UPDATE AS OF DEC. 13, 2024 Shortly after 11:30 p.m. EST, Thursday Dec. 12, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft resumed communications with Earth following the short, planned communication blackout that occurred in the hours around closest approach during its second Earth gravity assist. NASA’s CARA (Conjunction Assessment Risk Analysis) operators determined that no spacecraft maneuvers were necessary …
NASA and SpaceX are targeting late February 2025 for the launch of NASA’s PUNCH mission (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
NASA and SpaceX are targeting late February 2025 for the launch of the agency’s next astrophysics observatory, SPHEREx. Short for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer, SPHEREx will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. About the size of a subcompact …
Spacesuits topped the schedule for the Expedition 72 crew on Monday as a pair of cosmonauts get ready for a spacewalk planned for next week. The International Space Station residents also kicked off the workweek focusing their research activities on physics and biology. Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of Roscosmos are gearing up …
The Sun emitted a strong solar flare, peaking at 4:06 a.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 8. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Solar Ultraviolet Imager, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an image of the event. Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation …
Robotic tentacles, antibiotic resistant microbes, and space agriculture topped the research schedule aboard the International Space Station at the end of the week. The Expedition 72 crew members are also preparing for a spacewalk and continuing maintenance on the orbital outpost. NASA astronaut and station Commander Suni Williams had a busy day on Friday researching …
The science-packed SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will wait another week before departing the International Space Station as mission managers monitor weather conditions at the splashdown sites. Meanwhile, the Expedition 72 crew geared up for a spacewalk planned later in December and serviced an array of science hardware and exercise equipment. Mission managers waved off the planned …
Packing research samples and station hardware for return to Earth were the top tasks aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The seven-member Expedition 72 crew also serviced a variety of science hardware and electronics gear throughout the orbital lab. NASA astronauts are finishing up the loading of completed science experiments and lab hardware inside …
Two shoebox-size satellites, part of NASA’s Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-Infrared Experiment (PREFIRE) mission, are delivering measurements on the amount of heat in the form of far-infrared radiation that the Arctic and Antarctica emit to space. This aspect of the polar environment has never been systematically measured before and will offer crucial insights into …
The Expedition 72 crew is packing up finalized science experiments this week for return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. The International Space Station residents also studied antibiotic resistant bacteria and set up space botany hardware. Station Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Don Pettit, both from NASA, kicked off their day transferring …
