NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

January 25, 2025

Stardust in the Perseus Molecular Cloud

Clouds of stardust drift through this deep skyscape, across the Perseus molecular cloud some 850 light-years away. Dusty nebulae reflecting light from embedded young stars stand out in the nearly 4 degree wide field of view. With a characteristic bluish color reflection nebula NGC 1333 is prominent near center. Hints of contrasting red emission from Herbig-Haro objects, the jets and shocked glowing gas emanating from recently formed stars, are scattered across the dusty expanse. While many stars are forming in the molecular cloud, most are obscured at visible wavelengths by the pervasive dust. The chaotic environment surrounding NGC 1333 may be similar to one in which our own Sun formed over 4.5 billion years ago. At the estimated distance of the Perseus molecular cloud, this cosmic scene would span about 80 light-years.

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

Meet Janet Petro, NASA's Acting Administrator Makes History For Women

Updated On 25 Jan 2025 10:26 IST

Janet Petro has been appointed as the acting administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Although for an interim period, she is making history as the first woman to lead a major NASA office.

The space agency said in a statement on January 25, "In this role, Petro is responsible for directing the agency, including budget and programmes, until a new administrator is confirmed by the US Senate."

Michigan-born Petro boasts a distinguished career in engineering and civil services.

Who Is Janet Petro?

Petro grew up in Florida, where her father also worked at NASA on the Kennedy Space Center's Mercury and Gemini Programs.

She graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1981. She was in the second-ever batch to include women at West Point.

She also has a bachelor's degree in engineering and a master's in business administration.

In the US Army, Petro was assigned to Aviation Branch, where she piloted helicopters and led troop assignments in Germany.

She then worked work for Science Applications International Corporation and then McDonnell Douglas Aerospace Corporation, where she worked as a mechanical engineer and payload specialist before starting at NASA.

Petro served as the first female deputy director of NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida, leading in the transition of the centre into a multi-user spaceport.

She also served an appointment at NASA's headquarters in Washington, D.C. as the deputy associate administrator and acting director for the Office of Evaluation for a year.

Petro became the 11th director at John F. Kennedy Space Center. Her profile included managing the Kennedy team of civil service and contractor employees, "determining and implementing centre policy, and managing and executing Kennedy missions and agency programme responsibilities," NASA said in a recent statement.

Janet Petro has earned many laurels like the Presidential Rank Award, the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Sammies Management Excellence Medal, and the Silver Snoopy Award. In 2018, she was selected by the Florida Governor to be inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame.

https://www.shethepeople.tv/women-in-stem/janet-petro-nasa-acting-administrator-first-woman-leader-8651826

Spacesuit Work and Life Science Wrap Up Week Aboard Station

January 24, 2025

The week ended aboard the International Space Station with spacesuit maintenance and research into how microgravity affects blood pressure and breathing.

The Expedition 72 residents also serviced a variety of hardware supporting science experiments and life support systems aboard the orbital outpost.

Two NASA astronauts, Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore, continued gearing up for a spacewalk scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. EST on Thursday, Jan. 30.

Williams worked throughout Friday in the Quest airlock completing the charging of lithium-ion batteries that power spacesuits for the duration of a spacewalk.

Next, she filtered and cleaned the water loops that cool astronauts in their spacesuits in the extreme environment of outer space.

Wilmore pitched in and verified the functionality of spacesuit components including glove heaters, cameras, and helmet lights.

The duo is preparing for a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk next week to remove radio antenna hardware and search for microbes outside the orbital outpost.

NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague began his day inside the Columbus laboratory module installing experiment containers on the BioLab, a biology research device that enables observations of microbes, cells, tissues, and more in weightlessness.

NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit activated life support gear in the Unity module and removed more life support hardware from the Tranquility module.

The pair later met at the end of the day and reviewed procedures they will use in the future to service the external thermal control system that cools hardware on the outside of the orbital lab.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner started their day on human research.

This time, Ovchinin wore sensors that measured his exhalation following a deep breath helping doctors understand how microgravity affects the respiratory system.

Vagner wore a separate set of sensors for a study observing how a crew member’s vascular system functions during a long-term space mission.

Cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov spent the first part of his day on orbital plumbing tasks in the Nauka science module then wrapped up his shift auditing stowage space throughout the station’s Roscosmos segment.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2025/01/24/spacesuit-work-and-life-science-wrap-up-week-aboard-station/

>>22432449

He's bringing haboobs with him

Blue Ghost Moon Lander Delivers Mesmerizing View of Earth from Space

January 25, 2025

The Blue Ghost moon lander, launched on January 15 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, is captivating space enthusiasts with breathtaking views of Earth while preparing for its historic lunar mission.

This mission, dubbed “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which aims to advance lunar science and exploration through private-sector partnerships.

Currently orbiting Earth, Blue Ghost is executing precision engine burns with its Spectre RCS thrusters to adjust its trajectory.

Within two weeks, it will depart Earth’s orbit on a four-day journey to the moon.

Upon arrival, the lander will orbit the moon for 16 days before making its descent to the lunar surface.

Blue Ghost’s mission is not just a technological demonstration but a significant scientific endeavor under NASA’s CLPS initiative, which pairs private-sector lunar vehicles with NASA’s scientific payloads.

Upon reaching the lunar surface, the lander will carry out a range of experiments aimed at enhancing our understanding of the moon’s environment and its potential for future exploration.

