December 2021 – Page 8 – NeRDs Moonbase

New space tourist videos show Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa’s life in orbit

December 19, 2021 NeRD

Yusaku Maezawa is having a lot of fun showing off what life is like on the International Space Station. The Japanese billionaire has been sharing clips of his orbital experiences on the International Space Station via YouTube, showcasing everything from how to perform ordinary activities in microgravity to the clothing he is wearing to the amazing view out the window Maezawa, video producer Yozo Hirano and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin arrived at the ISS aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft on Dec. 8. The three space travelers will return to Earth Sunday…

‘Star Trek: Discovery’ season 4, episode 5 pulls a handbrake turn at maximum warp (recap)

December 18, 2021 NeRD

Warning: Spoilers ahead for “Star Trek: Discovery” season 4, episode 5 Speculation continues, with still no official confirmation on why Mary Wiseman took off to Starfleet Academy last week and there are all sorts of theories and opinions flying around social media. Some speculate that Paramount Plus is actually moving forward with their Starfleet Academy series and what better way to get it going than to have an established character as a star? While we don’t subscribe to that particular theory, it is true that Adira (Blu del Barrio) was…

SpaceX will launch its 2nd Falcon 9 rocket in less than 16 hours tonight. Watch it live.

December 18, 2021 NeRD

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX will launch its second rocket in less than 24 hours Saturday (Dec. 18) and you can watch the action live online. The private spaceflight company will launch the Turksat 5B communications satellite for Turkey on one of its previously flown Falcon 9 rockets. The mission is set to lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base here in Florida during a 90-minute window that opens at 10:58 p.m. EST (0358 GMT Sunday). You’ll be able to watch the launch live…

NASA Sets Coverage, Invites Public to View Webb Telescope Launch

December 18, 2021 NeRD

NASA will provide coverage of prelaunch, launch, and postlaunch activities for the James Webb Space Telescope, the world’s largest and most powerful space science telescope.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope officially set to launch Dec. 24

December 18, 2021 NeRD

NASA’s newest flagship observatory is about to begin an incredible journey and now has an official launch date. The James Webb Space Telescope is expected to launch in a week, on Dec. 24 at 7:20 a.m. EST (1220 GMT or 9:20 a.m. local time in French Guiana), and has been packed up inside the nose cone of its Ariane 5 rocket for the trip. “Late yesterday, teams at the launch site successfully completed encapsulation of the observatory inside the Ariane 5 rocket that will launch it to space,” NASA officials…

NASA Awards Marshall Engineering Support Contract

December 17, 2021 NeRD

NASA has awarded the Marshall Engineering Technicians and Trades Support (METTS) III contract to RSi-QuantiTech JV LLC of Huntsville, Alabama, to provide a wide range of engineering technicians and trade skills, as well as professional and management oversight of the technical staff at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabam

Space Station Science Highlights: Week of December 13, 2021

December 17, 2021 NeRD

Crew members aboard the International Space Station conducted scientific investigations during the week of Dec. 13 that included assessment of body composition as well as bone and muscle loss in crew members, testing a wearable health monitor, and studying soot-free flames.

See the bright Comet Leonard near Venus in the night sky tonight!

December 17, 2021 NeRD

Skywatchers will be treated to a cosmic duet tonight (Dec. 17), as the brightest comet of 2021 and the brightest planet pair up for a night sky double feature. Comet Leonard, also known as Comet C/2021 A1, will be visible from the Northern Hemisphere as it passes near the planet Venus — sometimes referred to as the “evening star.” The comet can be seen shortly after the sun goes down in the southwest sky, very low above the horizon. The comet will be located near Venus, making its closest approach…

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope launch: Live updates

December 17, 2021 NeRD

Refresh 2021-12-17T14:48:49.804Z NASA, ESA discussing Webb space telescope launch date NASA and the European Space Agency are discussing their options today (Dec. 17) on when to launch the multibillion-dollar James Webb Space Telescope. Earlier this week, the two agencies and their partners delayed the Webb telescope’s Dec. 22 launch after a data cable issue prevented communications between the observatory and equipment with its Ariane 5 rocket. The launch is currently targeted for no earlier than Dec. 24, but that launch date could change. NASA and ESA have both said they…

Hubble Views a Galaxy With an Explosive Past

December 17, 2021 NeRD

In this image, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captures a side-on view of NGC 3568, a barred spiral galaxy roughly 57 million light-years from the Milky Way in the constellation Centaurus.