China Develops Lunar Long March-10 Carrier Rocket for Moon Landings

China Develops Lunar Long March-10 Carrier Rocket for Moon Landings

China is developing a lunar version of its Long March-10 carrier rockets for upcoming moon landing missions. A ground test run for the the first-stage propulsion system of the lunar version rocket was completed on Friday, June 14, 2024, marking a key step to achieve the first crewed moon landing goal by 2030.

The Long March 10 uses a modular design. This allows a flexible configuration of modules depending on the need of the mission. Currently, the crewed launch vehicle has two main versions for space missions.

The Long March-10, measuring 92.5 meters (303.5 feet) tall, is a three-stage super-heavy rocket that burns kerosene and liquid oxygen.

Its first stage is five meters wide and powered by seven YF-100K engines. Along with two boosters, each also consisting of seven YF-100K engines, the rocket can generate a thrust of 2,678 tonnes at lift-off.

It is capable of delivering at least 27 tonnes to an Earth-moon transfer orbit—around three times the capacity of Long March-5, China’s most powerful rocket to date.

"The lunar version is mainly used to send the lunar lander and manned spacecraft to the lunar orbit, so it has two configurations, one for launching the lander and the other for launching the manned spacecraft. The near-Earth version currently under intensive R&D also has two configurations, and is mainly used in the operation and development stage of the space station project, mainly for transporting people and cargo," said Xu Hongping, an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

For China’s planned crewed moon landing, Long March-10 rockets will be tasked with two launches—one to send the Mengzhou spacecraft towards the lunar orbit, and another to launch the Lanyue moon lander.

These two spacecraft will then rendezvous and dock in lunar orbit, and two astronauts will enter the moon lander from the Mengzhou.

After the lander touches down on the lunar surface, the astronauts will drive a rover to carry out scientific investigations and collect rock samples, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Once they complete their mission, the crew will return to Lanyue and depart the moon. They will dock with Mengzhou in lunar orbit and return to Earth with the samples they collected, CCTV said in July after a successful hot-fire test of the YF-100K engine.

China has been working on all key components of its planned moon landings, such as the crew spacecraft, the moon lander and rover, and the lunar landing suits.

Video Credit: CCTV Video News Agency

Duration: 38 seconds

Release Date: June 16, 2024

#NASA #Space #Earth #China #中国 #Beijing #北京 #LongMarch10Rocket #RocketEngines #YF100KEngine #EngineTesting #CASC #Moon #月亮 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #CNSA #CMSA #国家航天局 #Science #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Leo Triplet of Galaxies: Wide-field View | ESO

The Leo Triplet of Galaxies: Wide-field View | ESO

This visible-light wide-field image of the region around the Leo Triplet of galaxies was created from photographs taken through blue and red filters and forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2). The galaxies appear to the lower right of center. The bright star at the upper right is the naked eye star Theta Leonis. The field of view is approximately 4.4 degrees across.

Distance: 35 million light years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO) and Digitized Sky Survey 2

Release Date: July 27, 2011

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Star #ThetaLeonis #LeoTriplet #Galaxies #M66 #Galaxy #NGC3628 #NGC3627 #NGC3623 #SpiralGalaxies #InteractingGalaxies #Leo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #DSS2 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

The Leo Triplet of Galaxies and Beyond | European Southern Observatory

The Leo Triplet of Galaxies and Beyond | European Southern Observatory

A triplet of bright galaxies in the constellation of Leo (The Lion), together with a multitude of fainter objects—distant background galaxies and much closer Milky Way stars. The image hints at the power of the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) and OmegaCAM for surveying the extragalactic Universe and for mapping the low brightness objects of the galactic halo. This image is a composite created by combining exposures taken through three different filters. Light that passed through a near-infrared filter was colored red, light in the red part of the spectrum is colored green, and green light is colored magenta.

Credit: European Southern Observatory/INAF-VST/OmegaCAM Acknowledgement: OmegaCen/Astro-WISE/Kapteyn Institute

Release Date: July 27, 2011

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #LeoTriplet #Galaxies #M66 #Galaxy #NGC3628 #NGC3627 #NGC3623 #SpiralGalaxies #InteractingGalaxies #Leo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #VST #OmegaCAM #ParanalObservatory #AtacamaDesert #Chile #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

The Leo Triplet: M66 Group of Galaxies | Kitt Peak National Observatory

The Leo Triplet: M66 Group of Galaxies | Kitt Peak National Observatory

This small group of galaxies consists of the Messier objects M65 (NGC 3623), lower right, and M66 (NGC 3627), lower left, along with the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC3628, upper left. These three galaxies form a rather attractive triplet at the heart of the M66 group. It includes a number of other galaxies that are "out of shot". The Leo Triplet also appears in Arp's Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies. At a distance of 35 million light-years, maybe a little further, the M66 group may be related to M96 (NGC 3368) and the Leo I galaxy group. 

