Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Nebula RCW 106: Where to Find Newborn Stars | ESO VLT & APEX

Nebula RCW 106: Where to Find Newborn Stars | ESO VLT & APEX


This image shows a red, cloudy region spanning across a cluttered backdrop of thousands of blue stars. Notice areas, including in the upper left and center of the image, that are highlighted with orange and yellow filaments.

The glowing red clouds seen in this picture shows dense gas regions where new stars are being born in the RCW 106 region. However, only 1% of this gas will actually go on to create stars, and astronomers do not know why this percentage is so low.

Star formation takes place when regions of these huge clouds of cold gas are able to clump together. Once they reach a critical density, they will collapse into newborn stars. An outstanding question is whether even denser regions can produce greater numbers of stars. Could this help to explain the 1% mystery?

New results from the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX), accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics, suggest this is not the case—denser regions are not more efficient at forming stars. This is perhaps explained by the way these denser clouds fragment into filamentary structures and cores where stars will form, but many questions remain unanswered. This picture highlights areas of interest.


Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/M. Mattern et al.

Release Date: Aug. 19, 2024


#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #Nebula #RCW106 #StellarNurseries #Norma #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophysics #APEX #VLT #AtacamaDesert #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

Monday, August 19, 2024

NASA's Artemis II Moon Rocket: SLS Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter Ready

NASA's Artemis II Moon Rocket: SLS Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter Ready

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) next milestone is right around the corner as the cone-shaped launch vehicle stage adapter for NASA’s Artemis II mission prepares to make its way from the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. 

Standing 27.5 feet tall, the adapter plays a critical role by partially enclosing the rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage, connecting it to the core stage below and the Orion stage adapter above. 

Technicians with NASA and Teledyne Brown Engineering, LVSA lead contractor, work diligently to prepare the hardware before loading it onto NASA’s Pegasus barge for its delivery to the Space Coast. Stacking of the rocket will soon begin at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, marking a pivotal step towards the agency sending a crew of four astronauts around the Moon during Artemis II. 

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

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

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


Video Credit: NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Aug. 19, 2024

#NASA #Space #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIIMission #ArtemisII #NASASLS #LVSA #DeepSpace #Astronauts #MoonToMars #Science #SpaceExploration #HumanSpaceflight #MSFC #Huntsville #Alabama #NASAKennedy #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #Canada #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Mystery Solved: SpaceX Rocket Outgassing & Aurora over Denali National Park

Mystery Solved: SpaceX Rocket Outgassing & Aurora over Denali National Park

Photographer Zach Goldberg: "We had no idea what [the] spiral [on] the horizon was while shooting aurora at Sheldon Mountain House in Denali National Park. This was April 2023, I think . . . "

For more than a year, Zach Goldberg had been wondering what he saw. The aurora photographer was camping in Denali National Park in April 2023 when, out of nowhere, a giant blue spiral pinwheeled across the night sky. "We had no idea what it was," says Goldberg. "Fortunately, we already had our cameras out for the auroras." This is what he saw . . .

Mystery solved: It was a "SpaceX spiral." On April 15, 2023, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg in California. It carried 51 small satellites to Earth-orbit, a mission known as Transporter-7. When the rocket's discarded upper stage passed over Alaska, it vented its unused fuel.

Spirals are a common side-effect of Transporter rideshare missions. Within these rockets, numerous satellites from various clients have different destinations. SpaceX must rotate the second stage for deployment. The de-orbit burn and fuel dump naturally spirals.

Denali National Park and Preserve, formerly known as Mount McKinley National Park, is a national park and preserve located in Interior Alaska, United States, centered on Denali, the highest mountain in North America.

Denali National Park and Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)

https://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm

SpaceX Transporter-7 Mission Launch:

https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=transporter-7-pl


Image Credit: Zach Goldberg

Zach's website: https://www.FrozenFoto.com

Caption Credit: SpaceWeather

Image Date: April 6, 2023


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Planet #Earth #SpaceX #Falcon9Rocket #Transporter7Mission #FuelOutgassing #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #Magnetosphere #SolarWind #Sun #Star #Photography #ZachGoldberg #Photographer #DenaliNPS #Alaska #CommercialSpace #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Aerial Videographer: A Front Row Seat to Thrilling Flights

NASA Aerial Videographer: A Front Row Seat to Thrilling Flights

Thanks to NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center’s lead aerial videographer, Lori Losey, people can examples of what Lori has captured on NASA’s behalf over her 36-year career.

