Planet Earth Awe | Polaris Dawn Mission

Planet Earth Awe | Polaris Dawn Mission

The first four shots were taken on flight day 3 after the crew EVA in a ~190x730km orbit.

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.

Learn more about the Polaris Program:

https://polarisprogram.com

Image Credit: Polaris Program

Release Date: Oct. 7, 2024

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

Journey to Distant Early Galaxy REBELS-25 | European Southern Observatory

Journey to Distant Early Galaxy REBELS-25 | European Southern Observatory

This video zooms into the galaxy REBELS-25, the most distant Milky Way-like galaxy observed to date. This disc galaxy seems as orderly as present-day galaxies, but we see it as it was when the Universe was only 700 million years old. This is surprising since, according to our current understanding of galaxy formation, such early galaxies are expected to appear more chaotic. This makes REBELS-25 a space oddity. 

The various images shown here were taken with different telescopes at different times, and have been blended together to create this zoom.

Credits:

ESO/L. Calçada/N. Risinger/Dark Energy Survey/J. Dunlop et al. Ack.: CASU, CALET/ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/L. Rowland et al.

Duration: 50 seconds

Release Date: Oct. 7, 2024

#NASA #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #EarlyGalaxies #Galaxy #REBELS25 #Cosmos #Universe #EarlyUniverse #ALMA #RadioTelescopes #RadioAstronomy #Chajnantor #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Most Distant Rotating Galaxy Yet Found is a Space Oddity | ESO

Most Distant Rotating Galaxy Yet Found is a Space Oddity | ESO

Researchers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have discovered the most distant Milky Way-like galaxy yet observed. Dubbed REBELS-25, this disc galaxy seems as orderly as present-day galaxies, but we see it as it was when the Universe was only 700 million years old. This is surprising since, according to our current understanding of galaxy formation, such early galaxies are expected to appear more chaotic. This video summarizes the discovery of this space oddity.

Research paper: 

https://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso2415/eso2415a.pdf

Learn about ALMA:

https://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/alma.html

ALMA operations are led by the European Southern Observatory on behalf of its Member States; by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), on behalf of North America; and by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) on behalf of East Asia. The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and management of the construction, commissioning and operation of ALMA.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Directed by: Angelos Tsaousis and Martin Wallner

Editing: Angelos Tsaousis

Written by: Louisa Spillman, Elena Reiriz Martínez

Footage and photos: ESO, Luis Calçada, Angelos Tsaousis,

Cristoph Malin, Babak Tafreshi, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), PHANGS, NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI) and the HUDF Team, L. Rowland et al., J. Dunlop et al. Ack.: CASU, CALET.

Scientific consultant: Paola Amico, Mariya Lyubenova

Based on research by: Lucie Rowland et al.

Duration: 1 minute 

Release Date: Oct. 7, 2024

#NASA #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #EarlyGalaxies #Galaxy #REBELS25 #Cosmos #Universe #ALMA #RadioTelescopes #RadioAstronomy #Chajnantor #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Spiral Galaxy NGC 5248: Starbursts on a Grand Scale | Hubble

Spiral Galaxy NGC 5248: Starbursts on a Grand Scale | Hubble

The sparkling scene depicted in this picture is the spiral galaxy NGC 5248 located 42 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Boötes. It is also known as Caldwell 45, having been included in a catalog of visually interesting celestial objects that were known, but were not as commonly observed by amateur astronomers as the more famous Messier objects.

NGC 5248 is one of the so-called ‘grand design’ spirals with prominent spiral arms that reach from near the core out through the disc. It also has a faint bar structure in the center, between the inner ends of the spiral arms. This is not quite so obvious in this visible-light portrait from Hubble. Features like these that break the rotational symmetry of a galaxy have a huge influence on how matter moves through it, and eventually its evolution through time. They feed gas from a galaxy’s outer reaches to inner star-forming regions, and even to a galaxy’s central black hole where it can kick-start an active galactic nucleus (AGN).

