Tag: Missions

Hubble Spotlights a Supernova

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2 min read Hubble Spotlights a Supernova This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image reveals the galaxy LEDA 857074. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. J. Foley This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the galaxy LEDA 857074, located in the constellation Eridanus. LEDA 857074 is a barred spiral galaxy, with partially broken spiral arms. The image also captured a supernova, named SN 2022ADQZ, shining brightly on the right side of the galaxy’s bar. Several evolutionary paths can lead to a supernova explosion. One is the death of a supermassive star. When…

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SpaceX targeting Aug. 26 for historic Polaris Dawn astronaut mission

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SpaceX is now targeting Aug. 26 for the launch of Polaris Dawn, a crewed flight to Earth orbit that will feature the first-ever private spacewalk. The news, which the Polaris Dawn team announced today (Aug. 7) via a post on X, firms up a previously vague window; the most recent target for the groundbreaking mission was mid-August. Polaris Dawn will send four people to Earth orbit aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, which will lift off from NASA‘s Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The crew…

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NASA considers sending Boeing Starliner astronauts home on SpaceX Dragon

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Boeing Starliner may not bring its first astronauts home after all. NASA officials, absent a representative from Boeing, updated reporters today (Aug. 7) about how troubleshooting Starliner‘s undocking and landing may affect the next SpaceX astronaut flight to the International Space Station.  Starliner has faced a lot of difficulties since launching its first astronaut mission, most especially after 5 of its 28 reaction control thrusters (RCS) misfired during docking with the ISS on June 6. Work on the matter is ongoing, and as NASA revealed yesterday (Aug. 6), it will require…

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Station Science Top News: August 2, 2024

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Analyses suggest that microgravity does not significantly alter fundamental biochemical pathways in kidney cells, including metabolism of vitamin D. This finding could help researchers develop strategies to protect crew health on future missions and improve treatment of kidney-related diseases on Earth.  Kidney Cells examined the effects of microgravity and other factors of space travel on kidney health. Previous reports suggested that changes in kidney cell metabolism of vitamin D plays a role in bone loss in microgravity, and this paper recommends additional study to determine if this most recent finding is consistent with extended (>6…

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Earth from space: Astronauts share photography tips for snapping amazing photos from the ISS

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The view from Earth looking up at the stars is an incredible one, but a select few have the chance to look down at their home planet from space and capture the incredible scenery on camera.  A recent X Spaces (formerly Twitter Spaces) event featured NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick and Don Pettit revealing the secrets of doing astrophotography from low Earth orbit. Dominick, who is currently on board the International Space Station (ISS) as part of Expedition 71, and Pettit, who will launch to the orbiting outpost in September, passed…

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Canadarm2 was not designed to catch spacecraft at the ISS. Now it’s about to grab its 50th

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A Canadian robot arm on the International Space Station is days from a big milestone. MDA Space’s Canadarm2 will celebrate its 50th cosmic catch no earlier than Aug. 5, when a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo ship berths with the International Space Station (ISS) with thousands of pounds of experiments, supplies and food for the Expedition 71 astronauts, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) announced today (Aug. 2). Cygnus will launch to the ISS no earlier than 11:29 a.m. EDT (0329 GMT) on Aug. 3, and you can watch the mission here…

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NASA Offers Virtual Activities for 21st Northrop Grumman Resupply Mission

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Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter is pictured attached to the Canadarm2 robotic arm ahead of its release from the International Space Station’s Unity module on Tuesday, July 12, 2024. Photo credit: NASA NASA invites the public to participate in virtual activities ahead of the launch of Northrop Grumman’s 21st commercial resupply services mission for the agency.  Mission teams are targeting 11:28 a.m. EDT Saturday, Aug. 3, for the launch of the company’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space…

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A moon of Uranus could have a hidden ocean, James Webb Space Telescope finds

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Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers discovered that Ariel, a moon of Uranus, could be hiding in a buried liquid water ocean.  The discovery could supply an answer to a mystery surrounding this Uranian moon that has perplexed scientists: the fact Ariel’s surface is covered with a significant amount of carbon dioxide ice. This is puzzling because at the distance Uranus and its moons exist from the sun, 20 times further out from the sun than Earth, carbon dioxide turns to gas and is lost to space. This…

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UPDATE: NASA, Boeing to Stream Flight Test Mission Briefing on NASA+

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Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft that launched NASA’s Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station is pictured docked to the Harmony module’s forward port. This long-duration photograph was taken at night from the orbital complex as it soared 258 miles above western China. NASA and Boeing will host a news conference with mission leadership at 11:30 a.m. EDT Thursday, July 25, to provide the latest status of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test aboard the International Space Station. NASA previously planned an audio-only media teleconference…

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NASA, Boeing to Discuss Crew Flight Test Mission, Ground Testing

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Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft that launched NASA’s Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station is pictured docked to the Harmony module’s forward port. This long-duration photograph was taken at night from the orbital complex as it soared 258 miles above western China. Leadership from NASA and Boeing will participate in a media teleconference at 11:30 a.m. EDT Thursday, July 25, to provide the latest status of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission aboard the International Space Station. Audio of the media teleconference will…

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