This Is His First Trip To Space And His First Mission On The Orbital Lab! 

The Roasted Planet

Can you hear this exoplanet screaming? As the exoplanet known as HD 80606 b approaches its star from an extreme, elliptical orbit, it suffers star-grazing torture that causes howling, supersonic winds and shockwave storms across this world beyond our solar system. Its torturous journey boils its atmosphere to a hellish 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit every 111 days, roasting both its light and dark sides. HD 80606b will never escape this scorching nightmare. Download this free poster in English and Spanish and check out the full Galaxy of Horrors.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

Rastro estelar sobre los árboles muertos en el embalse de Manasquan, Jersey Shore, NJ. Para esta fotografía fueron tomadas más de 280 fotos en el transcurso de 1.5 horas y apiladas para mostrar el aparente movimiento de las estrellas.

Crédito: John Entwistle.

https://instagram.com/johnentwistle_photography

~Antares

5 Out of this World Experiments Awaiting Crew-1 Space Scientists

NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, and Mike Hopkins, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Soichi Noguchi embark on a historic mission on November 14, 2020 aboard the Crew Dragon. NASA’s Crew-1 mission marks the first certified crew rotation flight to the International Space Station. During their 6-month stay on orbit, these crew members will don their science caps and complete experiments in microgravity.  Check out five out of this world experiments you can expect to see these space scientists working on during Expedition 64.

1. Space Gardening

The Crew-1 astronauts will become space farmers with the responsibility of tending to the rad(ish) garden located in a facility known as the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH). Researchers are investigating radishes in the Plant Habitat-02 experiment as a candidate crop for spaceflight applications to supplement food sources for astronauts. Radishes have the benefits of high nutritional content and quick growth rates, making these veggies an intriguing option for future space farmers on longer missions to the Moon or Mars.

2. Micro Miners

Microbes can seemingly do it all, including digging up the dirt (so to speak).  The BioAsteroid investigation looks at the ability of bacteria to break down rock.  Future space explorers could use this process for extracting elements from planetary surfaces and refining regolith, the type of soil found on the moon, into usable compounds.  To sum it up, these microbial miners rock.

3. Cooler Exploration Spacesuits

The iconic spacesuits used to walk on the moon and perform spacewalks on orbit are getting an upgrade. The next generation spacesuit, the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), will be even cooler than before, both in looks and in terms of ability to regulate astronaut body temperature.  The Spacesuit Evaporation Rejection Flight Experiment (SERFE) experiment is a technology demonstration being performed on station to look at the efficiency of multiple components in the xEMU responsible for thermal regulation, evaporation processes, and preventing corrosion of the spacesuits.

4. Chips in Space

Crew-1 can expect to get a delivery of many types of chips during their mission.  We aren’t referring to the chips you would find in your pantry.  Rather, Tissue Chips in Space is an initiative sponsored by the National Institutes of Health to study 3D organ-like constructs on a small, compact devices in microgravity. Organ on a chip technology allows for the study of disease processes and potential therapeutics in a rapid manner. During Expedition 64, investigations utilizing organ on a chip technology will include studies on muscle loss, lung function, and the blood brain barrier – all on devices the size of a USB flashdrive.

5. The Rhythm of Life

Circadian rhythm, otherwise known as our “internal clock,” dictates our sleep-wake cycles and influences cognition. Fruit flies are hitching a ride to the space station as the subjects of the Genes in Space-7 experiment, created by a team of high school students.  These flies, more formally known as the Drosophila melanogaster, are a model organism, meaning that they are common subjects of scientific study. Understanding changes in the genetic material that influences circadian rhythm in microgravity can shed light on processes relevant to an astronaut’s brain function.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space:  http://nasa.tumblr.com

For updates on other platforms, follow @ISS_Research, Space Station Research and Technology News, or our Facebook to keep up with the science happening aboard your orbiting laboratory, and step outside to see the space station passing over your town using Spot the Station.

