Month: September 2024

Chinese astronauts study ancient microbes aboard Tiangong space station (video)

NeRD

Chinese astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station are studying anaerobic archaea in an experiment to determine if some of Earth’s early forms of life can handle a simulated cosmic environment. Shenzhou 18 crewmembers — commander Ye Guangfu and crewmates Li Cong and Li Guangsu — have been aboard the Tiangong space station since late April and have been busy conducting spacewalks and running experiments. That scientific work includes research on space radiation damage and adaptability of anaerobic archaea, as a newly released video shows.  China’s Shenzhou 18 astronauts perform research…

Read More

Hubble Telescope spies a very sparkly mini-galaxy (image)

NeRD

New images released by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope are of the Pegasus Dwarf spheroidal galaxy, also known as Andromeda VI.  Pegasus is located in the Andromeda Galaxy, also called Messier 31, which is the Milky Way’s closest neighbour at about 2,480,000 light-years away from Earth. As such, Andromeda is one of the few galaxies visible to the naked eye — best observed in November. The images were captured as part of a re-examination of the entire Andromeda system, meant to gather further information to answer long-standing questions related to dark…

Read More

Celestron Origin Intelligent Home Observatory smart telescope review

NeRD

The Celestron Origin Intelligent Home Observatory is Celestron’s first smart telescope that brings the wonder of deep sky imaging into the palm of your hand. This makes it easier than ever to take your own photos of nebulas, galaxies and more with just a few seconds of setup. The telescope and built-in camera are controlled with an easy-to-use app that takes all the fuss out of locating and photographing distant celestial spectacles. Priced at $3,999 (£3,069 GBP), the Celestron Origin isn’t within everyone’s budget. This also isn’t a grab-and-go, do-everything…

Read More

The Marshall Star for September 4, 2024

NeRD

23 Min Read The Marshall Star for September 4, 2024 Rocket Hardware for Future Artemis Flights Moved to Barge for Delivery to Kennedy NASA is making strides with the Artemis campaign as key components for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket continue to make their way to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Teams with NASA and Boeing loaded the core stage boat-tail for Artemis III and the core stage engine section for Artemis IV onto the agency’s Pegasus barge at Michoud Assembly Facility on Aug. 28. The core stage engine section of the SLS (Space Launch…

Read More

NASA Earth Scientists Take Flight, Set Sail to Verify PACE Satellite Data

NeRD

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) More than 100 scientists will participate in a field campaign involving a research vessel and two aircraft this month to verify the accuracy of data collected by NASA’s new PACE satellite: the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission. The process of data validation includes researchers comparing PACE data with data collected by similar, Earth-based instruments to ensure the measurements match up. Since the mission’s Feb. 8, 2024 launch, scientists around the world have successfully completed several data validation campaigns; the…

Read More

NASA Astronaut Don Pettit’s Science of Opportunity on Space Station

NeRD

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) A fisheye lens attached to an electronic still camera was used to capture this image of NASA astronaut Don Pettit. NASA Science ideas are everywhere. Some of the greatest discoveries have come from tinkering and toying with new concepts and ideas. NASA astronaut Don Pettit is no stranger to inventing and discovering. During his previous missions, Pettit has contributed to advancements for human space exploration aboard the International Space Station resulting in several published scientific papers and breakthroughs. Pettit,…

Read More

6 Ways Students Can Engage With NASA Glenn

NeRD

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Students take a tour of NASA Glenn’s Telescience Support Center, where researchers operate International Space Station experiments. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis School is back in session, and the joy of learning is back on students’ minds. Teachers and parents seeking ways to extend students’ academic excitement outside of the classroom should know NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland offers various opportunities to engage with NASA. NASA educators encourage Ohio students and teachers to take part in the incredible space and…

Read More

Leveraging Teacher Leaders to Share the Joy of NASA Heliophysics

NeRD

Learn Home Leveraging Teacher Leaders to… Heliophysics Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Stories Science Activation Highlights Citizen Science   2 min read Leveraging Teacher Leaders to Share the Joy of NASA Heliophysics Many teachers are exceptionally skilled at bridging students’ interests with real-world science. Now for the third year, the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) has brought together such a group of highly-motivated secondary and higher education teachers as part of their NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) Space Physics Ambassador program. In…

Read More

Space Station AMS-02 Instrument Works on the Mystery of Dark Matter

NeRD

AMS-02 mounted on the outside of the space station. NASA Visible matter in the form of stars and planets adds up to about five percent of the total known mass of the Universe. The rest is either dark matter, antimatter, or dark energy. The exact nature of these substances is unknown, but the International Space Station’s Alpha-Magnetic Spectrometer or AMS-02 is helping to solve the mystery. AMS-02 collects data on charged particles from cosmic ray events, which helps scientists understand the origin of those rays and could ultimately reveal whether…

Read More