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On Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, climate experts from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)and NASA provided a recap and ranking of the global temperature for 2024 from both NOAA and NASA, the significant global weather and climate events from last year, and a review of the ocean heat content and sea ice. Immediately after the briefing, NOAA and NASA experts answered questions from the media.
Subject matter experts included:
Russell Vose, Ph.D., Chief, Monitoring and Assessment Branch, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Gavin Schmidt, Ph.D., Director, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
NASA Artemis III Moon Rocket: Liquid Oxygen Fuel Tank Prepared for Cleaning
These are examples of impressive NASA photos for 2024. This flight hardware will be used for Artemis III—one of the first crewed Artemis Moon missions. Together with its four RS-25 engines, the rocket’s massive 212-foot-tall core stage—the largest stage NASA has ever built—and its twin solid rocket boosters produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon and, ultimately, Mars.
Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans install wash probes into a liquid oxygen tank inside the factory’s cleaning cell on Oct. 25, 2024. This tank will be used on the core stage of the agency’s SLS rocket for its Artemis III mission. It will undergo an internal cleaning before moving on to its next phase of production. Inside the cleaning cell, a solution is sprayed into the tank to remove particulates that may collect during the manufacturing process. Once a tank is cleaned, teams use mobile clean rooms for internal access to the tank to prevent external contaminates from entering the hardware.
The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall rocket stage. No other rocket is capable of carrying astronauts in Orion around the Moon in a single mission.
Taurus Molecular Cloud: Young Stars & Dark Nebulae in The Milky Way
An unassuming region in the constellation Taurus holds these dark and dusty nebulae. Scattered through the scene, stars in multiple star systems are forming within their natal Taurus molecular cloud complex sround 450 light-years away within the Milky Way galaxy. Millions of years young and still going through stellar adolescence, the stars are variable in brightness and in the late phases of their gravitational collapse. Known as T-Tauri class stars they tend to be faint and take on a yellowish hue in the image. One of the brightest T-Tauri stars in Taurus, V773 (aka HD283447) is near the center of the telescopic frame that spans over 1 degree. Toward the top is the dense, dark marking on the sky cataloged as Barnard 209.
NASA's Space to Ground: In The Year 2025 | Week of Jan. 10, 2025
NASA has big plans for science, research, and exploration aboard the International Space Station in 2025. From spacewalks, to hydroponic and aeroponic plant growth techniques, there's a lot to look forward to in low Earth orbit. This November, we will celebrate 25 years of continuous human presence on the International Space Station.
Station Commander: Suni Williams Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Aleksandr Gorbunov NASA Flight Engineers: 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.
Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
Reaching for Jupiter under The Milky Way | Paranal Observatory in Chile | ESO
The dark skies above the European Southern Observatory’s Paranal Observatory, home to the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), yield breathtaking views so clear and so full of stars that you could almost touch them. Standing atop a platform at VLT, ESO Photo Ambassador Petr Horálek reaches towards a standout object in the sky. You may assume this bright body, like many others in the sky, to be a star, but it is in fact a planet in our Solar System—the gas giant Jupiter.
Closer to Earth, the four Unit Telescopes (UTs) that comprise the VLT can be seen in the background. Each UT features an 8.2-meter mirror and they operate synergistically to produce some of the sharpest views of the Universe. Accompanying the four UTs are four smaller, moveable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) that have 1.8-meter mirrors.
The Chilean Atacama desert once again proves its value as the ideal location for ESO’s VLT. The remoteness of the observatory means that there is very little to no light pollution. This is vital for astronomy and also yields such breathtaking views.
Spiral Galaxy NGC 300 in Sculptor | MPG/ESO Telescope
This picture of the spectacular southern spiral galaxy NGC 300 was taken using the Wide Field Imager (WFI) at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. It was assembled from many individual images through a large set of different filters over many observing nights, spanning several years. The main purpose of this extensive observational campaign was to get an unusually thorough census of the stars in the galaxy, counting both the number and varieties of stars and marking regions, or even individual stars, that warrant deeper and more focussed investigation. However, such a rich data collection will also have many other uses for years to come.
Distance:6 million light years
The images were mostly taken through filters that transmit red, green or blue light. These were supplemented by images through special filters that allow through only the light from ionized hydrogen or oxygen gas and highlight the glowing clouds in the galaxy’s spiral arms. The total exposure time amounted to around 50 hours.
New Year's Day Dawns on Cuba | International Space Station
New Year's Day dawns on Cuba as the sunlight gleams off its Atlantic and Caribbean coasts in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above the Gulf of Mexico.
