International Space Station Timelapse for Thu, 12th March 2015 UTC
This is a image taken from the live feed from the International Space Station.
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International Space Station Timelapse for Thu, 12th March 2015 UTC - Video
The Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft is seen as it descends toward Earth, carrying NASA's Barry Wilmore and Russian flight engineers Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova. Bill Ingalls/NASA hide caption
The Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft is seen as it descends toward Earth, carrying NASA's Barry Wilmore and Russian flight engineers Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova.
After spending nearly six months on the International Space Station, an astronaut and two cosmonauts have landed safely back on Earth. While in orbit, they traveled almost 71 million miles, NASA says.
Cmdr. Barry Wilmore of NASA and flight engineers Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) touched down in Kazakhstan on Thursday morning, local time.
They began their trip home by undocking a Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft from the space station and undergoing a 4-minute, 41-second deorbit burn, NASA says. A parachute later eased the Soyuz craft down to the recovery area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.
In the 167 days they were aboard the space station, the crew of Expedition 42 researched "the effects of microgravity on cells, Earth observation, physical science and biological and molecular science," NASA says.
The space agency adds that the space station now has an Electromagnetic Levitator, which will let scientists "observe fundamental physical processes as liquid metals cool," possibly leading to the production of "lighter, higher-performing" alloys.
The space station now has a three-person crew. A new trio will launch to join them in late March.
In other NASA news, the agency on Wednesday successfully tested what it calls the "largest, most powerful rocket booster ever built," producing some 3.6 million pounds of thrust during a two-minute burn at a test site in Utah. Temperatures inside the booster reached more than 5,600 degrees, NASA says.
The agency says the booster rocket is being developed "to help propel NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft to deep space destinations, including an asteroid and Mars."
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SenThree International Space Station (ISS) crew members have safely returned home aboard a Soyuz after almost six months in space performing scientific research and technology demonstrations.
On Mar. 10, Expedition 42 Commander Barry Wilmore of NASA handed over command of the ISS to NASA astronaut Terry Virts.
The crew closed the hatch between the Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft and the space station at 1934 UTC (03:34 EDT). Expedition 43 officially began aboard the station under Virts command at 1144 UTC (6:44 p.m. EDT) Wednesday, when Wilmore and flight engineers Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) undocked their Soyuz spacecraft from the space station.
The three astronauts landed 147 km from the town of Zhezkazgan in Kazakhstan at 0307 UTC (10:07 p.m. EDT 8:07 a.m. March 12 Kazakh time). Their return completes 167 days in space since launching from Kazakhstan on Sept. 26. Their mission covered over 114 million km (71 million miles).
Expedition 42 included research projects focusing on the effects of microgravity on cells, Earth observation, physical science and biological and molecular science. There were also three U.S. spacewalks that took place to prepare the station for future commercial spacecraft.
During their time in space the trio were part of a study to assess the impact of physical body shape and size changes on suit-sizing. This study will involve collecting body measurements using digital still and video imagery and a tape measure to measure length, height, depth, and circumference data for all body segments (i.e., chest, waist, hip, arms, legs, etc.) from astronauts for pre-, post-, and in-flight conditions.
Wilmore has now logged 178 days in space on two flights, the first of which was on space shuttle mission STS-129 in 2009. Samokutyaev has spent 331 days in space on two flights, the first of which was on Expedition 27/28 in 2011. This was Serovas first flight into space.
Virts and his crewmates Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos and Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency), will operate the station for two weeks until the arrival of NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Gennady Padalka, due to launch from Kazakhstan on Mar. 27.
Padalka will stay in space until September, but Kelly and Kornienko will be the first astronauts undertaking an entire year on the ISS. The pair will stay aboard the station until March 2016, twice as long as a typical mission. Their investigations will study the medical, psychological and biomedical challenges faced by astronauts during long-duration spaceflight.
NASA also has a unique opportunity to conduct studies with identical twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly. These investigations will provide broader insight into the subtle effects and changes that may occur in spaceflight as compared to Earth by studying two individuals who have the same genetics, but are in different environments for one year.
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Lockheed Martin has unveiled a new spaceflight architecture that it says could take cargo to the International Space Station and help facilitate humanity's spread out into the solar system.
Lockheed hopes the system which features a space tug known as Jupiter and a supply module called Exoliner wins a NASA contract for the next round of cargo missions to the space station, which would commence in 2018. But the company's ambitions extend far beyond low-Earth orbit, to destinations such as the moon and Mars. Lockheed unveiled the project, along with a video animation of how Jupiter and Exoliner would work, on Thursday (March 12).
