|
|
Browse All
:
Earth of Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Washington, D.C.
|
Printer Friendly |
?Spider? attached to S-IVB s
…
| Title |
?Spider? attached to S-IVB stage |
| Full Description |
The Lunar Module ?Spider,? remains attached to the Saturn IVB stage in earth orbit prior to docking with Apollo 9?s Command/Service Module, ?Gumdrop.? The photo was taken following separation of the CSM from the S-IVB stage, and the Spacecraft Lunar Module Adapter (SLA) panels have already been jettisoned. Following a March 3, 1969 launch, Apollo 9?s crew of James McDivitt, Dave Scott, and Rusty Schweickart spent 10 days testing the Lunar Module and Command and Service Modules in Earth orbit. Apollo 9 was the first mission to dock the CSM with the LEM, and the astronauts paved the way for subsequent flights to the moon with the CSM and the LEM. |
| Date |
03/03/1969 |
| NASA Center |
Johnson Space Center |
|
ASTP Training at Star City
| Title |
ASTP Training at Star City |
| Full Description |
Cosmonaut Aleksey A. Leonov (left) and astronaut Thomas P. Stafford take part in Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP)joint crew training at the Cosmonaut Training Center (Star City) near Moscow. They are inside a Soviet Soyuz orbital module trainer. The two men were the commanders of their respective ASTP prime crews. ASTP was a cooperative space mission between the United States and the USSR. The goals of ASTP were to test the ability of American and Soviet spacecraft to rendezvous and dock in space and to open the doors to possible international rescue missions and future collaboration on manned spaceflights. The Soyuz and Apollo crafts launched from Baikonur and the Kennedy Space Center respectively, on July 15, 1975. The two spacecraft successfully completed the rendezvous and docking on July 17th. While the Soyuz craft returned to Earth on July 21st, the Apollo craft stayed in space another 3 days, landing on July 24th in the Pacific Ocean. ASTP was a success, as not only did crews accomplish the rendezvous and docking, but they also performed in-flight intervehicular crew transfers and various scientific experiments. ASTP proved to be significant step toward improving international cooperation in space during the Cold War. |
| Date |
04/25/1975 |
| NASA Center |
Johnson Space Center |
|
Rick Hieb peers into the fli
…
| Title |
Rick Hieb peers into the flight deck |
| Full Description |
Rick Hieb, a Mission Specialist aboard STS-49, looks into the aft flight deck of the orbiter during his spacewalk. STS-49, which launched on May 7, 1992 and returned:to Earth on May 16, 1992, marked the first flight of Endeavour and the first shuttle mission to feature four EVAs. Hieb, along with fellow astronauts Pierre Thuot and Thomas Akers helped to recover INTELSAT VI, a communications satellite whose orbit had become unstable. |
| Date |
05/16/1992 |
| NASA Center |
Johnson Space Center |
|
Cooper Egressing "Faith 7
| Title |
Cooper Egressing "Faith 7 |
| Full Description |
Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper is assisted in backing out of his Mecury capsule "Faith 7" after a 600,000 mile, 22.9 orbit journey around the Earth. He elected to remain in the spacecraft until it was hoisted to the deck of the Kearsarge, as did Astronaut Walter Schirra during the previous mission. |
| Date |
05/16/1963 |
| NASA Center |
Johnson Space Center |
|
Soyuz Spacecraft in Orbit
| Title |
Soyuz Spacecraft in Orbit |
| Full Description |
This scene was photographed with a handheld 70mm camera from a rendezvous window of the American Apollo spacecraft in Earth orbit during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) mission. It shows the Soviet Soyuz spacecraft contrasted against a black-sky background with the Earth's horizon below. The three major components of the Soyuz are the spherical-shaped Orbital Module, the bell-shaped Descent Vehicle and the cylindrical-shaped Instrument Assembly Module. The docking system on the Orbital Module was specially designed to interface with the docking system on the Apollo's Docking Module. ASTP was a cooperative space mission between the United States and the USSR. The goals of ASTP were to test the ability of American and Soviet spacecraft to rendezvous and dock in space and to open the doors to possible international rescue missions and future collaboration on manned spaceflights. The Soyuz and Apollo crafts launched from Baikonur and the Kennedy Space Center respectively, on July 15, 1975. The two spacecraft successfully completed the rendezvous and docking on July 17th. While the Soyuz craft returned to Earth on July 21st, the Apollo craft stayed in space another 3 days, landing on July 24th in the Pacific Ocean. ASTP was a success, as not only did crews accomplish the rendezvous and docking, but they also performed in-flight intervehicular crew transfers and various scientific experiments. ASTP proved to be significant step toward improving international cooperation in space during the Cold War. |
| Date |
07/1975 |
| NASA Center |
Johnson Space Center |
|
Gemini with Agena on Earth
| Title |
Gemini with Agena on Earth |
| Full Description |
Gemini 6 spacecraft (right) and Agena Target Vehicle (left) on the Boresight Range Tower for at the Kennedy Space Center to test the two spacecrafts? docking capability. Agena was designed to launch separately from Gemini and act as a target for astronauts in a Gemini spacecraft to rendezvous with. Gemini 6 was slated to be the first mission to dock with Agena, but a malfunction with the unmanned target resulted in new objectives for Gemini 6 calling for a one day rendezvous with Gemini 7 in December, 1965. |
| Date |
1965 |
| NASA Center |
Johnson Space Center |
|
The Apollo 9 Prime Crew
| Title |
The Apollo 9 Prime Crew |
| Full Description |
Portrait of the Apollo 9 prime crew in their space suits. From left to right they are: Commander, James A. McDivitt, Command Module pilot, David R. Scott, and Lunar Module pilot, Russell L. Schweickart. The Apollo 9 mission was designed to test the Apollo Command/Service and Lunar Modules in Earth orbit. The purpose was to verify that the Command/Service Module (CSM) could successfully dock with the Lunar Module (LM). The mission was also to test the LM systems in a "free flying" attitude to ensure that it performed as per specifications. |
| Date |
12/18/1968 |
| NASA Center |
Johnson Space Center |
|
Shuttle Enterprise Mated to
…
| Photo Description |
The Space Shuttle Enterprise, the nation's prototype space shuttle orbiter, before departing NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, at 11:00 a.m., 16 May 1983, on the first leg of its trek to the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport, Paris, France. Seen here atop the huge 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), the first stop for the Enterprise was Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Piloting the 747 on the Europe trip were Joe Algranti, Johnson Space Center Chief Pilot, Astronaut Dick Scobee, and NASA Dryden Chief Pilot Tom McMurtry. Flight engineers for that portion of the flight were Dryden's Ray Young and Johnson Space Center's Skip Guidry. The Enterprise, named after the spacecraft of Star Trek fame, was originally carried and launched by the 747 during the Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) at Dryden Flight Research Center. |
| Project Description |
470,000 pounds. The engines burn a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. In orbit, the Space Shuttles circle the earth at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour with each orbit taking about 90 minutes. A Space Shuttle crew sees a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes. When Space Shuttle flights began in April 1981, Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, was the primary landing site for the Shuttles. Now Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is the primary landing site with Dryden remaining as the principal alternate landing site., Space Shuttles are the main element of America?s Space Transportation System and are used for space research and other space applications. The shuttles are the first vehicles capable of being launched into space and returning to Earth on a routine basis. Space Shuttles are used as orbiting laboratories in which scientists and mission specialists conduct a wide variety of scientific experiments. Crews aboard shuttles place satellites in orbit, rendezvous with satellites to carry out repair missions and return them to space, and retrieve satellites and return them to Earth for refurbishment and reuse. Space Shuttles are true aerospace vehicles. They leave Earth and its atmosphere under rocket power provided by three liquid-propellant main engines with two solid-propellant boosters attached plus an external liquid-fuel tank. After their orbital missions, they streak back through the atmosphere and land like airplanes. The returning shuttles, however, land like gliders, without power and on runways. Other rockets can place heavy payloads into orbit, but, they can only be used once. Space Shuttles are designed to be continually reused. When Space Shuttles are used to transport complete scientific laboratories into space, the laboratories remain inside the payload bay throughout the mission. They