|
|
IBEX Heliosphere Map - 2.8 t
…
The Interstellar Boundary Ex
…
10/15/09
| Description |
The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission is a NASA-funded satellite that orbits Earth and maps the boundary of our Solar System from Earth's point of view looking outward. IBEX has completed the first all-sky maps of this boundary by detecting particles traveling inward from the boundary toward our region of the Solar System. The map appears to be oval in shape for the same reason that two-dimensional maps of spherical Earth look oval. The boundary of our Solar System is created by the interaction between charged particles from the Sun that are streaming outward, called the solar wind, and material between the stars, called the interstellar medium (ISM). The solar wind flows outward into space and carves out a protective bubble, called the heliosphere, in the ISM around our Solar System. At the boundary, the interactions between the solar wind particles and the ISM particles create energetic neutral atoms (ENAs). ENAs are particles with no charge that move very fast. Some of the ENAs happen to be traveling in just the right way so that they move inward through the Solar System toward Earth where IBEX can collect them. Using two sensors, called IBEX-Hi and IBEX-Lo, the spacecraft measures and counts these ENAs. The scientists can create maps of the boundary using this information. For each small area of the sky, IBEX has measured the number of ENAs coming from that direction. This map shows the distribution of ENAs ranging in energy from 2.8 to 5.6 keV. Red indicates the highest number of ENAs measured by the spacecraft. Yellow and green indicate lower numbers of ENAs, and blue and purple show the lowest number of ENAs. |
| Date |
10/15/09 |
|
IBEX Heliosphere Map - 0.6 t
…
The Interstellar Boundary Ex
…
10/15/09
| Description |
The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission is a NASA-funded satellite that orbits Earth and maps the boundary of our Solar System from Earth's point of view looking outward. IBEX has completed the first all-sky maps of this boundary by detecting particles traveling inward from the boundary toward our region of the Solar System. The map appears to be oval in shape for the same reason that two-dimensional maps of spherical Earth look oval. The boundary of our Solar System is created by the interaction between charged particles from the Sun that are streaming outward, called the solar wind, and material between the stars, called the interstellar medium (ISM). The solar wind flows outward into space and carves out a protective bubble, called the heliosphere, in the ISM around our Solar System. At the boundary, the interactions between the solar wind particles and the ISM particles create energetic neutral atoms (ENAs). ENAs are particles with no charge that move very fast. Some of the ENAs happen to be traveling in just the right way so that they move inward through the Solar System toward Earth where IBEX can collect them. Using two sensors, called IBEX-Hi and IBEX-Lo, the spacecraft measures and counts these ENAs. The scientists can create maps of the boundary using this information. For each small area of the sky, IBEX has measured the number of ENAs coming from that direction. This map shows the distribution of ENAs ranging in energy from 0.6 to 1.0 keV. Red indicates the highest number of ENAs measured by the spacecraft. Yellow and green indicate lower numbers of ENAs, and blue and purple show the lowest number of ENAs. |
| Date |
10/15/09 |
|
IBEX Heliosphere Map - 1.3 t
…
The Interstellar Boundary Ex
…
10/15/09
| Description |
The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission is a NASA-funded satellite that orbits Earth and maps the boundary of our Solar System from Earth's point of view looking outward. IBEX has completed the first all-sky maps of this boundary by detecting particles traveling inward from the boundary toward our region of the Solar System. The map appears to be oval in shape for the same reason that two-dimensional maps of spherical Earth look oval. The boundary of our Solar System is created by the interaction between charged particles from the Sun that are streaming outward, called the solar wind, and material between the stars, called the interstellar medium (ISM). The solar wind flows outward into space and carves out a protective bubble, called the heliosphere, in the ISM around our Solar System. At the boundary, the interactions between the solar wind particles and the ISM particles create energetic neutral atoms (ENAs). ENAs are particles with no charge that move very fast. Some of the ENAs happen to be traveling in just the right way so that they move inward through the Solar System toward Earth where IBEX can collect them. Using two sensors, called IBEX-Hi and IBEX-Lo, the spacecraft measures and counts these ENAs. The scientists can create maps of the boundary using this information. For each small area of the sky, IBEX has measured the number of ENAs coming from that direction. This map shows the distribution of ENAs ranging in energy from 1.3 to 2.4 keV. Red indicates the highest number of ENAs measured by the spacecraft. Yellow and green indicate lower numbers of ENAs, and blue and purple show the lowest number of ENAs. |
| Date |
10/15/09 |
|
IBEX Heliosphere Map - 1.9 t
…
The Interstellar Boundary Ex
…
10/15/09
| Description |
