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NOAA's Upcoming SWFO-L1 Satellite: Dedicated to Space Weather Monitoring
From its unique vantage point, a million and a half kilometers from Earth at Lagrange Point 1, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will introduce a "next generation satellite called Space Weather Follow On L1 (SWFO-L1). The SWFO-L1 observatory is the first of its kind, designed to be dedicated to full time operational space weather observations. By keeping an eye on the Sun’s activity without interruption, it will give us quicker and more accurate forecasts than ever before."
Stay tuned for the SWFO-L1 launch, scheduled for 2025 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
SWFO-L1's solar wind plasma sensor (SWiPS)
instruments are intended to replace Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) and Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) monitoring of solar wind, energetic particles, and the interplanetary magnetic field, while SWFO-L1's compact coronagraph (CCOR) will replace SOHO's LASCO (Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph) imaging of coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
Video Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Shenzhou-18 Crew Return to Earth after Successful 6-Month Space Station Mission
The return capsule of the Shenzhou-18 crewed spacecraft, carrying astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu, safely touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday, November 4, 2024, at 1:24am Beijing time. The three astronauts, after staying in orbit for 192 days, were all in good health and the Shenzhou-18 crewed mission was declared a success, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said. All three astronauts were out of the capsule by 02:15am Beijing Time.
The crew will enter a period of medical quarantine and undergo comprehensive medical examinations and health evaluations, it said, adding that they will meet with the press in Beijing afterward.
Shenzhou-18 commander Ye Guangfu, who now holds the longest duration of stay in orbit among Chinese astronauts, was the first of the three crew members to emerge from the return capsule.
"I am proud of my motherland. I am grateful to the great motherland, the people of China, and the entire project team for making our dream of spaceflight a reality and ensuring our safe return. Our Shenzhou spacecraft family has continued the relay of space exploration, and I believe that the new record of time spent in orbit by Chinese astronauts will soon be set," he said.
"During this trip to realize our space dream, our crew members united as one, and collaborated effectively with the ground teams. The two extravehicular activities were completed smoothly, as were the in-orbit scientific research experiments," said Li Cong, the second astronaut to come out of the return capsule.
"Space is vast, magical and beautiful. We all enjoy the pleasure brought by weightlessness. Returning to Earth from space is a mixture of the excitement and joy of being back home, as well as a sense of attachment to space. The greatest feeling at this moment is that I am so proud of our great motherland," said Li Guangsu, the third astronaut.
The Shenzhou-18 astronauts, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu, were launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on April 25, 2024. They completed all planned tasks during their long duration mission that lasted over six months.
During the mission, the Shenzhou-18 crew conducted 100+ scientific experiments and tests and completed two spacewalks.
They became the country's first astronauts to bring fish into space, raising them in an experiment cabinet, while collecting water samples and fish eggs for research. They will bring back the samples with them. This is expected to provide valuable insights for scientists to study the life of vertebrates in space.
After the arrival of the Shenzhou-19 trio at the space station on Oct 30, 2024, the two crews each comprising three astronauts spent five days together in orbit. A handover ceremony was held Friday night in which Shenzhou-18 commander Ye Guangfu transferred the keys of the space station to Shenzhou-19 commander Cai Xuzhe.
Spiral Galaxy NGC 1672 in Dorado | Hubble Space Telescope
This image depicts NGC 1672, a spiral galaxy in the Dorado constellation. It was created using six Hubble images taken over fifteen years.
Distance:49 million light years
Image Description: "A spiral galaxy with an oval-shaped disc. Two large arms curve out away from the ends of the disc. The arms are traced by bright pink patches where stars are forming and by dark reddish threads of dust. The core is very bright and star-filled. Several large stars appear in front of the galaxy."
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, O. Fox, L. Jenkins, A. Filippenko, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team, D. de Martin (ESA/Hubble), M. Zamani (ESA/Hubble)
Shenzhou-18 Crew Capsule Re-entry over Xinjiang | China Space Station
The return capsule of the Shenzhou-18 crewed spacecraft, carrying astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu, safely touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday, November 4, 2024, at 1:24am Beijing time. The three astronauts, after staying in orbit for 192 days, were all in good health and the Shenzhou-18 crewed mission was declared a success, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.
The crew will enter a period of medical quarantine and undergo comprehensive medical examinations and health evaluations, it said, adding that they will meet with the press in Beijing afterward.
The Shenzhou-18 astronauts, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, were launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on April 25, 2024. They completed all planned tasks during their long duration mission that lasted over six months.
During the mission, the Shenzhou-18 crew conducted 100+ scientific experiments and tests and completed two spacewalks.