are then removed after the Space Shuttle returns to Earth and can be reused on future flights. Some of these orbital laboratories, like the Spacelab, provide facilities for several specialists to conduct experiments in such fields as medicine, astronomy, and materials manufacturing. Some types of satellites deployed by Space Shuttles include those involved in environmental and resources protection, astronomy, weather forecasting, navigation, oceanographic studies, and other scientific fields. The Space Shuttles can also launch spacecraft into orbits higher than the Shuttle?s altitude limit through the use of Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) propulsion units. After release from the Space Shuttle payload bay, the IUS is ignited to carry the spacecraft into deep space. The Space Shuttles are also being used to carry elements of the International Space Station into space where they are assembled in orbit. The Space Shuttles were built by Rockwell International?s Space Transportation Systems Division, Downey, California. Rockwell?s Rocketdyne Division (now part of Boeing) builds the three main engines, and Thiokol, Brigham City, Utah, makes the solid rocket booster motors. Martin Marietta Corporation (now Lockheed Martin), New Orleans, Louisiana, makes the external tanks. Each orbiter (Space Shuttle) is 121 feet long, has a wingspan of 78 feet, and a height of 57 feet. The Space Shuttle is approximately the size of a DC-9 commercial airliner and can carry a payload of 65,000 pounds into orbit. The payload bay is 60 feet long and 15 feet in diameter. Each main engine is capable of producing a sea level thrust of 375,000 pounds and a vacuum (orbital) thrust of |
| Photo Date |
1982 |
|
Shuttle Enterprise Mated to
…
| Photo Description |
The Space Shuttle Enterprise, the nation's prototype space shuttle orbiter, departed NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, at 11:00 a.m., 16 May 1983, on the first leg of its trek to the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport, Paris, France. Carried by the huge 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), the first stop for the Enterprise was Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Piloting the 747 on the Europe trip were Joe Algranti, Johnson Space Center Chief Pilot, Astronaut Dick Scobee, and NASA Dryden Chief Pilot Tom McMurtry. Flight engineers for that portion of the flight were Dryden's Ray Young and Johnson Space Center's Skip Guidry. The Enterprise, named after the spacecraft of Star Trek fame, was originally carried and launched by the 747 during the Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) at Dryden Flight Research Center. |
| Project Description |
470,000 pounds. The engines burn a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. In orbit, the Space Shuttles circle the earth at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour with each orbit taking about 90 minutes. A Space Shuttle crew sees a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes. When Space Shuttle flights began in April 1981, Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, was the primary landing site for the Shuttles. Now Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is the primary landing site with Dryden remaining as the principal alternate landing site., Space Shuttles are the main element of America?s Space Transportation System and are used for space research and other space applications. The shuttles are the first vehicles capable of being launched into space and returning to Earth on a routine basis. Space Shuttles are used as orbiting laboratories in which scientists and mission specialists conduct a wide variety of scientific experiments. Crews aboard shuttles place satellites in orbit, rendezvous with satellites to carry out repair missions and return them to space, and retrieve satellites and return them to Earth for refurbishment and reuse. Space Shuttles are true aerospace vehicles. They leave Earth and its atmosphere under rocket power provided by three liquid-propellant main engines with two solid-propellant boosters attached plus an external liquid-fuel tank. After their orbital missions, they streak back through the atmosphere and land like airplanes. The returning shuttles, however, land like gliders, without power and on runways. Other rockets can place heavy payloads into orbit, but, they can only be used once. Space Shuttles are designed to be continually reused. When Space Shuttles are used to transport complete scientific laboratories into space, the laboratories remain inside the payload bay throughout the mission. They are then removed after the Space Shuttle returns to Earth and can be reused on future flights. Some of these orbital laboratories, like the Spacelab, provide facilities for several specialists to conduct experiments in such fields as medicine, astronomy, and materials manufacturing. Some types of satellites deployed by Space Shuttles include those involved in environmental and resources protection, astronomy, weather forecasting, navigation, oceanographic studies, and other scientific fields. The Space Shuttles can also launch spacecraft into orbits higher than the Shuttle?s altitude limit through the use of Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) propulsion units. After release from the Space Shuttle payload bay, the IUS is ignited to carry the spacecraft into deep space. The Space Shuttles are also being used to carry elements of the International Space Station into space where they are assembled in orbit. The Space Shuttles were built by Rockwell International?s Space Transportation Systems Division, Downey, California. Rockwell?s Rocketdyne Division (now part of Boeing) builds the three main engines, and Thiokol, Brigham City, Utah, makes the solid rocket booster motors. Martin Marietta Corporation (now Lockheed Martin), New Orleans, Louisiana, makes the external tanks. Each orbiter (Space Shuttle) is 121 feet long, has a wingspan of 78 feet, and a height of 57 feet. The Space Shuttle is approximately the size of a DC-9 commercial airliner and can carry a payload of 65,000 pounds into orbit. The payload bay is 60 feet long and 15 feet in diameter. Each main engine is capable of producing a sea level thrust of 375,000 pounds and a vacuum (orbital) thrust of |
| Photo Date |
1983 |
|
Onboard Photo: Astronauts Us
…
| Name of Image |
Onboard Photo: Astronauts Use Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment II (SAREX-II) |
| Date of Image |
1993-04-08 |
| Full Description |
Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-56) onboard photo of Pilot Stephen S. Oswald (wearing a headset) uses the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment II (SAREX-II) while sitting at the pilot's station on the forward flight deck. Oswald smiled from behind the microphone as he talks to amateur radio operators on Earth via the SAREX equipment. SAREX cables and the interface module freefloat in front of Oswald. The anterna located in the forward flight deck window is visible in the background. SAREX was established by NASA, the American Radio League/Amateur Radio Satellite Corporation and the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Amateur Radio Club to encourage public participation in the space program through a program to demonstrate the effectiveness of conducting short-wave radio transmissions between the Shuttle and ground-based radio operators at low-cost ground stations with amateur and digital techniques. |
|
Kharg Island, Iran
| Title |
Kharg Island, Iran |
| Description |
high resolution 1000 pixel-wide image (1.2 MB JPEG) Kharg Island is Iran's primary oil export terminal in the Persian Gulf. This rocky limestone island is unique because it is one of the few islands in the Persian Gulf with freshwater which has collected within the porous limestone. In addition to its commercial and strategic importance, the freshwater has biological importance, supporting populations of gazelles. This high-resolution photograph taken by astronauts [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/newsletter/IssRemoteSensing/ ] on board the International Space Station shows detail of the tanker dock facilities, tanks and other infrastructure. Sunglint on the surface of the water highlights small amounts of oil on the sea surface and reveals the direction of the local currents.ISS005-E-11900, [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS005& roll=E&frame=11900 ] taken 31 August 2002, was provided by the Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory at Johnson Space Center. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA-JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ ] |
|
Ultraviolet Earth from the M
…
| Title |
Ultraviolet Earth from the Moon |
| Explanation |
