Friends of NASA (FoN) is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to building international support for peaceful space exploration, commerce, scientific discovery, and STEM education.
New 39-Meter Mirror to Help Stabilize Extremely Large Telescope Images | ESO
With a 39-meter primary mirror, the European Southern Observatory's Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will have five mirrors in total. Two of them—M4 and M5—will work together to cancel out atmospheric turbulence and vibrations due to wind and the telescope's mechanisms.
We are now testing the sophisticated cell that will support the M5. This mirror will have to tip and tilt 10 times per second while remaining perfectly flat and rigid—a technological challenge, as the mirror weighs 500 kg!
In 2006, approval was given for the construction of the largest optical telescope on Earth. The ELT stands at Cerro Armazones in Chile's Atacama Desert and will be one of the main flagships of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) for the next two decades.
The Sounds of BepiColombo’s Sixth Flight Past Mercury | European Space Agency
Listen to the European Space Agency/Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency BepiColombo spacecraft as it flew past Mercury on January 8, 2025. This sixth and final flyby used the little planet's gravity to steer the spacecraft on course for entering orbit around Mercury in 2026.
What you can hear in the sonification soundtrack of this video are real spacecraft vibrations measured by the Italian Spring Accelerometer (ISA) instrument. The accelerometer data have been shifted in frequency to make them audible to human ears—one hour of measurements have been sped up to one minute of sound.
BepiColombo is always shaking ever so slightly: fuel is slightly sloshing, the solar panels are vibrating at their natural frequency, heat pipes are pushing vapor through small tubes, and so forth. This creates the eerie underlying hum throughout the video.
However, as BepiColombo gets closer to Mercury, ISA detects other forces acting on the spacecraft. Most scientifically interesting are the audible shocks that sound like short, soft bongs. These are caused by the spacecraft responding to entering and exiting Mercury's shadow, where the Sun's intense radiation is suddenly blocked. One of ISA's scientific goals is to monitor the changes in the ‘solar radiation pressure’—a force caused by sunlight striking BepiColombo as it orbits the Sun and, eventually, Mercury.
The loudest noises—an ominous ‘rumbling’—are caused by the spacecraft's large solar panels rotating. The first rotation occurs in shadow at 00:17 in the video, while the second adjustment at 00:51 was also captured by one of the spacecraft’s monitoring cameras.
Faint sounds like wind being picked up in a phone call, which grow more audible around 30 seconds into the video, are caused by Mercury's gravitational field pulling the nearest and furthest parts of the spacecraft by different amounts. As the planet's gravity stretches the spacecraft ever so slightly, the spacecraft responds structurally. At the same time, the onboard reaction wheels change their speed to maintain the spacecraft's orientation. You can hear this as a frequency shift in the background.
This is the last time that many of these effects can be measured with BepiColombo's largest solar panels that make the spacecraft more susceptible to vibrations. The spacecraft module carrying these panels will not enter orbit around Mercury with the mission's two orbiter spacecraft.
The video shows an accurate simulation of the spacecraft and its route past Mercury during the flyby, made with the SPICE-enhanced Cosmographia spacecraft visualization tool. The inset that appears 38 seconds into the video shows real photographs taken by one of BepiColombo's monitoring cameras.
Video Credit: European Space Agency (ESA) Duration: 1 minute, 27 seconds Release Date: Jan. 24, 2025
How NASA Plans to Support Lunar Excavation Activities | Artemis Program
How does NASA plan to use resources on the surface of the Moon?
One method is the ISRU Pilot Excavator, or IPEx!
Designed by Kennedy Space Center’s Swamp Works team, the primary goal of IPEx is to dig up lunar soil, known as regolith, and transport it across the Moon’s surface.
Shenzhou-19 Strengthens Debris Protection in 2nd Spacewalk | China Space Station
Members of the Shenzhou-19 crew aboard China's Tiangong Space Station successfully completed their second series of extravehicular activities (EVAs) at 01:12 (Beijing Time) on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, after performing multiple tasks including the installation of space debris protection devices and an extravehicular inspection.
Astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze worked for over eight hours to complete the tasks, with Cai and Song undertaking spacewalk duties. They were assisted by the space station's robotic arm and a team on Earth.