This approximately true-color picture was created from images taken in June 1995 using BVR colors, at the Burrell Schmidt Telescope of Case Western Reserve University's Warner and Swasey Observatory located on Kitt Peak, near Tucson, Arizona, during the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program operated at the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) and supported by the National Science Foundation. 

Image size 40.6x50.8 arc minutes

Image Credit: REU Program / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA

Release Date: June 30, 2020

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #LeoTriplet #Galaxies #M66 #Galaxy #NGC3628 #NGC3627 #NGC3623 #SpiralGalaxies #Leo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #BurrellSchmidtTelescope #SwaseyObservatory #KittPeak #KPNO #Tucson #Arizona #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Close-up View: Spiral Galaxy NGC 3628 in Leo | ESO

Close-up View: Spiral Galaxy NGC 3628 in Leo | ESO

NGC 3628 is a spiral galaxy and a member of a small, but conspicuous group of galaxies located about 35 million light-years away, toward the constellation of Leo (the Lion). The other distinguished members of this family, known collectively as the Leo Triplet, are two well-known prominent spiral galaxies, Messier 65 and Messier 66 (not seen on the image). They were both discovered in 1780 by famous French comet hunter Charles Messier. NGC 3628 is the faintest of the trio and escaped Messier’s observations with his rather small telescope. It was discovered and cataloged by William Herschel only four years later.

NGC 3628 hides its spiral structure because it is seen perfectly edge-on, exactly as we observe the Milky Way galaxy on a clear night. Its most distinctive feature is a dark band of dust that lies across the plane of the disc. NGC 3628 is visibly distorted outwards, as a consequence of the gravitational interaction between NGC 3628 and its bullying companions. This boxy or “peanut-shaped” bulge, seen as a faint X-shape, is formed mainly of young stars and gas and dust. It has created the bulge away from the plane of the rest of the galaxy through their powerful motions. Because of its appearance, NGC 3628 was cataloged as Arp 317 in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, published in 1966. It aimed to characterize a large sample of odd objects that fell outside the standard Hubble classification, to aid understanding of how galaxies evolve.

The depth of the image reveals a myriad of galaxies of different shapes and colors, a number much further away than NGC 3628. Particularly noticeable is the fuzzy blob just in the center of the image, a diffuse satellite galaxy. A number of globular clusters can be seen as fuzzy reddish spots in the halo of the galaxy. Also visible as bright spots near the lower edge of the image (the two blue star-like objects below the satellite galaxy) are two quasars, the central engines of distant and very energetic galaxies, billions of light-years away.

This image has been taken with the FORS2 instrument, attached to one of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope’s Unit Telescopes. It is a combination of exposures taken through different filters (B, V and R), for a total exposure time of just below one hour. The field of view is about 7 arcminutes across. This is why this large galaxy does not fit into the image.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Release Date: June 28, 2010

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC3628 #SpiralGalaxy #LeoTriplet #Leo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #Optical #VLT #FORS2 #ParanalObservatory #AtacamaDesert #Chile #SouthAmerica #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Edge-on Spiral Galaxy NGC 3628 in Leo | Mayall Telescope

Edge-on Spiral Galaxy NGC 3628 in Leo | Mayall Telescope

This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the 4-meter Mayall telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. NGC 3628 is a large, edge-on spiral galaxy. It is one of three galaxies in the "Leo Triplet". NGC 3628 has a warped disk and a long tidal tail (the faint blue line stretching to the upper-left corner of the image) that are the result of gravitational interactions with the other two galaxies in the triplet. The image was generated with observations in the B (blue), V (green), I (orange) and Hydrogen-Alpha (red) filters. This image is rotated 37 degrees clockwise fron North is up, East is to the left.

The Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope is a four-meter (158 inches) reflector telescope in Arizona named after Nicholas U. Mayall. It saw first light on February 27, 1973, and was the second-largest telescope in the world at that time.

