Author: NeRD

Station Science Top News: Sept. 27, 2024

NeRD

Researchers found that long-duration spaceflight affected the mechanical properties of eye tissues, including reducing the stiffness of tissue around the eyeball. A better understanding of these changes could help researchers prevent, diagnose, and treat the vision impairment often seen in crew members. SANSORI, a Canadian Space Agency investigation, examined whether reduced stiffness of eye tissue contributes to vision impairment in astronauts on long-term missions. This condition, known as Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome, or SANS, includes a range of physical changes to the eyes. This paper suggests that biomechanical changes in the eye…

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Sols 4318-4320: One Last Weekend in the Channel

NeRD

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions The Solar System The Sun Mercury Venus Earth The Moon Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto & Dwarf Planets Asteroids, Comets & Meteors The Kuiper Belt The Oort Cloud 2 min read Sols 4318-4320: One Last Weekend in the Channel This…

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How fast will the annular solar eclipse on Oct. 2 travel?

NeRD

On Oct. 2, an annular solar eclipse will be visible from the Southern Hemisphere. During this event, the moon doesn’t completely cover the sun from our perspective on Earth, so it leaves a “ring of fire” around the moon. The moon’s shadow will appear to travel at vastly different speeds depending on your location. In some places, it will move faster than 6 million mph (10 million km/h); in others, it will travel as slow as 1,278 mph (2,057 km/h), or about the speed of a fighter jet. During the…

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Lucky ticket to space: How a Tennessee cardiologist made it to the final frontier

NeRD

How can someone fly to space without becoming an astronaut, having millions of dollars or being a celebrity? On Aug. 29, Blue Origin successfully completed its eighth human spaceflight and the 26th mission of its New Shepard suborbital program overall. Onboard this flight was Eiman Jahangir, a Tennessee cardiologist who earned his seat not just by chance, but through unwavering dedication to his dream. Space.com spoke with Jahangir both before and after his spaceflight, capturing the excitement of the day at the Blue Origin launch site to tell the full…

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SpaceX’s Crew-9 astronaut mission arrives at the ISS (video)

NeRD

SpaceX’s two-person Crew-9 mission arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) today (Sept. 29) after a one-day orbital chase. Crew-9’s Crew Dragon capsule, named Freedom, docked with the ISS today at 5:30 p.m. EDT (2130 GMT).  The hatches between the two spacecraft are expected to open around 7:15 p.m. EDT (2315 GMT), and ISS astronauts will deliver welcoming remarks about 25 minutes later. You can watch those milestones live via NASA and here at Space.com, if the agency makes its stream available. SpaceX’s Crew-9 astronaut mission approaches the International Space…

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‘Aurora’ the baby falcon plush toy takes flight again as SpaceX Crew-9 zero-g indicator

NeRD

A tradition borrowed from the Russian space program has now physically crossed over to an American spacecraft for the first time. The “zero-g [gravity] indicator” that launched aboard SpaceX‘s Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station on Saturday (Sept. 28), previously flew on two Russian Soyuz capsules, including one that survived an emergency in-flight abort. “I’ve got a little Falcon here,” said NASA astronaut and Crew-9 commander Nick Hague, as he revealed the small plush baby falcon in the crew cabin of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft “Freedom.” Hague and mission specialist…

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NASA Astronaut Nick Hague Boosts Human Health Research in Space

NeRD

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 commander Nick Hague is pictured in his flight suit during training at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Hague will perform human health and performance research on the International Space Station as part of his mission. SpaceX NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will soon dock with the International Space Station as part of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, a venture which will enhance scientific research and bolster the knowledge about how people can live and work in space. During the planned five-month mission, Hague’s…

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Liftoff! NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Launches to International Space Station

NeRD

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov onboard, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission is the ninth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Hague and Gorbunov launched at 1:17 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40…

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SpaceX launches Crew-9 astronauts from upgraded Florida pad to return Boeing Starliner crew home

NeRD

A unique SpaceX mission is underway. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex-40 (SLC-40) at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today (Sept. 28) at 1:17 p.m. EDT (1717 GMT), kicking off the Crew-9 astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA.  “That was a sweet ride,” NASA astronaut Nick Hague, Crew-9’s commander, radioed SpaceX’s launch control after reaching orbit with crewmate Alexandr Gorbunov of Russia. The astronauts are will arrive at the ISS on Sunday, Sept. 29. You can follow the mission with our…

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This Week In Space podcast: Episode 130 —Dogs on Mars, Snakes on the Moon

NeRD

Dogs on Mars, Snakes on the Moon – Mars Sample Return and VIPER – YouTube Watch On On Episode 130 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Dr. Jim Bell about the Mars Sample Return program and VIPER mission to the moon. NASA’s planetary exploration program is in trouble. The Mars Sample Return program is verging on cancellation, and the VIPER mission to the moon already has been. Both are critical precursors to human exploration of these places, as Dr. Jim Bell of Arizona State…

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