The Moon's Oldest Basin Formed around 4.25 Billion Years Ago: Chinese Scientists

The Moon's Oldest Basin Formed around 4.25 Billion Years Ago: Chinese Scientists

Chinese scientists have determined the formation time of the oldest basin on the Moon by examining the lunar soil samples collected by Chang'e-6 on the Moon's far side. Chang'e 6 was the sixth robotic lunar exploration mission by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the second CNSA lunar sample-return mission. Like its predecessors in the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP), the spacecraft is named after the Chinese moon goddess Chang'e. It was the first lunar mission to retrieve samples from the far side of the Moon; all previous samples were collected from the near side.

On June 25, 2024, China's Chang'e 6 lunar probe brought nearly 2 kilograms of lunar samples to the Earth for the first time in human history.

These samples were collected from the South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA Basin), the largest, deepest and oldest basin on the moon.

By studying the samples, the Chinese scientists have determined that the SPA Basin was formed around 4.25 billion years ago, offering insights into the early evolution of the Moon and the solar system.

This finding confirms that about 320 million years after the formation of the solar system, a colossal impact event led to the creation of the SPA Basin, the largest impact remnant on the moon.

The research findings by Chinese scientists based on lunar soil samples brought back by Chang'e 6 mission have been featured in international news and academic journals since the probe's return.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 52 seconds
Release Date: March 21, 2025

#NASA #CNSA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #China #中国 #Moon #Change6 #嫦娥六号 #LunarSampleReturn #Geology #FarSide #SouthPole #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #CLEP #InternationalCooperation #France #CNES #Italy #ASI #Sweden #STEM #Education #History #HD #Video

Elliptical Galaxy NGC 3561B & Spiral Galaxy NGC 3561A in Ursa Major | Hubble

Elliptical Galaxy NGC 3561B & Spiral Galaxy NGC 3561A in Ursa Major | Hubble

An elliptical galaxy (upper left) and a spiral galaxy (lower right) are connected by a stream of drawn-out gas. Two significant bright blue blobs of star formation are visible on the outskirts of the spiral galaxy, and another extends away from the center of the elliptical. A long tail is visible extending from the spiral galaxy.

Elliptical galaxy NGC 3561B (upper left) and spiral galaxy NGC 3561A (lower right) form a shimmering guitar shape in the ongoing merger known collectively as Arp 105.

Arp 105 is a dazzling ongoing merger between an elliptical galaxy and a spiral galaxy drawn together by gravity, characterized by a long, drawn out tidal tail of stars and gas more than 362,000 light-years long. The immense tail, which extends beyond this image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, was pulled from the two galaxies by their gravitational interactions and is embedded with star clusters and dwarf galaxies. The distinctively shaped arrangement of galaxies and tail gives the grouping its nickname: The Guitar.

The gravitational dance between elliptical galaxy NGC 3561B and spiral galaxy NGC 3561A creates a wealth of fascinating colliding galaxy features. A long lane of dark dust emerging from the elliptical galaxy ends in, and may be feeding, a bright blue area of star formation on the base of the guitar known as Ambartsumian’s Knot. Ambartsumian’s Knot is a tidal dwarf galaxy, a type of star-forming system that develops from the debris in tidal arms of interacting galaxies.

Two more bright blue areas of star formation are obvious in the Hubble image at the edges of the distorted spiral galaxy. The region to the left in the spiral galaxy is likely very similar to Ambartsumian’s Knot, a knot of intense star formation triggered by the merger. The region to the right is still under investigation―it could be part of the collision, but its velocity and spectral data (indicating distance) are different from the rest of the system, so it may be a foreground galaxy.

Thin, faint tendrils of gas and dust are just barely visible stretching between and connecting the two galaxies. These tendrils are particularly interesting to astronomers since they may help define the timescale of the evolution of this collision.

A multitude of more-distant background galaxies are visible around and even through this merging duo. The bright blue blob of stars to the left of Ambartsumian’s Knot may be a particularly bright background galaxy.

