Photo of the Day Why is the Moon so dusty? On Earth, rocks are weathered by wind and water, creating soil and sand. On the Moon, eons of constant micrometeorite bombardment have blasted away at the rocky surface creating a layer of powdery lunar soil or regolith. For the Apollo astronauts and their equipment, [...]
Preparing to orbit and do science on the Moon, investigating how solar wind interacts with Mars, and demonstrating quiet supersonic flight are just a FEW of the milestones we have planned for 2025. To learn more about the missions mentioned in this highlight video, take a deep dive into these links: [0:09] Artemis II Mission: [...]
While orbiting approximately 250 miles above Earth, external cameras aboard the International Space Station captured the sixth test flight of SpaceX’s Starship after liftoff at 4 pm CST on Tuesday, November 19. For Artemis III, the first crewed return to the Moon in over 50 years, NASA is working with SpaceX to develop Starship as [...]
iss072e220043 (Nov. 19, 2024) --- The plume from the first stage of the SpaceX Starship 6 rocket as it descends into the Gulf of Mexico is pictured from the International Space Station. The launch plume can also be seen after Starship 6 lifted off from the company's Starbase site in Boca Chica, Texas. Credit: Nick [...]
This artist’s concept portrays SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System (HLS) with two Raptor engines lit, performing a braking burn prior to its Moon landing. The burn will occur after Starship HLS departs low lunar orbit to reduce the lander’s velocity prior to final descent to the lunar surface. NASA is working with SpaceX to develop [...]
These artist’s concepts show SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System (HLS) in operation on its journey to the Moon. Before astronauts launch in NASA’s Orion spacecraft atop the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, SpaceX will launch a storage depot to Earth orbit. For Artemis III and Artemis IV, SpaceX plans to complete propellant loading operations [...]
These artist’s concepts show SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System (HLS) in operation on its journey to the Moon. Before astronauts launch in NASA’s Orion spacecraft atop the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, SpaceX will launch a storage depot to Earth orbit. For Artemis III and Artemis IV, SpaceX plans to complete propellant loading operations [...]
Photo of the Day Why does a cloudy moon sometimes appear colorful? The effect, called a lunar corona, is created by the quantum mechanical diffraction of light around individual, similarly-sized water droplets in an intervening but mostly-transparent cloud. Since light of different colors has different wavelengths, each color diffracts differently. Lunar coronae are one [...]
Artemis I is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and the ground systems at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for [...]
Artemis I is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and the ground systems at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for [...]
