Watch NASA Teams Move, Prep Artemis II Moon Rocket Core Stage for Shipment

Watch NASA Teams Move, Prep Artemis II Moon Rocket Core Stage for Shipment

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans are preparing the core stage of the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) for shipment to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 212-foot-tall core stage and its four RS-25 engines will help power Artemis II, the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis campaign. 

In this video, watch as workers remove the external access stands, or scaffolding, before moving the rocket hardware to another area of the facility.  

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.

For more information about SLS, visit https://www.nasa.gov/sls

Video Credit: NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

Duration: 52 seconds

Release Date: July 8, 2024

#NASA #ESA #CSA #Space #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIIMission #ArtemisII #SLS #SLSCoreStage #DeepSpace #Astronauts #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #ReidWiseman #MoonToMars #Science #SpaceExploration #HumanSpaceflight #NASAMichoud #NewOrleans #Louisiana #UnitedStates #Canada #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Firefly Aerospace Alpha Rocket Launches NASA CubeSats in California

Firefly Aerospace Alpha Rocket Launches NASA CubeSats in California

Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket carrying eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) lifts off from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg in California at 9:04 p.m. PDT Wednesday, July 3, 2024. The successful launch of the rocket, named “Noise of Summer,” completed the company’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contract with the agency. The CubeSat missions were designed by universities and NASA centers to conduct climate studies, satellite technology development, and educational outreach to students.

Learn more about Firefly Aerospace: 

https://fireflyspace.com

Image Credit: Firefly Aerospace / Trevor Mahlamann / Pauline Acalin

Image Date: July 3, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #Satellites #CubeSats #CSLI #FireflyAerospace #AlphaRocket #RocketLaunch #FLTA005 #NoiseOfSummer #Vandenburg #California #CommercialSpace #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Launch of Europe's New Ariane 6 Rocket | European Space Agency

Launch of Europe's New Ariane 6 Rocket | European Space Agency

On July 9, 2024, Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket successfully powered into space taking with it a selection of experiments, satellites, payload deployers and reentry demonstrations that represent thousands across Europe—from students to industry and experienced space actors. 

This inaugural demonstration flight, designated VA262, is to show the capabilities of Ariane 6 in escaping Earth's gravity and operating in space.

Ariane 6 was built by prime contractor and design authority ArianeGroup. In addition to the rocket, the liftoff demonstrated the functioning of the launch pad and operations on ground at Europe's Spaceport. The new dedicated launch zone was custom-built by France's space agency CNES and allows for a faster turnover of Ariane launches. 

Ariane 6 is Europe’s newest heavy-lift rocket, designed to provide great power and flexibility at a lower cost than its predecessors. The launcher’s configuration—with an upgraded main stage, a choice of either two or four powerful boosters and a new restartable upper stage—will provide Europe with greater efficiency and possibilities. It can launch multiple missions into selected orbits on a single flight, while its upper stage will deorbit itself at the end of mission. 

The European Space Agency’s main role in the Ariane 6 program is as a contracting authority—managing the budget from Member States participating in the Ariane 6 development program; and as launch system architect—ensuring that the rocket and launch pad infrastructure work together. 

Ariane 6 is the latest in Europe's Ariane rocket series, taking over from Ariane 5 featuring a modular and versatile design that can launch missions from low-Earth orbit and farther out to deep space.

Image & Caption Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Image Date: July 9, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Space #Arianespace #Ariane6 #Ariane6Rocket #HeavyLift #RocketLaunch #FlightVA262 #Satellites #Science #GuianaSpaceCentre #Spaceport #Kourou #FrenchGuiana #SouthAmerica #France #CNES #ArianeGroup #Europe #History #STEM #Education

First Liftoff of Europe's New Ariane 6 Rocket | European Space Agency

First Liftoff of Europe's New Ariane 6 Rocket | European Space Agency

On July 9, 2024, Europe’s new rocket Ariane 6 powered Europe into space taking with it a selection of experiments, satellites, payload deployers and reentry demonstrations that represent thousands across Europe—from students to industry and experienced space actors. 