The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission is a NASA-funded satellite that orbits Earth and maps the boundary of our Solar System from Earth's point of view looking outward. IBEX has completed the first all-sky maps of this boundary by detecting particles traveling inward from the boundary toward our region of the Solar System. The map appears to be oval in shape for the same reason that two-dimensional maps of spherical Earth look oval. The boundary of our Solar System is created by the interaction between charged particles from the Sun that are streaming outward, called the solar wind, and material between the stars, called the interstellar medium (ISM). The solar wind flows outward into space and carves out a protective bubble, called the heliosphere, in the ISM around our Solar System. At the boundary, the interactions between the solar wind particles and the ISM particles create energetic neutral atoms (ENAs). ENAs are particles with no charge that move very fast. Some of the ENAs happen to be traveling in just the right way so that they move inward through the Solar System toward Earth where IBEX can collect them. Using two sensors, called IBEX-Hi and IBEX-Lo, the spacecraft measures and counts these ENAs. The scientists can create maps of the boundary using this information. For each small area of the sky, IBEX has measured the number of ENAs coming from that direction. This map shows the distribution of ENAs ranging in energy from 1.9 to 3.6 keV. Red indicates the highest number of ENAs measured by the spacecraft. Yellow and green indicate lower numbers of ENAs, and blue and purple show the lowest number of ENAs. |
| Date |
10/15/09 |
|
IBEX Heliosphere Map - 0.9 t
…
The Interstellar Boundary Ex
…
10/15/09
| Description |
The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission is a NASA-funded satellite that orbits Earth and maps the boundary of our Solar System from Earth's point of view looking outward. IBEX has completed the first all-sky maps of this boundary by detecting particles traveling inward from the boundary toward our region of the Solar System. The map appears to be oval in shape for the same reason that two-dimensional maps of spherical Earth look oval. The boundary of our Solar System is created by the interaction between charged particles from the Sun that are streaming outward, called the solar wind, and material between the stars, called the interstellar medium (ISM). The solar wind flows outward into space and carves out a protective bubble, called the heliosphere, in the ISM around our Solar System. At the boundary, the interactions between the solar wind particles and the ISM particles create energetic neutral atoms (ENAs). ENAs are particles with no charge that move very fast. Some of the ENAs happen to be traveling in just the right way so that they move inward through the Solar System toward Earth where IBEX can collect them. Using two sensors, called IBEX-Hi and IBEX-Lo, the spacecraft measures and counts these ENAs. The scientists can create maps of the boundary using this information. For each small area of the sky, IBEX has measured the number of ENAs coming from that direction. This map shows the distribution of ENAs ranging in energy from 0.9 to 1.5 keV. Red indicates the highest number of ENAs measured by the spacecraft. Yellow and green indicate lower numbers of ENAs, and blue and purple show the lowest number of ENAs. |
| Date |
10/15/09 |
|
Neither Perpendicular nor Pa
…
Most ISS images are nadir, i
…
11/3/08
| Description |
Most ISS images are nadir, in which the center point of the image is directly beneath the lens of the camera, but this one is not. This highly oblique image of northwestern African captures the curvature of the Earth and shows its atmosphere. The Earth's atmosphere is composed of 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen and 1 percent other constituents, and it shields us from nearly all harmful radiation coming from the sun and other stars. It also protects us from meteors, most of which burn up before they can strike the planet. Affected by changes in solar activity, the upper atmosphere contributes to weather and climate on Earth. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/UCSD/JSC |
| Date |
11/3/08 |
|
Robot Over the Horizon
The Space Shuttle Endeavour'
…
4/2/09
| Description |
The Space Shuttle Endeavour's robotic arm hovers over Earth's horizon, backdropped by a starburst from the Sun. This photo was taken during the STS-77 shuttle mission in 1996. |
| Date |
4/2/09 |
|
Kepler Leaves Astrotech
NASA's Kepler spacecraft, en
…
2/20/09
| Description |
NASA's Kepler spacecraft, enclosed in a canister and protective cover, leaves the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. Kepler is being moved to Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.The liftoff of Kepler aboard a Delta II rocket is currently targeted for 10:48 p.m. EST March 5 from Pad 17-B. Kepler is designed to survey more than 100,000 stars in our galaxy to determine the number of sun-like stars that have Earth-size and larger planets, including those that lie in a star's "habitable zone," a region where liquid water, and perhaps life, could exist. If these Earth-size worlds do exist around stars like our sun, Kepler is expected to be the first to find them and the first to measure how common they are. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller. Feb. 19, 2009 |
| Date |
2/20/09 |
|
Morning Sun
The morning sun reflects on
…
5/6/09
| Description |
The morning sun reflects on the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean as seen from the Apollo 7 spacecraft during its 134th revolution of the Earth on Oct. 20, 1968. Image Credit: NASA |
| Date |
5/6/09 |
|
Eclipse View from the ISS
The International Space Stat
…
6/9/08
| Description |
The International Space Station (ISS) was in position to view the umbral (ground) shadow cast by the moon as it moved between Earth and the sun during a solar eclipse on March 29, 2006. This astronaut image captures the umbral shadow across southern Turkey, northern Cyprus and the Mediterranean Sea. Credit: NASA |
| Date |
6/9/08 |
|
Total Eclipse of the Sun
On December 3, 2002, people
…
6/9/08
| Description |
