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Beginning to build an engineering marvel - Assembly of the International Space Station began 15 years ago on Dec. 6, 1998, when the crew of space shuttle mission STS-88 attached the U.S.-built Unity node and the Russian-built Zarya module together in orbit. The crew carried a large-format IMAX camera, used to take this image of Unity lifted out of Endeavour's payload bay to position it upright for connection to Zarya. Zarya, launched on Nov. 20, 1998, was the first piece of the International Space Station. Also known as the Functional Cargo Block (FGB), it would provide a nucleus of orientation control, communications and electrical power while the station waited for its other elements. Two weeks later, on Dec. 4, 1998, NASA's space shuttle Endeavour launched Unity, the first U.S. piece of the complex, during the STS-88 mission. Image Credit: NASA #nasa #space #spacestation #anniversary #astronauts #spaceshuttle #unity #zarya; -
In honor of the anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, who passed away today at the age of 95, here is an image of Cape Town, South Africa, from space. This photo was taken on May 9, 2013, by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield while living and working aboard the International Space Station. Hadfield tweeted this image and wrote, “Cape Town, South Africa and the South Atlantic calling to forever.” CREDIT: Chris Hadfield #nasa #space #mandela #nelsonmandela #iss; -
The James Webb Space Telescope 's MIRI Shield Dropping in on Dropping Temperatures - Goddard Technicians Tony Kiem (left) and George Mooney (right) guide the craned structure holding the Webb telescope's Mid-Infrared Instrument, or MIRI Shield Environmental Test Unit, into place in a cryogenic (cooling) test chamber. This shield will be used to simulate the MIRI instrument during prelaunch testing to verify that the MIRI cooling system will function properly in space. Goddard Safety Engineer Richard Bowlan watches from above. The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST) is a large, infrared-optimized space telescope. The project is working to a 2018 launch date. Webb will find the first galaxies that formed in the early Universe, connecting the Big Bang to our own Milky Way Galaxy. Webb will peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems, connecting the Milky Way to our own Solar System. Webb's instruments will be designed to work primarily in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, with some capability in the visible range. Image Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn Caption: NASA/Rob Gutro #nasa #space #webbtelescope #infrared #jwst #universe #telescope #galaxy #planets; -
Orion Heat Shield Transported Aboard Super Guppy Plane: The heat shield for NASA's Orion spacecraft was loaded onto a Super Guppy plane in Manchester, N.H. on Dec. 4, for transport to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The heat shield, the largest of its kind ever built, is being unloaded Thursday, Dec. 5, and is scheduled for installation on Orion in March 2014. The heat shield will be used in September 2014 during Exploration Flight Test-1, a two-orbit flight that will take an uncrewed Orion capsule to an altitude of 3,600 miles. The returning capsule is expected to encounter temperatures of almost 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit as it travels through Earth's atmosphere at up to 20,000 mph, faster than any spacecraft in the last 40 years. Data gathered during the flight will influence decisions about design improvements on the heat shield and other Orion systems, authenticate existing computer models, and innovative new approaches to space systems and development. It also will reduce overall mission risks and costs for future Orion missions, which include exploring an asteroid and Mars. Image credit: NASA #superguppy #bigplane #airplane #aircraft #nasa #space #heatshield #orion #spotorion; -
In Full View: Saturn's Streaming Hexagon - This colorful view from NASA's Cassini mission is the highest-resolution view of the unique six-sided jet stream at Saturn's north pole known as "the hexagon." This movie, made from images obtained by Cassini's imaging cameras, is the first to show the hexagon in color filters, and the first movie to show a complete view from the north pole down to about 70 degrees north latitude. This movie shows a view from directly over the north pole, keeping up with the rotation of the planet so that all the motion seen on the screen is the motion of the hexagonal jet stream or the storms inside of it, without any added motion from the spinning of the planet itself. The original images were re-projected to show this polar view. High-resolution views of the hexagon have only recently become possible because of the changing of the seasons at Saturn and changes in the Cassini spacecraft’s orbit. The north pole was dark when Cassini first arrived in July 2004. The sun really only began to illuminate the entire interior of the hexagon in August 2009, with the start of northern spring. In late 2012, Cassini began making swings over Saturn's poles, giving it better views of the hexagon. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Hampton #nasa #space #solarsystem #saturn #cassini #filters #spacecract;