"Although our priority is going to be servicing the International Space Station and providing the ability to carry commercial payloads and deploy small satellites, we're also designing this system from the beginning to be able to do deep-space missions," Lockheed Martin space exploration architect Josh Hopkins told reporters during a news briefing Thursday. [See more views of Lockheed's Jupiter and Exoliner spacecraft]
"That means that NASA will be able to start doing some early human spaceflights beyond low-Earth orbit without a huge investment," Hopkins added. "Instead, what they'll be able to do is buy more copies of the same design."
Lockheed named the refuelable Jupiter spacecraft after one of the two locomotives that met at Promontory Summit, Utah, in 1869 to mark the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad.
The "public-private partnership that basically established the Transcontintal Railroad changed everything," said Jim Crocker, vice president and general manager of Lockheed's Space Systems International division. "It changed the economics of how the United States competed in the world, and we believe that the system that we're unveiling tonight will do the same."
Two American companies Orbital ATK and SpaceX currently resupply the space station for NASA under separate billion-dollar contracts. Last year, the space agency solicited proposals for a new round of private cargo delivery, called Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2).
Orbital ATK and SpaceX will face some competition in this next round: Boeing, Sierra Nevada and Lockheed have all thrown their hats into the CRS-2 ring. NASA is expected to make its decision this June. (The agency hasn't said how many contracts it will award, but it's likely to be at least two, given the agency's previously stated desire for redundancy and competition.)
If Lockheed Martin's entry is selected, the company's first operational mission likely in 2018 would launch Jupiter and an Exoliner toward the orbiting lab aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.
The Exoliner will be able to haul up a maximum of 11,000 lbs. (5,000 kilograms) of pressurized cargo and 3,300 lbs. (1,500 kg) of unpressurized cargo, Lockheed representatives said.
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Lockheed's 'Jupiter' Space Tug Could Fly to Space Station, Moon and Beyond
ALMATY - A NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts landed safely in a snow-covered Kazakh steppe on Thursday after a 167-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
A capsule carrying NASA station commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Russian flight engineers Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova landed in a vertical upright position shortly after sunrise at 0807 (2207 ET), some 147 km (92 miles) southeast of the town of Zhezkazgan in central Kazakhstan.
"Everything is going on by the book," said a NASA television commentator. "Expedition 42 is back on Earth."
Extracted from the capsule, which was charred on re-entry, the three were seated in semi-reclined chairs for a breath of fresh air and first medical checks, bundled up in blankets to protect them from frigid temperatures.
"Everything is great, thank you. The guys are great and worked very well," said a smiling Serova while a female doctor measured her pulse and blood pressure.
"Congratulations on the recent holiday," a rescue and recovery team officer said to Serova, referring to the International Women's Day marked on March 8.
Serova made her first space flight and became the first Russian woman to serve on the ISS, a $100 billion project of 15 countries. Wilmore and Samokutyaev completed their second flights.
"Everything is fine. I am drinking real tea with lemon," Samokutyaev said with a smile.
"I am glad to be here," Wilmore said in Russian before the three got into all-terrain vehicles and were taken to individual helicopters to be evacuated from the landing area.
NASA astronaut Terry Virts, who took over command of the station from Wilmore on Tuesday, remains aboard with cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov and Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. They are due home in mid-May.
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Sea surface temperature and ocean current along the U.S. West coast
The visualization of one year sea surface temperature and ocean current along the U.S. West coast. Images from http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/details.cgi?aid=3912 Credit : NASA/Goddard...
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Sea surface temperature and ocean current along the U.S. West coast - Video
IMAGE:In this artist's concept, the moon Ganymede orbits the giant planet Jupiter. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope observed aurorae on the moon generated by Ganymede's magnetic fields. A saline ocean under... view more
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has the best evidence yet for an underground saltwater ocean on Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon. The subterranean ocean is thought to have more water than all the water on Earth's surface.
Identifying liquid water is crucial in the search for habitable worlds beyond Earth and for the search of life as we know it.
"This discovery marks a significant milestone, highlighting what only Hubble can accomplish," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, Washington. "In its 25 years in orbit, Hubble has made many scientific discoveries in our own solar system. A deep ocean under the icy crust of Ganymede opens up further exciting possibilities for life beyond Earth."
Ganymede is the largest moon in our solar system and the only moon with its own magnetic field. The magnetic field causes aurorae, which are ribbons of glowing, hot electrified gas, in regions circling the north and south poles of the moon. Because Ganymede is close to Jupiter, it is also embedded in Jupiter's magnetic field. When Jupiter's magnetic field changes, the aurorae on Ganymede also change, "rocking" back and forth.