On December 3, 2002, people in Australia received a rare 32-second celestial show as the moon completely obscured the sun, creating a ring of light. Solar eclipses provide experts an opportunity to study the sun's outer atmosphere, called the corona. This total eclipse was the first to cover Australian shores since 1976. The next is not predicted to occur for several more decades. While people in Australia were observing the solar eclipse, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft also had its eye on the sun. From its unique vantage point in space, scientists have been able to monitor the explosions on the sun that can impact us here on Earth. This image combines a photograph of the solar eclipse (showing the halo-like corona) with data taken by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope instrument aboard SOHO (showing the green inner regions). Image credit: NASA/ESA Text credit: NASA's Earth Observatory |
| Date |
6/9/08 |
|
Martian Moons Transit the Su
…
The upper-left of these imag
…
6/9/08
| Description |
The upper-left of these images shows the passing, or transit, of the Martian moon Deimos across the sun. This event is similar to solar eclipses seen from Earth in which our moon crosses in front of the sun. The bottom three images show Phobos, Mars's other moon, transiting the sun. The potato-shaped Phobos is roughly 15 miles across, about twice the size of Deimos. Deimos appears so much smaller because it is also a bit more than twice as far away from Mars as Phobos is. The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took images of both moons on different days in March 2004. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell |
| Date |
6/9/08 |
|
STEREO Sees Lunar Transit
This transit of the moon acr
…
6/9/08
| Description |
This transit of the moon across the sun on Feb. 25, 2007, could not be seen from Earth. This sight was visible only from the STEREO-B spacecraft in its orbit about the sun, trailing behind the Earth. NASA's STEREO mission consists of two spacecraft launched in October 2006 to study solar storms. When STEREO-B captured this image, it was about one million miles from the Earth. That's about 4.4 times farther away from the moon than we are on Earth. As a result, the moon appeared about 4.4 times smaller than what we are used to. This alignment of STEREO-B and the moon was not just due to luck. It was arranged with a small tweak to STEREO-B's orbit in December 2006. The sun as it appears here is a composite of images in four different wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light that were separated into color channels and then recombined. Image credit: NASA |
| Date |
6/9/08 |
|
The Rare Venus Transit
NASA joined the world June 8
…
6/9/08
| Description |
NASA joined the world June 8, 2004, in viewing a rare celestial event, one not seen by any person now alive. The "Venus transit" -- the apparent crossing of our planetary neighbor in front of the sun -- was captured from the unique perspective of NASA's sun-observing TRACE spacecraft. The top image shows Venus on the eastern limb of the sun. The faint ring around the planet comes from the scattering of its atmosphere, which allows some sunlight to show around the edge of the otherwise dark planetary disk. The faint glow on the disk is an effect of the TRACE telescope. The bottom left image is in the ultraviolet, and the bottom right image is in the extreme ultraviolet. The last "Venus transit" occurred more than a century ago, in 1882, and was used to compute the distance between Earth and the sun. Scientists with NASA's Kepler mission hope to discover Earth-like planets orbiting other stars by searching for transits similar to this one. If people missed the June 8, 2004, Venus transit, they will have another chance in 2012 on June 6. After that, there will not be another Venus transit until Dec. 11, 2117. Image credit: NASA/LMSAL > View QuickTime movies in ultraviolet: 4.2 Mb | 1.4 Mb |
| Date |
6/9/08 |
|
Aug. 1 Solar Eclipse Image S
…
On August 1, a total solar e
…
8/4/08
| Description |
On August 1, a total solar eclipse was visible in parts of Canada, northern Greenland, the Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia and China. The eclipse swept across Earth in a narrow path that began in Canada's northern province of Nunavut and ended in northern China's Silk Road region. Though the eclipse was not visible in most of North America, NASA TV and the Exploratorium made streaming video of the event available online. These images are taken from that video. The sun appears differently in some of the images because of the different filters used to capture the event. Times listed are approximate. At 6:54 a.m. ET, clouds began to roll in, threatening to block out the total eclipse. The clouds began to break at 7:06 a.m., and the sky cleared long enough for views of totality at 7:10 a.m. > Larger, unlabeled image Credit: NASA TV/The Exploratorium |
| Date |
8/4/08 |
|
Arctic Eclipse
NASA's Terra satellite was r
…
8/4/08
| Description |
NASA's Terra satellite was rounding the top of the globe, making its way from the eastern tip of Siberia and across the Arctic Ocean towards northern Norway and northwest Russia, when it captured this unique view of a total solar eclipse on Aug. 1, 2008. The circular disk of the Moon casts an oval-shaped shadow across the left edge of this image. In the region of totality, where the Moon entirely obscures the Sun, the shadow is complete. The edges of the shadow are fuzzy, gradually lightening from black to red, brown, and yellow until the shadow is no longer discernable. In these areas of semi-shadow, the Sun is only partially blocked. On any other day, the photo-like view captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite would be brilliant white since both the ever-present Arctic clouds and the ice that caps the northern sea reflect light. In this image, however, it is as if the world is painted in sepia: the low light casts a yellow-brown glow on much of the scene. The image was captured between 9:35 and 9:45 UTC. In the area shown in the image, the Sun was completely obscured for about two minutes. As Earth rotated, the shadow moved southeast across the surface. At the same time, the satellite crossed the Arctic, its path nearly perpendicular to the eclipse. Because the shadow was moving across Earth's surface as the satellite approached, it has a long oblong shape in this image. In an instantaneous snapshot from a platform that was not moving relative to Earth, the shadow would be more circular. Image credit: Jeff Schmaltz, NASA's MODIS Rapid Response Team Text credit: Holli Riebeek, NASA's Earth Observatory |
