Zhúlóng: The Most Distant Spiral Galaxy Discovered to Date | NOIRLab

Zhúlóng: The Most Distant Spiral Galaxy Discovered to Date | NOIRLab

The image of Zhúlóng, the most distant spiral galaxy discovered to date. It has remarkably well-defined spiral arms, a central old bulge, and a large star-forming disk, resembling the structure of the Milky Way.

This image of Zhúlóng, the most distant spiral galaxy discovered to date, shows its remarkably well-defined spiral arms, a central old bulge, and a large star-forming disk, resembling the structure of the Milky Way.

At the center of this image, placed subtly amongst the dense galactic field, is Zhúlóng, the most distant spiral galaxy discovered to date. It has remarkably well-defined spiral arms, a central old bulge, and a large star-forming disk, resembling the structure of the Milky Way.

This is an image of Zhúlóng ("Torch Dragon"), the most distant spiral galaxy discovered to date. The image captured light emitted just 1 billion years after the Big Bang. Zhúlóng has remarkably well-defined spiral arms, a central old bulge, and a large star-forming disk, resembling the structure of the Milky Way galaxy. It looks like galaxies found in the nearby Universe and has a mass and size similar to that of the Milky Way. This is why Zhúlóng has been described as the most distant Milky Way "twin". This galaxy was discovered as part of the PANORAMIC Survey—a wide-area imaging survey being conducted with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The project is co-led by the National Science Foundation NOIRLab assistant astronomer Christina Williams and Pascal Oesch of the University of Geneva (UNIGE).

Large, grand-design spiral galaxies like our own Milky Way are common in the nearby Universe. However, they have proven hard to find in the early Universe. This was consistent with expectations that large disks with spiral arms should take many billions of years to form. However, assistant astronomer Christina Williams of NSF NOIRLab, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, has discovered a surprisingly mature spiral galaxy just one billion years after the Big Bang. This is the most distant, earliest known spiral galaxy in the Universe.

The galaxy is named Zhúlóng—meaning ‘Torch Dragon’ in Chinese mythology, a creature associated with light and cosmic time.

Credit: NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / NASA / CSA / ESA / M. Xiao (University of Geneva) / G. Brammer (Niels Bohr Institute) / D. de Martin & M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)
Release Date: April 16, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #SpiralGalaxies #Zhúlóng #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #InfraredAstronomy #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket ICPS Integration Move | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket ICPS Integration Move | Kennedy Space Center

The upper stage for NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket sits in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, after teams with the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems Program transported the four-story propulsion system from the spaceport’s Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF). 

The upper stage for NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket sits in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, after teams with the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems Program transported the four-story propulsion system from the spaceport’s Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF). 

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program pose for a photo in front of the upper stage for the agency’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. Visible in the background is also the Artemis I Orion crew module, now known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA). 

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program transport the upper stage for the agency’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket from the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the spaceport’s Vehicle Assembly Building on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program transport the upper stage for the agency’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket from the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the spaceport’s Vehicle Assembly Building on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program transport the upper stage for the agency’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket from the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the spaceport’s Vehicle Assembly Building on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program transport the upper stage for the agency’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket from the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the spaceport’s Vehicle Assembly Building on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program transport the upper stage for the agency’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket from the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the spaceport’s Vehicle Assembly Building on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The upper stage for NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket sits in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, after teams with the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) Program transported the four-story propulsion system from the spaceport’s Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF). Technicians fueled the SLS upper stage, known as the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, with hydrazine for its reaction control system at the MPPF and will now integrate the four-story propulsion system with SLS rocket elements atop Mobile Launcher 1.

The Artemis II test flight will be sending NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman, as well as Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a ten-day journey around the Moon and back.

Artemis II will launch no earlier than April 2026.

Learn more about NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket: nasa.gov/sls

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Follow updates on the Artemis blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Image Credit: NASA/Cory S. Huston

Capture Date: April 15, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Space #Science #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #ICPS #NASASLS #SpaceLaunchSystem #Astronauts #CrewedMission #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #SpaceEngineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #MSFC #KSC #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education 

Stellar Cradle Tour: Protostellar Object G339.88-1.2 in Ara | Hubble

Stellar Cradle Tour: Protostellar Object G339.88-1.2 in Ara | Hubble

The protostellar object G339.88-1.26, lies 8,900 light-years from Earth in the constellation Ara. It lurks in this dust-filled image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. Winding lanes of dark dust thread through this image. It is also studded with bright stars crowned with criss-crossing diffraction spikes.

