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NASA Astronaut Suni Williams Talks with WGBH Radio | International Space Station FriendsofNASA.org: Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview October 16, 2024, with WGBH/Boston Public Radio. Williams 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.  Expedition 72 Updates: https://lnkd.in/ePQS9hJ Expedition 72 Crew Station Commander: Suni Williams Roscosmos (Russia): Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, Aleksandr Gorbunov NASA: Matthew Dominick, Mike Barrett, Jeanette Epps, Butch Wilmore, Don Pettit, Nick Hague An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken. Learn more about the important research being operated on Station: https://lnkd.in/dpd7HQq For more information about STEM on Station: https://lnkd.in/dGazEVY Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) Video Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Duration: 19 minutes Release Date: Oct. 16, 2024 NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration #NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #Astronauts #SuniWilliams #StationCommander #AstronautInterview #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #InternationalCooperation #LongDurationMission #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceLaboratory #WGBH #PublicRadio #Boston #Massachusetts #UnitedStates #Expedition72 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Science Objectives of NASA's Europa Clipper Ocean Moon Mission | JPL FriendsofNASA.org | Full-size image: https://lnkd.in/gvt8tVAm This graphic illustrates the main science objectives of NASA's Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter's moon Europa: to understand the nature of Europa's icy shell and confirm the existence of a subsurface ocean, investigate Europa's composition, characterize its geology, and determine the level of activity, such as possible water plumes. Clockwise from top left: an artist's concept of Europa's interior. It is likely to contain a global ocean beneath the icy surface with possible hydrothermal activity on the ocean floor; water signatures at Europa's Manannán Crater made visible by mapping colors onto infrared data from NASA's Galileo mission to Jupiter; ultraviolet observations by the Hubble Space Telescope showing evidence of a possible plume at Europa and indicating possible activity at the moon; and a color view of Europa's Conamara Chaos region based on an image from NASA's Galileo mission. Europa Clipper's three main science objectives are to determine the thickness of the moon's icy shell and its interactions with the ocean below, to investigate its composition, and to characterize its geology. The mission's detailed exploration of Europa will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet. Beyond Earth, Jupiter’s moon Europa is considered one of the solar system’s most promising potentially habitable environments. After an approximately 1.8-billion-mile journey, Europa Clipper will enter orbit around Jupiter in April 2030, where the spacecraft will conduct a detailed survey of Europa to determine whether the icy world could have conditions suitable for life. Europa Clipper carries a suite of nine instruments along with a gravity experiment that will investigate an ocean beneath Europa’s surface that scientists believe contains twice as much liquid water as Earth’s oceans. Europa Clipper's science instruments include cameras, spectrometers, a magnetometer, and an ice-penetrating radar. These instruments will study Europa’s icy shell, the ocean beneath, and the composition of the gases in the moon’s atmosphere and surface geology, and provide insights into the moon’s potential habitability. The spacecraft also will carry a thermal instrument to pinpoint locations of warmer ice and any possible eruptions of water vapor. Find more information about Europa here: https://europa.nasa.gov/ Image Credit: NASA/ESA/JPL-Caltech/Ames/SETI/SwRI/Ryan Sicilia Release Date: Oct. 11, 2024 NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory #NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #EuropaClipper #EuropaClipperSpacecraft #Jupiter #Europa #Moon #OceanWorlds #Astrobiology #Biosignatures #Habitability #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #JPL #Caltech #NASAAmes #SETI #SwRI #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #Infographic #STEM #Education

