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Latest Posts by jbrackettssa

Hurry! You Can Catch a Ride to Jupiter with NASA

Well, at least your name can.  

One of the planet Jupiter’s largest and most intriguing moons is called Europa. Evidence hints that beneath its icy shell, Europa hides an ocean of liquid water – more water than all of Earth’s oceans combined. In 2024, our Europa Clipper robotic spacecraft sets sail to take a closer look…and when it launches, your name can physically be aboard! Here’s how: 

NASA’s Message in a Bottle campaign invites people around the world to sign their names to a poem written by the U.S. Poet Laureate, Ada Limón. The poem connects the two water worlds — Earth, yearning to reach out and understand what makes a world habitable, and Europa, waiting with secrets yet to be explored.

The poem will be engraved on Europa Clipper, along with participants' names that will be physically etched onto microchips mounted on the spacecraft. Together, the poem and names will travel 1.8 billion miles to the Jupiter system.

Signing up is easy! Just go to this site to sign your name to the poem and get on board. You can send your name en español, too. Envía tu nombre aquí.

The Europa Clipper launch window opens in October 2024, but don’t wait – everyone’s names need to be received this year so they can be loaded onto the spacecraft in time. Sign up by Dec. 31, 2023.

We hope you’ll be riding along with us! Follow the mission at europa.nasa.gov.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxYDkafxqs9/?igshid=NzZhOTFlYzFmZQ==

Navigating Deep Space by Starlight

On August 6, 1967, astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell noticed a blip in her radio telescope data. And then another. Eventually, Bell Burnell figured out that these blips, or pulses, were not from people or machines.

The blips were constant. There was something in space that was pulsing in a regular pattern, and Bell Burnell figured out that it was a pulsar: a rapidly spinning neutron star emitting beams of light. Neutron stars are superdense objects created when a massive star dies. Not only are they dense, but neutron stars can also spin really fast! Every star we observe spins, and due to a property called angular momentum, as a collapsing star gets smaller and denser, it spins faster. It’s like how ice skaters spin faster as they bring their arms closer to their bodies and make the space that they take up smaller.

The pulses of light coming from these whirling stars are like the beacons spinning at the tops of lighthouses that help sailors safely approach the shore. As the pulsar spins, beams of radio waves (and other types of light) are swept out into the universe with each turn. The light appears and disappears from our view each time the star rotates.

After decades of studying pulsars, astronomers wondered—could they serve as cosmic beacons to help future space explorers navigate the universe? To see if it could work, scientists needed to do some testing!

First, it was important to gather more data. NASA’s NICER, or Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer, is a telescope that was installed aboard the International Space Station in 2017. Its goal is to find out things about neutron stars like their sizes and densities, using an array of 56 special X-ray concentrators and sensitive detectors to capture and measure pulsars’ light.

But how can we use these X-ray pulses as navigational tools? Enter SEXTANT, or Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology. If NICER was your phone, SEXTANT would be like an app on it.  

During the first few years of NICER’s observations, SEXTANT created an on-board navigation system using NICER’s pulsar data. It worked by measuring the consistent timing between each pulsar’s pulses to map a set of cosmic beacons.

When calculating position or location, extremely accurate timekeeping is essential. We usually rely on atomic clocks, which use the predictable fluctuations of atoms to tick away the seconds. These atomic clocks can be located on the ground or in space, like the ones on GPS satellites. However, our GPS system only works on or close to Earth, and onboard atomic clocks can be expensive and heavy. Using pulsar observations instead could give us free and reliable “clocks” for navigation. During its experiment, SEXTANT was able to successfully determine the space station’s orbital position!

We can calculate distances using the time taken for a signal to travel between two objects to determine a spacecraft’s approximate location relative to those objects. However, we would need to observe more pulsars to pinpoint a more exact location of a spacecraft. As SEXTANT gathered signals from multiple pulsars, it could more accurately derive its position in space.

So, imagine you are an astronaut on a lengthy journey to the outer solar system. You could use the technology developed by SEXTANT to help plot your course. Since pulsars are reliable and consistent in their spins, you wouldn’t need Wi-Fi or cell service to figure out where you were in relation to your destination. The pulsar-based navigation data could even help you figure out your ETA!