Credit: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage) and H. Schweiker (WIYN and NOIRLab/NSF/AURA)

Release Date: June 30, 2020

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC3628 #SpiralGalaxy #LeoTriplet #Leo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Observatory #Telescope #Optical #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #MayallTelescope #KittPeak #KPNO #Tucson #Arizona #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Milky Way, Large & Small Magellanic Cloud Galaxies over Western Australia

Milky Way, Large & Small Magellanic Cloud Galaxies over Western Australia

Astrophotographer Trevor Dobson: "This is a 39 shot panorama of the Milky Way rising above a lone tree on a farm at Contine, 1.5 hours south east of Perth in Western Australia. Prominent in this image are the Large & Small Magellanic Clouds to the right, small satellite galaxies of our own Milky Way. Just right of centre at the very top is the pink coloured Carina Nebula, while just below that is the dark CoalSack Nebula with Crux (Southern Cross) to its immediate left."

"I used an h-alpha filter to highlight the various red coloured hydrogen alpha emitting regions, most prominent in and around the core area on the left."

The Small Magellanic Cloud, or SMC, is a small galaxy about 200,000 light-years way that orbits our own Milky Way spiral galaxy.

Nearly 200,000 light-years from Earth, the Large Magellanic Cloud, another satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, floats in space, in a long and slow dance around our galaxy.

Technical details:

Nikon d810a 50mm, ISO 3200, f/3.2

Foreground: 6 x 15 seconds

Sky: 25 x 30 seconds

H-Alpha: 8 x 60 seconds

iOptron SkyTracker

Image Date: March 10, 2024

Release Date: June 8, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #MilkyWayGalaxy #LMC #SMC #Galaxies #Nebulae #CarinaNebula #CoalNebula #LightPollution #CitizenScience #Astrophotographer #TrevorDobson #Astrophotography #Cosmos #Universe #SolarSystem #Earth #Contine #WesternAustralia #Australia #STEM #Education

First-Stage Rocket Engines for China’s Crewed Moon Missions Complete Trial Run

First-Stage Rocket Engines for China’s Crewed Moon Missions Complete Trial Run

China on Friday, June 14, 2024, successfully completed a trial run for the first-stage propulsion system of the Long March-10 carrier rocket, marking a key step toward realizing its crewed Moon landing goal by 2030.

Conducted at Institute 101 of the Sixth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) in Beijing, it was the first large-scale system-level ground test of the Long March-10 series that will be used for the country’s future crewed lunar missions that will full verify many key technologies.

The test run of the propulsion system is equivalent to a launch without takeoff. Three engines of the system started normally, worked stably and shut down on time, and all tested parameters showed no abnormalities.

"The test is basically a comprehensive verification of our first-stage module. It was a complete success, laying a solid foundation for our subsequent research and development and the realization of our entire manned lunar exploration program," said Xu Hongping, an engineer with CASC.

The Long March-10 is a three-and-a-half-stage rocket developed for the purpose of sending crewed spacecraft and Moon landers into the Earth-Moon transfer orbit. It has a total length of about 92 meters, a takeoff weight of over 2,180 tonnes, a takeoff thrust of about 2,678 tonnes, and a carrying capacity of no less than 27 tonnes for the Earth-Moon transfer orbit. A non-booster configuration of the new rocket is capable of conducting missions for transporting astronauts and cargo to the space station.

"The development of new-generation crewed rockets can greatly enhance our country's ability to enter space and help the Chinese land on the Moon. In addition, its technological breakthroughs can drive the development of our entire aerospace industry and will be a considerable boost to the country's advanced manufacturing sector," said Xu.

According to CASC's development plan, the second trial run for the Long March-10 rocket's first-stage propulsion system will be carried out in the near future to further verify other working conditions.

Video Credit: CCTV

Duration: 1 minute, 43 seconds

Release Date: June 14, 2024

#NASA #Space #Earth #China #中国 #Beijing #北京 #LongMarch10Rocket #RocketEngine #EngineTesting #CASC #Moon #月亮 #嫦娥 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #HumanSpaceflight #CNSA #CMSA #国家航天局 #Science #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Melting Sea Ice Swirls off Greenland's East Coast | NASA Terra Earth Satellite

Melting Sea Ice Swirls off Greenland's East Coast | NASA Terra Earth Satellite

A satellite view of sea ice. The ice is white and solid at top left, while the edges swirl and swoop through the dark blue water.