Here's a switch: the above picture is of the " Earth " taken from a " lunar " observatory! [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960608.html ] This false color picture [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS16/10075878.htm ] shows how the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/earth.html ] glows in ultraviolet [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#uv ] (UV) light. UV light is so blue humans can't see it. Very little UV light [ http://titan.srrb.noaa.gov/UV/ ] is transmitted through the Earth's atmosphere but what sunlight does make it through can cause a sunburn [ http://uhs.bsd.uchicago.edu/uhs/infoline/sunburn.htm ]. The Far UV Camera / Spectrograph [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/Apollo16/A16_Experiments_UVC.html ] deployed and left on the Moon by the crew of Apollo 16 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000319.html ] took the above picture. The part of the Earth facing the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/sun.html ] reflects much UV light, but perhaps more interesting is the side facing away from the Sun. Here bands of UV emission [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l2/emspectrum.html ] are also apparent. These bands [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970402.html ] are the result of aurorae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_ts?aurora ] and are caused by charged particles [ http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/Intro.html ] expelled by the Sun. |
|
Apollo 17 Panorama: Astronau
…
| Title |
Apollo 17 Panorama: Astronaut Running |
| Explanation |
What would it be like to explore the surface of another world? In 1972 during the Apollo 17 [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17j.html ] mission, astronaut Harrison Schmitt [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/schmitt-hh.html ] found out first hand. In this case, the world was Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001127.html ]'s own Moon [ http://www.nineplanets.org/luna.html ]. In this recently compiled panorama of lunar photographs originally taken by astronaut Eugene Cernan [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cernan-ea.html ], the magnificent desolation [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001209.html ] of the barren Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981031.html ] is apparent. Visible above and by scrolling right are lunar rocks [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/moon/moon_surface.html ] in the foreground, lunar mountains [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980705.html ] in the background, some small craters, a lunar rover [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/space_level2/apollo15_rover.html ], and astronaut Schmidt on his way back to the rover. A few days after this image [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.sta1.html#1222614 ] was taken, humanity left the Moon [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon ] and has yet to return. |
|
Apollo 17's Lunar Rover
| Title |
Apollo 17's Lunar Rover |
| Explanation |
In December of 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001209.html ] astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours exploring [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17j.html ] the Moon's Taurus-Littrow valley [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/Apollo17/A17_lsite.html ] while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead. Cernan and Schmitt were the last humans to walk or ride on the Moon - aided in their explorations [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010523.html ] by a Lunar Roving Vehicle [ http://www-sn.jsc.nasa.gov/PlanetaryMissions/EXLibrary/docs/ ApolloCat/Part1/LRV.htm ]. The skeletal-looking lunar rover was [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ lrvhand.html ] just over 10 feet long, 6 feet wide and easily carried astronauts, equipment, and rock samples in the Moon's [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/moonfact.html ] low gravity (about 1/6 Earth's). In this picture [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/images17.html ], Cernan stands at the back of the rover which carried the two astronauts in lawn-chair style seats. An umbrella-shaped high gain antenna and TV camera are mounted in the front. Powered by four 1/4 horsepower electric motors, one for each wheel [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990501.html ], this rover was driven a total of about 18 miles across the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/frame.html ]. Its estimated top speed was a blazing 8 miles per hour. |
|
Lunar Dust and Duct Tape
| Title |
Lunar Dust and Duct Tape |
| Explanation |
Why is the Moon dusty [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/Apollo17/ A17_Experiments_SMI.html ]? On Earth, rocks are weathered by wind and water, creating soil and sand. On the Moon, the long history of micrometeorite [ http://www.hawastsoc.org/solar/eng/edu/ micromet.htm ] bombardment has blasted away at the rocky surface [ http://www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/lunar/ lunar.htm ] creating a layer of powdery lunar soil or regolith [ http://elvis.neep.wisc.edu/~neep602/9301/ 9301.html ]. This lunar regolith could be a scientific [ http://elvis.neep.wisc.edu/~neep602/FALL97/LEC19/ lecture19.html ] and industrial [ http://elvis.neep.wisc.edu/~neep602/FALL97/LEC20/ lecture20.html ] bonanza. But for the Apollo astronauts and their equipment [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/Apollo17/ A17_science.html ], the pervasive, fine, gritty dust was definitely a problem. On the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ ] in December 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970905.html ] astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan needed to repair one of their lunar rover's fenders in an effort [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ a17/a17.eva2prep.html ] to keep the "rooster tails" of dust away from themselves and their gear. This picture reveals [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS17/ 10075959.htm ] the wheel and fender of their dust covered rover along with [ http://www.clavius.org/rover2.html ] the ingenious application of spare maps, clamps, and a grey strip of "duct tape". |
|
An Apollo 17 Panorama
| Title |
An Apollo 17 Panorama |
| Explanation |
What would it be like to stand on the surface of another world, to look all around you, and to try to figure out how this world got there? To get an idea, scroll right. In 1972 during the Apollo 17 [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17j.html ] mission, astronauts Harrison Schmitt [ http://www.astronauts.org/astronauts/schmitt.htm ] and Eugene Cernan [ http://www.astronauts.org/astronauts/cernan.htm ] found out first hand. In this case, the world was Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001127.html ]'s own Moon [ http://www.nineplanets.org/luna.html ]. In one of the more famous panoramas taken on the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/moon.html ], the magnificent desolation [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001209.html ] of the barren Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981031.html ] is apparent. Visible are rocks [ http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/lunar/lunar.htm ], hills [ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/orbiter/orbiter-sites.html ], craters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010428.html ], the lunar rover [ http://www-sn.jsc.nasa.gov/HumanExplore/Exploration/EXLibrary/docs/ApolloCat/Part1/LRV.htm ], and astronaut Schmitt preparing to take a soil sample [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010523.html ]. A few days after this image [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.sta1.html#1222614 ] was taken, humanity left the Moon [ http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/lunar/lunar10.htm ] and has yet to return. An interactive version of the above image can be found here [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17vr1222614.htm ]. |
|
Earth Rise
| Title |
Earth Rise |
| Explanation |
During the 1968 Christmas season Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders flew the Apollo 8 [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/history/apollo/apollo-8/ apollo-8.html ] command module From the Earth to the Moon [ http://www.w3.org/hypertext/DataSources/bySubject/ Literature/Gutenberg/etext93/moon10.txt ] and back (launched Dec. 21, achieved 10 lunar orbits, landed Dec. 27). The Apollo 8 [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/AS08/Apollo8_fact.html ] mission's impressive list of firsts includes, the first manned flight using the Saturn V rocket [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950829.html ], the first humans to journey to the Earth's Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951128.html ], and the first to photograph the Earth from deep space [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950819.html ]. The famous picture above [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS8/10074963.htm ], showing the Earth rising above the Moon's limb as seen from lunar orbit, was a marvelous gift to the world. This was astronaut James Lovell's third mission. His last flight would be as commander of Apollo 13 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950708.html ]. |
|
Shuttle Engine Blast
| Title |
Shuttle Engine Blast |
| Explanation |