Arp 105 is one of the brightest objects in the crowded galaxy cluster Abell 1185 in the constellation Ursa Major. Abell 1185, located around 400 million light-years away, is a chaotic cluster of at least 82 galaxies, many of which are interacting, as well as a number of wandering globular clusters that are not gravitationally attached to any particular galaxy. This Hubble image was taken as part of a study of the ongoing creation of galactic and intergalactic stellar populations in Abell 1185.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA and M. West (Lowell Observatory)

Image Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
Release Date: March 8, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC3561A #SpiralGalaxy #NGC3561B #EllipticalGalaxy #Arp105 #InteractingGalaxies #AmbartsumiansKnot #DwarfGalaxy #Abell1185 #UrsaMajor #Constellation #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Hubble By The Numbers | NASA Goddard

Hubble By The Numbers | NASA Goddard

"Hubble isn’t just famous for its photos, it’s a science powerhouse packed with mind-blowing stats. It orbits Earth every 95 minutes, weighs as much as two elephants, and can even look billions of years into the past!"

"In this video, we break down some of the wildest numbers behind the telescope that changed how we see the universe. From astronaut upgrades to 1.6 million observations, Hubble’s done a lot in 30+ years."

Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Duration: 4 minutes
Release Date: March 24, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Statistics #Stars #Nebulae #Galaxies #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Close-up: Spiral Galaxy NGC 5530 | A Chance Alignment in Lupus | Hubble

Close-up: Spiral Galaxy NGC 5530 | A Chance Alignment in Lupus | Hubble

The subject of this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture is the spiral galaxy NGC 5530. It is located 40 million light-years away in the constellation Lupus (The Wolf). This galaxy is classified as a ‘flocculent’ spiral, meaning that its spiral arms are patchy and indistinct.

While galaxies can have extraordinarily bright centers where they host a feasting supermassive black hole, the bright source near the center of NGC 5530 is not an active black hole but instead a star within our own galaxy, only ten thousand light-years from Earth. This chance alignment gives the appearance that the star is at the dense heart of NGC 5530.

If you had pointed a backyard telescope at NGC 5530 on the evening of September 13, 2007, you would have seen another bright point of light adorning the galaxy. That night, Australian amateur astronomer Robert Evans discovered a supernova, named SN 2007IT, by comparing NGC 5530’s appearance through the telescope to a reference photo of the galaxy. While it is remarkable to discover even one supernova using this painstaking method, Evans has in fact discovered more than 40 supernovae this way! This particular discovery was accidental. It is likely that the light from the supernova had completed its 40-million-year journey to Earth just days before the explosion was discovered. 

Image Description: A spiral galaxy, seen tilted at a slight angle, on a dark background of space. It glows softly from its center, throughout its disc out to the edge. The disc is a broad swirl of webs of dark reddish dust and sparkling blue patches where stars have formed. Atop the center of the galaxy there is a star that appears very large and bright with four spikes emanating from it, because it is relatively close to Earth.

Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: March 24, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC5530 #SpiralGalaxy #Supernovae #Lupus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Spiral Galaxy NGC 5530: A Chance Alignment in Lupus | Hubble

Spiral Galaxy NGC 5530: A Chance Alignment in Lupus | Hubble

The subject of this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture is the spiral galaxy NGC 5530. It is located 40 million light-years away in the constellation Lupus (The Wolf). This galaxy is classified as a ‘flocculent’ spiral, meaning that its spiral arms are patchy and indistinct.

While galaxies can have extraordinarily bright centers where they host a feasting supermassive black hole, the bright source near the center of NGC 5530 is not an active black hole but instead a star within our own galaxy, only ten thousand light-years from Earth. This chance alignment gives the appearance that the star is at the dense heart of NGC 5530.

If you had pointed a backyard telescope at NGC 5530 on the evening of September 13, 2007, you would have seen another bright point of light adorning the galaxy. That night, Australian amateur astronomer Robert Evans discovered a supernova, named SN 2007IT, by comparing NGC 5530’s appearance through the telescope to a reference photo of the galaxy. While it is remarkable to discover even one supernova using this painstaking method, Evans has in fact discovered more than 40 supernovae this way! This particular discovery was accidental. It is likely that the light from the supernova had completed its 40-million-year journey to Earth just days before the explosion was discovered. 

