Completion of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s optical alignment has moved us into the final phase of commissioning the Science Instruments. During this final phase the Webb team and instrument scientists will test all the modes and operations for the four science instruments to measure their performance, calibration, and overall observatory operations. While the mirrors …
Payloads: AstroPi/Calliope: The crew transferred the AstroPi Infrared (IR) with attached Calliope Mini to the Columbus module, removed the Calliope hardware, and then transferred AstroPi Visible (Vis) to Node 2. The crew then performed a lens adjustment on AstroPi Vis. Two augmented Raspberry Pi computers (called AstroPis) were flown to the ISS and are both …
Two Roscosmos cosmonauts went on a spacewalk to activate the new European robotic arm (ERA) less than a day after the SpaceX Crew-4 mission arrived at the International Space Station. The next mission event taking place will occur next week when four Expedition 67 astronauts complete their stay aboard the orbiting lab. Cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev …
In 2018, NASA launched Parker Solar Probe on an unprecedented mission to study the Sun up close. The mission was defined with three key scientific goals: To trace the flow of energy that heats the Sun’s outer atmosphere. To shed light on the sources of the solar wind, the constant flow of solar material escaping …
Russian cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev of Roscosmos concluded their spacewalk outside of the International Space Station at 6:40 p.m. EDT after 7 hours and 42 minutes. Artemyev and Matveev completed their major objectives during the spacewalk, which included monitoring the first commanded movements of the robotic arm from its grapple fixtures after removing …
Crew-4 Dock: SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom successfully docked to the ISS at 6:37 PM CT on Wednesday, April 27th. The Endurance crew welcomed aboard NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins and ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. After participating in a live welcome ceremony with the ISS crew, the Crew-4 crew successfully completed the …
A fiery meteor streaked across the morning skies in southern Mississippi yesterday on April 27, 2022. More than 30 eyewitnesses in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi reported seeing a bright fireball at 8:03 a.m. CDT. The sighting was soon followed by numerous reports of loud booms heard in Claiborne County, Mississippi, and surrounding …
Alignment of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is now complete. After full review, the observatory has been confirmed to be capable of capturing crisp, well-focused images with each of its four powerful onboard science instruments. Upon completing the seventh and final stage of telescope alignment, the team held a set of key decision meetings and …
I recently had the honor of giving the laureate lecture on behalf of Eugene “Gene” Parker, winner of the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy. It was one of the biggest moments of my career. It was also one of the hardest. Gene received the award in 2020 “for pioneering and fundamental studies of the solar wind …
Expedition 67 Flight Engineers Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev of Roscosmos began Russian spacewalk 53 at 10:58 a.m. EDT to continue to activating the new European robotic arm – a 37-foot-long manipulator system mounted to the recently arrived Nauka module. Coverage of the spacewalk continues on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. During the spacewalk, the …
