The Universe: Space Exploration Discussion Thread General Chat

[John Steed]

NASA's Cassini spacecraft looks toward the night side of Saturn's largest moon and sees sunlight scattering through the periphery of Titan's atmosphere and forming a ring of color. Because we're viewing the dark side, the icy moon looks like a black sphere in a sea of darkness, with its spherical shape recognizable only by the visible ring of its atmosphere around the outside of the planet.

First discovered 368 years ago this week by Galileo, Saturn's largest moon – Titan – is the sole other place in the solar system known to have an earthlike cycle of liquids raining from clouds, flowing across its icy surface, filling lakes and seas, and evaporating back into the sky. Beneath the thick ice surface, evidence suggests there is a water ocean that could potentially harbor life. Primarily composed of nitrogen, Titan's thick atmosphere suggests the moon formed early in our solar system's history.⁣

 

[John Steed]

This image shows a ground-based view of the giant star-forming region in the southern sky known as the Carina Nebula, combining the light from three different filters tracing emission from oxygen (blue), hydrogen (green), and sulphur (red). The colour is also representative of the temperature in the ionised gas: blue is relatively hot and red is cooler. The Carina Nebula is a good example of how very massive stars rip apart the molecular clouds that give birth to them. The bright star near the centre of the image is eta Carinae, one of the most massive and luminous stars known.

 

[John Steed]

Today, NASA announced that Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen will fly around the Moon in the first crewed Artemis mission, taking in the spectacular sights of the craggy lunar surface and our home planet in the distance.

This photograph is from the successful Artemis I mission, an uncrewed flight test of the rocket, flight, and landing systems that will launch and carry the crew of Artemis II around the Moon and back.



The Orion capsule is in the foreground, a large Moon in the middle, and Earth rising in the distance against black space. A lens flare and streaks of light shows that the Sun is off camera on the right. The Moon and Earth are both partially lit on the right and appear as crescents. The Earth is a thin crescent while the Moon's cratered landscape is visible, particularly on the line between night and day.



From left, Astronauts Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch stand smiling in a mockup of the Orion capsule. A control panel and small windows with the Earth in the background are behind them. They are wearing blue astronaut jumpsuits.

 

[John Steed]

The SpaceX Dragon resupply ship approaches the International Space Station carrying more than 6,200 pounds of science experiments, crew supplies, and other cargo, to replenish the Expedition 68 crew.

 

[Black Sheep]

An attempt to launch the most powerful rocket ever into space has been postponed for at least 48 hours.

The vehicle, known as Starship, has been built by US entrepreneur Elon Musk's SpaceX company.

The uncrewed mission on Monday was called off minutes before the planned launch from Boca Chica, Texas.

The problem appears to have been caused by a frozen "pressurant valve", Musk tweeted. But SpaceX could try to launch again later this week.

Disappointing, but chances would always be high of something causing a scrub.

48hrs until they can attempt it again. I would guess it will probably be longer now, weather might not be as favourable over the coming days, and they would need to resolve the pressurisation issue by then.

 

[John Steed]

SpaceX's Starship lifts off but blows up after take-off

The most powerful rocket ever developed has left the launch pad, with a massive roar as 33 engines on the Super Heavy booster power it skywards. It took off, but when the booster tried to separate, systems failed, and SpaceX blew it up to end its flight

It's the first integrated launch that reached the pre-separation milestone, so it's a partial success. Proof of concept, if you like.

There'll be a huge amount of data now concerning the forces on the Spacecraft itself and the separation infrastructure, to be used on the next test.

 

[Boot Cleaner]

SpaceX's Starship lifts off but blows up after take-off

The most powerful rocket ever developed has left the launch pad, with a massive roar as 33 engines on the Super Heavy booster power it skywards. It took off, but when the booster tried to separate, systems failed, and SpaceX blew it up to end its flight

It's the first integrated launch that reached the pre-separation milestone, so it's a partial success. Proof of concept, if you like.

There'll be a huge amount of data now concerning the forces on the Spacecraft itself and the separation infrastructure, to be used on the next test.

Is this being spun as a success?

 

[Cappuccino Kid]

April 22 is Earth Day.



Today and every day, we're discovering more about our world, from the ocean's depths to the air we breathe. Our learning gives us a deeper appreciation for the planet we call home and the ability to see how Earth is changing.⁣⁣⁣

 

[John Steed]

Cetus-lupeedus!⁣
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Two hundred seventy-five million light-years away in the constellation Cetus, two galaxies zoom toward a cosmic boom as they head toward the final stages of merging. Astronomers believe that the collision between these two galaxies will cause powerful inflowing gas igniting a cosmic blast of star formation, resulting in a compact starburst galaxy.⁣


⁣
This image shows the interacting galaxies in a wide spectrum of wavelengths from infrared to ultraviolet, showing the galaxies' finer details.⁣
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At the center of the image, two galaxies merge in a torrent of light, with pink, white, blue, orange, brown, and purple taking center stage as the galaxies collide and interact. The galaxies are aglow with a faint white aura, surrounded by distant galaxies and stars that dot the blackness of space.⁣

 

[John Steed]

Astronomers divide black holes into three categories, depending on their mass, with supermassive black holes being the largest. Black holes can be as "small" as a few times the mass of our Sun — or can be more massive than billions of our Suns combined. ⁣
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Image descriptions:⁣
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Two swirling galaxies appear in blue, white, orange, and brown as they circle a center point near the middle of the image. Light blue and white specks dot the two oval-shaped galaxies, as well as a small blob above and to the right of the pair. Some stars and galaxies can be seen around the two center galaxies, but are distant and faded in the background.⁣