| Date |
8/4/08 |
|
2008 Solar Eclipse Diamond R
…
This "diamond ring" image sh
…
8/6/08
| Description |
This "diamond ring" image shows the Aug. 1, 2008, solar eclipse at a point when the moon almost completely covered up the body of the sun. Credit: The Exploratorium |
| Date |
8/6/08 |
|
JSC627_Skylab_The_2nd_Manned
…
SKYLAB: THE SECOND MANNED MI
…
1974
| Description |
SKYLAB: THE SECOND MANNED MISSION, A SCIENTIFIC HARVEST JSC 627 - (1974) - 36 1/2 Minutes Astronauts: Alan L. Bean, Owen K. Garriott, and Jack R. Lousma Launch date: July 28, 1973 Covers the Skylab launch activities and docking with unmanned SL-1 workshop. Includes observations of student experiments (the Minchmog minnows and Arabella, the spider), crew medical experiments, exercise routines, and the enabling of the Earth Resources Experiments Package. Shows planet Earth documentation, manned operation of the Apollo Telescope Mount for observations of the Sun and beyond, outside EVA activity, testing of the Astronaut Maneuvering Unit, experiments to explore industrial uses of space, and the Skylab living routine. |
| Date |
1974 |
|
JSC1834_ISS_Animation_Resour
…
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
…
2000
| Description |
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS) ANIMATION RESOURCE REEL - JUNE 2000 JSC1834 (2000) 22 3/4 Minutes This video resource reel contains the latest animation of the International Space Station. The tape begins with a sequence illustrating a space shuttle docking with the complete station, and then continues with station fly-around views and scenes showing key elements of construction of the station. Also contains detailed animation of the Zvezda Service Module, shown first launching into space on a Proton rocket, activating solar arrays and then being docked to by the space station. Also included: animation of the first station crew arriving, the space station robot arm, solar arrays tracking the sun, and close-up views of modules representing the different participating countries. The video concludes with a step-by-step animation depicting the assembly of the station (Rev E assembly sequence). |
| Date |
2000 |
|
Our Star The Sun Episode 1
OUR STAR THE SUN (EPISODE 1)
…
1988
| Description |
OUR STAR THE SUN (EPISODE 1) CMP 235 - (1988) - 28 1/2 Minutes The Sun as revealed by thousands of pictures taken by Skylab astronauts. Much new information and understanding about the Sun was gained from the three Skylab flights. |
| Date |
1988 |
|
Discovery Lights the Sky
Looking like a sun riding a
…
3/15/09
| Description |
Looking like a sun riding a column of smoke, space shuttle Discovery hurtles into the evening sky on the STS-119 mission. Liftoff was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Fletch Hildreth March 15, 2009 |
| Date |
3/15/09 |
|
Kepler Prepared for Launch
On Launch pad 17-B at Cape C
…
3/4/09
| Description |
On Launch pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers moved NASA's Kepler spacecraft toward the opening above the Delta II rocket. The spacecraft was lowered into the opening and mated with the Delta II for launch. Liftoff is currently set for 10:49 p.m. EST March 6. </br></br> Kepler is designed to survey more than 100,000 stars in our galaxy to determine the number of sun-like stars that have Earth-size and larger planets, including those that lie in a star's "habitable zone," a region where liquid water, and perhaps life, could exist. If these Earth-size worlds do exist around stars like our sun, Kepler is expected to be the first to find them and the first to measure how common they are. </br></br> Image credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller</br> Feb. 21, 2009 |
| Date |
3/4/09 |
|
Afternoon Shadows
The afternoon sun casts shad
…
6/25/09
| Description |
The afternoon sun casts shadows on space shuttle Endeavour's external fuel tank as workers remove the seal from the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP, on the tank. A hydrogen leak at the location during tanking for the STS-127 mission caused the launch attempts to be scrubbed on June 13 and June 17. The plate will be examined to determine the cause of the hydrogen leak. Then it will be repaired. June 24, 2009 Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller |
| Date |
6/25/09 |
|
Kepler
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Inside
…
2/9/09
| Description |
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Inside the Hazardous Processing Facility at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., NASA's Kepler spacecraft is placed on a stand for fueling. Kepler is designed to survey more than 100,000 stars in our galaxy to determine the number of sun-like stars that have Earth-size and larger planets, including those that lie in a star's "habitable zone," a region where liquid water, and perhaps life, could exist. If these Earth-size worlds do exist around stars like our sun, Kepler is expected to be the first to find them and the first to measure how common they are. |
| Date |
2/9/09 |
