Polaris Dawn Crew Splashdown Off Florida Coast | SpaceX

Polaris Dawn Crew Splashdown Off Florida Coast | SpaceX

Anna Menon - Mission Specialist & Medical Officer

Sarah Gillis - Mission Specialist & Spacewalker

Scott Poteet - Mission Pilot

Jared Isaacman - Mission Commander & Spacewalker

From left to right: Anna Menon - Mission Specialist & Medical Officer, Scott Poteet - Mission Pilot, Jared Isaacman - Mission Commander, Sarah Gillis - Mission Specialist

Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon spacecraft reentry

Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon spacecraft - main parachutes deployed before splashdown

Polaris Dawn Mission Patch

After nearly five days on orbit, the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Polaris Dawn crew safely splashed down at 3:36 a.m. ET on Sunday, September 15, 2024, off the coast of Dry Tortugas, Florida, completing the first human spaceflight mission of the Polaris Program.

Polaris Dawn Crew

Jared Isaacman - Mission Commander & Spacewalker

Scott Poteet - Mission Pilot

Sarah Gillis - Mission Specialist & Spacewalker

Anna Menon - Mission Specialist & Medical Officer

Polaris Dawn has completed the first commercial spacewalks from Crew Dragon. The crew have tested Starlink-laser based communications and conducted a wide range of research in microgravity involving ~36 studies and experiments from 31 partner institutions related to human health.

The Polaris Dawn Mission is flying a specially-modified SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft that flew higher than any mission to date since the Apollo program, reaching the highest Earth orbit ever flown at approximately 700 kilometers above the Earth. Orbiting through portions of the Van Allen radiation belt, Polaris Dawn is conducting research with the aim of better understanding the effects of spaceflight and space radiation on human health, while testing laser-based communications.

"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."

This has been the first human spaceflight for Mission Pilot Kidd Poteet, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon. Mission Commander Jared Isaacman previously flew to space as commander of Inspiration4. This has also been the first time two SpaceX employees have been part of a human spaceflight crew, providing valuable insight to future missions on the road to making life multiplanetary.

Learn more about the Polaris Program:

https://polarisprogram.com

Image Credits: Polaris Dawn/John Kraus/SpaceX

Capture Date: Sept. 15, 2024

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #PolarisDawn #CrewDragonSpacecraft #EVA #Spacewalks #Spacesuits #SpaceTechnology #Starlink #Astronauts #JaredIsaacman #ScottPoteet #SarahGillis #AnnaMenon #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #SpaceExploration #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Polaris Dawn Crew Arrival Off Florida Coast | SpaceX

Polaris Dawn Crew Arrival Off Florida Coast | SpaceX

Sarah Gillis - Mission Specialist & Spacewalker

Anna Menon - Mission Specialist & Medical Officer

Scott Poteet - Mission Pilot

Jared Isaacman - Mission Commander & Spacewalker

Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon spacecraft

After nearly five days on orbit, the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Polaris Dawn crew safely splashed down at 3:36 a.m. ET on Sunday, September 15, 2024, off the coast of Dry Tortugas, Florida, completing the first human spaceflight mission of the Polaris Program.

Polaris Dawn Crew

Jared Isaacman - Mission Commander & Spacewalker

Scott Poteet - Mission Pilot

Sarah Gillis - Mission Specialist & Spacewalker

Anna Menon - Mission Specialist & Medical Officer

Polaris Dawn has completed the first commercial spacewalks from Crew Dragon. The crew have tested Starlink-laser based communications and conducted a wide range of research in microgravity involving ~36 studies and experiments from 31 partner institutions related to human health.

The Polaris Dawn Mission is flying a specially-modified SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft that flew higher than any mission to date since the Apollo program, reaching the highest Earth orbit ever flown at approximately 700 kilometers above the Earth. Orbiting through portions of the Van Allen radiation belt, Polaris Dawn is conducting research with the aim of better understanding the effects of spaceflight and space radiation on human health, while testing laser-based communications.

"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."

This has been the first human spaceflight for Mission Pilot Kidd Poteet, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon. Mission Commander Jared Isaacman previously flew to space as commander of Inspiration4. This has also been the first time two SpaceX employees have been part of a human spaceflight crew, providing valuable insight to future missions on the road to making life multiplanetary.

