Ultra-high-definition video beamed from deep space, the Artemis II astronauts train for their upcoming mission, and an Artemis landing from inside the Orion spacecraft … a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!
Teams across Europe and at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, have been tirelessly conducting a test campaign that will, in 2024, end with the first launch of Europe’s newest heavy-lift rocket, Ariane 6.
In the summer, the mobile gantry was rolled back at the launchpad, revealing the huge rocket to the elements. Then, the main stage’s Vulcain 2.1 engine roared into life in a series of ‘hot fire’ tests for the rocket and entire ground system, including tank filling rehearsals, countdowns, vibration-damping water systems and more.
Tests continued on the upper-stage reignitable Vinci engine and Auxiliary Power Unit at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) test site in Lampoldshausen.
Very soon, tests will be complete, and Europe’s heavy-lift rocket will take flight.
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Watch live as Vice President Kamala Harris, chair of the National Space Council, discusses international partnerships to build a responsible and sustainable human presence in space in Washington on Dec. 20, 2023, and provides updates on long-term missions.
The National Space Council is the White House policy council responsible for ensuring the United States capitalizes on the rich opportunities presented by our nation’s space activities.
Ten years ago, on 19 December 2013, our billion star-mapping satellite Gaia launched.
Since then, Gaia has been scanning the sky and gathering an enormous amount of data on the positions and motions of 1.8 billion stars, enabling discoveries about the history of our galaxy.
Gaia is creating an extraordinarily precise three-dimensional map of more than a billion stars throughout our Milky Way galaxy and beyond, mapping their motions, luminosity, temperature and composition.
This huge stellar census will provide the data needed to tackle an enormous range of important questions related to the origin, structure and evolutionary history of our galaxy.
Gaia’s catalogue is ever-growing containing data on stars and other cosmic objects such as galaxies, exoplanets, and binary stars. Here’s to more discoveries!
2023’s highlight was the highly anticipated launch of Juice, Europe’s Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer. The Juice spacecraft was placed on course to Jupiter on the second-to-last Ariane 5 launch vehicle in April. After an eight-year journey, Juice will begin observing the giant gas planet and its three large ocean-bearing moons – Ganymede, Calisto and Europa.
The Euclid space telescope was launched in July with the aim of unravelling the enigmas of ‘dark matter’ and ‘dark energy’. Euclid’s first images were released in November, revealing razor-sharp astronomical images with detail never before seen by a telescope across such a large patch of the sky.
After almost five years in space, ESA’s Aeolus wind mission was retired. This trailblazing mission was tasked with observing wind patterns from space thereby improving weather forecasts and climate models.. Aeolus data and technology will have an important role to play in the accuracy of future weather forecasting. On 28 July, it burned up in an assisted re-entry – the first assisted re-entry by a mission which was not designed to do so.
As space debris becomes an increasingly serious issue, ESA is determined to search for solutions. Together with its commercial and institutional partners, ESA has developed the ‘Zero Debris Charter’, launched this year. By signing the Charter, space entities worldwide can register their intent to work together towards the sustainable use of Earth’s orbital environment.
Earlier in in 2023, MTG-I1, the first of the Meteosat Third Generation missions, sent back its first images. The satellite was launched in 2022 and carries two instruments: a flexible combined imager and a lighting imager. Both instruments performed beyond expectation and a stunning combined image from both was revealed.
Earth observation is key to keeping our planet and the population as a whole, safe. Today, monitoring earthquakes, forest fires or flooding from space already helps to coordinate rescue response but the data can also be used to better understand phenomena such as climate change and support the IPCC climate reports.
Last year, NASA’s Dart mission impacted on a small moonlet of the asteroid Didymos, changing its course. We’ll soon be launching ESA’s Hera spacecraft to collect data on the aftermath of this collision. The Hera spacecraft was integrated and underwent testing this year in ESA ESTEC’s test centre in the Netherlands.
2023 also saw the first hardware tests for the second generation of Galileo satellites but even more importantly the Galileo High Accuracy Service was launched in January. This new service delivers centimetre accuracy from space further cementing Galileo’s reputation as the most accurate satellite navigation system in the world.