By watching the rocking motion of the two aurorae, scientists were able to determine that a large amount of saltwater exists beneath Ganymede's crust affecting its magnetic field.
A team of scientists led by Joachim Saur of the University of Cologne in Germany came up with the idea of using Hubble to learn more about the inside of the moon.
"I was always brainstorming how we could use a telescope in other ways," said Saur. "Is there a way you could use a telescope to look inside a planetary body? Then I thought, the aurorae! Because aurorae are controlled by the magnetic field, if you observe the aurorae in an appropriate way, you learn something about the magnetic field. If you know the magnetic field, then you know something about the moon's interior."
If a saltwater ocean were present, Jupiter's magnetic field would create a secondary magnetic field in the ocean that would counter Jupiter's field. This "magnetic friction" would suppress the rocking of the aurorae. This ocean fights Jupiter's magnetic field so strongly that it reduces the rocking of the aurorae to 2 degrees, instead of the 6 degrees, if the ocean was not present.
Scientists estimate the ocean is 60 miles (100 kilometers) thick - 10 times deeper than Earth's oceans - and is buried under a 95-mile (150-kilometer) crust of mostly ice.
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NASA's Hubble observations suggest underground ocean on Jupiter's largest moon
GREENBELT, Md., March 12, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will mark 25 years since the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope with a free public event at its visitor center on Saturday, March 28, 2015, from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. EDT. There are ongoing activities and two sessions, one beginning at 7 p.m. and the second beginning at 9 p.m. Anyone wishing to attend isasked to register because space is limited.
On April 24, 2015, NASA will mark the 25th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope's launch. Since its launch, Hubble has allowed astronomers to observe the universe in stunning clarity, revealed properties of space and time, and shed light on many of the great mysteries of the universe making conjectures certainties. Today, Hubble continues to provide views of cosmic wonders never before seen and is at the forefront of many new discoveries.
To participate in one of the event's two presentation sessions, guests must preregister online at http://socialforms.nasa.gov/goddard-visitor-center-hubble-25. Registration is not required to participate in the event's other activities.
The first presentation session will include engaging lectures that will start at 7 p.m., with a second session at 9 p.m. for those who miss the first session. Presenters include Michael Soluri, a New York City-based documentary photographer, speaker and author; and Dr. Jennifer Wiseman, a senior astrophysicist at NASA Goddard where she serves as the senior project scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope.
Soluri's photography has appeared in numerous American, European and Brazilian print and online publications like Time, Discover, Air & Space, NPR.org, Family Circle, Mother Earth News, Wired UK, Grazia, Amica, Vogue Brasil and Claudia. His recently published book, "Infinite Worlds," has been cited in Quest, Air & Space, Discover, Spaceflight Insider and Space Collect, among other publications. Images from the book are currently being exhibited in "Outside the Spacecraft: 50 Years of Extra-Vehicular Activity" at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington; "Hubble@25" at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York; and the space shuttle Atlantis pavilion at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Wiseman previously headed the Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory at Goddard. She studies the formation of stars in interstellar clouds using optical, infrared and radio telescopes. She discovered a comet while pursuing a bachelor's degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She earned a doctorate in astronomy from Harvard University.
Soluri will open Session 1 at 7 p.m. and Session 2 at 9 p.m. Wiseman will follow Soluri in Session 1 at 7:30 p.m., and in Session 2 at 9:30 p.m.
Soluri will share the insights of his three-year photographic journey documenting the final Hubble servicing missions. Wiseman will highlight stunning space images, references to key scientific advancements and a description of unexpected discoveries enabled by the success of Hubble.
Throughout the evening, additional activities will include:
Guests should arrive at least 15 minutes before their registered session to allow for time to parking and checking in.
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Public Invited to NASA Goddard Hubble Space Telescope 25th Anniversary Celebration
A company that plans to send tourists to near-space by balloon has just completed its first commercial flight.
The Arizona-based companyWorld View lofted two payloads during an umanned balloon flight Sunday from southeastern Arizona. The mission was part of NASAs Space Technology Mission Directorates Flight Opportunities Program, which flies experiments designed by students, educators and researchers.
World View is committed to furthering stratospheric exploration and research, Taber MacCallum, World Views chief technology officer, said in a statement. Our first flight as a NASA flight service provider marks the launch of our commercial efforts to aid research and education by providing a new way for NASA and others to access near-space.