|
Kepler on Launch Pad 17-B
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. On Laun
…
3/5/09
| Description |
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the first half of the fairing is moved into place around NASA's Kepler spacecraft, atop the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the rocket and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. The liftoff of Kepler aboard the Delta II rocket is currently targeted for launch in a window extending 10:49 to 10:52 p.m. EST March 6 from Pad 17-B. Kepler is designed to survey more than 100,000 stars in our galaxy to determine the number of sun-like stars that have Earth-size and larger planets, including those that lie in a star's "habitable zone," a region where liquid water, and perhaps life, could exist. If these Earth-size worlds do exist around stars like our sun, Kepler is expected to be the first to find them and the first to measure how common they are. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller |
| Date |
3/5/09 |
|
Dave Kratz
Dave Kratz with the Climate
…
5/13/08
| Description |
Dave Kratz with the Climate Science Branch sets up the solar telescope on the great lawn in front of the Ferguson Center for the Arts for participants attending EarthFest. The connection between the sun and the Earth is important for researchers at NASA Langley as they study climate change and the balance of energy and heat in our atmosphere. Credit: NASA/Sean Smith |
| Date |
5/13/08 |
|
CERES Ocean Validation Exper
…
At the mouth of the Chesapea
…
8/13/09
| Description |
At the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay is a unique instrument platform: the Coast Guard's Chesapeake Lighthouse. Taking advantage of it's open ocean location far from typical land-based factors, Science Directorate researchers use the lighthouse to maintain a suite of instruments that provide continuous radiation measurements and validate or provide ground truth for the satellite-based CERES instruments. Collectively, the suite of instruments is called the CERES Ocean Validation Experiment (COVE). Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System -- or CERES -- data provide key knowledge about Earth's changing climate and are used to study the energy exchanged between the Sun, the Earth's atmosphere, surface and clouds, and space. COVE instruments and measurements include the Baseline Surface Radiation Network instrument suite -- uplooking shaded and unshaded broadband pyranometers, shaded pyrgeometers, downlooking pyranometers and pyrgeometers, normal incidence pyrheliometers, an AERONET sunphotometer, uplooking and downlooking multifilter rotating shadowband radiometers (MFRSRs), a micropulse lidar, pressure, temperature, relative humidity, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) global positioning system integrated precipitable water vapor (GPS-IPW), and National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) wave height and period. Fred Denn, a COVE scientist with SSAI at NASA Langley, adjusts an instrument on the lookout tower of the lighthouse, about 120 feet (36.5 m) above the ocean surface. Langley researchers travel to the lighthouse every few weeks to adjust and maintain the instruments and conduct research. Credit: NASA/Sean Smith |
| Date |
8/13/09 |
|
Gemini -- June 1965
Astronaut Edward H. White, p
…
7/16/08
| Description |
Astronaut Edward H. White, pilot for the Gemini IV spaceflight, floats in space during the first spacewalk by an American. The extravehicular activity, or spacewalk, was performed during the third Earth orbit of the Gemini IV mission. White is attached to the spacecraft by a 25-foot umbilical line and a 23-foot tether line, both wrapped in gold tape to form one cord. In his right hand White carries a Hand-Held Self-Maneuvering Unit. The visor of his helmet is gold-plated to protect him from the unfiltered rays of the sun. |
| Date |
7/16/08 |
|
Gemini -- January 1966
Test subject Fred Spross, Cr
…
7/16/08
| Description |
Test subject Fred Spross, Crew Systems Division, wears the spacesuit and extravehicular equipment planned for use by Gemini VIII astronaut David R. Scott. The helmet is equipped with a gold-plated visor to shield the astronaut's face from unfiltered sun rays. The system is composed of a life-support pack worn on the chest and a support pack worn on the back. |
| Date |
7/16/08 |
|
Solar Power for Lunar Living
This artist's concept shows
…
3/4/08
| Description |
This artist's concept shows the deployment of solar arrays, which convert sunlight into electricity, on an initial lunar camp of the future. Immediately after landing, two large flexible solar arrays are rolled out "window-shade" fashion from the lander. One panel is tilted toward the eastern horizon, while the other faces west. This allows the array to produce power during the entire two-week stay without tracking the Sun. These arrays provide power while the astronauts scout the area and prepare the base. Later, the astronauts will set up a larger, Sun-tracking array to provide higher power levels. For exploration, surveying, and lunar prospecting, the astronauts can drive around in a battery-powered moon buggy. The buggy will have its own small solar array, which tops off the battery charge whenever the rover is parked. acrylic painting by Les Bossinas (Cortez III Service Corp.), 1990 |
| Date |
3/4/08 |
|
Glenn 2008 Open House Image
…
James Cofer from the Cuyahog
…
6/13/08
| Description |
James Cofer from the Cuyahoga Astronomical Association, right, assists visitors in safely viewing the sun through a solar telescope outside of the Visitor Center (VC). Nearly 13,000 visitors enjoyed exhibits, speakers and programs at the VC over the weekend. Image Credit: NASA/Doreen B. Zudell (SGTI) &rsaquo, Return to Image Feature |
| Date |
6/13/08 |
|
What is a Tide?