These flows of gas have shaped NGC 5248 in a significant way; it has many bright ‘starburst regions’ of intense star formation spread across its disc, and it is dominated by a population of young stars. The galaxy even has two very active, ring-shaped starburst regions around its nucleus, filled with young clusters of stars. These ‘nuclear rings’ are remarkable enough, but normally a nuclear ring tends to block gas from getting further into the core of a galaxy. NGC 5248 having a second ring inside the first is a marker of just how forceful its flows of matter and energy are. It is relatively nearby and its highly visible starburst regions make this galaxy a target for professional and amateur astronomers alike.

Image Description: A close-in, face-on view of a spiral galaxy. It has two large arms that curve outwards from the round, bright central region to nearly the corners of the image. They are lined by bright pink, glowing points where stars are forming, and channels of dark reddish dust that blocks light. These also spread across the galaxy’s oval disc. It is cloudy in form and speckled with stars. A black background is visible behind it.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, F. Belfiore, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team

Release Date: Oct. 7, 2024

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC5248 #Caldwell45 #SpiralGalaxy #StarburstGalaxy #StarFormation #Bootes #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Crawler-Transporter Reaches 2,500 Miles at NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Crawler-Transporter Reaches 2,500 Miles at NASA's Kennedy Space Center

2,500 miles down ✅ many more to go 🚀

The crawler-transporter 2 officially traveled its 2,500th mile at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Thanks to our dedicated crawler teams over the years, the crawler continues to transport newer and more powerful spacecraft for NASA Artemis missions 59 years after it was first built.

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: Oct. 4, 2024 

#NASA #Space #Moon #CrawlerTransporter2 #ArtemisProgram #LaunchComplex39B #ArtemisIIIMission #ArtemisIII #SLS #SLSRocket #Boeing #DeepSpace #Astronauts #MoonToMars #SpaceExploration #HumanSpaceflight #NASAKennedy #EGS #Spaceport #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Expedition 71-72: New Crew Photos | International Space Station

Expedition 71-72: New Crew Photos | International Space Station

The 11-member Expedition 72 crew poses for a portrait aboard the International Space Station's Harmony module. In the front row (from left) are, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Matthew Dominick, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov (Russia), and NASA astronaut Suni Williams. In the back are, NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps, Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Grebenkin (Russia), NASA astronaut Mike Barratt, Roscosmos cosmonaut Ivan Vagner (Russia), NASA astronaut Don Pettit, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin (Russia).

The four crew members that make up the SpaceX Crew-8 mission aboard the International Space Station are pictured in the vestibule in between the Harmony module's space-facing port and the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. From top to bottom are, NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, Mike Barratt, and Matthew Dominick, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin (Russia).

Roscosmos cosmonaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin of Russia is pictured inside the vestibule between the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft and the Harmony module's space-facing port on the International Space Station.

Expedition 72 Flight Engineers (from left) Matthew Dominick and Mike Barratt, both NASA astronauts, pose for a portrait inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docked to the Harmony module's space-facing port on the International Space Station. Dominick and Barratt appear next to their mission's insignia, SpaceX Crew-8, alongside the insignias of four other missions that have launched to space aboard Dragon Endeavour.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps poses for a portrait inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docked to the Harmony module's space-facing port on the International Space Station. Epps points to her mission's insignia, SpaceX Crew-8, alongside the insignias of four other missions that have launched to space aboard Dragon Endeavour.

Expedition 72 Flight Engineers (from left) Don Pettit and Mike Barratt, both NASA astronauts, pose for a portrsit together aboard the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Suni Williams celebrates her birthday during International Talk Like a Pirate Day aboard the International Space Station. Sitting on the Unity module's gallery is a pair of strawberry cakes for her and crewmates to enjoy. Items are attached to the galley using tape and velcro to keep them from flying away in the microgravity environment.

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, both Expedition 71 Flght Engineers, make pizza aboard the International Space Station's galley located inside the Unity module. Items are attached to the galley using tape and velcro to keep them from flying away in the microgravity environment.