One of the experiments measured the properties of cosmic rays, which are believed to emanate from supernova explosions. The payload was developed by 18 undergraduate students and three faculty members at Gannon University in Pennsylvania.
The second experiment, known as the Planetary Atmospheres Minor Species Sensor, is designed to measure the distribution of gases in the air of Earth and other worlds. It was designed by students from the Florida Space Institute at the University of Central Florida.
Many types of space applications and research need more access to near-space than has been possible previously, World View chief scientist Alan Stern, who is also principal investigator of NASAs Pluto-bound New Horizons mission, said in the same statement..
With this flight, Stern added, World View illustrates its ability to provide expanded access to the near-space environment for NASA, private corporations and universities.
In February, Arizona-based World View announced it had broken the world altitude record for a parafoil flight. The altitude of 102,200 feet (31,151 meters) is the same that officials hope to reach when they loft passengers, officials added.
World Views passenger flights would cost $75,000 per person and would soar high enough for passengers to see black sky and the curvature of the Earth. Last year, the organization said it plans to offer these flights starting in 2016.
Follow Elizabeth Howell@howellspace, or Space.com Originally published onSpace.com.
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Thu, Mar 12, 2015
Commercial balloon spaceflight company World View, has completed their first commercial flight carrying research payloads as part of NASA Space Technology Mission Directorates Flight Opportunities Program.
This program gives students, researchers and educators the opportunity to fly their experiments and payloads with proven commercial flight companies.
World View is committed to furthering stratospheric exploration and research, said Taber MacCallum, World Views Chief Technology Officer. Our first flight as a NASA flight service provider marks the launch of our commercial efforts to aid research and education by providing a new way for NASA and others to access near-space.
Through this flight, World View has demonstrated that they can provide commercial access to near space to advance science and technology of interest to NASA, said Dr. LK Kubendran, Program Executive for NASA Flight Opportunities.
This flight carried two university experiments to the edge of space. In one experiment, eighteen undergraduate students and three faculty members from Gannon University developed and flew equipment designed to measure new aspects in the composition of cosmic rays, a long standing research topic in astronomy. For the second experiment, students from the Florida Space Institute at University of Central Florida tested their Planetary Atmospheres Minor Species Sensor (PAMSS), which is designed to detect the amount and distribution of gases in the atmospheres of Earth and other planets.
Many types of space applications and research need more access to near-space than has been possible previously, said Dr. Alan Stern, World Views Chief Scientist. With this flight, World View illustrates its ability to provide expanded access to the near-space environment for NASA, private corporations and universities.
(File image provided by World View Experience)
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The 19-year-old Moncada can now report to Spring Training, and he is expected to participate in Minor League camp.
Top 100 prospects
The Red Sox view Moncada as the type of talent you usually get with the top pick in the First-Year Player Draft. In other words, they are excited to have him, but he will need a progression through various levels of the Minor Leagues before being ready to call Fenway Park home.
The deal is worth $31.5 million and shattered the previous signing bonus record ($8.27 million the D-backs paid for right-hander Yoan Lopez) given to an amateur international player.
Browne on Moncada's position, power-speed combination
MLB.com Red Sox reporter Ian Browne discusses Yoan Moncada's signing with the Red Sox and how the team values the Cuban infielder
"We never had a number one pick," said Red Sox owner John Henry on Feb. 24. "This is our 14th Spring Training [as owners of the Red Sox]. We haven't had a number one pick. Would we pay up to get one? Yes."
Because he is not yet 23 years old and did not play in a Cuban professional league for at least five seasons, Moncada was subject to Major League Baseball's international signing guidelines, under which each team is allotted $700,000 and an additional bonus pool based on the team's record the previous year to be used during the international signing period.
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The 19-year-old Moncada can now report to Spring Training, and he is expected to participate in Minor League camp.
Top 100 prospects
The Red Sox view Moncada as the type of talent you usually get with the top pick in the First-Year Player Draft. In other words, they are excited to have him, but he will need a progression through various levels of the Minor Leagues before being ready to call Fenway Park home.
The deal is worth $31.5 million and shattered the previous signing bonus record ($8.27 million the D-backs paid for right-hander Yoan Lopez) given to an amateur international player.
Browne on Moncada's position, power-speed combination
MLB.com Red Sox reporter Ian Browne discusses Yoan Moncada's signing with the Red Sox and how the team values the Cuban infielder
"We never had a number one pick," said Red Sox owner John Henry on Feb. 24. "This is our 14th Spring Training [as owners of the Red Sox]. We haven't had a number one pick. Would we pay up to get one? Yes."
