Sunday, April 21, 2024

Passing Planet Jupiter: Perijove 16 | NASA's Juno Mission

Passing Planet Jupiter: Perijove 16 | NASA's Juno Mission

NASA's robotic spacecraft Juno is continuing on its 53-day, highly-elongated orbits around our Solar System's largest planet. This video features perijove 16, the sixteenth time that Juno has passed near Jupiter since it arrived in mid-2016. Each perijove passes near a new part of Jupiter's cloud tops. 

This color-enhanced video has been digitally composed from 21 JunoCam still images, resulting in a 125-fold time-lapse. The video begins with Jupiter rising as Juno approaches from the north. As Juno reaches its closest view—from about 3,500 kilometers over Jupiter's cloud tops—the spacecraft captures the great planet in detail. 

Juno passes light zones and dark belts of clouds that circle the planet, as well as numerous swirling circular storms. Many are larger than hurricanes on Earth. As Juno moves away, a remarkable "dolphin-shaped" cloud is visible. After the perijove, Jupiter recedes into the distance, now displaying the unusual clouds that appear over Jupiter's south. To collect science data, Juno swoops so close to Jupiter that its instruments are exposed to very high levels of radiation.

Starting in April 2024, the spacecraft will carry out a series of occultation experiments that use Juno’s Gravity Science experiment to probe Jupiter’s upper atmospheric makeup. This can provide key information on the planet’s shape and interior structure.


More About the Mission
JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott J. Bolton, of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Juno is part of NASA’s New Frontiers Program, which is managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built and operates the spacecraft.

Video Credit: NASA, Juno, SwRI, MSSS, Gerald Eichstadt

Duration: 54 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 2, 2019



#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planet #Jupiter #Atmosphere #JunoMission #JunoSpacecraft #Perijove16 #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #JPL #MSFC #SwRI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD #HD #Video

The Sun: New High Resolution Images | Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope

The Sun: New High Resolution Images | Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope

A high-resolution image of solar sunspots captured by the Inouye Solar Telescope on May 11, 2021 (not from the first science observation). The data leading to this image were acquired with the Visible Broadband Imager blue channel at a wavelength of 450 nanometers.

The first images of the chromosphere—the area of the Sun’s atmosphere above the surface—taken with the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on 3 June 2022. The image shows a region 82,500 kilometers across at a resolution of 18 km. This image is taken at 486.13 nanometers using the hydrogen-beta line from the Balmer series.
The surface of the Sun taken with the Visible Broadband Imager at the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope. The image shows a region 82,500 kilometers across at a resolution of 18 km. The image is taken in the Fraunhofer “G Band” at 430 nanometers.

The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope has produced the highest resolution observations of the Sun’s surface ever taken. These are the latest images that have been released during the telescope's commissioning stage. Interestingly, they are reminiscent of Vincent van Gogh's famous "sunflower" paintings (1888-1889) that he made in France.

Learn about the world's most powerful solar telescope in Maui, Hawai’i:

https://nso.edu/telescopes/dki-solar-telescope/  

Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflower" paintings: 

https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection/s0031v1962


Credits: NOIRLab, National Solar Observatory (NSO)/National Science Foundation (NSF)/Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)

Release Date: April 19, 2024


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #Sun #Corona #Atmosphere #Chromosphere #Sunspots #Plasma #Physics #Astrophysics #Heliophysics #DanielKInouyeSolarTelescope #Maui #Hawaii #NSO #NSF #AURA #NOIRLab #UnitedStates #Art #STEM #Education

China's Shenzhou-18 Crew Mission: Launch Prep Completed | China Space Station

China's Shenzhou-18 Crew Mission: Launch Prep Completed | China Space Station

China conducted an on-site comprehensive pre-launch rehearsal on Sunday, April 21, 2024, in northwest China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center for the imminent launch of the Shenzhou-18 crewed spaceship to the China Space Station. As scheduled, this new crew will replace the existing Shenzhou-17 astronauts (taikonauts) completing a long duration six-month mission. Shenzhou-18 will be the seventh crew of three astronauts to stay aboard the China Space Station. The Shenzhou-18 crew members will be officially announced shortly before launch.

