Hubble Views Cosmic Dust Lanes

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2 min read Hubble Views Cosmic Dust Lanes This Hubble Space Telescope image showcases a nearly edge-on view of the lenticular galaxy NGC 4753. ESA/Hubble & NASA, L. Kelsey Featured in this new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is a nearly edge-on view of the lenticular galaxy NGC 4753. Lenticular galaxies have an elliptical shape and ill-defined spiral arms. This image is the object’s sharpest view to date, showcasing Hubble’s incredible resolving power and ability to reveal complex dust structures. NGC 4753 resides around 60 million light-years from…

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Autel EVO Max 4T drone review

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Key specs Weight: 3.57 lbs / 1620 g Dimensions: Folded 10.1 x 5.71 x 5.16 in / 257 x 145 x 131 mm / unfolded 12.52 x 15.75 x 5.79 in / 318 x 400 x 147 mm (excluding propellers) Battery: 8070 mAh / up to 42 minutes Charger type: AC/DC charger Modes: Slow, Smooth, Standard, Ludicrous Video transmission range: Up to 12.4 miles/20km (FCC), 4.9 miles/8km (CE) Video resolution: 4000×3000 px Frame rates: 30 fps These days, drones are aimed at a wide range of uses with specific features…

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NASA’s Mars sample return mission is in trouble. Could a single SLS megarocket be the answer?

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Boeing has put forward its own idea to help NASA get its Mars Sample Return project back on track and on budget. NASA issued a solicitation for new ideas to get scientifically invaluable Martian material to Earth after being told the current plan is too expensive (about $11 billion), while also being too complex and facing scheduling issues.  Former NASA Chief Scientist Jim Green presented Boeing’s vision for a rejiggered Mars sample return mission concept at the annual Humans to Mars Summit last week.  Related: NASA’s Mars Sample Return in jeopardy…

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Aviary: A New NASA Software Platform for Aircraft Modelling

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4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Christopher Bennett, left, and Jason Kirk are seen in an Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch laboratory at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, discussing computer code that is part of Aviary, a new digital modeling tool that helps engineers innovate new aircraft designs. NASA has created a new digital modelling tool for aeronautical engineers to innovate new aircraft designs, building on decades of experience using highly advanced computer code for aviation. Using this tool, researchers can create simulations of conceptual…

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NASA’s Juno probe captures fascinating high-resolution images of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa

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When NASA’s Juno spacecraft performed its closest approach to Jupiter‘s moon Europa in September 2022, it captured evidence not only for pockets of briny water connected to the world’s deep subsurface ocean, but also for potential scars formed by towering plumes of water vapor — and it caught that evidence on camera The majority of imagery from the Juno mission is taken by  an instrument called JunoCam, which scientists revealed was able to take four high-resolution images of Europa’s surface as it raced past the icy moon at an altitude…

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NASA Earns Best Place to Work in Government for 12 Straight Years

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2023 image capturing the Sun’s glint in between a cloudy stretch of the south Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Argentina. Credits: NASA NASA was named Thursday as the 2023 Best Place to Work in the Federal Government – large agency – for the 12th year in a row by the Partnership for Public Service. The title serves as a reflection of employee satisfaction with the workplace and functioning of the overall agency as NASA explores the unknown and discovers new knowledge for the benefit of humanity. “Once again, NASA…

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NASA, European Space Agency Unite to Land Europe’s Rover on Mars

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NASA’s Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate Nicky Fox and ESA’s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Daniel Neuenschwander sign an agreement on the Rosalind Franklin mission at ESA’s headquarters in Paris, France on May 16, 2024. Credits: ESA/Damien Dos Santos NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) announced Thursday they signed an agreement to expand NASA’s work on the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, an ESA-led mission launching in 2028 that will search for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. With this memorandum of understanding, the NASA Launch…

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FY2024 TEAM II NOFO Announcement

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2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Next Gen STEM’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program is pleased to announce an upcoming FY2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that will expand the current program from a two-tier to a three-tier system by adding a mid-level funding tier. The NOFO is expected to be released in the third quarter of FY2024 (April-June). The new mid-level funding tier was created in response to feedback from the informal education community. The new “STEM Innovator” tier…

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