Polaris Dawn Crew Prepares for SpaceX Launch & First Commercial Spacewalk

Polaris Dawn Crew Prepares for SpaceX Launch & First Commercial Spacewalk

The Polaris Program is a planned human spaceflight program organized by businessman and commercial astronaut Jared Isaacman. Isaacman, who commanded the first all-civilian spaceflight— Inspiration4—in September 2021, purchased flights from SpaceX in order to create the Polaris Program.

The Polaris Dawn crew is preparing for the mission’s "first commercial spacewalk". This extravehicular activity (EVA) will be the final test for SpaceX’s newly-developed EVA spacesuit. Launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft is expected no earlier than Aug. 27, 2024. 

This Dragon mission will fly higher than any mission to date, endeavoring to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown at approximately 700 kilometers above the Earth. Orbiting through portions of the Van Allen radiation belt, Polaris Dawn will conduct research with the aim of better understanding the effects of spaceflight and space radiation on human health.

"Completing the first commercial extravehicular activity in low-Earth orbit is an important first step towards a future where millions of humans are visiting, working, and living on the Moon, Mars, and other destinations in our solar system."

The goals of the spacesuit tests are: 

1. Familiarization with how the spacesuit performs in a vacuum

2. Collection of spacesuit and biometric data to assess the overall system’s performance in a flight-like environment

3. Understanding of general impacts of pressure changes on their body during pressurized operations

4. Insight into thermal states expected throughout the spacewalk

5. An elevated metabolic period for the crew to simulate the expected workload during the spacewalk, as well as a reduced-activity period to understand the trend of body temperatures throughout the operation

Polaris Dawn’s spacewalk will be the first time that four astronauts will be concurrently exposed to the vacuum of space. During the approximately two-hour-long operation, Mission Commander Jared Isaacman and Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis will separately exit the Dragon spacecraft through its forward hatch. Mission Pilot Kidd Poteet and Mission Specialist & Medical Officer Anna Menon will remain seated, managing spacesuit umbilicals and monitoring telemetry on Dragon’s interior displays.

Polaris Dawn Crew

Jared Isaacman - Mission Commander

Scott Poteet - Mission Pilot

Sarah Gillis - Mission Specialist

Anna Menon - Mission Specialist & Medical Officer

Learn more about the Polaris Program:

https://polarisprogram.com

Credit: Polaris Program/SpaceX

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: August 21, 2024

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #PolarisDawn #CrewDragonSpacecraft #FalconRocket #EVA #Spacewalk #Spacesuits #SpaceTechnology #Astronauts #JaredIsaacman #ScottPoteet #SarahGillis #AnnaMenon #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #SpaceExploration #JSC #Houston #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Perseid Meteors over China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Perseid Meteors over China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

The Perseid meteor shower peaks in mid-August. It is considered the best meteor shower of the year. With swift and bright meteors, Perseids frequently leave long "wakes" of light and color behind them as they streak through Earth's atmosphere. The Perseids are one of the most plentiful showers with about 50 to 100 meteors seen per hour. They occur with warm summer nighttime weather allowing sky watchers to view them comfortably.

Perseids are also known for their fireballs. Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak. This is due to the fact that fireballs originate from larger particles of cometary material. Fireballs are also brighter, with apparent magnitudes greater than -3.

Learn more about the Perseid meteor shower here:

https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/perseids/

Note: The border of Inner Mongolia (population: 24 million) includes two-thirds of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia (population: 3.5 million). 

Video Credit: Jeff Dai

Release Date: Aug 21, 2024

Capture Dates: August 12 & 13, 2023

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Earth #Planet #Atmosphere #Meteors #ThePerseids #Perseids #Meteor #Fireballs #Perseus #Constellation #Astrophotography #JeffDai #Astrophotographer #CitizenScience #SolarSystem #China #中国 #InnerMongolia #内蒙古自治区 #STEM #Education #APoD

ᠥᠪᠥᠷ ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ ᠤᠨᠥᠪᠡᠷᠲᠡᠭᠨ ᠵᠠᠰᠠᠬᠤ ᠣᠷᠣᠨ

Wide-field View of The Lobster Nebula: NGC 6357 | Digitized Sky Survey

Wide-field View: The Lobster Nebula (NGC 6357) | Digitized Sky Survey

This is part of the Scorpius constellation centered on star formation region NGC 6357, nicknamed The Lobster Nebula. It has star cluster Pismis 24 in its center. This image is a color composite taken by the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS), the field of view is 3.8x3.3 degrees.