Learn more about the Polaris Program:

https://polarisprogram.com

Image Credit: Polaris Dawn/SpaceX

Capture Date: Sept. 15, 2024

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #PolarisDawn #CrewDragonSpacecraft #EVA #Spacewalks #Spacesuits #SpaceTechnology #Starlink #Astronauts #JaredIsaacman #ScottPoteet #SarahGillis #AnnaMenon #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #SpaceExploration #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Polaris Dawn Mission Prepares for Return to Earth | SpaceX

Polaris Dawn Mission Prepares for Return to Earth | SpaceX

After launching to orbit on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, SpaceX Dragon and the Polaris Dawn astronauts are set to return to Earth and splash down off the coast of Dry Tortugas, Florida on Sunday, September 15, 2024, at 3:36 a.m. ET to end their five-day mission.

Landing updates & live webcast available here:

https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=polarisdawn

Polaris Dawn Crew

Jared Isaacman - Mission Commander & Spacewalker

Scott Poteet - Mission Pilot

Sarah Gillis - Mission Specialist & Spacewalker

Anna Menon - Mission Specialist & Medical Officer

Polaris Dawn has completed the first commercial spacewalks from Crew Dragon. The crew have tested Starlink-laser based communications and conducted a wide range of research in microgravity involving ~36 studies and experiments from 31 partner institutions related to human health.

The Polaris Dawn Mission is flying a specially-modified SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft that flew higher than any mission to date since the Apollo program, reaching the highest Earth orbit ever flown at approximately 700 kilometers above the Earth. Orbiting through portions of the Van Allen radiation belt, Polaris Dawn is conducting research with the aim of better understanding the effects of spaceflight and space radiation on human health, while testing laser-based communications.

"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."

This has been the first human spaceflight for Mission Pilot Kidd Poteet, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon. Mission Commander Jared Isaacman previously flew to space as commander of Inspiration4. This has also been the first time two SpaceX employees have been part of a human spaceflight crew, providing valuable insight to future missions on the road to making life multiplanetary.

Learn more about the Polaris Program:

https://polarisprogram.com

Video Credit: Polaris Dawn/SpaceX

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Sept. 12, 2024

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #PolarisDawn #CrewDragonSpacecraft #EVA #Spacewalks #Spacesuits #SpaceTechnology #Starlink #Astronauts #JaredIsaacman #ScottPoteet #SarahGillis #AnnaMenon #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #SpaceExploration #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China Plans Exploration of Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Wider Solar System: Chief Designer

China Plans Exploration of Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Wider Solar System: Chief Designer

China's vision for deep space exploration begins with the Moon and will move to Mars, Jupiter and the wider solar system, according to Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's Lunar Exploration Project (CLEP) and director of China's Deep Space Exploration Laboratory. He introduced the long-term vision for the country's space program in an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN).

"We define the exploration of the Moon and celestial bodies and space beyond it as deep space exploration. The Moon is the starting point. The next focus is on the Moon. Chang'e-7 will land on the south pole of the Moon and search for water. Chang'e-8 will land at the south pole of the Moon and will join Chang'e-7 to form the basic structure of the south pole station on the Moon," said the chief designer.

Wu said China also plans to build the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS)—a larger scale project and longer-term ambition.

"Then we want to build a navigation, communication, and remote sensing constellation centered on the Moon, which we are now studying," said Wu.

"Our next step is a crewed lunar landing. China aims to achieve this around 2030. You see, the symbol of our lunar exploration project is a person's footprint," said the chief designer.

"Deep space exploration also includes collecting and returning asteroid samples, and collecting samples from large celestial bodies, such as Mars, and the exploration of the Jupiter system. Jupiter is the largest celestial body in the solar system except the Sun, and is equivalent to the size of 1,300 Earths. Jupiter and its satellites are a big system," he said.

Wu said missions in the future will be able to send 50 tons of payload per launch to the Moon.

"To realize this deep space exploration, we need rockets and launch vehicles with greater thrust. So we came up with this concept of deep space exploration. The Deep Space Exploration Laboratory is responsible for the launch vehicle with greater thrust, to study the rocket with greatest thrust in the country. Now we can send eight tons of payload to the Moon. In the future, we'll be able to send 50 tons of payload to the Moon per launch," said Wu.

