This artists illustration depicts a collision of 2 icy, dirty bodies orbiting the brilliant star Fomalhaut, located 25 light-years away. This might have caused an expanding cloud of very fine dust particles. Astronomers using NASAs James Webb Space Telescope have actually now discovered three embedded debris belts surrounding the young star. These belts, which might be sculpted by the gravitational forces of hidden worlds, provide insights into the structure of exoplanetary systems. Credit: ESA, NASA and M. Kornmesser
A spacecraft changes parking areas at the space station …
A surprising appearance at a star in another planetary system …
And little satellites that might be a big help tracking tropical storms …
A few of the stories to inform you about– This Week at NASA!
Astronomers using NASAs James Webb Space Telescope have now discovered 3 nested debris belts surrounding the young star. Credit: ESA, NASA and M. Kornmesser
It exposes 3 embedded belts extending out to 14 billion miles (23 billion kilometers) from the star. The inner belts– which had never been seen previously– were revealed by Webb for the very first time. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, András Gáspár (University of Arizona), Alyssa Pagan (STScI).
Spacecraft Moves to New Docking Spot at Space Station
On May 6, the International Space Stations Expedition 69 crew members who flew to the station as part of NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 objective, moved their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The crew, consisting of NASAs Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg, moved the Dragon to another docking port on the stations Harmony module to include an uncrewed SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft targeted to introduce to the station in June.
This image of the dusty debris disk surrounding the young star Fomalhaut is from Webbs Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). It reveals 3 nested belts extending out to 14 billion miles (23 billion kilometers) from the star. The inner belts– which had actually never been seen before– were revealed by Webb for the first time. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, András Gáspár (University of Arizona), Alyssa Pagan (STScI).
Webbs Surprising Look at Fomalhauts Asteroid Belt.
This picture of the dusty particles disk around the young star, Fomalhaut was caught by NASAs James Webb Space Telescope while studying the first asteroid belt ever seen beyond our planetary system in infrared light. To the surprise of astronomers, the dusty structures, which include three embedded belts– consisting of the never-before-seen inner belts, are a lot more complex than the asteroid and Kuiper dust belts of our own planetary system.
Rocket Labs Electron rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 1 at Māhia, New Zealand at 9:00 p.m., carrying two TROPICS CubeSats for NASA. Credit: Rocket Lab.
Set of Storm Observing CubeSats Launched.
On May 8, the very first pair of NASAs TROPICS CubeSats introduced aboard an Electron rocket from Rocket Labs Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. The mission will use a constellation of four of the similar little satellites to fly in a special, likely low Earth orbit that will enable them to observe tropical cyclones more frequently than current weather condition tracking satellites.
Inside the Space Shuttle Atlantis destination at NASAs Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, 2 area explorers, from left, Roy D. Bridges Jr. and Mark Kelly, are inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Class of 2023 on May 6. Credit: NASA/Chris Chamberland.
2023 Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
Congratulations to former astronauts Roy D. Bridges Jr., and Senator Mark E. Kelly. They are the newest inductees to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. They were inducted as the Hall of Fames class of 2023 throughout a May 6 ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Thats whats up this week @NASA!
