I host public outreach events about the science and research taking place everyday on the International Space Station. A favorite event of mine is called "Story Time From Space", where astronauts onboard the ISS read children's stories featuring space science and STEM topics. (Opinions are my own.)
187 posts
Latest Posts by jbrackettssa - Page 6
Apollo 11 Lunar Module Activation Checklist #nasa #apollo11 #apollo50thanniversary #usspaceandrocketcenter #huntsvillealabama https://www.instagram.com/p/BwyMXG4njXm/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=136g82pilbj24
Saturn V replica at U.S. Space and Rocket Center #apollo #apollo50thanniversary #nasa #usspaceandrocketcenter #huntsvillealabama (at U.S. Space & Rocket Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwyL38rHYuK/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1n2w1tt0wuue4
Fun at the planetarium! #nasa #apollo #fernbanksciencecenter #planetarium (at Fernbank Science Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwgEmyiniBB/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=es8gly4u1kla
Hubble Peers at Cosmic Blue Bauble
NASA - Hubble Space Telescope patch. April 12, 2019
Globular clusters are inherently beautiful objects, but the subject of this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image, Messier 3, is commonly acknowledged to be one of the most beautiful of them all. Containing an incredible half-million stars, this 8-billion-year-old cosmic bauble is one of the largest and brightest globular clusters ever discovered. However, what makes Messier 3 extra special is its unusually large population of variable stars — stars that fluctuate in brightness over time. New variable stars continue to be discovered in this sparkling stellar nest to this day, but so far we know of 274, the highest number found in any globular cluster by far. At least 170 of these are of a special variety called RR Lyrae variables, which pulse with a period directly related to their intrinsic brightness. If astronomers know how bright a star truly is based on its mass and classification, and they know how bright it appears to be from our viewpoint here on Earth, they can thus work out its distance from us. For this reason, RR Lyrae stars are known as standard candles — objects of known luminosity whose distance and position can be used to help us understand more about vast celestial distances and the scale of the cosmos. Messier 3 also contains a relatively high number of so-called blue stragglers, which are shown quite clearly in this Hubble image. These are blue main sequence stars that appear to be young because they are bluer and more luminous than other stars in the cluster. As all stars in globular clusters are believed to have formed together and thus to be roughly the same age, only a difference in mass can give these stars a different color. A red, old star can appear bluer when it acquires more mass, for instance by stripping it from a nearby star. The extra mass changes it into a bluer star, which makes us think it is younger than it really is. Messier 3 is featured in Hubble’s Messier catalog, which includes some of the most fascinating objects that can be observed from Earth’s Northern Hemisphere. See the NASA-processed image and other Messier objects at: https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-s-messier-catalog.
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
For more information about Hubble, visit: http://hubblesite.org/ http://www.nasa.gov/hubble http://www.spacetelescope.org/ Text Credits: ESA (European Space Agency)/NASA/Rob Garner/Image, Animation, Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, G. Piotto et al. Best regards, Orbiter.ch Full article
Curiosity Tastes First Sample in 'Clay-Bearing Unit'
Pasadena CA (JPL) Apr 12, 2019 Scientists working with NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover have been excited to explore a region called “the clay-bearing unit” since before the spacecraft launched. Now, the rover has finally tasted its first sample from this part of Mount Sharp. Curiosity drilled a piece of bedrock nicknamed “Aberlady” on Saturday, April 6 (the 2,370th Martian day, or sol, of the mission), and delivered the sam Full article
OSIRIS-REx Captures Laser 3D View of Bennu
NASA - OSIRIS-REx Mission patch. April 8, 2019
This three-dimensional view of asteroid Bennu was created by the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA), contributed by the Canadian Space Agency, on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. From Feb. 12 through 17, OLA made more than 11 million measurements of the distance between OSIRIS-REx and Bennu’s surface as the spacecraft flew less than 1.2 miles (2 km) above the surface – the closest orbit ever achieved by spacecraft. OLA obtained these measurements by firing laser pulses at Bennu and measuring the amount of time it takes for the light to bounce off the asteroid’s surface and return to the instrument. That time measurement is then translated into altitude data. Using this data, the OLA team created the 3-D model of Bennu’s surface.