This inaugural demonstration flight, designated VA262, is to show the capabilities of Ariane 6 in escaping Earth's gravity and operating in space.

Ariane 6 was built by prime contractor and design authority ArianeGroup. In addition to the rocket, the liftoff demonstrated the functioning of the launch pad and operations on ground at Europe's Spaceport. The new dedicated launch zone was custom-built by France's space agency CNES and allows for a faster turnover of Ariane launches. 

Ariane 6 is Europe’s newest heavy-lift rocket, designed to provide great power and flexibility at a lower cost than its predecessors. The launcher’s configuration—with an upgraded main stage, a choice of either two or four powerful boosters and a new restartable upper stage—will provide Europe with greater efficiency and possibilities. It can launch multiple missions into selected orbits on a single flight, while its upper stage will deorbit itself at the end of mission. 

The European Space Agency’s main role in the Ariane 6 program is as a contracting authority—managing the budget from Member States participating in the Ariane 6 development program; and as launch system architect—ensuring that the rocket and launch pad infrastructure work together. 

Ariane 6 is the latest in Europe's Ariane rocket series, taking over from Ariane 5 featuring a modular and versatile design that can launch missions from low-Earth orbit and farther out to deep space.

Video Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Duration: 4 minutes, 19 seconds

Release Date: July 9, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Space #Arianespace #Ariane6 #Ariane6Rocket #HeavyLift #RocketLaunch #FlightVA262 #Satellites #Science #GuianaSpaceCentre #Spaceport #Kourou #FrenchGuiana #SouthAmerica #France #CNES #ArianeGroup #Europe #History #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Liftoff of Europe's New Ariane 6 Rocket | European Space Agency

Liftoff of Europe's New Ariane 6 Rocket | European Space Agency

Liftoff of Europe's new Ariane 6 heavy lift rocket on its inaugural Flight VA262 from Europe's spaceport near Kourou, French Guiana in South America on July 9, 2024.

Learn more about Ariane 6:

https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Launch_vehicles/Ariane_6_overview

Image Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Image Dates: July 8-9, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Space #Arianespace #Ariane6 #Ariane6Rocket #HeavyLift #RocketLaunch #FlightVA262 #Satellites #Science #GuianaSpaceCentre #Spaceport #Kourou #FrenchGuiana #SouthAmerica #France #CNES #Europe #History #STEM #Education

5 Major Geomagnetic Storms that Affected Earth (1859-1989) | USGS

5 Major Geomagnetic Storms that Affected Earth (1859-1989) | USGS

Every 11 years the Sun's magnetic field flips. This period is referred to as a solar cycle. As we approach the peak of Solar Cycle 25, activity on the Sun’s surface will increase, including more solar flares, sunspots, and coronal mass ejections. If one of these events is directed towards Earth, it could cause a magnetic storm and disturb our planet’s geomagnetic field. A geomagnetic storm may leave us in the dark and unable to communicate. It’s happened before and it will happen again.

While our attention turns toward the upcoming solar peak, we thought it would be a good time to reflect on five geomagnetic storms that have reshaped societies.

0:00 Introduction 

1:29 5. The Carrington Event

2:02 4. New York Railroad Storm 

2:28 3. 1940 Superstorm 

2:57 2. Solar Storms of ‘72

3:28 1. Quebec Blackout

Video Credit: United States Geological Survey (USGS)

Duration: 4 minutes, 36 seconds

Release Date: July 9, 2024 

#NASA #USGS #NOAA #Space #Science #Sun #SolarSystem #SpaceWeather #Planet #Earth #CME #Solarflares #Sunspots #GeomagneticStorms #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #AuroraAustralis #NorthernLights #SouthernLights #GSFC #UnitedStates #Quebec #Canada #STEM #Education #History #HD #Video

NASA CubeSat Launch at Vandenburg in California | Firefly Aerospace

NASA CubeSat Launch at Vandenburg in California | Firefly Aerospace

       

Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket carrying eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) lifts off from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg in California at 9:04 p.m. PDT Wednesday, July 3, 2023. The successful launch of the rocket, named “Noise of Summer,” completed the company’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contract with the agency. The CubeSat missions were designed by universities and NASA centers to conduct climate studies, satellite technology development, and educational outreach to students. 