Three NASA astronauts and one Roscosmos cosmonaut representing NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 are nearing the end of a seven-month mission and are waiting for NASA and SpaceX to announce their return to Earth time and date, pending weather. Dragon Endeavour Commander Matthew Dominick is poised to lead Pilot Mike Barratt with Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin of Russia back to Earth inside Dragon with a splashdown off the coast of Florida. The quartet has been packing cargo and personal items inside the spacecraft for several days and spent the end of the day Friday reviewing emergency equipment.

Expedition 72 Updates:

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

Expedition 72 Crew

Station Commander: Suni Williams

Roscosmos (Russia): Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Aleksandr Gorbunov

NASA: Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps, Butch Wilmore, Don Pettit, Nick Hague

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

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

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

Image Date: Sept. 9-Oct. 1, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #SpaceXCrew8 #SpaceX #CrewDragonSpacecraft #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #CCP #Expedition71 #Expedition72 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Europa Clipper Spacecraft: Launch Preparations | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Europa Clipper Spacecraft: Launch Preparations | Kennedy Space Center

Technicians encapsulated NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft inside payload fairings on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

This image shows technicians working to complete operations prior to propellant load for NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2024.

Europa Clipper's Trajectory to Jupiter

Europa Clipper: Exploring Jupiter’s Ocean World Poster

One last look at NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft as the payload fairings close (encapsulation) before it is placed on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The spacecraft will be on a nearly 6-year journey to investigate if there are habitable conditions on Jupiter’s moon Europa. Liftoff is targeted for no earlier than October 10, 2024, on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida.🚀

Europa Clipper has nine dedicated science instruments, including cameras, spectrometers, a magnetometer, and an ice-penetrating radar. These instruments will study Europa’s icy shell, the ocean beneath, and the composition of the gases in the moon’s atmosphere and surface geology, and provide insights into the moon’s potential habitability. The spacecraft also will carry a thermal instrument to pinpoint locations of warmer ice and any possible eruptions of water vapor. Strong evidence shows the ocean beneath Europa’s crust is twice the volume of all the Earth’s oceans combined.

Europa Clipper is expected to reach the Jupiter system in April 2030, and it will accomplish a few milestones along the way, including a Mars flyby in February 2025 that will help propel the spacecraft toward Jupiter’s moon through a Mars-Earth gravity assist trajectory.

For more information on the mission, visit: https://europa.nasa.gov/

'Dreaming of Europa' Posters and Wallpaper (Phone and Desktop)

Full-size downloads: https://go.nasa.gov/3ZIDxgu

Image Credit: NASA / Kim Shiflett / Ben Smegelsky / SpaceX

Release Dates: Sept. 11-Oct. 2, 2024

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

United Launch Alliance Vulcan Rocket Launch: Cert-2 Spaceflight Test

United Launch Alliance Vulcan Rocket Launch: Cert-2 Spaceflight Test

In these images, the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket lifts off Oct. 4, 2024, from Space Launch Complex-41 (SLC-41) at Cape Canaveral on its second certification flight (Cert-2) flight test. 

“The success of Vulcan’s second certification flight heralds a new age of forward-looking technology committed to meeting the ever-growing requirements of space launch and supporting our nation’s assured access to space. We had an observation on one of our solid rocket boosters (SRB) that we are reviewing but we are overall pleased with the rocket’s performance and had a bullseye insertion,” said Tory Bruno, ULA’s president and CEO. “Vulcan provides high performance and greater affordability while continuing to deliver our unmatched reliability and orbital precision for all our customers across the national security, civil and commercial markets.”

The Cert-2 mission carried experiments and demonstrations associated with future capabilities of Vulcan's Centaur V upper stage. The Cert-2 mission served as the second of two certification flights required for the U.S. Space Force’s certification process. Once the evaluation is complete to the Space Force's standards, the Vulcan rocket will be certified to launch national security missions. 

