Solar Secrets Unveiled: Planetarium Program Showcases Parker Solar Probe Discoveries

NeRD

2 min read Solar Secrets Unveiled: Planetarium Program Showcases Parker Solar Probe Discoveries In January, the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) hosted its monthly planetarium program, offering attendees an insightful journey into the study of our solar system’s star. On January 23, 2024, Dr. Nour Raouafi, project scientist of the Parker Solar Probe and astrophysicist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), shared how the Parker Solar Probe is changing what we know about the Sun. Dr. Raouafi began by delving into the history of heliophysics, including Eugene…

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Virgin Galactic may launch 6th commercial spaceflight this week

NeRD

Virgin Galactic’s sixth commercial spaceflight may be just around the corner. The launch window for the crewed suborbital mission, known as Galactic 06, opens on Jan. 26. And, to help remind us of this fact and build up interest in the flight, Virgin Galactic just released the mission’s patch. “The patch represents the Ukrainian, Austrian and United States nationalities showcasing our crew’s global background. One star for each Pilot and Astronaut crew and a central seven-point star denoting mountains and continents conquered by members of the crew,” the company wrote…

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NASA Glenn Established in Cleveland in 1941

NeRD

3 Min Read NASA Glenn Established in Cleveland in 1941 A model of the new campus shows that it contained nine primary buildings—Administration, Flight Research, Engine Research, Technical Services, Fuels and Lubrication, Engine Propeller Research, Research Equipment, and the Altitude Wind and Icing Research tunnels. Credits: NASA On January 23, 1941, local authorities, military representatives, and agency officials assembled in Cleveland to initiate construction of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) new research laboratory. NACA Director of Research George Lewis stated, “I feel confident today in saying that this…

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NASA’s IXPE Awarded Prestigious Prize in High-energy Astronomy

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3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) An artist’s illustration of the IXPE spacecraft in orbit, studying high-energy phenomena light-years from Earth NASA NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) team has been awarded a top prize in high-energy astronomy. The High Energy Astrophysics Division of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) has awarded the 2024 Bruno Rossi Prize to retired NASA astrophysicist Martin Weisskopf, Italian Space Agency principal investigator Paolo Soffitta, and their team for development of IXPE, “whose novel measurements advance our understanding of particle acceleration…

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NASA finally opens OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample canister after stuck lid issue

NeRD

It’s finally open. After months of anticipation, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has achieved a significant milestone by successfully accessing the treasure trove of asteroid material that the probe collected during its billion-mile journey.  On January 10, a group of NASA technicians finally removed two stubborn fasteners that had locked away the precious cargo, allowing scientists unprecedented access to the asteroid material, according to a NASA statement. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft made history in September 2023 when it became the first U.S. mission to return an asteroid sample to Earth. The sample was…

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You can pay to have your ashes buried on the moon. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should

NeRD

When NASA attempted to return to the Moon for the first time in 50 years on January 8, more was at risk than just US$108 million worth of development and equipment. The agency earned the ire of the Native American Navajo people, who made a bid to stop the launch because of an unusual inclusion in the payload. The Peregrine lander (which completed its controlled re-entry into the atmosphere late last week) was carrying human ashes, including those of famed science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke. A commercial partnership also allowed paying customers to…

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Hubble Glimpses a Bright Galaxy Group

NeRD

2 min read Hubble Glimpses a Bright Galaxy Group This new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image shows a tangled group of interacting galaxies called LEDA 60847. NASA/ESA/A. Barth (University of California – Irvine)/M. Koss (Eureka Scientific Inc.)/A. Robinson (Rochester Institute of Technology)/Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America) This new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image shows a group of interacting galaxies known as LEDA 60847. LEDA 60847 is classified as an active galactic nuclei, or AGN. An AGN has a supermassive black hole in the galaxy’s central region that is…

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NASA Interns at Johnson’s Rock Yard

NeRD

NASA/James Blair In this image from May 22, 2023, a NASA intern uses an augmented reality headset to test out heads-up display technology being developed for future Artemis missions. This technology was created as part of the NASA Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students, or SUITS, design challenge in which college students from across the country help design user interface solutions for future spaceflight needs. Today marks the beginning of NASA’s Spring 2024 internship season; across the country, hundreds of interns are joining the Artemis Generation and contributing to the…

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NASA restores contact with Mars helicopter Ingenuity after communications dropout on latest flight

NeRD

I held my breath for a moment on Jan. 18, when scientists announced they’d lost contact with the Perseverance Mars rover’s helicopter friend, Ingenuity.  Ingenuity had been nearing completion of its 72nd flight — a liftoff far past the threshold of “borrowed time” in this case, as the mighty craft was originally built for a mere maximum of five flights. The fate of Ingenuity was pretty uncertain for a short while. However, I’m pleased to report that Ingenuity has officially regained communication with ground control and continues to surpass the…

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