Learn more about Firefly Aerospace: https://fireflyspace.com

Image Credit: Firefly Aerospace/Trevor Mahlamann/Pauline Acalin

Image Dates: July 1-3, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #Satellites #CubeSats #FireflyAerospace #AlphaRocket #RocketLaunch #FLTA005 #NoiseOfSummer #Vandenburg #California #CommercialSpace #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA CubeSat Launch at Vandenburg in California | Firefly Aerospace

NASA CubeSat Launch at Vandenburg in California | Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket carrying eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) lifts off from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg in California at 9:04 p.m. PDT Wednesday, July 3, 2023. The successful launch of the rocket, named “Noise of Summer,” completed the company’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contract with the agency. The CubeSat missions were designed by universities and NASA centers to conduct climate studies, satellite technology development, and educational outreach to students. 

Learn more about Firefly Aerospace: https://fireflyspace.com

Image Credit: Firefly Aerospace/Trevor Mahlamann/Pauline Acalin

Image Dates: July 1-3, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #Satellites #CubeSats #FireflyAerospace #AlphaRocket #RocketLaunch #FLTA005 #NoiseOfSummer #Vandenburg #California #CommercialSpace #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Tasmania: Island State of Australia | International Space Station

Tasmania: Island State of Australia | International Space Station

Tasmania: Island State of Australia: Original high-res image (Jan. 5, 2024)

Tasmania: Island State of Australia (Jan. 5, 2024) - annotated version

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station took this photo of Australia’s island state of Tasmania while the station orbited almost directly overhead. From this vantage point, the island’s broad geographic features stand out, including its rugged terrain and coasts.

Along the west coast, a line of bright tan beaches contrasts with the darker waters and mountainous interior. Clouds cover much of the northern part of the island. Mainland Tasmania spans about 400 kilometers (250 miles) at its widest, from roughly north to south. Some of the state’s smaller islands lie outside the scope of this scene, including several in the Bass Strait. The strait separates Tasmania from the nearby Australian mainland.

The photo's wide field of view, achieved with a relatively short focal-length lens, makes roads and towns difficult to see, though both are found throughout the island. Approximately half a million people live in Tasmania. The capital city of Hobart lies on the south end of the island, where the River Derwent meets the ocean.

Agricultural land is interspersed across the island’s inland and coastal areas. To the north, agriculture plots dominate the relatively flat land. In contrast, the terrain to the south (north of Hobart) is characterized by agricultural plots selectively etched into the hillsides.

Less infrastructure has been developed in the west-central part of the island, where protected land, such as the Central Plateau Conservation Area, makes up much of the Central Highlands region. This region also includes several large lakes, such as Lake Gordon.

Astronaut photograph ISS070-E-53369 was acquired on January 5, 2024, with a Nikon D5 digital camera using a focal length of 32 millimeters. 

The International Space Station (ISS) Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public. 

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)/Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

Caption Credit: Andrea Wenzel/Jacobs-JETS II Contract at NASA/JSC

Image Date: Jan. 5, 2024

Release Date: July 8, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Planet #Earth #Australia #Tasmania #Island #SouthernOcean #PacificOcean #IndianOcean #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #Russia #Japan #Expedition70 #InternationaCooperation #EarthObservation #STEM #Education

The Earth and The Moon | China Chang'e 5-T1 Lunar Mission

The Earth and The Moon: October 2014 | China Chang'e 5-T1 Lunar Mission

The Earth and the Moon image captured by Chang'e 5-T1 service module in October 2014.

Chang'e 5-T1 was an experimental pre-cursor robotic spacecraft (test vehicle) that was launched to the Moon on October 23, 2014, by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) to conduct atmospheric re-entry tests on the capsule design planned to be used for the later Chang'e 5 Mission. 

Chang'e 5-T1's successor, Chang'e 5, launched in 2020, was a Moon sample return mission. Like its predecessors, the spacecraft was named after the Chinese Moon goddess Chang'e. The craft consisted of a return vehicle capsule, a lander, an ascender, and a service module orbiter.