Song stepped out of Tiangong's Wentian lab module at 16:55 on Monday. Cai exited the module about two hours later to join Song on device installation tasks. Meanwhile, Wang stayed in the station's core module to provide support.
"The primary task is to install debris protection devices outside the module to safeguard its external cables from debris impact. Given the increasingly severe risk of space debris collisions in the orbital environment, we have carefully selected appropriate materials and made specialized designs. Additionally, the protection devices are designed to be easily and securely installed on the exterior of the space station, ensuring effective protection," said Li Zhihai, an aerospace engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
During their previous extravehicular mission in December, the Shenzhou-19 crew primarily installed protective devices for the external pipelines and cables of the Tianhe core module. Their second spacewalk put a focus on strengthening the Wentian lab module.
"Since the operational area for this mission differs from the previous one, the entire path planning process for the robotic arm must take into account the specific conditions around the Wentian module. It is essential to avoid any interference or collisions with the module itself or its solar panels. This requires maintaining a safe distance, which necessitates optimization in the design phase on the ground, along with extensive testing and validation," Li said.
The crew has completed all tasks smoothly and the two astronauts conducting the EVAs have returned to the Wentian lab module safely.
"The astronauts showed exceptional efficiency and speed throughout the entire process, and all installations were done perfectly," Li said.
The Shenzhou-19 crew have completed nearly half of their space journey and are scheduled to carry out a significant number of in-orbit scientific experiments and technological tests, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
Close-up: The Tarantula Nebula's Outskirts in The Large Magellanic Cloud | Hubble
This NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture features a dusty yet sparkling scene from one of the Milky Way’s satellite galaxies, the Large Magellanic Cloud. The Large Magellanic Cloud is a dwarf galaxy situated about 160,000 light-years away in the constellations Dorado and Mensa.
Despite being only 10–20% as massive as the Milky Way galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud contains some of the most impressive star-forming regions in the nearby Universe. The scene pictured here is on the outskirts of the Tarantula Nebula, the largest and most productive star-forming region in the local Universe. At its center, the Tarantula Nebula hosts the most massive stars known, which weigh in at roughly 200 times the mass of the Sun.
The section of the nebula shown here features serene blue gas, brownish-orange dust patches and a sprinkling of multicolored stars. The stars within and behind the dust clouds appear redder than those that are not obscured by dust. Dust absorbs and scatters blue light more than red light, allowing more of the red light to reach our telescopes and making the stars appear redder than they are. This image incorporates ultraviolet and infrared light as well as visible light. Using Hubble observations of dusty nebulae in the Large Magellanic Cloud and other galaxies, researchers will study these distant dust grains, helping to understand the role that cosmic dust plays in the formation of new stars and planets.
Image Description: A section of a nebula, made up of layers of colored clouds of gas of varying thickness. In the background are bluish, translucent and wispy clouds; on top of these are stretches of redder and darker, clumpy dust, mostly along the bottom and right. In the bottom left corner are dense bars of dust that block light and appear black. Small stars are scattered across the nebula.
Credit: European Space Agency/Hubble & NASA, C. Murray
Friends of NASA Astronaut Members at SHSSP25 | International Space University
[Astronaut Panel discussion starts at 13 minute mark]
On January 22, 2025, during the International Space University's 2025 Southern Hemisphere Studies Program (SHSSP25) at the University of Southern Australia, two Friends of NASA astronaut members were interviewed: Dr. So-yeon Yi [South Korea’s first and only astronaut] and Australian Space Agency (ASA) astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg. The 45-minute discussion was moderated by Anna Cordrey of the International Space University and NASA.
Dr. Soyeon Yi was selected from among 36,000 applicants to serve as her nation’s first astronaut. She flew on Soyuz TMA-12 to the International Space Station (ISS) on April 8, 2008, returning to Earth 10 days later. While aboard the ISS, she conducted 18 scientific experiments, including one that monitored the effects of microgravity on 1,000 fruit flies that she transported into space.
