NASA

Our Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is coming together at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida this summer. Our mighty SLS rocket is set to power the Artemis I mission to send our Orion spacecraft around the Moon. But, before it heads to the Moon, NASA puts it together right here on Earth.Read on for more on how our Moon rocket for Artemis I will come together this summer:How do crews assemble a rocket and spacecraft as tall as a skyscraper? The process all starts inside the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy with the mobile launcher. Recognized as a Florida Space Coast landmark, the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, houses special cranes, lifts, and equipment to move and connect the spaceflight hardware together. Orion and all five of the major parts of the Artemis I ro...

WASHINGTON — NASA will extend the life of the Hubble Space Telescope by switching to a mode where the spacecraft operates on a single gyroscope, having rejected for now commercial proposals to reboost or repair it. The agency announced June 4 that one of three remaining gyros used to control pointing of the telescope had failed and could not be restored. The telescope had been out of service since that gyro failed May 24 after several previous cases where the gyro malfunctioned but was put back into service. “After completing a series of tests and carefully considering our options, we have made the decision that we will transition Hubble to operate using only one of its three remaining gyros,” Mark Clampin, director of NASA’s astrophysics division, said in a call with reporte...

On Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. This will be the last total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until 2044.  Experience this cosmic phenomenon with other eclipse chasers and make Space Center Houston your eclipse viewing destination! Learn about the science of solar eclipses with three days of interactive programming at our Total Solar Eclipse Celebration—all included in general admission from Saturday, April 6 through Monday, April 8.   If you’ve already marked your calendar, here are some helpful tips if you’re planning on watching the eclipse: 1. Prioritize eye safety during the eclipse  When watching the partial phases of the solar eclipse directly with ...

As the spring season continues, May could prove to be of great interest for stargazers and space enthusiasts – with a pair of potentially active meteor showers opening and closing the month. “Meteors aren’t uncommon,” Bill Cooke said, who leads NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “Earth is bombarded every day by millions of bits of interplanetary detritus speeding through our solar system.” A meteor mosaic comprised of 99 images, using a blue filter, of the Eta Aquariids observed during the early morning hours from April 30 to May 8, 2013.Credits: NASA All Sky Fireball Network Most particles are no bigger than dust and sand. Hitting the upper atmosphere at speeds up to 45 miles per second, they flare and burn up. On any give...

ALTALTThe Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made history – not only as the first aircraft to perform powered, controlled flight on another world – but also for exceeding expectations, pushing the limits, and setting the stage for future NASA aerial exploration of other worlds.Built as a technology demonstration designed to perform up to five experimental test flights over 30 days, Ingenuity performed flight operations from the Martian surface for almost three years. The helicopter ended its mission on Jan. 25, 2024, after sustaining damage to its rotor blades during its 72nd flight.So, what did we learn from this small but mighty helicopter?We can fly rotorcraft in the thin atmosphere of other planets.Ingenuity proved that powered, controlled flight is possible on other worlds when it took to the ...