NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Completes Scientific Mission on Space Station

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5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) After months aboard the International Space Station, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 is returning to Earth. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov each completed their first spaceflight. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen each completed their second spaceflight. During their time on the station, Crew-7 conducted science experiments and technology demonstrations to benefit people on Earth and prepare humans for future space missions. Here’s a look at some…

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Eclipse Ambassadors off the Path: Reaching Underrepresented Audiences

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2 min read Eclipse Ambassadors off the Path: Reaching Underrepresented Audiences The NASA Science Activation Program’s “Eclipse Ambassadors Off the Path” project is a nationwide initiative that set out in September 2022 to prepare 500 communities on and off the central paths of the back-to-back solar eclipses in 2023 and 2024 to enjoy the science and wonder of this natural phenomenon. Led by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, this team partners with libraries, community centers, and more to match college undergraduate students and eclipse enthusiasts of all ages with…

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NASA radar images show stadium-sized asteroid tumbling by Earth during flyby (photos)

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A stadium-sized asteroid tumbled harmlessly past Earth this month as a powerful NASA radar system watched. Asteroid 2008 OS7 passed by Earth on Feb. 2, 2024 at a safe distance of 1.8 million miles (2.9 million kilometers), about 7.5 times farther than the Earth-moon distance. While there was no risk of the space rock harming our planet, scientists with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) used the sophisticated Goldstone Solar System Radar (GSSR) to produce a series of images of the asteroid as it passed by us. The new observations helped…

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Apollo astronaut’s granddaughter opens immersive ‘Lunar Light’ moonwalk experience in Dallas

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What do you get when you mix an Apollo astronaut’s legacy with a trio of shipping containers, the latest in VR technology, the cousin of a “Star Wars” robot and an escape room like no other? Well, if you are Danielle Roosa, the answer is clear: An immersive experience that can give anyone (10 years of age or older) the chance to explore the moon. Launching on Leap Day (Feb. 29) in Dallas, Texas, “The Lunar Light: Discovery” is the creation of Roosa’s “Back to Space,” a transmedia organization that…

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Put on your eclipse glasses and look up to see the biggest sunspot in years before it disappears from view

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A giant sunspot continued to break records this week and is currently visible to the unaided eye with solar eclipse glasses. Between Saturday (Feb. 24) and Monday (Feb. 26), as the sunspot known as AR3590 turned toward Earth, it also grew by around 25% to become the largest sunspot of the current 11-year solar cycle, solar cycle 25, measuring around 9.5 times the surface area of Earth. NASA says that while it is never safe to look directly at the sun with unprotected eyes, eclipse glasses are perfect for observing…

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Langley Celebrates Black History Month: Matthew Hayes

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8 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Matthew Hayes is a DEIA Project Analyst with NASA’s Langley Research Center. As DEIA project analyst, Hayes supports the center in identifying gaps and building a culture, environment, systems, and processes where everyone has fair opportunities to grow. NASA/David C. Bowman Matthew Hayes is a DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility) project analyst with NASA’s Langley Research Center. His Langley career has spanned 16 years, starting in the model shop working on wind tunnel models and lunar rover projects.…

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Langley Celebrates Black History Month: Brittny McGraw

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6 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Brittny McGraw serves as News Chief in the Office of Communications at NASA’s Langley Research Center. She joined NASA Langley in September 2023, after a 20-year career as an award-winning broadcast journalist. NASA/David C. Bowman Brittny McGraw serves as News Chief in the Office of Communications at NASA’s Langley Research Center. She joined NASA Langley in September 2023, after a 20-year career as an award-winning broadcast journalist. Her broadcast career included stops in New Bern, N.C., Dayton, Ohio, Pittsburgh,…

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Langley Celebrates Black History Month: Brandon Sells

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5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Brandon Sells joined NASA’s Langley Research Center in September 2023 as an aerospace engineer with the Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch (ASAB) of the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate (SACD). NASA/David C. Bowman Brandon Sells joined NASA’s Langley Research Center in September 2023 as an aerospace engineer with the Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch (ASAB) of the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate (SACD). Brandon earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering-aerospace concentration from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, N.C.…

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A Splash of Pink

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A female (left) and a male roseate spoonbill get together near the tall grasses at the edge of a pond in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, northwest of Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Spoonbills inhabit areas of mangrove such as on the coasts of southern Florida and Texas. These birds feed on shrimps and fish in the shallow water, sweeping their bills from side to side. This and other wildlife abound throughout Kennedy as it shares a boundary with the Wildlife Refuge, home to some of the nation’s rarest…

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