They became the country's first astronauts to bring fish into space, raising them in an experiment cabinet, while collecting water samples and fish eggs for research. They will bring back the samples with them. This is expected to provide valuable insights for scientists to study the life of vertebrates in space.
After the arrival of the Shenzhou-19 trio at the space station on Oct 30, 2024, the two crews each comprising three astronauts spent five days together in orbit. A handover ceremony was held Friday night in which Shenzhou-18 commander Ye Guangfu transferred the keys of the space station to Shenzhou-19 commander Cai Xuzhe.
Shenzhou-18 Crew:
Commander Ye Guangfu (叶光富)
Mission Specialist Li Cong (李聪)
Mission Specialist Li Guangsu (李广苏)
Video Credits: Zhang Jingyi, Tang Muzhi
Capture Location: Korla City in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
Shenzhou-18 Crew after Landing in Inner Mongolia | China Space Station
Shenzhou-18 Crew | from left to right: Commander Ye Guangfu (叶光富), Mission Specialist Li Cong (李聪), and Mission SpecialistLi Guangsu (李广苏)
Shenzhou-18 Commander Ye Guangfu (叶光富)
Mission Specialist Li Cong (李聪)
Mission Specialist Li Guangsu (李广苏)
Shenzhou-18 Commander Ye Guangfu (叶光富)
Mission Specialist Li Cong (李聪)
Mission SpecialistLi Guangsu (李广苏)
Shenzhou-18 Crew Capsule after landing
The return capsule of the Shenzhou-18 crewed spacecraft, carrying astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu, safely touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday, November 4, 2024, at 1:24am Beijing time. The three astronauts, after staying in orbit for 192 days, were all in good health and the Shenzhou-18 crewed mission was declared a success, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.
The crew will enter a period of medical quarantine and undergo comprehensive medical examinations and health evaluations, it said, adding that they will meet with the press in Beijing afterward.
The Shenzhou-18 astronauts, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, were launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on April 25, 2024. They completed all planned tasks during their long duration mission that lasted over six months.
During the mission, the Shenzhou-18 crew conducted 100+ scientific experiments and tests and completed two spacewalks.
They became the country's first astronauts to bring fish into space, raising them in an experiment cabinet, while collecting water samples and fish eggs for research. They will bring back the samples with them. This is expected to provide valuable insights for scientists to study the life of vertebrates in space.
After the arrival of the Shenzhou-19 trio at the space station on Oct 30, 2024, the two crews each comprising three astronauts spent five days together in orbit. A handover ceremony was held Friday night in which Shenzhou-18 commander Ye Guangfu transferred the keys of the space station to Shenzhou-19 commander Cai Xuzhe.
Wide-field View: Wishing Well Star Cluster: NGC 3532 | Digitized Sky Survey 2
This wide-field view of the sky around the open star cluster NGC 3532 was created from photographic material forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2. The cluster itself is at the center of the picture and the bright star to its lower left is x Carinae—a very brilliant yellow hypergiant star that is about five times further from Earth than the cluster itself. This star is one of the most distant that can be seen with the naked eye.
Distance:1,300 light years
The Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) is a ground-based imaging survey of the entire sky in several colors of light produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute through its Guide Star Survey group.
In the bright star cluster, NGC 3532, also known as the Wishing Well Cluster, many stars still shine with a hot bluish color, but more massive ones have become red giants and glow with a rich orange hue.
This open cluster of young stars was named the Wishing Well Cluster because, through a telescope’s eyepiece, it looks like a handful of silver coins twinkling at the bottom of a wishing well.
Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/Digitized Sky Survey 2 Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin Release Date: Nov. 26, 2014
Full Dome View of The Wishing Well Star Cluster: NGC 3532 in Carina | ESO
The MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile captured this richly colorful view of the bright star cluster NGC 3532, also known as the Wishing Well Cluster. Many stars still shine with a hot bluish color, but more massive ones have become red giants and glow with a rich orange hue.
This open cluster of young stars was named the Wishing Well Cluster because, through a telescope’s eyepiece, it looks like a handful of silver coins twinkling at the bottom of a wishing well.
Journey to Wishing Well Star Cluster: NGC 3532 in Carina | ESO
This video starts with a view of the southern Milky Way and takes us on a journey towards the open star cluster NGC 3532. The MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile captured this richly colorful view of the bright star cluster NGC 3532, also known as the Wishing Well Cluster. Many stars still shine with a hot bluish color, but more massive ones have become red giants and glow with a rich orange hue.
This open cluster of young stars was named the Wishing Well Cluster because, through a telescope’s eyepiece, it looks like a handful of silver coins twinkling at the bottom of a wishing well.
