Love Letters From Space

What is the best and worst thing about being in a zero gravity environment?

“I realized, really for the first time, that people who didn’t even know me were wishing for my success —  hoping to share in the pride of future accomplishments, but even more important, willing to provide encouragement in the face of disappointments. I hope that by sharing my experiences, others will be inspired to set high goals for themselves.”

- Ellen Ochoa is the first Hispanic director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the first Hispanic woman to go to space.

Q: You were the first Hispanic woman to go to space, and you’re the first Hispanic director of the Johnson Space Center. What does the achievement of firsts like these mean to you? What kind of responsibility comes with paving the way?

Becoming an astronaut was a personal goal for me, so I was surprised and overwhelmed to receive such warm support from the entire Hispanic community when I was selected for the astronaut corps. I realized, really for the first time, that people who didn’t even know me were wishing for my success —  hoping to share in the pride of future accomplishments, but even more important, willing to provide encouragement in the face of disappointments. In the same way, in addition to working hard to do my best at every position I’ve had, it became an important part of my job to provide encouragement to others, particularly women and minorities underrepresented in STEM [Science Technology Engineering and Math] fields. I hope that by sharing my experiences, others will be inspired to set high goals for themselves.

Q: Have you experienced any particular challenges as a female astronaut? How have you stayed motivated in the face of such challenges?

Actually, the women astronauts who came before me performed their jobs so well that it really wasn’t an issue.  There was probably more skepticism due to my research background, given that the job is an operational one, and I didn’t have much experience in that environment. The training we’re provided helped prepare me well, as did veterans astronauts who passed on helpful tips.

Q: As a pioneer of spacecraft technology and a champion of outreach, how do you think we can inspire more women to enter STEM fields?

Use every available communications avenue to let women know about the interesting and rewarding careers in the STEM fields. The website Women@NASA profiles many women around the agency, having them describe in their own words what they do and the path that led them to their careers. And since girls start making choices in middle school that can limit their options later on, there’s a section on the website aimed specifically at middle school girls called Aspire to Inspire featuring women at Johnson Space Center. NASA has also made great use of many social media platforms to spread the word on what we are doing in space exploration, both human and robotics. From the first flyby of Pluto to the completion of a one-year mission onboard the International Space Station, this has been an exciting year for NASA.

Solar System: Things to Know This Week

Learn about supermoons, read the monthly blog from the Dawn mission’s chief engineer and more.

1. This Is the Season for Supermoons 

The second of three fall supermoons occurred on November 14 and the final one is December. What are supermoons? Since the moon’s orbit is elliptical, one side (perigee) is about 30,000 miles closer to Earth than the other (apogee). The word syzygy, in addition to being useful in word games, is the scientific name for when the Earth, sun, and moon line up as the moon orbits Earth. When perigee-syzygy of the Earth-moon-sun system occurs and the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun, we get a perigee moon or more commonly, a supermoon!

+ Learn more 

2. Dawn Mission Blog

When Dawn arrived at Ceres in March 2015, it became the first spacecraft to reach a dwarf planet  Meet the Dawn mission’s chief engineer Dr. Marc Rayman and read his insightful blogs about the mission. 

+ Latest Blog

+  All Mission Managers Blogs

3. The Seas of Titan

On its penultimate close flyby of Saturn’s largest moon Titan, Cassini will use its radio science instrument to scan the great seas of methane near the moon’s North Pole. Titan’s three large northern seas, Punga Mare, Ligeia Mare and Kraken Mare, are each hundreds of miles across, but imaging cameras can’t see them very well because the moon’s surface is veiled by a thick haze. Radio signals, however, can penetrate the moon’s atmosphere, and Cassini has an instrument that uses radio signals to reveal Titan's dramatic landscapes.

+ See a map of Titan’s methane seas

4.  Spot the Station!

Have you ever seen the International Space Station fly over your town? Do you want to? 