Learn more about China's International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) plans:

https://www.unoosa.org/documents/pdf/copuos/2023/TPs/ILRS_presentation20230529_.pdf

https://lnkd.in/gpuAF3ge

Video Credit: CGTN

Duration: 2 minutes, 18 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 9, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Mars #Tianwen3 #Jupiter #Asteroids #Moon #SouthPole #CLEP #ChangeProgram #IRLS #国际月球科研站 #WuWeiren #ChiefDesigner #SampleReturnMissions #CNSA #China #中国 #Spacecraft #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #DeepSpace #STEM #Education #InternationalCooperation #HD #Video

Expedition 72 Crew Launch on Russian Soyuz Rocket | International Space Station

Expedition 72 Crew Launch on Russian Soyuz Rocket | International Space Station

The Soyuz rocket launches to the International Space Station with Expedition 72 crew members: NASA astronaut Don Pettit, Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner of Russia, onboard, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of Russia successfully launched aboard their Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sept. 11, 2024. A little over three hours later, the trio docked to the Rassvet module of the International Space Station for the start of a six-month mission on the orbital laboratory as members of the Expedition 71 and 72 crews.

Expedition 71 Updates:

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

Expedition 71 Crew

Station Commander: Oleg Kononenko (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner

NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Don Pettit

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Image Date: Sept. 11, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Baikonur #Kazakhstan #SoyuzRocket #SoyuzMS26 #СоюзМС26 #SoyuzCrewSpacecraft #Astronaut #DonPettit #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #AlexeiOvchinin #IvanVagner #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition72 #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education

Expedition 72 Crew in Kazakhstan Prelaunch: Part 3 | International Space Station

Expedition 72 Crew in Kazakhstan Prelaunch: Part 3 | International Space Station

Expedition 72 crew members: NASA astronaut Don Pettit, left, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner of Russia, right, meet with NASA and Roscosmos managers prior to boarding the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft for launch, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Expedition 72 crew members: NASA astronaut Don Pettit, left, Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner of Russia, right, depart building 254 for their Soyuz launch to the International Space Station Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

Expedition 72 crew members: NASA astronaut Don Pettit, left, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner of Russia, right, meet with NASA and Roscosmos managers prior to boarding the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft for launch, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Expedition 72 crew members: Roscosmos cosmonaut Ivan Vagner (Russia), top, NASA astronaut Don Pettit, middle, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin (Russia), board the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft for launch, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin waits to have his Russian Sokol suit pressure checked

Roscosmos cosmonaut Ivan Vagner has his Russian Sokol suit pressure checked

Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin of Russia, left, and NASA astronaut Don Pettit, are seen talking with Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, as they prepare to have their Russian Sokol suits pressure checked

Expedition 72 crew members: NASA astronaut Don Pettit, left, Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, center, and Ivan Vagner, talk to mission management and family ahead of their Soyuz launch to the International Space Station Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of Russia successfully launched aboard their Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sept. 11, 2024. A little over three hours later, the trio docked to the Rassvet module of the International Space Station for the start of a six-month mission on the orbital laboratory as members of the Expedition 71 and 72 crews.

Expedition 71 Updates:

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

Expedition 71 Crew

Station Commander: Oleg Kononenko (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner

NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Don Pettit

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Image Date: Sept. 11, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Baikonur #Kazakhstan #SoyuzMS26 #СоюзМС26 #SoyuzCrewSpacecraft #Astronaut #DonPettit #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #AlexeiOvchinin #IvanVagner #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition72 #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education

Expedition 72 Crew in Kazakhstan Prelaunch: Part 2 | International Space Station

Expedition 72 Crew in Kazakhstan Prelaunch: Part 2 | International Space Station

NASA astronaut Don Pettit waits to have his Russian Sokol suit pressure checked as he and fellow crew mates, Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner of Russia, prepare for their Soyuz launch to the International Space Station Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Ivan Vagner is helped into his Russian Sokol suit

Roscosmos cosmonaut Ivan Vagner has his Russian Sokol suit pressure checked

Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin is helped into his Russian Sokol suit

Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin of Russia, left, and NASA astronaut Don Pettit, are seen as they prepare to have their Russian Sokol suits pressure checked

Expedition 72 crew members: NASA astronaut Don Pettit, left, Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, center, and Ivan Vagner of Russia, talk to NASA and Roscosmos mission management and family ahead of their Soyuz launch to the International Space Station Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of Russia successfully launched aboard their Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sept. 11, 2024. A little over three hours later, the trio docked to the Rassvet module of the International Space Station for the start of a six-month mission on the orbital laboratory as members of the Expedition 71 and 72 crews.