Australian Space Agency employee Katherine Bennell-Pegg is the first person to be trained as an astronaut under the Australian flag. Katherine and her 5 fellow astronaut candidates graduated from basic training in April 2024. They are qualified for assignment to the International Space Station.
The Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program (SHSSP) is conducted by the University of South Australia (UniSA) in partnership with the International Space University (ISU). Since 2011, the SHSSP provides "an intensive, four-week program providing a multidisciplinary understanding of the key activities and areas of knowledge required by today’s space professionals."
The Space Studies Program (SSP) offers an "intensive nine-week course hosted each year in the timeframe June-August in different locations around the world. It provides courses in all space disciplines, as well as hands-on education through workshops and professional visits."
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.
NASA "Espacio a Tierra" | Caminata Espacial: 17 de enero de 2025
Espacio a Tierra, la versión en español de las cápsulas Space to Ground de la NASA, te informa semanalmente de lo que está sucediendo en la Estación Espacial Internacional.
NASA "Espacio a Tierra" | En el año 2025: 10 de enero de 2025
Espacio a Tierra, la versión en español de las cápsulas Space to Ground de la NASA, te informa semanalmente de lo que está sucediendo en la Estación Espacial Internacional.
NASA’s annual Day of Remembrance pays tribute to all members of the NASA family who lost their lives in the pursuit of exploration and discovery, including test pilots, the Apollo 1 crew, and the crews of space shuttles Challenger and Columbia.
On Jan. 23, 2025, we pause to honor their memory and reflect on the importance of maintaining a strong safety culture.
Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS at Twilight over Chile's Atacama Desert
Astrophotographer Yuri Beletsky: "Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) is ablaze! I can hardly believe the spectacle we're witnessing, and it's only improving 🤯 I captured this image on January 18 during twilight at the ESO Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert, Chile. The comet sets later each night, offering exceptional imaging opportunities. Visually, its tail stretches an impressive 10-12 degrees. Therefore, I adjusted the focal length down to 85 mm to capture the full extent."
C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) is a non-periodic comet. It reached perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on January 13, 2025, at a distance of 0.09 AU (13 million km) from the Sun. It is potentially the brightest comet of 2025, with an apparent magnitude reaching −3.8 on the day of its perihelion.
Comet C/2024 G3 was found by the automated Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on April 5, 2024, in images obtained with a 0.5-m reflector telescope located in Río Hurtado, Chile. ATLAS is funded by NASA's planetary defense office, and developed and operated by the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy.
Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS at Twilight over Paranal Observatory in Chile
Astrophotographer Yuri Beletsky: "Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) - A View from an Observatory 😃 I took this image at the ESO Paranal Observatory on January 19th. The comet is setting in the twilight next to one of the auxiliary telescopes (AT). This time, I used a 70mm lens to capture the whole scene. I hope you enjoy the view! 👍"
Twilight = "The soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, caused by the refraction and scattering of the sun's rays from the atmosphere."
C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) is a non-periodic comet. It reached perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on January 13, 2025, at a distance of 0.09 AU (13 million km) from the Sun. It is potentially the brightest comet of 2025, with an apparent magnitude reaching −3.8 on the day of its perihelion. The comet is visible in the southern hemisphere before and after perihelion.
Comet C/2024 G3 was found by the automated Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on April 5, 2024, in images obtained with a 0.5-m reflector telescope located in Río Hurtado, Chile. ATLAS is funded by NASA's planetary defense office, and developed and operated by the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy.
Tropical Cyclone Sean Lashes Western Australia | NASA Terra Earth Satellite
A downward-looking image shows swirling bands of white clouds around the eye of a tropical cyclone over blue ocean water. The cloud bands partially cover the coastal areas of Western Australia.
A downward-looking image shows swirling bands of white clouds around the eye of a tropical cyclone over blue ocean water. The cloud bands partially cover the coastal areas of Western Australia (labeled/annotated version)
On January 17, 2025, a tropical low formed over the Indian Ocean off Western Australia. By January 19, the storm had strengthened into Tropical Cyclone Sean—the second tropical cyclone of Australia’s 2024–2025 season.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this image at about 10 a.m. local time (02:00 Universal Time) on January 20, 2025. Later that afternoon, the cyclone had reached its peak strength as a Category 4 storm.