+ Here's how and where and when to look

5. The Science of Light, Celebrating Dark Skies in Our National Parks

Learning more about the science of light and human vision will help us understand the value and fragility of natural lightscapes. During the day, the surface of the planet is bathed in light from the sun. The energy in sunlight drives weather, the water cycle, and ecosystems. But at night, in the absence of bright light, our atmosphere turns transparent and allows us to see beyond our planet into the vastness of the cosmos.

+ More

Discover the full list of 10 things to know about our solar system this week HERE.

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Earth By The Numbers

Ahhh, Earth. Our home planet and oasis in space. You’re probably very familiar with this world, but here are a few things you may not know about our “Pale Blue Dot” of a planet.

From the vantage point of space, we are able to observe our planet globally using sensitive instruments to understand the delicate balance among its oceans, air, land and life. Satellite observations help study and predict weather, drought, pollution, climate change and many other phenomena that affect the environment, economy and society. 

1. Known to Harbor Life

Of the nine planets, countless asteroids and meteors in our solar system, Earth is the only one known to harbor life. It has a thin layer of atmosphere that separates us from the coldness of space.

2.  All By Its Lonesome

Unlike some other planets in the system that have three or more rings, the Earth has zero, but we do have one lonely moon that orbits us.

3. Moving At The Speed Of Life

Earth is the third planet from the sun and is located about 93,000,000 miles away from it. At this distance, the Earth moves at 66,000 miles per hour through space to complete its 365 day rotation.

4. You Can Breathe Easy

Earth’s atmosphere is 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and about 1% other ingredients. Most other planets in our solar system have an atmosphere, but Earth’s is the only one that’s breathable. 

5. For Real?

Did you grow up thinking that each calendar year was 365 days long? It’s actually 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 56 seconds...in other words, it’s 365.2564 days long. This is why an extra day is add during a leap year: to help offset this time difference. 

6. Far Out

We measure the distance of planets in our solar system in a measurement known as an Astronomical Unit, or AU. This measurement is based on the distance of the Earth from the sun. Earth is one AU from the sun, while Mars is 1.52 AU and Jupiter is 5.2 AU.

7. Taking Selfies...Before It Was Cool

The first ever photo of Earth was captured on October 24, 1946 when a V-2 test rocket was launched into space from New Mexico.

8. Slumped Over Already

The Earth doesn’t sit upright like you would think. It’s actually sitting on its side a bit, or rotational axis as it’s called, the Earth sits at a 23.45 degree rotational axis spin.

9. How Original...

How did it get the name Earth? The name “Earth” is at least 1,000 years old. All the planets in our system are named after Greek and Roman gods and goddesses, except for Earth. The name itself is of English and German origin and simply means “ground”.

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@saraxmix: What is it that makes you go back up there once you're home?

Out of all the theories and fantasies created around blackholes, which of them, in your opinion, do you think could come closest to reality?

sorry, i don't know much about earth science (though it sounds very intriguing), but - what exactly is it that you do? does it take a lot of time? is it fun but challenging? was it hard to get your job? have you always wanted to work with earth science?

Does the eclipse affect airplanes at all? Would pilots have to wear special glasses, and would people inside the airplane be told not to look out of the windows?

I don’t believe it should directly impact airplanes. We are looking at how the eclipse will affect radio communications which airplanes use, but that’s something we’ll learn with the data we collect during this eclipse. Pilots will need to be careful as always to not look directly at the Sun. If you are a lucky passenger on one of the flights that will cross the eclipse, make sure to bring your eclipse viewing glasses as you will need them to look at the Sun safely https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety That would be an amazing opportunity to view the eclipse from a plane as you wouldn’t have to worry about cloud cover. You may also get a longer viewing experience if you are following the path of totality! In fact, some NASA scientist are going to be flying experiments on a couple of NASA planes! https://youtu.be/R0GNqlGNZkI?list=PL_8hVmWnP_O2oVpjXjd_5De4EalioxAUi

Farewell to the Van Allen Probes

After seven years of studying the radiation around Earth, the Van Allen Probes spacecraft have retired.

