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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
June 18, 2025
Space Station Silhouette on the Moon
What's that unusual spot on the Moon? It's the International Space Station. Using precise timing, the Earth-orbiting space platform was photographed in front of a partially lit gibbous Moon in 2019. The featured image was taken from Palo Alto, California, USA with an exposure time of only 1/667 of a second. In contrast, the duration of the transit of the ISS across the entire Moon was about half a second. A close inspection of this unusually crisp ISS silhouette will reveal the outlines of numerous solar panels and trusses. The bright crater Tycho is visible on the lower left, as well as comparatively rough, light colored terrain known as highlands and relatively smooth, dark colored areas known as maria. Downloadable apps can tell you when the International Space Station will be visible from your area.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Sun Releases Strong Flare
June 17, 2025
The Sun emitted a strong flare, peaking at 5:49 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, 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 signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.
This flare is classified as an X1.2 flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/solar-cycle-25/2025/06/17/sun-releases-strong-flare-8/
https://www.spaceweather.gov/news/r3-strong-hf-radio-blackout-event-observed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6hH3DrVawQ (X Class Solar Flare, Largest Comet Discovered, Top News | S0 News Jun.18.2025)
Crew Works Exercise and Earth Studies, Spacesuit Checks, and Lab Inspections
June 17, 2025
Exercise research and spacesuit checks were the top duties aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The Expedition 73 crew also continued inspecting the orbital outpost’s windows and photographing Earth landmarks.
An astronaut spends less energy moving around in space than they do walking in Earth’s gravity environment. As a result, muscles and bones begin to atrophy since crew members do not use a lot of effort when living and working in weightlessness.
Daily two-hour exercise sessions on the space station are critical and help offset the effects of weightlessness. Researchers monitor the crew exercise sessions to protect crew health and prepare astronauts for the return to Earth’s gravity.
NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim strapped on a sensor-packed vest and headband measuring his health data during a two-hour workout session on Tuesday.
He first pedaled on an exercise cycle then simulated lifting weights on the advanced resistive exercise device.
The Bio-Monitor wearable hardware comfortably collected Kim’s physiological parameters as he exercised that will help scientists refine space exercise programs and learn how to keep crews healthy on long term missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
NASA Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers was back in the Destiny laboratory module exploring surface tension to contain liquids and study proteins without contacting solid walls.
Containerless liquid systems remove the effects of gravity providing more accurate computer models of fluid behavior in weightlessness.
The fluid physics study takes place inside Destiny’s Microgravity Science Glovebox may benefit pharmaceutical manufacturing and 3D printing techniques on and off the Earth.
NASA Flight Engineer Anne McClain spent her day inside the cupola, the orbiting lab’s “window to the world,” inspecting its seven windows.
The cupola is attached to the Tranquility module’s Earth-facing port and is very important for observing spacecraft operations, monitoring spacewalkers, and imaging the Earth.
McClain was photographing the condition of the windows to document smudges, particles, and scratches caused by crew activities, spacecraft plumes, or micrometeoroids.
Station Commander Takuya Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) was also inspection duty examining hatches throughout the orbiting lab’s U.S. segment.
Onishi examined and cleaned hatch seals and surfaces, interlocking components, and crank handles removing dust and stains. He also photographed the condition of the hatches and downlinked the images for analysis by ground engineers.
Working in the station’s Roscosmos segment, cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy partnered together inside the Poisk module and worked on a pair of spacesuits.
The duo activated the suits then checked and cleaned life support components. Flight Engineer Kirill Peskov watched as Ryzhikov and Zubritskiy serviced the spacesuits to familiarize himself with spacesuit operations.
Peskov later continued his Earth observations pointing a hyperspectral camera out a station window and photographing North American mountains and lakes in different wavelengths.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2025/06/17/crew-works-exercise-and-earth-studies-spacesuit-checks-and-lab-inspections/
New Data in Action: Citizen Science and MODIS Data Reveal Patterns of Bird Population Change
June 17, 2025
A new Data in Action story, "Citizen Science and MODIS Data Reveal Patterns of Bird Population Change," describes how researchers with Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology combined citizen science data from the eBird project with data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra and Aqua satellites to estimate population change and relative abundance for 495 North American bird species.