Icy Moons of Our Solar System That May Have Oceans Now | NASA/JPL FriendsofNASA.org | Full-size image: https://lnkd.in/ggck7536 Scientists think six icy moons in our solar system may currently host oceans of liquid water beneath their outer surfaces. Arranged around Earth are images from NASA spacecraft of, clockwise from the top, Saturn's moon Enceladus, Jupiter's moons Callisto and Ganymede, Neptune's moon Triton, Saturn's moon Titan, and Jupiter's moon Europa, the target of NASA's Europa Clipper mission. The worlds here are shown to scale. The images of the Saturnian moons were taken by NASA's Cassini mission. The images of the Jovian moons were taken by NASA's Galileo mission. The image of Triton was taken by NASA's Voyager 2 mission. The image of Earth was stitched together using months of satellite-based observations, mostly using data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite. Beyond Earth, Jupiter’s moon Europa is considered one of the solar system’s most promising potentially habitable environments. After an approximately 1.8-billion-mile journey, Europa Clipper will enter orbit around Jupiter in April 2030, where the spacecraft will conduct a detailed survey of Europa to determine whether the icy world could have conditions suitable for life. Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission. It carries a suite of nine instruments along with a gravity experiment that will investigate an ocean beneath Europa’s surface that scientists believe contains twice as much liquid water as Earth’s oceans. Europa Clipper's science instruments include cameras, spectrometers, a magnetometer, and an ice-penetrating radar. These instruments will study Europa’s icy shell, the ocean beneath, and the composition of the gases in the moon’s atmosphere and surface geology, and provide insights into the moon’s potential habitability. The spacecraft also will carry a thermal instrument to pinpoint locations of warmer ice and any possible eruptions of water vapor. Europa Clipper Mission website: https://europa.nasa.gov/ 'Dreaming of Europa' Posters and Wallpaper (phone and desktop) Full-size downloads: https://lnkd.in/gkMiuWFr Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/University of Arizona/DLR Release Date: Oct. 11, 2024 NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Caltech NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA Goddard Space Flight Center German Aerospace Center (DLR) Planetary Science Institute The Planetary Society National Science Teaching Association U.S. Department of Education #NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #EuropaClipper #EuropaClipperSpacecraft #Jupiter #Europa #Moon #OceanWorlds #Astrobiology #Biosignatures #Habitability #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #JPL #Caltech #UArizona #UnitedStates #DLR #Germany #Infographic #STEM #Education

Arctic & Antarctic Sea Ice Approached Historic Lows in 2024 | NASA Earth FriendsofNASA.org | Full-size images+article: https://lnkd.in/guhHnWGF Arctic sea ice retreated to near-historic lows in the Northern Hemisphere this summer, likely melting to its minimum extent for the year on September 11, 2024, according to researchers at NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). The decline continues the decades-long trend of shrinking and thinning ice cover in the Arctic Ocean. Over the past 46 years, satellites have observed persistent trends of more melting in the summer and less ice formation in the winter. This year, Arctic sea ice shrank to a minimum extent of 4.28 million square kilometers (1.65 million square miles), as shown on the map here. This is about 1.94 million square kilometers (750,000 square miles) below the 1981 to 2010 end-of-summer average of 6.22 million square kilometers (2.4 million square miles). This year’s minimum—the seventh lowest in the satellite record—remained above the all-time low of 3.39 million square kilometers (1.31 million square miles) set in September 2012. Sea ice is not only shrinking, it is also getting younger, noted Nathan Kurtz, chief of the Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Another Meager Winter Around Antarctica Sea ice in the southern polar regions of the planet was also low in 2024. Around Antarctica, scientists tracked near-record-low sea ice at a time when it should have been growing extensively during the Southern Hemisphere’s darkest and coldest months. Ice around the continent likely reached its maximum extent for the year on September 19, 2024, when growth stalled out at 17.16 million square kilometers (6.63 million square miles). This year’s maximum, shown on the map here, was the second lowest in the satellite record and remained above the record winter low of 16.96 million square kilometers (6.55 million square miles) set in September 2023. The average maximum extent between 1981 and 2010 was 18.71 million square kilometers (7.22 million square miles). The meager growth in 2024 prolongs a recent downward trend. Prior to 2014, sea ice in the Antarctic was increasing slightly by about 1 percent per decade. Following a spike in 2014, ice growth has fallen dramatically. Scientists are working to understand the cause of this reversal. The recurring loss hints at a long-term shift in conditions in the Southern Ocean, likely resulting from global climate change. Image Credits: NASA Earth Observatory Article Credits: Sally Younger/Kathryn Hansen Date: Oct. 17, 2024 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration #NASA #Space #Satellites #Science #Planet #Earth #Arctic #ArcticOcean #Antarctica #SouthernOcean #SeaIce #MeltingIce #Environment #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #GlobalHeating #Atmosphere #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #GSFC #UnitedStates #History #STEM #Education

