保护地球，探索宇宙，发现文明
With wildflowers surrounding the view, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Moon rocket – carried atop the Crawler-Transporter 2 – arrives at Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 6, 2022. The first in an increasingly complex series of missions, Artemis I will test the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft as an integrated system prior...
一个巨大的粉红色斑点星系，像一个轮子，内部有一个小的椭圆形的内环，中间是尘土飞扬的蓝色。左边有两个较小的螺旋星系，在黑色背景下大小大致相同。 影像来源：NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI NASA的詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜观察了混乱的车轮星系，揭示了有关恒星形成和星系中心黑洞的新细节。韦伯强大的红外观测产生了这张车轮星系和两个较小伴星系的详细图像，背景是许多其他星系。这张图片提供了一个新的视角，展示了车轮星系在数十亿年中是如何变化的。 车轮星系位于约5亿光年外的玉夫座中，是一个罕见的景象。它的外观，很像马车的车轮，这是一个激烈事件的结果——一个大的螺旋星系和一个在这张照片中看不到的小星系之间的高速碰撞。星系比例的碰撞会导致所涉及的星系之间发生一系列不同的、较小的事件；车轮星系也不例外。 这次碰撞最显著地影...
NASA celebrates the life of Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek actor, trailblazer, and role model, who symbolized to so many what was possible. She partnered with us to recruit some of the first women and minority astronauts, and inspired generations to reach for the stars. In this photo from February 2012, Nichols was a featured guest speaker in the Building 8 aud...
Zeta Ophiuchi is a star with a complicated past, having likely been ejected from its birthplace by a powerful stellar explosion. A new look by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory helps tell more of the story of this runaway star. Located about 440 light-years from Earth, Zeta Ophiuchi is a hot star that is 20 times more massive than the Sun. Previous obse...
As NASA’s Juno mission completed its 43rd close flyby of Jupiter on July 5, 2022, its JunoCam instrument captured this striking view of vortices — hurricane-like spiral wind patterns — near the planet’s north pole. These powerful storms can be over 30 miles (50 kilometers) in height and hundreds of miles across. Figuring out how they form is key to understan...
The Sun’s rays begin to illuminate the Earth’s atmosphere as the International Space Station flew into an orbital sunrise 261 miles above Texas, as seen in this image taken by astronaut Bob Hines. The crew doesn’t just snap pretty pictures; the research aboard the station benefits humanity in numerous ways. This week, the 11th annual Intern...
Before NASA’s quiet supersonic X-59 aircraft takes to the skies, plenty of testing happens to ensure a safe first flight. One part of this safety check is to analyze data collected for the X-59’s flight control system through low-speed wind tunnel tests. The X-59 is central to NASA’s Quesst mission to expand supersonic flight and provide regulators with data...
Though Mars is the Red Planet, false-color images can help us learn about its weather and geology. This image shows a variety of wind-related features on the Red Planet near the center of Gamboa Crater. Larger sand dunes form sinuous crests and individual domes. There are tiny ripples on the tops of the dunes, only several feet from crest-to-crest. These mer...
An Alta-X drone operated by NASA researchers flies over NASA Langley’s City Environment Range Testing for Autonomous Integrated Navigation (CERTAIN) as part of the Advanced Air Mobility project’s High Density Vertiplex (HDV) testing in April 2022. HDV is developing the necessary systems to enable urban drone flights that travel beyond visual sight. Lea...
The Apollo 11 crew simulates deploying and using lunar tools on the surface of the Moon during a training exercise on April 22, 1969. Lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin (left) uses a scoop and tongs to pick up a soil sample. Mission Commander Neil Armstrong holds a bag to receive the sample. In the background is a Lunar Module mockup. On July 16, 1969, the crew ...