Sunday, July 28, 2024

The Center of Our Milky Way Galaxy | Hubble

The Center of Our Milky Way Galaxy | Hubble

Infrared image of Milky Way's galactic core

This annotated, infrared image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the scale of the galactic core. The galaxy's nucleus (marked) is home to a central, supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A-star.

Peering deep into the dusty heart of our Milky Way galaxy using infrared, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope reveals a rich tapestry of more than half a million stars. Except for a few blue foreground stars, the stars are part of the Milky Way’s nuclear star cluster, the most massive and densest star cluster in our galaxy. So packed with stars, it is equivalent to having a million suns crammed between us and our closest stellar neighbor, Alpha Centauri. At the very hub of our galaxy, this star cluster surrounds the Milky Way’s central supermassive black hole—about 4 million times the mass of our sun.

This picture, spanning 50 light-years across, is a mosaic stitched from nine separate images from Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3. The center of the Milky Way is located 27,000 light-years away. The “snowstorm” of stars in the image is just the tip of the iceberg: Astronomers estimate that about 10 million stars in this cluster are too faint to be captured in this image.

In this image, scientists translated the infrared light, invisible to human eyes, into colors our eyes can see. The red stars are either embedded or shrouded by intervening dust. Extremely dense clouds of gas and dust are seen in silhouette, appearing dark against the bright background stars. These clouds are so thick that even Hubble’s infrared capability could not penetrate them.

Hubble’s sharp vision allowed astronomers to measure the movements of the stars here over four years. Using this information, scientists were able to infer important properties such as the mass and structure of the nuclear star cluster. The motion of the stars may also offer a glimpse into how the star cluster was formed—whether it was built up over time by globular star clusters that happen to fall into the galaxy’s center, or from gas spiraling in from the Milky Way’s disk to form stars at the core.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy in Washington, D.C.


Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Acknowledgment: NASA, ESA, T. Do and A. Ghez (UCLA), and V. Bajaj (STScI)

Release Date: March 31, 2016


#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #MilkyWay #SpiralGalaxy #BlackHole #SagittariusAStar #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #Infrared #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Update on Shenzhou-18 Astronauts' Latest Work | China Space Station

Update on Shenzhou-18 Astronauts' Latest Work | China Space Station

Halfway through their mission aboard China's orbiting space station, the Shenzhou-18 crew has tested their physical coordination as a future reference for task arrangement and ergonomic design.

The Shenzhou-18 trio was launched on April 25, 2024, to the orbiting Tiangong space station for a six-month mission as the third manned mission in the application and development stage of China's space station, and the 32nd flight mission of the country's overall crewed space program.

Shenzhou-18 Crew:

Ye Guangfu (叶光富, commander)

Li Cong (李聪, mission specialist)

Li Guangsu (李广苏, mission specialist)


Video Credit: China Central Television (CCTV

Duration: 1 minute, 16 seconds

Release Date: July 28, 2024


#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #China #中国 #Shenzhou18 #神舟十八 #ScientificExperiments #Health #HumanPhysiology #Taikonauts #Astronauts #YeGuangfu #LiCong #LiGuangsu #CSS #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #SpaceLaboratory #CMSA #国家航天局 #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Nebula NGC 6188 in Aria Glows Crimson | European Southern Observatory

Nebula NGC 6188 in Aria Glows Crimson | European Southern Observatory


An image of the emission nebula NGC 6188 taken by the European Southern Observatory's 3.6-meter Telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile in 1986. The nebula is located in the southern constellation Ara and is about 4,000 light-years away. Radiation from stars within the nebula heats up the surrounding gases, making them glow.


Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Release Date: Dec. 3, 2009


#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6188 #EmissionNebula #HIIRegion #StellarNursery #Ara #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #LaSillaObservatory #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

Nebula NGC 6188 in Ara: Close-up view | European Southern Observatory

Nebula NGC 6188 in Ara: Close-up view | European Southern Observatory

This is a close-up image of the NGC 6188 nebula, located about 4,000 light-years away, in the southern constellation of Ara (the Altar). The red color is due to emission from hydrogen, lit up by massive, recently-formed stars. The emission nebula is embedded in a large and dark molecular cloud.