OSIRIS-REx orbiting Bennu
The colors represent the distance from the center of Bennu: dark blue areas lie approximately 197 feet (60 meters) lower than peaks indicated in red. Some parts of the asteroid have not yet been measured, which creates gaps in the image. OLA will take nearly a billion more measurements throughout 2019 to complete the first-ever high-resolution 3D lidar map of a near-Earth asteroid. OSIRIS-REx (Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer): http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/osiris-rex/index.html Animation, Image, Text, Credits: NASA/Karl Hille/University of Arizona/CSA/York/MDA. Greetings, Orbiter.ch Full article
Looking Up -
When I was a kid, my parents bought me a pretty basic telescope. I’m sure it was only used less than fifty times. It was a pain to lug it outside and set up. The finder scope was always loose and impossible to align. Eventually, the telescope became part of my room decor.
It wasn’t all the telescope’s fault. I was naive and fell for the pretty pictures on the box showing me the universe. I thought I was going to set up in the backyard and find a comet in five minutes. I’d have my Doctorate by the end of the week...
Alas, the only thing I could line up was the Moon. I wasn’t patient enough to look for subtle differences from viewing to viewing. I was young, dumb, and bored. The telescope came out less often. Eventually, it quit getting brought outside at all.
Thirty five years later, a spark in me reignited. I found telescopes with red-dot finder scopes and computerized tracking. I now knew those incredible images on the old box required long exposures and specialized settings. I wanted to try again.
My new telescope has allowed me to see many aspects of the Moon I could never appreciate before. Also, with my camera mount, I can now see and photograph deep space objects. The joy I experienced on seeing my first nebula was overwhelming. I showed my wife my first picture like I was a schoolboy with an A+.
Now for the cool part... I get to share this with my daughter. At five years of age, she can identify the four major planets in the sky. I am jealous of the technology she’ll get to grow up with, but for now, we will use my telescope and maybe even find a comet.
My first Moon pics using my new Celestron 127slt MAK.
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No test? Oh well, I’ll go look at rockets.
My Brother in-law and I made a day hop to Huntsville this past Saturday. I had originally planned to take a test at MSFC, but the current government shutdown nixed that idea.
Instead, we took in the U. S. Space and Rocket Center. I never get tired of seeing the huge Saturn V or the full shuttle stack on the grounds.
The Apollo 6 CM is displayed not too far from where I live. I have visited it many times.
The first space selfie was taken by Buzz Aldrin exactly 52 years ago today during the Gemini XII mission
via reddit
Maybe after a long day at work isn’t the best time for a lecture...
Gravity, Hazard of Alteration
A human journey to Mars, at first glance, offers an inexhaustible amount of complexities. To bring a mission to the Red Planet from fiction to fact, NASA’s Human Research Program has organized some of the hazards astronauts will encounter on a continual basis into five classifications.
The variance of gravity fields that astronauts will encounter on a mission to Mars is the fourth hazard.
On Mars, astronauts would need to live and work in three-eighths of Earth’s gravitational pull for up to two years. Additionally, on the six-month trek between the planets, explorers will experience total weightlessness.
Besides Mars and deep space there is a third gravity field that must be considered. When astronauts finally return home they will need to readapt many of the systems in their bodies to Earth’s gravity.
To further complicate the problem, when astronauts transition from one gravity field to another, it’s usually quite an intense experience. Blasting off from the surface of a planet or a hurdling descent through an atmosphere is many times the force of gravity.
Research is being conducted to ensure that astronauts stay healthy before, during and after their mission. Specifically researchers study astronauts’ vision, fine motor skills, fluid distribution, exercise protocols and response to pharmaceuticals.
Exploration to the Moon and Mars will expose astronauts to five known hazards of spaceflight, including gravity. To learn more, and find out what NASA’s Human Research Program is doing to protect humans in space, check out the “Hazards of Human Spaceflight" website. Or, check out this week’s episode of “Houston We Have a Podcast,” in which host Gary Jordan further dives into the threat of gravity with Peter Norsk, Senior Research Director/ Element Scientist at the Johnson Space Center.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.
Charlie Duke’s moon boot prints at South Carolina Hall of Fame in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Ascent Abort-2 crew module arrives in Houston in Orion’s March newsletter: http://bit.ly/OrionMar18
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the launch of Apollo 6.
Falcon Heavy extreme closeup at liftoff
via reddit
Saturday night viewing.
Behind the scenes documentary about the Voyager probes.
Another day, another lecture... ... and another 82 acronyms.
Pleiades
1 Little, 2 Little, 3 Little Galaxies...
Spent some time today processing data from the Hubble Space Telescope. Also watched a lecture on Chinese Space Suits...
As for this evening, there is a visible ISS pass at 6:31PM over the Atlanta area.
Had the pleasure of meeting and listening to former astronaut Scott Kelly as he related stories of his life and his year on the International Space Station.
My published Mission Juno image…