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
As NASA prepares to send humans back to the Moon, we will send science and technology instruments ahead of time to lay the foundation for a sustainable human presence. Through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS initiative, we are enabling American companies to send our science experiments and technologies to the lunar surface for us. This unique commercial delivery service is poised to change the way we work and perform science at the Moon, greatly expanding our capabilities for exploration. Learn more about this innovative approach: https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-lunar-payload-services/
Producers: Jessica Wilde, Scott Bednar Editor: Matthew Schara
On Dec. 11, 2022, our uncrewed Orion spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere after completing the 1.4-million-mile, 25.5-day Artemis I mission around the Moon. Orion, which will soon take humans to the Moon, performed a “skip” entry technique, allowing it to splash down with accuracy at a selected site in the Pacific Ocean.
During reentry, the spacecraft endured temperatures about half as hot as the surface of the Sun at about 5,000°F (2,800°C), and slowed from nearly 25,000 mph (40,000 kph) to 16 mph (26 kph) for its 11-parachute-assisted splashdown.
In this video, Orion’s reentry can be seen from an in-cabin camera facing out one of four side windows. The loud sounds that can be heard are firings of the spacecraft’s 12 reaction control thrusters that are steering the capsule as it reenters.
View the full length video here: go.nasa.gov/orionreentry
In 2028, ESA will launch its most ambitious exploration mission to search for past and present signs of life on Mars.
Enjoy the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission in minute detail – everything down to the colour and size of the wires, sticky tape and scratches. The spacecraft, the rover and martian landscapes are as true to reality as possible for a simulation. The visuals show the spacecraft structural engineering with a faithful robotic appearance. The martian landscape has been simulated with meticulous realism.
The story begins with the rover exploring the surface of the Red Planet. There is science to be done. Join the adventure.
This trailer provides a first taste for the most accurate animation series made so far of a Mars mission.
ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover has unique scientific potential to search for evidence of past life on Mars thanks to its drill and scientific instruments. It will be the first rover to reach a depth of up to two metres deep below the surface, acquiring samples that have been protected from surface radiation and extreme temperatures. The drill will retrieve soils from ancient parts of Mars and analyse them in situ with its onboard laboratory.
The mission will also serve to demonstrate key technologies that Europe needs to master for future planetary exploration missions. This includes the capability to land safely on a planet, to move autonomously on the surface, and to perform drilling and sample processing and analysis automatically. The rover will use novel driving techniques including wheel-walking to overcome difficult terrains, as well as autonomous navigation software.
We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
NASA’s mission is to explore the unknown in air and space, innovate for the benefit of humanity, and inspire the world through discovery. NASA showed the world that anything is possible in 2023.
Ice is without doubt one of the first casualties of climate change, but the effects of our warming world are not only limited to ice melting on Earth’s surface. Ground that has been frozen for thousands of years, called permafrost, is thawing – adding to the climate crisis and causing serious issues for local communities.
Scientists estimate that the world’s permafrost holds almost double the amount of carbon that is currently in the atmosphere. When permafrost warms and thaws, it releases methane and carbon dioxide, adding these greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and making global warming even worse.
While permafrost cannot be directly observed from space, a lot of different types of satellite data, along with ground measurements and modelling, allow scientists to paint a picture of permafrost ground conditions.
Credits: ESA – European Space Agency
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
As we look ahead to long-term space missions, one of the big challenges is figuring out how to provide healthy and sustainable food for astronauts. To tackle this, ESA supported two research teams to investigate the possibility of cultivating meat in space.
The first images from our Psyche spacecraft, celebrating an anniversary for the space station, and a new tool to help fight climate change … a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!
An enormous burst of gamma rays was detected by our Integral space telescope, in October 2022. Such disturbances are usually associated with energetic particle events on the Sun but this one was the result of an exploding star almost two billion light-years away.
