@nasa

Is the International Space Station the size of a football field, or is a football field the size of the International Space Station?⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ @NASAAstronauts @LoralOhara and @AstroJaws are here with your reminder about just how big the orbiting laboratory is, and to talk about the similarities between training for space travel and training for the Big Game. Spoiler: It’s all about teamwork.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Credit: NASA ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ #Spaceball #Football #SuperBowlLVIII #SuperBowl #NASA

February 11, 2024

Happy Lunar New Year 🐲⁣ ⁣ Welcome to the year of the Dragon. In this three-dimensional view of the Orion Nebula – Earth’s closest star-formation nursery – was created using data from the SOFIA mission. It reveals detailed structure of the nebula, including a “bubble” that has been blown clear of gas and dust by a powerful stellar wind. In this way, massive stars can regulate star formation around them, and SOFIA helped astronomers better understand this effect.⁣ ⁣ The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) was a mission of discovery, revealing unseen – and sometimes unseeable – parts of our universe. While science flights have ended, SOFIA’s data from a total of 732 nights observing over the course of the mission are publicly available for scientists to study and conduct further research in the future.⁣ ⁣ Image Description: A rotating three-dimensional view of the Orion Nebula in what appears to be in the shape of a dragon. The nebula has a blue center, with red wispy fragments on the outer detail.⁣ ⁣ Credit: NASA/SOFIA⁣ ⁣ #NASA #Space #LunarNewYear #YearOfTheDragon #Dragon #Orion #Nebula

February 10, 2024

“It may have been one small step for Neil [Armstrong], but it’s a heck of a big leap for me” – Bruce McCandless II⁣ ⁣ Forty years ago today, an astronaut left his spacecraft without tethers or umbilicals for the very first time. Astronaut Bruce McCandless II became the first astronaut to move in space unattached to a craft, during this first “field” tryout of a nitrogen-propelled, hand-controlled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).⁣ ⁣ Robert L. “Hoot” Gibson, the flight’s pilot, was the only one on the crew that “had absolutely nothing to do” as McCandless made his way out into space, so he picked up a Hasselblad camera and began documenting the events. When he first looked through the camera’s viewfinder, he could not believe what an incredible sight it was to see McCandless floating free above the Earth. Gibson wanted to capture what he was seeing and remembered how meticulous he was. For each photograph he took three light meter readings and checked the focus four times. In the crew’s photography training he learned that an off-kilter horizon looked wrong and was not pleasing to the eye. That presented a slight problem because Challenger was at a 28.5-degree inclination, so he “tilted the camera to put the horizon level in the pictures.”⁣ ⁣ Image description: Astronaut McCandless II appears as a tiny figure clad in a white spacesuit surrounded by the blackness of space. Earth is visible in the bottom third of the photo.⁣ ⁣ Credit: NASA / Robert L. “Hoot” Gibson⁣ ⁣ #NASA #Space #Astronaut #History #Iconic #Spacewalk

February 08, 2024

Do your insides churn when you’re pulled in different directions? You might be a moon.⁣ ⁣ On Saturday, Feb. 3, our @NASASolarSystem Juno spacecraft made its final close flyby of Jupiter’s moon Io. Similar to the previous flyby on Dec. 30, 2023, this second pass was at a distance of about 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) – or the distance from New York to Orlando, Florida.⁣ ⁣ Io is caught in a tug-of-war between Jupiter’s powerful gravity and the smaller pull from two neighboring moons, churning its insides and creating eruptions and lakes of lava that cover its surface. The twin flybys are designed to provide new insight into how Io’s volcanic engine works and whether a global magma ocean exists under Io’s rocky, mountainous surface terrain.⁣ ⁣ Join mission experts Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 1 pm ET (1800 UTC), for a NASA Science Live conversation, a livestream Q&A, to discuss the flybys, closeup images, and new science. Have questions? Send them during our live chat and we may answer yours on air. NASA Science Live will air on our Facebook, X, YouTube and NASA+, our ad-free livestreaming platform (link in bio).⁣ ⁣ Image description: Jupiter’s moon Io seen against the darkness of space. The moon is half illuminated by sunlight from the right, and the night side on the left is dimly lit by reflected light from Jupiter. The moon is colored in shades of orange, brown, and yellow, with a surface pockmarked by circular volcanic calderas, irregularly-shaped lava flows, and sharp mountains that cast shadows.⁣ ⁣ Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS Image processing by Emma Wälimäki © CC BY⁣ ⁣ #NASA #Space #Juno #Io #Jupiter #Moon #Spacecraft #SolarSystem #Sciemce #Photography

