NASA

National Aeronautics and Space Administrion

Since its inception in 1958, NASA has accomplished many great scientific and technological feats in air and space. NASA technology also has been adapted for many nonaerospace uses by the private sector. NASA remains a leading force in scientific research and in stimulating public interest in aerospace exploration, as well as science and technology in general. Perhaps more importantly, our exploration of space has taught us to view Earth, ourselves, and the universe in a new way. While the tremendous technical and scientific accomplishments of NASA demonstrate vividly that humans can achieve previously inconceivable feats, we also are humbled by the realization that Earth is just a tiny "blue marble" in the cosmos. Check out our "Thinking About NASA History" folder online as an introduction to how history can help you.

Sunday, October 8, 2023

NASA'S Curiosity

"It was a long slog. But NASA's Curiosity rover did it."

https://mashable.com/article/mars-nasa-curiosity-rover-image

Friday, October 6, 2023

Across Europe

"Across Europe, the entire night sky was aglow."

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-to-watch-the-draconid-meteor-shower-this-weekend-180983029/

Thursday, October 5, 2023

Arthur Eddington

Did you know?

"Whizzing around the black hole at near-light-speed, the disk heats up and blast out torrents of radiation across many wavelengths. This intense radiation across many wavelengths. This intense radiation exerts pressure that literally pushes away nearby matter, limiting how fast black holes can add mass. An object's theoretical maximum accretion rate is known as the Eddington limit, after British astrophysicist Sir Arthur Eddington (1882-1944)."

Astronomy Magazine March 2021 "How to Grow a Giant Black Hole" p. 20

Ravenous Black Hole

Did you know?

"Even the most ravenous black hole could not consume enough material in 500 million years to attain the mass of a billion Suns. That's because as matter gathers around a black hole, it settles into an accreditation disk."

Astronomy Magazine March 2021 "How to Grow a Giant Black Hole" p. 20

Monday, October 2, 2023

JUICE

"ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, Juice, will make detailed observations of the giant gas planet and its three large ocean-bearing moons – Ganymede, Callisto and Europa – with a suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments."

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice

Martian Dust Devil

"The lower portion of a Martian dust devil was captured moving along the western rim of Mars’ Jezero Crater by NASA’s Perseverance rover on Aug. 30, 2023, the 899th Martian day, or sol, of the mission."

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-captures-dust-filled-martian-whirlwind

Sunday, October 1, 2023

Radio Waves from Space

"Every so often, astronomers glimpse an intense flash of radio waves from space – a flash that lasts only instants but puts out as much energy in a millisecond as the Sun does in a few years."

https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/physics/scientists-look-for-the-origin-of-fast-radio-bursts-and-come-up-empty/