NASA, Partners to Welcome Private Crew Aboard Space Station

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Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3), the third all private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, lifts off at 4:49 p.m. EST on Thursday, Jan. 18, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA As part of NASA’s efforts to enable more access to space, four private astronauts are in orbit following the successful launch of the third all private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Axiom Space astronauts lifted off at 4:49 p.m. EST on Thursday from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center…

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Glenn Supports World Radiocommunication Conference

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1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA Glenn Research Center’s Deputy International Spectrum Manager, Dave Franc, taking the floor to debate U.S. position at WRC-23. Credit: International Telecommunications Union Reliable space communication and navigation systems are critical to every NASA mission. From the Voyager mission exploring beyond our solar system to astronauts aboard the International Space Station, space communications provide the crucial connection to our home planet. Without proper management of radio spectrum allocation and use, NASA’s ability to communicate with spacecraft and operate science…

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Monitoring Microorganisms

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7 Min Read Monitoring Microorganisms Science in Space January 2024 Crew members on the International Space Station have a lot of company – millions of bacteria and other microbes. The human body contains 10 times more microbes than human cells, and bacteria and fungi grow in and on just about everything around us on Earth. Most bacteria are harmless, and many are beneficial or even essential to human functioning and well-being. But microgravity can make some microbes more likely to cause disease and bacteria and fungi may affect the function…

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NASA Continues Artemis Moon Rocket Engine Tests with 1st Hot Fire of 2024

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3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA completed a full-duration, 500-second hot fire of an RS-25 certification engine Jan. 17, continuing a critical test series to support future SLS (Space Launch System) missions to the Moon and beyond as NASA explores the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all. NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA completed a full-duration, 500-second hot fire of an RS-25 certification engine Jan. 17, continuing a critical test series to support future SLS (Space Launch System) missions to the Moon and beyond…

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There’s lots of water on the moon for astronauts. But is it safe to drink?

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Water appears to be abundant near the moon’s south pole, but drinking it could be a safety problem for astronauts. A new moon challenge asks the public for ideas to purify drinking water for astronauts, reducing the need for shipments from Earth. The Aqualunar contest is open to residents of Canada and the United Kingdom, and you can send in your ideas right now, through April 8. “It is very likely that water exists on the moon, but it contains contaminants,” the Canadian Space Agency wrote in its briefing for…

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Water ice buried at Mars’ equator is over 2 miles thick

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A European Space Agency (ESA) probe has found enough water to cover Mars in an ocean between 4.9 and 8.9 feet (1.5 and 2.7 meters) deep, buried in the form of dusty ice beneath the planet’s equator. The finding was made by ESA’s Mars Express mission, a veteran spacecraft that has been engaged in science operations around Mars for 20 years now. While it’s not the first time that evidence for ice has been found near the Red Planet’s equator, this new discovery is by far the largest amount of…

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See a bright half moon meet up with Jupiter in the night sky tonight

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Two skywatching favorites will meet up in the clear winter night sky tonight. The moon and Jupiter will appear close together in the Aries constellation, offering the chance to see five moons at once through the right binoculars. Jupiter’s four largest satellites, called the Galilean moons, will appear in pairs on either side of the largest planet in our solar system.  The moon, meanwhile, will be just seven days past new moon in a bright waxing gibbous phase, appearing 59% illuminated as it heads toward the first full moon of…

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The Marshall Star for January 17, 2024

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28 Min Read The Marshall Star for January 17, 2024 ‘Be King’: Team Redstone Invites All to Honor Civil Rights Icon’s Legacy By Jessica Barnett Several accomplished speakers took to the stage Jan. 11 at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center to share how Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy helped shape their lives. The event was hosted by Marshall’s ODEO (Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity), along with the FBI and U.S. Army, in the center’s Activities Building 4316 as a way of honoring King, a minister and activist…

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NASA Sets Briefings for Crew-8, International Space Station Missions

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The four crew members representing NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station pose for an official portrait at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA will host a pair of news conferences Thursday, Jan. 25, from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to highlight upcoming crew rotation missions to the International Space Station. A mission overview news conference will begin at 1 p.m. EST and cover NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the microgravity laboratory and Expeditions 70/71. A crew news conference will start at 2:30 p.m.,…

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