NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

July 16, 2024

Cometary Globules

What are these unusual interstellar structures? Bright-rimmed, flowing shapes gather near the center of this rich starfield toward the borders of the nautical southern constellations Pupis and Vela. Composed of interstellar gas and dust, the grouping of light-year sized cometary globules is about 1300 light-years distant. Energetic ultraviolet light from nearby hot stars has molded the globules and ionized their bright rims. The globules also stream away from the Vela supernova remnant which may have influenced their swept-back shapes. Within them, cores of cold gas and dust are likely collapsing to form low mass stars, whose formation will ultimately cause the globules to disperse. In fact, cometary globule CG 30 (on the upper left) sports a small reddish glow near its head, a telltale sign of energetic jets from a star in the early stages of formation.

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

NASA Transmits Hip-Hop Song to Deep Space for First Time

JUL 15, 2024

The stars above and on Earth aligned as an inspirational message and lyrics from the song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” by hip-hop artist Missy Elliott were beamed to Venus via NASA’s DSN (Deep Space Network).

The agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California sent the transmission at 10:05 a.m. PDT on Friday, July 12.

As the largest and most sensitive telecommunication service of NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program, DSN has an array of giant radio antennas that allow missions to track, send commands, and receive scientific data from spacecraft venturing to the Moon and beyond.

To date, the system has transmitted only one other song into space, making the transmission of Elliott’s song a first for hip-hop and NASA.

“Both space exploration and Missy Elliott’s art have been about pushing boundaries,” said Brittany Brown, director, Digital and Technology Division, Office of Communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington, who initially pitched ideas to Missy’s team to collaborate with the agency.

“Missy has a track record of infusing space-centric storytelling and futuristic visuals in her music videos so the opportunity to collaborate on something out of this world is truly fitting.”

The song traveled about 158 million miles (254 million kilometers) from Earth to Venus — the artist’s favorite planet. Transmitted at the speed of light, the radio frequency signal took nearly 14 minutes to reach the planet.

The transmission was made by the 34-meter (112-foot) wide Deep Space Station 13 (DSS-13) radio dish antenna, located at the DSN’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, near Barstow in California.

Coincidentally, the DSS-13 also is nicknamed Venus.

Elliott’s music career started more than 30 years ago, and the DSN has been communicating with spacecraft for over 60 years.

Now, thanks to the network, Elliott’s music has traveled far beyond her Earth-bound fans to a different world.

“I still can’t believe I’m going out of this world with NASA through the Deep Space Network when “The Rain” (Supa Dupa Fly) becomes the first ever hip-hop song to transmit to space!,” said Elliott.

“I chose Venus because it symbolizes strength, beauty, and empowerment and I am so humbled to have the opportunity to share my art and my message with the universe!”

Two NASA missions, selected in 2021, will explore Venus and send data back to Earth using the DSN.

DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging), led out of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is slated to launch no earlier than 2029.

The VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy), launching no earlier than 2031, is lead out of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

NASA and the DSN are also partnering with the European Space Agency’s Venus mission, Envision. A team at JPL is developing the spacecraft’s Venus Synthetic Aperture Radar (VenSAR).

In continuous operations since 1963, NASA SCaN’s DSN is composed of three complexes spaced equidistant from each other — approximately 120 degrees apart in longitude — around the planet.

The ground stations are in Goldstone in California, Madrid, and Canberra in Australia.

The Deep Space Network is managed by JPL for the SCaN program within the Space Operations Mission Directorate, based at NASA Headquarters.

https://www.nasa.gov/general/nasa-transmits-hip-hop-song-to-deep-space-for-first-time/

NASA Johnson to Dedicate Building to Dorothy Vaughan, Women of Apollo

JUL 15, 2024

NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will recognize legendary human computer Dorothy Vaughan and the women of Apollo with activities marking their achievements, including a renaming and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the center’s “Building 12,” on Friday, July 19, the eve of the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.

At 9 a.m. CDT, NASA Johnson Director Vanessa Wyche will begin with a discussion about the importance of Vaughan and the women of Apollo’s contributions to the agency’s lunar landing program and their significance to today’s Artemis campaign.

Other highlights include a poetry reading, a recital by Texas Southern University’s Dr. Thomas F. Freeman Debate Team, and a “Women in Human Spaceflight” panel discussion.

The panel in NASA Johnson’s Teague Auditorium will be moderated by Debbie Korth, the agency’s Orion Program deputy manager, and include:

Christina Koch, NASA astronaut

Sandy Johnson, Barrios Technology CEO

Lara Kearney, NASA Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program manager

Andrea Mosie, NASA Lunar Materials Repository Laboratory manager and senior sample processor

Dr. Shirley Price, former NASA Equal Opportunity specialist

Following the program, the ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin at Building 12, which will thereafter be named the “Dorothy Vaughan Center in Honor of the Women of Apollo.”

The dedication is a tribute to the people who made humanity’s first steps on the Moon possible.

All interested media must request credentials by 12 p.m. Thursday, July 18, by email at jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or by calling the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111.

Media should arrive onsite for setup by 8:15 a.m. July 19, at the Teague Auditorium in Building 2 South.

U.S. media are invited to attend and will have an opportunity to ask questions during the panel discussion and may request brief interviews with available NASA officials following the ribbon cutting.

Distinguished guests are expected to include local elected officials, NASA senior leadership, members of NASA’s Alumni League, and the families of Dorothy Vaughan and the women of Apollo.

“On behalf of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, we are proud to host this historic event as the agency honors the significant contributions women have made to the space industry, particularly trailblazers who persevered against many challenges of their era,” Wyche said. “As we prepare to return to the Moon for long-term science and exploration, NASA’s Artemis missions will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon.

It’s a privilege to dedicate Johnson’s Building 12 to the innovative women who laid the foundation to our nation’s space program.”

Vaughan’s personal commitment and determination during the Apollo missions advanced the agency’s current diverse workforce and leadership – particularly at Johnson — as human computers transitioned from Langley Research Center in Virginia to Houston, supporting Mission Control from Building 12.

She was a steadfast advocate for the women who worked as human computers, and for all the individuals under her leadership.

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-johnson-to-dedicate-building-to-dorothy-vaughan-women-of-apollo/

https://www.nasa.gov/people/dorothy-vaughan/