Credit: European Southern Observatory/J. Pérez

Release Date: Nov. 7, 2011


#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6188 #EmissionNebula #HIIRegion #StellarNursery #Ara #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

Nebula NGC 6188 in Ara: Wide view | European Southern Observatory

Nebula NGC 6188 in Ara: Wide view | European Southern Observatory

This is an image of the NGC 6188 nebula, located about 4,000 light-years away, in the southern constellation of Ara (the Altar). The red color is due to emission from hydrogen, lit up by massive, recently-formed stars. The emission nebula is embedded in a large and dark molecular cloud.


Credit: European Southern Observatory/J. Pérez

Release Date: Nov. 7, 2011


#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6188 #EmissionNebula #HIIRegion #StellarNursery #Ara #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

The Fireworks Galaxy NGC 6946: 25 million light years away | Hubble

The Fireworks Galaxy NGC 6946: 25 million light years away | Hubble


In the last century alone, galaxy NGC 6946 has experienced 10 observed supernovae, earning its nickname as the Fireworks Galaxy. In comparison, our Milky Way averages just 1-2 supernova events per century. This NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope image shows the stars, spiral arms, and stellar environments of NGC 6946 in phenomenal detail. 

We are able to marvel at NGC 6946 as it is a face-on galaxy. It means that we see the galaxy “facing” us, rather than seeing it from the side (known as edge-on). The Fireworks Galaxy is further classified as an intermediate spiral galaxy and as a starburst galaxy. The former means the structure of NGC 6946 sits between a full spiral and a barred spiral galaxy, with only a slight bar in its center, and the latter means it has an exceptionally high rate of star formation.

The galaxy resides 25.2 million light-years away, along the border of the northern constellations of Cepheus and Cygnus (The Swan).


Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Leroy, K. S. Long

Release Date: Jan. 4, 2021


#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC6946 #SpiralGalaxy #StarburstGalaxy #Supernovae #Cygnus #Constellation #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #Infrared #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Saturday, July 27, 2024

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Flight Crew News Conference | International Space Station

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Flight Crew News Conference | International Space Station

Crew members discuss their upcoming mission to the International Space Station in this Friday, July 26, 2024 news conference. As part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, four crew members are preparing to launch to the International Space Station in August. They will conduct a wide-ranging set of operational and research activities for the benefit of all.

Launching aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, NASA astronauts Commander Zena Cardman, Pilot Nick Hague, and Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov of Russia, will join Expedition 71 and 72 crew members no earlier than August. They will arrive to the space station for a short duration handover with NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission.

This will be the first spaceflight for Cardman. She was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017. The Williamsburg, Virginia, native holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and a master’s in Marine Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At time of selection, she was a doctoral candidate in geosciences. Cardman’s research focused on geobiology and geochemical cycling in subsurface environments, from caves to deep sea sediments. Since completing initial training, Cardman has supported real-time station operations and development for lunar surface exploration.

Zena Cardman's Official NASA Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/zena-cardman/

With a total of 203 days in space, this will be Hague’s third launch and second mission to the orbiting laboratory. During his first launch in 2018, Hague and his crewmate, Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, experienced a rocket booster failure resulting in an in-flight launch abort. The Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft landed safely. Five months later, Hague launched aboard Soyuz MS-12 and served as a flight engineer aboard the space station during Expeditions 59 and 60. Hague and his crewmates participated in hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science, and Earth science. Hague conducted three spacewalks, to upgrade space station power systems and install a docking adapter for commercial spacecraft. As an active-duty colonel in the U.S. Space Force, Hague completed a developmental rotation at the Defense Department in Washington, where he served as the USSF director of test and evaluation from 2020 to 2022. In August 2022, Hague resumed duties at NASA working on the Boeing Starliner Program until this flight assignment.