The Space Shuttle Discovery [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950808.html ]'s orbital maneuvering system (OMS) engine firing [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/STS51I/10062237.htm ] produced this dramatic flare as it cruised "upside down" in low Earth orbit. Discovery [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/discovery.html ] was named for a ship commanded by Captain James Cook RN [ http://www.cybergate.com/~rsoppe/explor7.html ], the 18th Century English astronomer and navigator. Cook [ http://web.wwnorton.com/blurbs.cat/003680.htm ]'s voyages of discovery established new standards in scientific exploration and brought extensive knowledge of the unknown Pacific regions, including Australia, New Zealand, and the Hawaiian Island [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951216.html ] archipelago to Europeans. NASA's four-orbiter Space Shuttle fleet [ http://www.amdahl.com/internet/events/shuttle.html ] will begin a new year of operation on January 11, with the planned launch [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-72/countdown.html ] of the shuttle Endeavour (STS-72) [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-72/mission-sts-72.html ]. Also named after one of Cook's ships, Endeavor [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950807.html ] is the latest addition to the shuttle fleet [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/ssa/space.shuttle/docs/homepage.html ]. |
|
Tanks for the Lift
| Title |
Tanks for the Lift |
| Explanation |
Sixteen minutes after the liftoff of STS-29, the Space Shuttle Discovery's [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960101.html ] jettisoned External Tank (ET) [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/et.html#et ] is seen here, in a photograph by shuttle astronaut James P. Bagian, falling back towards Earth. The 154 foot long ET is the largest non-reusable component in the Shuttle system [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/ssa/space.shuttle/docs/homepage.html ]. After carrying over 500,000 gallons of liquid propellant [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950916.html ] to feed the shuttle's main engines [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/ sts-mps.html#sts-mps-ssme ] during liftoff, its ultimate fate is to re-enter the atmosphere, break up and descend into a remote ocean area. The side of this ET [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/STS29/10063218.htm ] shows a normal burn scar caused during the separation of one of the reusable solid rocket boosters [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/srb.html#srb ]. |
|
Mir is 10
| Title |
Mir is 10 |
| Explanation |
The first module of the Russian Space Agency's Mir Space Station [ http://www.osf.hq.nasa.gov/mir/Welcome.html ] was launched into orbit 10 years ago (on February 20, 1986). Mir has since been substantially expanded [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/rsa/mir.html ] in orbit by adding additional modules including the Kvant Astrophysics Module [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/heasarc/missions/kvant.html ](1987) and recently a docking module. NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950812.html ] was modified to allow it to dock with Mir in 1995 (STS-71, [ http://lib04.jsc.nasa.gov/sts-71/ ], STS 74 [ http://lib04.jsc.nasa.gov/sts-74/glance/ ]) beginning a series of Shuttle-Mir flights [ http://www.rzg.mpg.de/~bdp/vsohp/mir-shuttle.html ] scheduled to continue through 1997. In this wide angle view - poised above planet Earth with sunlight glinting from solar panels - Mir and Atlantis are seen connected via the docking module from the perspective of the shuttle payload bay. The image is from an IMAX movie frame [ http://lib04.jsc.nasa.gov/sts-74/images/imax/ ] taken during the STS 74 mission. In late 1997, building on this jointly developed understanding and experience, the US and Russia will launch the first modules of the International Space Station [ http://issa-www.jsc.nasa.gov/ss/spacestation.html ]. |
|
Astro 1 In Orbit
| Title |
Astro 1 In Orbit |
| Explanation |
In December of 1990, the Space Shuttle Columbia [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950808.html ] carried an array of astronomical telescopes [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/STS35/10063952.htm ] high above the Earth's obscuring atmosphere to observe the Universe at ultraviolet and x-ray wavelengths. The telescopes, known by the acronyms UIT [ http://fondue.gsfc.nasa.gov/UIT/UIT_HomePage.html ], HUT [ http://praxis.pha.jhu.edu/hut.html ], WUPPE [ http://www.sal.wisc.edu/WUPPE/ ], and BBXRT [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/bbxrt/bbxrt_menu.html ], are seen here in Columbia's [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/columbia.html ] payload bay against a spectacular view of the constellation Orion. The ultraviolet telescopes [ http://praxis.pha.jhu.edu/instruments/instruments.html ] were mounted on a common structure - HUT is visible in this view along with a star tracker (the silver cone at the left). The mission studied solar system, galactic, and extra-galactic sources [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960409.html ]. |
|
Pictured: An Ancient Martian
…
| Title |
Pictured: An Ancient Martian? |
| Explanation |
Alien! Alien? Is this what an ancient Martian looked like? [ http://www.fas.org/mars/marslife.htm ] The tube-like form on the above highly magnified image [ http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/marslife/photos.htm ] is now believed by many to be a fossil [ http://www.cs.uwindsor.ca/meta-index/mcat/html-docs/woop.html ] of a simple Martian organism [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960807.html ] that lived over 3.6 billion years ago [ http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/help/timeform.html ]. If this extraordinary claim [ http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/marslife/ ] is true, this alien could hardly have been less intimidating as its fossil measures less than 1/100th the width of a human hair. A reconstruction of events indicates that the meteorite [ http://www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/antmet/mmc/mmc.htm ] that housed this potential fossil was catapulted from Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970627.html ] during a huge impact [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960203.html ] 16 million years ago and fell to Earth's Antarctica [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951222.html ] only 13,000 years ago. Evidence supporting this claim of early Martian life [ http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/marslife/marslif6.htm ] includes organic molecules and mineral features characteristic of biological activity [ http://www.fas.org/mars/dickbook.htm ] found in the meteorite. NASA's current missions [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mars/index.html ] to Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970814.html ] are Mars Global Surveyor [ http://mgs-www.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] and Mars Pathfinder [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]. Though not designed to look for martian fossils, these missions may reveal information about conditions on early Mars [ http://www.sciam.com/1196issue/1196kargel.html ] which might have been more favorable for life [ http://www.execulink.com/~louisew/Origins.htm ]. |
|
Astro 1 In Orbit
| Title |
Astro 1 In Orbit |
| Explanation |
In December of 1990, the Space Shuttle Columbia [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950808.html ] carried an array of astronomical telescopes [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/STS35/10063952.htm ] high above the Earth's obscuring atmosphere to observe the Universe at ultraviolet and x-ray wavelengths. The telescopes, known by the acronyms UIT [ http://fondue.gsfc.nasa.gov/UIT/UIT_HomePage.html ], HUT [ http://praxis.pha.jhu.edu/hut.html ], WUPPE [ http://www.sal.wisc.edu/WUPPE/ ], and BBXRT [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/bbxrt/bbxrt_menu.html ], are seen here in Columbia's [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/columbia.html ] payload bay against a spectacular view of the constellation Orion [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961202.html ]. The ultraviolet telescopes [ http://praxis.pha.jhu.edu/instruments/instruments.html ] were mounted on a common structure - HUT is visible in this view along with a star tracker (the silver cone at the left). The mission studied solar system, galactic, and extra-galactic sources [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960409.html ]. |
|
Lunar Dust and Duct Tape
| Title |
Lunar Dust and Duct Tape |
| Explanation |