Pan of The Wishing Well Star Cluster: NGC 3532 in Carina | MPG/ESO Telescope
The MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile captured this richly colorful view of the bright star cluster NGC 3532, also known as the Wishing Well Cluster. Many stars still shine with a hot bluish color, but more massive ones have become red giants and glow with a rich orange hue.
This open cluster of young stars was named the Wishing Well Cluster because, through a telescope’s eyepiece, it looks like a handful of silver coins twinkling at the bottom of a wishing well.
The Wishing Well Star Cluster: NGC 3532 in Carina | NASA Chandra (X-ray)
NGC 3532 (also called the “Wishing Well Cluster”) is a cluster of middle-aged stars—about 300 million years old—that covers nearly twice the size of the full Moon on the sky. X-rays from Chandra (purple and white); optical from ESO/MPG 2.2m (red, green, and blue)
This image of the NGC 3532 star cluster resembles a black canvas stippled with thousands of drops of colorful paint, flicked from an artist’s brush. From this vantage point, the stars range from minuscule to merely tiny. They range in color from white and golden yellow, to oranges, reds, blues and purples. A number of stars have white cores with colorful outlines, while others gleam and have large, translucent, outer glows. The purple and white stars are those detected in X-rays by Chandra. A faint, hazy, brick orange cloud streaks across the middle of the image.
The Wishing Well Star Cluster: NGC 3532 in Carina | MPG/ESO Telescope
The MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile captured this richly colorful view of the bright star cluster NGC 3532, also known as the Wishing Well Cluster. Many stars still shine with a hot bluish color, but more massive ones have become red giants and glow with a rich orange hue.
This open cluster of young stars was named the Wishing Well Cluster because, through a telescope’s eyepiece, it looks like a handful of silver coins twinkling at the bottom of a wishing well.
Shenzhou-18 Crew Spacecraft Landing: First Images | China Space Station
Shenzhou-18 crew module at the landing site in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
Shenzhou-18 Commander Ye Guangfu (叶光富)
Shenzhou-18 crew module at the landing site in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region shortly after landing
Shenzhou-18 Crew Emblem
The return capsule of the Shenzhou-18 crewed spacecraft, carrying astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, successfully touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday, November 4, 2024, at 1:24am Beijing time.
The Shenzhou-18 astronauts, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, were launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on April 25, 2024. They completed all planned tasks during their long duration mission that lasted over six months.
During the mission, the Shenzhou-18 crew conducted 100+ scientific experiments and tests and completed two spacewalks.
They became the country's first astronauts to bring fish into space, raising them in an experiment cabinet, while collecting water samples and fish eggs for research. They will bring back the samples with them. This is expected to provide valuable insights for scientists to study the life of vertebrates in space.
After the arrival of the Shenzhou-19 trio at the space station on Oct 30, 2024, the two crews each comprising three astronauts spent five days together in orbit. A handover ceremony was held Friday night in which Shenzhou-18 commander Ye Guangfu transferred the keys of the space station to Shenzhou-19 commander Cai Xuzhe.
Shenzhou-18 Crew Spacecraft Landing in Inner Mongolia | China Space Station
The return capsule of the Shenzhou-18 crewed spacecraft, carrying astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, successfully touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday, November 4, 2024, at 1:24am Beijing time.
The Shenzhou-18 astronauts, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, were launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on April 25, 2024. They completed all planned tasks during their long duration mission that lasted over six months.
During the mission, the Shenzhou-18 crew conducted 100+ scientific experiments and tests and completed two spacewalks.
They became the country's first astronauts to bring fish into space, raising them in an experiment cabinet, while collecting water samples and fish eggs for research. They will bring back the samples with them. This is expected to provide valuable insights for scientists to study the life of vertebrates in space.
After the arrival of the Shenzhou-19 trio at the space station on Oct 30, 2024, the two crews each comprising three astronauts spent five days together in orbit. A handover ceremony was held Friday night in which Shenzhou-18 commander Ye Guangfu transferred the keys of the space station to Shenzhou-19 commander Cai Xuzhe.
Shenzhou-18 Crew Spacecraft Undocking for Earth Return | China Space Station
China's Shenzhou-18 crew spacecraft that departed the Tiangong space station at 16:12 (Beijing Time) on Sunday, November 3, 2024, then proceeded to orbit the Earth under autonomous control. This process lasted several hours before final landing, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
The return capsule of the Shenzhou-18 spacecraft later touched down at the Dongfeng Landing Site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the early morning on Monday, November 4, 2024 Beijing.
