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Near-Earth Asteroids Discovered to Date: October 2024 | NASA Planetary Defense
What do we know about the asteroids and comets in Earth's neighborhood? Planetary defense includes finding, tracking, and characterizing these near-Earth objects. It is part of our mission.
Meet Roscosmos Cosmonaut & Crew-9 Mission Specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov
Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov of Russia is on his first trip to the International Space Station as a mission specialist for Crew-9. Gorbunov studied engineering with qualifications in spacecraft and upper stages from the Moscow Aviation Institute. Gorbunov graduated from the military department with a specialty in operating and repairing aircraft, helicopters, and aircraft engines. Before his selection as a cosmonaut in 2018, he worked as an engineer for Rocket Space Corp. Energia and supported cargo spacecraft launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Gorbunov will serve as a flight engineer during Expedition 71/72 aboard the space station.
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.
Meet NASA Astronaut & SpaceX Crew-9 Commander Nick Hague | NASA Johnson
Nick Hague will serve as crew commander for Crew-9, making this his third launch and second mission to the International Space Station. Born in Belleville, Kansas, Hague earned a bachelor’s degree in Astronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy and a master’s degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Hague, an active-duty colonel in the U.S. Space Force, was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013 and has spent 203 days in space and conducted three spacewalks to upgrade space station power systems and install a docking adapter for commercial spacecraft. Hague will serve as a flight engineer during Expedition 71/72 aboard the space station.
Crisp, clear October nights are full of celestial showpieces. Find Pegasus, the flying horse of Greek myth, to pinpoint dense globular star clusters and galaxies, and keep watching for space-based views of M15, NGC 7331, and the Andromeda Galaxy.
“Tonight’s Sky” is a monthly video of constellations you can observe in the night sky. The series is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope, in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning.
Video Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Shenzhou-18 Crew: Engineering & Cognitive Experiments | China Space Station
The Shenzhou-18 mission crew has been meticulously carrying out a variety of experimental tasks on the Tiangong space station that may shape our understanding of material science and low-friction engineering, as well as forming a foundation for effective psychological monitoring in space.
China on April 25, 2024, launched the Shenzhou-18 crewed spacecraft that sent the three astronauts to the Chinese space station for a six-month mission.
Last week, the mission crew finished retrieving an extravehicular exposure device used in experiments that expose materials to outer-space conditions. The team also completed sample recovery and storage.
In another ongoing experiment carried out on behalf of the National Natural Science Fund, a solid-liquid composite lubrication material was placed inside a box. It was also put outside the cabin to be exposed to space. Researchers hope this environment will let it achieve "super lubrication", or near-zero wear of mechanical movement. The experiment may also provide insights into how lubricants impact mechanical processes over time in an outer-space scenario.
Moreover, the mission crew carried out work last week related to real-time monitoring technology used to assess pyschological impacts of an astronauts' workload, including adaptive automated human-machine collaboration technology based on cognitive engineering.
Specifically, the crew members used equipments, such as electroencephalography (EEG) caps, to complete work tasks and simulated space driving tasks to collect EEG, task performance, and subjective scale data throughout the experiment. This allows researchers to further clarify the influence of long-term in-orbit flight on astronaut workload and to establish relevant productivity monitoring models.
In addition, the crew carried out bone metabolism protection and emergency decision-making ability assessments in the orbiting space station.
New Planet Discovered Orbiting Closest Single Star to Our Sun | ESO
Using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have discovered a planet orbiting Barnard’s star, the closest single star to our Sun. The planet, at least half the mass of Venus, was found via the gravitational tug it induces on its host star. This video summarizes the discovery.
Barnard’s Star is a red dwarf star. It is about 10 billion years old, more than twice the current age of the Sun. Red dwarf stars are much cooler and less massive than the Sun, and are expected to live much longer lives because they do not burn through their fuel as fast. Barnard’s Star is one of the closest stars to Earth at a distance of only 6 light-years.
Recent observations have concluded that about 25% of the time, Barnard’s Star unleashes scorching flares. These may damage the atmospheres of planets closely orbiting it. This adds evidence that red dwarfs may present serious challenges for life on their planets.
Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Directed by: Angelos Tsaousis and Martin Wallner
Editing: Angelos Tsaousis
Written by: Hanna Huysegoms, Alejandro Izquierdo López
Footage and photos: ESO / Luis Calçada, Babak Tafreshi, Martin Kornmesser, Mahdi Zamani, Vladimir Romanyuk
Why is NASA Tracking Seaweed from Space? | Goddard Space Flight Center
Something strange has been happening to the beaches across the Caribbean in recent years.
