Category: Nasa

Nasa

NASA Knows: How Does the Sun Behave? (Grades 5-8)

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This article is for students grades 5-8. The Sun is the star of our solar system. Its gravity holds Earth and our planetary neighbors in its orbit. At 865,000 miles (1.4 million km) in diameter, it’s the largest object in our solar system. On Earth, its influence is felt in our weather, seasons, climate, and more. Let’s learn about our dynamic star and its connections to life on Earth. What is the Sun, and what is it made of? The Sun is a yellow dwarf star. It is approximately 4.5…

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NASA, Columbia U. Enact Collaborative Space Act Agreement

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Dr. Jeannette Wing and Dr. Christa Peters-Lidard sign a collaborative Space Act Agreement at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. NASA/Travis Wohlrab NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Columbia University in New York, New York, enacted a collaborative Space Act Agreement to advance research and education opportunities during a signing ceremony Monday, Dec. 16, at Goddard. Presiding over the ceremony were Dr. Christa Peters-Lidard, director of Goddard’s Sciences and Exploration directorate, and Dr Jeannette Wing, executive vice president for research and professor of…

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Potentially habitable planet TRAPPIST-1b may have a carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere

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The innermost Earth-like planet in the famous TRAPPIST-1 system might be capable of supporting a thick atmosphere after all, according to new research. Since the system of seven tightly-packed, Earth-sized worlds was discovered in 2017, huddled in remarkable harmony just 40 light-years from Earth, astronomers have tried to determine whether any support atmosphere, which is critical to harbor life as we know it. Previous observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have suggested all planets in the system would be barren, airless rocks thanks to violent, atmosphere-stripping radiation unleashed…

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Space Gardens

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4 Min Read Space Gardens NASA astronaut Kayla Barron with chile peppers in the station’s Advanced Plant Habitat. Credits: NASA Science in Space December 2024 As NASA plans missions to the Moon and Mars, one challenge is figuring out how to provide crew members with enough healthy food. Bringing along a supply for months or even years in space is impractical, and stored food can lose taste and nutritional value. Growing plants in space is one way to help solve this problem. Tending space gardens also has positive psychological effects…

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‘Exodus’ looks like a next-gen Mass Effect, but you get to fight an armored space bear (trailer)

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Despite abundant videos focusing on Exodus‘ alien species and uncharted worlds, it’s been a while since the last time we got a proper look at the game. Fortunately, studio Archetype Entertainment and publisher Wizards of the Coast are ready to start showing off meatier chunks of gameplay, and the new trailer is a must-watch. The official website had also given us plenty of in-universe history and lore to chew on, but we’d been dying to see more of the actual game. After missing last week’s Game Awards ceremony (which was…

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NASA Finds ‘Sideways’ Black Hole Using Legacy Data, New Techniques

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4 Min Read NASA Finds ‘Sideways’ Black Hole Using Legacy Data, New Techniques Image showing the structure of galaxy NGC 5084, with data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory overlaid on a visible-light image of the galaxy. Chandra’s data, shown in purple, revealed four plumes of hot gas emanating from a supermassive black hole rotating “tipped over” at the galaxy’s core. Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC, A. S. Borlaff, P. Marcum et al.; Optical full image: M. Pugh, B. Diaz; Image Processing: NASA/USRA/L. Proudfit NASA researchers have discovered a perplexing case of a black hole that appears to…

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The Imperial Probe Droid is one of the best Lego Star Wars sets we have reviewed and you can now pick it up for a low price

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While the Imperial Probe Droid may have made only a brief but menacing appearance in The Empire Strikes Back, it is still one of Star Wars’ most iconic droids. It has been impressively recreated in this 683-piece Lego set which is currently on sale at a reduced price. The best price we found ahead of the holidays is at Walmart and given that it regularly retails for around and above $70, and is priced at $70 on Amazon, it’s pretty good value this holiday season. Unfortunately, Walmart says this will…

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NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Looks to Thrive in 2025

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Photographers at NASA capture the sunset on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, near the headquarters building of the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA/Ben Smegelsky As NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida wraps up a year that will see more than 90 government, commercial, and private missions launch from Florida’s Space Coast, a look to 2025 shows the missions, partnerships, projects, and programs at the agency’s main launch site will continue innovating, inspiring, and pushing the boundaries of exploration for the benefit of humanity. “The next year promises to be…

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Webb mail: US Priority Mail stamps to again star deep space images in 2025

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The universe of United States postage stamps featuring James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) imagery is set to expand again in 2025. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) on Monday (Dec. 16) revealed that its upcoming Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express flat rate stamps will feature two deep space vistas captured by the Webb observatory. Scheduled for release on Jan. 21, the stamps will be the second set to use JWST photos after the pair issued this year. “USPS celebrates the continued exploration of deep space with an extremely high-definition image…

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