The Shenzhou-18 astronauts, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, were sent into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on April 25, 2024. They had completed all planned tasks during their stay in space that lasted for over six months.
During the mission, the Shenzhou-18 crew conducted over 100 scientific experiments and tests and completed two spacewalks.
They became the country's first astronauts to bring fish into space, raising them in an experiment cabinet, while collecting water samples and fish eggs for research. They will bring back the samples with them. This is expected to provide valuable insights for scientists to study the life of vertebrates in space.
After the arrival of the Shenzhou-19 trio at the space station on Oct 30, 2024, the two crews each comprising three astronauts spent five days together in orbit. A handover ceremony was held Friday night in which Shenzhou-18 commander Ye Guangfu transferred the keys of the space station to Shenzhou-19 commander Cai Xuzhe.
Shenzhou-18 Crew:
Ye Guangfu (叶光富, commander) Li Cong (李聪, mission specialist) Li Guangsu (李广苏, mission specialist)
Shenzhou-18 Ground Search & Rescue Team Training | China Space Station
A search and rescue team has carried out training at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to prepare for the return of the Shenzhou-18 taikonauts on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 Beijing time.
The ground search and rescue team at the Dongfeng Landing Site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been readied to ensure safe return of the Shenzhou-18 crew to the Earth despite the challenges of nighttime operation in the desert.
The Shenzhou-18 spacecraft separated from the Tiangong space station combination at 16:12 Beijing Time (0812 GMT) on Sunday, November 3, 2024, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The return capsule of the spaceship, carrying astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu, is scheduled to touch down at the landing site in the early morning on Monday.
The ground team will take charge of searching for and transferring the return capsule, while providing immediate medical examination for the astronauts.
The team is equipped with a search vehicle, which will run in the forefront of the search operation. It can accommodate 10 searchers who are able to carry out the initial tasks if it finds the return capsule first.
"The Shenzhou-18 will return to our Dongfeng Landing Site. The landing site consists of the eastern and western parts. The eastern part is composed of soft Gobi, saline-alkali land, sacsaoul forest, mountains and rivers, while the western part is hard Gobi. This time the return capsule will target the western part," said Chen Guodong, a searcher of the team.
Besides the search vehicle, the team is also equipped with vehicles for command, communication, engineering transport and medical service.
Drivers of the vehicles have undergone special trainings in advance to adapt to the complicated road conditions in the desert, while more lights have been installed on the vehicles to illuminate the dark night during the search operation, according to Chen.
"This dark night may be better than that of the Shenzhou-14 return with a higher temperature, not so cold. However, we still conducted some targeted trainings. Our personnel carried out an overall reconnaissance of the landing site. We conducted intensive trainings for drivers to strengthen their capability of driving a vehicle in complicated roads, especially at night. We added search lights on the vehicles to give our drivers better field of vision at night so that they have enough time and ability to respond to different terrains. We installed a square light on the engineering transport vehicle to illuminate the dark night at the landing spot so that our staff can work as smoothly as in the daytime," Chen said.
Air Search Team Ready for Shenzhou-18 Crew Return | China Space Station
The air search and rescue team for the return of the three Shenzhou-18 astronauts is fully ready to welcome the trio back at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. They must navigate the complicated desert terrain with next to zero visibility during the wee hours to guarantee a safe return of the homecoming Shenzhou-18 crew.
The team is making final preparations and performing maintenance checks on its five helicopters: a command helicopter, a communications helicopter, a medical monitoring helicopter, and two for medical rescue.
The team, stationed approximately 40 kilometers from the anticipated landing point, has intensified its preparations for this nighttime rescue, led by members with extensive experiences in Shenzhou recovery missions.
Wang Wenjuan, an air search and rescue team member, said the two major challenges of this mission are next to zero visibility and sandy desert terrain.
Wang said the team stationed at the Dongfeng landing site in early October for comprehensive drills and site inspections, fully preparing themselves to handle the mission's challenges.
"In these training sessions, we enhanced our preparations in all aspects to tackle the mission's key challenges. For equipment, we installed high-power searchlights, infrared optical pods, and both binocular and quad-night vision goggles. As for personnel, each mission crew has two captains and two mechanics, with an additional navigator assigned. Our pilots each have over 3,100 hours of flight time, bringing extensive experience to the task. The navigator plays a crucial role in supporting the whole crew receiving navigation signals, planning search route, and providing real-time positioning data. They assist the pilots with precise calculations to approach the return capsule and ensure a smooth and accurate landing without deviating by a single meter or degree. Overall, our air search and rescue team is fully prepared with the highest level of expertise, safety, and reliability to bring our astronauts home," she said.
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