The dark vertical streak at the center of this image hides OH 339.88-1.26, an astrophysical maser. A maser—an acronym for “microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation”—is essentially a laser that produces coherent light at microwave wavelengths. Such objects can occur naturally in astrophysical situations, in environments ranging from the north pole of Jupiter to star-forming regions such as the one pictured here.

This image comes from a set of Hubble observations that peer into the hearts of regions where massive stars are born to constrain the nature of massive protostars and test theories of their formation. Astronomers turned to Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 to explore the massive protostar G339.88-1.26, estimated to be about 20 times the mass of the Sun lurking in the dusty clouds in the center of the image. The Hubble observations were supported by other state-of-the-art observatories including ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. ALMA is composed of 66 moveable high-precision antennas which can be arranged over distances of up to 16 kilometers on a plateau perched high in the Chilean Andes. Further data were contributed by the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a telescope that—until recently— operated out of a converted 747 aircraft.

Image Description: The field is filled with hundreds of bright stars. They are primarily blue in color, with scattered smaller stars visible in yellow/orange. The background is dominated by cloudy grey dust, with permeating regions of dark black and orange.

Video Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. C. Tan (Chalmers Univ. & Univ. of Virginia)

Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: Aug. 28, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #BinaryStars #Nebulae #G33988126 #OH33988126 #Maser #StellarNursery #StellarEvolution #Ara #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Stellar Cradle Close-up: Protostellar Object G339.88-1.2 in Ara | Hubble

Stellar Cradle Close-up: Protostellar Object G339.88-1.2 in Ara | Hubble

The protostellar object G339.88-1.26, lies 8,900 light-years from Earth in the constellation Ara. It lurks in this dust-filled image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope. Winding lanes of dark dust thread through this image. It is also studded with bright stars crowned with criss-crossing diffraction spikes.

The dark vertical streak at the center of this image hides OH 339.88-1.26, an astrophysical maser. A maser—an acronym for “microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation”—is essentially a laser that produces coherent light at microwave wavelengths. Such objects can occur naturally in astrophysical situations, in environments ranging from the north pole of Jupiter to star-forming regions such as the one pictured here.

This image comes from a set of Hubble observations that peer into the hearts of regions where massive stars are born to constrain the nature of massive protostars and test theories of their formation. Astronomers turned to Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 to explore the massive protostar G339.88-1.26, estimated to be about 20 times the mass of the Sun lurking in the dusty clouds in the center of the image. The Hubble observations were supported by other state-of-the-art observatories including ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. ALMA is composed of 66 moveable high-precision antennas which can be arranged over distances of up to 16 kilometers on a plateau perched high in the Chilean Andes. Further data were contributed by the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a telescope that—until recently— operated out of a converted 747 aircraft.

Image Description: The field is filled with hundreds of bright stars. They are primarily blue in color, with scattered smaller stars visible in yellow/orange. The background is dominated by cloudy grey dust, with permeating regions of dark black and orange.

Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. C. Tan (Chalmers Univ. & Univ. of Virginia)
Release Date: Aug. 28, 2023

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Hubble #Stars #BinaryStars #Nebulae #G33988126 #OH33988126 #Maser #StellarNursery #StellarEvolution #Ara #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education 

Star-forming Region G339.88-1.26 in Ara: Wide-field view | Webb Telescope

Star-forming Region G339.88-1.26 in Ara: Wide-field view | Webb Telescope

The protostellar object G339.88-1.26 lies 8,900 light-years from Earth in the constellation Ara. This appears to be the early stages of a massive binary star formation.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest, most powerful telescope ever launched into space. Under an international collaboration agreement, the European Space Agency (ESA) provided the telescope’s launch service, using the Ariane 5 launch vehicle. Working with partners, ESA was responsible for the development and qualification of Ariane 5 adaptations for the Webb mission and for the procurement of the launch service by Arianespace. ESA also provided the workhorse spectrograph NIRSpec and 50% of the mid-infrared instrument MIRI that was designed and built by a consortium of nationally funded European Institutes (The MIRI European Consortium) in partnership with Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the University of Arizona.