Zou Pengfei, a staff member of the Astronaut Center of China stated:

"Throughout the joint rehearsal, the Shenzhou-18 crew members were full of energy, very calm and composed. They performed good teamwork in operation and coordinated smoothly with the ground team, thus achieving the expected results. The rehearsal demonstrated their good physical and psychological status and training level. After the joint rehearsal, they will enter the final preparation stage, which mainly includes medical examination and physical and psychological state adjustments, to ensure that they can perform the flight mission in the best shape possible."


Video Credit: CCTV Video News Agency

Duration: 1 minute, 11 seconds

Release Date: April 21, 2024


#NASA #Space #China #中国 #Rocket #LongMarch2FY18 #Shenzhou18 #神舟十八 #CrewSpacecraft #Taikonauts #Astronauts #SpaceLaboratory #CSS #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #CMSA #国家航天局 #Science #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Into the Heart of Spiral Galaxy NGC 1232 in Eridanus | ESO

Into the Heart of Spiral Galaxy NGC 1232 in Eridanus | ESO


This spectacular image of the large spiral galaxy NGC 1232 was obtained on September 21, 1998, during a period of good observing conditions. It is based on three exposures in ultra-violet, blue and red light, respectively. The colors of the different regions are well visible. The central areas contain older stars of reddish color, while the spiral arms are populated by young, blue stars and many star-forming regions. Note the distorted companion galaxy on the left side, shaped like the greek letter "theta". NGC 1232 was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on October 20, 1784.

NGC 1232 is located 20º south of the celestial equator, in the constellation Eridanus (The River). The distance is about 60 million light-years, but the excellent optical quality of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and FORS allows us to see an incredible wealth of details. FORS is the visual and near UV FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph for the VLT. At the indicated distance, the edge of the field shown corresponds to about 200,000 light-years, or about twice the size of the Milky Way galaxy.

The image is a composite of three images taken behind three different filters: U (360 nm; 10 min), B (420 nm; 6 min) and R (600 nm; 2:30 min) during a period of 0.7 arcsec seeing. The field shown measures 6.8 x 6.8 arcmin. North is up; East is to the left.


Video Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Duration: 18 seconds
Release Date: Sept. 23, 1998

#NASA #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC1232 #SpiralGalaxy #Eridanus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #FORS #ParanalObservatory #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up View: Spiral Galaxy NGC 1232 in Eridanus | ESO

Close-up View: Spiral Galaxy NGC 1232 in Eridanus | ESO


This spectacular image of the large spiral galaxy NGC 1232 was obtained on September 21, 1998, during a period of good observing conditions. It is based on three exposures in ultra-violet, blue and red light, respectively. The colors of the different regions are well visible. The central areas contain older stars of reddish color, while the spiral arms are populated by young, blue stars and many star-forming regions. Note the distorted companion galaxy on the left side, shaped like the Greek letter "theta". NGC 1232 was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on October 20, 1784.

NGC 1232 is located 20º south of the celestial equator, in the constellation Eridanus (The River). The distance is about 60 million light-years, but the excellent optical quality of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and FORS allows us to see an incredible wealth of details. FORS is the visual and near UV FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph for the VLT. At the indicated distance, the edge of the field shown corresponds to about 200,000 light-years, or about twice the size of the Milky Way galaxy.

The image is a composite of three images taken behind three different filters: U (360 nm; 10 min), B (420 nm; 6 min) and R (600 nm; 2:30 min) during a period of 0.7 arcsec seeing. The field shown measures 6.8 x 6.8 arcmin. North is up; East is to the left.


Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Release Date: September 23, 1998

#NASA #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC1232 #SpiralGalaxy #Eridanus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #VLT #FORS #ParanalObservatory #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

Spiral Galaxy NGC 1232 in Eridanus | ESO

Spiral Galaxy NGC 1232 in Eridanus | ESO


The striking, large spiral galaxy NGC 1232, and its distorted companion shaped like the Greek letter "theta". The pair is located roughly 60 million light-years away in the constellation Eridanus (The River). Billions of stars and dark dust are caught up in this beautiful gravitational swirl. The blue spiral arms with their many young stars and star-forming regions make a striking contrast with the yellow-reddish core of older stars. NGC 1232 was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on October 20, 1784.

This image is based on data acquired with the 1.5 m Danish telescope at the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory in Chile, through three filters (B: 900 s, V: 400 s, R: 400 s).


Credit: ESO/IDA/Danish 1.5 m/R.Gendler and A. Hornstrup.