The lander’s payload includes 10 NASA-backed experiments that will explore key aspects of lunar science.

These experiments are designed to study lunar regolith, the fine dust covering the moon’s surface, to better understand its properties and behavior.

Additionally, sensors aboard the lander will monitor radiation levels on the moon, providing critical data for designing safer habitats and equipment for future astronauts.

Another fascinating objective is to examine the interaction between the solar wind and Earth’s magnetosphere, offering insights into how charged particles from the sun affect both celestial bodies.

Beyond these experiments, Blue Ghost will deploy a laser reflector array, a device designed to precisely measure the distance between Earth and the moon.

This technology builds on earlier lunar missions and provides scientists with high-accuracy data to refine models of the Earth-moon system.

By addressing fundamental questions about the moon’s environment, Blue Ghost’s contributions will directly support NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the moon and eventually pave the way for crewed missions to Mars.

While its primary goal is scientific exploration, Blue Ghost has already captivated audiences with its stunning imagery of Earth.

As the lander orbited the planet, it captured views of Earth that evoke the famous “blue marble” images taken during earlier space missions.

Firefly Aerospace shared these visuals on social media, underscoring the emotional and inspirational aspects of space exploration.

In a notable animation, Blue Ghost recorded the Earth eclipsing the sun, offering a unique perspective of our planet in motion.

The lander’s ability to document these phenomena is a testament to its advanced onboard cameras and systems, which remain in “perfect health,” according to Firefly Aerospace.

These visuals, captured during a critical orbital burn, illustrate not just the beauty of Earth but also the intricacy of the mission’s trajectory adjustments.

Firefly highlighted the significance of this milestone with its statement: “Our GhostRiders captured the beauty of our home planet during another Earth orbit burn.

This second engine burn (and first critical burn) adjusted Blue Ghost’s apogee (the furthest point from Earth) using just our Spectre RCS thrusters.”

Such moments serve as reminders of the precision engineering required for space missions and the broader significance of viewing Earth from beyond its boundaries.

Once Blue Ghost reaches the moon, it will execute its planned operations over one lunar day—equivalent to approximately 14 Earth days.

During this time, the lander will deploy its instruments to collect data and conduct experiments, maximizing its utility before the harsh lunar night renders its batteries inoperable.

Among its objectives is the observation of the lunar sunset, a phenomenon that provides valuable data about how lunar regolith reacts to changing light conditions.

This brief operational window underscores the challenges of working in extreme environments, where temperature fluctuations and limited sunlight test the durability of even the most advanced systems.

In addition to its scientific payloads, Blue Ghost will capture images of the lunar surface during its descent and throughout its operational period.

These images will add to the growing archive of high-resolution visuals of the moon, supporting future mission planning and public engagement.

https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/01/blue-ghost-moon-lander-earth-from-space/

https://x.com/Firefly_Space/status/1882807519602770106

>>22432029

Wishing you a grand day

NASA wants to launch rockets into northern lights to study 'black auroras'

January 25, 2025

NASA plans to fly two rockets through active auroras to help study the unique ribbons of light that dance across the Alaskan night sky.

The rockets are expected to lift off from the Poker Flat Research Range in Fairbanks, Alaska, as part of two missions led by space physicists Marilia Samara and Robert Michell from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

The team aims to better understand why some auroras flicker, others pulsate and others appear to have holes.

The launch window for the missions opened on Jan. 21; however, studying the eccentric light shows requires precise timing.

That's why the team will use ground-based cameras at the launch site and at an observatory located about 130 miles (209 kilometers) northeast of the rockets' trajectory in Venetie, Alaska, to determine the most opportune time for launch based on auroral activity.

Aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, are created when charged particles from the sun collide atoms in Earth's upper atmosphere, releasing energy as light.

While scientists have a general understanding of auroras and their activity, each instance of the phenomenon exhibits unique movements and behaviors.

Understanding different aurora behaviors could lend new insights about the space weather environment around our planet, NASA said in a statement.

To help to that end, the rockets NASA wants to launch into the auroras are equipped with instruments to study the interaction between electrons and Earth's magnetic field.

Each rocket will target a different type of aurora, and the data collected will hopefully help researchers better understand what initially set in motion the electrons that create them.

The first mission — called GIRAFF (Ground Imaging to Rocket investigation of Auroral Fast Features) — aims to compare fast-pulsating auroras, which flash on and off a few times a second, and flickering auroras, which do so up to 15 times a second.

GIRAFF, led by Michell, will use the rockets to measure the energy, quantity and relative arrival times of the electrons in both types of auroras to determine the different acceleration processes by which each aurora forms, according to the statement.

The second mission — called Black and Diffuse Aurora Science Surveyor — is led by Samara and will study so-called "black auroras," which appear to have holes or patches of missing light.

The rocket flying through this type of aurora will search for outgoing electrons that may have reversed direction, resulting in the dark void spots across the otherwise fluid, colorful bands of light.

Not only does the team have to time each launch just right, but they also have to aim the rockets on the right trajectory.

It takes about five minutes for the rockets to reach the altitude needed to study the Northern Lights, so the team has to best assess where the auroras will travel over that period of time from when they are first detected using the ground-based cameras.

"You do the best you can, but there's a certain mix of intuition and determination you need," Samara said in the statement.

https://www.space.com/stargazing/aurora-borealis/nasa-wants-to-launch-rockets-into-northern-lights-to-study-black-auroras

https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/heliophysics/nasa-rockets-flickering-vanishing-auroras/