Nick Hague's Official NASA Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/nick-hague/

A veteran of three spaceflights, STS-121, STS-120, and STS-131, Wilson has spent 42 days in space aboard three separate space shuttle Discovery missions. Before her selection as a NASA astronaut in 1996, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Engineering Science from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas in Austin, and worked at Martin Marietta and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. During her first mission, STS-121 in November 2004, she and her crewmates spent 13 days in orbit. Wilson served as the robotic arm operator for spacecraft inspection, for the installation of the “Leonardo” Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, and for spacewalk support. In November 2006, Wilson and her STS-120 crewmates aboard Discovery delivered the Harmony module to the station and relocated a solar array. In May 2009, Wilson and her STS-131 crewmates completed another mission to resupply the station, delivering a new ammonia tank for the station cooling system, new crew sleeping quarters, a window observation facility, and a freezer for experiments. During her nearly 30 years with NASA, Wilson served as the integration branch chief for NASA’s Astronaut Office focusing on International Space Station systems and payload operations, and on a nine-month detail, served as the acting chief of NASA’s Program and Project Integration Office at the agency’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

Stephanie Wilson's Official NASA Biography

https://www.nasa.gov/people/stephanie-d-wilson/

This will be Gorbunov’s first trip to space and the station. Born in Zheleznogorsk, Kursk region, Russia, he studied engineering with qualifications in spacecraft and upper stages from the Moscow Aviation Institute. Gorbunov graduated from the military department with a specialty in operation and repair of aircraft, helicopters, and aircraft engines. Before being selected as a cosmonaut in 2018, he worked as an engineer for Rocket Space Corporation Energia and supported cargo spacecraft launches from the Baikonur cosmodrome.

This is the ninth rotational mission to the space station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. It works with the American aerospace industry to meet the goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the orbital outpost on American-made rockets and spacecraft launching from American soil.

For more than two decades, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust low Earth orbit economy, NASA’s Artemis campaign is underway at the Moon where the agency is preparing for future human exploration of Mars.

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.

Find more information on NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew


Credit: NASA

Duration: 27 minutes

Release Date: July 26, 2024


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #SpaceX #Engineering #Astronauts #StephanieWilson #ZenaCardman #NickHague #JSC #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #AleksandrGorbunov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #CCP #Expedition71 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China's Two New Satellites for Atmosphere/Ecosystem Observation Now Operating

China's Two New Satellites for Atmosphere/Ecosystem Observation Now Operating

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced on Thursday, July 25, 2024, that two new satellites launched in 2022 for atmosphere and ecosystem observation have been officially put into operation, advancing the country’s goal of achieving zero-carbon emissions.

The satellites feature cutting-edge technologies for environmental monitoring, including high-precision atmospheric remote sensing using active laser detection methods. As part of China's civilian space infrastructure, the orbiting pair demonstrates the country's commitment to peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.

"The atmospheric environmental surveyor satellite is equipped with an advanced aerosol and carbon detection lidar, which is one of the leading payloads in the world. It can continuously detect column-averages of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, functioning both day and night, which greatly enhances its efficiency," said Meng Lingjie, director of the Earth Observation System and Data Center at the administration.

The other satellite, named Goumang after the ancient Chinese god of forestry and spring, focuses on terrestrial ecosystem carbon inventory. It employs innovative remote sensing techniques to assess forest stock, biomass, and carbon storage, supporting applications in agriculture and vegetation monitoring.

The operation of these two satellites marks a significant milestone in China's space capabilities and its efforts towards environmental sustainability.


Video Credit: China Central Television (CCTV)

Duration: 1 minute, 18 seconds

Release Date: July 27, 2024


#NASA #CNSA #Space #Satellites #Goumang #Science #Planet #Earth #China #中国 #Ecosystems #Atmosphere #Weather #Meteorology #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #CO2 #Climate #EnvironmentalSustainability #GreenhouseGases #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #LIDAR #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Advancing Next-Gen Space Station Technology with Sierra Space & NASA

Advancing Next-Gen Space Station Technology with Sierra Space & NASA

Sierra Space, a leading commercial space-tech company announced today that its expandable space station technology successfully passed a seventh key validation test, and second full-scale structural test at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The results "herald a giant leap towards building the world’s first end-to-end business and technology platform in Low Earth Orbit, enabling humanity to find the answers to some of the toughest problems faced on Earth."