Get to Know the 5 College Teams Sending Their Experiments to Space!

Did you know that YOU (yes you!), can send science experiments to the International Space Station? 

To celebrate 20 years of continuous human presence on the International Space Station, NASA STEM on Station is sending five student experiments to the space station through Student Payload Opportunity with Citizen Science (SPOCS). Selected teams will also engage K-12 students as a part of their experiment through citizen-science.

Get to know the 5 college teams sending their experiments to space!

Arkansas State University 

Team: A-State Science Support System

Experiment Title: Microgravity Environment Impact on Plastic Biodegradation by Galleria mellonella

Experiment Description: Discover the ability of wax worms to degrade plastics in space.

Why did you propose this experiment?

Our team’s passion for sustainability developed into novel ideas for space travel through biodegradation of plastics. 

How will the experiment benefit humankind or future space exploration?

If our experiment is successful, it will “launch” us closer to understanding how to reduce humankind’s plastic footprint on Earth and allow us to safely push farther into unknown planetary habitats.

How have you worked together as a team during the pandemic?

Unknown to each other before the project, our interdisciplinary team formed through virtual communication.

What science fiction character best represents your team and why?

The sandworms of Dune represent our team perfectly considering their importance in space travel, the natural ecological service they provide, and their sheer awesomeness

Columbia University

Team: Columbia Space Initiative

Experiment Title: Characterizing Antibiotic Resistance in Microgravity Environments (CARMEn)

Experiment Description: Discover the impact of mutations on bacteria in microgravity when grown into a biofilm with fungus.

Why did you propose this experiment?

As a highly interdisciplinary team united by our love of outer space, SPOCS was the perfect opportunity to fuse biology, engineering, and education into a meaningful team project.

How will the experiment benefit humankind or future space exploration?

Studying how different microorganisms interact with each other to develop bacterial resistance in space will help improve antibiotic treatments for future Artemis astronauts.

How have you worked together as a team during the pandemic?

Most of our team actually hasn’t ever met in person—we’ve been videoconferencing weekly since May!

What science fiction character best represents your team and why?

Our team is definitely Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, because we strive to reach infinity (or at least the International Space Station) and beyond!

Stanford University

Team: Stanford Student Space Initiative

Experiment Title: Biopolymer Research for In-Situ Capabilities (BRIC)

Experiment Description: Determine how microgravity impacts the solidification of biobricks.

Why did you propose this experiment?

We have an ongoing project to design and build a machine that turns lunar or Martian soil into bricks, and we want to learn how reduced gravity will impact the process.

How will the experiment benefit humankind or future space exploration?

We are studying an environmentally-friendly concrete alternative that can be used to make structures on Earth and other planets out of on-site, readily available resources.

How have you worked together as a team during the pandemic?

We transitioned our weekly meetings to an online format so that we could continue at our planned pace while maintaining our community.

What science fiction character best represents your team and why?

Like our beloved childhood friend WALL-E, we craftily make inhospitable environments suitable for life with local resources.

University of Idaho

Team: Vandal Voyagers I

Experiment Title: Bacteria Resistant Polymers in Microgravity

Experiment Description: Determine how microgravity impacts the efficacy of bacteria resistant polymers.

Why did you propose this experiment?

The recent emphasis on surface sterility got us thinking about ways to reduce the risk of disease transmission by surfaces on the International Space Station.

How will the experiment benefit humankind or future space exploration?

If successful, the application of proposed polymers can benefit humankind by reducing transmission through high contact surfaces on and off Earth such as hand rails and door handles.

How have you worked together as a team during the pandemic?

We are allowed to work collaboratively in person given we follow the current university COVID guidelines.

What science fiction character best represents your team and why?

Mark Watney from The Martian because he is willing to troubleshoot and problem solve on his own while collaborating with NASA from afar.