February 05, 2024

You live your life, you go in shadows 🎶⁣ ⁣ Our Moon is in its waning crescent phase, where most of the sunlight is illuminating its far side – the side we can’t directly see from Earth. The waning crescent is the last phase before the lunar cycle repeats with a “new moon” phase, where it is completely obscured from Earth’s perspective.⁣ ⁣ Image description: Seen from the @ISS, the Moon appears partially lit in the upper middle portion of the image. The Earth appears blue with faint white clouds in the atmosphere, stretching from the bottom left to the top right of the image. Black space surrounds the Moon.⁣ ⁣ Credit: NASA⁣ ⁣ #Moon #MoonPhase #ISS #NASA #Space

February 04, 2024

When you can’t practice: model ✨⁣ ⁣ A tightly bound pair of actively forming stars, known as Herbig-Haro 46/47, are captured in high-resolution near-infrared light by @NASAWebb, which launched in December 2021.⁣ ⁣ The telescope’s stunning images showing previously unseen corners of the universe are possible because of the telescope’s 21-foot segmented mirror that had to unfurl on its own after launch and assemble itself in space. Plenty of testing went into the materials, design, and process over the decades it took to develop the largest telescope in space, but the whole project was just too large to test on the ground, at scale, at minus 400ºF and other space-like conditions.⁣ ⁣ Instead, engineers relied more than ever before on software to simulate how the telescope would behave under wide-ranging space conditions, work that has helped advance the whole field of integrated modeling.⁣ ⁣ Meanwhile, designers of more earthly technologies are already seeing the benefits of an improved modeling software, which has been used to design precision endoscopes, a thermal imager to detect COVID-19 exposures in a crowd, augmented reality displays and headsets, a laser thruster technology for nanosatellites, and, of course, more telescopes.⁣ ⁣ This is one of many spinoffs, or NASA technologies that benefit life on Earth in the form of commercial products. We’ve profiled more than 2,000 spinoffs since 1976 — there’s more space in your life than you think!⁣ ⁣ Learn more: spinoff.nasa.gov⁣ ⁣ Image description: At the center is a thin horizontal orange cloud tilted from bottom left to top right. It takes up about two-thirds of the length of this angle, but is thin at the opposite angle. At its center is a set of very large red and pink diffraction spikes in Webb’s familiar eight-pointed pattern. It has a central yellow-white blob, which hides two tightly orbiting stars. The background is filled with stars and galaxies.⁣ ⁣ Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA. Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)⁣ ⁣ #NASA #JWST #NASAWebb #Space #SpinOff #Innovation

