空中出租车飞行测试

空中出租车飞行测试

NASA’s Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology Project’s Mobile Acoustics Facility is parked in the background of Joby’s prototype aircraft near Big Sur, California. As the aircraft flew planned test scenarios, NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign team collected information about how the vehicle moved, how the vehicle sounded, and how the vehicle communicated with controllers during recent testing from Aug. 30-Sept. 10. Learn more about the testing. Image Credit: Joby Aviation 美国宇航局的革命性垂直升降技术项目的移动声学设施停在加州大苏尔附近的乔比原型飞机的背景中。在飞机飞行计划中的测试场景时,美国宇航局的先进空中机动性国家运动团队在最近8月30日至9月10日的测试中收集了关于飞行器如何移动、飞行器如何发出声音以及飞行器如何与控制人员沟通的信息。 了解更多关于测试的信息。 图片来源:乔比航空

北美洲与鹈鹕

北美洲与鹈鹕

2021年9月16日 North America and the Pelican Image Credit & Copyright: Andrew Klinger Explanation: Fans of our fair planet might recognize the outlines of these cosmic clouds. On the left, bright emission outlined by dark, obscuring dust lanes seems to trace a continental shape, lending the popular name North America Nebula to the emission region cataloged as NGC 7000. To the right, just off the North America Nebula’s east coast, is IC 5070, whose avian profile suggests the Pelican Nebula. The two bright nebulae are about 1,500 light-years away, part of the same large and complex star forming region, almost as nearby as the better-known Orion Nebula. At that distance, the 3 degree wide field of view would span 80 light-years. This careful cosmic portrait uses…

戴安娜·特鲁希略:从哥伦比亚到火星

戴安娜·特鲁希略:从哥伦比亚到火星

Lee esta historia en español aquí. Diana Trujillo, an aerospace engineer, is currently Technical Group Supervisor for Sequence Planning and Execution and a Tactical Mission Lead for the Mars Perseverance rover. Born and raised in Colombia, Trujillo immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 17 to pursue her dream of working for NASA. While enrolled in English-as-a-second-language courses, she also worked full time to support her studies in community college and later the University of Florida and University of Maryland. She has held several roles for NASA and JPL, including Mars Curiosity rover mission lead, deputy project system engineer, and Deputy Team Chief of Engineering Operations on Curiosity. Trujillo has also been active in sharing the excitement and opportunities of STEM with the public….

拉贾·查里为SpaceX载人3号任务进行训练

拉贾·查里为SpaceX载人3号任务进行训练

In this image, NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-3 Commander Raja Chari trains aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft in Hawthorne, California. Chari was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class and reported for duty in August 2017. The Iowa native graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1999 with bachelor’s degrees in astronautical engineering and engineering science. He earned a master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. He also logged more than 2,500 hours of flight time in the F-35, F-15, F-16, and F-18. The Crew-3 mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and is the third time that SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket…

地球上的台风路径

地球上的台风路径

2021年9月15日 Cyclone Paths on Planet Earth Image Credit: National Hurricane Center, NOAA, NASA; Processing: Nilfanion (via Wikipedia) Explanation: Where on Earth do cyclones go? Known as hurricanes when in the Atlantic Ocean and typhoons when in the Pacific, the featured map shows the path of all major storms from 1985 through 2005. The map shows graphically that cyclones usually occur over water, which makes sense since evaporating warm water gives them energy. The map also shows that cyclones never cross — and rarely approach — the Earth’s equator, since the Coriolis effect goes to zero there, and cyclones need the Coriolis force to circulate. The Coriolis force also causes cyclone paths to arc away from the equator. Although long-term trends remain a topic of research,…