In this NASA video segment l
…
2008
| Description |
In this NASA video segment learn how the Sun, moon, and gravity all play a role in the creation of tides and waves. Color animation demonstrates how the moon, Sun, and Earth interact to create tides. A quick overview of waves is demonstrated in this video segment. This video is a NASA eClips (TM) program. |
| Date |
2008 |
|
How the Electric Car Gets it
…
This NASA video segment expl
…
2008
| Description |
This NASA video segment explains the how engineers and scientists are working to develop more efficient batteries. Batteries are used in space to store energy received from the sun. These batteries must be durable and long-lasting. This video segment introduces the design of the electric car, which operates on lithium ion batteries. The segment compares the efficienciy of the electric car to traditional fuel-based cars. This video is a NASA eClips (TM) program. |
| Date |
2008 |
|
On the Goddard Mall
The Goddard Astronomy Club r
…
9/13/08
| Description |
The Goddard Astronomy Club readies telescopes for viewing the Sun Image credit: NASA GSFC |
| Date |
9/13/08 |
|
NE@SDO
It isn't safe to stare at th
…
8/17/09
| Title |
NE@SDO |
| Date |
8/17/09 |
| Description |
It isn't safe to stare at the Sun for you or the NASA EDGE Team, but SDO will be able to do just that with ease 24/7. |
|
Expedition 23 Soyuz Rollout
The sun rises behind the Soy
…
03/31/2010
| Description |
The sun rises behind the Soyuz launch pad shortly before the Soyuz TMA-18 spacecraft is rolled out by train to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March, 31, 2010. The launch of the Soyuz spacecraft with Expedition 23 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of Russia, Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko of Russia, and NASA Flight Engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson is scheduled for Friday, April 2, 2010 at 10:04 a.m. Kazakhstan time. Photo Credit NASA/Bill Ingalls |
| Date |
03/31/2010 |
|
Sun-Earth Day
Michael Sandras, a member of
…
4/11/07
| Description |
Michael Sandras, a member of the Pontchartrain Astronomical Society, explains his solar telescope to students of Second Street in Bay St. Louis, Hancock County and Nicholson elementary schools in StenniSphere's Millennium Hall on April 10. The students participated in several hands-on activities at Stennis Space Center's Sun-Earth Day celebration. |
| Date |
4/11/07 |
|
Stennis hosts Gulf Pine Coun
…
Tori Williams, of Brownie Gi
…
10/13/07
| Description |
Tori Williams, of Brownie Girl Scout Troop 313, builds her own `stomp rocket' with the help of adult chaperone Pamela Cottrell. The two, of Gulfport, participated in NASA Brownie Day on Oct. 13 at Stennis Space Center. They were among nearly 200 members of Brownie Girl Scout Troops within the Gulf Pines Council who took part in the day of educational activities at SSC. Brownie Day used NASA curriculum support materials to teach about the sun and its significance in our solar system. In addition to building and launching their own model rockets, the girls toured the center's portable Starlab planetarium, viewed demonstrations about living and working in space, played games of `Moon Phasers' that teach about the rotation of the moon around the earth, made bracelets with ultraviolet-sensitive beads, and other activities that celebrated Earth's very own star. They also toured StenniSphere and were able to earn their Earth and Sky and Space Explorer `Try-Its.' |
| Date |
10/13/07 |
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Confessions of a Dying Star
Probing a glowing bubble of
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4/3/08
| Description |
Probing a glowing bubble of gas and dust encircling a dying star, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope reveals a wealth of previously unseen structures. The object, called NGC 2371, is a planetary nebula, the glowing remains of a sun-like star. The remnant star visible at the center of NGC 2371 is the super-hot core of the former red giant, now stripped of its outer layers. Its surface temperature is a scorching 240,000 degrees Fahrenheit. NGC 2371 lies in the constellation Gemini. The Hubble image reveals several remarkable features, most notably the prominent pink clouds lying on opposite sides of the central star. This color indicates that they are relatively cool and dense, compared to the rest of the gas in the nebula. Also striking are the numerous, very small pink dots, marking relatively dense and small knots of gas, which also lie on diametrically opposite sides of the star. These features appear to represent the ejection of gas from the star along a specific direction. The jet's direction has changed over the past few thousand years. The reason for this behavior is not well understood, but might be related to the possible presence of a second star orbiting the visible central star. A planetary nebula is an expanding cloud of gas ejected from a star that is nearing the end of its life. The nebula glows because of ultraviolet radiation from the hot remnant star at its center. In a few thousand years, the nebula will dissipate into space. The central star will then gradually cool down, eventually becoming a white dwarf, the final stage of evolution for nearly all stars. Image Credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) |
| Date |
4/3/08 |
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To Measure the Sun
Marshall Space Flight Center
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5/6/08
| Description |
