A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida this evening (July 14), sending a robotic Dragon resupply craft toward the International Space Station.
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Live coverage: SpaceX counting down to launch of space station cargo mission
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Falcon 9 rocket will launch SpaceX’s 25th resupply mission to the International Space Station. Follow us on Twitter.
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SpaceX’s 25th cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station is set for liftoff at 8:44 p.m. EDT Thursday (0044 GMT Friday) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Dragon capsule toward the station with nearly three tons of cargo.
Liftoff from pad 39A at Kennedy is set for precisely 8:44:22 p.m. EDT (0044:22 GMT), roughly the moment Earth’s rotation brings the launch site under the orbital plane of the space station.
There is a 70% chance of favorable weather for launch Thursday, according to the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron. The main weather concerns are with cumulus clouds that could create a risk for lightning, and flight through precipitation.
Jupiter, too! New James Webb photos show giant planet's rings, moons and more
The Webb team released some tantalizing photos of Jupiter today (July 14), highlighting the $10 billion telescope's ability to study targets close to home.
Here are the Locations in the sky for the First JWST Images
On the morning of Tuesday, July 12th, the world was treated to the first images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope – the most detailed images of the cosmos taken by the most powerful telescope ever! These featured familiar features from our galaxy, including updated images of the Carina Nebula, a nebula surrounding a stellar remnant (the Southern Ring), a collection of merging galaxies (Stephans Quintet), an exoplanet (WASP 96b), and a deep field image showing thousands of galaxies and gravitational lenses (SMACS 0723).
In anticipation of these images being released, a helpful space exploration ambassador shared a map that shows where these objects are located within (or in relation to) the Milky Way. The map was uploaded to the Reddit group Space on July 10th (two days before image release day) and is the work of data scientist Tony Rice (user name u/rtphokie). Rice is an information security engineer for a telecommunications company and a Solar System Ambassador with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The location of the objects featured in the first images taken by James Webb. Credit: u/rtphokie/Reddit r/space
As you can see from the image above, the Milky Way background was obtained by the Gaia Observatory as part of the ESA’s Galaxy Survey. Released in 2018, this image was the most detailed look at our galaxy and included the proper motions and velocities of over 1.3 billion stars. The other images, as Rice explained, were either taken by the Hubble Space Telescope (James Webb’s predecessor) or are artistic renditions. You have to admit that the new images taken by the JWST have proven to be much more vivid and detailed. Rice anticipated as much, as he indicated in the comments section:
“[B]ase image is from the esa’s Gaia Galaxy Survey. Other images (except WASP 96-b which is an artist concept) are visible light images from Hubble. JWST’s infrared images should provide more much detail.”
Watch an exclusive clip for Apple TV+'s 'For All Mankind' season 3 episode 6
The US and Russia reach Mars, but old tensions threaten to divide the historic mission in this exclusive clip for this week's sixth episode of "For All Mankind" on Apple TV+.
SpaceX ready to launch space station resupply mission after five-week delay
SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket roll out to pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of launch of the company’s 25th cargo mission to the International Space Station. Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX is set to launch its 25th cargo mission to the International Space Station Thursday night from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, following a five-week delay to resolve a leak in the Dragon cargo capsule’s propulsion system.
Liftoff of the commercial cargo mission is set for 8:44:22 p.m. EDT Thursday (0044:22 GMT Friday) from pad 39A at Kennedy. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will give the mission a boost into orbit, putting the Dragon spacecraft on course for docking at the space station at 11:20 a.m. EDT (1520 GMT) Saturday.
Astronauts at the space station will open hatches and unpack supplies, experiments and other equipment stowed inside the Dragon capsule’s pressurized compartment. At the end of the mission, the reusable capsule will undock from the station and head for a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of Florida in mid-August with several tons of cargo.
The cargo ship is launching with around 5,800 pounds of supplies and payloads, including a NASA climate instrument to be mounted outside the space station.
The Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation, or EMIT, instrument was developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It will be attached to a mounting post outside the space station to measure the mineral content of the world’s desert regions, the source of global dust storms that can impact climate and weather worldwide.
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NASA temporarily grounding Mars helicopter Ingenuity to wait for dust to clear
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With the James Webb Space Telescope in full operations, scientists look to reveal the earliest galaxies
The first galaxies in the universe may be chaotic, faint, and small, but no one has seen a galaxy in the universe's first 400 million years. Webb will change that.
China launches new communications satellite to support Tiangong space station
China has sent a new data relay satellite on its way to geostationary orbit to support the nation’s crewed space station project.
Asteroid Bennu Almost Swallowed Spacecraft Whole
Scientists knew the asteroid Bennu was likely a rubble pile rather than solid rock, but OSIRIS-REX's recent visit surprised them in showing just how loosely the asteroid really is.
The post Asteroid Bennu Almost Swallowed Spacecraft Whole appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
The moon begins its monthly planetary tour with Saturn on Friday
The moon commences its monthly tour of the planets by calling in on Saturn on Friday night. The duo will be close enough to share the view with a pair of binoculars.
China's proposed Venus mission would investigate the planet's atmosphere and geology
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Best Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes
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On bizarre brown dwarf worlds, astronomers spot hot, sandy clouds
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Houston Astros to celebrate Apollo 11 with moon lander bobblehead
An astronaut will take to the field as a baseball player walks on the moon — at least, the latter in bobblehead format — as part of NASA Night with the Houston Astros.
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Far beyond Pluto: What's next for NASA's New Horizons probe?
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Earth-like planets in dead star 'cosmic graveyards' get stranger
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