Why is the Moon dusty [ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/Apollo17/ A17_Experiments_SMI.html ]? On Earth, rocks are weathered by wind and water, creating soil and sand. On the Moon [ http://www.nineplanets.org/luna.html ], the long history of micrometeorite [ http://www.solarviews.com/eng/edu/ micromet.htm ] bombardment has blasted away at the rocky surface [ http://www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/lunar/ lunar.htm ] creating a layer of powdery lunar soil or regolith [ http://epsc.wustl.edu/admin/resources/meteorites/ regolith_breccia.html ]. This lunar regolith could be a scientific and industrial [ http://www.asi.org/adb/02/02/ regolith-volatiles.html ] bonanza. But for the Apollo astronauts and their equipment [ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/Apollo17/ A17_science.html ], the pervasive, fine, gritty dust was definitely a problem. On the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ ] in December 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030111.html ] astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan needed to repair one of their lunar rover's fenders in an effort [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ a17/a17.eva2prep.html ] to keep the "rooster tails" of dust away from themselves and their gear. This picture reveals the wheel and fender of their dust covered rover along with [ http://www.clavius.org/rover2.html ] the ingenious application of spare maps, clamps, and a grey strip of "duct tape". |
|
Apollo 17 Panorama: Astronau
…
| Title |
Apollo 17 Panorama: Astronaut Running |
| Explanation |
What would it be like to explore the surface of another world? In 1972 during the Apollo 17 [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17j.html ] mission, astronaut Harrison Schmitt [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/schmitt-hh.html ] found out first hand. In this case, the world was Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001127.html ]'s own Moon [ http://www.nineplanets.org/luna.html ]. In this recently compiled panorama of lunar photographs originally taken by astronaut Eugene Cernan [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cernan-ea.html ], the magnificent desolation [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001209.html ] of the barren Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981031.html ] is apparent. Visible above and by scrolling right are lunar rocks [ http://www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/lunar/lunar.htm ] in the foreground, lunar mountains [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980705.html ] in the background, some small craters, a lunar rover [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/space_level2/apollo15_rover.html ], and astronaut Schmidt on his way back to the rover. A few days after this image [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.sta1.html#1222614 ] was taken, humanity left the Moon [ http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/lunar/lunar10.htm ] and has yet to return. |
|
Apollo 17's Lunar Rover
| Title |
Apollo 17's Lunar Rover |
| Explanation |
In December of 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031109.html ] astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours exploring [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17j.html ] the Moon's Taurus-Littrow valley [ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/Apollo17/ A17_lsite.html ] while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020628.html ]. Cernan and Schmitt were the last humans to walk or ride on the Moon - aided in their explorations [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010523.html ] by a Lunar Roving Vehicle [ http://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/HumanExplore/Exploration/ EXLibrary/docs/ApolloCat/Part1/LRV.htm ]. The skeletal-looking lunar rover was [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ lrvhand.html ] just over 10 feet long, 6 feet wide and easily carried astronauts, equipment, and rock samples in the Moon's [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/moonfact.html ] low gravity (about 1/6 Earth's). In this picture [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/images17.html ], Cernan stands at the back of the rover which carried the two astronauts in lawn-chair style seats. An umbrella-shaped high gain antenna and TV camera are mounted in the front. Powered by four 1/4 horsepower electric motors, one for each wheel [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040417.html ], this rover was driven a total of about 18 miles across the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/frame.html ]. Its estimated top speed was a blazing 8 miles per hour. |
|
Spiral Eddies On Planet Eart
…
| Title |
Spiral Eddies On Planet Earth |
| Explanation |
Can you identify this wispy stellar nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960816.html ]? How many light-years from Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970828.html ] did you say? Resembling a twisting cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970123.html ] of gas and dust between the stars this swirling form is actually close by - a spiral eddy formed near the North Atlantic Gulf Stream off the East coast of the U. S. Tens of miles across, spiral eddies are an ocean current phenomenon [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/CAMPAIGN_DOCS/OCDST/ shuttle_oceanography_web/oss_134.html ] discovered by observations from manned spacecraft [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/CAMPAIGN_DOCS/OCDST/ shuttle_oceanography_web/oss_cover.html ]. Imaged by [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/iams/images/earth/STS41G/ html/10044055.htm ] the Challenger [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/challenger.html ] space shuttle crew during the STS 41G [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/41-g/ mission-41-g.html#highlights ] mission this eddie is dramatically visible [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/CAMPAIGN_DOCS/OCDST/ shuttle_oceanography_web/oss_170.html ] due to the low sun angle and strong reflection of sunlight. The reflection is caused by a very thin biologically produced [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/CAMPAIGN_DOCS/OCDST/ OB_main.html ] oily film on the surface of the swirling water. Prior to STS 41G these eddies were thought to be rare but are now understood to be a significant dynamic feature of ocean currents. However, no good explanation of their origin or persistence exists. |
|
Astro 1 In Orbit
| Title |
Astro 1 In Orbit |
| Explanation |
In December of 1990, the Space Shuttle Columbia [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961110.html ] carried an array of astronomical telescopes [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/STS35/10063952.htm ] high above the Earth's obscuring atmosphere to observe the Universe [ http://trifle.gsfc.nasa.gov/UIT/Astro1/Astro1_pictures.html ] at ultraviolet and x-ray wavelengths. The telescopes, known by the acronyms UIT [ http://trifle.gsfc.nasa.gov/UIT/UIT_HomePage.html ], HUT [ http://praxis.pha.jhu.edu/hut.html ], WUPPE [ http://www.sal.wisc.edu/WUPPE/ ], and BBXRT [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/bbxrt/bbxrt_menu.html ], are seen here in Columbia's [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/columbia.html ] payload bay against a spectacular view of the constellation Orion [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961202.html ]. The ultraviolet telescopes [ http://praxis.pha.jhu.edu/instruments/instruments.html ] were mounted on a common structure - HUT is visible in this view along with a star tracker (the silver cone at the left). The mission studied solar system, galactic, and extra-galactic sources [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980314.html ]. |
|
Aurora and Orion
| Title |
Aurora and Orion |
| Explanation |
Looking toward the south [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/STS59/20137412.htm ] from low Earth orbit, the crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavor [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950807.html ] made this stunning time exposure of the Aurora Australis [ http://www.vision.net.au/~peter/AST/aurora/aurora.html ] or southern lights in April of 1994. Aurora are visible [ http://www.geo.mtu.edu/weather/aurora/ ] at high northern latitudes [ http://dac3.pfrr.alaska.edu:80/~pfrr/AURORA/PREDICT/CURRENT.HTM ] as well, with the northern lights known as Aurora Borealis [ http://wwwssl.msfc.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast16oct98_1.htm ]. They are caused by high energy electrons from the Solar Wind [ http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wsolwind.html ] which are funneled into the atmosphere near the poles by the Earth's magnetic field [ http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/Intro.html ]. The reddish colors occur at the highest altitudes (about 200 miles) where the air is least dense. At lower altitudes and greater densities green tends to dominate ranging to a pinkish glow at the lowest. The familiar constellation [ http://www.mtwilson.edu/Education/ConQuiz/ ] of Orion the Hunter [ http://astro.caltech.edu/~bbb/paper/star.splitter.html ] is clearly visible above the dark horizon in the background. Because of the shuttle's orbital motion, the bright stars in Orion appear slightly elongated. |
|
Lunar Dust and Duct Tape
| Title |
Lunar Dust and Duct Tape |
| Explanation |