The Republic of Cuba is an island country consisting of the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Ocean meet. Cuba is located east of the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), south of both the American state of Florida and the Bahamas, west of Hispaniola (Haiti/Dominican Republic), and north of both Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
Station Commander: Suni Williams Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Aleksandr Gorbunov NASA Flight Engineers: 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.
SpaceX Starship Rollout: Flight Test#7 Launch Prep at Starbase Texas
The seventh flight test of Starship is preparing to launch as soon as Monday, January 13, 2025. Teams at Starbase are keeping an eye on weather conditions for preflight operations. The upcoming flight test will launch a new generation ship with significant upgrades, attempt Starship’s first payload deployment test, fly multiple reentry experiments geared towards ship catch and reuse, and launch and return the Super Heavy booster.
A live webcast of the flight test will begin about 35 minutes before liftoff. You can watch here . . .
The launch window will open at 4:00 p.m. CT. As is the case with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to check in here for updates.
SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket—collectively referred to as Starship—represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond. Starship is the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, capable of carrying up to 150 metric tonnes fully reusable and 250 metric tonnes expendable.
"Starship is essential to both SpaceX’s plans to deploy its next-generation Starship system as well as for NASA, which will use a lunar lander version of Starship for landing astronauts on the Moon during the Artemis III mission through the Human Landing System (HLS) program."
Satellites: Essential for tackling climate change | Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
"To tackle climate change, it is essential to gain a deep understanding of the Earth we live on. The first step toward this goal is to accurately comprehend the mechanisms and current state of our planet. The Earth observation satellites operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) monitor a range of essential climate variables across the Earth's environment on a global scale, collecting and accumulating data over extended periods."
"This initiative provides a critical foundation for accurately assessing the impacts of climate change and formulating effective countermeasures. In this feature, guided by Professor Tadahiro Hayakawa from the Graduate School of Science at Tohoku University and Advisor to the Director General of JAXA's Earth Observation Research Center, we will explore how satellite technology addresses climate change and its anticipated advancements in the future."
The Himalayas Separate China from a Cloudy India | International Space Station
The Himalayas separate the arid steppe of China's Tibetan Plateau from a cloudy Indian subcontinent in this photograph from the International Space Station as it soared 261 miles above Asia.
The Himalayas, or Himalaya, is a mountain range in Asia. The range has a number of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 peaks exceed elevations of 7,200 meters (23,600 feet) above sea level in the Himalayas. The Himalayas cross five countries: Nepal, China, Pakistan, Bhutan and India.
Station Commander: Suni Williams Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Aleksandr Gorbunov NASA Flight Engineers: 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.
SpaceX Starship: Final Preparations for Flight Test#7 at Starbase Texas
The seventh flight test of Starship is preparing to launch as soon as Monday, January 13, 2025. Teams at Starbase are keeping an eye on weather conditions for preflight operations. The upcoming flight test will launch a new generation ship with significant upgrades, attempt Starship’s first payload deployment test, fly multiple reentry experiments geared towards ship catch and reuse, and launch and return the Super Heavy booster.
A live webcast of the flight test will begin about 35 minutes before liftoff. You can watch here . . .
The launch window will open at 4:00 p.m. CT. As is the case with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to check in here for updates.
SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket—collectively referred to as Starship—represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond. Starship is the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, capable of carrying up to 150 metric tonnes fully reusable and 250 metric tonnes expendable.
"Starship is essential to both SpaceX’s plans to deploy its next-generation Starship system as well as for NASA, which will use a lunar lander version of Starship for landing astronauts on the Moon during the Artemis III mission through the Human Landing System (HLS) program."
Chinese Researchers Work on Chang'e-7: TheNext Lunar South Pole Mission
Chinese researchers are pushing ahead with research work on the follow-up Chang'e-7 lunar exploration mission to the Moon's south pole. The mission will include an orbiter, a lander, a mini-hopping probe, and a rover. They are also planning to send a flag that can flutter in the Moon's very thin and tenuous atmosphere after its predecessor Chang'e-6 brought back the first-ever samples from the far side, south pole of the Moon last year.
China plans to send its Chang'e-7 probe to find traces of water and ice at the Moon's south pole around 2026. The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP), also known as the Chang'e Project, after the Chinese Moon goddess Chang'e, is an ongoing series of robotic Moon missions by the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
Researchers are also proceeding with preliminary work on the Chang'e-8 mission and an International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).