Annotated/labeled version

Floating fragments of sea ice spun into intricate patterns as ocean currents carried them south along Greenland’s east coast in spring 2024. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured a moment of this dizzying journey on June 4, 2024.

Much of the ice has likely drifted a great distance to get to this point. The Fram Strait, a 450-kilometer (280-mile)-wide passage between Greenland and Svalbard (to the north, out of view), connects the Arctic Ocean with the Greenland Sea. It serves as the primary route for sea ice out of the Arctic. After moving through the Fram Strait, ice is swept south along the Greenland coast by the East Greenland Current.

Along the way, it breaks into smaller pieces and starts to melt in warmer ocean waters. “The smaller the floes, the more ‘wispy’ the patterns,” said Walt Meier, a sea ice scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). The small ice fragments in those swirling patterns may only be meters or tens of meters across, he said—too small to distinguish in MODIS imagery. The aggregation of small pieces imparts the look of hazy, smoke-like curls to the surface of the water.

The predominant southward current along the coast gets perturbed by the jagged coastline, other offshore currents, and occasionally winds coming off the Greenland Ice Sheet, said Meier, forming eddies that are made visible by the ice chunks. “With the thinning and breaking up of the ice, it becomes more easily pushed around by the winds and current,” he said.

Larger floes appear closer to the shoreline. This ice is likely more local in origin, breaking off from the fast ice and becoming entrained in the swirling waters. Fast ice, anchored to the shore or shallow ocean bottom, is visible at the top of the image and along other sections of the coast.

As the summer wears on, ice will continue to drift out of the Arctic. However, in recent years, more of the Arctic Ocean’s sea ice has become too young and thin to make the journey south, noted Angela Bliss, a sea ice scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “Historically, when more of the Arctic sea ice would survive the summer melt season, growing thicker and older, a larger volume of sea ice would be transported through the Fram Strait,” she said.

Climate scientists are watching this diminished flow closely. The movement of sea ice and freshwater out of the Arctic is a component of ocean circulation patterns that distribute heat around the planet. The so-called “global ocean conveyor belt” transports cold water south and warm water north, contributing to climate conditions worldwide. “Less ice and freshwater transport have big implications for ocean productivity, as well as warming upper ocean temperatures, in the region,” said Bliss.

A 2023 study looking at two decades of ocean-mooring observations found that the East Greenland Current is moving less sea ice through the Fram Strait, primarily due to sea ice thinning. The researchers observed that summertime surface water temperatures off Greenland have risen, in part due to the increased presence of heat-absorbing open water. The water column has also become less stratified, making more nutrients available to phytoplankton communities.

Image Credit: NASA/Wanmei Liang, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview

Story Credit: Lindsey Doermann

Image Date: June 4, 2024

Release Date: June 13, 2024

#NASA #Space #Satellites #TerraSatellite #Science #Planet #Earth #Greenland #Denmark #SeaIce #MeltingIce #Environment #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #GlobalHeating #Atmosphere #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

The Devil's Tower Nebula: RCW 85 in Centaurus

The Devil's Tower Nebula: RCW 85 in Centaurus

From the 1960 astronomical catalog of Rodgers, Campbell and Whiteoak (RCW), emission region RCW 85 shines in Earth's southern night skies between the bright stars Alpha and Beta Centauri. About 5,000 light years distant, the hazy interstellar cloud of glowing hydrogen gas and dust is faint. However, detailed structures along well-defined rims within RCW 85 are traced in this cosmic skyscape composed of 28 hours of narrow and broadband exposures. Suggestive of dramatic shapes in other stellar nurseries where natal clouds of gas and dust are sculpted by energetic winds and radiation from newborn stars, the tantalizing nebula has been called the Devil's Tower. This telescopic frame would span around 100 light-years at the estimated distance of RCW 85. The bright star in the upper-left is HD125158.

Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Pugh

Martn's website: https://www.martinpughastrophotography.space/about

Release Date: June 14, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #RCW85 #DevilsTowerNebula #Stars #AlphaCentauri #BetaCentauri #StarHD125158 #Constellation #Centaurus #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #CitizenScience #Astrophotography #Astrophotographer #MartinPugh #STEM #Education #APoD

China Solar Explorer Satellite Capable of Rapid Multi-Spectral High-res Scans

China Solar Explorer Satellite Capable of Rapid Multi-Spectral High-res Scans

The China H-alpha Solar Explorer (CHASE) satellite is capable of conducting rapid solar H-alpha high-resolution spectral imaging in just dozens of seconds each time. It is much like recording precise computed tomography (CT) scans of the Sun to advance humanity's understanding of the rotation of the solar atmosphere. 

