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Liftoff of European Space Agency EarthCARE Satellite on SpaceX Falcon 9
The European Space Agency’s EarthCARE satellite lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg launch complex in California, USA, on May 29, 2024, at 00:20 CEST (May 28, 2024, 15:20 local time).
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the European Space Agency’s EarthCARE satellite is poised patiently on the launch pad at Vandenberg in California.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the European Space Agency’s EarthCARE satellite being rolled out to the launch pad at the Vandenberg launch complex in California.
The European Space Agency’s EarthCARE satellite encapsulated with the Falcon 9 rocket fairing being taken to the SpaceX launch facility at the Vandenberg launch complex in California.
The European Space Agency’s EarthCARE satellite being encapsulated with in the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fairing. It protects the satellite during the first stages of launch.
The European Space Agency’s EarthCARE satellite successfully lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg launch complex in California, USA, on May 29, 2024, at 00:20 CEST (May 28, 15:20 local time).
The Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) satellite is a joint-project between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The satellite carries a set of four instruments to make a range of measurements that examine the role that clouds and aerosols play in regulating Earth’s climate. EarthCARE uses light detection and ranging (lidar) and radar technology. The 2,200-kilogram satellite, flying in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 393 kilometers, will collect data on clouds and aerosols in the atmosphere, along with imagery and measurements of reflected sunlight and radiated heat. This information will be used for atmospheric science, including climate and weather models.
European Space Agency EarthCARE Satellite Launch on SpaceX Falcon 9
The European Space Agency’s EarthCARE satellite successfully lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg launch complex in California, USA, on May 29, 2024, at 00:20 CEST (May 28, 15:20 local time).
The Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) satellite is a joint-project between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The satellite carries a set of four instruments to make a range of measurements that examine the role that clouds and aerosols play in regulating Earth’s climate. EarthCARE uses light detection and ranging (lidar) and radar technology. The 2,200-kilogram satellite, flying in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 393 kilometers, will collect data on clouds and aerosols in the atmosphere, along with imagery and measurements of reflected sunlight and radiated heat. This information will be used for atmospheric science, including climate and weather models.
International Space Station Crew Talks with WSYR-TV in Syracuse, New York
Aboard the International Space Station, NASA Expedition 71 Flight Engineers Tracy Dyson and Jeanette Epps discussed living and working in space during an in-flight interview with WSYR-TV, NewsChannel 9 in Syracuse, New York on May 28, 2024.
Dyson and Epps are in the midst of long duration missions living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.
Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin (Russia)
NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
Shenzhou-18 Crew Completes First Spacewalk | China Space Station
The Shenzhou-18 crew on board China's orbiting space station completed their first spacewalk at 18:58 Beijing time on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
During the 8.5-hour extravehicular activity (EVA), astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu successfully installed space debris protection devices, among other tasks.
Ye and Li Guangsu were assigned to the spacewalk and safely returned to the station's Wentian lab module after the venture.
This EVA marked the 15th spacewalk by Chinese astronauts during the space station's application and development phase. It was the first spacewalk for Li Guangsu, who operated the station's robotic arms during the walk, and the second for Ye following his initial outing on the Shenzhou-13 mission.
At 10:35, Ye and Li Guangsu opened the hatch door. Ye then mounted the robotic arm and, with Li Guangsu's assistance, received the equipment and was transported to the worksite to install items such as power protection racks.
By 12:20, Li Guangsu had exited the cabin to join Ye in inspecting the station's exterior equipment and facilities.
"Since Shenzhou 17, we have been carrying out long-term extravehicular maintenance and inspection tasks. During this spacewalk, we addressed issues with the debris protection system by installing a protective panel, which will reduce the risk of collisions with debris and meteoroids for key equipment during long-term operations," said Li Xuedong, deputy chief designer of the space station system at the China Academy of Space Technology.
"This spacewalk involved many tasks, making it the most extensive inspection and photographic documentation conducted outside the cabin. Consequently, this spacewalk was also the longest in duration. The entire procedure was executed flawlessly, with the astronauts demonstrating exceptional precision and skill," said Zhang Wanxin, director of the Spacesuit Engineering Office and deputy chief designer of the Astronaut System at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center.
The Shenzhou-18 mission will continue with a series of scheduled space science experiments and technical tests. The crew will also undertake additional extravehicular activities and install payloads outside the space station, according to the CMSA. Shenzhou-18 represents the seventh crew of three astronauts to operate China's Tiangong space station.