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Forty years ago, Pioneer 10 made its closest approach to Jupiter. On Dec. 4, 1973, NASA's Pioneer 10 spacecraft sent back images of Jupiter’s ever-increasing size. The most dramatic moment was after closest approach and after the spacecraft was hidden behind Jupiter. Here, images gradually build up into a very distorted crescent-shaped Jupiter. "Sunrise on Jupiter," a team member said. The giant planet crescent gradually decreased in size as the spacecraft sped away out of the Jovian system. Launched on Mar. 2, 1972, Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to travel through the asteroid belt, and the first spacecraft to make direct observations and obtain close-up images of Jupiter. Pioneer 10 passed within 81,000 miles of the cloudtops during its closest encounter with Jupiter. This historic event marked humans' first approach to Jupiter and opened the way for exploration of the outer solar system - for Voyager to tour the outer planets, for Ulysses to break out of the ecliptic, for Galileo to investigate Jupiter and its satellites, and for Cassini to go to Saturn and probe Titan. During its Jupiter encounter, Pioneer 10 imaged the planet and its moons, and took measurements of Jupiter's magnetosphere, radiation belts, magnetic field, atmosphere, and interior. These measurements of the intense radiation environment near Jupiter were crucial in designing the Voyager and Galileo spacecraft. Image Credit: NASA #nasa #space #jupiter #solarsystem #planets #pinneer10 #anniversary #galileo #voyager #saturn #cassuni #spacecraft; -
View of the Transantarctic Mountains: This image taken from the NASA P-3 airborne laboratory on Nov. 27, 2013, near the end of the 2013 IceBridge Antarctic campaign. NASA’s Operation IceBridge images Earth's polar ice in unprecedented detail to better understand processes that connect the polar regions with the global climate system. IceBridge utilizes a highly specialized fleet of research aircraft and the most sophisticated suite of innovative science instruments ever assembled to characterize annual changes in thickness of sea ice, glaciers, and ice sheets. In addition, IceBridge collects critical data used to predict the response of earth’s polar ice to climate change and resulting sea-level rise. IceBridge also helps bridge the gap in polar observations between NASA's ICESat satellite missions. Image Credit: NASA / Michael Studinger #icebridge #operationicebridge #antarctica #p3airplane #airplane #airbornescience #science #polarice #antarcticice #ice #aircraft#plane; -
This is 'not abstract art [and] not an alien planet' tweeted Astronaut Rick Mastracchio this morning from the #ISS. It is Australia taken from the orbiting outpost some 240 miles up circling the Earth every 90 minutes. The International Space Station (ISS) continues the NASA tradition of Earth observation from human-tended spacecraft. Operational since November 2000, the ISS is well suited for documenting Earth features and provides an excellent stage for observing most populated areas of the world. Images coming down from the International Space Station are processed on a daily basis and include over 1.2 million images through Nov. 1, 2013. Image credit: NASA #iss #astronauts #astropix #spacestation #earth #australia #terrain; -
What was the fate of #Comet #ISON? Scientists are still unsure. There is no doubt that the comet shrank in size considerably as it rounded the sun and there's no doubt that something made it out on the other side to shoot back into space. The question remains as to whether the bright spot seen moving away from the sun was simply debris, or whether a small nucleus of the original ball of ice was still there. Regardless, it is likely that it is now only dust. By monitoring its changes in brightness over time, scientists can estimate whether there's a nucleus or not, but our best chance at knowing for sure will be if the Hubble Space Telescope makes observations later in December 2013. In this time-lapse image, Comet ISON comes in from the bottom right and moves out toward the upper right, getting fainter and fainter. This image is from the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. The image of the sun at the center is from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. Image Credit: ESA/NASA/SOHO/SDO/GSFC #nasa #space #cometison #stars #astronomy #universe #solarsystem #hubble #sdo; -
Sunlit Edge of Saturn's Largest Moon, Titan: The sunlit edge of Titan's south polar vortex stands out distinctly against the darkness of the moon's unilluminated hazy atmosphere. The Cassini spacecraft images of the vortex led scientists to conclude that its clouds form at a much higher altitude -- where sunlight can still reach -- than the surrounding haze. Titan (3,200 miles, or 5,150 kilometers across) is Saturn's largest moon. This view looks toward the trailing hemisphere of Titan. North on Titan is up and rotated 32 degrees to the left. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 14, 2013 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of near-infrared light centered at 938 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 808,000 miles (1.3 million kilometers) from Titan and at a Sun-Titan-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 82 degrees. Image scale is 5 miles (8 kilometers) per pixel. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute #nasa #space #saturn #titan #moon #cassini #clouds;