Join Lori in the back seat of an F-18 (and a few other aircraft) for an epic ride through the flights, the training, and the incredible experiences she’s seen in her efforts to capture NASA’s work in aeronautics. Finally, join NASA in our appreciation of all our videographers across the agency who put themselves in unbelievable places and positions to get the best shots to share with the world.

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

Learn more about the Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) in California:

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


Video Credit: NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: Aug. 19, 2024

#NASA #Aerospace #Flight #Aviation #Aircraft #F18Aircraft #AerialPhotography #Videographer #LoriLosey #Science #Physics #Engineering #CivilianResearch #Aeronautical #FlightTests #Boeing #McDonnellDouglas #NASAArmstrong #AFRC #EdwardsAFB #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

North America & Pelican Nebulae + Star Deneb in Cygnus

North America & Pelican Nebulae + Star Deneb in Cygnus

The North America Nebula (NGC 7000 or Caldwell 20) is an emission nebula in Cygnus, close to the blue supergiant star Deneb. Its shape resembles North America. The Pelican Nebula (IC 5070 and IC 5067) is an H II region (interstellar atomic hydrogen that is ionized) associated with the North America Nebula.


Technical details: Tair-3S lenses + Canon 250mm f/2.2

Total exposure time: 8h

Capture location: San Pasquale, Viggianello, Basilicate, Italy


Image Credit: Giuseppe Donatiello

Image Date: June 28, 2024


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NorthAmericaNebula #NGC7000 #Caldwell20 #PelicanNebula #IC5070 #IC5067 #EmissionNebulae #Star #Deneb #Cygnus #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophotography #Astrophotographer #GiuseppeDonatiello #Italy #Italia #STEM #Education

Why Europe's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer Probe is Returning to Earth | ESA

Why Europe's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer Probe is Returning to Earth | ESA

The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) returns to Earth on August 19–20, 2024, to complete the world's first Lunar-Earth gravity assist. Flight controllers will guide the spacecraft past the Moon and then Earth itself, ‘braking’ the spacecraft. This maneuver may seem counterintuitive but it will allow JUICE to take a shortcut via Venus on its way to Jupiter. 

JUICE has already traveled more than a billion km to the giant planet. However, it still has a long way to go although Jupiter is on average ‘just’ 800 million km away from Earth. Join us as we explain JUICE's eight-year journey to Jupiter.

Follow the JUICE Mission: www.esa.int/juice

Read more:

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice/Juice_s_lunar-Earth_flyby_all_you_need_to_know

https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Operations/Juice_why_s_it_taking_sooo_long


Video Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Duration: 9 minutes, 23 seconds

Release Date: Aug. 19, 2024  


#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Earth #Jupiter #Moons #Europa #Callisto #Ganymede #JUICE #JUICEMission #Spacecraft #LunarEarth #GravitationalAssists #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Pan of Barred Spiral Galaxy UGC 11861 | Hubble

Pan of Barred Spiral Galaxy UGC 11861 | Hubble

Resting near the center of the northerly constellation Cepheus, high in the northern sky, is the barred spiral galaxy UGC 11861. It is located 69 million light-years away from Earth. This may seem a vast distance, but it is just right for Hubble to grab this majestic shot of the galaxy’s spiral arms and the short but brightly glowing bar in its center. Among the cloudy gases and the dark wisps of dust, this galaxy is actively forming new stars, visible in the glowing blue patches in its outer arms.

This activity has resulted in three supernova explosions being spotted in and nearby UGC 11861, in 1995, 1997 and 2011. The earlier two were both Type II supernovae, a kind that results from the collapse of a massive star at the end of its life. This Hubble image was made from data collected to study Type II supernovae and their environments.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy with two broad spiral arms wrapping around a large central region. It has a glowing white bar in the very center. Thin strands of dark dust lie over much of the galaxy. The arms have small and large patches of glowing blue light, emitted by new stars. The galaxy is on a dark background. In the foreground, bright stars with four points are dotted around.