None of these missions or experiments would be possible without Jocelyn Bell Burnell’s keen eye for an odd spot in her radio data decades ago, which set the stage for the idea to use spinning neutron stars as a celestial GPS. Her contribution to the field of astrophysics laid the groundwork for research benefitting the people of the future, who yearn to sail amongst the stars.  

Keep up with the latest NICER news by following NASA Universe on X and Facebook and check out the mission’s website. For more on space navigation, follow @NASASCaN on X or visit NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation website.  

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

Had a fun evening talking about the ISS and the NASA Artemis program! Grayson Elementary invited me to speak as part of their STEAM Night. The kids and parents were really into it. Thanks to Mrs. Frost for having me for a 2nd year! #explorepage #STEM #STEAM #Artemis #SLS #Orion #space #spaceflight #WeAreGoing #Moon #graysongeorgia #cityofgrayson #gwinnettcounty (at Grayson, Georgia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqCIae4OqMT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Fun iPhone capture this evening... Orion The Hunter, Taurus The Bull, The Planet Mars, The International Space Station, and The Pleiades.

#explorepage #space #astronomy #iss #internationalspacestation #orion #taurus #thepleiades #solarsystemambassador

Today, I want to take a moment to recognize the achievements of Judith Resnik, an American astronaut who made history as the second American woman in space. Resnik was born on April 5, 1949, in Akron, Ohio, and earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 1970. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland in 1977.

Resnik was selected by NASA in 1978 to be a mission specialist in the space shuttle program. She first flew aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 1984 as part of the crew of mission STS-41D. During this mission, Resnik helped deploy three satellites and conducted various experiments in space. She later flew aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1986 as part of the crew of mission STS-51L. Tragically, this mission ended in disaster when the Challenger was destroyed shortly after liftoff, killing all seven crew members, including Resnik.

Judith Resnik was a brilliant scientist and a trailblazer for women in the field of space exploration. Her contributions to the space shuttle program and her legacy as a pioneering astronaut will never be forgotten.

This is her flightsuit worn while training.

#NASA #seec2023 #johnsonspacecenter #spacecenterhouston #STEM #astronaut #WomenInSTEM #SolarSystemAmbassador

NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab: The Ultimate Underwater Simulator for Astronauts

NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL) is a state-of-the-art underwater facility located in Houston, Texas. It serves as an underwater simulation environment for astronauts to train for spacewalks and other extravehicular activities (EVAs). The NBL is one of the most advanced training facilities in the world and plays a critical role in preparing astronauts for the challenges they will face in space.

The NBL is a massive indoor pool that is over 200 feet long, 100 feet wide, and 40 feet deep. It contains a full-scale mock-up of the International Space Station (ISS) and other space structures, allowing astronauts to practice and perfect their spacewalking techniques in a controlled and safe environment. The pool is filled with over 6 million gallons of water, which provides a simulated weightless experience similar to that of space.

Astronauts are equipped with a full spacewalk suit, which provides them with life support and protection from the harsh conditions of space. The suit is buoyant, which makes it difficult for astronauts to move around in water. To overcome this challenge, the suit is weighted with lead weights to balance out the buoyancy, making it possible for astronauts to move around freely in the water. This process of weight balancing is called "neutral buoyancy," which gives the NBL its name.

The NBL is not only a training facility for spacewalking, but it is also used to test new spacewalk equipment and procedures. It allows engineers and scientists to observe how equipment and procedures perform in a simulated microgravity environment. This information is then used to make improvements and ensure the safety of astronauts in space.

One of the unique features of the NBL is its ability to simulate various lighting conditions, including daylight, nighttime, and the red lighting that is used during spacewalks. This capability allows astronauts to train for all types of spacewalking scenarios and ensures that they are well-prepared for any situation they may encounter in space.

In conclusion, NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab is a crucial component of astronaut training and space exploration. It provides a safe and controlled environment for astronauts to train for spacewalks and other EVAs, while also allowing engineers and scientists to test new equipment and procedures. The NBL plays a vital role in ensuring the success and safety of NASA's space missions.