February 03, 2024

Caught in a galactic romance 💞⁣ ⁣ Cosmic collisions happen when galaxies are so close to each other that their mutual gravitational pull draws them together. Although these interactions happen over the course of millions and millions of years, our Hubble Space Telescope has helped us observe these galaxy mergers in progress.⁣ ⁣ The interacting galaxies, in order, as you swipe through the images, UGC 3912, LEDA 60847, Arp 295, and Arp 140 show signs that they're currently merging with a neighboring galaxy or are in the aftermath of a merger. Other signs of these mergers are the appearance of multiple nuclei from different galaxies that have come together—and even "tail" structures coming out from the galaxy itself, the result of galaxies gravitationally interacting with each other.⁣ ⁣ Check out @NASAHubble for more information and the full #CosmicCollisions collection of images. ⁣ ⁣ Image description: A collection of images depicting colliding galaxies, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. Some galaxies appear distorted out of their original shape and look like clouds of gas and dust. Spiral arms have been pulled apart from spiral galaxies and some galaxies have been formed into a cosmic streamer. Shades of blue, pink. and white dominate the galaxies. Smaller galaxies and stars are seen in the background with the darkness of space. ⁣ ⁣ Image 1 Credit: NASA, ESA, and C. Kilpatrick (Northwestern University); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)⁣ ⁣ Image 2 credit: NASA, ESA, A. Barth (University of California - Irvine), M. Koss (Eureka Scientific Inc.), and A. Robinson (Rochester Institute of Technology); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)⁣ ⁣ Image 3 credit: NASA, ESA, J. Dalcanton (University of Washington), and R. Windhorst (Arizona State University); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)⁣ ⁣ Image 4 credit: NASA/ESA/R. Foley (University of California - Santa Cruz)/ Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)⁣ ⁣ #NASA #NASAHubble #Space #Science #Galaxy #Stars⁣

February 02, 2024

It’s Mercury on the dance floor, but you better not kill the groove! 🪩⁣ ⁣ Donned in colorful shades, data from the MESSENGER mission is modeled to shed light on how certain types of comets influence the tiny space rocks, or micrometeoroids, that impact our smallest planetary neighbor, Mercury.⁣ ⁣ According to experts at @NASAGoddard, simulations from variations in meteoroid impacts reveal surprising patterns in the time of day that impacts occur: mornings. Noting a higher presence of magnesium and calcium in the exosphere indicated that meteoroid impacts are more frequent on whatever part of the planet is experiencing dawn at the given time. Impact speed was then considered - meteoroids from asteroids wouldn’t be moving fast enough to create the observed impacts. Eventually, it was narrowed to meteoroids from two certain types of comets – Jupiter-family and Halley-Type – that had the speed necessary to match the observations.⁣ ⁣ Learn more about missions happening within our solar system at @NASASolarSystem.⁣ ⁣ Image description: A mosaic made up of four views of Mercury using data from the Mercury Atmosphere and Surface Composition Spectrometer or MASCS, instrument is overlaid on data from the Mercury Dual Imaging System, or MDIS. Four circular faces of the planet are laid out in on a black square background. Each orb is a multicolored circle dappled in pinks, purples, turquoise, yellow and peach.⁣ ⁣ Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington⁣ ⁣ #NASA #Space #SolarSystem #Mercury #Planets #Color #Meteor #Comets #SpaceRocks

January 28, 2024

If you like it, put a ring on it 💍⁣ ⁣ Saturn is not the only planet in our solar system with rings, but its rings are the most prominent, extending 175,000 miles (282,000 kilometers) from the planet. The rings are likely made of chunks of ice and rock ranging in size from dust-sized grains to house-sized pieces, composed of the remnants of comets, asteroids, and moons shredded by Saturn’s powerful gravity.⁣ ⁣ This engaging view of Saturn was captured by our Cassini spacecraft in 2008 from a distance of 690,000 miles (1.1 million km). Six of Saturn’s moons appear throughout the image, including Titan and Enceladus, two of the most promising worlds to look for life beyond Earth.⁣ ⁣ Image description: An image split in two shows Saturn’s rings extending to the far left of the image, partially obscured by shadow, with the planet appearing striped in shades of yellow, tan, and blue. Saturn’s moons appear as small dots in gray and white across the image.⁣ ⁣ Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute⁣ ⁣ #Cassini #Space #Saturn #NASA #Ring #SolarSystem