The blast caused a significant disturbance to our planet’s outer layer, the ionosphere. During the 800 seconds that the gamma rays were impacting, the burst delivered enough energy to activate lightning detectors in India. Instruments in Germany picked up signs that Earth’s ionosphere was disturbed for several hours by the blast.
The blast even triggered instruments generally reserved for studying the immense explosions in the Sun’s atmosphere known as solar flares.
Such an effect has been speculated to be a possible cause of some of the mass extinction events known to have taken place on Earth in the past. But to investigate the idea, we will need a lot more data.
The lifetime of space missions can be measured in decades, not years. From designing, building, launching, sampling and finally returning home, follow the #NASAExplorers of OSIRIS-REx as they enter the final stretch of their quest to sample asteroid Bennu.
Created by: James Tralie Producers: James Tralie, Dan Gallagher, Lauren Ward, Katy Mersmann Scientists: Dante Lauretta, Mike Moreau, Jason Dworkin, Nicole Lunning Operations: Kenny Getzandanner, Richard Witherspoon, Anjani Polit Videographers: Rob Andreoli, John Philyaw, John Caldwell Animation: Walt Feimer, Michael Lentz, Jonathan North, Adriana Manrique Gutierrez, Krystofer Kim, James Tralie, Bailee DesRocher, Jacquelyn DeMink, Lisa Poje Sound Design: James Tralie Data Visualization: Kel Elkins NASA+ Executive Producer: Rebecca Sirmons
Music provided by Universal Production Music: “Precious Swirl” by Brice Davoli; “Touch of Eternity” by Sergey Azbel; “Unstoppable Urge” by Frederik Wiedmann; “Darkness to Light” by Benji Paul Merrison and Will Slater; “Ill Will” by Edgard Jaude; “Above the Sea of Fog” by Alan Myson; “A Human Solution” by Ty Unwin; “Darkened” by Alan Myson; “Texture” by Alan Myson; “Hope After Dark” by Cyrus Reynolds; “Out of Time” by Alan Myson; “The Untold Story” by Joni Amelia Fuller; “Confronting Your Fears” by Benji Paul Merrison and Will Slater; “Collapse” by Tom Sue and Zach Singer; “Rebellion” by Sergey Azbel; “Majestic Oceans” by Paul Englishby; “Wide Eyes” by Benji Paul Merrison and Will Slater; “Bleak Outlook” by Benji Paul Merrison and Will Slater; “Fifth Wave” by Alan Myson; “Preoccupied” by David Ashok Ramani and Jonathan Elias; “The Dark Veil” by Rob Manning; “Nutcracker – Waltz of the Flowers” by Piotr Tchaikovsky; “Limitless” by Alan Myson
The Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring (CO2M) mission will be the first satellite mission to measure how much carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere through human activity.
CO2M isn’t just a mission; it’s a crucial step in our commitment to understanding and mitigating climate change. It will offer unprecedented precision in monitoring carbon dioxide emissions from the combustion of fossil fuel at national and regional scales.
Its data will provide the EU with a unique and independent source of information to assess the effectiveness of policy measures and to track their impact towards decarbonising Europe ahead of the next Global Stocktake set to place in 2028.
The video features interviews with Valerie Fernandez, CO2M Mission Project Manager, Yannig Durand, CO2M Payload Manager and Yasjka Meijer, CO2M Mission Scientist.
We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Don’t miss the live conversation between ESA astronaut and commander of the International Space Station (ISS) Andreas Mogensen and the 2023 Nobel Prize laureates Ferenc Krausz (in physics) and Moungi Bawendi (in chemistry). The event will take place at the Nobel Prize Museum in Oslo which will be connected to the ISS. Andreas will show a Nobel Prize he brought with him to the Space Station.
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
An educational in-flight call with ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen on board the International Space Station for teachers and students in Europe, connecting live with local events organised by ESERO Denmark, ESERO Finland, ESERO Sweden and ESERO Norway.
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Animation of the first launch of the Ariane 6 rocket with two boosters.