At China's deep space exploration laboratory, researchers from Beijing and Anhui Province are working together to study popular science payloads, including an innovative idea of raising a fluttering flag that originated from a group of pupils.
The lab, co-established by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), Anhui Province, and the University of Science and Technology of China, started operation in June 2022. It is headquartered in Hefei, the capital city of Anhui, and has a branch in Beijing. The laboratory aims to promote the long-term development of deep space exploration of the Moon, planets, asteroids, including the edge of the solar system.
Of course, on the Moon, there is no air to breathe, no breezes to make a flag flutter. However, the researchers are trying to use the interaction of electromagnetic fields to fly a flag on the Moon.
"We know that the Moon is vacuum with no air, so it is difficult to make a flag flutter by wind like on Earth. What's the primary school students' solution? That is to arrange closed loop wires on the surface of the flag with access to two-way positive and negative currents, and make the flag flutter through the interaction of electromagnetic fields," said Zhang Tianzhu, deputy head of the institute of future technology at the lab.
If all goes well, this will be the first flag to flutter on the surface of the Moon.
"Now, in order to complete the development of our popular science test payload in February, we are motivated and divided into different groups to advance this task," said Zhang.
"Our goal is to establish a sustainable and scalable comprehensive scientific experimental facility on the lunar surface and in lunar orbit, capable of long-term autonomous operation and short-term human participation, and to basically build an international lunar research station by around 2035," said Zhang.
Fiery Hourglass as New Star Forms: Protostar L1527 | James Webb Space Telescope
Dr. Michelle Thaller presents Webb’s stunning view of a young protostar, just 100,000 years old and cocooned in gas and dust.
Webb reveals the protostar’s hourglass shape, vibrant blue and orange clouds, and spiraling accretion disk—key features of this early stage of star formation.
A true marvel, this protostar offers insights into the origins of stars, unveiling a process billions of years in the making. What secrets will the universe reveal next?
Planet Mars Landing Site Candidate: Possible Chloride Salt Deposits | NASA MRO
There is an intriguing surface unit in parts of the ancient Martian highlands that may consist of chloride salts (like NaCl, or table salt) that precipitated out of shallow lakes as in desert regions of Earth.
This site has unusual thermal properties and distinctive morphologies, but lacks spectral absorption bands. All of these characteristics and the geologic settings are consistent with salt deposits. These deposits are often associated with clay minerals that do have distinctive absorption bands.
Image cutout is less than 1 km (under 1 mi) across and the spacecraft altitude was 266 km (165 mi).
Local Mars time: 15:01
Latitude (centered): -5.625°
Longitude (East): 353.871°
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a spacecraft designed to study the geology and climate of Mars, to provide reconnaissance of future landing sites, and to relay data from surface missions back to Earth. It was launched on August 12, 2005, and reached Mars on March 10, 2006.
The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE. It was built by BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.
New December 2024 NASA Astronaut Images Released | International Space Station
NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams assembles research hardware inside the International Space Station's cupola while orbiting 261 miles above the Pacific Ocean west of Nicaragua.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams checks research components inside the Kibo laboratory module's Advanced Plant Habitat aboard the International Space Station.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams shows off a holiday decoration of a familiar reindeer aboard the International Space Station. The decoration was crafted with excess hardware, cargo bags, and recently-delivered Santa hats.
NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams, Expedition 72 flight engineer and commander respectively, share snacks and goodies on Christmas Eve inside the gallery of the International Space Station's Unity module.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Don Pettit removes the small satellite orbital deployer from the Kibo laboratory module's airlock after several CubeSats were deployed outside the International Space Station into Earth orbit for educational research.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore works inside the International Space Station's Columbus laboratory module to begin installing the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device. The futuristic exercise gear will be tested by the station crew using its advanced bicycling, rowing, and resistive capabilities.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Nick Hague demonstrates the range of motion and stability of student-designed space hardware aboard the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module. Hague was testing the HUNCH (High school students United with NASA to Create Hardware) Utility Bracket for its ability to hold and position cameras, computer tablets, and other tools astronauts use daily.
NASA astronauts (from left) Butch Wilmore and Don Pettit, both Expedition 72 flight engineers, install the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device inside the International Space Station's Columbus laboratory module. The futuristic exercise gear will be tested by the station crew using its advanced bicycling, rowing, and resistive capabilities.
Station Commander: Suni Williams Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Aleksandr Gorbunov NASA Flight Engineers: 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.
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