NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

Jan 1 2023

The Largest Rock in our Solar System

There, that dot on the right, that's the largest rock known in our Solar System. It is larger than every known asteroid, moon, and comet nucleus. It is larger than any other local rocky planet. This rock is so large its gravity makes it into a large ball that holds heavy gases near its surface. (It used to be the largest known rock of any type until the recent discoveries of large dense planets orbiting other stars.) The Voyager 1 spacecraft took the featured picture famously called Pale Blue Dot of this giant space rock in 1990 from the outer Solar System. Today, this rock starts another orbit around its parent star, for roughly the 5 billionth time, spinning over 350 times during each trip. Happy Gregorian Calendar New Year to all inhabitants of this rock we call Earth.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

NASA in 2023: A Look Ahead

In 2022, we made history. In 2023, we are preparing for our future by exploring the secrets of the universe. All for the benefit of humanity.

To learn more about the missions mentioned in this video, take a deep dive into these links:

[0:46] TEMPO - Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution: https://weather.msfc.nasa.gov/tropics/

[0:51] X-59 Quesst Supersonic Low-boom Aircraft: https://www.nasa.gov/X59

[0:56] X-57 All-Electric Aircraft: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/X57/

[0:58] Crew Assignments for Artemis II Mission to the Moon: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-team/

[1:06] Boeing Crew Flight Test to the Space Station: https://blogs.nasa.gov/oft-2/

[1:11] OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return to Earth: https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

[1:17] Commercial Lunar Payload Services Robotic Lunar Delivery - Astrobotic Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/content/commerci… https://www.nasa.gov/content/commercial-lunar-payload-services/

[1:21] Commercial Lunar Payload Services Robotic Lunar Delivery - Intuitive Machines Lunar Lander: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/intuitive-machines-concept-for-a-commercial-lunar-lander/

[1:25] Earth Information Center to Visualize our Home Planet: https://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/earth-information-center

[1:28] Sustainable Flight Demonstrator: https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/programs/iasp/sfd

[1:31] Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services Contract Award: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-makes-progress-with-new-lunar-terrain-vehicle-moon-rover-services

[1:35] Crew and Cargo Launches to the International Space Station for Groundbreaking Science - https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/benefits/tissue-chips-investigate-diseases/

[1:38] Crew and Cargo Launches to the International Space Station for Groundbreaking Science - Cold Atom Lab Upgrades: https://coldatomlab.jpl.nasa.gov

[1:41] Psyche Launch to Study a Metal-Rich Asteroid:

[1:43] Award for Human Lander System for Artemis Moon Missions: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/psyche

[1:48] Reveal of Spacesuit Prototype for Artemis Moon Missions: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-partners-with-industry-for-new-spacewalking-moonwalking-services/

[1:53] Jaw-Dropping New Imagery of the Universe: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/main/index.html

https://youtu.be/KjBisqblTLQ

>>18055329

It is actually Eisenhower's.