Friends of NASA

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Europa Clipper: Interplanetary Navigation Engineer Sarah Elizabeth McCandless

Europa Clipper: Interplanetary Navigation Engineer Sarah Elizabeth McCandless

Meet Sarah Elizabeth McCandless, an interplanetary navigator for NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft. The Europa Clipper Mission will explore Jupiter’s moon Europa where a massive ice-covered ocean could potentially contain the right conditions to support life.

Tasked with guiding the spacecraft on its journey to Europa, Sarah shares how her love for exploration—from piloting planes to navigating the cosmos—has shaped her path to NASA.

Europa Clipper is set to launch in October 2024 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will arrive at Jupiter in 2030. The mission is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, with key spacecraft infrastructure contributions from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.

For more information on the mission go to:

https://europa.nasa.gov/

Download Europa Clipper Ocean World poster:

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

Video Credit: NASA 360

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 18, 2024

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

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Aurora Butterfly over Finland

Aurora Butterfly over Finland

On Earth, auroras are mainly created by particles originally emitted by the Sun in the form of solar wind. When this stream of electrically charged particles gets close to our planet, it interacts with the magnetic field, which acts as a gigantic shield. While it protects Earth’s environment from solar wind particles, it can also trap a small fraction of them. Particles trapped within the magnetosphere—the region of space surrounding Earth in which charged particles are affected by its magnetic field—can be energized and then follow the magnetic field lines down to the magnetic poles. There, they interact with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper layers of the atmosphere, creating the flickering, colorful lights visible in the polar regions here on Earth.

Earth auroras have different names depending on which pole they occur at. Aurora Borealis, or the northern lights, is the name given to auroras around the north pole and Aurora Australis, or the southern lights, is the name given for auroras around the south pole.

Learn more:
The Colors of the Aurora (National Park Service)
https://www.nps.gov/articles/-articles-aps-v8-i1-c9.htm

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, opposite Estonia.

Image Credit & Copyright: Roy Bigler
Image Date: Sept. 12, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Planet #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #MagneticField #Magnetosphere #SolarWind #Sun #Astrophotography #Astrophotographer #RoyBigler #Finland #Tasavalta #STEM #Education

Shenzhou-18 Crew Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival | China Space Station

Shenzhou-18 Crew Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival | China Space Station

The astronauts aboard China's space station Tiangong were not able to personally join the 1.4 billion fellow Chinese in spending the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, but they instead enjoyed their festival feast in-orbit high above the Earth on the occasion of the holiday for family reunion.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivals in Chinese culture. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar and dates back more than a millennium. As a festival in honor of the Moon and harvest, families reunite on the occasion to admire the bright full moon, light lanterns, and share the holiday pastry of mooncakes.

The Shenzhou-18 crew, stationed in outer space, marked the occasion with a unique celebration, appreciating the Moon from the Tiangong space station, enjoying a festive feast, and sending warm wishes to those on the ground.

Astronaut Ye Guangfu, one of the three crew members, stated that from the space station, they can witness the Moon as it rises and sets 16 times a day, as the station orbits the Earth approximately every 90 minutes.

The Mid-Autumn Festival feast in space was particularly lavish, featuring dishes like spicy mutton, stewed beef with potatoes, braised pork chops, and milky chicken. The ground support team prepared personalized food packages tailored to each astronaut's tastes, with mooncakes as a must-have item.

"Let's open it now and see what our moon cake really looks like. The expected moon cake has come out. It's one filled with lotus seed paste. I hereby also wish you all a happy reunion filled with blessings," Ye said.

On April 25, 2024, China launched the Shenzhou-18 crewed spaceship, carrying three astronauts—Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu—to the space station for a six-month mission.