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

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: Aug. 16, 2024


#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Galaxies #Galaxy #UGC11861 #Spiral #Barred #Supernovae #Cepheus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Spiral Galaxy UGC 11861 in Cepheus | Hubble Space Telescope

Spiral Galaxy UGC 11861 in Cepheus | Hubble Space Telescope


Resting near the center of the northerly constellation Cepheus, high in the northern sky, is the barred spiral galaxy UGC 11861. It is located 69 million light-years away from Earth. This may seem a vast distance, but it is just right for Hubble to grab this majestic shot of the galaxy’s spiral arms and the short but brightly glowing bar in its center. Among the cloudy gases and the dark wisps of dust, this galaxy is actively forming new stars, visible in the glowing blue patches in its outer arms.

This activity has resulted in three supernova explosions being spotted in and nearby UGC 11861, in 1995, 1997 and 2011. The earlier two were both Type II supernovae, a kind that results from the collapse of a massive star at the end of its life. This Hubble image was made from data collected to study Type II supernovae and their environments.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy with two broad spiral arms wrapping around a large central region. It has a glowing white bar in the very center. Thin strands of dark dust lie over much of the galaxy. The arms have small and large patches of glowing blue light, emitted by new stars. The galaxy is on a dark background. In the foreground, bright stars with four points are dotted around.


Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Kilpatrick

Release Date: Aug. 19, 2024


#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Hubble #Galaxies #Galaxy #UGC11861 #Spiral #Barred #Supernovae #Cepheus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #SpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Sunday, August 18, 2024

Exploring Volcanoes with NASA’s GEODES Team | Goddard Space Flight Center

Exploring Volcanoes with NASA’s GEODES Team | Goddard Space Flight Center

 

Close your eyes. Listen. Imagine lava seeping from the Earth, flowing and melting rock in its path. This is what inspired Ben Cosgrove’s new instrumental, “Volcano.” As an Artist-in-Residence, Cosgrove accompanied NASA’s Geophysical Exploration of the Dynamics and Evolution of the Solar System (GEODES) team to Lava Beds National Monument, where he participated in planetary science research to develop methods and tools to explore the surface of the Moon.

GEODES is a team within the NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute. They investigate the Moon, near-Earth asteroids, and the moons of Mars with geophysics methods to enable the exploration of their surfaces. They test geophysics methods, including seismic and ground penetrating radar surveying, on Earth to study and refine how these methods can best be used on the lunar surface. In addition, based on field research and remote sensing data, they develop numerical and statistical models to characterize the surfaces of our defined planetary targets.

In this video, you will see members of the GEODES team operating instruments including ground-penetrating radar, seismometers, magnetometers, drones, and gravitometers in lunar-like landscapes in Hawaii, California, and Arizona. When combined, these instruments provide an overall picture of the surface structure and what is below. So sit back and let us transport you—from lava beds on the surface of the Earth and the Moon, to the volcanic depths of the solar system, and beyond.

Learn more about GEODES:

https://www.geodes.umd.edu

Lava Beds National Monument

https://www.nps.gov/labe/index.htm


Video Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/University of Maryland

David Obajemu (University of Maryland): Producer, Editor, Videographer

Molly Wasser (ADNET Systems, Inc.): Videographer, Support

Nick Schmerr (University of Maryland): Scientist

Jacob Richardson (USRA): Scientist

Dan Gallagher (ROAR/Abacus Technology): Technical Support

Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET Systems, Inc.): Technical Support

Duration: 4 minutes

Release Date: Aug. 16, 2024


#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #PlanetaryScience #Moon #ArtemisProgram #MoonToMars #Earth #GEODES #Geology #EarthAnalogs #Volcanoes #LavaTubes #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #HumanSpaceflight #NASAGoddard #GSFC #California #UnitedStates #Art #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Artemis Moon Minute—Improving Spacecraft Calibration | NASA Kennedy

Artemis Moon MinuteImproving Spacecraft Calibration | NASA Kennedy

Want the latest update for NASA's Artemis Program? Learn about the latest on how scientists are using the Moon to improve spacecraft calibration.

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

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

For more information about the Space Launch System (SLS), visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/sls


Video Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Aug. 16, 2024


#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #Spacecraft #SpacecraftCalibration #SpacecraftNavigation #SpaceTechnology #DeepSpace #Astronauts #MoonToMars #SpaceExploration #HumanSpaceflight #NASAKennedy #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Canada's Northwest Territories Ablaze | NASA Earth Observatory

Canada's Northwest Territories Ablaze | NASA Earth Observatory

This image captured by NASA’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) on NOAA’s DSCOVR satellite, shows a river of smoke from the fires in western Canada winding its way over Hudson Bay. The EPIC camera is located 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, yet it could identify evidence of these extensive fires.
The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the NOAA-20 satellite captured this image of smoke streaming throughout the region on August 11, 2024. The sensor detected nearly 100 active fires burning in the Northwest Territories, according to data posted by the territory’s government.
    

