A change of command is underway aboard the International Space Station as three crew members are preparing to depart the orbiting laboratory in the early hours of Sept. 27 after spending 371 days in space. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio is set to return home on Wednesday, Sept. 27 following a record-breaking mission on orbit. The …
A magnetosphere is that area of space, around a planet, that is controlled by the planet's magnetic field. The shape of the Earth's magnetosphere is the direct result of being blasted by solar wind. The solar wind compresses its sunward side to a distance of only 6 to 10 times the radius of the Earth. …
The Sun and its atmosphere consist of several zones or layers. From the inside out, the solar interior consists of: The Core – the central region where nuclear reactions consume hydrogen to form helium. These reactions release the energy that ultimately leaves the surface as visible light. The Radiative Zone – extends outward from the …
The first U.S. asteroid sample, delivered by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to Earth on Sept. 24, has arrived at its permanent home at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, where it will be cared for, stored, and distributed to scientists worldwide. The sample arrived in Houston at 12:40 pm ET (11:40 am CT) aboard a U.S. …
The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) marked the completion of an important step on the path to spacecraft assembly, test, and launch operations this week at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Maryland.
Payloads: BioFabrication Facility (BFF): The crew gained access to the BFF interior and performed steps to unclog the Smart Pump Tips and installed Bio-Ink Syringes. Using 3D biological printers to produce usable human organs has long been a dream of scientists and doctors around the globe; however, printing the tiny, complex structures found inside human …
The ten residents living aboard the International Space Station have a jam-packed Monday as three Expedition 69 crew members are completing their final duties before departure and others complete an array of health exams and repairs to orbital payloads. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio began his day replacing clogged pumps on the BioFabrication Facility. After lunch, …
Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans have structurally joined all four RS-25 engines onto the core stage for NASA’s Artemis II Moon rocket. The flight test is the agency’s first crewed mission under Artemis. Technicians added the first engine to NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket core stage Sept. 11. Teams installed …
NASA's OSIRIS-REx clean room team has finished disassembling the sample capsule and packaging its components, including the unopened sample canister. Now packed in shipping containers – along with the environmental samples the recovery team collected around the capsule's landing site this morning – the items are scheduled to be delivered on Monday, Sept. 25, to …
View or download photos from the Sept. 24 OSIRIS-REx sample-landing activities. View or download OSIRIS-REx mission photos from a curated collection.