Ariane 6 is an all-new design, created to succeed Ariane 5 as Europe’s heavy-lift launch system. With Ariane 6’s upper stage and its reignitable Vinci engine, Europe’s launch capability will be tailored to the needs of multiple payloads, for example to orbit satellite constellations. This autonomous capability to reach Earth orbit and deep space supports Europe’s navigation, Earth observation, scientific and security programmes. Ongoing development of Europe’s space transportation capabilities is made possible by the sustained dedication of thousands of talented people working in ESA’s 22 Member States.
At over 60 metres tall, Ariane 6 will weigh almost 900 tonnes when launched with a full payload – roughly equivalent to one and a half Airbus A380 passenger aircraft.
Vinci, the upper stage engine of Ariane 6 fed by liquid hydrogen and oxygen, can be stopped and restarted multiple times – to place satellites into different orbits and then de-orbit the upper stage, so it is not left behind as hazardous debris in space.
For the development of Ariane 6, ESA is working with an industrial network of several hundred companies in 13 European countries, led by prime contractor ArianeGroup.
France’s space agency, CNES, is preparing the Ariane 6 launch facilities at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
Credits: ESA – European Space Agency
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
In search of cleaner fuel for aviation, a scientific balloon campaign in Antarctica, and a key engine test for our Artemis Moon rocket … a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!
Video Producer: Andre Valentine Video Editor: Andre Valentine Narrator: Emanuel Cooper Music: Universal Production Music Credit: NASA
On 17 November 2023, our Juice spacecraft carried out one of the largest and most important manoeuvres in its eight-year journey to Jupiter.
Why does it take so long? Well, the short answer is that its less to do with the distance between Earth and Jupiter and more to do with fighting the Sun’s massive gravitational pull as you venture to the outer Solar System.
If spacecraft like Juice had to carry all the fuel needed to battle the Sun’s gravity alone, they’d be nothing more than colossal tanks. Instead, they use ‘gravity-assist’ tricks – they swing by planets to receive a boost on the way.
Using its main engine, Juice changed its orbit around the Sun to put itself on the correct trajectory for next summer’s Earth-Moon double gravity assist – the first of its kind.
The manoeuvre lasted 43 minutes and burned almost 10% of the spacecraft’s entire fuel reserve. It’s the first part of a two-part manoeuvre that could mark the final time that Juice’s main engine is used until its arrival in the Jupiter system in 2031.
Cinq, quatre, trois, deux, un. Allumage Vulcain! This is the moment Ariane 6’s main engine was sparked into life, and the entire main stage of the new rocket and the many parts of the launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana, practised for the full duration of a launch. Of course, as planned, the test model did not leave the ground.
Without its boosters, instead of piercing the clouds Ariane 6’ created its own on Earth: a clean byproduct of the Vulcain 2.1 engine’s oxygen and hydrogen propellants, which came together to send out impressive swirls of H2O.
After the almost 150 tonnes of propellant was burnt through and the clouds dispersed, the curtains closed on the successful rehearsal. The data from thousands of monitors around the rocket will be crunched in the coming weeks to learn all that’s needed for Ariane’s next, real, flight.
Credits: ESA – European Space Agency
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
It was Touch-and-Go there for a few seconds…literally!
OSIRIS-REx had only six seconds to collect a sample of asteroid Bennu – in a maneuver called TAG, or Touch-and-Go – while the #NASAExplorers behind the mission waited anxiously from 200 million miles away.