Completion of the successful Ultimate Burst Pressure test, which occurred on June 18, 2024, in collaboration with ILC Dover Astrospace and NASA, accelerates Sierra Space’s revolutionary softgoods technology towards on-orbit operations. Planned for an initial stand-alone pathfinder mission before the end of the decade, the technology will also feature as a key element of the Orbital Reef commercial space station. The test will close out Milestone #8 for Orbital Reef with Blue Origin under NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program. 

Learn more about Sierra Space's Life habitat technology:

https://www.sierraspace.com/commercial-space-stations/life-space-habitat/

For more information about NASA’s commercial low Earth orbit strategy, visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/low-earth-orbit-economy/


Video Credit: Sierra Space

Duration: 6 minutes

Release Date: July 25, 2024


#NASA #Space #SierraSpace #ILCDover #SpaceStations #CommercialSpace #CommercialSpaceStations #LIFEHabitat #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #LEO #DeepSpace #SolarSystemExploration #MSFC #Huntsville #Alabama #OrbitalReef #BlueOrigin #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Zooming to Star Cluster NGC 6193 & Nebula NGC 6188 | ESO

Zooming to Star Cluster NGC 6193 & Nebula NGC 6188 | ESO

This zoom sequence zeros in on a region of gas and dust in the constellation of Ara. In the center of the final image from the VLT Survey Telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s Paranal Observatory is the young open cluster NGC 6193, and to the right is the emission nebula NGC 6188, illuminated by the ionizing radiation emitted by the brightest nearby stars.


Video Credit: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2/N. Risinger

Duration: 50 seconds

Release Date: March 11, 2015


#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6188 #EmissionNebula #Stars #StarClusters #NGC6193 #AraOB1 #Ara #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VLTSurveyTelescope #ParanalObservatory #OmegaCAM #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up View: Star Cluster NGC 6193 & Nebula NGC 6188 in Ara | ESO

Close-up View: Star Cluster NGC 6193 & Nebula NGC 6188 in Ara | ESO

This video, taken by OmegaCAM on the VLT Survey Telescope at Paranal Observatory, gives a close-up view of a section of the Ara OB1 stellar association. In the center of the image is the young open cluster NGC 6193, and to the right is the emission nebula NGC 6188, illuminated by the ionizing radiation emitted by the brightest nearby stars.


Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Duration: 50 seconds

Release Date: March 11, 2015


#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6188 #EmissionNebula #Stars #StarClusters #NGC6193 #AraOB1 #Ara #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VLTSurveyTelescope #ParanalObservatory #OmegaCAM #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Star Cluster NGC 6193 & Nebula NGC 6188 in Ara | ESO

Star Cluster NGC 6193 & Nebula NGC 6188 in Ara | ESO


This image, taken by OmegaCAM on the VLT Survey Telescope at Paranal Observatory, shows a section of the Ara OB1 stellar association. In the center of the image is the young open cluster NGC 6193, and to the right is the emission nebula NGC 6188, illuminated by the ionizing radiation emitted by the brightest nearby stars. 


Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Release Date: March 11, 2015


#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6188 #EmissionNebula #Stars #StarClusters #NGC6193 #AraOB1 #Ara #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VLTSurveyTelescope #ParanalObservatory #OmegaCAM #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

Friday, July 26, 2024

Introducing NASA's Space Crew-9 | International Space Station

Introducing NASA's Space Crew-9 | International Space Station

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Commander Zena Cardman
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Commander Zena Cardman
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Pilot Nick Hague
SpaceX Crew-9 crew members: Commander  Zena Cardman and Mission Specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov of Roscosmos (Russia)

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 members stand in front of a Falcon 9 first-stage booster at SpaceX’s HangarX facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are NASA astronauts Pilot Nick Hague and Commander Zena Cardman, Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Alexander Gorbunov of Russia, and NASA astronaut Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 members poses for a group photo in front of the White Room located at the end of the crew access arm on the launch tower at Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are, Pilot Nick Hague from NASA; Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson from NASA; Mission Specialist Alexsandr Gorbunov from Roscosmos (Russia); and Commander Zena Cardman from NASA.

As part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, four crew members are preparing to launch to the International Space Station and conduct a wide-ranging set of operational and research activities for the benefit of all.