Great fun talking to kids and their parents at Trip Elementary School’s STEM Night! The kids learned about NASA Artemis, the International Space Station, and the JWST! #space #STEM #Artemis #SolarSystemAmbassador #spacescience https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn5rbfXuG6y/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I had a wonderful time talking about human space flight to 3rd Graders at Starling Elementary today! The kids were very knowledgeable and had fantastic questions! I love the reaction I get when I tell my two “Gemini Astronauts” they have to sit next to each other and not shower for two weeks! Everybody: “EEEEWWWWWWW!!!” #stemeducation #STEM #NASA #ArtemisGeneration #Artemis #SolarSystemAmbassador #Orion #sls #spaceflight #gwinnettcounty #gwinnettcountyschools #graysongeorgia #wearegoing #explorepage #space https://www.instagram.com/p/CmLF0wZuxw8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I’m kinda diggin’ my avatars. On a more serious note, I’d love to come speak to your school group, scout troop, or civic meeting as a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador! Contact me through jmbrackett.com #explorepage #NASA #space #stem #spacescience #solarsystemambassador #gwinnettcounty (at Gwinnett County, Georgia) https://www.instagram.com/p/Clz46hgObSU/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Astro and I are ready for the launch of Artemis 1! Let’s light this candle! #nasa #artemis #artemis1 #stem #wearegoing #moon #sls #orion #explorepage https://www.instagram.com/p/ClAtb1mOv8q/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Being a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador has its perks. Not only do I get to talk to kids about space science, but I also get some cool mission shirts! The Perseverance Rover is currently collecting samples of Martian rock and soil. Soon, it will be dropping off some collection tubes at a point called Three Forks Sample Depot. In the near future, the Mars Sample Recovery Mission will pick up the Martian samples and bring them back to Earth for analysis. #explorepage #nasa #perseverance #mars2020 #lifeonmars #marssamplereturn #jpl https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck44siYuh2V/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

One of my favorites from last night’s images. The wind was bothersome, but it was an otherwise lovely night. . . . . . #observethemoon #celestrontelescope #celestron #backyardastronomy #stem #explorepage https://www.instagram.com/p/CjN_Z9WuBKZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Had fun asking NASA trivia questions and giving out stickers at DragonCon today! . . . . . #explorepage #nasa #dragoncon #dragoncon2022 #solarsystemambassador #solarsystemambassadors #nasahistory @dragoncon (at Dragon Con) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiEbPpSuZoX/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

It’s gonna be a long night! I’m super excited to be at @kennedyspacecenter for the Artemis 1 Launch! The launch is scheduled for 8:33am local. There will be a two hour window. If it doesn’t launch tomorrow, the next window is September 2, 2022. . . . . . #explorepage #artemis #artemisgeneration #stem #nasasls #SLS #orion #wearegoing #nasaexploration #solarsystemambassadors (at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch09ZFquI_l/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

See the Universe in a New Way with the Webb Space Telescope's First Images

Are you ready to see unprecedented, detailed views of the universe from the James Webb Space Telescope, the largest and most powerful space observatory ever made? Scroll down to see the first full-color images and data from Webb. Unfold the universe with us. ✨

Carina Nebula

This landscape of “mountains” and “valleys” speckled with glittering stars, called the Cosmic Cliffs, is the edge of the star-birthing Carina Nebula. Usually, the early phases of star formation are difficult to capture, but Webb can peer through cosmic dust—thanks to its extreme sensitivity, spatial resolution, and imaging capability. Protostellar jets clearly shoot out from some of these young stars in this new image.

Southern Ring Nebula

The Southern Ring Nebula is a planetary nebula: it’s an expanding cloud of gas and dust surrounding a dying star. In this new image, the nebula’s second, dimmer star is brought into full view, as well as the gas and dust it’s throwing out around it. (The brighter star is in its own stage of stellar evolution and will probably eject its own planetary nebula in the future.) These kinds of details will help us better understand how stars evolve and transform their environments. Finally, you might notice points of light in the background. Those aren’t stars—they’re distant galaxies.

Stephan’s Quintet

Stephan’s Quintet, a visual grouping of five galaxies near each other, was discovered in 1877 and is best known for being prominently featured in the holiday classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” This new image brings the galaxy group from the silver screen to your screen in an enormous mosaic that is Webb’s largest image to date. The mosaic covers about one-fifth of the Moon’s diameter; it contains over 150 million pixels and is constructed from almost 1,000 separate image files. Never-before-seen details are on display: sparkling clusters of millions of young stars, fresh star births, sweeping tails of gas, dust and stars, and huge shock waves paint a dramatic picture of galactic interactions.