Shenzhou-18 Crew:

Ye Guangfu (叶光富, commander)

Li Cong (李聪, mission specialist)

Li Guangsu (李广苏, mission specialist)

Video Credit: CCTV

Duration: 49 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 18, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #China #中国 #Shenzhou18 #神舟十八 #MidAutumnFestival #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

Mars Images: Summer 2024 | NASA Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars Images: Summer 2024 | NASA Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars 2020 - sol 1268

Mars 2020 - sol 1264

Mars 2020 - sol 1251

MSL - sol 4302

MSL - sol 4295

MSL - sol 4307

MSL - sol 4302

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. 30-18, 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

Journey to Interacting Galaxies Arp 107 in Leo Minor

Journey to Interacting Galaxies Arp 107 in Leo Minor

Enjoy this trip to Arp 107, starting with a view of the constellations Ursa Major and Leo Minor. The journey to Arp 107, seen as we pass thousands of galaxies, would take light 450 million years to complete. As we approach Arp 107, the images transition from those taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to the newest image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Webb provides new details into these interacting galaxies, including a view from its Mid-Infrared Instrument, into the supermassive black hole at the center of Arp’s disturbed spiral galaxy.

Credits

Video: NASA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, Space Telescope Science Institute, Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

Duration: 37 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 18, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #JWST #Galaxy #Galaxies #Arp107 #InteractingGalaxies #SpiralGalaxy #SeyfertGalaxy #EllipticalGalaxy #LeoMinor #Constellation #Universe #JamesWebb #SpaceTelescope #MIRI #NIRCam #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

A Tour of Interacting Galaxies Arp 107 in Leo Minor | Webb Telescope

A Tour of Interacting Galaxies Arp 107 in Leo Minor | Webb Telescope

This video tours Arp 107, two galaxies that collided hundreds of millions of years ago. The journey begins and ends on a new mid- and near-infrared image from the James Webb Space Telescope, and includes a fade to the mid-infrared view from Webb.

Webb has captured the pair of galaxies in the process of merging. This will take hundreds of millions of years.

Arp 107 is located 465 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo Minor.

Credits

Video: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Danielle Kirshenblat (STScI)

Duration: 2 minutes, 43 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 18, 2024

Pan of Interacting Galaxies Arp 107 in Leo Minor | James Webb Space Telescope

Pan of Interacting Galaxies Arp 107 in Leo Minor | James Webb Space Telescope

This composite image of Arp 107, created with data from the James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) reveal a wealth of information about the star-formation and how these two galaxies collided hundreds of million years ago. This collision started a new wave of star formation. Although there was star formation occurring before, collisions between galaxies can compress gas, improving the conditions needed for more stars to form. On the other hand, as Webb reveals, collisions also disperse a lot of gas, potentially depriving new stars of the material they need to form.

An interaction between an elliptical galaxy and a spiral galaxy, collectively known as Arp 107, seems to have given the spiral a happier outlook thanks to the two bright “eyes” and the wide semicircular “smile.” Arp 107 is located 465 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo Minor.

Webb has captured these galaxies in the process of merging. This will take hundreds of millions of years. As the two galaxies rebuild after the chaos of their collision, Arp 107 may lose its smile, but it will inevitably turn into something just as interesting for future astronomers to study.

The near-infrared data, shown in white, shows older stars, shining brightly in both galaxies, as well as the tenuous bridge of gas and stars that runs between them. The vibrant background galaxies are also well illuminated in this wavelength.

On the other hand, MIRI data shows the young stars and star-forming regions in vibrant orange and red. Our view in the mid-infrared provides the best view of the collision point, given the noticeable gap at the top of the spiral galaxy.

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 18, 2024

Interacting Galaxies Arp 107 in Leo Minor | James Webb Space Telescope

Interacting Galaxies Arp 107 in Leo Minor | James Webb Space Telescope

Image Credit: NASA, European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency, Space Telescope Science Institute

Release Date: Sept. 18, 2024

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

2024 American Rocketry Challenge National Finals Highlights

2024 American Rocketry Challenge National Finals Highlights

"Witness history in the making at the 2024 American Rocketry Challenge National Finals! 🌟 With our largest registration ever, the first-ever rain date, and a special visit from NASA Astronaut Woody Hoburg—the first American Rocketry Challenge Alumni to go to space—this year’s event was unforgettable!"