For more information on ULA, visit the ULA website at www.ulalaunch.com

Learn about NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) Program for the International Space Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/commercial-resupply/

Learn about NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Program:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-lunar-payload-services/

Image Credit: United Launch Alliance (ULA) 

Release Date: Oct. 4, 2024

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #ULA #VulcanRocket #Cert2FlightTest #SierraSpace #DreamchaserSpacecraft #ISS #CommercialResupply #CRS #CommercialCargo #ArtemisProgram #Moon #CLPS #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #DeepSpace #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #CommercialSpace #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) over Chile & Arizona

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) over Chile & Arizona

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) graces the dawn sky over the U.S. National Science Foundation's Kitt Peak National Observatory, a Program of NSF NOIRLab, just outside Tucson, Arizona in this image. It was captured in the morning hours before sunrise on September 28, 2024, by Rob Sparks from NOIRLab. In the foreground is the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope.

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) graces the sky over the U.S. National Science Foundation Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a Program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab in Chile and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Kitt Peak National Observatory, a Program of NSF NOIRLab, just outside Tucson, Arizona.

Image Credit: H. Stockebrand / NOIRLab / KPNO / Rob Sparks / NSF / AURA

Image Dates: Sept. 28, 2024-Oct. 3, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planet #Earth #Comets #CometTsuchinshanATLAS #C2023A3 #OortCloud #SolarSystem #Astrophotography #Astrophotographers #HStockebrand #RobSparks #CTIO #AtacamaDesert #Chile #SouthAmerica #KPNO #Tucson #Arizona #UnitedStates #China #中国 #SouthAfrica #STEM #Education

Hera Spacecraft's Journey to Didymos Asteroid System | European Space Agency

Hera Spacecraft's Journey to Didymos Asteroid System | European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) Hera Mission will soon be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The launch window opens on October 7, 2024. The liftoff of ESA’s Hera mission for planetary defense is only the start . . . Its launch will be followed by a two-year cruise to the Didymos binary asteroid system. Next will come a sequence of deep space maneuvers, including a swingby of Mars to acquire extra velocity to aid the rendezvous with Didymos.

There is a mystery out there in deep space—and solving it will make Earth safer. This is why the European Space Agency’s Hera Mission is taking shape—to go where one particular spacecraft has gone before.

On September 26, 2022, moving at 6.1 km/s, NASA’s DART spacecraft crashed into the Dimorphos asteroid. Part of our Solar System changed. The impact shrunk the orbit of the Great Pyramid-sized Dimorphos around its parent asteroid, the mountain-sized Didymos.

This grand experiment was performed to prove we could defend Earth against an incoming asteroid, by striking it with a spacecraft to deflect it. DART succeeded. However, it still leaves many things scientists do not know: What is the precise mass and makeup of Dimorphos? What did the impact do to the asteroid? How large is the crater left by DART’s collision? Or has Dimorphos completely cracked apart, to be held together only by its own weak gravity?

This is why we are going back with the European Space Agency’s Hera Mission. The spacecraft will revisit Dimorphos to gather vital close-up data about the deflected body, to turn DART’s grand-scale experiment into a well-understood and potentially repeatable planetary defence technique.

The mission will also perform the most detailed exploration yet of a binary asteroid system—although binaries make up 15% of all known asteroids, one has never been surveyed in detail.

Hera will also perform technology demonstration experiments, including the deployment of the European Space Agency’s first deep space ‘CubeSats’—shoebox-sized spacecraft to venture closer than the main mission then eventually land—and an ambitious test of 'self-driving' for the main spacecraft, based on vision-based navigation.

By the end of Hera’s observations, Dimorphos will become the best studied asteroid in history. This is vital, because if a body of this size ever struck Earth it could destroy an entire city. The dinosaurs had no defence against asteroids, because they "never had a space agency." However, through Hera, we are teaching ourselves what we can do to reduce this hazard and make our space environment safer.

