NASA’s SpaceX 4 person Crew-2 mission is set to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon on Earth Day, April 22.
Read MoreMonth: April 2021
NASA’s SpaceX Crew Rescue and Recovery
NASA and SpaceX support a multi-agency operation to protect astronauts for rescue and recovery efforts.
Read More50 Years Ago: Launch of Salyut, the World’s First Space Station
On April 19, 1971, the Soviet Union placed into orbit Salyut, the world’s first space station. Designed for a 6-month on orbit operational lifetime, Salyut hosted the crew of Georgi T. Dobrovolski, Vladislav N. Volkov, and Viktor I. Patsayev for a then record-setting 24-day mission.
Read MoreBehold! NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity snaps stunning photo from its 1st flight.
An image captured by the Ingenuity Mars helicopter shows the vehicle’s shadow on the surface of the Red Planet. (Image credit: NASA TV) NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity has made its historic first Red Planet flight — and the photos are unbelievable. The small helicopter — it’s just 19 inches tall (48 centimeters) — took off Monday (April 19) on the first of what are expected to be a half-dozen flights on Mars. All told, the flight was scheduled to last about 40 seconds, team members said. In addition to an…
Read MoreCrab Pulsar’s Mystery Bursts Are Even More Powerful Than We Thought
The Crab Nebula pulsar has sporadically bursted for decades. Now, astronomers have found these mysterious bursts release even more energy than thought. The post Crab Pulsar's Mystery Bursts Are Even More Powerful Than We Thought appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreNASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity takes off on historic 1st powered flight on another world
The aerial exploration of Mars has begun. NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter lifted off on the Red Planet early this morning (April 19), performing the first-ever powered flight on a world beyond Earth. The 4-lb. (1.8 kilograms) chopper was scheduled to rise from the floor of Mars’ Jezero Crater at 12:31 a.m. EDT (0431 GMT) today, get a maximum of 10 feet (3 meters) above the red dirt and land after roughly 40 seconds aloft. At about 6:15 a.m. EDT (1015 GMT), data came down from Ingenuity — via its much larger partner,…
Read MoreNASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight
Monday, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter became the first aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet. The Ingenuity team at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California confirmed the flight succeeded after receiving data from the helicopter via NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover at 6:46 a.m. EDT (3:46 a.
Read MoreScientists baked meteorites in an oven to investigate the atmospheres of alien planets
Scientists have baked meteorites in a new study investigating the atmospheres of rocky planets. (Image credit: Illustration by Dan Durda/Southwest Research Institute) Scientists baked meteorites in an oven and studied the gases they released to investigate the atmospheres of rocky planets. In a new study, researchers at the University of Calfornia, Santa Cruz took samples of three pristine meteorites that landed at different times and places around the world and baked them in a furnace at 2,192 degrees Fahrenheit (1,200 degrees Celsius). The scientists analyzed the gases that came from…
Read MoreNASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity is ready to make its first flight attempt Monday
The big day is nearly here for the team behind NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity, who’ve spent six years developing the first aircraft to fly on the Red Planet. On Monday (April 19), the ultra-lightweight robot will try taking off into the Martian sky and if it succeeds, this maneuver will be the first powered, controlled flight on another planet. Ingenuity is scheduled to take off at 3:30 a.m. EDT (0730 GMT) on Monday, but its flight controllers are wary. If Ingenuity makes it off the Martian ground, NASA will broadcast…
Read MoreThese 4 Crew-2 astronauts are ready to ride a SpaceX rocket into orbit
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s next crew of astronauts are ready to strap into a SpaceX Dragon capsule and blast off into space. The four astronauts are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) on SpaceX’s next crewed mission Thursday (April 22) at 6:11 a.m. EST (1011 GMT). They practiced that launch day today (April 18) with one last predawn dress rehearsal. The spaceflyers — NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, France’s Thomas Pesquet and Japan’s Akihiko Hoshide — arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida…
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