Large amounts of a brown seaweed–called Sargassum–have been washing up on shorelines. In the open ocean, Sargassum is essential habitat, but can cause a whole host of issues when it washes up on Caribbean coastlines.
So where is this seaweed coming from? And how is NASA tracking it?
Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Producer: Katie Jepson (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
Scientist: Roy Armstrong (University of Puerto Rico)
Videographer: Milan Loiacono (NASA/ARC)
Visualizer: Cindy Starr (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)
During their five day mission, the Polaris Dawn crew completed 75 orbits around Earth!
The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Polaris Dawn crew safely splashed down on 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.
NASA Seeks Innovators for $3 Million Lunar Waste Competition
A new NASA competition, the LunaRecycle Challenge, is open and offering $3 million in prizes for innovations in recycling material waste on deep space missions.
As NASA continues efforts toward long-duration human space travel, including building a sustained human presence on the Moon through its Artemis missions, the agency needs novel solutions for processing inorganic waste streams like food packaging, discarded clothing, and science experiment materials. While previous efforts focused on the reduction of trash mass and volume, this challenge will prioritize technologies for recycling waste into usable products needed for off-planet science and exploration activities.
NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge will incentivize the design and development of energy-efficient, low-mass, and low-impact recycling solutions that address physical waste streams and improve the sustainability of longer-duration lunar missions. Through the power of open innovation, which draws on the public’s ingenuity and creativity to find solutions, NASA can restructure the agency’s approach to waste management, support the future of space travel, and revolutionize waste treatments on Earth, leading to greater sustainability on our home planet and beyond.
For more information on NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge, and to get involved as a competitor, visit nasa.gov/lunarecycle
NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge is led by the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida, with support from Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The competition is a NASA’s Centennial Challenge, based at NASA Marshall. Centennial Challenges are part of NASA’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. NASA has contracted The University of Alabama to be the allied partner for the duration of the challenge. The university, based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will coordinate with former Centennial Challenge winner AI Spacefactory to facilitate the challenge and manage its competitors.
Video Credit: NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)
Pan of Lenticular Galaxy NGC 4694 in Virgo | Hubble Space Telescope
Most galaxies we are familiar with fall into one of two easily-identified types. Spiral galaxies are young and energetic, filled with the gas needed to form new stars and sporting spiral arms hosting hot, bright stars. Elliptical galaxies have a much more pedestrian look, their light coming from a uniform population of older and redder stars. However, other galaxies require in-depth study to understand, such is in the case of NGC 4694—a galaxy located 54 million light-years from Earth in the Virgo galaxy cluster. NGC 4694 is a lenticular galaxy. It shares features of spiral and elliptical galaxies.
NGC 4694 has a smooth-looking, armless disc that—like an elliptical galaxy—is nearly devoid of star formation. However, its stellar population is still relatively young and new stars are still actively forming in its core, powering the brightness we can see in this image and giving it a markedly different stellar profile from that of a classic elliptical galaxy. The galaxy is also suffused by the kinds of gas and dust normally seen in a young and sprightly spiral; elliptical galaxies often do host significant quantities of dust, but not the gas needed to form new stars. NGC 4694 is surrounded by a huge cloud of invisible hydrogen gas, fuel for star formation. This stellar activity is the reason for Hubble’s observations here.
As this Hubble image shows, the dust in this galaxy forms chaotic structures that indicate a kind of disturbance. It turns out that the cloud of hydrogen gas around NGC 4694 forms a long bridge to a nearby, faint dwarf galaxy named VCC 2062. The two galaxies have undergone a violent collision, and the larger NGC 4694 is accreting gas from the smaller galaxy. Based on its peculiar shape and its star-forming activity, NGC 4694 has been classified as a lenticular galaxy: lacking the unmistakable arms of a spiral, but not so bereft of gas as an elliptical galaxy, and still with a galactic bulge and disc.
Image Description: An oval-shaped galaxy seen tilted at an angle. It glows brightly at its central point with the radiated light dimming out to the edge of the oval. Reddish-brown, patchy dust spreads out from the core and covers much of the galaxy’s top half, as well as the outer edge, obscuring part of its light. Stars can be seen around and in front of the galaxy.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)
Lenticular Galaxy NGC 4694 in Virgo | Hubble Space Telescope
Most galaxies we are familiar with fall into one of two easily-identified types. Spiral galaxies are young and energetic, filled with the gas needed to form new stars and sporting spiral arms hosting hot, bright stars. Elliptical galaxies have a much more pedestrian look, their light coming from a uniform population of older and redder stars. However, other galaxies require in-depth study to understand, such is in the case of NGC 4694—a galaxy located 54 million light-years from Earth in the Virgo galaxy cluster. NGC 4694 is a lenticular galaxy. It shares features of spiral and elliptical galaxies.