University of New Hampshire at Manchester

Team: Team Cooke

Experiment Title: Novel Methods of Antibiotic Discovery in Space (NoMADS)

Experiment Description: Determine how microgravity impacts the amount of bacterium isolates that produce antibiotic metabolites.

Why did you propose this experiment?

To contribute to the limited body of knowledge regarding bacterial resistance and mutations in off-Earth conditions.

How will the experiment benefit humankind or future space exploration?

Understanding how bacteria in the human microbiome and on spacecraft surfaces change can ensure the safe and accurate treatment of bacterial infections in astronauts.

How have you worked together as a team during the pandemic?

Our team continued to evolve our communication methods throughout the pandemic, utilizing frequent remote video conferencing, telecommunications, email, and in-person conferences.

What science fiction character best represents your team and why?

Professor Xavier, the founder of the X-Men, because he also works with mutants and feels that while they are often misunderstood, under the right circumstances they can greatly benefit the world.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.

Más fotografías que se pudieron captar en nuestra aventura por el Desierto Wirikuta.

Crédito: Pavel Vorobiev

https://instagram.com/_vorobservatorio_

~Antares

Fotografía de una sola exposición a la salida de la luna en Willow Spring Lake, ubicado en la cima del Mogollon Rim en el norte de Arizona, a unos 37 km al este de la ciudad de Payson en los Bosques Nacionales Apache-Sitgreaves, inmediatamente adyacente a la SR 260.

Crédito: Evan Amos

https://instagram.com/evanamos

~Antares

¿Qué es más viejo que estos árboles antiguos?

Nadie que conozcas, pero casi todo en el fondo de esta imagen. Los árboles son impresionantemente viejos, cada parte del antiguo bosque de pinos bristlecone ubicado en el este de California, EE. UU. Allí, muchos de los árboles más antiguos conocidos se encuentran, algunos que datan tan atrás como aproximadamente 5.000 años. La banda central de nuestra Vía Láctea , que data de alrededor de 9 mil millones de años.

Créditos: Brad Goldpaint

Nebulosa de la llama y cabeza de caballo. La nebulosa de la llama se encuentra cerca de la estrella Alnitak, la cual forma el asterismo conocido como cinturon de Orión junto a las estrellas Alnilam y Mintaka.

Crédito: Pit Cave Produccions

https://instagram.com/pitcave

~Antares

Visto desde la luna de hielo Tetis , los anillos y las sombras mostrarían fantásticas vistas del sistema de Saturno. ¿No has visitado a Tethys últimamente? Entonces este hermoso paisaje en anillo de la nave espacial Cassini tendrá que funcionar por ahora. Atrapada por la luz del sol justo debajo y a la izquierda del centro de la imagen en 2005, la propia Tetis tiene unos 1.000 kilómetros de diámetro y orbita a menos de cinco radios de Saturno desde el centro del planeta gigante gaseoso.

#Glaretum #astrophotography #espacio #Saturno

Créditos: Equipo de imágenes Cassini, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA.

Cometa C/2021 A1 (Leonard).

Descubierto el día 3 de enero de 2021 por el astrónomo Gregory J. Leonard a través de imágenes obtenidas mediante el telescopio reflector de 1.5 m del Sistema de Vigilancia Mt. Lemmon en Arizona (EEUU).

El mayor acercamiento que tendrá este objeto a la Tierra será el 12 de Diciembre del 2021 a una distancia de 35 millones de kilómetros aproximadamente.

Las estimaciones de los astrónomos indican que Leonard debería alcanzar una magnitud visual entre cinco y 2.6, lo que permitiría distinguirlo a simple vista, pues mientras más bajo es el índice, más brillante es un cuerpo celeste.

Así que ya lo saben, es posible que el 2021 nos de un excelente espectáculo estelar. Estén atentos a las noticias por medios confiables sobre su estado.

Fuente: Cometografía

https://cometografia.es/cometa-leonard-2021

Fotografía: Da Ko

https://instagram.com/dakouniverse

~Antares