Image Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/J.Roger

Image Processing: Andrea Luck

Release Date: April 15, 2025

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #JWST #JamesWebb #WebbTelescope #Stars #BinaryStars #Nebulae #G33988126 #StellarNursery #StellarEvolution #Ara #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #InfraredAstronomy #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Shenzhou-19 Crew Conducts Station Experiments & Tests Before Earth Return

Shenzhou-19 Crew Conducts Station Experiments & Tests Before Earth Return

China's Shenzhou-19 astronauts on the Tiangong Sp[ace Station have intensified scientific experiments and tests on the orbiting space station, while advancing key preparations for their return to Earth in the coming days. The astronauts, Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze, have been living and working aboard China's space station since their launch aboard the Shenzhou-19 spacecraft from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on October 30 last year.

Recently, their work has included experiments on kinematic characteristics. This involved using three-dimensional structured-light videos to gather crucial kinematic data during specific working scenarios in a microgravity environment. The collected data will then be used to analyze the characteristics and patterns of their intravehicular operations and movements.

In fine motor control studies, the crew completed slide tests and memory slide tests with the results being expected to help investigate variation patterns in astronauts' fine motor control, and their adaptive learning mechanisms during long orbital spaceflight.

In biomechanical studies of musculoskeletal loading, astronauts utilized specialized equipment to collect kinematic data and motion imagery during spaceflight, in an effort to gather data for analyzing the correlation between movement parameters and plantar pressure under varying movement status.

In the field of aerospace technology testing, the crew completed payload extravehicular installation of a space reverse Brayton high-capacity refrigeration technology experiment program. The test and verification of relevant technology are expected to improve China's thermal control technology and provide technical support for future space missions.

Last week, the astronauts also carried out planned platform inspection in the space station. They also counted and sorted all kinds of supplies in the cabinet apart from carrying other tasks, like cleaning the station and transporting and storing waste.

Additionally, the crew completed a variety of medical checks and has performed physical exercise on a daily basis.

The Shenzhou-19 astronauts are scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in late April or early May, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: April 20, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #China #中国 #Shenzhou19 #神舟十九号 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #SpaceLaboratory #MicrogravityExperiments #MicrogravityResearch #CMSA #中国载人航天工程办公室 #LongDurationMissions #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Expedition 72 Soyuz MS-26 Crewed Spacecraft Landing in Kazakhstan

Expedition 72 Soyuz MS-26 Crewed Spacecraft Landing in Kazakhstan

The Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft is seen as it lands in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan with Expedition 72 NASA astronaut Don Pettit, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of Russia aboard, Sunday, April 20, 2025, (April 19 Eastern Time). The trio are returning to Earth after logging 220 days in space as members of Expeditions 71 and 72 aboard the International Space Station. 

Spanning 220 days in space, NASA astronaut Don Pettit and his crewmates, Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of Russia, orbited the Earth 3,520 times and completed a journey of 93.3 million miles over the course of their mission. The Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft launched and docked to the station on Sept. 11, 2024.

This was Pettit’s fourth spaceflight, where he served as flight engineer for Expedition 71 and 72. He has a career total of 590 days in orbit. Ovchinin completed his fourth flight in space, totaling 595 days, and Vagner has earned an overall total of 416 days in space during two trips to the orbiting laboratory.

The three crew members will fly on a helicopter from the landing site to the recovery staging city of Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Pettit will board a NASA plane and return to Houston, while Ovchinin and Vagner will depart for a training base in Star City, Russia.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Capture Date: April 19, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #SoyuzMS26Spacecraft #Zhezkazgan #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #Astronauts #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition72 #Expedition73 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Happy Birthday, Don Pettit & Welcome Home Soyuz MS-26 Crew!

Happy Birthday, Don Pettit & Welcome Home Soyuz MS-26 Crew!

"Happy birthday, NASA astronaut Don Pettit! 
Many happy returns (including this one) 🥳"

The MS-26 Soyuz crewed spacecraft touched down in Kazakhstan at 9:20pm ET—or, in local time, 6:20am April 20, 2025, on Pettit's 70th birthday.

At 9:20 p.m. EDT (6:20 a.m. Kazakhstan time, Sunday, April 20), the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft made a parachute-assisted landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the town of Dzhezkazgan.

Spanning 220 days in space, NASA astronaut Don Pettit and his crewmates, Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of Russia, orbited the Earth 3,520 times and completed a journey of 93.3 million miles over the course of their mission. The Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft launched and docked to the station on Sept. 11, 2024.