In conjunction with accounts of birds observed and identified at a particular time and place, the researchers used MODIS Land Cover Type data to capture interannual changes in land cover and MODIS Land Water Mask data (derived from the MODIS instruments and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) to help delineate the interface between terrestrial, aquatic, and marine environments.
In addition to finding high and previously undetected spatial heterogeneity in bird population change and relative abundance trends across North America, the results of this study demonstrate how participatory science data combined with other broad-scale, observational datasets—such as those from Earth-observing satellites—can be leveraged with promising analytical tools to detect, diagnose, and respond to population changes at ecologically relevant scales.
https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/news/new-data-action-citizen-science-modis-data-reveal-patterns-bird-population-change
https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/data-in-action/citizen-science-modis-data-reveal-patterns-bird-population-change
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adn4381
Training for the Moo(n)
Jun 17, 2025
A curious cow watches as NASA astronauts Andre Douglas and Kate Rubins perform a simulated moonwalk in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona on May 14, 2024, in preparation for NASA’s historic Artemis III Moon landing mission.
Flight controllers and scientists guided activities during the week-long simulation from mission control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Tests like this are critical for NASA’s Artemis science teams because they provide an opportunity to test integration with mission control.
In the Science Evaluation Room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, lunar scientists, geologists, and experts in image analysis and sample science direct and evaluate lunar surface science and geologic observations.
They assess and adapt moonwalk traverses, communicating any feedback or changes with the science officer on the flight control team.
The science officer conveys those messages to the Capcom officer, who then shares insights and recommendations with the crew during missions.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/training-for-the-moon/
NASA, German Aerospace Center to Expand Artemis Campaign Cooperation
Jun 17, 2025
While attending the Paris Air Show June 16, NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro signed an agreement with DLR (German Aerospace Center, or Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt) to continue a partnership in space medicine research.
This renewed collaboration builds on previous radiation mitigation efforts for human spaceflight. As NASA advances the Trump-Vance Administration’s goals for exploration on the Moon and Mars, minimizing exposure to space radiation is one of the key areas the agency is working to protect crew on long duration missions.
With this agreement, DLR will leverage its human spaceflight expertise and provide new radiation sensors aboard the Orion spacecraft during NASA’s Artemis II mission, building on previous work in this area during the Artemis I mission.
Scheduled for launch no later than April 2026, Artemis II will mark the first test flight with crew under Artemis.
“In keeping with the historic agreements NASA has made with international partners as a part of Artemis, I am pleased to sign a new NASA-DLR joint agreement today, to enable radiation research aboard Artemis II,” said acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro.
“The German Aerospace Center has been a valuable partner in Artemis, having previously worked with NASA to test technology critical to our understanding of radiation on humans aboard an Orion spacecraft on Artemis I and providing a CubeSat as part of Artemis II.
Following a productive meeting between President Trump and German Chancellor Merz earlier this month, I am excited to build upon our great partnership with Germany.”
During the Artemis II mission’s planned 10-day journey around the Moon and back, four of DLR’s newly developed M-42 extended (M-42 EXT) radiation detectors will be on board, contributing vital data to support astronaut safety.
This next-generation device represents a new phase of research as NASA and DLR continue working together to safeguard human health in space.
Under the leadership of President Trump, America’s Artemis campaign has reignited NASA’s ambition, sparking international cooperation and cutting-edge innovation.
The continued partnership with DLR and the deployment of their advanced M-42 EXT radiation detectors aboard Artemis II exemplifies how the Trump-Vance Administration is leading a Golden Era of Exploration and Innovation that puts American astronauts on the path to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
“To develop effective protective measures against the impact of space radiation on the human body, comprehensive and coherent radiation measurements in open space are essential,” says Anke Pagels-Kerp, divisional board member for space at DLR.
“At the end of 2022, Artemis I carried 12,000 passive and 16 active detectors inside the Helga and Zohar mannequins, which flew aboard the Orion spacecraft as part of DLR’s MARE project.
These provided a valuable dataset – the first continuous radiation measurements ever recorded beyond low Earth orbit.
We are now excited to take the next step together with NASA and send our upgraded radiation detectors around the Moon on the Artemis II mission.”