好奇号的火星360度全景

好奇号的火星360度全景

2021年9月14日 Mars Panorama 360 from Curiosity Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS; Processing & License: Elisabetta Bonora & Marco Faccin (aliveuniverse.today) Explanation: Which way up Mount Sharp? In early September, the robotic rover Curiosity continued its ascent up the central peak of Gale Crater, searching for more clues about ancient water and further evidence that Mars could once have been capable of supporting life. On this recent Martian morning, before exploratory drilling, the rolling rover took this 360-degree panorama, in part to help Curiosity’s human team back on Earth access the landscape and chart possible future routes. In the horizontally-compressed featured image, an amazing vista across Mars was captured, complete with layered hills, red rocky ground, gray drifting sand, and a dusty atmosphere. The hill just…

夜空的倒影

夜空的倒影

2021年9月13日 Night Sky Reflected Image Credit & Copyright: Egon Filter Explanation: What’s that in the mirror? In the featured image of the dark southern sky, the three brightest galaxies of the night are all relatively easy to identify. Starting from the left, these are the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), and part of the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. All three are also seen reflected in a shallow pool of water. But what is seen in the mirror being positioned by the playful astrophotographer? Dust clouds near the center of our Milky Way — and the planet Jupiter. The composite was carefully planned and composed from images captured from the same camera in the same location and during the…

Landsat 9号卫星就位进行封装

Landsat 9号卫星就位进行封装

Inside the Integrated Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, the Landsat 9 spacecraft is moved into position for encapsulation on Aug. 16, 2021. The two halves of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) payload fairing will surround and encase Landsat 9 to protect it during launch atop the ULA Atlas V rocket. Landsat 9 will launch on the Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg in September of this year. The launch is being managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program based at Kennedy Space Center, America’s multi-user spaceport. The Landsat 9 satellite, managed by the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will continue the nearly 50-year legacy of previous Landsat missions. It will monitor key natural and economic…