Why is the Moon dusty [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/Apollo11/ A11_Experiments_LDD.html ]? On Earth, rocks are weathered by wind and water, creating soil and sand. On the Moon, the long history of micrometeorite [ http://www.hawastsoc.org/solar/eng/edu/micromet.htm ] bombardment has blasted away at the rocky surface [ http://www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/lunar/lunar.htm ] creating a layer of powdery lunar soil or regolith [ http://elvis.neep.wisc.edu/~neep602/9301/9301.html ]. This lunar regolith could be a scientific [ http://elvis.neep.wisc.edu/~neep602/FALL97/LEC19/lecture19.html ] and industrial [ http://elvis.neep.wisc.edu/~neep602/FALL97/LEC20/lecture20.html ] bonanza. But for the Apollo astronauts and their equipment [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/Apollo17/A17_science.html ], the pervasive, fine, gritty dust was definitely a problem. On the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ ] in December 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970905.html ] astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan needed to repair one of their lunar rover's fenders in an effort [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ a17/a17.eva2prep.html ] to keep the "rooster tails" of dust away from themselves and their gear. This picture reveals [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS17/10075959.htm ] the wheel and fender of their dust covered rover along with the ingenious application of spare maps, clamps, and a grey strip of "duct tape". |
|
Astro 1 In Orbit
| Title |
Astro 1 In Orbit |
| Explanation |
Fifteen years ago, in December of 1990, the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia [ http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/ orbiters/orbiterscol.html ] carried an array of astronomical telescopes [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/luceneweb/ caption_direct.jsp?photoId=STS035-28-022 ] high above the Earth's obscuring atmosphere to explore the Universe at [ http://archive.stsci.edu/uit/project/Astro1/ Astro1_pictures.html ] ultraviolet and x-ray wavelengths. The telescopes, known by the acronyms UIT [ http://archive.stsci.edu/uit/project/ ], HUT [ http://praxis.pha.jhu.edu/hut.html ], WUPPE [ http://www.sal.wisc.edu/WUPPE/ ], and BBXRT [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/bbxrt/bbxrt_about.html ], are seen here in Columbia's payload bay against a spectacular view of the constellation Orion [ http://www.gb.nrao.edu/~rmaddale/Education/OrionTourCenter/ index.html ]. The ultraviolet telescopes [ http://praxis.pha.jhu.edu/instruments/ instruments.html ] were mounted on a common structure - HUT is visible in this view along with a star tracker (the silver cone at the left). Taken during the nighttime [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981217.html ] portion of the shuttle's 90 minute orbit, the picture shows the telescopes and structures illuminated by moonlight [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020921.html ]. |
|
On the Space Shuttle Endeavo
…
| Title |
On the Space Shuttle Endeavour's aft flight deck, astronaut Mario Runco, Jr., mission specialist, |
| Description |
STS-77 ESC VIEW --- On the Space Shuttle Endeavour's aft flight deck, astronaut Mario Runco, Jr., mission specialist, grabs a hand-held 70mm camera and prepares to take still pictures of an Earth observation target of opportunity. A pair of windows just out of frame above Runco's head provide the crew members with a prime operating perspective of Earth observation targets. A crew mate exposed the image with an Electronic Still Camera (ESC). |
| Date |
05.24.1996 |
|
Shuttle Enterprise Mated to
…
| Title |
Shuttle Enterprise Mated to 747 SCA in Flight |
| Description |
International Space Station into space where they are assembled in orbit. The Space Shuttles were built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division, Downey, California. Rockwell's Rocketdyne Division (now part of Boeing) builds the three main engines, and Thiokol, Brigham City, Utah, makes the solid rocket booster motors. Martin Marietta Corporation (now Lockheed Martin), New Orleans, Louisiana, makes the external tanks. Each orbiter (Space Shuttle) is 121 feet long, has a wingspan of 78 feet, and a height of 57 feet. The Space Shuttle is approximately the size of a DC-9 commercial airliner and can carry a payload of 65,000 pounds into orbit. The payload bay is 60 feet long and 15 feet in diameter. Each main engine is capable of producing a sea level thrust of 375,000 pounds and a vacuum (orbital) thrust of 470,000 pounds. The engines burn a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. In orbit, the Space Shuttles circle the earth at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour with each orbit taking about 90 minutes. A Space Shuttle crew sees a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes. When Space Shuttle flights began in April 1981, Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, was the primary landing site for the Shuttles. Now Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is the primary landing site with Dryden remaining as the principal alternate landing site., The Space Shuttle Enterprise, the nation's prototype space shuttle orbiter, departed NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, at 11:00 a.m., 16 May 1983, on the first leg of its trek to the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport, Paris, France. Carried by the huge 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), the first stop for the Enterprise was Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Piloting the 747 on the Europe trip were Joe Algranti, Johnson Space Center Chief Pilot, Astronaut Dick Scobee, and NASA Dryden Chief Pilot Tom McMurtry. Flight engineers for that portion of the flight were Dryden's Ray Young and Johnson Space Center's Skip Guidry. The Enterprise, named after the spacecraft of Star Trek fame, was originally carried and launched by the 747 during the Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) at Dryden Flight Research Center. Space Shuttles are the main element of America's Space Transportation System and are used for space research and other space applications. The shuttles are the first vehicles capable of being launched into space and returning to Earth on a routine basis. Space Shuttles are used as orbiting laboratories in which scientists and mission specialists conduct a wide variety of scientific experiments. Crews aboard shuttles place satellites in orbit, rendezvous with satellites to carry out repair missions and return them to space, and retrieve satellites and return them to Earth for refurbishment and reuse. Space Shuttles are true aerospace vehicles. They leave Earth and its atmosphere under rocket power provided by three liquid-propellant main engines with two solid-propellant boosters attached plus an external liquid-fuel tank. After their orbital missions, they streak back through the atmosphere and land like airplanes. The returning shuttles, however, land like gliders, without power and on runways. Other rockets can place heavy payloads into orbit, but, they can only be used once. Space Shuttles are designed to be continually reused. When Space Shuttles are used to transport complete scientific laboratories into space, the laboratories remain inside the payload bay throughout the mission. They are then removed after the Space Shuttle returns to Earth and can be reused on future flights. Some of these orbital laboratories, like the Spacelab, provide facilities for several specialists to conduct experiments in such fields as medicine, astronomy, and materials manufacturing. Some types of satellites deployed by Space Shuttles include those involved in environmental and resources protection, astronomy, weather forecasting, navigation, oceanographic studies, and other scientific fields. The Space Shuttles can also launch spacecraft into orbits higher than the Shuttle's altitude limit through the use of Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) propulsion units. After release from the Space Shuttle payload bay, the IUS is ignited to carry the spacecraft into deep space. The Space Shuttles are also being used to carry elements of the |
| Date |
01.01.1983 |
|
Shuttle Enterprise Mated to
…
| Title |
Shuttle Enterprise Mated to 747 SCA on Ramp |
| Description |