Discoveries in solar atmospheric rotation patterns by the CHASE satellite were published in the international science journal Nature Astronomy on Thursday, June 13, 2024:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-024-02299-4

Scientists were able to make the discoveries through accurate 3D imagery of solar atmospheric rotation put together by CHASE's multi-spectral, full disk, high precision scans. The satellite, placed into a sun-synchronous orbit, is able to acquire more comprehensive and accurate solar data by being outside the Earth's atmosphere. It also marked the world's first practical use of solar H-alpha spectral imaging in space.

"It only takes 46 seconds for CHASE to scan the whole solar disk. We are able to get more than 300 images of the whole solar disk at different layers, which is equivalent to a CT scan of the solar atmosphere," said Li Chuan, chief designer of CHASE's application system.

CHASE's full-disk spectral observation data also allows scientists to further study the transportation of matter and energy in the solar atmosphere, as well as solar flares. This is important since we are now experiencing Solar Cycle 25, and the Sun’s activity will ramp up until solar maximum, predicted for 2025. This high solar activity is warming Earth's upper atmosphere. China also uses its Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S), launched in 2022, to continuously monitor solar activity.

CHASE was launched aboard a Long March 2D rocket in October 2021. CHASE is a 508 kg (1,120 lb) satellite operating at a 517-kilometer-altitude Sun-synchronous orbit with an orbital period of about 94 minutes.

Video Credit: CCTV Video News Agency

Duration: 1 minute, 19 seconds

Release Date: June 14, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #Star #Earth #China #中国 #Satellite #CHASE #Xihe #羲和 #SolarObservatory #Satellite #Telescope #SpaceWeather #SolarFlares #CoronalMassEjections #MagneticField #Heliophysics #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Gateway Lunar Space Station: Architectural Plans | NASA Artemis Program

Gateway Lunar Space Station: Architectural Plans | NASA Artemis Program

Gateway Artemis Mission Elements: An expanded view of the Gateway lunar space station showing its planned elements, international partner contributions, and visiting spacecraft.

Gateway Lunar Space Station Configuration: This infographic illustrates each element of the Gateway plan, a space station in lunar orbit.

Gateway Elements & Major Partners: Illustrative diagram of NASA’s plans for a Gateway lunar space station, showing modules contributed by international and industry partners.

The Gateway lunar space station is central to NASA-led Artemis missions to return to the Moon for "scientific discovery and to chart a path for human missions to Mars and beyond." This small space station will be a multi-purpose outpost supporting lunar surface missions, science in lunar orbit, and human exploration further into the cosmos. NASA is working with commercial and international partners to build Gateway.

Learn more about NASA's plans for the Gateway lunar space station:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/gateway/

Learn more about NASA's Artemis Program: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Release Date: June 13, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Space #Moon #ArtemisProgram #LunarGateway #Gateway #GatewayArchitecture #LunarSpaceStation #MoonToMars #Science #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #UnitedStates #InternationalCooperation #HumanSpaceflight #Art #Illustration #Infographics #STEM #Education

NASA's Space to Ground: Starliner Crew Flight Test | Week of June 14, 2024

NASA's Space to Ground: Starliner Crew Flight Test | Week of June 14, 2024

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. Nine astronauts and cosmonauts are living aboard the International Space Station following the arrival of two crewmates, veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on Thursday, June 6, 2024. 

Expedition 71 Crew

Station Commander: Oleg Kononenko (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin (Russia)

NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps

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.

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

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

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

Duration: 2 minutes, 38 seconds

Release Date: June 14, 2024

#NASA #Space #Earth #ISS #BoeingStarliner #Astronauts #SuniWilliams #BarryWilmore #Science #SpaceTechnology #SpaceLaboratory #Engineering #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition71 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Moonwalk Training: Astronauts Andre Douglas & Kate Rubins | NASA Artemis

Moonwalk Training: Astronauts Andre Douglas & Kate Rubins | NASA Artemis

NASA astronaut Andre Douglas wears Augmented Reality (AR) display technology during a nighttime advanced technology run in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona on May 21, 2024. The monocular lens consists of a pico-projector and waveguide optical element to focus an image for crew to see their real world overlaid with digital information. These unique near-eye form factors may be used to improve the usability and minimally impact the complex biomechanics of working in a pressurized suit environment.