Launching aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, NASA astronauts Commander Zena Cardman, Pilot Nick Hague, and Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov of Russia, will join Expedition 71 and 72 crew members no earlier than August. They will arrive to the space station for a short duration handover with NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission.

This will be the first spaceflight for Cardman. She was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017. The Williamsburg, Virginia, native holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and a master’s in Marine Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At time of selection, she was a doctoral candidate in geosciences. Cardman’s research focused on geobiology and geochemical cycling in subsurface environments, from caves to deep sea sediments. Since completing initial training, Cardman has supported real-time station operations and development for lunar surface exploration.

Zena Cardman's Official NASA Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/zena-cardman/

With a total of 203 days in space, this will be Hague’s third launch and second mission to the orbiting laboratory. During his first launch in 2018, Hague and his crewmate, Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, experienced a rocket booster failure resulting in an in-flight launch abort. The Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft landed safely. Five months later, Hague launched aboard Soyuz MS-12 and served as a flight engineer aboard the space station during Expeditions 59 and 60. Hague and his crewmates participated in hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science, and Earth science. Hague conducted three spacewalks, to upgrade space station power systems and install a docking adapter for commercial spacecraft. As an active-duty colonel in the U.S. Space Force, Hague completed a developmental rotation at the Defense Department in Washington, where he served as the USSF director of test and evaluation from 2020 to 2022. In August 2022, Hague resumed duties at NASA working on the Boeing Starliner Program until this flight assignment.

Nick Hague's Official NASA Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/nick-hague/

A veteran of three spaceflights, STS-121, STS-120, and STS-131, Wilson has spent 42 days in space aboard three separate space shuttle Discovery missions. Before her selection as a NASA astronaut in 1996, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Engineering Science from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas in Austin, and worked at Martin Marietta and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. During her first mission, STS-121 in November 2004, she and her crewmates spent 13 days in orbit. Wilson served as the robotic arm operator for spacecraft inspection, for the installation of the “Leonardo” Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, and for spacewalk support. In November 2006, Wilson and her STS-120 crewmates aboard Discovery delivered the Harmony module to the station and relocated a solar array. In May 2009, Wilson and her STS-131 crewmates completed another mission to resupply the station, delivering a new ammonia tank for the station cooling system, new crew sleeping quarters, a window observation facility, and a freezer for experiments. During her nearly 30 years with NASA, Wilson served as the integration branch chief for NASA’s Astronaut Office focusing on International Space Station systems and payload operations, and on a nine-month detail, served as the acting chief of NASA’s Program and Project Integration Office at the agency’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

Stephanie Wilson's Official NASA Biography

https://www.nasa.gov/people/stephanie-d-wilson/

This will be Gorbunov’s first trip to space and the station. Born in Zheleznogorsk, Kursk region, Russia, he studied engineering with qualifications in spacecraft and upper stages from the Moscow Aviation Institute. Gorbunov graduated from the military department with a specialty in operation and repair of aircraft, helicopters, and aircraft engines. Before being selected as a cosmonaut in 2018, he worked as an engineer for Rocket Space Corporation Energia and supported cargo spacecraft launches from the Baikonur cosmodrome.

This is the ninth rotational mission to the space station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. It works with the American aerospace industry to meet the goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the orbital outpost on American-made rockets and spacecraft launching from American soil.

For more than two decades, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust low Earth orbit economy, NASA’s Artemis campaign is underway at the Moon where the agency is preparing for future human exploration of Mars.

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.

Find more information on NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew


Image Credits: SpaceX

Release Date: July 26, 2024


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #SpaceX #Engineering #Astronauts #StephanieWilson #ZenaCardman #NickHague #JSC #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #AleksandrGorbunov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #CCP #Expedition71 #STEM #Education

Pan of Spiral Galaxy NGC 3430 in Leo Minor | Hubble Space Telescope

Pan of Spiral Galaxy NGC 3430 in Leo Minor | Hubble Space Telescope

In this Hubble picture, we are treated to a detailed view of NGC 3430. A spiral galaxy, it lies 100 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo Minor. Several other galaxies are located relatively nearby, just out of frame; one is close enough that gravitational interaction is driving star formation in NGC 3430.

