This image revealing the north polar region of the Jovian moon Io was taken on October 15 by NASA’s Juno. Three of the mountain peaks visible in the upper part of image, near the day-night dividing line, were observed here for the first time by the spacecraft’s JunoCam. Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS, Image processing by Ted Stryk The orbiter has performed 56 flybys of Jupiter and documented close encounters with three of the gas giant’s four largest moons. NASA’s Juno spacecraft will on Saturday, Dec. 30, make the closest flyby of…
Read MoreNASA’s Agency Chief Technologist presents their first annual year-in-review for 2023
1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) OTPS shares an annual letter from the Agency Chief Technologist (ACT), updates on various studies in the technology domain within OTPS, overviews of the center chief technologists, and vignettes of various technology projects across the agency. Read the full report, A Year in Review 2023 from NASA’s Agency Chief Technologist. Share Details Last Updated Dec 27, 2023 Editor Bill Keeter Related Terms Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy (OTPS)
Read MoreOTPS Releases its 2023 Annual Report
1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy, shares highlights from the office in 2023, including key accomplishments and collaborations that support the NASA mission. Read the full report, NASA’s OTPS: A Year in Review 2023 Share Details Last Updated Dec 27, 2023 Editor Bill Keeter Related Terms Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy (OTPS)
Read MoreGold mine of kilonova explosions forged by neutron stars crashing together
The gold that comprises the ring on your ring, the jewelry, and the uranium used as fuel in nuclear power plants is believed to come from the violent conditions created when two ultradense dead stars called neutron stars collide. This collision between neutron stars also generates ripples in spacetime called gravitational waves, blasts of high-energy radiation called gamma-ray bursts, and a flash of light called a kilonova that can be detected here on Earth. Signatures from just such an event were detected on 17 August 2017. Now, a team of…
Read MoreMold-A-Rama and the space shuttle over Earth: A space age toy story
NASA’s space shuttle reentered orbit this fall after a 15-month retirement — and this time, it was bright blue. Outlasting the real winged spacecraft by more than a decade, the new space shuttle orbiters are identical to the first ones pulled out in 1981, but this time they are launching from Chicago. “‘Mold-A-Rama: Molded for the Future’ an exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI), tells the story of the beloved retro machines, which make plastic figurines right before your eyes. For over 60 years, Mold-A-Rama machines have…
Read MoreInternational Space Station astronauts hang stockings and light a menorah for the holidays (images, video)
The crew of the space station celebrated a multidenominational Christmas this year, hanging stockings for Santa alongside a menorah “lit” with pretty felt flames. The menorah was brought aboard the International Space Station by NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli and adorned with a felt flame each night when Hanukkah, the Jewish festival, ran earlier this December. Felt was chosen as a material for the menorah due to understandable restrictions concerning lighting fires on spacecraft and space stations. “My husband and little girls helped make a felt menorah, with lights for each…
Read MoreStudying Combustion and Fire Safety
Research on the International Space Station is helping scientists to understand how fire spreads and behaves in different environments and learn how to prevent and extinguish fires in space. Combustion investigations contribute to the safety of crew members, equipment, and spacecraft by guiding selection of spacecraft cabin materials, improving understanding of fire growth, and identifying optimal fire suppression techniques. This research also contributes to fire safety on Earth and some studies improve our understanding of combustion for uses such as producing electricity and powering vehicles on the ground. Microgravity dramatically…
Read MoreRinging in the Holidays
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI The ice giant Uranus and its rings steal the show in this Dec. 18, 2023, image from the James Webb Space Telescope. The telescope captured new images of Uranus, revealing detailed features of the planet’s rings and seasonal north polar cap, as well as bright storms near and below the southern border of the cap. This Webb image also shows 14 of the planet’s 27 moons: Oberon, Titania, Umbriel, Juliet, Perdita, Rosalind, Puck, Belinda, Desdemona, Cressida, Ariel, Miranda, Bianca, and Portia. Webb’s extreme sensitivity also picks…
Read MoreJapan’s SLIM ‘moon sniper’ lander arrives in lunar orbit for Christmas
A Japanese spacecraft just took a huge step toward pulling off the nation’s first-ever moon landing. Japan’s robotic SLIM moon lander arrived in lunar orbit on Christmas Day (Dec. 25) as planned, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced. The spacecraft entered lunar orbit at 2:51 a.m. EDT (4:51 p.m. Japan Standard Time, 0751 GMT). “The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is pleased to announce that the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) was successfully inserted into lunar orbit at 16:51 (Japan Standard Time, JST) on December 25, 2023,” JAXA officials…
Read MoreHow to watch ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas special: Stream ‘The Church on Ruby Road’ from anywhere
‘Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road’: Key information • Airs at 5:55pm GMT, 12:55pm EST and 9:55am PST on Christmas Day• UK: Watch for FREE on BBC One and BBC iPlayer• Away from home: Use a VPN such as ExpressVPN to watch your usual service from anywhere• US, Canada and Australia: Disney Plus has the rights to stream “Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road” internationally We saw much more of Ncuti Gatwa’s new Doctor than we were expecting in the last of the “Doctor Who” 60th anniversary episodes. Now, after that…
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