This was Pettit’s fourth spaceflight, where he served as flight engineer for Expedition 71 and 72. He has a career total of 590 days in orbit. Ovchinin completed his fourth flight in space, totaling 595 days, and Vagner has earned an overall total of 416 days in space during two trips to the orbiting laboratory.

The three crew members will fly on a helicopter from the landing site to the recovery staging city of Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Pettit will board a NASA plane and return to Houston, while Ovchinin and Vagner will depart for a training base in Star City, Russia.

Video Credit: NASA/JSC

Duration: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Capture Date: April 19, 2024

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #SoyuzMS26Spacecraft #Dzhezkazgan #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #Astronauts #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition72 #Expedition73 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Soyuz MS-26 Crewed Spacecraft Deorbit & Entry Guide | International Space Station

Soyuz MS-26 Crewed Spacecraft Deorbit & Entry Guide | International Space Station

The Soyuz MS-26 crewed spacecraft has fired its braking engines to slow its orbital speed and to begin its descent into Earth's atmosphere. The spacecraft has also separated into three modules.

At 5:57 p.m. EDT, on Saturday April 19, 2025, the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft undocked from the orbiting laboratory’s Rassvet module with NASA astronaut Don Petitt and Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of Russia.

The spacecraft will make a parachute-assisted landing at 9:20 p.m. (6:20 a.m. Kazakhstan time, Sunday, April 20) on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the town of Dzhezkazgan.

Follow Expedition 72:

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

Expedition 72 Crew

Station Commander: JAXA Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy

NASA Flight Engineers: Don Pettit, Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim

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 

Image Credit: NASA/JSC
Release Date: April 19, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #SoyuzMS26Spacecraft #Astronauts #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition72 #Expedition73 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Astronaut Don Pettit Celebrates 70th Birthday! | International Space Station

NASA Astronaut Don Pettit Celebrates 70th Birthday! | International Space Station

Prior to his departure, Expedition 72 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Don Pettit enjoyed a small birthday cake with his fellow crew members. At 5:57 p.m. EDT, on Saturday April 19, 2025, the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft undocked from the orbiting laboratory’s Rassvet module with NASA astronaut Don Petitt and Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of Russia.

The spacecraft will make a parachute-assisted landing at 9:20 p.m. (6:20 a.m. Kazakhstan time, Sunday, April 20) on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the town of Dzhezkazgan.

Follow Expedition 72:

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

Expedition 72 Crew

Station Commander: JAXA Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy

NASA Flight Engineers: Don Pettit, Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim

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 

Image Credit: NASA/JSC
Capture Date: April 19/20, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Astronauts #Astronaut #DonPettit #HappyBirthday #70thBirthday #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition72 #Expedition73 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Soyuz MS-26 Crewed Spacecraft Undocking | International Space Station

Soyuz MS-26 Crewed Spacecraft Undocking | International Space Station

At 5:57 p.m. EDT, on Saturday April 19, 2025, the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft undocked from the orbiting laboratory’s Rassvet module with NASA astronaut Don Petitt and Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of Russia.

The spacecraft will make a parachute-assisted landing at 9:20 p.m. (6:20 a.m. Kazakhstan time, Sunday, April 20) on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the town of Dzhezkazgan.

Follow Expedition 72:

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

Expedition 72 Crew

Station Commander: JAXA Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy

NASA Flight Engineers: Don Pettit, Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim

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

Duration: 2 minutes, 31 seconds
Release Date: April 19, 2025

#NASA #Space #ISS #Science #SoyuzMS26Spacecraft #Astronauts #Japan #日本 #JAXA #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #InternationalCooperation #Expedition72 #Expedition73 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Planet Mars Images: April 17-19, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

Planet Mars Images: April 17-19, 2025 | NASA's Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers

MSL - Sol 4513

MSL - Sol 4513

MSL - Sol 4513

Mars 2020 - Sol 1479

Mars 2020 - Sol 1479

Mars 2020 - Sol 1479

MSL - Sol 4514

Mars 2020 - Sol 1478

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: April 17-19, 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

Shenzhou-20 Crewed Mission: Logn March Rocket Rollout | China Space Station

Shenzhou-20 Crewed Mission: Logn March Rocket Rollout | China Space Station

Engineers and scientists are preparing for the smooth launch of the Shenzhou-20 mission to the China Space Station, having already transferred the combination of the crewed spacecraft and its carrier rocket to the launch site at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) reported on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The Shenzhou-20 mission will launch at an appropriate time in the near future, the agency said.