"Congratulations to Tharptown High School from Russellville, Alabama, for being crowned National Champions! 🏆 Competing against 100 teams at Great Meadow Foundation in The Plains, VA, they achieved the best score and took home the first-place trophy, $20,000 in prize money, and the honor of representing the USA at the International Rocketry Challenge in London in July."

"With over 5,500 students from 922 teams across 45 states, this year’s competition saw the highest registration in our program’s history."

"Don’t miss these highlights from an event that truly reached for the stars!" 🚀✨

American Rocketry Challenge Website: www.rocketcontest.org

https://rocketcontest.smapply.io/prog/2025_american_rocketry_challenge/

NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg participated in the first-ever American Rocketry Challenge in 2003, then known as the Team America Rocketry Challenge, as a North Allegheny High School (Pennsylvania) team member, alongside his brother.

NASA Astronaut William Hoburg's Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/warren-hoburg/

https://www.nasa.gov/people/warren-hoburg/

Major Partners:

The National Association of Rocketry:

https://www.nar.org

Aerospace Industries Association of America (AIA):

https://www.aia-aerospace.org

Video Credit: American Rocketry Challenge

Duration: 4 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 11, 2024

#NASA #Space #Rockets #Rocketry #Students #Competition #Challenge #Contest #Champions #HighSchool #MiddleSchool #Science #Physics #Technology #Engineering #Math #ThePlains #Virginia #Astronaut #WoodyHoburg #JSC #UnitedStates #America #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Polaris Dawn Crew Revisit Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Polaris Dawn Crew Revisit Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center

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

On Tuesday, September 17, 2024, the Polaris Dawn crew returned to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. This pad, along with Launch Complex 39B, was first constructed in the 1960s to accommodate the Saturn V launch vehicle, and has been used to support NASA crewed space flight missions, including the historic Apollo 11 moon landing and the Space Shuttle. The site is currently leased by SpaceX and supports launches of the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.

After nearly five days on orbit, the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Polaris Dawn crew safely splashed down 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 completed the first commercial spacewalks from Crew Dragon. The crew 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 flew a specially-modified SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft that went 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 conducted 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 was 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 was 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 Program/John Kraus

Capture Date: Sept. 17, 2024

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #PolarisDawn #CrewDragonSpacecraft #EVA #Spacewalks #Spacesuits #SpaceTechnology #Starlink #Astronauts #JaredIsaacman #ScottPoteet #SarahGillis #AnnaMenon #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #SpaceExploration #KSC #LaunchPad39A #MerrittIsland #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

¿Cómo es que estamos hechos de polvo estelar? Preguntamos a una científica de la NASA

¿Cómo es que estamos hechos de polvo estelar? Preguntamos a una científica de la NASA

¡Es verdad! Nuestro cuerpo contiene distintos elementos como oxígeno, nitrógeno, carbono y muchos otros que se formaron gracias al ciclo de vida de las estrellas. Begoña Vila, astrofísica de la NASA e ingeniera de sistemas de instrumentos de los telescopios espaciales Nancy Grace Roman y James Webb, te explica cómo este proceso que tuvo lugar hace miles de millones de años dio origen a nuestro Sol, la Tierra y nosotros.

Crédito de video: NASA 360

Duration: 2 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 16, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #NASAenespañol #español #Stars #Supernovae #JamesWebb #JWST #SpaceTelescopes #RomanSpaceTelescope #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China's Yutu-2 Lunar Rover Sends Home Latest Images of Moon's Far Side

China's Yutu-2 Lunar Rover Sends Home Latest Images of Moon's Far Side

After its arrival on January 3, 2019, China's Yutu-2 rover has traveled 1,613 meters on the mysterious far side of the Moon as of Tuesday, September 17, 2024. Yutu-2 or Jade Rabbit-2 has sent home the latest images showing diverse features on the lunar surface.