New GOES-19 Weather Satellite Captures Intense Lightning Storms | NOAA FriendsofNASA.org: The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) instrument, onboard NOAA’s new GOES-19 weather satellite, is now continuously observing lightning over the Western Hemisphere. GOES-19 was launched on June 25, 2024. GLM detects and maps total lightning—in-cloud, cloud-to-cloud, and cloud-to-ground—over the Americas and adjacent ocean regions. GLM offers insights beyond the presence of a lightning strike, revealing the spatial and temporal extent of lightning flashes. Recently, the GOES-19 GLM detected and monitored lightning activity in two extremely hazardous hurricanes. On Sept. 24, 2024, GLM observed widespread lightning as a cluster of thunderstorms in the western Caribbean Sea consolidated into Tropical Storm Helene. Continuous lightning in the outer rain bands was accompanied by occasional eyewall lightning, as Hurricane Helene rapidly intensified in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Frequent lightning completely enveloped the eyewall as the storm intensified further on its final approach to the Florida coastline. Away from the storm center, GLM helped identify the most intense thunderstorms most likely to produce tornadoes. Credits: NOAA, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA), Lockheed Martin, CISESS - UMD Duration: 2 minutes, 19 seconds Release Date: Oct. 17, 2024 NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center University of Maryland Lockheed Martin Space #NASA #NOAA #Sun #Planet #Earth #Science #Satellites #GeostationarySatellites #Weather #Meteorology #Hurricanes #HurricaneHelene #Lightning #Florida #GulfOfMexico #CaribbeanSea #GeostationaryLightningMapper #GLM #GOES19 #NorthAmerica #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #GSFC #CIRA #CISESS #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Engine Section of NASA Artemis IV SLS Moon Rocket | Kennedy Space Center FriendsofNASA.org | High-res images: https://lnkd.in/eY2XsTNJ In these images, teams from NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) can be seen transporting the engine section of the agency’s Artemis IV Space Launch System (SLS) core stage from the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the spaceport’s Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF) on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. NASA’s Pegasus barge delivered the core stage engine section housing the four RS-25 engines from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana to Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 5, 2024. The engine section is one the most complex and intricate parts of the rocket stage that will help power the Artemis missions to the Moon. Following the Artemis III mission that will land astronauts near the Moon’s South Pole, the Artemis IV crew will live and work aboard the lunar space station, Gateway. It will enable new opportunities for science and support preparation for human missions to Mars. The mission will involve multiple launches and spacecraft dockings in lunar orbit using NASA’s larger, and more powerful version of its Space Launch System rocket and new mobile launcher. Learn more about the Artemis IV Mission: https://lnkd.in/e-kfwdYc Image Credit: NASA/Cory Huston Release Date: Oct. 16, 2024 NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Boeing Space Florida Aerospace Industries Association #NASA #ESA #Space #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIV #EngineCore #SLS #Rocket #ESM4 #OrionSpacecraft #LunarGateway #Gateway #MoonToMars #Science #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #Europe #UnitedStates #InternationalCooperation #HumanSpaceflight #EGS #MerrittIsland #Florida #Spaceport #STEM #Education

Planet Mars Images: October 2024 | NASA Mars Curiosity & Perseverance Rovers Support FriendsofNASA.org | Full-size images+captions: https://lnkd.in/eihMVT5S 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 3+ 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: Oct. 3-16, 2024 NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Caltech Explore Mars Inc. The Mars Society National Space Society Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) SEDS-ÉEDS Canada UKSEDS - UK Students for the Exploration and Development of Space Canadian Space Society National Science Teaching Association U.S. Department of Education #NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #Astrobiology #Geology #CuriosityRover #MSL #MountSharp #GaleCrater #PerseveranceRover #Mars2020 #JezeroCrater #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #CitizenScience #KevinGill #STEM #Education