Image Description: A spiral galaxy, seen tilted at a slight angle, on a dark background of space. It glows softly from its center, throughout its disc out to the edge. The disc is a broad swirl of webs of dark reddish dust and sparkling blue patches where stars have formed. Atop the center of the galaxy there is a star that appears very large and bright with four spikes emanating from it, because it is relatively close to Earth.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker

Release Date: March 24, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC5530 #SpiralGalaxy #Supernovae #Lupus #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Close-up: Small Magellanic Cloud | Colorful Clouds of a Galactic Neighbor | Hubble

Close-up: Small Magellanic Cloud | Colorful Clouds of a Galactic Neighbor | Hubble

Say hello to one of the Milky Way’s neighbors! This NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture features a scene from one of the closest galaxies to the Milky Way, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The SMC is a dwarf galaxy located about 200,000 light-years away. Most of the galaxy resides in the constellation Tucana, but a small section crosses over into the neighboring constellation Hydrus.

Thanks to its proximity, the SMC is one of only a few galaxies that can be seen from Earth without the help of a telescope or binoculars. For viewers in the southern hemisphere and certain latitudes within the northern hemisphere, the SMC resembles a piece of the Milky Way that has broken off, though in reality it is much farther away than any part of our own galaxy.

With its 2.4-meter ‘eye’ and sensitive instruments, Hubble’s view of the SMC is far more detailed and vivid than what humans can see. Researchers used Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 instrument to observe this scene through four different filters. Each filter admits different wavelengths of light, creating a multicolored view of dust clouds drifting across a field of stars. Hubble’s view, however, is much more zoomed-in than our eyes, the better for it to observe very distant objects. This image captures a small region of the SMC near the center of NGC 346, a star cluster that is home to dozens of massive young stars.

Image Description: An area of space that is filled with stars. Most of the stars are small, distant dots in orange colors; closer stars shine with a bright glow and four thin spikes around them. These closer stars appear in bluish and reddish colors. Clouds from a nebula cover the left half of the scene, giving it a blue-greenish cast. More pieces of cloud drift over the black background of space on the right.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Murray

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: March 18, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Galaxies #DwarfGalaxy #SmallMagellanicCloud #SMC #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Story Behind Herbig-Haro Object 49/50 in Chamaeleon | Webb Telescope

The Story Behind Herbig-Haro Object 49/50 in Chamaeleon | Webb Telescope

This Space Sparks episode features a new image from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space of Herbig-Haro 49/50 and a perfectly positioned, more distant spiral galaxy. Herbig-Haro 49/50 is located about 630 light-years from Earth in the constellation Chamaeleon. It is an outflow from a nearby still-forming star.

Video Credits:
Directed by: Bethany Downer and Nico Bartmann
Editing: Nico Bartmann
Web and technical support: Enciso Systems
Written by: Bethany Downer
Footage: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. DePasquale, L.Hustak, G. Bacon, R. Crawford, D. Kirshenblat, C. Nieves, Alyssa Pagan , F. Summers, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)
Duration: 1 minute, 44 seconds
Release Date: March 24, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #JWST #JamesWebb #WebbTelescope #Stars #Protostars #HerbigHaroObject #HerbigHaro4950 #Chamaeleon #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Journey to Herbig-Haro Object 49/50 in Chamaeleon | Webb Telescope

Journey to Herbig-Haro Object 49/50 in Chamaeleon | Webb Telescope

This video takes the viewer on a journey to Herbig-Haro 49/50, an outflow from a nearby still-forming star, in high-resolution near- and mid-infrared light with the James Webb Space Telescope's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). The intricate features of the outflow, represented in reddish-orange color, provide detailed clues about how young stars form and how their jet activity affects the environment around them. A chance alignment in this direction of the sky provides a beautiful juxtaposition of this nearby Herbig-Haro object (located within our Milky Way) with a more distant, face-on spiral galaxy in the background.

Herbig-Haro 49/50 is located about 630 light-years from Earth in the constellation Chamaeleon.

