Venus, Jupiter, And Saturn... These Are What I Consider My Best Images. I’ve Learned So Much This Past

Charlie Duke’s moon boot prints at South Carolina Hall of Fame in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Looking Up -

When I was a kid, my parents bought me a pretty basic telescope. I’m sure it was only used less than fifty times. It was a pain to lug it outside and set up. The finder scope was always loose and impossible to align. Eventually, the telescope became part of my room decor.

It wasn’t all the telescope’s fault. I was naive and fell for the pretty pictures on the box showing me the universe. I thought I was going to set up in the backyard and find a comet in five minutes. I’d have my Doctorate by the end of the week...

Alas, the only thing I could line up was the Moon. I wasn’t patient enough to look for subtle differences from viewing to viewing. I was young, dumb, and bored. The telescope came out less often. Eventually, it quit getting brought outside at all.

Thirty five years later, a spark in me reignited. I found telescopes with red-dot finder scopes and computerized tracking. I now knew those incredible images on the old box required long exposures and specialized settings. I wanted to try again.

My new telescope has allowed me to see many aspects of the Moon I could never appreciate before. Also, with my camera mount, I can now see and photograph deep space objects. The joy I experienced on seeing my first nebula was overwhelming. I showed my wife my first picture like I was a schoolboy with an A+.

Now for the cool part... I get to share this with my daughter. At five years of age, she can identify the four major planets in the sky. I am jealous of the technology she’ll get to grow up with, but for now, we will use my telescope and maybe even find a comet.

If Alan Shepard can take swings on the Moon, then I call dibs on Mars. I’ll have Perseverance data to keep me out of the bunkers. @nasa @nasajpl #mars #perseverance #nasaperseverance #marsrover #mars2020 #mars2020rover https://www.instagram.com/p/CDsSY85nQoj/?igshid=192a1toh0qhtm

Hubble Peers at Cosmic Blue Bauble

NASA - Hubble Space Telescope patch. April 12, 2019

Globular clusters are inherently beautiful objects, but the subject of this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image, Messier 3, is commonly acknowledged to be one of the most beautiful of them all. Containing an incredible half-million stars, this 8-billion-year-old cosmic bauble is one of the largest and brightest globular clusters ever discovered. However, what makes Messier 3 extra special is its unusually large population of variable stars — stars that fluctuate in brightness over time. New variable stars continue to be discovered in this sparkling stellar nest to this day, but so far we know of 274, the highest number found in any globular cluster by far. At least 170 of these are of a special variety called RR Lyrae variables, which pulse with a period directly related to their intrinsic brightness. If astronomers know how bright a star truly is based on its mass and classification, and they know how bright it appears to be from our viewpoint here on Earth, they can thus work out its distance from us. For this reason, RR Lyrae stars are known as standard candles — objects of known luminosity whose distance and position can be used to help us understand more about vast celestial distances and the scale of the cosmos. Messier 3 also contains a relatively high number of so-called blue stragglers, which are shown quite clearly in this Hubble image. These are blue main sequence stars that appear to be young because they are bluer and more luminous than other stars in the cluster. As all stars in globular clusters are believed to have formed together and thus to be roughly the same age, only a difference in mass can give these stars a different color. A red, old star can appear bluer when it acquires more mass, for instance by stripping it from a nearby star. The extra mass changes it into a bluer star, which makes us think it is younger than it really is. Messier 3 is featured in Hubble’s Messier catalog, which includes some of the most fascinating objects that can be observed from Earth’s Northern Hemisphere. See the NASA-processed image and other Messier objects at: https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-s-messier-catalog.

Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

For more information about Hubble, visit: http://hubblesite.org/ http://www.nasa.gov/hubble http://www.spacetelescope.org/ Text Credits: ESA (European Space Agency)/NASA/Rob Garner/Image, Animation, Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, G. Piotto et al. Best regards, Orbiter.ch Full article

NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab: The Ultimate Underwater Simulator for Astronauts

NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL) is a state-of-the-art underwater facility located in Houston, Texas. It serves as an underwater simulation environment for astronauts to train for spacewalks and other extravehicular activities (EVAs). The NBL is one of the most advanced training facilities in the world and plays a critical role in preparing astronauts for the challenges they will face in space.

The NBL is a massive indoor pool that is over 200 feet long, 100 feet wide, and 40 feet deep. It contains a full-scale mock-up of the International Space Station (ISS) and other space structures, allowing astronauts to practice and perfect their spacewalking techniques in a controlled and safe environment. The pool is filled with over 6 million gallons of water, which provides a simulated weightless experience similar to that of space.

Astronauts are equipped with a full spacewalk suit, which provides them with life support and protection from the harsh conditions of space. The suit is buoyant, which makes it difficult for astronauts to move around in water. To overcome this challenge, the suit is weighted with lead weights to balance out the buoyancy, making it possible for astronauts to move around freely in the water. This process of weight balancing is called "neutral buoyancy," which gives the NBL its name.

The NBL is not only a training facility for spacewalking, but it is also used to test new spacewalk equipment and procedures. It allows engineers and scientists to observe how equipment and procedures perform in a simulated microgravity environment. This information is then used to make improvements and ensure the safety of astronauts in space.

One of the unique features of the NBL is its ability to simulate various lighting conditions, including daylight, nighttime, and the red lighting that is used during spacewalks. This capability allows astronauts to train for all types of spacewalking scenarios and ensures that they are well-prepared for any situation they may encounter in space.

In conclusion, NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab is a crucial component of astronaut training and space exploration. It provides a safe and controlled environment for astronauts to train for spacewalks and other EVAs, while also allowing engineers and scientists to test new equipment and procedures. The NBL plays a vital role in ensuring the success and safety of NASA's space missions.

Fun times at the Apollo to Artemis Gala celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 16! #nasa #nasasolarsystemambassador #solarsystemambassador #artemis #apollo16 #sls (at U.S. Space & Rocket Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcneEbjOwD_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Falcon Heavy extreme closeup at liftoff

via reddit

Saturn V replica at U.S. Space and Rocket Center #apollo #apollo50thanniversary #nasa #usspaceandrocketcenter #huntsvillealabama (at U.S. Space & Rocket Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwyL38rHYuK/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1n2w1tt0wuue4

This is so freakin’ cool! I’m already working with raw data from Perseverance! This image was taken today! Keep in mind, this is from a camera that’s like a backup cam on your car. The main cameras haven’t been deployed yet. That’s when the real fun starts! #perseverance #mars #nasa #solarsystemambassador https://www.instagram.com/p/CLk23M7jGSl/?igshid=phqp9inq7owd