Image Credit: Davide De Martin (ESA/Hubble), the ESA/ESO/NASA Photoshop FITS Liberator & Digitized Sky Survey 2

Release Date: June 20, 2012

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6357 #LobsterNebula #StellarNursery #StarPismis24 #Scorpius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VisibleLight #DSS #STScI #Chile #Europe #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Zooming in on The Lobster Nebula: NGC 6357 (visible light view) | ESO

Zooming in on The Lobster Nebula: NGC 6357 (visible light view) | ESO

This zoom video sequence starts with a broad view of the Milky Way. We close in on one of the regions of active star formation in the constellation of Scorpius (The Scorpion) and a curious landscape of vast numbers of stars, glowing gas and dust is revealed. The final view shows one of the most detailed visible light images so far of a spectacular part of this stellar nursery, named NGC 6357.

Distance: ~8,000 light years

Credit: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2/Nick Risinger

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: June 21, 2012

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6357 #LobsterNebula #Scorpius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VisibleLight #VLT #ParanalObservatory #CerroParanal #Chile #Europe #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Pan of The Lobster Nebula: NGC 6357 | ESO VLT

Pan of The Lobster Nebula: NGC 6357 | ESO VLT

The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has taken one of the most detailed visible light images so far of a spectacular part of the stellar nursery called NGC 6357. This pan video shows many hot young stars, glowing clouds of gas and unusual dust formations sculpted by ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds.

Distance: ~8,000 light years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: June 20, 2012

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6357 #LobsterNebula #Scorpius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VisibleLight #VLT #ParanalObservatory #CerroParanal #Chile #Europe #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up view of The Lobster Nebula: NGC 6357 | ESO VLT

Close-up view of The Lobster Nebula: NGC 6357 | ESO VLT

The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has taken one of the most detailed visible light images so far of a spectacular part of the stellar nursery called NGC 6357. The view shows many hot young stars, glowing clouds of gas and unusual dust formations sculpted by ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds.

Distance: ~8,000 light years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Release Date: June 20, 2012

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6357 #LobsterNebula #Scorpius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #VisibleLight #VLT #ParanalObservatory #CerroParanal #Chile #Europe #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

The Lobster Nebula: NGC 6357 | Visible Light & Infrared Views

The Lobster Nebula: NGC 6357 | Visible Light & Infrared Views

This video sequence compares infrared and visible light views of the Lobster Nebula (NGC 6357). The visible light image created from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 and, for the central part, the European Southern Observatory's VLT. The infrared image was taken with the VISTA telescope at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. In the infrared, the dust that obscures many stars becomes nearly transparent, revealing new stars that are otherwise invisible.

Distance: ~8,000 light years

Learn more about ESO's Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) telescope:

https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/surveytelescopes/vista/

Credit: ESO/VVV Survey/Digitized Sky Survey 2/D. Minniti

Acknowledgement: Ignacio Toledo

Duration: 1 minute, 26 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 20, 2013

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6357 #LobsterNebula #Scorpius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #DSS2 #VisibleLight #STScI #VLT #InfraredTelescope #VISTA #InfraredLight #ParanalObservatory #CerroParanal #Chile #Europe #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Lobster Nebula: NGC 6357 | Comparison of Visible Light & Infrared Views

The Lobster Nebula: NGC 6357 | Comparison of Visible Light & Infrared Views

This image compares visible (left) and infrared (right) views of the Lobster Nebula (NGC 6357). The visible light image (left) was created from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 images. The infrared image (right) was taken with the VISTA telescope at the European Southern Observatory's Paranal Observatory. In the infrared, the dust that obscures many stars becomes nearly transparent, revealing new stars that are otherwise invisible.

Distance: ~8,000 light years

Learn more about ESO's Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) telescope:

https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/surveytelescopes/vista/

Image Credits: ESO/VVV Survey/Digitized Sky Survey 2/D. Minniti

Acknowledgement: Ignacio Toledo

Image Date: Feb. 20, 2013

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6357 #LobsterNebula #Scorpius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #DSS2 #VisibleLight #STScI #InfraredTelescope #VISTA #InfraredLight #ParanalObservatory #CerroParanal #AtacamaDesert #Chile #Europe #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Zooming in on The Lobster Nebula: NGC 6357 (infrared view) | ESO

Zooming in on The Lobster Nebula: NGC 6357 (infrared view) | ESO

This zoom video sequence starts with a broad view of the Milky Way. We close in on one of the regions of active star formation in the constellation of Scorpius (The Scorpion) and a curious landscape of vast numbers of stars, glowing gas and dust is revealed. The final view shows an infrared view of NGC 6357 from the the European Southern Observatory’s Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) telescope.