The spaceship and carrier rocket were lifted from the assembly and test facility on Wednesday evening and transported via vertical transfer to the launching site. The entire transfer process went smoothly and took approximately two hours.

"Before the vertical transfer, we had already developed a detailed follow-up work plan, outlining the content, status, sequence and inter-coordination of testing and inspection items for each system in the launching area. During implementation, our primary focus was on confirming the status [of the combination], controlling the process and supervising the checkpoints, to ensure that each system operates efficiently and smoothly," said Zheng Yonghuang, chief engineer at the Jiuyuan Satellite Launch Center.

Following a "rolling backup" model, in which there is always a rocket in standby mode for any emergency, the Long March-2F carrier rocket has completed rocket lifting and binding and has also performed emergency rescue standby duties for half a year since it arrived at the launch center on September 20, 2024.

"On March 20 this year, our rocket launch team once again came to the launch site to conduct testing on the multiple subsystems of the rocket and ensure the compatibility between them. We performed four overall inspections and simultaneously completed the fairing assembly, and the matching of the spacecraft-fairing combination and the escape tower. Currently, the rocket systems are functioning well, with all parameters within the acceptable range, and the rocket is in good condition," said Liu Haibo, an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The combination has already completed final assembly tests and other related tasks, and the launch site facilities and equipment are in good condition with engineers scheduled to carry out various functional checks and joint tests ahead of launch.

Image Credit: China National Space Administration (CNSA)
Capture Date: April 16, 2025

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #China #中国 #LongMarchRocket #LongMarch2FRocket #ShenzhouSpacecraft #Shenzhou20 #神舟二十号 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #SpaceLaboratory #CMSA #中国载人航天工程办公室 #LongDurationMissions #HumanSpaceflight  #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter #JSLC #Spaceport #STEM #Education

Haircut Day | International Space Station

Haircut Day | International Space Station

NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers cuts the hair of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi

NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers cuts the hair of fellow U.S. astronaut Jonny Kim

Expedition 72 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers: "It was haircut day for Takuya Onishi and Jonny Kim. Never thought I’d need to learn to cut hair, but it’s super useful up here. Gotta get the fade right and keep everyone looking good!" 

"We attach a vacuum to the clippers to catch tiny floating hairs that could become a hazard. We also do haircuts near air intakes to catch anything the vacuum misses."

"Just cleaned up the sides for Jonny and finished the top with scissors for Tak while he held the end of the vacuum hose to catch clippings. Makes for an easy cleanup!"

Follow Expedition 72:

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

Expedition 72 Crew

Station Commander: JAXA Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy

NASA Flight Engineers: Don Pettit, Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim

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 

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center 
Release Date: April 17, 2025

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Saying Goodbye to NASA Astronaut Don Pettit | International Space Station

Saying Goodbye to NASA Astronaut Don Pettit | International Space Station

Expedition 72 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers: "Saying goodbye today to Don Pettit. It’s bittersweet because he had an amazing mission and inspired so many people while he was here."

"The time we got to spend together was wonderful and I learned a ton from this amazing human. Godspeed and we wish you a soft landing Don!"

NASA astronaut Don Pettit of NASA, Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of Roscosmos (Russia) are returning to Earth after 220 days in space. The trio will undock in their Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft from the Rassvet module at 5:57 p.m. EDT on Saturday ending Expedition 72 then parachute to a landing in Kazakhstan at 8:20 p.m. the same day (6:20 a.m. on Sunday, April 20, in Kazakhstan) on Pettit’s 70th birthday.

Follow Expedition 72:

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

Expedition 72 Crew

Station Commander: JAXA Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy

NASA Flight Engineers: Don Pettit, Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim

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 

Image Credit: NASA/Don Pettit
Capture Date: March 26, 2025

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Southeast Asia City Lights & Earth's Atmospheric Glow | International Space Station

Southeast Asia City Lights & Earth's Atmospheric Glow | International Space Station

This long-duration photograph taken from the International Space Station as it orbited 259 miles above the Andaman Sea reveals the city lights of Southeast Asia and the typical green lights of the fishing boats underneath Earth's atmospheric glow. In the background, a star-filled sky and the Milky Way sparkle above our planet. 

Follow Expedition 72:

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

Expedition 72 Crew

Station Commander: JAXA Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritskiy

NASA Flight Engineers: Don Pettit, Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim

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 

Image Credit: NASA/Don Pettit
Capture Date: March 26, 2025

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