Through the Artemis campaign, the agency will establish a long-term presence on the Moon for scientific exploration with our commercial and international partners, learn how to live and work away from home, and prepare for future human exploration of Mars.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-german-aerospace-center-to-expand-artemis-campaign-cooperation/
NASA: Winter Arrives Early in Lesotho and South Africa
June 18, 2025
A powerful storm system brought wintry conditions to Lesotho and South Africa in early June 2025. Snow blanketed higher elevations, while strong winds, cold temperatures, and heavy rains affected lower-elevation and coastal areas.
The severe weather was fueled by a cut-off low, which occurs when an area of low pressure becomes cut off from the jet stream. The weather system parked over central and eastern South Africa and Lesotho on June 9 and 10.
The storm had subsided by June 11, when the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired these images.
The above image shows the area in natural color, while the below image is false-color to help distinguish the snow (light blue) from clouds (white). (Note that small ice crystals in high-level clouds can also display a bluish tinge.)
Fresh snow covers much of Lesotho, as well as portions of South Africa’s Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. The snow created treacherous driving conditions and prompted closures of several sections of highway, according to news reports.
Snow is typically sparse during the area’s short winter, although heavy snowfall occasionally occurs. In northern Lesotho, at an elevation of 3,050 meters (10,000 feet), the country’s sole ski resort maintains artificial snow on slopes that might otherwise be bare.
But a different look ushered in the 2025 season. On June 9, the resort shared a video of whiteout conditions, accompanied by a simple message: “We are snowed in.” They later reported accumulations of about 30 centimeters (12 inches).
To the south and east of snow-affected regions, heavy rain triggered deadly flooding that submerged homes and damaged dozens of schools and hospitals, officials told news outlets.
In addition, winds gusting up to 100 kilometers (60 miles) per hour toppled trees and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes.
https://snowbrains.com/nasa-winter-arrives-early-in-lesotho-and-south-africa/
NASA astronauts make ‘space sushi’ aboard the ISS to cheer up sushi-craving crewmate
Jun 18, 2025 10:52 AM IST
Life aboard the International Space Station (ISS) recently got a tasty twist when an astronaut rolled sushi during a joyful crew celebration.
The astronaut used simple ingredients found on board- rice, spam, fish, and added a touch of gochujang (a Korean chilli paste) and wasabi to give it extra flavour.
It wasn’t a fancy meal, but it brought smiles to the crew and showed how astronauts find small joys while living in space.
Jonny Kim, a NASA astronaut, shared this information on X through a post which was captioned, “Space sushi isn’t quite the same as the fresh stuff on the ground, but it’s not bad!
We had a crew celebration recently, and one of our crewmates expressed how much they missed sushi (as do I).”
“So we collected and pitched in our personal supplies of fish, spam, and rice, coupled with a dash of gochujang and wasabi, which made for a great meal”, he added.
Jonny Kim also added a fun detail about how meals work in space:
On the ISS, astronauts place tape on the dining table with the sticky side facing up.
This clever trick helps them stick food, utensils, and condiments to the surface, preventing everything from floating away in zero gravity.
People on X loved the post and were amazed by the idea of making sushi in space.
One of the users, @Skythelimit4545, commented, "Your space sushi party sounds like a blast, and that sticky-tape table hack is genius for keeping it all together in zero gravity."
Another user, @terranea45, commented, “Love sushi too! You guys are the real stars of humanity”.
Some joked about wanting to try “space sushi” themselves, while others were curious about how food behaves in zero gravity.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/trending/nasa-astronauts-make-space-sushi-aboard-the-iss-to-cheer-up-sushi-craving-crewmate-not-bad-101750160605765.html
https://x.com/JonnyKimUSA/status/1934636973731303602
Indo-Pacific nations advance space traffic management amid growing orbital risks
June 18, 2025
As the Indo-Pacific experiences a surge in space activity, governments and institutions are accelerating efforts to enhance space situational awareness (SSA) to mitigate orbital congestion, manage debris and protect vital satellite infrastructure.
Regional cooperation — driven by strategic imperatives and practical necessities — is emerging as a critical element of space traffic management, even in the absence of formal treaties.
Regional and allied nations have been laying the groundwork for collective SSA initiatives in cooperation with such platforms as the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum.
These efforts aim to improve data sharing and regional awareness of space operations. A recent report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) underscores existing cooperation gaps and highlights the importance of building regional capacity to address them.
