Thanks to the tea bag! đ
Also: Starlinks soar but GPS stays grounded, NASA names first Virgin Galactic flier.
Category: space – Page 817
Studying Martian Rocks Back on Earth â Behind the Spacecraft â Perseverance
When NASAâs Perseverance Mars Rover starts its quest for Martian rocks it will have quite the to-do list:
đ”ïžâ Locate
â Drill
đŠ Stash
The robotic caching system thatâll get the job done is đŽđ°đđȘđ„ đąđŽ đą đłđ°đ€đŹ thanks to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer Eric Aguilar: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020
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.
Former space shuttle commander Pam Melroy to space station and diversity in âVirtual Astronautâ webinar
Tune in to âThe Virtual Astronautâ 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.
NASAâs First Asteroid Sample Collection Attempt
We came. We saw. And we tagged. đ âïž Watch as OSIRISREx briefly touches the surface of asteroid Bennu during NASAâs first asteroid sample collection attempt. More: https://go.nasa.gov/2Hn0Giz # ToBennuAndBack.
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 asteroidâs surface. Itâs set to bring these pieces of Bennu back to Earth later.
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.
Touchdown! NASA makes touchdown on asteroid Bennu to collect samples
NASAâs OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has made a historic touchdown on the asteroid Bennu, dodging boulders the size of buildings to collect samples from the surface for several seconds before safely backing away Tuesday evening.
The meticulous descent took 4.5 hours and by 6.12pm the spacecraft made touchdown where its 11-foot robotic arm acted like a pogo stick and bounced on the asteroidâs surface to collect dirt and dust before the craft launched back into space.
The crucial minutes in the mission started around 5.38pm when the spacecraft extended its arm and cameras toward the asteroidâs surface. By 6pm OSIRIS-REx made matchpoint burn, the spacecraftâs key final maneuver performed by firing its thrusters to match Bennuâs spin to center itself exactly over the landing spot.