The CE-5-T1 Service Module's orbit took it past the Moon with a closest approach altitude of about 11,300 km on October 27, 2024, and an apogee of approximately 380,000 km, and then around the Moon and back to Earth.

The return capsule of Chang'e 5-T1, named Xiaofei, meaning "little flyer" in Chinese, landed in Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia, on October 31, 2014.

The purpose of the Chang'e 5-T1 mission was to demonstrate hyper-speed semi-ballistic skip reentry technologies, including the circumlunar free return trajectory design, aerodynamic design and verification, thermal protection, guidance, navigation and control as well as a lightweight and minimized recovery system.

Image Credit: China National Space Administration (CNSA)/CLEP-China Lunar Exploration Program 

Image Date: October 2014

#NASA #China #中国 #Space #Astronomy #Science #Moon #Change5T1Mission #嫦娥五号T1 #CNSA #中国国家航天局 #Spacecraft #Orbiter #Robotics #CASC #CLEP #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #History #STEM #Education

NASA’s Artemis II Moon Mission Orion Spacecraft Prepared for Vacuum Testing

NASA’s Artemis II Moon Mission Orion Spacecraft Prepared for Vacuum Testing

The Artemis II Orion spacecraft is pictured surrounded by the metal walls of the altitude chamber.

Technicians used a 30-ton crane to lift NASA’s Orion spacecraft on Friday, June 28, 2024, from the Final Assembly and System Testing (FAST) cell to the altitude chamber inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This spacecraft will be used for the Artemis II mission to orbit the Moon. It underwent leak checks and end-to-end performance verification of the vehicle’s subsystems.

The integrated spacecraft has been undergoing final rounds of testing and assembly, including end-to-end performance verification of its subsystems and checking for leaks in its propulsion systems.

The spacecraft now will undergo a series of vacuum chamber qualification testing. The tests will subject the spacecraft to a near-vacuum environment by removing air, thus creating a space where the pressure is extremely low. This results in no atmosphere, similar to the one the spacecraft will experience during future lunar missions.

Testing will span approximately a week, with technicians collecting data from the spacecraft’s chamber, cabin, and the environmental control and life support system to test spacesuit functionality. The data recorded during these tests will be used to qualify the spacecraft to safely fly the Artemis II astronauts through the harsh environment of 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:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Image Credit: NASA/Radislav Sinyak 

Image & Release Date: June 28, 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

Meeting The Milky Way: ESO La Silla Observatory in Chilean Atacama Desert

Meeting The Milky Way:  ESO La Silla Observatory in Chilean Atacama Desert

The road to the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in the Chilean Atacama Desert appears to curve around the mountain and collide with the downward slope of the Milky Way in this picture. Small yellow bulbs light up the road at regular intervals. It is prohibited to use headlights on these roads between dusk and dawn, as even dim lights can interfere significantly with telescope observations. This site is among the darkest night skies on Earth.

A number of interesting objects populate the sky above the observatory. To the left, almost hidden behind the telescope, is the faint green glow of Comet 252P/LINEAR and, overhead, the tail of Scorpius curves into the glowing clouds of the Milky Way, keeping close company to Mars and Saturn. Further up the bright galactic band are two bright stars—the intriguing triple-star systems Alpha and Beta Centauri—and at the very top right of the image is the iconic diamond of the Southern Cross.

The darkness, high altitude, and resulting dry air at La Silla make it an exceptional location for astronomy. In the foreground of this image, the Danish 1.54-meter telescope is performing its nightly observations. Its instruments have allowed astronomers to achieve several “firsts”. In 2005, for example, astronomers observed the afterglows of short gamma-ray bursts and showed that the bursts are likely caused by the dramatic collision of two neutron stars. Furthermore, in 2006, the telescope was part of a global network of telescopes that discovered an exoplanet five times as massive as Earth.