A key area of cooperation involves the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC), an initiative of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The first site under construction in Western Australia marks a significant milestone.
Once operational, DARC will provide constant all-weather capabilities to detect, track and characterize small objects in geosynchronous orbit, bolstering SSA for allied nations.
India, a rising space power, is similarly enhancing its SSA posture.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has established a Directorate of Space Situational Awareness and Management (DSSAM) and is developing a dedicated SSA radar in Uttarakhand state, according to retired Indian Army Col. Ashwani Sharma, editor of South Asia Defence & Strategic Review.
India also operates a network of ground stations and optical telescopes under the Network for Space Object Tracking and Analysis.
Sharma emphasized the value of collaborative SSA efforts.
“It makes both strategic and practical sense for India and Japan to align their efforts in space situational awareness,” he told FORUM, noting that India’s cost-effective satellite capabilities and Japan’s precision technologies offer synergies.
Japan’s contributions include radar and optical tracking systems developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the operationalization of the Space Operations Squadron under the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
Private partnerships are also playing a role, such as Mitsubishi Electric’s collaboration with Astroscale to develop debris removal technologies, which also involves engineering firm MEMCO India.
“With the Indo-Pacific facing rising geopolitical and security challenges, both [India and Japan] have a shared interest in monitoring and protecting their space assets,” Sharma said.
Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, and Vietnam currently rely on partnerships, particularly with the U.S., for SSA.
These include bilateral agreements and participation in multilateral forums, such as the Combined Space Operations Initiative and the Artemis Accords.
The Secure World Foundation argues that these kinds of partnerships are essential to establishing the foundations of a global space traffic management system.
In Indonesia, a new telescope at the Timau observatory is expected to become operational this year and will enhance SSA capabilities in Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, the Quad partnership — among Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. — has reaffirmed a commitment to SSA cooperation as part of its broader agenda to ensure the peaceful and sustainable use of space.
The growing importance of SSA has also prompted increased private sector engagement. LeoLabs, a U.S.-based commercial provider, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Singapore’s ST Engineering Geo-Insights to develop regional space traffic management solutions.
https://ipdefenseforum.com/2025/06/indo-pacific-nations-advance-space-traffic-management-amid-growing-orbital-risks/
June 18, 1983: Sally Ride is the first American woman in space
June 18, 2025
Sally Ride made history aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983, becoming the first American woman in space 20 years nearly to the day after Soviet Valentina Tereshkova’s flight.
In 1977, as she was finishing her Ph.D. in physics, Ride saw a newspaper ad placed by NASA to recruit astronauts. For the first time, women were allowed to apply.
She was selected from 8,000 applicants, and went through extensive training including parachute jumping, water survival, and adapting to weightlessness; she also contributed to developing the shuttle’s robot arm and served as capsule communicator.
During her mission, Ride operated the mechanical arm, deployed communication satellites, and conducted experiments.
A very private person, she nonetheless handled her fame and inappropriate questions – such as what makeup she was taking to space and whether she would cry if something went wrong – with humor and grace.
To continue to inspire girls to pursue STEM careers, Ride co-founded Sally Ride Science in 2001. She passed away in 2012.
https://www.astronomy.com/today-in-the-history-of-astronomy/june-18-1983-sally-ride-is-the-first-american-woman-in-space/
PM shares an article that underscores the transformational journey of India’s space programme over the past 11 years
18 Jun, 2025
The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today shared an article that underscores the transformational journey of India’s space programme over the past 11 years.
Reflecting a shift from conventional frontiers to people-centric innovation, Shri Modi highlighted how India’s space technology is now integrated into daily life—empowering farmers in rural villages, enriching students in classrooms, and enhancing various developmental sectors.
Responding to a post by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on X, Shri Modi said:
“Union Minister @DrJitendraSingh elaborates how India’s space programme has transformed over the past 11 years becoming bold, inclusive and people-centric, with space technology now playing a vital role in daily life, from farmers in villages to students in classrooms.”
https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/pm-shares-an-article-that-underscores-the-transformational-journey-of-indias-space-programme-over-the-past-11-years/?
https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/1935303944579801521
https://t.co/oE6JVe7vOY
https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/1935304245525483554