Expedition 71 Updates:

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

Expedition 71 Crew

Station Commander: Oleg Kononenko (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner

NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Don Pettit

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Image Date: Sept. 11, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Baikonur #Kazakhstan #SoyuzMS26 #СоюзМС26 #SoyuzCrewSpacecraft #Astronaut #DonPettit #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #AlexeiOvchinin #IvanVagner #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition72 #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education

Expedition 72 Crew in Kazakhstan Prelaunch: Part 1 | International Space Station

Expedition 72 Crew in Kazakhstan Prelaunch: Part 1 | International Space Station

Expedition 72 crew members: NASA astronaut Don Pettit, left, Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner of Russia, right, wave as they depart the Cosmonaut Hotel to suit-up for their Soyuz launch to the International Space Station, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

Expedition 72 crew members: NASA astronaut Don Pettit, left, Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner of Russia, right, receive the traditional blessing at the Cosmonaut Hotel prior to departing for suit-up and launch on a Soyuz rocket, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit receives the traditional blessing

Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin of Russia receives the traditional blessing

Roscosmos cosmonaut Ivan Vagner of Russia receives the traditional blessing

NASA astronaut Don Pettit puts his hand up to the bus window and his family reaches back to him, as he and fellow crew mates, Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner of Russia, depart the Cosmonaut Hotel to suit-up for their Soyuz launch to the International Space Station, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. 

NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of Russia successfully launched aboard their Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sept. 11, 2024. A little over three hours later, the trio docked to the Rassvet module of the International Space Station for the start of a six-month mission on the orbital laboratory as members of the Expedition 71 and 72 crews.

Expedition 71 Updates:

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

Expedition 71 Crew

Station Commander: Oleg Kononenko (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner

NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Don Pettit

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Image Date: Sept. 11, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Baikonur #Kazakhstan #SoyuzMS26 #СоюзМС26 #SoyuzCrewSpacecraft #Astronaut #DonPettit #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #AlexeiOvchinin #IvanVagner #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition72 #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education

The Journey of New Shepard Spaceflight NS-26 | Blue Origin

The Journey of New Shepard Spaceflight NS-26 | Blue Origin

  

Blue Origin successfully completed its eighth human spaceflight and the 26th flight for the New Shepard program on August 29, 2024. The astronaut crew included: Nicolina Elrick, Rob Ferl, Eugene Grin, Dr. Eiman Jahangir, Karsen Kitchen, and Ephraim Rabin. The New Shepard launch vehicle has now flown 43 people into space.

Karsen Kitchen made history as the youngest woman ever to cross the Kármán line. Rob Ferl became the first NASA-funded researcher to conduct an experiment as part of a commercial suborbital space crew. 

Rob Ferl was the first NASA-funded researcher to conduct an experiment as part of a commercial suborbital space crew. The experiment is designed to help scientists understand how plant genes react to the transition to and from microgravity. Ferl activated a device called a Kennedy Space Center Fixation Tube, or KFT, to “fix” or take a snapshot of the gene activity of an Arabidopsis thaliana plant inside the tube for researchers to study in the lab.   

This mission was the eighth human flight for the New Shepard program and the 26th in its history. To date, the program has flown 37 humans above the Kármán line, the "internationally recognized boundary of space."

Rob Ferl Biography:

Rob is a distinguished professor and director of the Astraeus Space Institute at the University of Florida. He has spent his career studying how living organisms respond to extreme conditions, especially microgravity. He and his colleagues have worked with NASA astronauts to conduct numerous experiments on the International Space Station that have shown that plants turn certain genes on and off in response to changes in gravity. They were also the first to prove that plants could grow in lunar soil collected during the Apollo missions. Ferl is also a national leader in space policy, having recently chaired a National Academies of Sciences committee on the direction of space biology research over the next decade. 

Rob received funding for his technology flight test through a NASA TechFlights grant by the agency’s Flight Opportunities program as well as from NASA’s Division of Biological and Physical Sciences. 

Karsen Kitchen Biography:

Karsen made history as the youngest woman ever to cross the Kármán line. A senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Karsen is majoring in Communications and Astronomy. After graduation, she intends to pursue a career in the space industry. In 2024, she founded Orbitelle, an initiative to encourage women to pursue careers in the space industry. Karsen has researched radio astronomy at the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia and worked at UNC's Morehead Planetarium. She’s also immersed herself in centrifugal force training, experienced weightlessness during a Zero-Gravity flight, and currently in training for her scuba diving license. 