WASP-96 b

WASP-96 b is a giant, mostly gas planet outside our solar system, discovered in 2014. Webb’s Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) measured light from the WASP-96 system as the planet moved across the star. The light curve confirmed previous observations, but the transmission spectrum revealed new properties of the planet: an unambiguous signature of water, indications of haze, and evidence of clouds in the atmosphere. This discovery marks a giant leap forward in the quest to find potentially habitable planets beyond Earth.

Webb's First Deep Field

This image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, known as Webb’s First Deep Field, looks 4.6 billion years into the past. Looking at infrared wavelengths beyond Hubble’s deepest fields, Webb’s sharp near-infrared view reveals thousands of galaxies—including the faintest objects ever observed in the infrared—in the most detailed view of the early universe to date. We can now see tiny, faint structures we’ve never seen before, like star clusters and diffuse features and soon, we’ll begin to learn more about the galaxies’ masses, ages, histories, and compositions.

These images and data are just the beginning of what the observatory will find. It will study every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to the evolution of our own Solar System.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space—and for milestones like this!

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

The kids at the Lilburn Activities Building learned about the Space Shuttle and NASA's James Webb Space Telescope today!!! They got to see what a Space Shuttle cockpit looked like when it was in orbit. The kids examined a piece of a space flown shuttle tire, and acted out the duties of shuttle crew members. To top it off, the kids took home Space Shuttle gliders, along with shuttle and JWST coloring pages! Special thanks to former astronaut, Terry Virts, for recording my introduction! The kids loved hearing your insights! #explorepage #space #stemeducation #spaceshuttle #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #solarsystemambassador (at Lilburn, Georgia) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf9Xg3AujqY/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Imagine a grain of sand on your fingertip at arms length. That is the amount of sky covered in this image! This is the first deep field image from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. All of those little smudges are galaxies with billions of stars in them. What we see tomorrow will be absolutely mind blowing! #explorepage #nasa #jwst #telescope #space #solarsystemambassador https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf5EXutOYhx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle program, officially called the Space Transportation System (STS), was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011. The four reusable orbiters were launched vertically, like conventional rockets, and then landed horizontally on a runway. The program became politically untenable after Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003 were lost. The Space Shuttle was the first reusable spacecraft in history. It was designed to be launched vertically, then land horizontally on a runway. The Space Shuttle program was a major part of the United States' space exploration efforts. It began with the development of a space shuttle proposal in 1972, which was approved for production as part of an inter-agency program between NASA and the Department of Defense. The first test flight occurred in 1981 and its first operational flight was STS-5, which launched on November 11, 1982. After a series of delays due to both technical issues and external events like the 1986 Challenger Disaster and 2003 Columbia Accident, it flew on 135 missions from 1981 until its decommissioning in 2011; its final launch being STS-135 by Atlantis on July 8th 2010. In 2011, the United States' Space Shuttle was retired from service after 30 years of service. In the current era of spaceflight, the United States is planning for its next crewed spacecraft Orion and its primary launch vehicle SLS; their first flight is set for 2022 with no crew members onboard followed by a crewed flight in 2023. Orion has been under development since 2004. It was originally planned to be launched atop an Atlas V rocket but has since switched over to being launched by a new SLS rocket under development by NASA as part of its Space Launch System program. The first mission using this new vehicle will be Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) which will send astronauts on a lunar flyby mission before returning them safely back home again via parachute landing system similar to what occurred during the Apollo era. #explorepage #sts #spaceshuttle #nasa #columbia #challenger #discovery #atlantis #endeavour #kennedyspacecenter #stemeducation https://www.instagram.com/p/CfwYMqPuUMc/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

If you have children interested in space, check out my two books available on Amazon. “MISSION, GO!” is for appropriate for readers 3-7 and explains what it takes for a manned space mission. “Hello Luna, It’s Me Again” is for all ages, and is just a collection of thoughts along with images of the Moon from my backyard telescope. . . . . . #explorepage #nasa #celestrontelescope #childrensbooks #space #solarsystem #moon #spaceflight https://www.instagram.com/p/CfeFKweOfs8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Had a fun time at Fernbank Science Center’s Space Day! #apollo6 #nasa #stemeducation #georgia #spaceflight (at Fernbank Science Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfPoHLaO6tG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=