Release Date: Dec. 3, 2009


#NASA #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC1232 #SpiralGalaxy #Eridanus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #DanishTelescope #LaSillaObservatory #Chile #SouthAmerica #Europe #STEM #Education

Saturday, April 20, 2024

China Shenzhou-18 Crew Rocket Rollout to Launchpad | China Space Station

China Shenzhou-18 Crew Rocket Rollout 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 crewed 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.


Image Credits: CGTN/Wu Lei/CNSA Watcher

Image Date: April 17, 2024


#NASA #Space #China #中国 #Rocket #LongMarch2FY18 #Shenzhou18 #神舟十八 #CrewSpacecraft #Taikonauts #Astronauts #SpaceLaboratory #CSS #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #CMSA #国家航天局 #Science #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education

A Silent Watcher of The Earth's Southern Hemisphere

A Silent Watcher of The Earth's Southern Hemisphere


The top half of the image is taken up by the night sky, dotted with thousands of tiny white stars. The sky goes from darker blue at the top to green and orange at the horizon with faint pink patches in between. In the top third of the image are two white-bluish cloud-like structures and a thin white streak. The steely circular dish of a telescope in the center of the image reflects colors of the sky. In the foreground we see the rocks and grass on the ground in front of the telescope; behind it, a mountain range in shades of violet and blue stretches into the distance.

This picture shows the stunning night sky over the Swedish–ESO Submillimeter Telescope (SEST) telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. Until its retirement in 2003, SEST used its 15-meter main dish to observe the cold gas clouds where stars form. Now the telescope, perching at 2,375 meters altitude, watches silently over the landscape of the Atacama Desert.

While SEST stands in one of the darkest places on the planet, the sky itself is not completely black— rather the opposite! Here, besides thousands of stars, the picture features shades of red and green across the sky—an atmospheric phenomenon called airglow. In the bottom-left part of the sky we can see a portion of the band of the Milky Way, our home galaxy, and in the top half, two cloud-like structures that look like galactic fireworks. These are the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, two dwarf galaxies that orbit the Milky Way, trapped by its gravity. They are visible to the naked eye and have been known since ancient times to indigenous peoples in the Southern Hemisphere,. They often compared them with water ponds or even animals like pigs or tapirs.

In this picture, there is even a shooting star coming by to say hello to SEST. Can you spot it in the sky? 


Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/A. Ghizzi Panizza )

Alberto's website: 

https://www.albertoghizzipanizza.com

Release Date: March 18, 2024


#ESO #Earth #Astronomy #Space #Science #MilkyWayGalaxy #DwarfGalaxies #LMC #SMC #Stars #Meteor #Airglow #SEST #Telescope #SwedishESOSubmillimeterTelescope #LaSilla #Cosmos #Universe #Chile #AtacamaDesert #SouthAmerica #Sweden #Sverige #Europe #STEM #Education

Japan's Planned Pressurized Rover for NASA Artemis Moon Exploration Program

Japan's Planned Pressurized Rover for NASA Artemis Moon Exploration Program



Artist's impression of JAXA's Pressurized Rover for the Artemis Program

A model of a pressurized lunar rover is seen during a briefing discussing the historic agreement signed April 9, 2024, at NASA Headquarters, between the United States and Japan to advance sustainable human exploration of the Moon, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) offices in Washington. Under the agreement, Japan will design, develop, and operate a pressurized rover for crewed and uncrewed exploration on the Moon. NASA will provide the launch and delivery of the rover to the Moon as well as two Japanese astronaut missions to the lunar surface. 

The Japanese rover will support extended expeditions from Artemis landing sites that are beyond the range of the Lunar Terrain Vehicle that three American companies are developing for NASA under contracts announced April 3. The rover is designed to accommodate two astronauts for up to 30 days, with an overall lifetime of 10 years.

Learn more about NASA's Artemis program:

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/artemis/


Image Credits: JAXA/Toyota/NASA/Bill Ingalls

Release Dates: April 9-10, 2024


#NASA #Space #Science #Moon #ArtemisProgram #LunarRovers #Rovers #PressurizedRover #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceExploration #InternationalCooperation #JAXA #Japan #日本 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Welcomes New Partners to the Artemis Accords | This Week @NASA

NASA Welcomes New Partners to the Artemis Accords | This Week @NASA

Week of April 19, 2024: More partners in space exploration, new data measuring ocean health, air quality and our climate, and an upgrade to testing facilities for Artemis II . . . a few of the stories to tell you about—This Week at NASA!