Learn more about the Hera Mission:

https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Hera

Video Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: April 15, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Mars #Asteroids #Dimorphos #Didymos #Asteroid #HeraMission #HeraSpacecraft #Trajectory #CubeSats #Earth #PlanetaryDefense #DeepSpace #SolarSystem #Europe #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

Europe's Hera Planetary Defense Asteroid Mission: Preparing for Launch

Europe's Hera Planetary Defense Asteroid Mission: Preparing for Launch

The European Space Agency's Hera asteroid mission encapsulated within its SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fairing in preparation for it to be attached. The fairing features the patches of Hera and its CubeSats Milani and Juventas, plus the European Space Agency (ESA) logo.

Hera spacecraft being enclosed within the two halves of its 13-m-high launcher fairing that will safeguard the spacecraft during its initial ascent through the atmosphere aboard its Falcon 9 rocket.

The team from OHB and ESA preparing the Hera asteroid mission for launch pose in front of the spacecraft in launch configuration—note the lack of 'red tag' items on its surface. OHB System AG, a subsidiary of the space and technology group OHB SE, developed, built, and tested the asteroid probe on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA).

ESA’s Hera asteroid mission for planetary defense seen with one of its two solar wings added, during its continuing test campaign at the ESTEC Test Center in the Netherlands.

The Hera spacecraft inside the Maxwell chamber for electromagnetic compatibility testing, checking its systems can operate without harmful interference. Note its 1.13-m diameter High Gain Antenna, its primary means of communicating with Earth, and its red-tagged Reaction Control Thrusters on each corner of the spacecraft. On the left side of the spacecraft is its ‘Asteroid Deck’, where Hera’s instruments are hosted. 

Hera systems engineer Pedro Escorial prepares the Juventas CubeSat for electromagnetic compatibility testing alongside its Hera mothership in ESA’s Maxwell chamber, part of Hera’s pre-flight test campaign at ESA’s Test Centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

Members of Hera’s testing team prepare for electromagnetic compatibility testing during the mission’s pre-flight test campaign at ESA’s Test Center in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

Hera Mission patch

The European Space Agency (ESA) Hera Mission will soon be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The launch window opens on October 7, 2024. There is a mystery out there in deep space—and solving it will make Earth safer. This is why ESA’s Hera Mission is taking shape—to go where one particular spacecraft has gone before.

On September 26, 2022, moving at 6.1 km/s, NASA’s DART spacecraft crashed into the Dimorphos asteroid. Part of our Solar System changed. The impact shrunk the orbit of the Great Pyramid-sized Dimorphos around its parent asteroid, the mountain-sized Didymos.

This grand experiment was performed to prove we could defend Earth against an incoming asteroid, by striking it with a spacecraft to deflect it. DART succeeded. However, it still leaves many things scientists do not know: What is the precise mass and makeup of Dimorphos? What did the impact do to the asteroid? How large is the crater left by DART’s collision? Or has Dimorphos completely cracked apart, to be held together only by its own weak gravity?

This is why we are going back with the European Space Agency’s Hera Mission. The spacecraft will revisit Dimorphos to gather vital close-up data about the deflected body, to turn DART’s grand-scale experiment into a well-understood and potentially repeatable planetary defence technique.

The mission will also perform the most detailed exploration yet of a binary asteroid system—although binaries make up 15% of all known asteroids, one has never been surveyed in detail.

Hera will also perform technology demonstration experiments, including the deployment of the European Space Agency’s first deep space ‘CubeSats’—shoebox-sized spacecraft to venture closer than the main mission then eventually land—and an ambitious test of 'self-driving' for the main spacecraft, based on vision-based navigation.

By the end of Hera’s observations, Dimorphos will become the best studied asteroid in history. This is vital, because if a body of this size ever struck Earth it could destroy an entire city. The dinosaurs had no defense against asteroids, because they "never had a space agency." However, through Hera, we are teaching ourselves what we can do to reduce this hazard and make our space environment safer.

