Space – Lifeboat News: The Blog

Oct 22
2020

NASA Shares Photos from ‘Touch-and-Go’ with Asteroid Bennu 200 Million Miles Away

Photos of touching down on an asteroid.

On Tuesday, October 20th, NASA made history when the OSIRIS-REx mission successfully completed a “touch-and-go” sample collection maneuver with asteroid 101955 Bennu over 200 million miles away from Earth. And now, we have the timelapse to prove it.

NASA shared a total of 82 images from spacecraft’s SamCam imager covering the approach, the touchdown at sample sight Nightingale, and the “back-away burn.” The slideshow was captured over the course of approximately five minutes, and covers everything from about 82 feet (25 meters) above the asteroid, through the back-away burn, and up until the craft achieved an altitude of approximately 43 feet (13 meters), kicking up a lot of material along the way.

Oct 22
2020

ISS air leakage fixed in time for crew handover, thanks to floating teabag

Thanks to the tea bag! 😃

Also: Starlinks soar but GPS stays grounded, NASA names first Virgin Galactic flier.

Oct 22
2020

The US Space Force Just Deployed Its First Troops

This group is making history.

But not to space.

Oct 22
2020

Studying Martian Rocks Back on Earth — Behind the Spacecraft — Perseverance

When NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover starts its quest for Martian rocks it will have quite the to-do list:

🕵️‍ Locate
⛏ Drill

📦 Stash

The robotic caching system that’ll get the job done is 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬 thanks to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer Eric Aguilar: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020

Oct 21
2020

Soyuz MS-16 Undocking

The Soyuz crew ship undocked from the station at 7:32 p.m. EDT today and will return to Earth at 10:55 p.m. with NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner of Roscosmos. Read more… go.nasa.gov/31su0Lm.

Oct 21
2020

Where is SpaceX Starlink? How to see in London, Seattle, Houston

Starlink, SpaceX’s internet connectivity constellation, is making its way across the skies. Here’s how to see it from London, Seattle, and Houston.

Oct 21
2020

Former space shuttle commander Pam Melroy to space station and diversity in ‘Virtual Astronaut’ webinar

Tune in to “The Virtual Astronaut” talk with Melroy on Oct. 24!

One of the greatest legacies of the International Space Station is the diversity it brought to the astronaut corps, former space shuttle commander Pam Melroy will discuss with a virtual audience Saturday (Oct. 24).

Melroy, a three-time retired spaceflyer and former U.S. Air Force test pilot, will speak about her experiences in space as part of the Virtual Astronaut series, and you can buy tickets here.

Oct 21
2020

NASA’s First Asteroid Sample Collection Attempt

We came. We saw. And we tagged. 👉 ☄️ Watch as OSIRISREx briefly touches the surface of asteroid Bennu during NASA’s first asteroid sample collection attempt. More: https://go.nasa.gov/2Hn0Giz # ToBennuAndBack.

Oct 20
2020

NASA Just Successfully Touched Down on an Asteroid

NASA just landed a spacecraft on an asteroid and, if everything went as planned, sucked up a sample of dust and rock from the surface.

From 200 million miles away, NASA and its engineering partner, Lockheed Martin, instructed the spacecraft to descend to the surface of a space rock called Bennu.

In just 5 to 10 seconds, the probe should have collected samples from the asteroid’s surface. It’s set to bring these pieces of Bennu back to Earth later.

Oct 20
2020

Expedition 63 Change of Command Ceremony

NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy handed over station command today to Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov. Cassidy will return to Earth on Wednesday with two Expedition 63 crewmates. https://go.nasa.gov/2SWS3Ob.