NASA astronaut Andre Douglas wears the Joint Augmented Reality Visual Informatics System (Joint AR) display during a nighttime advanced technology run in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona on May 21, 2024. The suit display features include navigation, photo capture, graphical format of consumables, procedure viewing, mission control updates, and other augmented reality cues and graphics. 

NASA astronaut Andre Douglas wears Augmented Reality (AR) display technology during a nighttime advanced technology run in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona on May 21, 2024. The monocular lens consists of a pico-projector and waveguide optical element to focus an image for crew to see their real world overlaid with digital information. These unique near-eye form factors may be used to improve the usability and minimally impact the complex biomechanics of working in a pressurized suit environment.

NASA astronaut Andre Douglas wears Augmented Reality (AR () display technology during an advanced technology run in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona on May 21, 2024. The monocular lens consists of a pico-projector and waveguide optical element to focus an image for crew to see their real world overlaid with digital information. These unique near-eye form factors may be used to improve the usability and minimally impact the complex biomechanics of working in a pressurized suit environment.

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins uses the hand controller on her wrist to display information while wearing the Joint Augmented Reality Visual Informatics System (Joint AR) display during an advanced technology run in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona on May 21, 2024. The suit display features include navigation, photo capture, graphical format of consumables, procedure viewing, mission control updates, and other augmented reality cues and graphics.

An engineer helps NASA astronaut Kate Rubins adjust the lens on the Joint Augmented Reality Visual Informatics System (Joint AR) display she’s wearing during an advanced technology run in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona on May 19, 2024. The suit display features include navigation, photo capture, graphical format of consumables, procedure viewing, mission control updates, and other augmented reality cues and graphics. 

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins opens the sun visor on the Joint Augmented Reality Visual Informatics System (Joint AR) display she is wearing during an advanced technology run in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona on May 19, 2024. The suit display features include navigation, photo capture, graphical format of consumables, procedure viewing, mission control updates, and other augmented reality cues and graphics. 

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins uses the hand controller on her wrist to display information while wearing the Joint Augmented Reality Visual Informatics System (Joint AR) display during an advanced technology run in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona on May 19, 2024. The suit display features include navigation, photo capture, graphical format of consumables, procedure viewing, mission control updates, and other augmented reality cues and graphics. 

To prepare for exploring the Moon during NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency is conducting a week-long field test in the lunar-like landscape of San Francisco Volcanic Field near Flagstaff, Arizona, to practice moonwalk scenarios.

NASA astronauts Kate Rubins and Andre Douglas are serving as the crewmembers and wearing mockup spacesuit systems as they traverse through the desert, completing a variety of technology demonstrations, hardware checkouts and Artemis science-related operations. 

During the test, two integrated teams will work together as they practice end-to-end lunar operations. The field team consists of astronauts, NASA engineers, and field experts in the Arizona desert conducting the simulated moonwalks, while a team of flight controllers and scientists at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston monitor and guide their activities.

On May 19, 2024, the team successfully tested navigation displays using data from four different data streams: Global Positioning System (GPS)/Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), camera/IMU, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), and static maps. Technology like this may be used for future Artemis missions to augment mission control communication and help guide crew back to the lunar lander.

“Field tests play a critical role in helping us test all of the systems, hardware, and technology we’ll need to conduct successful lunar operations during Artemis missions,” said Barbara Janoiko, director for the field test at Johnson. “Our engineering and science teams have worked together seamlessly to ensure we are prepared every step of the way for when astronauts step foot on the Moon again.”   

The test consists of four simulated moonwalks that follow operations planned for Artemis III and beyond, as well as six advanced technology runs. During the advanced runs, teams will demonstrate technology that may be used for future Artemis missions, such as display and navigation data stream capabilities in the form of a heads-up display using augmented reality or lighting beacons that could help guide crew back to the lander. 

Ahead of the field test, the science team at Johnson that was competitively selected and tasked with developing the science objectives for the field test, followed a planning process designed for Artemis missions. Their preparation included generating geologic maps, a list of science questions, and prioritized moonwalk locations for both the primary and back-up “landing sites” for the test. 

