On March 8, 2022, Taikonaut Wang Yaping celebrated International Women’s Day from China’s Space Station Tiangong by delivering a special message to the world.
Category Archives: Space Exploration
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) takes its first photo (and a selfie!)
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) took its first photo today (February 11, 2022). Despite we see multiple stars on the photo, the image is actually a mosaic of 18 images of the same star, HD 84406, which will now be used to align the 18 segments of the primary mirror to ultimately produce a …
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Who Owns the Most Satellites in Space?
There are 4,550 satellites orbiting around the Earth right now. They serve a variety of purposes including providing internet access, global positioning, and space observation. While some of these satellites are operated by government organizations, other satellites are owned by private organizations. Which companies and countries own the most of these satellites?
Earth Phases as seen from the Moon
Earth’s phases in the Moon’s sky are exactly the opposite of the Moon’s phases in the Earth’s sky. Is there a full moon? The Earth is dark in the Moon’s sky. It’s half-moon? The Earth is also half. Moon is a slim crescent? Earth is almost full.
The moment the spacewalking record was broken by Bruce McCandless [February 7, 1984]
On February 7, 1984, during the STS-41-B (the tenth NASA Space Shuttle mission and the fourth flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger), NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless II (June 8, 1937 – December 21, 2017) made the first-ever untethered free flight using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (see notes 1). With a distance of 98 meters (320 …
Bagnold Dunes: a geological formation on Mars with breathtaking scenery
In November 2015, NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover started exploring the Bagnold Dunes, a 35-kilometer-long (about 22 miles) and 1-2 km wide (0.62-1.25 mi) group of dark grey dunes in the Gale Crater on Mars, on the northwestern flank of Mount Sharp. The dunes are named after the 20th-century desert explorer, geologist, and soldier Ralph Alger …
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Can you see an astronaut on the Moon via a strong telescope? No, here’s why
As NASA plans to return to the moon, will we be able to see the astronauts on the Moon via a really strong telescope, when they were landed?
Tonga’s Hunga volcano eruption from space, amazing video
Satellite imagery captures Tonga’s Hunga volcano erupting. The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted for the second time in 2 days and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) GOES-West satellite captured imagery of the eruption. The eruption also triggered a tsunami that hit the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga. This time-lapse video composed of images …
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Stranded in space: the story of Sergei Krikalev, the last Soviet cosmonaut
Soviet cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev (born August 27, 1958) was in space when the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991. He was stranded on board the Mir Space Station during the dissolution of the USSR. As the country that had sent him into space no longer existed, his return was delayed until further notice. He stayed …
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NASA introduces a new logo for extending International Space Station operations through 2030
On December 31, 2021, the Biden-Harris administration extended the International Space Station (ISS) operations through 2030. Today, NASA has introduced a new International Space Station logo for extending operations.