Boreal forests in this northerly Canadian territory have evolved to burn, but the increasing frequency of fires is putting ecosystems to the test. The land area of the Northwest Territories is roughly equal to that of France, Portugal and Spain combined, although its overall area is even larger because of its large lakes. The forests of the Northwest Territories are dominated by black spruce, a type of evergreen that is not just tolerant of fire but dependent on it. Black spruce has waxy, resinous needles adapted to ignite during lightning storms and burn vigorously. The forests thrive if they burn every century or so because fires open the canopy up to light, stimulate new growth, and help maintain biodiversity. Fires also melt away the waxy coating on cones of black spruces allowing them to deposit seeds uniquely designed to thrive in charred, acidic soils. However, Canada’s black spruce boreal forests have been burning more often in recent decades, putting even these fire-loving forests under strain.

When the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the NOAA-20 satellite captured images of smoke streaming throughout the region on August 11, 2024, the sensor detected nearly 100 active fires burning in the Northwest Territories, according to data posted by the territory’s government. The Canadian government, including the Northwest Territories, uses hotspot data from the Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS), a fire monitoring system developed by NASA, to help detect and track wildfires.

Most fires in the Northwest Territories burn far from towns or infrastructure, so authorities let many of them burn themselves out, a process that can take weeks or even months depending on the weather. Of the 96 fires active on August 11, Canadian authorities reported that 88 of them burned unhindered by firefighting efforts. Firefighters had controlled five fires and were in the process of suppressing one, according to the territory’s government. None of the fires were close enough to settlements to trigger evacuation orders. However, dense smoke has triggered air quality warnings for fifteen Northwest Territories communities, including settlements in the North Slave, South Slave, Dehcho, and Sahtu regions.

The fires coincided with a drought classified as moderate to extreme by the North American Drought Monitor and a week of extreme warmth that broke temperature records in several places in the Northwest Territories, including the towns of Aklavik, Inuvik, Fort McPherson, and Tuktoyaktuk. All four communities surpassed 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit); Fort McPherson’s temperature soared to a remarkable 34.9°C (94.8°F) on August 7 and 8.

Though Canada’s black spruce forests are accustomed to fire, ecologists that study them are finding that there are examples of forests in the region struggling to recover after fires due to the increasing frequency and size of fires in the region. One study led by Jennifer Baltzer, an ecologist at Wilfrid Laurier University, found that black spruce’s ability to regenerate declined at 38 percent of the 1,500 recently burned forest sites included in the study and failed to regenerate entirely at 18 percent of the sites—unusually high percentages compared to the historic norm. The analysis was based on tree regeneration data compiled and analyzed as part of NASA’s Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE).

Many of the areas burning in this image also burned in 2023, during Canada’s worst wildfire season on record. However, the total number of fires and the number of hectares burned in the Northwest Territories through mid-August 2024 are below the 10-year average so far, according to data released by Canadian authorities. The extent of burning in neighboring British Columbia and Alberta through mid-August 2024, however, was above average.

Northwest Territories Wildfire Updates:

https://www.gov.nt.ca/ecc/services/wildfire-update/en/firedata


Image Credits: NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) and data from DSCOVR EPIC

Article Credit: Adam Voiland

Image Dates: Aug. 10-11, 2024

Release Date: Aug. 14, 2024


#NASA #NOAA #Science #Space #Satellites #DSCOVR #EPIC #NOAA20 #VIIRS #Planet #Earth #Atmosphere #Weather #Meteorology #Wildfires #Smoke #NorthwestTerritories #NWT #Canada #Environment #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #GreenhouseGases #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #EarthFromSpace #DeepSpace #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Wildfires in Northern California | International Space Station

Wildfires in Northern California | International Space Station

Wildfires in northern California are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Washington's Olympic National Forest.

Visit CAL FIRE for updates: 

https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents

The wildfire season has lengthened in many areas due to factors including warmer springs, longer summer dry seasons, and drier soils and vegetation. Similarly, climate change threatens to increase the frequency, extent, and severity of fires through increased temperatures and drought.