Marshall Space Flight Center scientist Ed West assembles the optical system of the Solar Ultraviolet Magnetograph Investigation (SUMI) telescope. SUMI was built by a team of Marshall solar physicists and engineers to measure magnetic fields in the transition region which lies between the sun's surface, or photosphere, and the corona. Generally, the sun's magnetic field is measured only in the photosphere. Observations are far more difficult at higher levels in the sun's atmosphere where solar flares are believed to be triggered. SUMI's specialized optical components were developed to make exploratory measurements in this region. The SUMI launch is scheduled for August 2008. Image Credit: NASA |
| Date |
5/6/08 |
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As Big As the Sun
This artist's concept shows
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6/1/09
| Description |
This artist's concept shows the smallest star known to host a planet. The planet, called VB 10b, was discovered using astrometry, a method in which the... |
| Date |
6/1/09 |
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As Big As the Sun
This artist's concept shows
…
6/1/09
| Description |
This artist's concept shows the smallest star known to host a planet. The planet, called VB 10b, was discovered using astrometry, a method in which the... |
| Date |
6/1/09 |
|
Hubble Finds Hidden Exoplane
…
In 19 years of observations,
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4/2/09
| Description |
In 19 years of observations, the Hubble Space Telescope has amassed a huge archive of data--an archive that may contain the telltale glow of undiscovered extrasolar planets. Such is the case with HR 8799b, shown in this artist's concept. The planet is one of three extrasolar planets orbiting the young star HR 8799, which lies 130 light-years away. The planetary trio was originally discovered in images taken with the Keck and Gemini North telescopes in 2007 and 2008. But using a new image processing technique that suppresses the glare of the parent star, scientists found the telltale glow of the outermost planet in the system while studying Hubble archival data taken in 1998. The giant planet is young and hot, but still only 1/100,000th the brightness of its parent star. By comparison, Jupiter is one-billionth the brightness of our sun. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI) |
| Date |
4/2/09 |
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Water Detected at High Latit
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NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mappe
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9/25/09
| Description |
NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper, an instrument on the Indian Space Research Organization's Chandrayaan-1 mission, took this image of Earth's moon. It is a three-color composite of reflected near-infrared radiation from the sun, and illustrates the extent to which different materials are mapped across the side of the moon that faces Earth. Small amounts of water were detected on the surface of the moon at various locations. This image illustrates their distribution at high latitudes toward the poles. Blue shows the signature of water, green shows the brightness of the surface as measured by reflected infrared radiation from the sun and red shows an iron-bearing mineral called pyroxene. Image Credit: ISRO/NASA/JPL-Caltech/Brown Univ./USGS |
| Date |
9/25/09 |
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The Rite of Spring
Of the countless equinoxes S
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10/15/09
| Description |
Of the countless equinoxes Saturn has seen since the birth of the solar system, this one, captured in a mosaic of light and dark, is the first witnessed up close by an emissary from Earth Îÿ_Îÿ_Îÿ__€∆_ none other than our faithful robotic explorer, Cassini. Seen from our planet, the view of Saturn's rings during equinox is extremely foreshortened and limited. But in orbit around Saturn, Cassini had no such problems. From 20 degrees above the ring plane, Cassini's wide angle camera shot 75 exposures in succession for this mosaic showing Saturn, its rings and a few of its moons a day and a half after exact Saturn equinox, when the sun/s disk was exactly overhead at the planet's equator. The novel illumination geometry that accompanies equinox lowers the sun's angle to the ring plane, significantly darkens the rings, and causes out-of-plane structures to look anomalously bright and to cast shadows across the rings. These scenes are possible only during the few months before and after SaturnÎÿ_Îÿ_Îÿ__Îÿ__Îÿ_s equinox which occurs only once in about 15 Earth years. Also at equinox, the shadows of the planet's expansive rings are compressed into a single, narrow band cast onto the planet as seen in this mosaic. The images comprising the mosaic, taken over about eight hours, were extensively processed before being joined together. With no enhancement, the rings would be essentially invisible in this mosaic. To improve their visibility, the dark right half of the rings has been brightened relative to the brighter left half by a factor of three, and then the whole ring system has been brightened by a factor of 20 relative to the planet. So the dark half of the rings is 60 times brighter, and the bright half 20 times brighter, than they would have appeared if the entire system, planet included, could have been captured in a single image. The images were taken on Aug. 12, 2009, beginning about 1.25 days after exact equinox, using the red, green and blue spectral filters of the wide angle camera and were combined to create this natural color view. The images were obtained at a distance of approximately 526,000 miles from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 74 degrees. Image scale is 31 miles per pixel. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