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, ESO, Digitized Sky Survey 2, unWISE, JPL-Caltech, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb), E. Slawik, N. Risinger, D. De Martin, D. Lang (Perimeter Institute), M. Zamani (ESA/Webb)
Duration: 1  minute
Release Date: March 24, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #JWST #JamesWebb #WebbTelescope #Stars #Protostars #HerbigHaroObject #HerbigHaro4950 #Chamaeleon #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Data Visualization: Herbig-Haro 49/50 in Chamaeleon | Webb Telescope

Data Visualization: Herbig-Haro 49/50 in Chamaeleon | Webb Telescope

This video provides special data visualisation of Herbig-Haro 49/50, as seen by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. This is an outflow from a nearby still-forming star, in high-resolution near- and mid-infrared light with the NIRCam and MIRI instruments. The intricate features of the outflow, represented in reddish-orange color, provide detailed clues about how young stars form and how their jet activity affects the environment around them. A chance alignment in this direction of the sky provides a beautiful juxtaposition of this nearby Herbig-Haro object (located within our Milky Way) with a more distant, face-on spiral galaxy in the background. Herbig-Haro 49/50 is located about 630 light-years from Earth in the constellation Chamaeleon.

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. DePasquale, L.Hustak, G. Bacon, R. Crawford, D. Kirshenblat, C. Nieves, Alyssa Pagan , F. Summers
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: March 24, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #JWST #JamesWebb #WebbTelescope #Stars #Protostars #HerbigHaroObject #HerbigHaro4950 #Chamaeleon #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #DataVisualization #Visualization #HD #Video

Close-up: Herbig-Haro Object 49/50 in Chamaeleon | Webb Telescope

Close-up: Herbig-Haro Object 49/50 in Chamaeleon | Webb Telescope

The NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope observed Herbig-Haro 49/50, an outflow from a nearby still-forming star, in high-resolution near- and mid-infrared light with the NIRCam and MIRI instruments. The intricate features of the outflow, represented in reddish-orange color, provide detailed clues about how young stars form and how their jet activity affects the environment around them. A chance alignment in this direction of the sky provides a beautiful juxtaposition of this nearby Herbig-Haro object (located within our Milky Way) with a more distant, face-on spiral galaxy in the background. Herbig-Haro 49/50 is located about 630 light-years from Earth in the constellation Chamaeleon.

Protostars are young stars in the process of formation that generally launch narrow jets of material. These jets move through the surrounding environment, even extending to large distances away from the protostar.

Like the water wake generated by a speeding boat, the arcs in this image are created by the fast-moving jet slamming into surrounding dust and gas. This ambient material is compressed and heats up, then cools by emitting light at visible and infrared wavelengths. In particular, the infrared light captured here by Webb highlights molecular hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

The galaxy that appears by happenstance at the tip of Herbig-Haro 49/50 is a much more distant spiral galaxy. It has a prominent central bulge represented in blue that shows the location of older stars. It also displays hints of “side lobes,” suggesting that this could be a barred-spiral galaxy. Reddish clumps within the spiral arms show the locations of warm dust and groups of forming stars.

In the image background there are many more galaxies at further distances, including galaxies that shine through the diffuse infrared glow of the nearby Herbig-Haro object.

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)
Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: March 24, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #JWST #JamesWebb #WebbTelescope #Stars #Protostars #HerbigHaroObject #HerbigHaro4950 #Chamaeleon #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Herbig-Haro Object 49/50: Stellar Outflow in Chamaeleon | Webb Telescope

Herbig-Haro Object 49/50: Stellar Outflow in Chamaeleon | Webb Telescope

The NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope observed Herbig-Haro 49/50, an outflow from a nearby still-forming star, in high-resolution near- and mid-infrared light. Herbig-Haro 49/50 is located about 630 light-years from Earth in the constellation Chamaeleon.

The young star is off to the lower right corner of the Webb image. Intricate features of the outflow, represented in reddish-orange color, provide detailed clues about how young stars form and how their jet activity affects the environment around them. A chance alignment in this direction of the sky provides a beautiful juxtaposition of this nearby Herbig-Haro object (located within our Milky Way) with a face-on spiral galaxy in the distant background. 

Protostars are young stars in the process of formation that generally launch narrow jets of material. These jets move through the surrounding environment, even extending to large distances away from the protostar.