Learn more about the NS-26 crew at: 

https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-shepard-ns-26-mission

Video Credit: Blue Origin
Duration: 1 minute, 38 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 13, 2024

#NASA #Earth #Space #BlueOrigin #NewShepardRocket #LaunchVehicle #CrewCapsule #NS26 #Astronauts #KarsenKitchen #RobFerl #JeffBezos #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #Texas #UnitedStates #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceTourism #NewSpace #CommercialSpace #History #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Polaris Dawn Mission: Sarah Gillis—Harmony of Resilience

Polaris Dawn Mission: Violinist Sarah Gillis—Harmony of Resilience

Polaris Dawn Crewmember Sarah Gillis plays violin from Earth orbit aboard a specially-modified SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft

Polaris Dawn crew meets American composer and conductor John Williams

Composer and conductor John Williams with Polaris Dawn crewmember and violinist Sarah Gillis

Sarah Gillis with dozens of other musicians performing “Rey’s Theme” from the film Star Wars: The Force Awakens originally composed and conducted by John Williams

Recorded in space and sent to Earth via SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, Polaris Dawn crewmember and violinist Sarah Gillis provided the Polaris Dawn crew and humanity with a musical moment from Earth orbit in support of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital & El Sistema USA. She collaborated with famed American composer and conductor John Williams.

Watch the performance here:

https://x.com/i/status/1834557770374296010

Sarah Gillis was among dozens of other musicians worldwide that performed “Rey’s Theme” by John Williams from Star Wars: The Force Awakens for a performance that she said “symbolizes unity and hope, highlighting the resilience and potential of children everywhere.”

“As we travel around our beautiful Earth on this five-day mission, we wanted to share this special music moment with you,” Gillis said in a clip shared on SpaceX’s page on X (formerly Twitter):

https://x.com/i/status/1834557770374296010

Learn more at: http://polarisprogram.com/music

Polaris Dawn Crew

Jared Isaacman - Mission Commander

Scott Poteet - Mission Pilot

Sarah Gillis - Mission Specialist

Anna Menon - Mission Specialist & Medical Officer

Polaris Dawn has completed the first commercial spacewalks from Crew Dragon. It has tested Starlink-laser based communications and is conducting a wide range of research in microgravity. Polaris Dawn will return to Earth and splash down off the coast of Florida to end its five day mission.

The Polaris Dawn Mission is flying a specially-modified SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft higher than any mission to date since the Apollo program, reaching the highest Earth orbit ever flown at approximately 700 kilometers above the Earth. Orbiting through portions of the Van Allen radiation belt, Polaris Dawn is conducting research with the aim of better understanding the effects of spaceflight and space radiation on human health, while testing laser-based communications.

"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."

Learn more about the Polaris Program:

https://polarisprogram.com

Image Credit: SpaceX/Polaris Program

Image Dates: Sept. 13, 2024

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #PolarisDawn #CrewDragonSpacecraft #Spacewalkers #SpaceTechnology #Starlink #Astronauts #JaredIsaacman #ScottPoteet #SarahGillis #Violinist #Music #JohnWilliams #HarmonyOfResilience #StarWars #FilmSoundtrack #ScienceFiction #AnnaMenon #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission: Space Radiation Tests | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission: Space Radiation Tests | Kennedy Space Center

Learn how NASA teams are using spacecraft to study space radiation and the best ways of protecting crews on future Artemis missions.

The Artemis II test flight will be NASA’s first crewed mission, sending NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman, as well as Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a ten-day journey around the Moon and back.

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

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

Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

Duration: 1 minute, 29 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 13, 2024

#NASA #ESA #CSA #Space #Science #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIIMission #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #DeepSpace #Astronauts #MoonToMars #Science #SpaceExploration #Radiation #HumanHealth #HumanSpaceflight #NASAKennedy #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #Canada #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Hurricane Francine Slams Northern Gulf Coast of United States | NOAA

Hurricane Francine Slams Northern Gulf Coast of United States | NOAA

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites have been closely tracking Tropical Storm Francine since it formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico over the weekend. Initially designated as Potential Tropical Cyclone Six on Sept. 8, 2024, it strengthened into a tropical storm the following day, continuing to intensify as it moved north toward Louisiana.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry urged residents to "not to panic, but be prepared" and follow evacuation orders. In response, people across the region have been filling sandbags, stocking up on essentials, and fueling their vehicles.