 

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Video Producer: Haley Reed

Video Editor: Sonnet Apple 

Narrator: Emanuel Cooper

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: April 20, 2024


#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #PACEMission #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceExploration #InternationalCooperation #Students #StudentLaunch #Rocketry #MSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

72 Helicopter Flights on Mars: See NASA Ingenuity's Flight Map | JPL

72 Helicopter Flights on Mars: See NASA Ingenuity's Flight Map | JPL

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter became the first vehicle to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet when it took to the Martian skies on April 19, 2021. This video maps the location of the 72 flights that the helicopter took over the course of nearly three years. Ingenuity far surpassed expectations—soaring higher and faster than previously imagined. 

Designed to be a technology demonstration that would make no more than five test flights in 30 days, Ingenuity eventually flew more than 14 times farther than the distance expected, and logged more than two hours of total flight time. It flew for the final time on Jan. 18, 2024.

Name: Ingenuity

Main Job: A technology demonstration to test the first powered flight on Mars. The helicopter rode to Mars attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover.

Launch: July 30, 2020, Cape Canaveral, Florida

Landed: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

Length of Mission: Technology demonstration complete; transitioned to new operations demo phase before its final flight in early 2024. 

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach. This includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth.


Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: April 18, 2024


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Atmosphere #JezeroCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #Robotics #IngenuityHelicopter #ThanksIngenuity #Ginny #Aircraft #SolarPowered #History #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Apollo 9 Test Mission 1969: Scott & Schweickart on Spacewalk above Earth

NASA Apollo 9 Test Mission 1969: Scott & Schweickart on Spacewalk above Earth

Excellent view of the docked Apollo 9 Command and Service Modules (CSM) and Lunar Module (LM), with Earth in the background, during astronaut David R. Scott's stand-up extravehicular activity (EVA), on the fourth day of the Apollo 9 Earth-orbital mission. Scott, command module pilot, is standing in the open hatch of the Command Module (CM). Astronaut Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot, took this photograph of Scott from the porch of the LM. Inside the LM was astronaut James A. McDivitt, Apollo 9 commander.
Image Date: March 3, 1969

Astronaut Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot, is photographed from the Command Module (CM) "Gumdrop" during his extravehicular activity (EVA) on the fourth day of the Apollo 9 Earth-orbital mission. He holds, in his right hand, a thermal sample which he is retrieving from the Lunar Module (LM) exterior. The Command and Service Modules (CSM) and LM "Spider" are docked. Schweickart, wearing an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), is standing in "golden slippers" (foot restraints) on the LM porch. Visible on his back are the Portable Life Support System (PLSS) and Oxygen Purge System (OPS). Astronaut James A. McDivitt, Apollo 9 commander, was inside the LM. Astronaut David R. Scott, command module pilot, remained at the controls in the CM.
Image Date: March 6, 1969
Astronaut Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot, operates a 70mm Hasselblad camera during his extravehicular activity (EVA) on the fourth day of the Apollo 9 Earth-orbital mission. The Command and Service Modules (CSM) and Lunar Module (LM) "Spider" are docked. This view was taken from the Command Module (CM) "Gumdrop". Schweickart, wearing an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), is standing in "golden slippers" on the LM porch. On his back, partially visible, are a Portable Life Support System (PLSS) and an Oxygen Purge System (OPS). Astronaut James A. McDivitt, Apollo 9 commander, was inside the "Spider". Astronaut David R. Scott, command module pilot, remained at the controls in the CM.
Image Date: March 6, 1969

A View of the Apollo 9 Lunar Module (LM), "Spider," in a lunar lading configuration, as photographed from the Command and Service Modules (CSM) on the fifth day of the Apollo 9 Earth-orbital mission. The landing gear on the "Spider" has been deployed. Inside the "Spider" were astronauts James A. McDivitt, Apollo 9 commander; and Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot. Astronaut David R. Scott, command module pilot, remained at the controls in the Command Module (CM), "Gumdrop," while the other two astronauts checked out the LM.
Image Date: March 7, 1969