10/15/09 |
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Shadow of Demarcation
Saturn's rings cast a dramat
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5/4/09
| Description |
Saturn's rings cast a dramatic shadow separating the blues and greens of the planet's northern hemisphere from the creamy pastels coloring the southern hemisphere. This mosaic combines 6 images--2 each of red, green and blue spectral filters--to create this natural color view. The images were obtained with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Dec. 30, 2008 at a distance of approximately 750,000 miles from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 30 degrees. Image scale is 42 miles per pixel. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
5/4/09 |
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New World
This artist's conception sho
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5/8/09
| Description |
This artist's conception shows a hypothetical young planet around a cool star. A soupy mix of potentially life-forming chemicals can be seen pooling around the base of the jagged rocks. Observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope hint that planets around cool stars -- the so-called M-dwarfs and brown dwarfs that are widespread throughout our galaxy -- might possess a different mix of life-forming, or prebiotic, chemicals than our young Earth. Life on our planet is thought to have arisen out of a pond-scum-like mix of chemicals. Some of these chemicals are thought to have come from a planet-forming disk of gas and dust that swirled around our young sun. Meteorites carrying the chemicals might have crash-landed on Earth. Astronomers don't know if these same life-generating processes are taking place around stars that are cooler than our sun, but the Spitzer observations show their disk chemistry is different. Spitzer detected a prebiotic molecule, called hydrogen cyanide, in the disks around yellow stars like our sun, but found none around cooler, less massive, reddish stars. Hydrogen cyanide is a carbon-containing, or organic compound. Five hydrogen cyanide molecules can join up to make adenine -- a chemical element of the DNA molecule found in all living organisms on Earth. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech |
| Date |
5/8/09 |
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The Brightness of the Sun
The bright sun greets the In
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11/24/09
| Description |
The bright sun greets the International Space Station in this Nov. 22 image, taken from the Russian section of the orbital outpost and photographed by the STS-129 crew. The 11-day STS-129 mission installed a number of station upgrades and prepared the station for the installation of Node 3, which is slated for another mission. Image Credit: NASA |
| Date |
11/24/09 |
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Thin Blue Line
The thin line of Earth's atm
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11/25/09
| Description |
The thin line of Earth's atmosphere and the setting sun are featured in this image photographed by the crew of the International Space Station while space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-129 mission was docked with the station. Image Credit: NASA |
| Date |
11/25/09 |
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Stellar Destruction
Evidence from NASA's Chandra
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01/05/10
| Description |
Evidence from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Magellan telescopes suggest a star was torn apart by an intermediate-mass black hole in a globular cluster. In this image, X-rays from Chandra are shown in blue and are overlaid on an optical image from the Hubble Space Telescope. The Chandra observations show that this object is a so-called ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX). An unusual class of objects, ULXs emit more X-rays than stars, but less than quasars. Their exact nature has remained a mystery, but one suggestion is that some ULXs are black holes with masses between about a hundred and a thousands times that of the Sun. Data optical light obtained with the Magellan I and II telescopes in Las Campanas, Chile, also provides intriguing information about this object, which is found in the elliptical galaxy NGC 1399 in the Fornax cluster. The spectrum reveals emission from oxygen and nitrogen but no hydrogen, a rare set of signals from within globular clusters. The combination of this unusual X-ray and optical emission makes this a remarkable object. This leads the researchers to suspect that a white dwarf star strayed too close to the intermediate-mass black hole and was ripped apart by tidal forces. Another interesting aspect to this object is that it is found within a globular cluster, a very old, very tight grouping of stars. Astronomers have long suspected globular clusters contained intermediate-mass black holes, but there has been no conclusive evidence of their existence there to date. If confirmed, this finding would represent the first such substantiation. Image Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/UA/J. Irwin et al. Optical: NASA/STScI |
| Date |
01/05/10 |
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