January 20, 2024

Need a little more space in your life? Our @YouTube account shares exciting videos that span the cosmos—from rocket launches and mission updates to Q&As with @NASAAstronauts and live chats with NASA scientists. NASA YouTube just rocketed past 10 million subscribers: if you're one of them, thank you for supporting us and embracing your love of science. If you're not subscribed yet... what are you waiting for? Join us as we explore the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all: youtube.com/nasa Credit: NASA/Sonnet Apple #NASA #Space #Astronomy #YouTube #ThankYou #Longform #Video

May 18, 2022

At the center of this image is a massive star 200,000 times brighter than the Sun 🌟 Though it may look like a serene cosmic landscape, the Lagoon Nebula is full of turbulent gasses, roaring stellar winds, and intense radiation emanating from a massive star. This massive star is still young in a cosmic sense, roughly 1 million years old, and is throwing off its natal cocoon of material – ionized gasses like hydrogen and nitrogen – seen here from @NASAHubble as red (hydrogen) and green (nitrogen). Credit: NASA, ESA, and STScI #NASA #Space #Gassy #Star #Nebula #Lagoon

May 17, 2022

Not even cosmic dust could dull this shine ✨ Nestled in the equator of the Milky Way’s pearly disk, crowded with thick cosmic gas, dark dust, and glowing stars that obscure our view, lies the Hidden Galaxy captured by @NASAHubble . At a relatively bright 8.4 magnitude, this would be one of the brightest galaxies in our night sky – if it were not obscured by so much interstellar dust. This spiral galaxy located approximately 11 million light years from Earth displays intertwined tendrils of dust in spectacular arms that fan around a brilliant core of hot gas and stars. The core of this galaxy is a specific type of region where atomic hydrogen has been ionized. Regions such as this are known to be energetic birthplace of stars, where thousands of stars can form over a couple million years. Extremely hot, young blue stars emit ultraviolet light which further ionize surrounding hydrogen. Credit: NASA,@EuropeanSpaceAgency , P. Sell (University of Florida), and P. Kaaret (University of Iowa); Image processing: G. Kober (NASA Goddard/Catholic University of America) #NASA #Space #Astronomy #Hubble #Galaxies #AstroPhotography

May 16, 2022

Psst. Wanna see a total lunar eclipse? 🌞🌎🌗 On May 15, Earth will pass between the Sun and the Moon, blocking sunlight and casting a shadow on the lunar surface. The result: a Moon that looks like it's blushing because everybody is gawking at it. Starting at 9:32 p.m. EDT (1:32 UTC on May 16), people with clear skies in the Americas, Europe, and parts of Africa will begin to see the Moon get bathed in the red glow of every sunrise and sunset refracted through Earth’s atmosphere. Totality will occur at 12:12 a.m. EDT on May 16 (4:12 UTC). What if it's cloudy where you are? We're livestreaming the eclipse from locations across the planet. We're also hosting an episode of "NASA Science Live from 11 p.m. - midnight EDT (03:00 - 04:00 UTC) with NASA experts. Go to moon.nasa.gov for details. Credit: NASA #LunarEclipse #TotalEclipse #TotalLunarEclipse #Eclipse #Moon #Luna #Science #Astronomy #NASA

May 15, 2022

We all know Earth is beautiful. Imagine looking at the swirling blue marble from above. Astronaut Jessica Watkins is doing that in this photo taken about 250 miles (402 kilometers) above the planet. A geologist, @Astro_Watkins is part of the 2017 class of @NASAAstronauts . On April 27, 2022, she launched to the @ISS on her first spaceflight with crewmates Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, and @EuropeanSpaceAgency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on NASA’s @SpaceX Crew-4 mission. For the next several months, Watkins and her crewmates will do a number of science experiments in areas like immunology, technology, and plant science to prepare humanity for missions to deep space and benefit life on Earth. #AstronautLife #Astronauts #Space #ISS #SpaceStation #Crew4 #NASA

May 14, 2022