Distance: ~8,000 light years

Learn more about VISTA:

https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/surveytelescopes/vista/

Credit: ESO/VVV Survey/D. Minniti/Digitized Sky Survey 2/Nick Risinger

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Feb. 20, 2013

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6357 #LobsterNebula #Scorpius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #InfraredTelescope #VISTA #InfraredLight #ParanalObservatory #CerroParanal #AtacamaDesert #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Lobster Nebula: NGC 6357 (Infrared view) | ESO VISTA Telescope

The Lobster Nebula: NGC 6357 (infrared view) | ESO VISTA Telescope

This image from the European Southern Observatory’s Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) telescope captures a celestial landscape of vast, glowing clouds of gas and tendrils of dust surrounding hot young stars. This infrared view revealed the stellar nursery known as NGC 6357 in a new light. It was taken as part of the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) survey. It scanned the Milky Way in a bid to map our galaxy’s structure and explain how it formed.

Distance: ~8,000 light years

Learn more about VISTA:

https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/surveytelescopes/vista/

Credit: ESO/VVV Survey/D. Minniti Acknowledgement: Ignacio Toledo

Image Date: Feb. 20, 2013

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #NGC6357 #LobsterNebula #Scorpius #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #InfraredTelescope #VISTA #InfraredLight #ParanalObservatory #CerroParanal #AtacamaDesert #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education

The Elephant Trunk Nebula IC1396: Wide-field & close-up views

The Elephant Trunk Nebula IC1396: Wide-field & close-up views

IC 1396, also known as the Elephant Trunk Nebula, is another region of recent star formation. Many stars in this area are less than a couple hundred thousand years old—very young in the grand scheme of astronomy, where stars live to be billions of years old! The hot young stars are in the process of ionizing and expelling the molecular hydrogen gas. At the same time, new stars are still being born in this nebula.

These images were taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.

Image Credits: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Jeff Hapeman/Adam Block

Image Dates: June 6-13, 2014

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Nebulae #Nebula #IC1396 #Vdb142 #EmissionNebula #Star #HD206267 #Cepheus #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #KittPeakNationalObservatory #KPNO #Arizona #NSF #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

View of Russian Cargo Spacecraft Rocket Launch | International Space Station

View of Russian Cargo Spacecraft Rocket Launch | International Space Station

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick: "Set my alarm and woke up in the middle my normal sleep period to capture this Прогресс cargo spacecraft launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. It felt pretty awesome to see another spaceship launching knowing it was coming to join us. Crew-9 is next!"

An unpiloted Russian Progress 89 cargo craft launched to the International Space Station on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. After a two-day in-orbit journey to the station, the spacecraft delivered about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the International Space Station.

The Roscosmos spacecraft arrived at the aft port of the orbiting laboratory’s Zvezda Service module at 1:53 a.m. EDT, Saturday, Aug. 17. It will remain docked for approximately six months before departing for a re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere to dispose of trash loaded by the crew.

Image details: 340mm (50 to 500 lens), f7.1, ISO 500, 1/6400s

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-JSC/Astronaut Matthew Dominick

Image Date: Aug. 14, 2024

Release Date: Aug. 20, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #CargoSpacecraft #SoyuzRocketLaunch #Союз #Progress89Mission #ProgressMS28Spacecraft #Cosmonauts #Astronaut #MatthewDominick #HumanSpaceflight #UnitedStates #Russia #Россия #Europe #Japan #Expedition70 #SpaceLaboratory #BaikonurCosmodrome #Kazakhstan #STEM #Education

Planet Mars Images: August 2024 | NASA Curiosity & Perseverance Mars Rovers

Planet Mars Images: August 2024 | NASA Curiosity & Perseverance Mars Rovers

Mars 2020 - sol 1233

Mars 2020 - sol 1243

Mars 2020 - sol 1239

Mars 2020 - sol 1233

Mars 2020 - sol 1228

MSL - sol 4259

Support FriendsofNASA.org

Celebrating 12+ Years on Mars (2012-2024)

Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Rover Name: Curiosity

Main Job: To determine if Mars was ever habitable to microbial life. 