The storm’s center stayed offshore as it tracked southwest over the Indian Ocean. Though Sean never made landfall, it battered the Pilbara coast with strong winds and rain. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) reported that Karratha received 274.4 millimeters (10.8 inches) in a 24-hour period, breaking the city’s single-day rain record.
The storm flooded roads and homes, damaged power infrastructure, and prompted the closure of several ports. However, the storm also brought relief from hot and humid conditions, according to news reports. Looking ahead, the abundant water could aid cattle station managers, allowing them to return their animals to grazing.
Australia’s tropical cyclone season runs from November through April, though storms can occur outside these months. According to the BoM, the 2024–2025 seasonal forecast called for an average number of tropical cyclones, although more of them are expected to be stronger than usual due to warm sea surface temperatures.
The second tropical cyclone of Australia’s 2024–2025 season brought high winds and heavy rain to the Pilbara Coast.
Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison/MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview Article Credit: Kathryn Hansen Image Date: Jan. 20, 2025 Release Date: Jan. 22, 2025
Can You Spot Suni? Williams & Hague on Spacewalk | International Space Station
NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams (center) is dwarfed near the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft as she replaces a planar reflector, advanced navigational hardware visiting vehicles use when approaching the International Space Station. Dragon is docked to the Harmony module's space-facing port which rests in between the Kibo and Columbus laboratory modules. 267 miles below is the Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams (center) is dwarfed near the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft as she replaces a planar reflector, advanced navigational hardware visiting vehicles use when approaching the International Space Station. Dragon is docked to the Harmony module's space-facing port which rests in between the Kibo and Columbus laboratory modules. 263 miles below is the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of Brazil.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams is pictured during a six-hour spacewalk for science and maintenance on the International Space Station. At upper right, is the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft docked to the Harmony module's space-facing port.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Nick Hague is pictured during a six-hour spacewalk for science and maintenance on the International Space Station.
The NICER X-ray telescope is reflected on NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Nick Hague's spacesuit helmet visor in this high-flying "space-selfie." Also, visible in Hague's visor is the camera he is pointing toward himself to take this photograph. During the six-hour spacewalk, Hague patched light leaks on some of NICER's 56 X-ray concentrators that block ultraviolet, infrared, and visible light while allowing X-rays to pass through to the mirrors underneath enabling the observation of neutron stars.
The official portrait of the International Space Station's Expedition 72 crew. At the top (from left) are, Roscosmos cosmonaut and Flight Engineer Alexey Ovchinin, NASA astronaut and space station Commander Suni Williams, and NASA astronaut and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore. In the middle row are, Roscosmos cosmonaut and Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner and NASA astronaut and Flight Engineer Don Pettit. In the bottom row are, Roscosmos cosmonaut and Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov and NASA astronaut and Flight Engineer Nick Hague.
The official insignia of the Expedition 72 crew that will live and work aboard the International Space Station for long duration space research missions in 2024 and 2025. The simple patch design highlights the configuration of the orbital laboratory with its six roll-out solar arrays augmenting the station's power generation system.
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Nick Hague concluded their spacewalk at 2:01 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 16, 2025. It was the fourth spacewalk for Hague and the eighth for Williams, and it was the 273rd spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.
Williams and Hague completed their primary objectives, including removing and replacing a rate gyro assembly, installing patches to cover damaged areas of light filters on the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) x-ray telescope, and replacing a reflector device on one of the international docking adapters. The pair also checked access areas and connector tools that astronauts will use for future Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer maintenance.
Expedition 72 Crew 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.
Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)/Bill Stafford, Robert Markowitz Image Date: Jan. 16, 2025
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center: Year 2024 in Review
"Let’s take a look back at the biggest stories from 2024. Throughout the year, Marshall Space Flight Center showcased its ability to innovate and inspire for the benefit of all humanity. Marshall continues to lead the way in space exploration, making technological advancements and establishing partnerships that push the boundaries of what’s possible."
Learn more about NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center:
NASA-JPL-Caltech-Kevin%20Gill.jpg)
Yuri%20Beletsky.jpg)