Created by: James Tralie Producers: James Tralie, Dan Gallagher, Lauren Ward, Katy Mersmann Scientists: Dante Lauretta, Mike Moreau Operations: Beau Bierhaus, Coralie Adam Broadcast Hosts: Michelle Thaller, James Tralie, Gary Napier, Nancy Neal Jones Videographers: Rob Andreoli, John Philyaw, John Caldwell Animation: Walt Feimer, Michael Lentz, Jonathan North, Adriana Manrique Gutierrez, Krystofer Kim, James Tralie, Bailee DesRocher, Jacquelyn DeMink, Lisa Poje Sound Design: James Tralie Data Visualization: Kel Elkins NASA+ Executive Producer: Rebecca Sirmons
Music provided by Universal Production Music: “Voyager” by Jeremy Stack; “Moment in Time” by David Thomas Connolly; “Held” by Benji Paul Merrison and Will Slater; “Unstoppable Urge” by Frederik Wiedmann; “King of the Mountain” by Steven David Fay; “Night Watch” by Jeremy Stack; “Shadow Shifter” by Michael James Burns; “Follow the Drinking Gourd” by Kavin Hoo; “Conquering” by Alan Myson; “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy; “Human Stories” by Dominic Francis Glynn; “Marked for Flight” by Kavin Hoo; “Never End” by Sergey Azbel; “Getting Things Done” by Theodore Vidgen; “Dark String Bend” by Benji Paul Merrison and Will Slater; “First Rains” by Benji Paul Merrison and Will Slater; “Natural Wonders” by Benji Paul Merrison and Will Slater; “Successful Return” by Alan Boyd; “Frosty Dawn” by Benji Paul Merrison and Will Slater; “Starfall” by Sergey Azbel; “Lost Thought” by Adriano Aponte
On 28 November 1983, the first European-built Spacelab was launched from @NASAKennedy aboard Space Shuttle Columbia.
Also on board was Ulf Merbold, who became our first astronaut in space. The 10-day Spacelab-1 mission marked our entry into human spaceflight activities.
Under a cooperation agreement with @NASA, we were to build a modular research laboratory that would fit inside the Shuttle’s cargo bay.
In 17 years, European Spacelab equipment flew on 36 missions. The two Spacelab modules eventually made 16 flights with five different Shuttle Orbiters.
Many of Spacelab’s features live on in space hardware that is flying today. Europe’s Columbus laboratory on the Station evolved from Spacelab.
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Have you ever dreamt of flying your own satellite?
A team of university students from @universitycollegedublin have done just that!
Meet EIRSAT-1, the Educational Irish Research Satellite, Ireland’s first ever satellite to go to space.
The journey wasn’t easy, but over six years, the students worked with our experts and in our state-of-the-art labs as part of our Academy’s Fly Your Satellite! programme to overcome challenges. They even set up their own clean room and mission control at the University.
EIRSAT-1 is scheduled to launch at the end of November. Stay tuned to learn more about Ireland’s historic space moment!
🎥 ESA – European Space Agency
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Some Artemis II astronauts check out some flight hardware, a mission that will map millions of galaxies, and studying disturbances in the atmosphere … a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!
Link to download this video: https://images.nasa.gov/details/Artemis%20II%20Astronauts%20Check%20Out%20Some%20Flight%20Hardware%20on%20This%20Week%20@NASA%20%E2%80%93%20November%2024,%202023
Video Producer: Andre Valentine Video Editor: Andre Valentine Narrator: Emanuel Cooper Music: Universal Production Music Credit: NASA
Watch as Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket goes through a full-scale rehearsal in preparation for its first flight, when teams from @ArianeGroup, @CnesFrance and ESA on the ground will complete a launch countdown rehearsal. The test includes the ignition of the core stage Vulcain 2.1 engine, followed by 470 seconds of stabilised operation covering the entire core stage flight phase, as it would function on a launch into space.
Coverage started 19:40 UTC (20:40 CET) on 23 November 2023, 20 minutes before engine ignition and continue five minutes after core stage operation, once the engine burns through all its propellant.
Timestaps of the video: 00:00 – 16:18 – Stay tuned 16:19 – 47:49 – Countdown and stop of countdown 47:50 – 01:14:19 – Stay tuned 01:14:20 – 01:30:43 – Restart of countdown and hot-fire test
For this rehearsal, the boosters were not ignited, so Ariane 6 stayed firmly on the launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
The eight-minute engine-fire trial reenacts how the Ariane 6 core stage will fire during a normal flight into space. The trial, conducted with a test model on the launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport will be the longest ‘full-stack’ run yet for Ariane 6’s lower liquid propulsion module equipped with a Vulcain 2.1 engine.