Learn more about the Danish 1.54-meter telescope:

https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/danish154/

Credit: ESO/P. Horálek

Image Date: Jan. 25, 2021

#ESO #Earth #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planets #Comets #SolarSystem #MilkyWayGalaxy #Stars #Cosmos #Universe #DanishTelescope #LaSillaObservatory #AtacamaDesert #Chile #SouthAmerica #LightPollution #DarkSkies #Astrophotography #PetrHorálek #Europe #STEM #Education

The Butterfly Nebula: NGC 6302 in Scorpius | European Southern Observatory

The Butterfly Nebula: NGC 6302 in Scorpius | European Southern Observatory

The Bug Nebula: NGC 6302 | Danish 1.54-meter telescope

The Bug Nebula: NGC 6302 close-up | Very Large Telescope

The Bug Nebula: NGC 6302 Wide-field view | Digitized Sky Survey 2 (ground-based image)

The Butterfly Nebula, NGC 6302, is one of the brightest and most extreme planetary nebulae known. It is located about 4,000 light-years away, towards the Scorpius constellation (the Scorpion). The nebula is the swansong of a dying solar-like star lying at its center. At about 250,000 degrees Celsius and smothered in a blanket of hailstones, the star itself has never been observed as it is surrounded by a dense disc of gas and dust, opaque to light. This dense disc may be the origin of the hourglass structure of the nebula.

Towards the end of their life, massive stars can expand to giant dimensions. They shed most of the hydrogen in their outer layers as a strong "stellar wind", before they contract towards a final compact stage as "white dwarfs".

After this ejection process, the star remains thousands of times brighter and also much hotter than the Sun during a few thousand years. Its strong ultraviolet radiation has the effect of ionizing the previously ejected gas, which then shines before it disperses into interstellar space. The resulting nebulae (traditionally referred to as Planetary Nebulae , because of their resemblance to a planet in a small telescope) often exhibit very complex morphologies.

The Butterfly Nebula belongs to the class of bipolar nebulae, as this picture clearly illustrates. A dark, dusty and disc-like structure—seen edge-on in this image—obscures the central star from our view. However, its strong radiation escapes perpendicular to the disk and heats and illuminates the material deposited there by the stellar wind.

The origin of the dark disk may be due to the central star being a member of a double star system. This has been shown to be the case in other bipolar nebulae, where contrary to the Butterfly Nebula, there is a direct view towards the star.

Image 1 Credit: ESO / IDA / Danish 1.5 m/R. Gendler, A. Hornstrup and J.-E. Ovaldsen

Image 2 Credit: European Southern Observatory

Image 3 Credit: NASA, ESA, Digitized Sky Survey 2

Image Dates: December 3, 2009 / May 27, 1998 / June 18, 2020

#NASA #ESO #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #BipolarNebulae #ButterflyNebula #BugNebula #NGC6302 #PlanetaryNebula #Scorpius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #DanishTelescope #VLT #DSS2 #Chile #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3810 & Supernova SN2022zut in Leo | Hubble

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3810 & Supernova SN2022zut in Leo | Hubble

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3810

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3810 & location of Supernova SN2022zut

Measuring the distance to truly remote objects like galaxies, quasars and galaxy clusters is a crucial task in astrophysics, particularly when it comes to studying the early Universe. However, it is a difficult one. Only in the case of a few nearby objects like the Sun, planets and nearby stars can we measure their distances directly. Beyond that, indirect methods need to be used. One of the most important is by examining Type Ia supernovae. This is where the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope comes in.

Distance: 50 million light years

NGC 3810, the galaxy featured in this image, was the host of a Type Ia supernova in 2022. In early 2023 Hubble focused on this and a number of other galaxies to closely examine recent Type Ia supernovae. This kind of supernova results from a white dwarf exploding, and they all have a very consistent brightness. It allows them to be used to measure distances. We know how bright a Type Ia supernova should be, so we can tell how far away it must be from how dim it appears. One uncertainty in this method is that intergalactic dust in between Earth and a supernova blocks a portion of its light. 

