Space Adventures

Boeing's Starliner spacecraftwill launch atop United Launch Alliances Atlas V Rocket, carrying NASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station for NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter pushed aerodynamic limits during the final months of its mission, setting new records for speed, distance, and altitude. Hear from Ingenuity chief engineer Travis Brown on how the data the team collected could eventually be used in future rotorcraft designs. Ingenuity was originally designed to make up to five flights – but completed 72 before sustaining rotor-blade damage that rendered it unable to fly. NASA announced the end of the helicopter’s mission on Jan. 25, 2024. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California built and manages operations for Ingenuity and the Perseverance Mars rover. For more information on Ingenuity, go to: mars.nasa.gov/ingenuity Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS Date Created:2024-02-01

PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) Transport to SLC-40.

Recientemente en la NASA, la versión en español de las cápsulas This Week at NASA, te informa semanalmente de lo que está sucediendo en la NASA.

Dec. 11, 2022, NASA’s Orion spacecraft reenters the atmosphere after completing a 1.4 million-mile, 25.5-day Artemis I mission to the Moon.

The Sun Illuminating Earth's Surface

Apollo 16 landed on the Moon at 8:23 p.m. Houston time on April 20, 1972 (April 21 at 2:23 UTC). Their site north of Descartes crater was the only Apollo site in purely highlands terrain, where the surface is older, lighter in color, and more heavily cratered, in contrast to the darker basalts of the maria. The video presented here uses elevation maps and images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to visualize the area around the landing site and the routes taken by the astronauts over three days of extravehicular activities (EVAs). The video begins with the camera flying west over the terrain the astronauts saw as they came in for a landing, and it ends with a dramatic view of North Ray crater, the destination of their EVA on Day 3.

What are some skywatching highlights in January 2024? The year kicks off with the Quadrantid meteors, and some great Moon-planet pairings. Plus, did you know the stars shift in the sky by four minutes each day?

On May 16, 2022 (the night of May 15 in the Western Hemisphere), the Moon enters the Earth's shadow, creating a total lunar eclipse, the first since May of 2021. This animation shows the changing appearance of the Moon as it travels into and out of the Earth's shadow, along with times at various stages.

The Mission - Red Bull Stratos, a mission to the edge of space, will attempt to transcend human limits that have existed for 50 years. Supported by a team of experts Felix Baumgartner plans to ascend to 120,000 feet in a stratospheric balloon and make a freefall jump rushing toward earth at supersonic speeds before parachuting to the ground. His attempt to dare atmospheric limits holds the potential to provide valuable medical and scientific research data for future pioneers. The Red Bull Stratos team brings together the world's leading minds in aerospace medicine, engineering, pressure suit development, capsule creation and balloon fabrication. It includes retired United States Air Force Colonel Joseph Kittinger, who holds three of the records Felix will strive to break. Joe's record jump from 102,800 ft in 1960 was during a time when no one knew if a human could survive a jump from the edge of space. Joe was a Captain in the U.S. Air Force and had already taken a balloon to 97,000 feet in Project ManHigh and survived a drogue mishap during a jump from 76,400 feet in Excelsior I. The Excelsior III mission was his 33rd parachute jump. Although researching extremes was part of the program's goals, setting records wasn't the mission's purpose. Joe ascended in helium balloon launched from the back of a truck. He wore a pressurized suit on the way up in an open, unpressurized gondola. Scientific data captured from Joe's jump was shared with U.S. research personnel for development of the space program. Today Felix and his specialized team hope to take what was learned from Joe's jumps more than 50 years ago and press forward to test the edge of the human envelope. Felix Baumgartner - "On a mission like this, you need to be mentally fit and have total control over what you do, and I'm preparing very thoroughly." Felix consistently challenges his personal limits while pushing the physical boundaries of human flight. In 2003, Felix completed an unprecedented flight across the English Channel with a carbon wing, and subsequently began to consider an even bigger goal: the supersonic freefall. With a team of the world's top scientists, engineers and doctors behind him, Felix will attempt to rewrite history and advance aeronautical research with Red Bull Stratos.