Launch: Nov. 6, 2011

Landing Date: Aug. 5, 2012, Gale Crater, Mars

Celebrating 3+ Years on Mars

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

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

Launch: July 30, 2020    

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

For more information on NASA's Mars missions, visit: mars.nasa.gov

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Image Release Dates: Aug. 5-20, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #JezeroCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #KevinGill #STEM #Education

Aurora Borealis on a Hill near Stonehenge, England

Aurora Borealis on a Hill near Stonehenge, England

Photographer Chris Kotsiopoulos: "This photo of the auroral display of May 10, 2024, was captured near Stonehenge, England. Almost the entire sky was filled with red and green colored rays and curtains. I stayed up all night admiring and photographing these arresting lights."

"I arrived in Stonehenge early, before sunset. As I set up my equipment to shoot star trails, I overheard people saying that a severe solar storm heading towards us could cause the elusive Northern lights to appear. I had no clue about it! Only by coincidence, I was there. I had never seen the Northern Lights. Experiencing nature’s most spectacular light show was always a dream of mine. I was excited thinking that even a faint and distant capture of the impressive Aurora Borealis would be perfect!"

"While chatting with a Stonehenge security guard, and shooting test shots towards the Northern horizon, we noticed a green tint in the sky at around 22.15. In the next 45 minutes almost the entire sky filled with colours. You could see these huge rays of light and colour painting the sky red and green. I stayed up all night capturing the Lights. I left Stonehenge and visited Wilton Windmill to add a few more photos to my collection."

Stonehenge is a prehistoric megalithic structure on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, two miles (3 km) west of Amesbury.

Learn more about Stonehenge:

https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/introduction-stonehenge

https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/world-stonehenge/stonehenge-timeline

See additional photos by Chris Kotsiopoulos: 

https://spacetinkerer.com/tinkering-story-18-severe-solar-storm-causes-spectacular-northern-lights-in-england/

 

Image Credit: Chris Kotsiopoulos 

Location: Stonehenge, England Coordinates: 51.178889, -1.826111

Caption Credit: Chris Kotsiopoulos

Image Date: May 10, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Sun #Star #SolarWind #Planet #Earth #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #MagneticField #Magnetosphere #Astrophotography #ChrisKotsiopoulos #Astrophotographer #Stonehenge #Wiltshire #England #History #STEM #Education

NASA's Europa Clipper Spacecraft: Solar Array Testing | Kennedy Space Center

NASA's Europa Clipper Spacecraft: Solar Array Testing | Kennedy Space Center

Technicians tested deploying a set of massive solar arrays measuring about 46.5 feet (14.2 meters) long and about 13.5 feet (4.1 meters) high for NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft inside the agency’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. Once launched to study Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, the solar arrays will fully extend to power the spacecraft to perform flybys to gather science and data to determine if the moon can support habitable conditions. 

Europa Clipper—the agency’s largest spacecraft ever developed for a planetary mission—will span a total length of more than 100 feet and weigh 7,145 pounds without the inclusion of propellants. Europa Clipper is expected to launch to planet Jupiter in October 2024 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft needs to survive a 1.6 billion-mile, six-year journey to Jupiter—and sophisticated enough to perform a detailed science investigation of Europa once it arrives at the Jupiter system in 2030.

Missions such as Europa Clipper contribute to the field of astrobiology, the interdisciplinary research on the variables and conditions of distant worlds that could harbor life as we know it. While Europa Clipper is not a life-detection mission, it will conduct detailed reconnaissance of Europa and investigate whether the icy moon, with its subsurface ocean, has the capability to support life. 

Understanding Europa’s habitability will help scientists better understand how life developed on Earth and the potential for finding life beyond our planet.

Download Europa Clipper Ocean World poster:

https://europa.nasa.gov/resources/173/europa-clipper-journey-to-an-ocean-world-poster/

Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with APL for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. APL designed the main spacecraft body in collaboration with JPL and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission.

NASA's Europa Clipper Mission website: 

https://europa.nasa.gov/

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Image Date: Aug. 7, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Jupiter #Europa #Moon #Ocean #Astrobiology #Biosignatures #Habitability #Radiation #EuropaClipper #EuropaClipperSpacecraft #SolarArrays #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #JHUAPL #GSFC #MSFC #JPL #Caltech #KSC #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Nebula RCW 106: Star Formation Region | ESO APEX & VLT

Nebula RCW 106: Star Formation Region | ESO APEX & VLT

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. It imposes a red map of dense gas, imaged with the ArTéMiS camera at APEX, over an optical image taken with the VLT Survey Telescope. 

While APEX continues to investigate this stellar mystery, we can expect to see many more stunning images like this.

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