How much of the reduction in light is caused by distance, and how much by dust? With the help of Hubble, there is a clever workaround. We can take images of the same Type Ia supernovae in ultraviolet light, almost completely blocked by dust, and in infrared light that passes through dust almost unaffected. By carefully noting how much light comes through at each wavelength, the relationship between supernova brightness and distance can be calibrated to account for dust. Hubble can observe these wavelengths of light in great detail with the same instrument. This makes it the perfect tool for this experiment, and indeed, the data is used to make this beautiful image of NGC 3810. You can see 2022 supernova as a point of light just below the galactic nucleus and in the annotated image.

There are many ways to measure cosmic distances; because Type Ia supernovae are so bright, they are one of the most useful and accurate tools, when they are identified. Many other methods must be used as well, either as an independent check against other distance measurements or to measure at much closer or farther distances. One such method that also works for galaxies is comparing their rotation speed to their brightness; based on that method, NGC 3810 is found to be 50 million light-years from Earth.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy seen almost face-on. Large spiral arms whirl out from its center, filling the scene. They glow faintly blue from the stars within. There are small bright patches of blue and pink marking areas of star formation. They are overlaid with thin filaments of dark reddish dust that block light. The galaxy’s center shines brightly white.

Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Sand, R. J. Foley

Release Date: July 8, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC3810 #SpiralGalaxy #Supernovae #Supernova #TypeIASupernova #WhiteDwarfStar #Leo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophysics #HST #SpaceTelescopes #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Annual Arctic Sea Ice Minimum Area (1979-2022) | NASA Earth Observatory

Annual Arctic Sea Ice Minimum Area (1979-2022) | NASA Earth Observatory

Satellite-based passive microwave images of the sea ice have provided a reliable tool for continuously monitoring changes in the Arctic ice since 1979. Every summer the Arctic ice cap melts down to what scientists call its "minimum" before colder weather begins to cause ice cover to increase. This graph displays the area of the minimum sea ice coverage each year from 1979 through 2022. In 2022, the Arctic minimum sea ice covered an area of 4.16 million square kilometers (1.6 million square miles). 

This visualization shows the expanse of the annual minimum Arctic sea ice for each year from 1979 through 2022 as derived from passive microwave data.

Video Credit: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio

Visualizations: Trent L. Schindler

Duration: 46 seconds

Release Date: July 1, 2024

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Science #Planet #Earth #PolarIce #SeaIce #Arctic #IceSurfaceArea #GlobalCO2Emissions #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #Climate #Environment #GreenhouseGases #GHG #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #JAXA #Japan #日本 #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Visualization #HD #Video

Rivers of The World | USGS Earth Landsat Program (1972-2024)

Rivers of The World | USGS Earth Landsat Program (1972-2024)

This visualization is a collaboration between NASA, the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and Bedřich Smetana's celebrated composition, Vltava (The Moldau River). The video aims to capture the essence of Smetana's masterpiece, embodying the power and beauty of rivers while showcasing stunning images of Earth's waterways from the Landsat Satellite Program. 

The visuals unfold like a poetic tribute to our planet, seamlessly transitioning between awe-inspiring satellite images of rivers and watersheds across the globe. The viewer is transported on a journey through these life-sustaining arteries, witnessing their intricate patterns and breathtaking colors as seen from space.  

This visualization was created to emphasize the importance of preserving our planet's vital ecosystems and to inspire a collective commitment towards protecting Earth's most precious resources. The collaboration highlights how space-based observations can transcend borders, fostering unity and a shared responsibility for our environment.  

The imagery in the video is derived from NASA and USGS's Landsat Satellite Program. It has been capturing detailed images of Earth's surface since 1972. The visuals are synchronized with Smetana's Vltava to create an immersive and memorable experience that celebrates the beauty and interconnectedness of our planet's rivers.

Learn more about USGS/NASA Landsat Program:

https://www.usgs.gov/landsat-missions

Video Credit: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio

Produced by: Chris Burns

Duration: 6 minutes

Release Date: July 1, 2024

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Science #Planet #Earth #Rivers #Ecosystems #LandsatProgram #Landsat #USGS #Weather #Meteorology #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #Climate #Environment #GreenhouseGases #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Visualization #HD #Video