Spotted: Signs Of A Planet About 28 Million Light-years Away 🔎 🪐

Auroras desde Kiruna, Suecia.

Crédito: Mia Stålnacke

@AngryTheInch

Eclipse lunar total en el 2019

Compuesto reprocesado de dos imagenes, una de la luna y otra de las estrellas.

Crédito: Dan Stein

https://danieljstein.com/

~Antares

Sudamérica visto desde el satélite Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR)

La Tierra y la Luna compartieron un escudo magnético en los inicios del sistema solar, protegiendo la atmósfera del planeta de violentos estallidos de radiación y eyecciones de masa coronal de nuestra estrella.

Fuente: https://t.co/pGcZBYM6v7

Crédito: NASA

Luna y el Starship SN8 de SpaceX

Crédito: Tommy J. Saenz

Impresionante fotografia desde Kiruna, Suecia.

Crédito: Mia Stålnacke

@AngryTheInch

Blue Origin completó con éxito la decimotercera misión New Shepard el 13 de octubre de 2020. New Shepard voló 12 cargas útiles comerciales al espacio en esta misión, incluida la Demostración del sensor de aterrizaje, descenso y deorbitación con la Dirección de Misión de Tecnología Espacial de la NASA.

Vía: Blue Origin

En esta fotografía podemos apreciar la luz zodiacal, luz reflejada de las partículas de polvo interplanetario. A la derecha a la Vía Láctea y en medio la galaxia de Andrómeda.

Crédito: Jeff Dai

https://instagram.com/jeffdaiphoto

~Antares

Descubrir los errores de otros, tarea que para la naturaleza humana es mucho más fácil que percibir los errores propios.

An Addition to our Space Rock Collection

On October 20th, our OSIRIS-REx mission will make its first attempt to collect and retrieve a sample of asteroid Bennu, a near-Earth asteroid. On sample collection day, Bennu will be over 200 million miles away from Earth.  

Asteroids are the building blocks of our solar system. A sample of this ancient material can tell us about the history of our planet and the origins of life. Science results published from the mission on October 8th confirm that Bennu contains carbon in a form often found in biology or in compounds associated with biology.

To collect a sample, OSIRIS-REx will attempt a method NASA has never used before – called Touch-And-Go (TAG).  First, the spacecraft extends its robotic sampling arm, the Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) – from its folded storage position. The spacecraft’s two solar panels then move into a “Y-wing” configuration over the spacecraft’s body, which positions them safely up and away from the asteroid’s surface during touch down. This configuration also places the spacecraft’s center of gravity directly over the TAGSAM collector head, which is the only part of the spacecraft that will contact Bennu’s surface.

Finding a safe sample collection site on Bennu’s rocky landscape was a challenge. During the sampling event, the spacecraft, which is the size of a large van, will attempt to touch down in an area that is only the size of a few parking spaces, and just a few steps away from enormous boulders.

The spacecraft will only make contact with Bennu for a matter of seconds - just long enough to blow nitrogen gas onto the surface to roil up dust and small pebbles, which will then be captured for a return to Earth.

We need to conduct a few tests before we can confirm we collected a large enough sample (about 2 oz). First, OSIRIS-REx will take images of the collector head to see if it contains rocks and dust. Second, the spacecraft will spin with the TAGSAM extended to determine the mass of collected material. If these measures show a successful collection, we will stow the sample for return to Earth. If sufficient sample has not been collected, the spacecraft has onboard nitrogen charges for two more attempts. The next TAG attempt would be made no earlier than January 2021.

Despite the many challenges, the OSIRIS-REx team is ready. They’ve practiced and prepared for this moment.

Join in with #ToBennuAndBack and tune in on October 20th.

Learn more about the OSIRIS-REx countdown to TAG HERE.

Learn more about the OSIRIS-REx mission HERE, or follow the mission on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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