Fabulous view of the Apollo 9 Lunar Module, "Spider," in a lunar landing configuration, as photographed from the Command and Service Modules on the fifth day of the Apollo 9 Earth-orbital mission. The landing gear on the "Spider" has been deployed. Lunar surface probes (sensors) extend out from the landing gear foot pads. Inside the "Spider" were astronauts James A. McDivitt, Apollo 9 commander; and Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot. Astronaut David R. Scott, command module pilot, remained at the controls in the Command Module, "Gumdrop," while the other two astronauts checked out the Lunar Module.
Image Date: March 7, 1969

A view of the Apollo 9 Lunar Module (LM), "Spider", in a lunar landing configuration, as photographed from the Command and Service Modules (CSM) on the fifth day of the Apollo 9 Earth-orbital mission. The landing gear on the "Spider" has been deployed. Lunar surface probes (sensors) extend out from landing gear foot pads. Inside the "Spider" were astronauts James A. McDivitt, Apollo 9 commander, and Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot. Astronaut David R. Scott, command module pilot, remained at the controls in the Command Module (CM), "Gumdrop", while the other two astronauts checked out the Lunar Module.
Image Date: March 7, 1969
NASA Apollo 9 Official Mission Patch (1969)

The primary objective of Apollo 9 during its flight March 3-13, 1969 was an Earth-orbital engineering test of the first crewed lunar module, or LM. Other prime objectives included an overall checkout of launch vehicle and spacecraft systems, the crew, and procedures. This was done by performing an integrated series of flight tasks with the command module, or CM, the service module, or SM, the joined command and service module, or CSM, the LM and S-IVB stage while they were linked in launch or various docked configurations, and while they were flying independently. The LM was to be tested as a self-sufficient spacecraft, and was also to perform active rendezvous and docking maneuvers paralleling those scheduled for the following Apollo 10 lunar-orbit mission.

Apollo 9 Crew

Commander James McDivitt 

Command Module Pilot David Scott

Lunar Module Pilot Russell Schweickart

The flight plan’s top priority was the CSM and LM rendezvous and docking. This was performed twice—once while the LM was still attached to the S-IVB, and again when the LM was active. Further goals included internal crew transfer from the docked CSM to the LM; special tests of the LM’s support systems; crew procedures; and tests of flight equipment and the extravehicular activity, or EVA, mobility unit. The crew also configured the LM to support a two-hour EVA, and simulated an LM crew rescue, which was the only planned EVA from the LM before an actual lunar landing.

The LM descent and ascent engines fired on orbital change patterns to simulate a lunar-orbit rendezvous and backup abort procedures. The CSM service propulsion system, or SPS, fired five times, including a simulation of an active rendezvous to rescue an LM that had become inactivate.

All prime mission objectives were met. All major spacecraft systems were successfully demonstrated. The few off-nominal conditions that developed did not affect achievement of the major goals.


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

Image Dates: March 3-7, 1969


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planet #Earth #Moon #ApolloProgram #Apollo9 #ServiceModule #LunarModule #SpaceflightTest #EarthOrbit #Astronauts #JamesMcDivitt #DavidScott #RussellSchweickart #EVA #SpaceExploration #History #STEM #Education

Artemis II Moon Mission: Orion Spacecraft Testing | NASA Kennedy

Artemis II Moon Mission: Orion Spacecraft Testing | NASA Kennedy

On April 10, 2024, the Artemis II Orion spacecraft is seen inside the west altitude chamber in the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic interference and compatibility testing.




NASA's Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II Moon Mission is undergoing altitude chamber testing at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This puts the spacecraft through conditions as close as possible to the environment it will experience in the vacuum of deep space.


Four astronauts will venture around the Moon in the Orion spacecraft on Artemis II. It will be the first crewed mission on NASA's path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration through the Artemis campaign.

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

Image Credit: NASA/David Wellendorf
Image Dates: Feb. 1, 2024-April 10, 2024

#NASA #ESA #CSA #Space #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIIMission #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #DeepSpace #Astronauts #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #ReidWiseman #MoonToMars #Science #SpaceExploration #HumanSpaceflight #KSC #NASAKennedy #Florida #UnitedStates #Canada #Europe #STEM #Education

NASA T-34C Aircraft in Flight | Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center

NASA T-34C Aircraft in Flight | Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center


NASA research pilot Nils Larson and photographer Jim Ross complete aerobatic maneuvers in a NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California owned T-34C aircraft during a proficiency flight. 