The Space Shuttle Enterprise, the nation's prototype space shuttle orbiter, before departing NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, at 11:00 a.m., 16 May 1983, on the first leg of its trek to the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport, Paris, France. Seen here atop the huge 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), the first stop for the Enterprise was Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Piloting the 747 on the Europe trip were Joe Algranti, Johnson Space Center Chief Pilot, Astronaut Dick Scobee, and NASA Dryden Chief Pilot Tom McMurtry. Flight engineers for that portion of the flight were Dryden's Ray Young and Johnson Space Center's Skip Guidry. The Enterprise, named after the spacecraft of Star Trek fame, was originally carried and launched by the 747 during the Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) at Dryden Flight Research Center. Space Shuttles are the main element of America's Space Transportation System and are used for space research and other space applications. The shuttles are the first vehicles capable of being launched into space and returning to Earth on a routine basis. Space Shuttles are used as orbiting laboratories in which scientists and mission specialists conduct a wide variety of scientific experiments. Crews aboard shuttles place satellites in orbit, rendezvous with satellites to carry out repair missions and return them to space, and retrieve satellites and return them to Earth for refurbishment and reuse. Space Shuttles are true aerospace vehicles. They leave Earth and its atmosphere under rocket power provided by three liquid-propellant main engines with two solid-propellant boosters attached plus an external liquid-fuel tank. After their orbital missions, they streak back through the atmosphere and land like airplanes. The returning shuttles, however, land like gliders, without power and on runways. Other rockets can place heavy payloads into orbit, but, they can only be used once. Space Shuttles are designed to be continually reused. When Space Shuttles are used to transport complete scientific laboratories into space, the laboratories remain inside the payload bay throughout the mission. They are then removed after the Space Shuttle returns to Earth and can be reused on future flights. Some of these orbital laboratories, like the Spacelab, provide facilities for several specialists to conduct experiments in such fields as medicine, astronomy, and materials manufacturing. Some types of satellites deployed by Space Shuttles include those involved in environmental and resources protection, astronomy, weather forecasting, navigation, oceanographic studies, and other scientific fields. The Space Shuttles can also launch spacecraft into orbits higher than the Shuttle's altitude limit through the use of Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) propulsion units. After release from the Space Shuttle payload bay, the IUS is ignited to carry the spacecraft into deep space. The Space Shuttles are also being used to carry, elements of the International Space Station into space where they are assembled in orbit. The Space Shuttles were built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division, Downey, California. Rockwell's Rocketdyne Division (now part of Boeing) builds the three main engines, and Thiokol, Brigham City, Utah, makes the solid rocket booster motors. Martin Marietta Corporation (now Lockheed Martin), New Orleans, Louisiana, makes the external tanks. Each orbiter (Space Shuttle) is 121 feet long, has a wingspan of 78 feet, and a height of 57 feet. The Space Shuttle is approximately the size of a DC-9 commercial airliner and can carry a payload of 65,000 pounds into orbit. The payload bay is 60 feet long and 15 feet in diameter. Each main engine is capable of producing a sea level thrust of 375,000 pounds and a vacuum (orbital) thrust of 470,000 pounds. The engines burn a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. In orbit, the Space Shuttles circle the earth at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour with each orbit taking about 90 minutes. A Space Shuttle crew sees a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes. When Space Shuttle flights began in April 1981, Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, was the primary landing site for the Shuttles. Now Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is the primary landing site with Dryden remaining as the principal alternate landing site. |
| Date |
01.01.1982 |
|
STS-29 Discovery, OV-103, cr
…
| Title |
STS-29 Discovery, OV-103, crew on flight deck prepares for reentry |
| Description |
STS-29 crewmembers, wearing launch and entry suits (LESs) and launch and entry helmets (LEHs), review checklists on Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, flight deck. Commander Michael L. Coats is seated at the forward flight deck commanders station with Mission Specialist (MS) James F. Buchli on aft flight deck strapped in mission specialist seat. OV-103 makes its return after five days in space. Note color in forward windows W1, W2, W3 caused by friction of entry through the Earth's atmosphere. Personal Egress Air Pack (PEAP) is visible on pilots seat back. |
| Date |
03.18.1989 |
|
STS-30 Earth observation is
…
| Title |
STS-30 Earth observation is framed by aft flight deck overhead windows |
| Description |
An Earth observation taken by the STS-30 crew aboard Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, is framed by the two aft flight deck overhead windows W7 and W8. The glow appearing between the windows is an in-cabin overhead lighting fixture. |
| Date |
05.08.1989 |
|
STS-44 crewmembers make obse
…
| Title |
STS-44 crewmembers make observations from OV-104's aft flight deck |
| Description |
STS-44 Mission Specialist (MS) James S. Voss (foreground) and Payload Specialist Thomas J. Hennen, using binoculars, make observations through the overhead windows on the aft flight deck of Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104. Hennen is conducting Terra Scout, an Earth observations experiment that is part of the Military Man in Space program. Binoculars were used part of the time and a device called the Spaceborne Direct View Optical System (SPADVOS) was utilized to observe ground sites. |
| Date |
12.01.1991 |
|
STS-71 Pilot Charles J. Prec
…
| Title |
STS-71 Pilot Charles J. Precort arrival in T-38 |
| Description |
STS-71 Pilot Charles J. Precourt arrives at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility in one of the T-38 aircraft traditionally flown by the astronaut corps. The seven STS-71 crew members flew into KSC from Johnson Space Center as final preparations are under way toward the scheduled liftoff on June 23 of the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the first mission to dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. KSC-95EC-870 - Mir 19 Flight Engineer Nikolai M. Budarin arrives at KSC Mir 19 Flight Engineer Nikolai M. Budarin hitches a ride with STS-71 Pilot Charles J. Precourt in a T-38. Budarin, Precourt and the rest of the STS-71 crew arrived at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility the same day the countdown clock began ticking toward a scheduled liftoff on Friday, June 23. During the historic flight of the Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS- 71, the crew will perform the first U.S. docking with the Russian Space Station Mir. Budarin and Mir 19 Mission Commander Anatoly Solovyev will transfer to Mir during the flight, and the three crew members currently on Mir will return to Earth in the orbiter. |
| Date |
06.20.1995 |
|
Inflight activites of Young
…
| Title |
Inflight activites of Young and Crippen in the cockpit and middeck STS-1 |
| Description |
Inflight activites of Young and Crippen in the cockpit and middeck areas during the STS-1 mission. Commander John W. Young mans the commander's station in the Columbia. A loose leaf notebook with flight activites data floats in the weightless environment (30419), Pilot Robert L. Crippen takes advantage of zero gravity to do some aerobics in the mid-deck area (30420), Young shaves his face in the mid-deck area. Food tray is mounted to the locker door at center (30421), Young cleans off his razor after shaving (30422), Crippen floats in zero gravity inside the orbiter. Clouds over the earth can be seen through the spacecraft's top viewing windows. Back side of the commander and pilot's seats can be seen at lower portion of the frame (30423). |
| Date |
04.15.1981 |
|
Smoke over Lake Toba, Indone
…
PIA00951
Sol (our sun)
Electronic Still Camera
| Title |
Smoke over Lake Toba, Indonesia |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
As the Space Shuttle Atlantis flew over the Indonesian archipelago on Saturday, September 27, middle school students across the country used the Kidsat camera to photograph the fires and smoke that blanket the island of Sumatra . A joint effort between 23 of the 52 schools participating in this mission, the KidSat camera was used to image a 140 km wide, 1950 km long strip that starts in the northwest (5.24 degrees N, 97.11 degrees E), and follows the Pegunungan Barisan range across the equator to the southern tip of Sumatra (7.44S, 106.1E). [Mission Elapsed Time (MET) 00215343 - 00215750] Smoldering underground fires have raged uncontrolled for the past few weeks in Southeast Asia. Originally set to clear land for agriculture, the fires are usually extinguished by the annual monsoon rains. However, this year, the rains had not come due to El Niño which produces dry conditions in the Indonesia region. Due to the lack of trade winds, the seasonal warm waters in the eastern Pacific have spread over to South America. Consequently, the water temperature in Indonesia has dropped significantly. This decrease in temperature has not produced enough warm water vapor to produce the normal seasonal showers that usually encompass the area. The effects of the fires have been astronomical. So far the fire has been blamed for two fatal accidents and countless health hazards. At one point, the pollution index of the region reached 839. To put a relative point to this number, a pollution index of 300 is a equivalent of smoking 20 cigarettes a day. The smoke, during one time, blanketed an area that was larger than the continental United States. Currently, the fire's rage has been quelled by winds and rain which have lifted the smog and dampened the fires. However it is estimated that 100,000 fire fighters are needed to stop the fire. This KidSat image (MET 00215424) of