insert_link Weather Nerd The James Webb Space Telescope is now in its Final Stretch James Webb, astronomy's new super space telescope, has taken another major step to full operational capability. The $10bn successor to the Hubble Space Telescope is now fully focused and aligned. Light bounces perfectly off its mirrors to form pin-sharp imagery in all four of its instruments. All that remains is to check that the instruments are properly calibrated - that they are delivering their data in a way that's expected […] todayMay 3, 2022
insert_link Weather Nerd What is a Solar Cycle, the Maunder Minimum, and Global Temps in 2022 According to NASA, our Sun is a huge ball of electrically-charged hot gas. This charged gas moves, generating a powerful magnetic field. The Sun's magnetic field goes through a cycle, called the solar cycle, which lasts 11 years. Every 11 years or so, the Sun's magnetic field completely flips. This means that the Sun's north and south poles switch places. Then it takes about another 11 years for the Sun’s […] todayMarch 10, 2022
insert_link Tech Made Simple NASA’s revolutionary James Webb Space Telescope has Successfully Launched into Space The Verge reports that early Christmas morning, NASA’s revolutionary new space observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, successfully launched into space after taking off on top of a European Ariane 5 rocket from South America. So, what does that mean for us here on Earth? The launch marks the beginning of one of the most anticipated NASA missions in decades, and with it a program that promises to transform how […] todayDecember 28, 2021
insert_link Tech Made Simple Russia blames Software Glitch for Misfired Engines that shoved ISS Russia’s space agency blamed a “short-term software failure” for last Thursday’s engine mishap with its new science module, The Verge reports. The module’s thrusters unexpectedly fired hours after docking, shifting the International Space Station off its normal position. The software glitch caused the Nauka module to think it was supposed to back away from the station. The space station, a football field-sized research laboratory floating 270 miles up in low-Earth orbit, was […] todayAugust 5, 2021
insert_link Tech Made Simple 82 year-old Mercury 13 legend Wally Funk will ride with Jeff Bezos on Blue Origin’s first crewed mission Wally Funk, one of the “Mercury 13” pilots who fought to open NASA’s early astronaut program to women, will ride with Jeff Bezos on his space company’s first crewed mission out of Earth’s atmosphere later this month, the billionaire announced on Instagram Thursday. jeffbezos No one has waited longer. In 1961, Wally Funk was at the top of her class as part of the “Mercury 13” Woman in Space Program. […] todayJuly 5, 2021
insert_link Tech Made Simple NASA seeks to put first person of color on the Moon in Artemis mission Acting NASA administrator Steve Jurczyk said Friday that under President Biden’s budget request, the agency’s Artemis mission has a new goal: in addition to landing the first woman on the Moon, it will also send the first person of color to the lunar surface. So far, the only Earthlings to touch the Moon’s surface have been white men. “The president’s discretionary request increases NASA’s ability to better understand Earth and […] todayApril 15, 2021
insert_link Tech Made Simple NASA’s Perseverance Rover beams back first Images from its Wild Landing NASA just released a cache of tantalizing photos from its Perseverance rover after landing on Mars Thursday, with one showing the rover getting dropped off by the rocket-powered platform it used to gently descend on the Red Planet’s surface. Scientists are poring through hundreds of images and expect to release more — including videos and audio — in the coming days. The SUV-sized Perseverance rover touched down at Mars’ Jezero […] todayFebruary 22, 2021
insert_link Food & Drink Are you up for the Deep Space Food Challenge? Space, the final Food Frontier…. Do you have a passion for food? How about a passion for space travel? Well if you're savvy enough about both, NASA wants to give you up to $500,000 to figure out a way to get astronauts fresh food while on deep space missions. No biggie, right? It's called "The Deep Space Food Challenge" and it's designed to help NASA figure out how to provide […] todayFebruary 8, 2021
insert_link Girl Power NASA Names Headquarters After ‘Hidden Figure’ Mary W. Jackson NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced Wednesday the agency's headquarters building in Washington, D.C., will be named after Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA. Jackson started her NASA career in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of the agency's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Jackson, a mathematician and aerospace engineer, went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, […] todayJune 25, 2020
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