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Planetary Parade Sonifications

In late February, people in the Northern Hemisphere can look up for a special sight: six planets will all be visible from clear and dark night skies. New sonifications from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory released Feb. 25 will help commemorate this latest “planetary parade.”

Listen about Planetary Parade Sonifications
Three new Chandra sonifications of data of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus have been released. Planets and other Solar System bodies can reflect X-rays given off by the Sun, which Chandra can detect. Sonification is a process that translates data captured by Chandra and other telescopes into sound. In addition to X-rays from Chandra, these new sonifications contain data from Hubble, Cassini, and Keck telescopes. In this image, the amount of diffuse X-rays from a donut-shaped ring of energetic particles around Jupiter, seen on the left and right side of the planet, has been enhanced compared to the amount of X-rays from the planet's auroras, seen at the poles. As the scan moves left to right, it encounters X-rays that bracket the planet on either side, and this plays as woodwind sounds. As we pass over the planet itself, seen in an infrared image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, the sounds become fuller as the infrared data is represented by other instruments. Since Jupiter is tilted slightly, the pitch descends as the scan passes over the bright band near the equator and through the Great Red Spot. On the other side, more X-ray data from Chandra flanks the planet and can be heard as gusty wind sounds at the end.

Harnessing the Sun to Extract Oxygen on the Moon

The Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) project aims to demonstrate the carbothermal reduction of lunar regolith to produce oxygen on the Moon’s South Pole. For this test, the team integrated the solar concentrator, mirrors, and software and confirmed the production of carbon monoxide.

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Freedom 250

NASA Celebrates America’s 250th Birthday

Our spirit of adventure and innovation will raise our nation to new heights.

From the earliest days of exploration, to the first steps on the Moon and the missions shaping our future, NASA represents the spirit of discovery that defines our nation. As the United States approaches its semiquincentennial, Freedom 250 highlights how innovation, courage, and scientific leadership have carried America forward — and how NASA continues to expand the frontier for the next generation.

Learn More about NASA Celebrates America’s 250th Birthday
NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Jonnny Kim poses for a portrait with the American flag on the Fourth of July, or Independence Day, inside the International Space Station's "window to the world," the cupola. The orbital outpost was soaring 268 miles above a cloudy Atlantic Ocean at the time of this photograph.
NASA astronaut Jonnny Kim poses for a portrait with the American flag on the Fourth of July, or Independence Day, inside the International Space Station’s “window to the world,” the cupola.
NASA