November 2, 2024

This Week @NASA: A New Crew Launches to the Space Station, Astronaut Graduation, Mini Moon Rovers

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket bring the businesss Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASAs SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin onboard, Sunday, March 3, 2024, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA/Aubrey GemignaniA brand-new crew launches to the area station … Graduating a new class of Artemis astronauts … And a group of tiny lunar-roving robotics are all set to roll … A few of the stories to inform you about– This Week at NASA!SpaceX Crew-8 Mission Launches to the Space StationOn March 3, NASAs SpaceX Crew-8 mission released to the International Space Station from NASAs Kennedy Space. 2 days later, the crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, securely reached the station.They will invest a number of months carrying out scientific research aboard the orbital lab to prepare for human expedition beyond low Earth orbit and to benefit mankind on Earth.NASA most recent class of astronauts, selected in 2021, graduate throughout an event on March 5, 2024, at the at the companys Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credit: NASANew Class of Artemis Generation Astronauts GraduatesOn March 5, NASA held a ceremony at their Johnson Space Center to finish a new class of Artemis generation astronaut candidates.After completing more than two years of standard training, the astronaut finishes earned their wings and are qualified for spaceflight, consisting of tasks to the International Space Station, future business destinations, missions to the Moon, and eventually, missions to Mars.NASA is accepting applications for their next class of astronaut prospects. Learn more.Part of NASAs CADRE innovation presentation, three small rovers that will check out the Moon together flaunt their capability to drive as a group autonomously– without explicit commands from engineers– during a test in a tidy space at the companys Jet Propulsion Laboratory in December 2023. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechNetwork of Small Moon-Bound Rovers Ready to RollEngineers at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory are done assembling and rigorously checking three little robotic rovers that are slated to be provided to the Moon by an Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander on a future mission.Part of NASAs Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration, or CADRE technology demonstration, the solar-powered rovers will work together to autonomously explore and map the Moons surface area. The goal is to show that a group of robotic spacecraft can accomplish jobs and record data as a team, without explicit commands from objective controllers on Earth.This image from Webbs NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument reveals a portion of the GOODS-North field of galaxies. At lower right, a pullout highlights the galaxy GN-z11, which is seen at a time simply 430 million years after the Big Bang. The image exposes a prolonged element, tracing the GN-z11 host galaxy, and a main source whose colors follow those of an accretion disk surrounding a black hole. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Brant Robertson (UC Santa Cruz), Ben Johnson (CfA), Sandro Tacchella (Cambridge), Marcia Rieke (University of Arizona), Daniel Eisenstein (CfA)Farthest Active Supermassive Black Hole Ever SeenNASAs James Webb Space Telescope has actually assisted find the first clear proof that the galaxy GN-z11– among the brightest, youngest, and many far-off galaxies ever observed– is hosting a central, supermassive great void that is rapidly accreting matter.The finding makes this the farthest active supermassive black hole found to date. The galaxy, which was at first spotted by NASAs Hubble Space Telescope, existed when the universe was only about 430 million years old.Thats whats up today @NASA.