The Vulcain 2.1 engine will burn through almost 150 tonnes of propellant supplied from the Ariane 6 core stage tanks – liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen – supercooled to temperatures below -250°C.
The Vulcain 2.1 engine is an evolution of the Vulcain 2 engine that made Ariane 5 Europe’s most successful launch system ever. The upgrade has a simplified and cheaper design and features new technology in the engine nozzle, while the ignition system has been moved from the engine to the launch pad to make the core stage perform better and cost less.
Credits: ESA – European Space Agency
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Watch live as Ireland goes to space, for the first time, with the launch of EIRSAT-1. Built by students at @universitycollegedublin under the guidance of ESA’s Education Office, EIRSAT-1 is a 2-unit CubeSat carrying three experiments, including a novel gamma ray detector that will study some of the most luminous explosions in the universe. Irish broadcaster Rick O’Shea, with guests from ESA and the EIRSAT-1 team, will take viewers through the mission’s development and major launch milestones including liftoff, separation and acquisition of signal, from outside the EIRSAT-1 Mission Control Room in Dublin. Níl aon satailít mar do shatailít féin! [There’s no satellite like your own satellite!]
We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Have you ever dreamt of flying your own satellite?
A team of university students from @universitycollegedublin have done just that!
Meet EIRSAT-1, the Educational Irish Research Satellite, Ireland’s first ever satellite to go to space.
The journey wasn’t easy, but over six years, the students worked with our experts and in our state-of-the-art labs as part of our Academy’s Fly Your Satellite! programme to overcome challenges. They even set up their own clean room and mission control at the University.
EIRSAT-1 is scheduled to launch at the end of November. Stay tuned to learn more about Ireland’s historic space moment!
🎥 ESA – European Space Agency
★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.
We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
When it comes to space exploration, expect the unexpected. As OSIRIS-REx approached asteroid Bennu, scientists were surprised to find a loosely packed rubble pile. This week, #NASAExplorers get a closer look at Bennu and the surprises in store.
Watch this series and more on NASA+, our no cost, ad-free streaming service. No subscription required. https://plus.nasa.gov
Created by: James Tralie Producers: James Tralie, Dan Gallagher, Lauren Ward, Katy Mersmann Scientists: Dante Lauretta, Dani DellaGiustina, Mike Moreau Engineers: Anjani Polit, Ryan Olds, Sandy Freund Operations: Kenny Getzandanner, David Lorenz Videographers: Rob Andreoli, John Philyaw, John Caldwell Animation: Walt Feimer, Michael Lentz, Jonathan North, Adriana Manrique Gutierrez, Krystofer Kim, James Tralie, Bailee DesRocher, Jacquelyn DeMink, Lisa Poje Sound Design: James Tralie Data Visualization: Kel Elkins NASA+ Executive Producer: Rebecca Sirmons
Do you groan when you hear of a certain planet going into retrograde? Have you ever wondered what planets in retrograde actually means? Join planetary experts Thursday, Nov. 16, to learn about this fascinating phenomenon and other interesting facts about the orbits of planets. Submit your questions during our live chat for a chance to have them answered live on the show.
Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.
The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8
Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov
Missions to Mars have made many exciting discoveries that have transformed our understanding of the planet, but the next step is to bring samples to Earth for detailed analysis in sophisticated laboratories.
Live views from the International Space Station are streaming from an external camera mounted on the station’s Harmony module.
The camera is looking forward at an angle so that International Docking Adapter 2 is visible. If the Harmony module camera is not available due to operational considerations for a longer period of time, a continuous loop of recorded Earth views will be displayed with the caption “Previously Recorded.”
The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8
Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov
At 1:47 a.m. EST (6:47 UTC) on Nov. 16, 2022, NASA’s Orion spacecraft launched atop the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket from historic Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a path to the Moon, officially beginning the Artemis I mission.
Over the course of 25.5 days, Orion performed two lunar flybys, coming within 80 miles (129 kilometers) of the lunar surface. At its farthest distance during the mission, Orion traveled nearly 270,000 miles (435,000 kilometers) from our home planet. On Dec. 11, 2022, NASA’s Orion spacecraft successfully completed a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 9:40 a.m. PST (12:40 p.m. EST) as the final major milestone of the Artemis I mission.