By late Tuesday morning, Sept. 10, 2024, Francine remained a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center. However, fueled by the Gulf’s exceptionally warm waters—about 87 degrees Fahrenheit (31 degrees Celsius)—Francine intensified into a Category 1 hurricane by 7 p.m. CDT, and by the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 11, the storm had sustained winds of 90 mph. The Gulf’s ocean heat content is currently at record-high levels.

Around 4 p.m. CDT that same day, Francine strengthened further to a Category 2 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph. The storm made landfall roughly an hour later in southern Louisiana in the Parish of Terrebonne, about 30 miles south-southwest of Morgan City, inundating the coastal areas with flash flooding that made many roads impassable and caused power outages that left hundreds of thousands of customers in the dark. As of Thursday morning, over 388,000 utility customers in Louisiana, 52,000 in Mississippi, and 10,000 in Alabama were without power, according to PowerOutage.us.

Credits: NOAA, NASA, Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA)

Duration: 2 minutes, 19 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 13, 2024

#NASA #NOAA #Space #Satellites #Science #Planet #Earth #Atmosphere #Weather #Meteorology #Hurricanes #HurricaneFrancine #GulfOfMexico #GulfCoast #AtlanticOcean #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #Environment #GreenhouseGases #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Europe's BepiColombo Mercury Mission: Fourth Flyby Timelapse | ESA

Europe's BepiColombo Mercury Mission: Fourth Flyby Timelapse | ESA

   

Watch the closest flyby of a planet ever, as the European Space Agency/Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) BepiColombo spacecraft sped past Mercury during its latest encounter on September 4, 2024. This is the first European mission to Mercury, the smallest and least explored planet in the inner Solar System. Mercury is the first planet from the Sun.

This flyby marked BepiColombo’s closest approach to Mercury yet, and for the first time, the spacecraft had a clear view of Mercury’s south pole.

This timelapse is made up of 128 different black & white images captured by all three of BepiColombo’s monitoring cameras, M-CAM 1, 2 and 3. We see the planet move in and out of the fields of view of M-CAM 2 and 3, before M-CAM 1 sees the planet receding into the distance at the end of the video.

The first few images are taken in the days and weeks before the flyby. Mercury first appears in an image taken at 23:50 CEST (21:50 UTC) on September 4, at a distance of 191 km. Closest approach was at 23:48 CEST at a distance of 165 km.

The sequence ends around 24 hours later, on September 5, 2024, when BepiColombo was about 243,000 km from Mercury.

During the flyby it was possible to identify geological features that BepiColombo will study in more detail once in orbit around the planet. Four minutes after closest approach, a large ‘peak ring basin’ called Vivaldi came into view.

This crater was named after the famous Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741). The flyover of Vivaldi crater was the inspiration for using Antonio Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ as the soundtrack for this timelapse.

Peak ring basins are mysterious craters created by powerful asteroid or comet impacts, so-called because of the inner ring of peaks on an otherwise flattish floor.

A couple of minutes later, another peak ring basin came into view: newly named Stoddart. The name was recently assigned following a request from the M-CAM team. They realized that this crater would be visible in these images and decided it would be worth naming considering its potential interest for scientists in the future.

BepiColombo’s three monitoring cameras provided 1024 x 1024 pixel snapshots. Their main purpose is to monitor the spacecraft’s booms and antennas. This is why we see parts of the spacecraft in the foreground. The photos that they capture of Mercury during flybys are a bonus.

The September 4 gravity assist flyby was the fourth at Mercury and the seventh of nine planetary flybys overall. During its eight-year cruise to the smallest and innermost planet of the Solar System, BepiColombo makes one flyby at Earth, two at Venus and six at Mercury, to help steer itself on course for entering orbit around Mercury in 2026.

Processing notes: The BepiColombo monitoring cameras provide 1024 x 1024 pixel images. These raw images have been lightly processed. The M-CAM 1 images have been cropped to 995 x 995 pixels.

