Month: July 2024

Orion on the Rise

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NASA/Radislav Sinyak Technicians lift NASA’s Orion spacecraft out of the Final Assembly and System Testing cell on June 28, 2024. The integrated spacecraft, which will be used for the Artemis II mission to orbit the Moon, has been undergoing final rounds of testing and assembly, including end-to-end performance verification of its subsystems and checking for leaks in its propulsion systems. A 30-ton crane returned Orion into the recently renovated altitude chamber where it underwent electromagnetic testing. The spacecraft now will undergo a series of tests that will subject it to a near-vacuum environment by removing…

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‘It’s heart-forward:’ Q&A with ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ creators about Season 2 (exclusive)

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Fortified with an optimistic spirit and settling into its new home on the Netflix streaming platform, “Star Trek: Prodigy” is boldly shifting into second gear for its 20-episode sophomore season. This season finds our crew of intergalactic alien teenagers under the protective wing of Vice Admiral Janeway as they embark on a daring series of adventures in the final frontier aboard the Voyager-A starship. Here’s the official Season 2 synopsis: “In Season 2, these six young outcasts who make up the ‘Prodigy‘ crew are assigned a new mission aboard the…

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Astronaut ice cream turns 50: freeze-dried treat still popular (even if it never flew)

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Perhaps the most popular example of space food that possibly never was, astronaut ice cream is now 50 years old. The crunchy, room temperature treat, which melts as the freeze-dried ice cream rehydrates in your mouth, was first introduced in 1974 by American Outdoor Products. According to Astronaut Foods, the brand under which the Space Age snack is still marketed, the idea came about after a NASA center requested it for its visitors. “Our founder, Ron Smith, told Serious Eats that in 1974, ‘Goddard Air and Space Museum contacted us…

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NASA announces Artemis 2 moon mission backup astronaut — Andre Douglas will support 2025 lunar liftoff

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NASA has a backup astronaut standing by for the first human moon mission in more than 50 years, which will lift off no earlier than 2025. NASA astronaut Andre Douglas will serve as backup for the three U.S. astronauts on the Artemis 2 round-the-moon flight, the agency announced today (July 3). Douglas will back up commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialist Christina Koch. Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who is also a mission specialist on Artemis 2, already has a backup: astronaut Jenni Gibbons, also…

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NASA Announces its Artemis II Backup Crew Member for Moon Mission

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NASA astronaut Andre Douglas poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credits: NASA/Josh Valcarcel NASA has selected astronaut Andre Douglas as its backup crew member for the agency’s Artemis II test flight, the first crewed mission under NASA’s Artemis campaign. Douglas will train alongside NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen. In the event a NASA astronaut is unable to take part in the flight, Douglas would join the Artemis II crew. “Andre’s educational background and…

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NASA’s Planetary Radar Tracks Two Large Asteroid Close Approaches

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The Goldstone Solar System Radar, part of NASA’s Deep Space Network, made these observations of the recently discovered 500-foot-wide (150-meter-wide) asteroid 2024 MK, which made its closest approach — within about 184,000 miles (295,000 kilometers) of Earth — on June 29. NASA/JPL-Caltech The Deep Space Network’s Goldstone planetary radar had a busy few days observing asteroids 2024 MK and 2011 UL21 as they safely passed Earth. Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California recently tracked two asteroids as they flew by our planet. One turned out to have…

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NASA’s Boeing Test Flight Crew to Discuss Starliner Mission from Space

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NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts (from top) Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station’s Harmony module and the Starliner spacecraft (Credits: NASA). Media are invited to hear from NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts discussing their mission during an Earth to space call at 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday, July 10. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will participate in the news conference from aboard the International Space Station in low Earth orbit. NASA will stream the event on…

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Former cryptocurrency company plans reality TV competition to pick next Blue Origin spaceflight crew

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A former cryptocurrency company plans to launch a reality television series that will follow its efforts to send people from underrepresented nations to space aboard a Blue Origin suborbital vehicle. The Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA), formerly called the Crypto Space Agency, plans to send people from India, Nigeria and a region known as the Small Island Developing States on a future Blue Origin flight, the U.S. company announced Monday (July 1). Spaceflight candidates will first be chosen through a public voting system, then the finalists will participate in…

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What’s Up: July 2024 Skywatching Tips from NASA

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What to Look for in July The scorpion’s star clusters, and Mars reveals elusive Uranus Follow the tail of Scorpius to locate star clusters M6 and M7, let Mars guide you to observe planet Uranus, and see the Moon gather a group of planets in the morning. Highlights All month – Two easy-to-spot star clusters – M7, aka Ptolemy’s Cluster, and M6, the Butterfly Cluster – are both located about 5 degrees east of the the bright stars that mark the “stinger” end of the scorpion’s tail. They reach their…

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