Shenzhou-18 Crew:
Ye Guangfu (叶光富, commander)
Li Cong (李聪, mission specialist)
Li Guangsu (李广苏, mission specialist)
Video Credit: China National Space Administration (CNSA)
Strong X2.8 Solar Flare Erupts from Sun | NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare seen as the bright flash on the limb of the Sun on May 27, 2024 with an inset image of Earth for scale. The image shows a subset of extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the extremely hot material in flares. It is colorized in red.
Amateur astronomer Michael Karrer captured gigantic explosion from the Sun's surface on May 27, 2024, from Austria
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): An X2.8 flare from old Region 3664 occurred at 27/0708 UTC. Due to its far SE location, energetic particles could take additional time to arrive in the near Earth environment.
The Sun emitted a strong solar flare from the AR3664 region, peaking at 3:08 a.m. ET on May 27, 2024. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) watches the Sun constantly and it captured an image of the event.
"I have not seen an explosion like this in my 40 years of observing the sun," said amateur astronomer Michael Karrer. "So fast, so far out into space! It was gigantic."
This flare is classified as a X2.8 flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.
Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.
To see how such space weather may affect Earth, please visit NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center https://spaceweather.gov/, the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts.
NASA works as a research arm of the nation’s space weather effort. NASA observes the Sun and our space environment constantly with a fleet of spacecraft that study everything from the Sun’s activity to the solar atmosphere, and to the particles and magnetic fields in the space surrounding Earth.
NASA Astronaut Jeanette Epps Portrait | International Space Station
Expedition 71 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps poses for a portrait inside the seven-window cupola, the International Space Station's "window to the world," while orbiting 259 miles above Greece.
Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin (Russia)
NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
RSCG 55: Wide-field Galactic View in Virgo | Victor Blanco Telescope
A wide shot captures the galaxy groups NGC 4410 and NGC 4411. In the center of the image, NGC 4411 is a serene pair of spiral galaxies in a deceptive union. Though the companions are thought to be right next to each other—at a distance of about 50 million light-years from us—they do not show signs of interaction, such as distorted arms. RSCG 55 is a group of intertwined galaxies in the constellation Virgo (see upper right).
The pair NGC4411b (left) and NCG 4411a (right) were captured by the Dark Energy Camera (DECam). This was built by the Department of Energy and mounted on the prime focus of the 4-meter Víctor M. Blanco Telescope at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF NOIRLab, in Chile. NGC 4411a is a particularly satisfying galaxy to observe because of its distinct and symmetrical spiral arms that swirl more than 360 degrees around its core.
If the galaxies of NGC 4411 were interacting, they would look more intertwined, like NGC 4410, above them in this image. The four interacting galaxies of that system are connected by tidal bridges, created by the gravity of each galaxy pulling on the others in the system.
This image was captured as part of the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys, which was conducted to identify targets for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) operations.
RSCG 55: A Menagerie of Intertwined Galaxies | Victor Blanco Telescope
Collectively known as RSCG 55, this captivating spectacle of gravitationally intertwined galaxies lies in the constellation Virgo. This image was taken by the Dark Energy Camera (DECam). It was built by the Department of Energy and mounted on the prime focus of 4-meter Víctor M. Blanco Telescope at the U.S. National Science Foundation Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab, in Chile.
This is a group of interacting galaxies, meaning they are located close enough to influence each other gravitationally. Over time, gravitational interactions can greatly impact how galaxies evolve, leading to distorted shapes, increased rates of star formation, and galactic mergers. Gravitational interactions between galaxies have had a big impact on the variety of galaxies we see in the Universe today. What evidence of gravitational interaction can you see in this image? The most obvious examples are the well-defined tidal bridges which appear as faint trails of material between the galaxies. These bridges are made of stars, gas, and dust that have been pulled from one galaxy to another during a close encounter in the past.
Explore the area around RSCG 55 in the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys viewer. This survey was conducted to identify targets for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) operations. x
Dark markings and bright nebulae in this telescopic southern sky view are telltale signs of young stars and active star formation. They lie a mere 650 light-years away, at the boundary of the local bubble and the Chamaeleon molecular cloud complex. Regions with young stars identified as dusty reflection nebulae from the 1946 Cederblad catalog include the C-shaped Ced 110 just above and right of center, and bluish Ced 111 below it.
Also a standout in the frame, the orange tinted V-shape of the Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula (Cha IRN) was carved by material streaming from a newly formed low-mass star. The well-composed image spans 1.5 degrees. This is about 17 light-years at the estimated distance of the nearby Chamaeleon I molecular cloud.
New Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) agency aims to boost science and commercial space projects in South Korea
" . . . South Korea today officially launched a new agency to take charge of the effort. The primary mandate of the new Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA)—modeled on the United States’ NASA—is to build up the country’s commercial launch and satellite capabilities. However, the government has also tasked the agency with landing spacecraft on the Moon by 2032, on Mars by 2045, and fostering leading edge science."
“Scientists who work on the Solar System and space explorations are quite excited,” says theoretical astrophysicist Sungsoo Kim of Kyung Hee University.
"KASA unites under one roof space programs previously scattered across the government. Its creation fulfills a campaign promise made by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who took office in May 2022. Yoon sees a stronger space program as boosting economic growth, and a government plan calls for roughly doubling spending on space-related programs to 1.5 trillion won ($1.1 billion) over 5 years from 2022 to 2027."
"Much of that funding would go to developing rockets, satellites, and other technologies that have commercial applications. But the plan from the National Space Committee also calls for KASA to promote 'leading space science research that can contribute to the expansion of human knowledge.'
The plan builds on a recent success. The country’s first space exploration mission, the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), carries five scientific instruments that are gathering data on the Moon’s weathering, magnetic field, and permanently shadowed craters. Launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in August 2022, the mission was originally planned to last 1 year but has been extended through 2025. Kim says it demonstrates that South Korean researchers can contribute to space science."
"This year, about 6% of South Korea’s space budget, or about $45 million, will go to science and exploration. But that funding is expected to increase, and KASA has recruited John Lee, a Korean American who was an executive at NASA for nearly 30 years, to be KASA deputy administrator in charge of missions and R&D. Lee has 'extensive experience in scientific missions,' says Sangwoo Shin, a space policy researcher at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)."
Memorial Day in the United States | International Space Station
"All gave some, but some gave all."
"On Memorial Day in the United States, we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation."
Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May.
Roscosmos (Russia): Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin (Russia)
NASA: Tracy Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
Shenzhou-18 Crew: Gardening in Space & New Duties | China Space Station
Watch gardening and research activities aboard the Tiangong Space Station. Since the Shenzhou-18 crew arrived, all work and life have been carried out in an orderly manner. Astronauts not only regularly maintain the experimental equipment of the space station and keep themselves healthy, but they also carefully take care of their space vegetable garden.
China's three astronauts on the Shenzhou-18 mission have been carrying out a series of scientific experiments over the past month since they entered the Tiangong space station on April 26.
The three Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu were sent to the orbiting Tiangong space station for a six-month mission on April 25.
Four zebrafish and hornwort were brought into orbit by the Shenzhou-18 spaceship for a life science and ecological experiment.
So far, the astronauts have successfully carried out two times of water sampling and one fish food container replacement. They have found some abnormal directional behaviors of the zebrafish in microgravity, such as making rotational movements, going in circles and even swimming upside-down.
The water samples, fish eggs, and videos recording spatial movement behaviors of the zebrafish will be sent back to Earth for scientists to study the influence of space environment on the growth and behaviors of vertebrates, which will provide reference for researches on material circulation of contained ecosystems in space.
The combustion experimental cabinet is one of the eight experimental cabinets carried by Mengtian, the second lab module of China's space station. It can help scientists carry out in-depth research on basic science problems of combustion, space propulsion, fire safety for spacecrafts, combustion pollution control and other basic and applied technologies.
Over the past month, the crew members have completed the installation of the conversion cable of the combustion solenoid valve, which can remotely controlled the switch of the solenoid valve, to accurately control the fuel flow during the experiment.
The Shenzhou-18 crew also carried out burner replacement, vacuumizing, exhausting waste gas and other operations on the combustion experimental cabinet.
The three astronauts also completed the mission to replace samples of the container-free material cabinet. Previously, a number of key research projects had been carried out in the container-free cabinet, and many batches of experimental samples had been brought back to Earth for further tests and research.
Shenzhou-18 astronauts also assembled and tested material extravehicular exposure of experiment equipment.
The astronauts in space face a series of physiological challenges brought about by the microgravity environment, including changes in the cardiovascular system, muscle atrophy and bone density loss.
They have performed regular weightlessness protection exercises, such as treadmill training and resistance training, so as to maintain good physical condition for the half-year mission.