Climate Change Indicators: U.S. and Global Temperature

https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-us-and-global-temperature


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)


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

Image Date: Aug. 8, 2024


#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Planet #Earth #Atmosphere #California #Wildfires #Smoke #Grasslands #Forests #GlobalHeating #ClimateChange #GreenhouseGases #Environment #SpaceLaboratory #Astronauts #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition71 #STEM #Education

Shenzhou-18 Crew Performs Physics & Life Science Research | China Space Station

Shenzhou-18 Crew Performs Physics & Life Science Research | China Space Station

The Shenzhou-18 crew, who began their six-month mission on April 25, have carried out a variety space science experiments as scheduled. The three Shenzhou-18 crew members aboard China's orbiting Tiangong space station—Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu—conducted experiments in space microgravity physics, space life sciences, and human research last week, according to the latest footage released by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

This included cleaning the experimental chamber of the containerless cabinet, replacing experimental samples, maintaining the central electrode, changing samples in the fluid physics experiment cabinet, vacuuming the combustion cabinet to exhaust gas, and replacing the ignition head in the combustion cabinet.

In the field of aerospace medicine, they completed their work on research projects on the dynamics and functional evolution of eye and cerebral hemodynamics.

During their stay in orbit, the Shenzhou-18 crew regularly use ultrasound devices to measure bilateral carotid arteries. The collected data will be used to explore key parameter changes before, during, and after flight, and to build predictive models.

Additionally, the three Chinese astronauts underwent eye pressure and dilated fundus examinations. The results will be used to assess in-orbit health and for subsequent research.

They also completed the maintenance and replacement of equipment related to the water management subsystem, trace harmful gas removal subsystem, and urine processing subsystem last week.

Moreover, the three astronauts completed regular inspections and maintenance of "crew equipment". When foreign objects enter their eyes, astronauts can use a flushing device, connecting it to a water bag to flush their eyes and alleviate discomfort using room-temperature drinking water.


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) Video News Agency

Duration: 1 minute, 50 seconds

Release Date: Aug. 18, 2024


#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #China #中国 #Shenzhou18 #神舟十八 #ScientificExperiments #SpacePhysics #LifeSciences #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

NASA's ESCAPADE Twin Mars Spacecraft Prepared for Launch | Rocket Lab

NASA's ESCAPADE Twin Mars Spacecraft Prepared for Launch | Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab built ESCAPADE twin spacecraft were fully assembled and readied for shipping at the company's Spacecraft Production Complex and headquarters in Long Beach, California, before transport to the launch site at Cape Canaveral, Florida
ESCAPADE spacecraft: preparing for shipment to launch site
ESCAPADE science instrument suite
Rocket Lab engineer with ESCAPADE solar panel
Deployed ESCAPADE solar panel
Rocket Lab team members with ESCAPADE spacecraft
ESCAPADE spacecraft full integration
ESCAPADE spacecraft undergoing environmental testing

Rocket Lab-built ESCAPADE twin spacecraft were fully assembled and readied for shipping at the company's Spacecraft Production Complex and headquarters in Long Beach, California, before their transport to the launch site at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Escapade will use two identical spacecraft to investigate how the solar wind interacts with Mars’ magnetic environment and how this interaction drives the planet’s atmospheric escape. The mission is set to launch no earlier than late 2024 on Blue Origin's inaugural New Glenn rocket flight. It will take ESCAPADE about 11 months to arrive at Mars after leaving Earth’s orbit.

The Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) Mission will study the magnetosphere of Mars. ESCAPADE is the first multi-spacecraft orbital science mission to the Red Planet. Its twin orbiters—dubbed “Blue” and “Gold”—will take simultaneous observations from locations around Mars. The observations will reveal the planet’s real-time response to space weather and how the Martian magnetosphere changes over time. ESCAPADE will analyze how Mars’ magnetic field guides particle flows around the planet, how energy and momentum are transported from the solar wind through the magnetosphere, and what processes control the flow of energy and matter into and out of the Martian atmosphere. Each satellite will carry three instruments: a magnetometer for measuring magnetic field, an electrostatic analyzer to measure ions and electrons, and a Langmuir probe for measuring plasma density and solar extreme ultraviolet flux.


The ESCAPADE Mission is managed by the Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) at the University of California, Berkeley, with key partners Rocket Lab, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Advanced Space LLC, and Blue Origin.


