BH1, but in reality the former is further away. It is the second-closest black hole to Earth identified to date.
Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/L. Calçada/Space Engine
Zooming into The BH3 Black Hole System in The Milky Way Galaxy | ESO
This video zooms into BH3, the most massive stellar black hole discovered so far in our galaxy. The black hole was detected thanks to the wobbling it induces on a companion star, seen here as a bright point at the center of the frame towards the end of the zoom. An inset at the end of the video shows an artist’s animation of what the orbits of BH (in red) and its companion star (in blue) around their common center of mass look like.
The various images shown here were taken with different telescopes at different times, and have been blended together to create this zoom. The final animation is an artistic creation.
Record-breaking Stellar Black Hole Found Nearby in the Milky Way Galaxy | ESO
Astronomers have found the most massive stellar black hole in our galaxy, thanks to the wobbling motion it induces on a companion star. This wobbling was measured over several years with the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission. Additional data from other telescopes, including the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, confirmed that the mass of this black hole, dubbed Gaia BH3, is 33 times that of our Sun. The chemical composition of the companion star suggests that the black hole was formed after the collapse of a massive star with very few heavy elements, or metals, as predicted by theory. This video summarizes the discovery.
Distance: ~1926 light years
Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Written by: L. Spillman, D. Curic, E. Reiriz Martínez.
Footage and Photos: ESO, M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada, D. Gasparri, Space Engine
Panning over Spiral Galaxy NGC 3783 & Star HD 101274 in Centaurus | Hubble
This image features NGC 3783, a bright barred spiral galaxy about 130 million light-years from Earth, that also lends its name to the eponymous NGC 3783 galaxy group. Like galaxy clusters, galaxy groups are aggregates of gravitationally bound galaxies. Galaxy groups, however, are less massive and contain fewer members than galaxy clusters do: where galaxy clusters can contain hundreds or even thousands of constituent galaxies, galaxy groups do not typically include more than 50. The Milky Way is actually part of a galaxy group, known as the Local Group. It contains two other large galaxies (Andromeda and the Triangulum galaxy), as well as several dozen satellite and dwarf galaxies. The NGC 3783 galaxy group, meanwhile, contains 47 galaxies. It also seems to be at a fairly early stage of its evolution, making it an interesting object of study.
Whilst the focus of this image is the spiral galaxy NGC 3783, the eye is equally drawn to the very bright object in the lower right part of this image. This is the star HD 101274. The perspective in this image makes the star and the galaxy look like close companions, but this is an illusion. HD 101274 lies only about 1,530 light-years from Earth, meaning it is about 85 thousand times closer than NGC 3783. This explains how a single star can appear to outshine an entire galaxy!
NGC 3783 is a type-1 Seyfert galaxy. This is a galaxy with a bright central region. Thus, it is particularly bright itself, as far as galaxies go. In this image it is recorded by Hubble in incredible detail, from its glowing central bar to its narrow, winding arms and the dust threaded through them, thanks to five separate images taken in different wavelengths of light. In fact, the galactic center is bright enough to Hubble that it exhibits diffraction spikes, normally only seen on stars such as HD 101274.
Image Description: A spiral galaxy, seen face-on to the viewer. The bright center of the galaxy is crossed by a glowing bar, and it is surrounded by tightly-wound spiral arms, forming a circular shape with relatively clear edges. Faraway galaxies can be seen around it, along with a few bright stars, on a dark background. One star to the right of the galaxy is very large and extremely bright with long diffraction spikes around it.
Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, M. C. Bentz, D. J. V. Rosario, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)
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