HH 49/50 is located in the Chamaeleon I Cloud complex, one of the nearest active star formation regions in our Milky Way, which is creating numerous low-mass stars similar to our Sun. This cloud complex is likely similar to the environment that our Sun formed in. Past observations of this region show that the HH 49/50 outflow is moving away from us at speeds of 100-300 kilometres per second and is just one feature of a larger outflow.

Like the water wake generated by a speeding boat, the arcs in this image are created by the fast-moving jet slamming into surrounding dust and gas. This ambient material is compressed and heats up, then cools by emitting light at visible and infrared wavelengths. In particular, the infrared light captured here by Webb highlights molecular hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

The galaxy that appears by happenstance at the tip of Herbig-Haro 49/50 is a much more distant spiral galaxy. It has a prominent central bulge represented in blue that shows the location of older stars. It also displays hints of “side lobes,” suggesting that this could be a barred-spiral galaxy. Reddish clumps within the spiral arms show the locations of warm dust and groups of forming stars.

There are many more galaxies at further distances in the surrounding background, including ones that shine through the diffuse infrared glow of the nearby Herbig-Haro object.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
Release Date: March 24, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #JWST #JamesWebb #WebbTelescope #Stars #Protostars #HerbigHaroObject #HerbigHaro4950 #Chamaeleon #Constellation #MilkyWayGalaxy #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Partial Solar Eclipse Visible across UK, Eastern U.S. & Canada | March 24-30, 2025

Partial Solar Eclipse Visible across UK, Eastern U.S. & Canada | March 24-30, 2025

This week, a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the UK and parts of eastern North America. Find out how you can safely see the momentous occasion for yourself by listening to the latest episode of Star Diary, the podcast from the makers of Sky at Night Magazine.

On March 29, 2025, the Moon will pass in front of and partially block the Sun, casting a shadow on parts of the Northern Hemisphere. The central part of the Moon’s shadow, where the Sun would appear completely blocked, misses Earth, so no one will be able to see a total solar eclipse this time. Everyone watching the eclipse must use proper eye protection or an indirect viewing method to protect their eyes.

Learn more about the partial solar eclipse from NASA:
https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/mar-29-2025-eclipse/

Video Credit: BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Duration: 19 minutes
Release Date: March 23, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #Moon #Earth #SolarEclipse #Planets #SolarSystem #Stars #StarClusters #Constellations #Nebulae #MilkyWayGalaxy #Galaxies #Universe #Skywatching #BBC #UK #Britain #Europe #UnitedStates #Canada #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #Podcast #HD #Video

Nichole Ayers Talks with Space Conference in Spain | International Space Station

Nichole Ayers Talks with Space Conference in Spain | International Space Station

[Event starts at 1 minute, 53 second mark] 

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 72 flight engineer Nichole Ayers of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview March 17, 2025, with “Space and Solutions” conference attendees in Seville, Spain. Ayers is in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program. 

New Space & Solutions Conference
Seville Spain, March 17-21, 2025
https://newspaceandsolutions.com/en/

Astronaut Nichole Ayers NASA Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/nasa-astronaut-nichole-ayers

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/nasa-astronaut-nichole-ayers/

Expedition 72 Updates:

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

Expedition 72 Crew

Station Commander: Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Ivan Vagner, Kirill Peskov
NASA Flight Engineers: Don Pettit, Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers 

JAXA Flight Engineer: Takuya Onishi

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:
https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science

For more information about STEM on Station:
https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Duration: 20 minutes
Release Date: March 17, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Astronauts #NicholeAyers #NewSpaceSolutions #Seville #Spain #España #Japan #日本 #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition72 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Planet Mars Images: March 22-23, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: March 22-23, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Mars 2020 - sol 1453

Mars 2020 - sol 1453

Mars 2020 - sol 1453

Mars 2020 - sol 1453

Mars 2020 - sol 1453

Mars 2020 - sol 1453

MSL - Sol 4488

Support FriendsofNASA.org

Celebrating 12+ Years on Mars (2012-2024)

Mission Name: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Rover Name: Curiosity

Main Job: To determine if Mars was ever habitable to microbial life. 