NGC 4694 has a smooth-looking, armless disc that—like an elliptical galaxy—is nearly devoid of star formation. However, its stellar population is still relatively young and new stars are still actively forming in its core, powering the brightness we can see in this image and giving it a markedly different stellar profile from that of a classic elliptical galaxy. The galaxy is also suffused by the kinds of gas and dust normally seen in a young and sprightly spiral; elliptical galaxies often do host significant quantities of dust, but not the gas needed to form new stars. NGC 4694 is surrounded by a huge cloud of invisible hydrogen gas, fuel for star formation. This stellar activity is the reason for Hubble’s observations here.
As this Hubble image shows, the dust in this galaxy forms chaotic structures that indicate a kind of disturbance. It turns out that the cloud of hydrogen gas around NGC 4694 forms a long bridge to a nearby, faint dwarf galaxy named VCC 2062. The two galaxies have undergone a violent collision, and the larger NGC 4694 is accreting gas from the smaller galaxy. Based on its peculiar shape and its star-forming activity, NGC 4694 has been classified as a lenticular galaxy: lacking the unmistakable arms of a spiral, but not so bereft of gas as an elliptical galaxy, and still with a galactic bulge and disc.
Image Description: An oval-shaped galaxy seen tilted at an angle. It glows brightly at its central point with the radiated light dimming out to the edge of the oval. Reddish-brown, patchy dust spreads out from the core and covers much of the galaxy’s top half, as well as the outer edge, obscuring part of its light. Stars can be seen around and in front of the galaxy.
Astronaut Hague & Cosmonaut Gorbunov Welcomed to International Space Station
On Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov of Russia entered the International Space Station after opening the hatch between the space station and the pressurized mating adapter at 7:04 p.m. EDT before opening the hatch to Dragon.
Hague and Gorbunov were then welcomed by the space station’s Expedition 72 crew, including NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, Don Petitt, Butch Wilmore, and Suni Williams, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner of Russia.
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.
Astronaut Hague & Cosmonaut Gorbunov Dock at International Space Station
On Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov of Russia entered the International Space Station after opening the hatch between the space station and the pressurized mating adapter at 7:04 p.m. EDT before opening the hatch to Dragon.
Hague and Gorbunov were then welcomed by the space station’s Expedition 72 crew, including NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, Don Petitt, Butch Wilmore, and Suni Williams, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner of Russia.
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.
Aurora, Orbital Sunrise & Comet C/2023 A3 | International Space Station
NASA Astronaut Matthew Dominick: "Comet rises up over the horizon just before orbital sunrise with aurora streaking by."
Technical details: 50mm, 1.2, 1/4s, ISO 6400
C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) is a comet from the solar system's Oort cloud discovered by the Purple Mountain Observatory east of Nanjing, China, on January 9, 2023, and independently found by the automated Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in South Africa on February 22, 2023. ATLAS is funded by NASA's planetary defense office, and developed and operated by the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy. C/2023 A3 will pass perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) at a distance of 0.39 AU (58 million km; 36 million miles) on September 27, 2024. This is when it can be best viewed with the naked eye from the ground on Earth.
The Oort cloud is theorized to be a vast cloud of icy planetesimals surrounding the Sun at distances ranging from 2,000 to 200,000 AU (0.03 to 3.2 light-years). The concept of such a cloud was proposed in 1950 by the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort, in whose honor the idea was named. Oort proposed that the bodies in this cloud replenish and keep constant the number of long-period comets entering the inner Solar System—where they are eventually consumed and destroyed during close approaches to the Sun.
Aurora & Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) | International Space Station
NASA Astronaut Matthew Dominick: "Comet rises above the horizon just before orbital sunrise amongst aurora and swirling satellites."
Technical details: Timelapse composed from 1/4s, 50mm, f1.2, ISP 6400 images played at 30fps.
C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) is a comet from the solar system's Oort cloud discovered by the Purple Mountain Observatory east of Nanjing, China, on January 9, 2023, and independently found by the automated Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in South Africa on February 22, 2023. ATLAS is funded by NASA's planetary defense office, and developed and operated by the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy. C/2023 A3 will pass perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) at a distance of 0.39 AU (58 million km; 36 million miles) on September 27, 2024. This is when it can be best viewed with the naked eye from the ground on Earth.
The Oort cloud is theorized to be a vast cloud of icy planetesimals surrounding the Sun at distances ranging from 2,000 to 200,000 AU (0.03 to 3.2 light-years). The concept of such a cloud was proposed in 1950 by the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort, in whose honor the idea was named. Oort proposed that the bodies in this cloud replenish and keep constant the number of long-period comets entering the inner Solar System—where they are eventually consumed and destroyed during close approaches to the Sun.
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