China's Yutu-2 lunar rover has been working on the far side of the Moon for nearly five years and nine months as part of the China Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP). Yutu-2 is currently operational as humanity's longest-lived lunar rover and the first lunar rover traversing the far side of the Moon. This is well beyond its original 3-month design lifespan.

Yutu-2 is the robotic lunar rover component of the China National Space Administration's Chang'e 4 Mission to the Moon, launched on December 7, 2018. Chang'e 4 soft landed in the Von Karman Crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the Moon on January 3, 2019.

Yutu-2 has a radioisotope heater unit to maintain its subsystems during long and cold lunar nights. Electrical power is generated by the rover's solar panels during daylight.

One of the photos beamed back to Earth on Sept 10, 2024, showed the rover left marks on the lunar surface that resembled a mooncake. Zuo Wei, deputy chief designer of the Chang'e-4 mission's ground application system, believed this could symbolize the celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the most important traditional holidays for Chinese people that falls on Tuesday this year.

"I think maybe it's because the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and it wants to draw a mooncake pattern to echo the festive theme," she told CCTV.

The collection of photos highlighted a variety of features of the Moon's surface, including flat areas, hills, impact craters and large rocks.

In addition to Yutu-2, the Chang'e-3 probe and Chang'e-4 lander are also operational on the Moon. While some scientific instruments continue to function and transmit data, researchers are also evaluating their long-term operational capabilities.

"The Moon-based optical telescope onboard Chang'e-3 lander is still operational, performing regular on-off cycles every month, though it is no longer conducting scientific observations. Chang'e-4 is also still active," said Zuo.

In addition, the country's Queqiao and Queqiao-2 relay satellites are working in the orbit around the Moon. Queqiao mainly provides Earth-Moon relay communications for Chang'e-4 and Yutu-2. After completing its mission for Chang'e-6, Queqiao-2 is currently conducting scientific observations in orbit while awaiting the arrival of Chang'e-7, scheduled for launch around 2026.

Direct communication with Earth is impossible on the far side of the Moon, since transmissions are blocked by the Moon. Communications must pass through a communications relay satellite, placed at a location that has a clear view of a landing site and the Earth.

Video Credit: CCTV

Duration: 1 minute, 31 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 17, 2024

#NASA #CNSA #Space #Astronomy #Science #China #中国 #Moon #FarSide #Yuyu2 #玉兔二号#LunarRover #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #Change4Mission #嫦娥四号 #LunarLander #Queqiao1Satellite #Queqiao2Satellite #CLEP #History #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Hubble Space Telescope Finds More Black Holes Than Expected in Early Universe

Hubble Space Telescope Finds More Black Holes Than Expected in Early Universe

Scientists do not currently have a complete picture of how the first black holes formed, not long after the Big Bang. It is known that supermassive black holes, that can weigh more than a billion suns, exist at the center of several galaxies less than a billion years after the Big Bang.

This is a new image of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. By comparing Hubble Wide Field Camera 3 near-infrared exposures taken in 2009, 2012, and 2023, astronomers found evidence for flickering supermassive black holes in the hearts of early galaxies. One example is seen as a bright object in the inset. There are supermassive black holes that do not swallow surrounding material constantly, but in fits and bursts, making their brightness flicker. This can be detected by comparing Hubble Ultra Deep Field frames taken at different epochs. The survey found more black holes than predicted.

Black holes play an important role in the lifecycle of all galaxies, but there are major uncertainties in our understanding of how galaxies evolve. In order to gain a complete picture of the link between galaxy and black hole evolution, the researchers used Hubble to survey how many black holes exist among a population of faint galaxies when the Universe was just a few percent of its current age.