Launch: Nov. 6, 2011

Landing Date: Aug. 5, 2012, Gale Crater, Mars

Celebrating 4+ Years on Mars

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance

Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020    

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

For more information on NASA's Mars missions, visit: mars.nasa.gov

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Image Release Dates: March 22-23, 2025

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #JezeroCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #MSSS #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #KevinGill #STEM #Education

Spectrum Rocket at Andøya Spaceport in Norway: Pre-launch | Isar Aerospace

Spectrum Rocket at Andøya Spaceport in Norway: Pre-launch | Isar Aerospace

Isar Aerospace Spectrum launch vehicle at Andøya Spaceport in Norway

Andøya Spaceport in Norway offers access to high inclination, polar and sun-synchronous orbits for satellites

Andøya Spaceport in Norway

The launch window for Germany-based Isar Aerospace’s first test flight of its new two-stage launch vehicle Spectrum begins on Monday, March 24, 2025. Subject to weather, safety and range infrastructure, the company is preparing to conduct the launch of Spectrum from Andøya Spaceport in Norway. "The objective of this first test flight is to collect as much data and experience as possible."

European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher stated "[the] upcoming Spectrum launch will be historic: the first commercial orbital launch from mainland Europe. The support and co-funding the European Space Agency has given Isar Aerospace and other launch service provider startups is paying off for increased autonomy in Europe. Wishing Isar Aerospace a great launch day with fair weather and most importantly, that the data they receive from the liftoff will speed next iterations of their rockets."

Isar Aerospace "develops next generation rockets for sustainable access to space for small and medium satellites and satellite constellations."

Spectrum capabilities:
Payload capability to Low Earth Orbit (LEO): 1,000kg
Payload capability to Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO): 700kg
Vehicle length: 28m
Vehicle diameter: 2m

Learn more about the Spectrum launch vehicle: https://www.isaraerospace.com/spectrum

Andøya Spaceport: https://andoyaspace.no/spaceport/

Image Credit: Isar Aerospace/Andøya Spaceport
Image Dates: March 17-21, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Space #Science #Earth #Satellites #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #IsarAerospace #SpectrumRocket #LaunchVehicle #AndøyaSpaceport #Spaceport #Norway #Norge #Germany #Ottobrunn #Bavaria #Deutschland #Europe #Europa #Spaceflight #CommercialSpace #SatelliteIndustry #STEM #Education

Shenzhou-19 Crew Achieves Key Breakthroughs in 5 Months | China Space Station

Shenzhou-19 Crew Achieves Key Breakthroughs in 5 Months | China Space Station

Aboard China's Tiangong Space Station, the Shenzhou-19 crew has achieved significant breakthroughs over the past five months in space science, technology validation, and space medicine research.

Astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze, entered China's space station for a six-month spaceflight on October 30 last year.

Over the past nearly five months, a range of space science experiments and technology tests have been progressing smoothly.

In the field of space life sciences, the crew completed the first-ever fruit fly cultivation research in orbit. Additionally, the crew also conducted in orbit experiments on protein crystallization and five types of cells, providing important insights into the life sciences in the microgravity environment.

In the field of materials science, they carried out a number of metal and non-metal experiments in the containerless experiment cabinet and the high temperature scientific experiment cabinet.

"It is worth mentioning that we will be conducting an experiment with a maximum temperature of 3,000 degrees Celsius, using the containerless experiment cabinet. In the fields of microgravity fluid physics and combustion science, we have collaborated with the European Space Agency on research related to soft matter and complex fluids. By leveraging the different experimental conditions of China's space station and the International Space Station, we conduct scientific research in related fields in a complementary manner, enabling deeper and more extensive space exploration," said Wang Yifeng, an engineer at the Technology and Engineering Centre for Space Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

In the field of space medicine, the Shenzhou-19 mission has established a new health assessment system for astronauts in a microgravity environment. This system closely monitors astronauts’ physical and psychological conditions, tracks key indicators, such as cardiac health, bone density, muscle condition, and emotional well-being, and integrates traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

During their stay, the crew will conduct a total of 86 key space scientific experiments and tests.

The Shenzhou-19 crew is expected to return to Earth in just over a month.

Shenzhou-19 Crew:
Commander Cai Xuzhe (蔡旭哲)
Mission Specialist Wang Haoze (王浩泽)
Mission Specialist Song Lingdong (宋令东)

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: March 22, 2025

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