“During Artemis III, the astronauts will be our science operators on the lunar surface with an entire science team supporting them from here on Earth,” said Cherie Achilles, science officer for the test at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “This simulation gives us an opportunity to practice conducting geology from afar in real time.” 

The test will evaluate gaps and challenges associated with lunar South Pole operations, including data collection and communications between the flight control team and science team in Houston for rapid decision-making protocols. 

At the conclusion of each simulated moonwalk, the science team, flight control team, crewmembers, and field experts will come together to discuss and record lessons learned. NASA will take these lessons and apply them to operations for NASA’s Artemis missions, commercial vendor development, and other technology development. 

This field test is the fifth in the series conducted by the Joint Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Test Team led out of Johnson. This test expands on previous field tests the team has performed and is the highest fidelity Artemis moonwalk mission simulation to date. 

NASA uses field tests to simulate missions to prepare for deep space destinations. The Arizona desert has been a training ground for lunar exploration since the Apollo era because of the many similarities to the lunar terrain, including craters, faults and volcanic features. 

Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman, the first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon, paving the way for long-term lunar exploration and serving as a steppingstone for astronaut missions to Mars. 

Learn more about NASA’s Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program:

https://www.nasa.gov/extravehicular-activity-and-human-surface-mobility/

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

Image Date: May 19-21, 2024

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Noctilucent Clouds over Poland | Earth Science

Noctilucent Clouds over Poland | Earth Science

Noctilucent clouds (NLCs) are spilling out of the Arctic to lower latitudes. Astrophotographer Marek Nikodem spotted the electric-blue clouds at midnight, June 11-12, 2024, over Szubin, Poland (+53N). 

Nikodem: "These are our first noctilucent clouds of the season here in Poland. It was a very nice display."

NASA scientists study and model the Sun to better understand what it does and why. The Sun has its ups and downs and cycles between them regularly. Roughly every 11 years, at the height of its cycle, the Sun’s magnetic poles flip—on Earth, that would be like if the North and South Poles swapped places every decade—and the Sun transitions from sluggish to active and stormy. At its quietest, the Sun is at solar minimum; during solar maximum, the Sun blazes with bright flares and solar eruptions.

December 2019 marked the beginning of Solar Cycle 25, and the Sun’s activity will once again ramp up until solar maximum, predicted for 2025. This high solar activity is warming Earth's upper atmosphere and breaking apart water molecules required to form noctilucent ices. However, for reasons researchers do not fully understand, Solar Max does not always extinquish the clouds. The appearance of NLCs over Poland suggests that 2024 may be a year when night-shining clouds defy the Sun.

Image Credit & Copyright: Marek Nikodem

Marek's Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/marek.nikodem.niki/

Caption Credits: SpaceWeather/NASA

Image Dates: June 11-12, 2024

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Expedition 71 Picture Gallery: June 2024 | International Space Station

Expedition 71 Picture Gallery: June 2024 | International Space Station

NASA astronauts (from left) Suni Williams, Tracy C. Dyson, and Jeanette Epps pose for a portrait during dinner time aboard the International Space Station's Unity module. Williams is the pilot for NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test and Dyson and Epps are both Expedition 71 Flight Engineers.

The seven-member Expedition 71 crew poses together for a portrait aboard the International Space Station's Kibo laboratory module. In the front row (from left) are, NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub of Russia. The trio will return to Earth aboard the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft in September. In the back are, Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin of Russia and NASA astronauts Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps. The foursome launched to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft on March 3, 2024.

NASA astronaut and Boeing Crew Flight Test Pilot Suni Williams is pictured in front of the Harmony module's vestibule that leads to the forward port where Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is docked to the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson works inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock and checks procedures on a computer tablet to prepare a spacesuit for a fit verification.

Expedition 71 Flight Engineers Jeanette Epps and Mike Barratt, both NASA astronauts, practice installing safety components on a spacesuit inside the International Space Station's Unity module.

Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson (center) assists Expedition 71 Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick (left) and Mike Barratt (right), all three NASA astronauts, during a spacesuit fit check inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock.

Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson assists Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Mike Barratt, both NASA astronauts, during a spacesuit fit check inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson works inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock performing maintenance on a spacesuit's liquid cooling ventilation garment.

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft carrying Crew Flight Test (CFT) members and NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams docked with the station on June 6, 2024.

Follow Expedition 71 Updates: 

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

Expedition 71 Crew

Station Commander: Oleg Kononenko (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin (Russia)

NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps

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: June 3-12, 2024

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