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What does a volcanic eruption look like from the #ISS? When viewing conditions are favorable, astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) can take unusual and striking images of the Earth. This photograph provides a view of an eruption plume emanating from Kliuchevskoi, one of the many active volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The nadir views—looking straight down—acquired by most satellites tend to flatten the landscape and reduce our sense of three-dimensional topography. In contrast, this photo was taken from the ISS with an oblique viewing angle that gives a strong sense of three dimensions, which are also accentuated by the shadows cast by the volcanic peaks. The result is a view similar to what you might see from a low-altitude airplane. The image was taken when the ISS was located over a ground position more than 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) to the southwest. The plume—likely a combination of steam, volcanic gases, and ash—stretched to the east-southeast due to prevailing winds. The dark region to the north-northwest is likely a product of shadows and of ash settling out. Several other volcanoes are visible in the image, including Ushkovsky, Tolbachik, Zimina, and Udina. To the south-southwest of Kliuchevskoi lies Bezymianny Volcano, which appears to be emitting a small steam plume (at image center). Image Credit: NASA #exp38 #iss #spacestation #nasa #earth #volcano #eruption #volcanic #russia #astropix #earthobs; -
Who is studying Earth's polar ice in Antarctica? We are during Operation IceBridge, an airborne science mission by NASA. IceBridge images Earth's polar ice in unprecedented detail to better understand processes that connect the polar regions with the global climate system. IceBridge utilizes a highly specialized fleet of research aircraft and the most sophisticated suite of innovative science instruments ever assembled to characterize annual changes in thickness of sea ice, glaciers, and ice sheets. In addition, IceBridge collects critical data used to predict the response of earth’s polar ice to climate change and resulting sea-level rise. IceBridge also helps bridge the gap in polar observations between NASA's ICESat satellite missions. Operation IceBridge is conducting its first field campaign directly from Antarctica this year. Seen here, NASA flight engineer Brian Yates directs the P-3 research aircraft during engine startup on the ramp at McMurdo Station's sea ice airfield before a Nov. 20 survey flight over Victoria Land in Antarctica. To the right in the background is the nearby volcano, Mount Erebus. Image Credit: NASA/George Hale #icebridge #operationicebridge #antarctica #p3airplane #airplane #airbornescience #science #polarice #antarcticice #ice #aircraft #plane; -
Is #Comet #ISON back from the dead? Continuing a history of surprising behavior, material from ISON appeared on the other side of the sun on the evening on Nov. 28, 2013, despite not having been seen in observations during its closest approach to the sun. The question remains whether it is merely debris from the comet, or if some portion of the comet's nucleus survived, but late-night analysis from scientists with NASA's Comet ISON Observing Campaign suggest that there is at least a small nucleus intact. This image is a "timelapse" series of images of comet ISON as viewed by ESA/NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO. This image is a composite, with the sun imaged by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory in the center, and SOHO's two coronagraphs showing the solar atmosphere, the corona. The most recent image in this is from 5:30 p.m. EST on Nov. 29, 2013. Image Credit:ESA&NASA/SOHO/SDO #nasa #space #cometison #stars #astronomy #universe #solarsystem; -
Tired from #BlackFriday? Nap like this Sculptor Galaxy black hole did: Nearly a decade ago, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory caught signs of what appeared to be a black hole snacking on gas at the middle of the nearby Sculptor galaxy. Now, NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), which sees higher-energy X-ray light, has taken a peek and found the black hole asleep. The slumbering black hole is about 5 million times the mass of our sun. It lies at the center of the Sculptor galaxy, also known as NGC 253, a so-called starburst galaxy actively giving birth to new stars. At 13 million light-years away, this is one of the closest starbursts to our own galaxy, the Milky Way. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/JHU #BlackHoleFriday; -
Monster deal this #BlackFriday - See a monster black hole artistic pic as part of our #BlackHoleFriday: This artist's concept illustrates a supermassive black hole with millions to billions times the mass of our sun. Supermassive black holes are enormously dense objects buried at the hearts of galaxies. (Smaller black holes also exist throughout galaxies.) In this illustration, the supermassive black hole at the center is surrounded by matter flowing onto the black hole in what is termed an accretion disk. This disk forms as the dust and gas in the galaxy falls onto the hole, attracted by its gravity. Also shown is an outflowing jet of energetic particles, believed to be powered by the black hole's spin. The regions near black holes contain compact sources of high energy X-ray radiation thought, in some scenarios, to originate from the base of these jets. This high energy X-radiation lights up the disk, which reflects it, making the disk a source of X-rays. The reflected light enables astronomers to see how fast matter is swirling in the inner region of the disk, and ultimately to measure the black hole's spin rate. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech;
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