Month: June 2024

NASA Infrared Detector Technical Interchange

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When/Where August 27-28, 2024NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA Who may attend? Invited participants from the NASA Centers, NASA HQ, and the broader community of IR technology developers and stakeholders. All participants must be U.S. Persons – the meeting will be held at the CUI level and presentations may contain ITAR material. Registration will be available, soon! Purpose The purpose of the TIM is to openly discuss and review the current state of IR technology in the 2-1000 µm wavelength range. This workshop is intended to evaluate existing relevant…

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Sprites from space! Astronaut photographs rare red lightning phenomenon from ISS

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An astronaut captured an elusive glimpse of red lightning from space. NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick imaged the rare red sprite phenomenon from the International Space Station earlier in the year, which may build on earlier studies of the lightning type on the orbiting complex. “Super lucky a few weeks ago when shooting a timelapse of a lightning storm off the coast of South Africa. One of the frames in the timelapse had a red sprite,” NASA astronaut Dominick wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday (June 20).  “A rare event.…

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Jake Cupani: Increasing Visibility in Data Science

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Jake Cupani, a data science specialist, focuses on the intersection between data visualization and user experience — UX — design. Name: Jake CupaniTitle: Financial analytics support specialistOrganization: Financial Analytics and Systems Office, Office of the Chief Financial Officer (Code 156) Jake Cupani is a financial analytics support specialist at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Photo courtesy of Jake Cupani What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? I create data visualizations and dashboards to help visualize some of the key metrics…

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Marvel superheroes battle bloodthirsty Xenomorphs in new ‘Alien’ variant covers

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We’ll soon get some tastes of the unique brand of horrors coming in Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić’s “Aliens vs. Avengers” crossover miniseries, which will be released in August. Marvel has unleashed the wicked extraterrestrial creatures from the “Alien” franchise onto five variant covers, which will roll out weekly in July and August. Not only is this an explosion of “Alien”-related offerings form Marvel to heat up the summer, but it also coincides with the arrival of director Fede Alvarez’s “Alien: Romulus” movie on Aug. 16, 2024, which is the…

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NASA-IBM Collaboration Develops INDUS Large Language Models for Advanced Science Research

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4 min read NASA-IBM Collaboration Develops INDUS Large Language Models for Advanced Science Research Named for the southern sky constellation, INDUS (stylized in all caps) is a comprehensive suite of large language models supporting five science domains. NASA By Derek Koehl Collaborations with private, non-federal partners through Space Act Agreements are a key component in the work done by NASA’s Interagency Implementation and Advanced Concepts Team (IMPACT). A collaboration with International Business Machines (IBM) has produced INDUS, a comprehensive suite of large language models (LLMs) tailored for the domains of…

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It’s back! Aurora-sparking sunspot returns for rare 3rd trip across the sun, firing off explosive solar flare (video)

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The historic sunspot region that sparked the record-breaking auroras of May 2024 has returned in explosive fashion, firing off a colossal M9.3 class solar flare on June 23.  But this isn’t the first time we have encountered this hyperactive sunspot. AR3723 is the returning version of sunspot AR3697 and before that AR3664 — which was responsible for the colossal G5 geomagnetic storm that triggered epic auroras around the world.  The sun‘s rotation period averages 27 days, which means Earth can view a given active region for around two weeks before…

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On the GOES

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Crews transport NOAA’s (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-U) from the Astrotech Space Operations facility to the SpaceX hangar at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida beginning on Friday, June 14, 2024, with the operation finishing early Saturday, June 15, 2024. The fourth and final weather-observing and environmental monitoring satellite in NOAA’s GOES-R Series will assist meteorologists in providing advanced weather forecasting and warning capabilities. The two-hour window for liftoff opens 5:16 p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 25, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy…

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Watch Scarlett Johansson fake a moon landing in new ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ trailer (video)

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Standing against the phony backdrop of a simulated lunar landscape, Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson, the two stars of Apple Original Films and Columbia Pictures’ new period-placed NASA comedy, welcome viewers into the space-based hijinks of a new “Fly Me To The Moon” release trailer. Directed by “Arrowverse’s” Greg Berlanti (“Dawson’s Creek,” “Everwood,” “Riverdale”) and blasting off on July 12, 2024, this lighthearted drama takes us back to the heady days of NASA’s Apollo 11 lunar landing mission with all the authentic period detail, roaring muscle cars, and pastel fashions…

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How long would it take to reach Planet 9, if we ever find it?

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Some experts believe that we could be just a few years away from discovering the elusive “Planet Nine” — or ruling out the existence of the hypothetical world for good.  DOES PLANET 9 EXIST? But if we do find it, how long would it take for us to send a spacecraft to the far-flung world? And could humans ever make the trip? Planet Nine is the name given to a proposed planet supposedly lurking near the edge of the solar system. If it exists, Planet Nine is likely a dark,…

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NASA cancels ISS spacewalk due to spacesuit coolant leak (video)

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NASA cancelled a spacewalk at the International Space Station today (June 24) following a spacesuit coolant leak in the hatch. NASA astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Mike Barratt were told by Mission Control at 8:52 a.m. EDT (1252 GMT) to stop the planned 6.5-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS). The pair had already switched over to the internal power in their suits at 8:46 a.m. (1246 GMT), meaning the spacewalk had technically started. Following the cancellation, astronauts opened the hatch into the ISS at 9:51 a.m. EDT (1351 GMT),…

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