Credits: ESA/BepiColombo/MTM

Acknowledgements: Image processing and video production by Mark McCaughrean

Duration: 1 minute, 30 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 13, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planet #Mercury #SouthPole #VivaldiCrater #Flyby #BepiColomboMission##BepiColomboSpacecraft #Europe #JAXA #Japan #日本 #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education #Timelapse #HD #Video

Europa Clipper: NASA’s Mission to Jupiter's Ocean Moon

Europa Clipper: NASA’s Mission to Jupiter's Ocean Moon

Our solar system has a number of worlds with water, but is Earth the only one with the right environment to support life? This is the question NASA’s Europa Clipper aims to answer. 

Europa Clipper is the first mission dedicated to studying Jupiter’s moon Europa. Scientists believe this moon has a salty ocean under its icy shell. While not designed to detect life, the spacecraft is equipped with nine science instruments and a gravity experiment. These will all help determine whether this moon could be habitable. Europa Clipper will orbit Jupiter and make 49 flybys of Europa, taking detailed measurements and high-resolution pictures. 

Europa Clipper is set to launch in October 2024 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, arriving at Jupiter in 2030.

Watch live here: https://plus.nasa.gov

For more information on Europa Clipper: https://europa.nasa.gov/

Download Europa Clipper Ocean World poster:

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

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/KSC/APL/Airbus 

Duration: 1 minute, 14 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 13, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Jupiter #Europa #Moon #Ocean #Astrobiology #Biosignatures #Habitability #PlanetaryProtection #Radiation #EuropaClipper #Spacecraft #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #APL #MSFC #GSFC #JPL #KSC #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

Pan of Spiral Galaxy NGC 5668 in Virgo: A Star Performer | Hubble

Pan of Spiral Galaxy NGC 5668 in Virgo: A Star Performer | Hubble

The subject of this Hubble picture is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo named NGC 5668. It is relatively near to us at 90 million light-years from Earth and quite accessible for astronomers to study with both space- and ground-based telescopes. It does not initially appear to be a remarkable galaxy. It is around 90,000 light-years across, similar in size and mass to our own Milky Way galaxy, and its nearly face-on orientation shows open spiral arms made of cloudy, irregular patches.

A noticeable difference between the Milky Way galaxy and NGC 5668 is that this galaxy is forming new stars 60% more quickly. It has churning clouds and flows of gas that produce excellent conditions for star formation. Two main drivers of star formation have been identified by astronomers. First, this high-quality Hubble snapshot reveals a bar at the center; it might look more like a slight oval shape than a real bar, but it appears to have impacted the galaxy’s star formation rate, as central bars do in many spiral galaxies. Second, high-velocity clouds of hydrogen gas have been tracked moving vertically between the disc of the galaxy and the spherical, faint halo that surrounds it. These can be produced by strong stellar winds of hot, massive stars, and they contribute gas to new star-forming regions.

The enhanced star formation rate in NGC 5668 comes with a corresponding abundance of supernova explosions. Three have been spotted in this galaxy during 1952, 1954 and 2004. In this image, Hubble was used to examine the surroundings of the Type II SN 2004G, seeking to study the kinds of stars that end their lives as this kind of supernova.

Image Description: A spiral galaxy, seen up close and face-on. It is colored yellow and glowing brightly at the oval-shaped center, showing older and cooler stars. It becomes bluer out to the edge of the disc where the stars are younger and hotter. It has a number of somewhat patchy spiral arms curling around, with sparkling areas where stars form. The black background can just be seen at the corners.

Video Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, C. Kilpatrick, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 9, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC5668 #SpiralGalaxy #Stars #StarFormation #Supernovae #Virgo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA's Space to Ground: A Space Community | Week of Sept. 13, 2024

NASA's Space to Ground: A Space Community | Week of Sept. 13, 2024

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. The launch of NASA astronaut Nick Hague, commander, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov (Russia), mission specialist of Crew-9 is targeted no earlier than Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, from Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft named Freedom. As part of the Crew-9 crew, Hague and Gorbunov will join NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who arrived at the space station in June.

Crew-9 is the ninth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the space station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The crew will spend approximately five months at the orbiting laboratory conducting spacewalks, research demonstrations, and experiments before returning in February 2025.

Expedition 71 Updates:

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

Expedition 71 Crew

Station Commander: Oleg Kononenko (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner 

NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Don Pettit

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

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.

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

Duration: 4 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 13, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #SoyuzMS26 #СоюзМС26 #SoyuzCrewSpacecraft #Astronaut #DonPettit #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #AlexeiOvchinin #IvanVagner #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition71 #Expedition72 #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education #HD #Video