Because he is not yet 23 years old and did not play in a Cuban professional league for at least five seasons, Moncada was subject to Major League Baseball's international signing guidelines, under which each team is allotted $700,000 and an additional bonus pool based on the team's record the previous year to be used during the international signing period.
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Monday, 09 March 2015 01:11
MEXICO CITY: Striker Roque Santa Cruz played with a red bandage after a clash of heads and captain Gerardo Torrado was shown the red card in his 300th match for Cruz Azul as they could only draw in the Mexican championship.
Held 1-1 at home by Atlas on Saturday, the Blue Machine were booed off their Estadio Azul pitch after their first point in three matches leaves them in fifth place in the Clausura standings after nine matches.
Forward Alejandro Vela put Cruz Azul ahead near the half hour mark but Juan Medina equalised in the 75th minute and former Mexico international midfielder Torrado was shown a straight red card for dissent, which included insulting the referee.
"I complained to the referee that there was a foul in the move that led to the (Atlas) goal I made a mistake when I insulted him I went and told him there was a foul, he said 'no' and I lost my head," Torrado told reporters.
Torrado, who has been at Cruz Azul for nearly a decade since joining them from Racing Santander in 2005, is looking for a first Mexican championship, having won the Copa MX knockout competition and the CONCACAF Champions League with them.
Paraguay captain Santa Cruz, who had missed the previous six matches through injury, clashed heads with Atlas's Argentine defender Walter Kannemann when challenging for a high ball.
Cruz Azul made a six-match unbeaten start to the championship but have gone off the boil while Tijuana took the lead which they clung to on Saturday with a 1-1 draw at Santos Laguna that leaves them one point ahead of Veracruz.
Second-placed Veracruz enjoyed 24 hours at the top of the table after Friday's 1-0 home win over Leon, who had three players set off in the final 12 minutes.
Ronaldinho's Queretaro ended a run of six matches without a win when they beat relegation-threatened Guadalajara 1-0 on Friday with a stoppage-time goal by midfielder Mario Osuna.
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At theRivershack Tavern on Friday (March 13), volunteers armed with shears will perform thousand-dollar haircuts. It's the eighth year the bar and restaurant has hosted such an event, which asks volunteers willing to have their heads shaved bald to raise donations for their bravery from friends and family.
So far, 16 people have signed up online to have their heads shaved at Rivershack Tavern on Friday for donations of $5,870. But numbers could climb quickly, as last year's event saw 30 heads shaved and $18,000 in donations, said organizer Rona Ballard. "Each year it's gotten bigger and bigger," Ballard said. "This is so serious. If you have a sick child, you do everything you can to try to save them...Anything we can do to help these kids, we will do it."
The event is not limited to watching hair fall to the floor. A silent auction features such goodies as a free crawfish boil, a charter boat ride for a fishing trip, jewelry items, and gift certificates donated by area restaurants, Ballard said.
Volunteers get free beer. All attendees can nosh on free red beans and rice, courtesy of the Rivershack Tavern, Ballard said.
The St. Baldrick's event lasts from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Friday (March 13) at the Rivershack Tavern, located at 3449 River Road in Jefferson.
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Bald heads, red beans, and cash for a good cause at Rivershack Tavern St. Baldrick's event
NASA New rocket test
NASA tested their new rocket. Wish I could put one of these on my car!!
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NASA and Russian crew return to earth
Video credit: Reuters.
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Here #39;s what NASA #39;s Atlas V rocket looks like in space
NASA #39;s Atlas V rocket is blasting off with a quartet of science satellites on Thursday night. Check out this animation that shows the rocket deploying in space to study the magnetosphere.
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Here's what NASA's Atlas V rocket looks like in space - Video
Sen. Ted Cruz Gives Opening Remarks at NASA Budget Hearing
March 12, 2015.
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Sen. Ted Cruz Gives Opening Remarks at NASA Budget Hearing - Video
RAW: NASA tests megarocket booster for deep space system
Courtesy: NASA NASA has conducted a landmark test of a booster for its Space Launch System, the first heavy-lift rocket since the Apollo program ended in the 1970s. Working with Orbital ATK,...
By: Alittlepart Ofme
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RAW: NASA tests megarocket booster for deep space system - Video
Water on Mars: New NASA study suggests Red Planet once had more water than Earths Arctic Ocean
New research by NASA indicates a primitive ocean on Mars once held more water than the Earth #39;s Arctic Ocean. Some 4.3 billion years ago, Mars was a far wetter place with five million cubic...
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