Learn more about NASA's ESCAPADE Mission:

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/escapade

https://escapade.ssl.berkeley.edu

https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=ESCAPADE


Image Credit: Rocket Lab 

Image Dates: Feb. 16, 2021-Aug. 15, 2024


#NASA #RocketLab #Space #Astronomy #Science #Star #Sun #SpaceWeather #Planet #Mars #Magnetosphere #Atmosphere #Radiation #Astronauts #ESCAPADEMission #ESCAPADESpacecraft #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #GSFC #SSL #UCBerkeley #ERAU #AdvancedSpace #BlueOrigin #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Views of Giant Emission Nebula IC 1396 in Cepheus | Mayall Telescope

Views of Giant Emission Nebula IC 1396 in Cepheus | Mayall Telescope



These images were obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. IC 1396 is a giant emission nebula that is over 3 degrees in diameter. It is illuminated by a hot, massive O-type star (HD 206267) near its center. The star is not visible in this image—it is off of the top edge. This image is of a portion of IC 1396 in the south-eastern part of the nebula. It shows only about 5% of the entire nebula. The image was generated with observations in the Hydrogen alpha (red) and Sulphur [SII] (blue) filters.

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

Learn more about the Mayall Telescope: 

https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/kpno/telescopes/nicholas-mayall-4m-telescope


Image Credits: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), H. Schweiker & S. Pakzad (NOIRLab/NSF/AURA)

Release Date: June 30, 2020


#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #IC1396 #EmissionNebula #StarHD206267 #Cepheus #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #MayallTelescope #KittPeakNationalObservatory #KPNO #Arizona #NSF #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Saturday, August 17, 2024

Hurricane Ernesto Barreling Toward Bermuda | NASA Earth Observatory

Hurricane Ernesto Barreling Toward Bermuda | NASA Earth Observatory


After battering Puerto Rico, Hurricane Ernesto picked up steam over the western Atlantic Ocean as it moved toward Bermuda. The Category 1 hurricane made landfall on the western side of Bermuda early Saturday, August 17, 2024. It could generate large waves along the Atlantic shore of the U.S. and Canada.

This image, acquired with the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite, shows Ernesto at about 18:00 Universal Time (3 p.m. local time in Bermuda) on August 15, when the center of the storm was 530 miles southwest of the British island territory. At the time, Ernesto had sustained winds of around 85 miles (140 kilometers) per hour and was continuing to strengthen.

Earlier in the week, Ernesto moved through the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, and eastern Puerto Rico, bringing torrential rains and wind gusts near hurricane strength. According to news reports, the storm knocked out power for about half of Puerto Rico’s residents and dumped 3 to 10 inches (8 to 25 centimeters) of rain over much of the island. The storm flooded roadways, downed power lines, and destroyed homes and vehicles.

As Ernesto moved north from Puerto Rico, NASA scientists teamed up with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to drop small sensors into and around the storm to better understand how the storm was changing. On August 15, 35 dropsondes were released from NOAA’s Gulfstream IV jet from 40,000 feet above the Atlantic. As the dropsondes careened through the storm, they measured temperature, moisture, pressure, and wind conditions.

“Dropsonde data indicated that dry air along Ernesto’s path likely prevented it from becoming an even more powerful storm,” said Justin Stachnik, an atmospheric scientist at NASA Headquarters. “These dropsondes give scientists and weather forecasters a better picture of the moisture present near the storm, and they can retrieve measurements near the surface, where it’s not safe for aircraft to fly.”

The dropsonde measurements can be used to calibrate and validate simultaneous observations from satellites that are part of NASA’s TROPICS mission—a constellation of CubeSats designed to provide high-resolution, rapid updates of the intensity, size, and precipitation of tropical cyclones. “Calibrating satellite observations with these in-air measurements will allow NASA to better provide near-real-time monitoring of storms,” Stachnik said.

Although Ernesto was not expected to hit the mainland U.S., high surf and rip currents from the hurricane were expected to spread up the east coast on August 17 and 18 and could reach portions of Atlantic Canada.

NASA’s Disasters program has been activated in response to Hurricane Ernesto, working with the Puerto Rico Science, Technology, & Research Trust and the Puerto Rico Department of Public Safety to support response activities. As new information becomes available, the team will be posting maps and data products on its open-access mapping portal.

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory image by Wanmei Liang, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership

Article Credit: Emily Cassidy

Image Date: Aug. 15, 2024

Release Date: Aug. 17, 2024


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