The new observational results suggest that some black holes likely formed by the collapse of massive, pristine stars during the first billion years of cosmic time. These types of stars can only exist at very early times in the Universe, because later generations of stars are polluted by the remnants of stars that have already lived and died. Other alternatives for black hole formation include collapsing gas clouds, mergers of stars in massive clusters, and ‘primordial’ black holes that formed (by physically speculative mechanisms) in the first few seconds after the Big Bang. With this new information about black hole formation, more accurate models of galaxy formation can be constructed.

Image Description: This is a Hubble image of a black sky sprinkled with myriad galaxies of all shapes and sizes stretching back to nearly the beginning of the Universe. In the middle of the picture there is an inset box showing one sample pair of early galaxies. One galaxy is spiral-shaped and the other is spindle-shaped because it is a disc galaxy seen edge-on. The spindle-shaped galaxy has an active supermassive black hole that appears as a bright white spot. This is identified by comparing pictures of the same region taken at different epochs.

The image was created from Hubble data from the following proposals: 9978, 10086 (S. Beckwith); 11563 (G. Illingworth); 12498 (R. Ellis); and 17073 (M. Hayes). These images are composites of separate exposures acquired by the ACS and WFC3 instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope.

Credit: NASA, European Space Agency, M. Hayes (Stockholm University), J. DePasquale (STScI)

Release Date: Sept. 17, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #Supernovae #BlackHoles #Galaxies #Cosmos #Universe #Astrophysics #Cosmology #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #Infographic #STEM #Education

NASA's Europa Clipper Mission: Exploring Jupiter’s Ocean Moon | JPL

NASA's Europa Clipper Mission: Exploring Jupiter’s Ocean Moon | JPL

NASA’s Europa Clipper is the first mission dedicated to studying Jupiter’s icy moon Europa—one of the most promising places in our solar system to find an environment suitable for life outside of Earth. Evidence suggests that beneath Europa’s frozen surface is a global ocean of water, and scientists want to find out if there is also the right chemistry and energy to sustain life.

Europa Clipper is equipped with nine instruments and a gravity experiment. It will orbit Jupiter and make 49 flybys of Europa, gathering data to help scientists understand the moon’s geology, composition, and interior. While not a life-detection mission, Europa Clipper will answer key questions about the moon’s potential habitability.

Europa Clipper is expected to launch in October 2024 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and to arrive at Jupiter in 2030.

For more information on the mission go to: 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

Duration: 4 minutes, 25 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 17, 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

Deer Park Pipeline Fire in Texas | International Space Station

Deer Park Pipeline Fire in Texas | International Space Station

NASA astronaut Don Pettit: "Pipeline fire in Deer Park, TX. ~10 miles north of Johnson Space Center, and even closer to my Earth home."

Deer Park is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area.

Image details: Nikon Z9, 200mm f2, 1/320 sec, ISO 25600

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/JSC/D. Pettit

Image Date: Sept. 17, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Earth #Texas #DeerPark #PipelineFire #Houston #JSC #Astronauts #Astronaut #DonPettit #AstronautPhotography #UnitedStates #Cosmonauts #AlexeiOvchinin #IvanVagner #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #SpaceLaboratory #Expedition71 #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #STEM #Education

Monday, September 16, 2024

Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon Spacecraft Re-entry | International Space Station

Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon Spacecraft Re-entry | International Space Station

NASA astronaut Don Pettit aboard the International Space Station (ISS) captured this image on Sept. 15, 2024: "Polaris Dawn entry . . . I photographed it at 7:23 am GMT from the Cupola on ISS. In addition to the multi-colored entry trail over Florida, the basic cone shape of the Dragon capsule can be seen."

Note: The cupola is a small space station module with seven windows for observing the Earth and activities outside.

Image Details: Nikon Z9, 200mm f2, 1/400th sec, ISO 25600

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.

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 Program

Capture Date: Sept. 15, 2024

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #PolarisDawn #CrewDragon #CrewDragonSpacecraft #Reentry #SpaceTechnology #Astronauts #JaredIsaacman #ScottPoteet #SarahGillis #AnnaMenon #DonPettit #AstronautPhotography #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

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