The NASA Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) is an aeronautical research center. Its primary campus is located inside Edwards Air Force Base in California and is considered NASA's premier site for aeronautical research. 

Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) in California:

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/home/index.html


Image Credit: NASA/Jim Ross

Image Date: Sept. 15, 2023


#NASA #Artemis #Moon #Aerospace #Flight #Aviation #Aircraft #T34CAircraft #Technology #Engineering #Civilian #Research #Aeronautical #FlightTests #Armstrong #AFRC #EdwardsAFB #California #UnitedStates #Photography #STEM #Education

Rare Sighting of ‘Doomed’ SOHO Sungrazing Comet: Solar Eclipse 2024

Rare Sighting of ‘Doomed’ SOHO Sungrazing Comet: Solar Eclipse 2024


Early on April 8, 2024, a citizen scientist found a comet in images from the European Space Agency/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). It follows the recent discovery of SOHO’s 5000th comet. However, this one—named Comet SOHO-5008—was special for another reason.

Karl Battams, manager of the SOHO Sungrazer Project, predicted that comet SOHO-5008 would be visible during the total solar eclipse. It was due to plunge parts of the United States and Mexico into darkness later that same day.

Petr Horálek, from the Institute of Physics in Opava (Czechia), was in Mexico for the eclipse. The clouds cleared and Petr took this beautiful shot of the Sun’s awe-inspiring corona. To the lower left of the Sun, Comet SOHO-5008 is visible.

Soon after Petr captured the comet on camera, it met its demise, coming so close to the Sun that it disintegrated.

Observations of these ‘sungrazing’ comets from the ground are extremely rare, and this sighting was only possible thanks to the total solar eclipse.

The image is a composite of 100 frames, with the wide corona imaged at a focal length of 200 mm (exposure time from 1/4000 to 2 seconds) and the inner corona imaged at a focal length of 1100 mm (exposure time from 1/500 to 4 seconds).

SOHO’s prowess as a comet-hunter was unplanned, but turned out to be an unexpected success. With its clear view of the Sun’s surroundings, SOHO can easily spot sungrazing comets. This has made it the most prolific discoverer of comets in astronomical history.

SOHO is a cooperative effort between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. Mission control is based at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland. SOHO’s Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph Experiment (LASCO), the instrument that provides most of the comet imagery, was built by an international consortium, led by the US Naval Research Lab.

To learn more about the Sungrazer Project, visit: 

https://science.nasa.gov/citizen-science/the-sungrazer-project/


Credits: Petr Horálek (Institute of Physics in Opava), Josef Kujal (Astronomy Society in Hradec Králové), Milan Hlaváč

Release Date: April 19, 2024


#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Hubble #Sun #Comet #CometSOHO5008 #Comets #OortCloud #Science #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #Cosmos #Universe #SOHO #Europe #GSFC #NRL #UnitedStates #SungrazerProject #CitizenScience #Astrophotographer #PetrHorálek #Volunteers #STEM #Education

Friday, April 19, 2024

China's Five-Hundred-Meter Radio Telescope Detects over 900 New Pulsars

China's Five-Hundred-Meter Radio Telescope Detects over 900 New Pulsars

China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, has identified more than 900 new pulsars since its debut in 2016, its operator said Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

The National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) said that the pulsars included over 120 binary pulsars, more than 170 millisecond pulsars, and 80 faint and intermittent pulsars.

Pulsars, or fast-spinning neutron stars, originate from the imploded cores of massive dying stars through supernova explosions.

Pulsar observation, an important task for FAST, can be used to confirm the existence of gravitational radiation and black holes and study the laws of physics in extreme environments.

According to FAST's operator, less than 3,000 pulsars had been discovered worldwide over the past 50-plus years since the discovery of the first pulsar. The number of new pulsars discovered by FAST is more than three times the total number of pulsars found by telescopes outside China during the same period.

In recent years, FAST has achieved notable success in the study of fast radio bursts, neutral hydrogen, and pulsars, greatly expanding the scope of the human exploration of the universe.

Dubbed the "China Sky Eye," the telescope is located in a naturally deep and round karst depression in the country's southwestern province of Guizhou. It has a reception area equal to 30 standard football fields.

Learn more about FAST in China: 

https://fast.bao.ac.cn/


Video Credit: New China TV

Duration: 2 minutes, 14 seconds 

Release Date: April 17, 2024


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