Shenzhou-18 Crew:
Ye Guangfu (叶光富, commander)
Li Cong (李聪, mission specialist)
Li Guangsu (李广苏, mission specialist)\
Video Credit: China National Space Administration (CNSA)
This is an image of the broad and sweeping spiral galaxy NGC 4731. It lies among the galaxies of the Virgo cluster, in the constellation Virgo, and is located 43 million light-years from Earth. This highly detailed image was created using six different filters. The abundance of color illustrates the galaxy's billowing clouds of gas, dark dust bands, bright pink star-forming regions and, most obviously, the long, glowing bar with trailing arms.
Barred spiral galaxies outnumber regular spirals and elliptical galaxies put together, numbering around 60% of all galaxies. The visible bar structure is a result of orbits of stars and gas in the galaxy lining up, forming a dense region that individual stars move in and out of over time. This is the same process that maintains a galaxy's spiral arms, but it is somewhat more mysterious for bars: spiral galaxies seem to form bars in their centers as they mature, accounting for the large number of bars we see today, but can also lose them later on as the accumulated mass along the bar grows unstable. The orbital patterns and the gravitational interactions within a galaxy that sustain the bar also transport matter and energy into it, fueling star formation. Indeed, the observing program studying NGC 4731 seeks to investigate this flow of matter in galaxies.
Beyond the bar, the spiral arms of NGC 4731 stretch out far past the confines of this close-in Hubble view. The galaxy’s elongated arms are thought to result from gravitational interactions with other, nearby galaxies in the Virgo cluster.
Image Description: A close-in view of a barred spiral galaxy. The bright, glowing bar crosses the center of the galaxy with spiral arms curving away from its ends and continuing out of view. It is surrounded by bright patches of light where stars are forming, as well as dark lines of dust. The galaxy’s clouds of gas spread out from the arms and bar, giving way to a dark background with some foreground stars and small, distant galaxies.
Rocket Lab Launch of NASA Earth Science PREFIRE Mission in New Zealand
Rocket Lab successfully launched the first of two NASA Earth science cubesats via an Electron rocket on May 25, 2024. The Electron rocket lifted off from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 3:41 a.m. eastern time. It placed a 6U cubesat into a 525-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. This is part of a NASA mission called Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment or PREFIRE.
NASA’s PREFIRE mission aims to improve global climate change predictions by expanding our understanding of heat loss at the polar regions. The Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment (PREFIRE) will send two shoebox-size satellites into space to study the Arctic and Antarctic. They will be the first to systematically measure heat in the form of far-infrared radiation emitted from those regions.
Earth absorbs much of the Sun’s energy at the tropics. Weather and ocean currents then move that heat toward the poles. This helps to regulate Earth’s climate by radiating that heat back into space. However, the Arctic is warming about three times faster than anywhere else on Earth. This is leading to increased ice sheet melt and sea level rise in coastal communities. The data from PREFIRE will help scientists better understand how Earth’s polar regions respond to climate change and what that might mean for the future.
BBC Star Diary: Night shining noctilucent clouds return (May 27 to June 3, 2024)
Noctilucent, or night shining, clouds sparkle from the edge of space in the twilight sky. Find out how you can see these for yourself as well as our usual stargazing highlights in this week’s podcast guide, Star Diary, May 27 to June 3, 2024.
Panning over Globular Cluster NGC 6397 | Euclid Space Telescope
The European Space Agency's new Euclid space telescope captured this sparkly image of a globular cluster called NGC 6397. Globular clusters are collections of hundreds of thousands of stars held together by gravity.
Located about 7,800 light-years from Earth, NGC 6397 is the second-closest globular cluster to us. Together with other globular clusters it orbits in the disc of the Milky Way, where the majority of stars are located.
Globular clusters are among the oldest objects in the Universe. This is why they contain many clues about the history and evolution of their host galaxies, like this one for the Milky Way.
The challenge is that it is typically difficult to observe an entire globular cluster in just one sitting. Their centers contain large volumes of stars, so many that the brightest ‘drown out’ the fainter ones. Their outer regions extend a long way out and contain mostly low-mass, faint stars. It is the faint stars that can tell us about previous interactions with the Milky Way.
Image Description: This square astronomical image is speckled with hundreds of thousands of stars visible across the black expanse of space. The stars vary in size and color, from blue to white to yellow/red. Blue stars are younger and red stars are older. More stars are located at the center of the image, where they are bound together by gravity into a spheroid conglomeration—also called a globular cluster. Several stars are a bit larger than the rest, with six diffraction spikes.
Video Credit: ESA / Euclid /Euclid Consortium / NASA
Image Processing: J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi
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