毅力号火星车收集火星历史的拼图碎片

毅力号火星车收集火星历史的拼图碎片

在这块昵称为“罗切特(Rochette)”的岩石上可以看到两个洞,NASA的毅力号火星车从这里获得了第一个第岩心样本。火星车在9月7日钻了左边的洞,被称为“蒙塔尼亚克 (Montagnac)”,在9月1日钻了右边的洞,被称为“蒙德尼尔(Montdenier)”。在它下面是一个被火星车磨掉的一个圆点。 影像来源:NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA的毅力号火星车成功地采集了它的第一对岩石样本,科学家已经对该地区有了新的认识。在9月6日采集了第一个名为“蒙塔尼亚”的样本后,研究小组于9月8日从同一块岩石上采集了第二个样本“蒙德尼尔”。 对蒙塔尼亚克和蒙德尼尔采集的岩石以及火星车之前的采样进行分析,可能有助于科学团队拼凑出该地区过去的时间线,该地区以火山活动和持续存在的水期为标志。 “看起来我们的第一块岩石揭示了一个潜在宜居的持续环境。”加州理工学院的项目科学家肯·法利 (Ken Farley) 说,他是该任务的项目科学家,该任务由位于南加州的NASA喷气推进实验室(JPL)领导。“水在那里很久了,这是一件大事。” 为该任务提供第一个岩芯样本的岩石成分是玄武岩,可能是熔岩流的产物。火山岩中结晶矿物的存在对放射性测定年代特别有帮助。岩石的火山起源可以帮助科学家准确地确定它的形成时间。每个样本都可以作为一个更大的年代拼图的一部分;把它们按正确的顺序排列,科学家就有了火山口历史上最重要事件的时间线。其中一些事件包括耶泽罗陨石坑的形成,耶泽罗湖的出现和消失,以及古代火星气候的变化。 更重要的是,在这些岩石中发现了盐分。这些盐分可能是在地下水流经并改变了岩石中的原始矿物质时形成的,或者更有可能是在液态水蒸发后留下的盐分。这前两个岩芯中的盐类矿物也可能捕获了古代火星水的微小气泡。如果存在,它们可以作为微观的时间胶囊,提供有关火星古代气候和可居住性的线索。盐矿物质在地球上也因其保存古代生命迹象的能力而闻名。 毅力号科学团队已经知道有一个湖曾经填满了陨石坑;至于有多长时间,就更不确定了。科学家们不能排除杰泽罗湖只是“昙花一现”的可能性:例如,洪水可能迅速填满陨石坑,并在50年内干涸。 但是,科学家们在提供岩芯样本的岩石中所看到的变化程度——以及科学团队首次采集样本时的目标岩石——表明地下水存在了很长一段时间。 这些地下水可能与曾经在耶泽罗的湖泊有关,也可能是在湖泊干涸后很久才穿过岩石。尽管科学家们仍然不能确定这些改变岩石的水是否存在了数万年还是数百万年,但他们认为这些水存在的时间足够长,足以使得该地区在过去更适合微生物生存。 “这些样本对未来回到地球上的实验室分析有很高的价值,”NASA总部的米奇·舒尔特(Mitch Schulte)说,他是此次任务的项目科学家。“有一天,我们可能会计算出这种岩石中的矿物所代表的环境条件的顺序和时间。这将有助于回答火星上液态水的历史和稳定性的宏观科学问题。” 下一站“South Séítah” 毅力号目前正在陨石坑底部寻找可以带回地球的样本,以回答有关火星历史的深刻问题。有希望的样本被密封在火星车底盘携带的钛管中,样本将被储存在那里,直到毅力号将它们丢弃,以便在未来的任务中取回。毅力号很可能会在任务后期创建多个“仓库”,它将在那里投放样本,以便未来的任务将其带到地球。拥有一个或多个仓库可以增加特别有价值的样品被运回地球的可能性。 毅力号的下一个可能的采样点就在656英尺(200米)外的“South Séítah”,这是一系列被沙丘、巨石和岩石碎片覆盖的山脊,法利将其比作“破碎的餐盘”。 火星车最近的钻探样本很可能是在耶泽罗陨石坑底部发现的最年轻的岩层之一。另一方面,South Séítah可能更古老,并将为科学团队提供一个更好的时间线,以了解形成陨石坑底部的事件,包括其湖泊。 到10月初,所有的火星任务将暂停指挥他们的航天器几周,这是火星太阳会合期间的一项保护措施。毅力号可能要到那个时期之后的某个时候才会在South Séítah钻探。 有关毅力号的更多信息 毅力号在火星上任务的一个关键目标是天体生物学,包括寻找古代微生物生命的迹象。该火星车将描述火星的地质和过去的气候特征,为人类探索红色星球铺平道路,并成为第一个收集和储存火星岩石和风化层(破碎的岩石和灰尘)的任务。 随后的NASA任务将与ESA(欧洲航天局)合作,向火星发送航天器,从火星表面收集这些密封的样本,并将它们带到地球进行深入分析。 火星2020毅力号任务是NASA从月球到火星探索方法的一部分,其中包括对月球的阿尔忒弥斯任务,这将有助于为人类探索红色星球做准备。 位于加州帕萨迪纳的加州理工学院为NASA管理的JPL建造并管理毅力号探测器的运作。 如欲了解关于毅力号的更多信息,请访问: https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance 参考来源: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-perseverance-rover-collects-puzzle-pieces-of-mars-history

冰岛上空的螺旋极光

冰岛上空的螺旋极光

2021年9月12日 A Spiral Aurora over Iceland Image Credit & Copyright: Davide Necchi Explanation: What’s happened to the sky? Aurora! Captured in 2015, this aurora was noted by Icelanders for its great brightness and quick development. The aurora resulted from a solar storm, with high energy particles bursting out from the Sun and through a crack in Earth’s protective magnetosphere a few days later. Although a spiral pattern can be discerned, creative humans might imagine the complex glow as an atmospheric apparition of any number of common icons. In the foreground of the featured image is the Ölfusá River while the lights illuminate a bridge in Selfoss City. Just beyond the low clouds is a nearly full Moon. The liveliness of the Sun — and likely…