NGC 3430 is a fine example of a galactic spiral. This may be why it ended up as part of the sample that Edwin Hubble used to define his classification of galaxies. Namesake of the Hubble Space Telescope, in 1926 he authored a paper that classified four hundred galaxies by their appearance—as either spiral, barred spiral, lenticular, elliptical or irregular. This straightforward typology proved immensely influential, and the modern, more detailed schemes that astronomers use today are still based on it. NGC 3430 itself is an SAc galaxy, a spiral lacking a central bar with open, clearly-defined arms.

At the time of Hubble’s paper, the study of galaxies in their own right was in its infancy. With the benefit of Henrietta Leavitt’s work on Cepheid variable stars, Hubble had only a couple of years before settled the debate about whether these ‘nebulae’, as they were called then, were situated within our galaxy or were distant and independent. He himself referred to ‘extragalactic nebulae’ in his paper, indicating that they lay beyond the Milky Way galaxy. Once it became clear that these distant objects were very different from actual nebulae, the favored term for a while was the quite poetic ‘island universe’. While NGC 3430 may look as if it still deserves this moniker, today we simply call it and the objects like it a ‘galaxy’.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy with three prominent arms wrapping around it, and plenty of extra gas and dark dust between the arms. There are shining blue points throughout the arms and patches of gas out beyond the galaxy’s edge, where stars are forming. The center of the galaxy also shines brightly. It is on a dark background where small orange dots mark distant galaxies.


Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Kilpatrick, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: July 22, 2024


#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC3430 #SAcGalaxy #LeoMinor #Constellation #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Nebula Kohoutek 3-46: A ‘Butterfly’ from Death’s Door | Gemini North Telescope

Nebula Kohoutek 3-46: A ‘Butterfly’ from Death’s Door | Gemini North Telescope


This ghostly, butterfly-shaped planetary nebula, captured by the Gemini North telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation and operated by NOIRLab, is known as Kohoutek 3-46. Kohoutek 3-46 derives its name from the prolific planetary nebula hunter that discovered it, Czech astronomer Luboš Kohoutek. 

Located in the constellation Cygnus, Kohoutek 3-46 is estimated to be around 20,000 years old and around 7,200 light-years away. The term ‘planetary nebula’ is a misnomer, since these nebulae are unrelated to planets. The term originates from their planet-like round shape. Kohoutek 3-46 has expanded into an unusual bipolar shape, classified by its well-defined hourglass shape, prominent equatorial ring and marked waist. About 10–20% of planetary nebulae are bipolar. No matter the shape they take on, these glowing clouds of gas form after a star of one to eight times the mass of the Sun has expanded into a red giant. As the core of the red giant contracts, the star expels layers of its atmosphere into space. Energetic ultraviolet radiation from the hot, exposed core then ionizes this gaseous shell around it, ‘illuminating’ the planetary nebula.

Since 2002, Gemini North has also been known as the Frederick C. Gillett Gemini North telescope. Dr. Gillett, who died in April 2001, was one of the primary visionaries of the Gemini telescopes. He was instrumental in assuring that the design of Gemini's twin 8-meter telescopes would make major scientific contributions to astronomy.

Learn more about Gemini North here: https://www.gemini.edu

Credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA

Image Processing: J. Miller (International Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab) & M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab)

Release Date: July 24, 2024


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #PlanetaryNebula #Kohoutek346 #PNK346 #BipolarNebula #Cygnus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #InternationalGeminiObservatory #GeminiNorthTelescope #GMOSN #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #Maunakea #Hawaii #UnitedStates #Astronomer #LubošKohoutek #Czech #STEM #Education

NASA Astronauts Salute 2024 Olympic Games in Paris | International Space Station

NASA Astronauts Salute 2024 Olympic Games in Paris | International Space Station

The 2024 Olympic Games officially began in Paris, France on July 26 with athletes coming from around the world to compete. Meanwhile, above the Earth—on our orbiting laboratory, the International Space Station—NASA's astronauts are sharing the Olympic spirit. Check out their training montage from space, followed by a message to Earth from NASA astronaut Matt Dominick.

Learn more about the station: https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/

Follow the 2024 Summer Olympics Games in Paris: 

https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024

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
NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore

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)


Credit: NASA

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: July 26, 2024


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