Artemis I set new performance records, exceeded efficiency expectations, and established new safety baselines for humans in deep space. This is a prelude to what comes next—following the success of Artemis I, human beings will fly around the Moon on Artemis II.
We have demonstrated our ability to go farther and faster than ever before, opening the door to explore Mars and other destinations throughout the solar system. This is the story of Artemis I.
Writer and Director: Paul Wizikowski Director of Photography and Editor: Phil Sexton Producers: Barbara Zelon and Lisa Allen Credit: NASA
A journey of a billion miles and back begins with a launch.
OSIRIS-REx’s goal: Travel to asteroid Bennu, collect a sample, and return it home. But why Bennu? Meet the NASA Explorers looking for clues to our early solar system in a sample of asteroid rock.
It’s not rockets and satellites that make NASA soar. It’s people. Go inside the space agency and follow the pioneers, risk-takers and experts at the frontline of exploration. This season, follow along with the OSIRIS-REx team, as they launch a spacecraft to an asteroid, collect a sample of Bennu, and bring it home to Earth.
Watch this series and more on NASA+, our no cost, ad-free streaming service. No subscription required. https://plus.nasa.gov
Created by: James Tralie Producers: James Tralie, Dan Gallagher, Lauren Ward, Katy Mersmann Scientists: Dante Lauretta, Mike Drake, Dani DellaGiustina, Christina Richey, Jason Dworkin, Rich Kuhns, Sandy Freund, Olivia Billett Videographers: Rob Andreoli, John Philyaw, John Caldwell Animation: Walt Feimer, Michael Lentz, Jonathan North, Adriana Manrique Gutierrez, Krystofer Kim, James Tralie, Bailee DesRocher, Jacquelyn DeMink, Lisa Poje Sound Design: James Tralie Data Visualization: Kel Elkins NASA+ Executive Producer: Rebecca Sirmons
Music provided by Universal Production Music: “Vortex” Tom Sue and Zac Singerz; “Tested to the Limit” Krantz; “Interstellar” Alan Myson; “Ascension” Alan Myson; “In a Perfect World” Angus Pendergast; “Tough Terrain” Ty Unwin; “Do Androids Dream” Aidan Lavelle; “Kyoto Vision” Andy Blythe and Marten Joustra; “Presidential Destiny” Laurent Dury; “Driving Force” Ben Niblett and Jon Cotton; “Break the Rules” Tihomir Hristozov; “Deadlock” Dean McGinnes; “Final Preparations” Alan Boyd; “Tundra Sunrise” Ty Unwin; “Zero In” Airglo; “Stepping out of the Darkness” Ty Unwin; “Dark Intensity” Jeremy Smith; “Regeneration” Andy Blythe and Marten Joustra; “Warm Drift” Alan Myson; “Distant Suns” Jason Soudah; “Scenes of Devastation” Benji Merrison and Will Slater; “Look to the Stars” Alan Boyd; “Warming” Benji Merrison and Will Slater
A team of university students from University College Dublin is taking Ireland to space, for the very first time. The story begins in 2017, when the team was accepted to ESA’s educational CubeSat programme, Fly Your Satellite! Over the course of six years, they have designed, built, and tested the satellite with the help of ESA experts and with access to ESA’s state-of-the-art spacecraft testing facilities. As the team prepares for launch and operations, hear more about their journey to this historic moment.
Credits: ESA – European Space Agency
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide. Curbing methane emissions could deliver immediate and long-lasting benefits for the climate, seeing as the gas only lingers in the atmosphere for a relatively short time. Satellites have a really important role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Tropomi instrument onboard the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite is the only instrument that maps global methane concentrations every single day. This lets scientists detect hotspots for large methane sources around the world – allowing us to address the consequences of methane emissions on our climate and environment.
Credits: ESA – European Space Agency
★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.
We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
