Author: ora-ito

很容易被这个螺旋星系迷住。沿着它清晰的布满恒星的臂状结构，到达它的中心，那里可能有古老的星团，有时还有活跃的超大质量黑洞。NASA的詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜通过近红外光和中红外光的结合，提供了这个和其他附近螺旋星系的非常详细的场景。

Astronaut Bruce McCandless II approaches his maximum distance from the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger in this 70mm photo from Feb. 7, 1984. While testing out the nitrogen-propelled, hand-controlled back-pack device called the manned maneuvering unit (MMU) for the first time, McCandless’s fellow crewmembers aboard the reusable vehicle photographed him. The MMU allowed crews to move outside of the cargo bay and perform activities away from the safety of the spacecraft. “It may have been one small step for Neil,” he proclaimed, “but it’s a heck of a big leap for me.” Learn how this and other iconic photos from the STS-41B mission came to be. Image Credit: NASA 在这张1984年2月7日拍摄的70毫米照片中，宇航员布鲁斯·麦克坎德雷斯二世正在接近他与绕地球飞行的挑战者号航天飞机的最大距离。在首次测试名为载人机动装置（MMU）的氮气推进手控背包装置时，麦坎德利斯在可重复使用飞行器上的同事给他拍了照。MMU允许机组人员离开货舱，在远离飞船安全的地方进行活动。“对尼尔来说这可能只是一小步，”他宣称，“但对我来说却是一大步。” 了解这张照片和STS-41B任务中的其他标志性照片是如何产生的。 图片来源: NASA

This new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image shows ESO 185-IG013, a luminous blue compact galaxy (BCG). BCGs are nearby galaxies that show an intense burst of star formation. They are unusually blue in visible light, which sets them apart from other high-starburst galaxies that emit more infrared light. Astrophysicists study BCGs because they provide a relatively close-by equivalent for galaxies from the early universe. This means that BCGs can help scientists learn about galaxy formation and evolution that may have been happening billions of years ago. Hubble imaged ESO 185-IG013 in ultraviolet, visible, and infrared wavelengths to reveal details about its past. Hundreds of young star clusters, many of which are younger than 100 million years, populate the galaxy. A large number of star clusters…

Clouds of white vapor pile up at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, during a full-duration, 500-second hot fire of an RS-25 certification engine Jan. 17, 2024. This test series is critical for future flights of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket in support of the Artemis campaign. During the Jan. 17 test, operators followed a “test like you fly” approach, firing the engine for the same amount of time – almost eight-and-a-half minutes (500 seconds) – needed to launch SLS and at power levels ranging between 80% to 113%. Image Credit: NASA/Danny Nowlin 2024年1月17日，在密西西比州圣路易斯湾的NASA斯坦尼斯航天中心，RS-25认证发动机进行了全程500秒的高温点火，白色蒸汽云堆积在一起。这一系列测试对于NASA的SLS（太空发射系统）火箭的未来飞行至关重要，以支持阿尔忒弥斯任务。 在1月17日的测试中，操作人员采用了“像飞行一样测试”的方法，在发射SLS所需的相同时间内（近8.5分钟（500秒））点火发动机，功率水平在80%到113%之间。 影像来源: NASA/Danny Nowlin

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter’s aerial prototype is seen at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steve F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va, Dec. 15, 2023. The prototype, which was the first to prove it was possible to fly in a simulated Mars environment at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was donated to the museum. Ingenuity’s history-making mission on Mars recently came to an end after one or more of its rotor blades sustained damage during landing, rendering it incapable of flight. Originally designed as a technology demonstration to perform up to five experimental test flights over 30 days, the first aircraft on another world operated from the Martian surface for almost three years, performed 72 flights, and flew more than 14 times farther than planned…

In honor of the members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery for the benefit all, the agency hosted its annual Day of Remembrance Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. Traditionally held on the fourth Thursday in January each year, NASA Day of Remembrance commemorates the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia. “Our annual Day of Remembrance honors the sacrifice of the NASA family who lost their lives in the pursuit of discovery,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “While it is a solemn day, we are forever thankful that our fallen heroes shared their spirt of exploration with NASA, our country, and the world. Today, and every day, we embrace NASA’s core value of…

In this image from May 22, 2023, a NASA intern uses an augmented reality headset to test out heads-up display technology being developed for future Artemis missions. This technology was created as part of the NASA Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students, or SUITS, design challenge in which college students from across the country help design user interface solutions for future spaceflight needs. Today marks the beginning of NASA’s Spring 2024 internship season; across the country, hundreds of interns are joining the Artemis Generation and contributing to the agency’s mission of exploring the universe for the benefit of all. The deadline for Summer 2024 internship applications is Feb. 2. Learn more and apply at intern.nasa.gov. Image Credit: NASA/James Blair 在这张2023年5月22日的照片中，NASA的一名实习生使用增强现实耳机测试为未来的阿尔忒弥斯任务开发的平视显示技术。这项技术是NASA学生宇航服用户界面技术设计挑战赛的一部分，来自全国各地的大学生帮助设计未来太空飞行需求的用户界面解决方案。 今天标志着NASA 2024年春季实习季的开始；在全国各地，数百名实习生正在加入阿耳忒弥斯一代，并为该机构探索宇宙造福全人类的使命做出贡献。 2024年夏季实习申请截止日期为2月2日。了解更多信息并在intern.nasa.gov上申请。 图片来源: NASA/James…

This Hubble Picture of the Week features Arp 122, a peculiar galaxy that in fact comprises two galaxies — NGC 6040, the tilted, warped spiral galaxy and LEDA 59642, the round, face-on spiral — that are in the midst of a collision. This dramatic cosmic encounter is located at the very safe distance of roughly 570 million light-years from Earth. ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton, Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA Acknowledgement: L. Shatz This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features Arp 122, a peculiar galaxy that in fact comprises two galaxies – NGC 6040, the tilted, warped spiral galaxy and LEDA 59642, the round, face-on spiral – that are in the midst of a collision. This dramatic cosmic encounter is located at the very safe distance of…

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite sensor on the NOAA-NASA Suomi NPP satellite captured this image of the aurora borealis, or northern lights, over western Canada at 3:23 a.m. MST (5:23 a.m. EST) on November 5, 2023. Auroras are colorful ribbons of light appearing in night skies, incited by a strong geomagnetic storm in Earth’s magnetosphere. Multiple coronal mass ejections from the Sun sent a surge of charged particles toward Earth. After colliding with Earth’s magnetosphere, some particles trapped in the magnetic field are accelerated into Earth’s upper atmosphere where they excite nitrogen and oxygen molecules and release photons of light, known as the aurora. If you like watching displays such as these, you can help scientists verify aurora sightings so they can analyze and…