Panning across Starburst Spiral Galaxy NGC 5248 | Hubble FriendsofNASA.org: The sparkling scene depicted in this picture is the spiral galaxy NGC 5248 located 42 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Boötes. It is also known as Caldwell 45, having been included in a catalog of visually interesting celestial objects that were known, but were not as commonly observed by amateur astronomers as the more famous Messier objects. NGC 5248 is one of the so-called ‘grand design’ spirals with prominent spiral arms that reach from near the core out through the disc. It also has a faint bar structure in the center, between the inner ends of the spiral arms. This is not quite so obvious in this visible-light portrait from Hubble. Features like these that break the rotational symmetry of a galaxy have a huge influence on how matter moves through it, and eventually its evolution through time. They feed gas from a galaxy’s outer reaches to inner star-forming regions, and even to a galaxy’s central black hole where it can kick-start an active galactic nucleus (AGN). These flows of gas have shaped NGC 5248 in a significant way; it has many bright ‘starburst regions’ of intense star formation spread across its disc, and it is dominated by a population of young stars. The galaxy even has two very active, ring-shaped starburst regions around its nucleus, filled with young clusters of stars. These ‘nuclear rings’ are remarkable enough, but normally a nuclear ring tends to block gas from getting further into the core of a galaxy. NGC 5248 having a second ring inside the first is a marker of just how forceful its flows of matter and energy are. It is relatively nearby and its highly visible starburst regions make this galaxy a target for professional and amateur astronomers alike. Image Description: A close-in, face-on view of a spiral galaxy. It has two large arms that curve outwards from the round, bright central region to nearly the corners of the image. They are lined by bright pink, glowing points where stars are forming, and channels of dark reddish dust that blocks light. These also spread across the galaxy’s oval disc. It is cloudy in form and speckled with stars. A black background is visible behind it. Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/Hubble & NASA, F. Belfiore, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team,N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble) Duration: 30 seconds Release Date: Oct. 7, 2024 #NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #NGC5248 #Caldwell45 #SpiralGalaxy #StarburstGalaxy #StarFormation #Bootes #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #ESA #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Aurora with SpaceX Crew Dragons | International Space Station FriendsofNASA.org | High-res images+captions: https://lnkd.in/gGjKCHDu Earth auroras have different names depending on which pole they occur at. Aurora Borealis, or the northern lights, is the name given to auroras around the north pole and Aurora Australis, or the southern lights, is the name given for auroras around the south pole. Expedition 72 Updates: https://lnkd.in/esX3qsf 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. Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) Capture Dates: Sept. 28-Oct. 8, 2024 NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration SpaceX #NASA #Space #ISS #Science #Planet #Earth #Aurora #SouthernLights #AuroraAustralis #CrewDragons #SpaceXCrewSpacecraft #AstronautPhotography #Astronauts #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #CCP #Expedition72 #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

What is Solar Maximum? | NASA Goddard FriendsofNASA.org: The Sun is stirring from its latest slumber. As sunspots and flares bubble from the Sun’s surface, representatives from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), and the Solar Cycle Prediction Panel have announced the Sun has reached its solar maximum period. The solar cycle is the natural cycle of the Sun as it transitions between low and high activity. During the most active part of the cycle, known as solar maximum, the Sun can unleash immense explosions of light, energy, and solar radiation. This can create conditions known as space weather. Space weather can affect satellites and astronauts in space, as well as communications systems—such as radio and GPS—and power grids on Earth. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gZ67quhG Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Duration: 1 minute Release Date: Oct. 15, 2024 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration National Science Teaching Association U.S. Department of Education American Astronomical Society (AAS) European Astronomical Society Royal Astronomical Society The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada #NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #SpaceWeather #Sun #Stars #SolarMaximum #SolarFlares #Plasma #MagneticFields #Radiation #Astrophysics #Heliophysics #Physics #Spacecraft #Satellite #HumanSpaceflight #SDO #GSFC #NOAA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video