Originally slated for a two-year mission, these two spacecraft studied Earth's radiation belts — giant, donut-shaped clouds of particles surrounding Earth — for nearly seven years. The mission team used the last of their propellant this year to place the spacecraft into a lower orbit that will eventually decay, allowing the Van Allen Probes to re-enter and burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

Earth's radiation belts exist because energized charged particles from the Sun and other sources in space become trapped in our planet's huge magnetic field, creating vast regions around Earth that teem with radiation. This is one of the harshest environments in space — and the Van Allen Probes survived more than three times longer than planned orbiting through this intense region.

The shape, size and intensity of the radiation belts change, meaning that satellites — like those used for telecommunications and GPS — can be bombarded with a sudden influx of radiation. The Van Allen Probes shed new light on what invisible forces drive these changes — like waves of charged particles and electromagnetic fields driven by the Sun, called space weather. 

Here are a few scientific highlights from the Van Allen Probes — from the early days of the mission to earlier this year:

The Van Allen belts were first discovered in 1958, and for decades, scientists thought there were only two concentric belts. But, days after the Van Allen Probes launched, scientists discovered that during times of intense solar activity, a third belt can form.

The belts are composed of charged particles and electromagnetic fields and can be energized by different types of plasma waves. One type, called electrostatic double layers, appear as short blips of enhanced electric field. During one observing period, Probe B saw 7,000 such blips repeatedly pass over the spacecraft in a single minute!

During big space weather storms, which are ultimately caused by activity on the Sun, ions — electrically charged atoms or molecules — can be pushed deep into Earth’s magnetosphere. These particles carry electromagnetic currents that circle around the planet and can dramatically distort Earth’s magnetic field.

Across space, fluctuating electric and magnetic fields can create what are known as plasma waves. These waves intensify during space weather storms and can accelerate particles to incredible speeds. The Van Allen Probes found that one type of plasma wave known as hiss can contribute greatly to the loss of electrons from the belts.

The Van Allen belts are composed of electrons and ions with a range of energies. In 2015, research from the Van Allen Probes found that, unlike the outer belt, there were no electrons with energies greater than a million electron volts in the inner belt.

Plasma waves known as whistler chorus waves are also common in our near-Earth environment. These waves can travel parallel or at an angle to the local magnetic field. The Van Allen Probes demonstrated the two types of waves cannot be present simultaneously, resulting in greater radiation belt particle scattering in certain areas.

Very low frequency chorus waves, another variety of plasma waves, can pump up the energy of electrons to millions of electronvolts. During storm conditions, the Van Allen Probes found these waves can hugely increase the energy of particles in the belts in just a few hours.  

Scientists often use computer simulation models to understand the physics behind certain phenomena. A model simulating particles in the Van Allen belts helped scientists understand how particles can be lost, replenished and trapped by Earth’s magnetic field.

The Van Allen Probes observed several cases of extremely energetic ions speeding toward Earth. Research found that these ions’ acceleration was connected to their electric charge and not to their mass.

The Sun emits faster and slower gusts of charged particles called the solar wind. Since the Sun rotates, these gusts — the fast wind — reach Earth periodically. Changes in these gusts cause the extent of the region of cold ionized gas around Earth — the plasmasphere — to shrink. Data from the Van Allen Probes showed that such changes in the plasmasphere fluctuated at the same rate as the solar rotation — every 27 days.

Though the mission has ended, scientists will use data from the Van Allen Probes for years to come. See the latest Van Allen Probes science at nasa.gov/vanallen.

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🔎 Lava Lake Discovery 

🌋 Raikoke Volcano Eruption

🔥 Uptick in Amazon Fire Activity 

2019 brought many memorable events on Planet Earth, and NASA satellites and astronauts captured a lot of the action! From new discoveries to tracking natural events and capturing amazing scenery, here are a few highlights from around the globe. 

Read more about the images in this video, here.