Retired astronaut Chris Hadfield helps debunk (and confirm!) some common myths about space. Is there any sound in space? Does space smell like burnt steak? Is NASA working on warp speed?

Media Fusion has a long history of creating animation to demonstrate mission capabilities for NASA. This animation features the Ares I and Ares V as a part of the Constellation program. That program has now evolved into the Space Launch System (SLS). Media Fusion continues to support NASA and has created many animations visualizing the future of SLS.

While the sun is the main focus of a solar eclipse, our moon plays the most crucial role in creating this unique event. This video tutorial explains what happens during a total solar eclipse and a partial eclipse and how often they both occur. The video also explains how a solar eclipse differs from a lunar eclipse, and gives a helpful tip on how to remember the difference. In addition, the video examines how the two parts of the moon’s shadow, the umbra and penumbra, affect how we see an eclipse on the Earth, and illustrates the surprising true shape of the umbra. The video concludes by highlighting how data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has helped us better map a solar eclipse’s path of totality. Visualizations included in this piece showcase the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse happening in the United States.

From year to year, the Moon doesn’t seem to change dramatically. Craters and other formations appear to be permanent now, but the Moon didn’t always look like this. Thanks to NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, we have a better look at some of the Moon’s history. Learn more in this video!

This visualization shows the unusual motions of the Earth and Sun as viewed from the South Pole of the Moon. The animation compresses three months (a little over three lunar days) into two minutes. The virtual camera is on the rim of Shackleton Crater, partially visible in the bottom right, and is aimed at the Earth. The mountain on the horizon, about 85 miles away, is unofficially known as Mons Malapert. Here, the Sun glides around the horizon, never more than 1.5 degrees above or below it, while the Earth bobs up and down, never veering far from 0° longitude. The Earth appears to be upside-down and rotating backward. The perpetually low Sun angle produces extremely long shadows that rotate across the rugged lunar terrain.

The Artemis missions will build a community on the Moon, driving a new lunar economy and inspiring a new generation. This video explains why returning to the Moon is the natural next step in human space exploration, and how the lessons learned from Artemis will pave the way to Mars and beyond.

When the moon passes through the Earth's shadow, it causes the moon to look very unusual for a short period of time. This event is called a lunar eclipse, and it occurs roughly twice a year. Learn more about how lunar eclipses work in this video!

This video tours several visually compelling locations and sights on the Moon’s surface and speaks to what scientific value they hold.

This explains each interior area, crew living quarters, and scientific equipment.

Expedition 33 commander Suni Williams showcases the sleeping accommodations, how the bathroom is utilized, brushing teeth in microgravity, and the common room with food. Harmony, Tranquility, and Unity are the nodes toured.

What does it *really* feel like to jump from space? In 2012 Felix Baumgartner took a helium balloon into the stratosphere and skydived back to earth in a specially made space suit. Whilst in freefall he broke the speed of sound and entered a spin that threatened the entire Red Bull Stratos mission... Felix reflects on his achievement and shares what it felt like to jump from the edge of space.

Astronaut Chris Hadfield demonstrates how to contain vomit in space.

On March 8, 2019, the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft undocks from the International Space Station, after nearly 5 days aboard the orbiting laboratory during the company’s Demo-1 mission for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and descends to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. Just over 5 hours later, the uncrewed spacecraft splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida and is recovered by SpaceX teams.

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen train for their venture around the Moon. Artemis II will be NASA’s first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft around the Moon to verify today’s capabilities for humans to explore deep space and pave the way for long-term exploration and science on the lunar surface. This resource reel includes training footage recorded in 2023.

Aboard the International Space Station, all seven Expedition 70 crewmembers discussed the evolution of the space station over the past 25 years as well as life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview Dec. 6 with Bob Cabana, Associate Administrator of NASA, and Joel Montalbano, International Space Station Program Manager. NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut, and current space station Commander, Andy Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Konstantin Borisov, Oleg Kononenko, and Nikolai Chub are 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 missions. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.