the northern regions of Sumatra was captured on September 27, 1997 during the Shuttle flight STS-86. It is centered at 3.1 degrees S 98.6 degrees E and is 140 km wide and 205 km long. Smoke from the fires completely covers the land. The only indication of surface features is from the clouds that rise above the smoke over Danau Toba, the largest lake in Sumatra. The KidSat camera that photographed these fires is mounted in the overhead starboard window of the Shuttle Atlantis and operates before and after docking with Mir when the Shuttle's windows face the Earth. Students on the ground are linked to the camera through the Internet and a series of satellites. Commands are sent from middle schools through a Mission Operations Gateway at the University of California, San Diego, to a Thinkpad on the Shuttle flight deck. Images are transmitted back to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where they are immediately placed on the Internet for the KidSat students and the rest of the world to view and use. High school and undergraduate students work in collaboration with scientists and engineers to develop and, operate the KidSat systems. Curriculum developed by The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth is used in the middle school classrooms to encourage scientific inquiry based on the images. The photographs from the three missions of the KidSat pilot program can be accessed at the following URL: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/kidsat The KidSat program was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth, and The University of California, San Diego, with support from NASA's Johnson Space Center. The project is supported by NASA's Office of Human Resources and Education with support from NASA's Offices of Mission to Planet Earth, Space Flight, and Space Science. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). |
|
Map of northern Sumatra, Ind
…
PIA00952
Sol (our sun)
Electronic Still Camera
| Title |
Map of northern Sumatra, Indonesia |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This map corresponds to KidSat image MET 00215424 of the northern regions of Sumatra that was captured on September 27, 1997 during the Shuttle flight STS-86. It is centered at 3.1 degrees S 98.6 degrees E. As the Space Shuttle Atlantis flew over the Indonesian archipelago last Friday, middle school students across the country photographed the fires and smoke that blanket Sumatra. A joint effort between 23 of the 52 schools participating in this mission, the KidSat camera was used to image a 140 km wide, 1950 km long strip that starts in the northwest (5.24 degrees N, 97.11 degrees E), and follows the Pegunungan Barisan range across the equator to the southern tip of Sumatra (7.44S, 106.1E). Smoldering underground fires have raged uncontrolled for the past few weeks in Southeast Asia. Originally set to clear land for agriculture, the fires are usually extinguished by the annual monsoon rains. However, this year, the rains had not come due to El Niño which produces dry conditions in the Indonesia region. The KidSat camera that photographed these fires is mounted in the overhead starboard window of the Shuttle Atlantis and operates before and after docking with Mir when the Shuttle's windows face the Earth. Students on the ground are linked to the camera through the Internet and a series of satellites. Commands are sent from middle schools through a Mission Operations Gateway at the University of California, San Diego, to a Thinkpad on the Shuttle flight deck. Images are transmitted back to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where they are immediately placed on the Internet for the KidSat students and the rest of the world to view and use. High school and undergraduate students work in collaboration with scientists and engineers to develop and operate the KidSat systems. Curriculum developed by The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth is used in the middle school classrooms to encourage scientific inquiry based on the images. The photographs from the three missions of the KidSat pilot program can be accessed at the following URL: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/kidsat The KidSat program was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth, and The University of California, San Diego, with support from NASA's Johnson Space Center. The project is supported by NASA's Office of Human Resources and Education with support from NASA's Offices of Mission to Planet Earth, Space Flight, and Space Science. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). |
|
Odyssey/Marie
PIA03745
Sol (our sun)
Mars Radiation Experiment
| Title |
Odyssey/Marie |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Data from Odyssey's Martian radiation environment experiment show that the radiation dose equivalent at Mars is two to three times greater than that aboard the International Space Station. The differences are primarily due to the magnetic field surrounding the Earth, which provides considerable shielding to astronauts in orbit. Mars lacks a strong magnetic field and is therefore more exposed to the harshest elements of space radiation. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science in Washington, D.C. Investigators at Arizona State University in Tempe, the University of Arizona in Tucson and NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, operate the science instruments. Additional science partners are located at the Russian Aviation and Space Agency and at Los Alamos National Laboratories, New Mexico. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL. |
|
Estimated Radiation on Mars,
…
PIA03479
Sol (our sun)
Mars Radiation Experiment
| Title |
Estimated Radiation on Mars, Hits per Cell Nucleus |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This global map of Mars shows estimates for amounts of high-energy-particle cosmic radiation reaching the surface, a serious health concern for any future human exploration of the planet. The estimates are based on cosmic-radiation measurements made on the way to Mars by the Mars radiation environment experiment, an instrument on NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, plus information about Mars' surface elevations from the laser altimeter instrument on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. The areas of Mars expected to have least radiation are where elevation is lowest, because those areas have more atmosphere above them to block out some of the radiation. Earth's thick atmosphere shields us from most cosmic radiation, but Mars has a much thinner atmosphere than Earth does. Colors in the map refer to the estimated average number of times per year each cell nucleus in a human there would be hit by a high-energy cosmic ray particle. The range is generally from two hits (color-coded green), a moderate risk level, to eight hits (coded red), a high risk level. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor missions for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington D.C. The Mars radiation environment experiment was developed by NASA's Johnson Space Center. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for Odyssey, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. |
|
Estimated Radiation Dosage o
…
PIA03480
Sol (our sun)
Mars Radiation Experiment
| Title |
Estimated Radiation Dosage on Mars |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This global map of Mars shows the estimated radiation dosages from cosmic rays reaching the surface, a serious health concern for any future human exploration of the planet. The estimates are based on cosmic-radiation measurements by the Mars radiation environment experiment, an instrument on NASA's Mars 2000 Odyssey spacecraft, plus information about Mars' surface elevations from the laser altimeter instrument on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. The areas of Mars expected to have the lowest levels of cosmic radiation are where the elevation is lowest, because those areas have more atmosphere above them to block out some of the radiation. Earth's thick atmosphere shields us from most cosmic radiation, but Mars has a much thinner atmosphere than we have on Earth. The colors in the map refer to the estimated annual dose equivalent in rems, a unit of radiation dose. The range is generally from 10 rems(color-coded dark blue) to 20 rems (color coded dark red). Radiation exposure for astronauts on the International Space Station in Earth orbit is typically equivalent to an annualized rate of 20 to 40 rems. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor missions for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington D.C. The Mars radiation environment experiment was developed by NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for Odyssey, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. |
|
| General Description |
STS-116 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
|
| General Description |
STS-116 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
|
| General Description |
International Space Station Imagery |
|
| General Description |
International Space Station Imagery |
|
| General Description |
Exploration Imagery |
|
| General Description |
STS-87 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
|
|