The Hera mission has 18 participating ESA Member States plus Japan (supplying the TIRI instrument). Notably German industry is leading the mission while Italy is providing the propulsion and Spain and Romania developed Hera’s innovative guidance, navigation and control system. The Hera Science Team involves scientists from all ESA Member States, Japan, the US and other non-European countries.

OHB System AG, a subsidiary of the space and technology group OHB SE, developed, built, and tested the asteroid probe on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA).

Learn more about the Hera Mission:

https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Hera

Image Credits: European Space Agency (ESA)/SpaceX

Release Dates: Nov. 30, 2023-Oct. 4, 2024

#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Asteroids #Dimorphos #Didymos #Asteroid #Hera #HeraSpacecraft #CubeSats #Earth #PlanetaryDefense #DeepSpace #SolarSystem #Europe #STEM #Education

Solving Asteroid Mysteries | Europe's Hera Planetary Defense Mission

Solving Asteroid Mysteries | Europe's Hera Planetary Defense Mission

There is a mystery out there in deep space—and solving it will make Earth safer. This is why the European Space Agency’s Hera Mission is taking shape—to go where one particular spacecraft has gone before.

On September 26, 2022, moving at 6.1 km/s, NASA’s DART spacecraft crashed into the Dimorphos asteroid. Part of our Solar System changed. The impact shrunk the orbit of the Great Pyramid-sized Dimorphos around its parent asteroid, the mountain-sized Didymos.

This grand experiment was performed to prove we could defend Earth against an incoming asteroid, by striking it with a spacecraft to deflect it. DART succeeded. However, it still leaves many things scientists do not know: What is the precise mass and makeup of Dimorphos? What did the impact do to the asteroid? How large is the crater left by DART’s collision? Or has Dimorphos completely cracked apart, to be held together only by its own weak gravity?

This is why we are going back with the European Space Agency’s Hera Mission. The spacecraft will revisit Dimorphos to gather vital close-up data about the deflected body, to turn DART’s grand-scale experiment into a well-understood and potentially repeatable planetary defence technique.

The mission will also perform the most detailed exploration yet of a binary asteroid system—although binaries make up 15% of all known asteroids, one has never been surveyed in detail.

Hera will also perform technology demonstration experiments, including the deployment of the European Space Agency’s first deep space ‘CubeSats’—shoebox-sized spacecraft to venture closer than the main mission then eventually land—and an ambitious test of 'self-driving' for the main spacecraft, based on vision-based navigation.

By the end of Hera’s observations, Dimorphos will become the best studied asteroid in history. This is vital, because if a body of this size ever struck Earth it could destroy an entire city. The dinosaurs had no defence against asteroids, because they "never had a space agency." However, through Hera, we are teaching ourselves what we can do to reduce this hazard and make our space environment safer.

Learn more about the Hera Mission:

https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Hera

Video Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 24, 2024 

#NASA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Asteroids #Dimorphos #Didymos #Asteroid #Hera #HeraSpacecraft #CubeSats #Earth #PlanetaryDefense #DeepSpace #SolarSystem #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Galaxy NGC 2903 in Leo | Hubble Space Telescop

Galaxy NGC 2903 in Leo | Hubble Space Telescope

Few of the Universe’s residents are as iconic as the spiral galaxy. These limelight-hogging celestial objects combine whirling, pinwheeling arms with scatterings of sparkling stars, glowing bursts of gas, and dark, weaving lanes of cosmic dust, creating truly awesome scenes—especially when viewed through a telescope, such as the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. In fact, this image from Hubble frames a perfect spiral specimen: the stunning NGC 2903.

NGC 2903 is located about 30 million light-years away in the constellation of Leo (The Lion), and was studied as part of a Hubble survey of the central regions of roughly 145 nearby disc galaxies. This study aimed to help astronomers better understand the relationship between the black holes that lurk at the cores of galaxies like these, and the rugby-ball-shaped bulge of stars, gas, and dust at the galaxy’s center—such as that seen in this image.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, L. Ho et al.

Release Date: April 29, 2019

#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC2903 #SpiralGalaxy #Leo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education