[Spacetalk] https://www.nasa.gov/index.html; https://spaceflightnow.com

Sun Jul 19 09:00:13 CDT 2020

Hi all,

 Good Sunday morning from Florida,

  We are really struggling with the virus, people are not taking this serious, not following medical guidance, and every day we are setting new records for numbers infected and deaths. Everything is continuing to open, I really hope they will stay open and we will somehow get this pandemic behind us as we all  want to get back to some sense of normalcy in our lives. Also schools are scheduled to open next month which is creating major conflict between parents and schools. Many teachers are also very concerned because they or their families have existing conditions which make them at high risk…it is very complicated, I believe kids should be in school, in the classroom with their teachers but not at health risk….there are  more mandates for masks and hopefully people will realize we have to stop this and are willing to think about others….

I know I have really been lacking on the news letters…part of the fun of doing this is sharing the cool pictures and links, getting kids excited, and providing you with insight that you can share with the kids to get them excited about school and learning. Since I have been having so much difficulties with the pictures, I have been trying everything and anything to correct it but so far, nothing seems to correct this…I go to the picture on the link, copy and paste it, even try saving it to photos, editing it, then attaching it…it still comes out as a link…

July has been a busy month with more ahead…two major events….COMET NEOWISE; MISSION TO MARS as well as seeing Saturn and a meteor shower…the closest approach of Saturn on July 21 (the opposition of Saturn) and a double meteor shower at the end of July. But the sky of July will be dominated by yet another celestial body, the recently discovered comet NEOWISE. Go to this site for all the info… https://edgeofspace.in/comet-neowise/ <https://edgeofspace.in/comet-neowise/> The Mars mission, Perseverance, is scheduled to launch on July 30th at 7:50am (07:50) Eastern Standard Time…for the Space X launch with astronauts NASA initiated a super cool link, the first global NASA Social, #Launch America, which gave tremendous insight into the preparation and launch…for Perseverance there is #CountdownToMars…I hope you can find ways to share this with the kids as well as enjoy the unique in-site from inside NASA. If you want to learn more about NASA Socials and how you can apply for an in-person one, look here: https://www.nasa.gov/connect/social/index.html <https://www.nasa.gov/connect/social/index.html>

Many of you have signed up or I have signed you up to go on this Mission to Mars. NASA has opportunities to have your name placed on a microchip that will go with different missions…for teachers, I think it is a cool way to get kids interested and have them follow along…to get notifications and sign up for  future missions go to: https://mars.nasa.gov/participate/send-your-name/future <https://mars.nasa.gov/participate/send-your-name/future> 

Comet Neowise

PERSEVERANCE...

Ingenuity…a cool helicopter that will go to Mars with Perseverance

#CountdownToMars

You are invited to be a NASA virtual guest for the launch of the Mars 2020 Perseverance mission. 

In the interest of health and safety, due to the coronavirus pandemic, NASA can’t invite you to Florida to watch the launch personally. However, you can virtually participate in many ways as the Mars 2020 Perseverance mission sends the most sophisticated rover ever to the Red Planet to explore questions about the potential for life on Mars. 

Mars 2020 will fly on a ULA Atlas V rocket at 7:50 a.m. EDT on Thursday, July 30, from Launch Complex 41 in Florida.

Click on the event below to register and learn more. 

No in-person or on-center activities are available or included with registration.

If the event does not properly display below in your email, access it by browser here. <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mars-2020-online-launch-participation-tickets-109297596052>

Thursday, July 30, 2020 7:50 AM <https://www.eventbrite.com/organizations/missive/activity/redirect/?p=ABIdvVtK4841jqnlHsR5DzgN2_J4C1zO5tBtZVnIQ8-nryZAGAR6EQSK01-h_d3QpuJDvKYB6RD1mo5YXBK8kE8MNKvng5S8onZBxkyZfu0Ik_nG3sNzKa3jDmlbZl9aEUmttUYQ_i-7ar7uKowpRjvHOb38oBDOWmYYqAq1He15Ity5oTdIL58Bt0bL1QAKJeatMTfzB4pkRDc-xem4dFQgbBV_v2_3TwX3gpAUm4MnDCAvMAvOg_bvb-a88s7Do4iERsJkTMT_ZMLzwKmu4g1vWlNovz321OMplK3jiQ8EyBj7xRS8yJODZ7dHNojlAObwLWUuQOgbT8ChoihoGzdDW27zZUSq8_P3Gw2g79Is3bXh96vcWjQ7e9eRK6xI-0fh711tk2JpT7us1DUAwbL5Ay4g-deXIRIgFF3_Wiy1heazfKsMTmnusKCaVjj1Hxygy0F9YOYWGlx0kD60oLkvOZcNzsS0-z6UizGppETxoBKHZviLWdJNP5s77NklUWhEp9DtixtaYLNQhjDm2enwWaaexZKvnQvPo2UQFAhjDzpxp9qudGo&eid=109297596052&t=e&co=64682092&c=253652>
Mars 2020 Perseverance Online Launch Participation <https://www.eventbrite.com/organizations/missive/activity/redirect/?p=ABIdvVtK4841jqnlHsR5DzgN2_J4C1zO5tBtZVnIQ8-nryZAGAR6EQSK01-h_d3QpuJDvKYB6RD1mo5YXBK8kE8MNKvng5S8onZBxkyZfu0Ik_nG3sNzKa3jDmlbZl9aEUmttUYQ_i-7ar7uKowpRjvHOb38oBDOWmYYqAq1He15Ity5oTdIL58Bt0bL1QAKJeatMTfzB4pkRDc-xem4dFQgbBV_v2_3TwX3gpAUm4MnDCAvMAvOg_bvb-a88s7Do4iERsJkTMT_ZMLzwKmu4g1vWlNovz321OMplK3jiQ8EyBj7xRS8yJODZ7dHNojlAObwLWUuQOgbT8ChoihoGzdDW27zZUSq8_P3Gw2g79Is3bXh96vcWjQ7e9eRK6xI-0fh711tk2JpT7us1DUAwbL5Ay4g-deXIRIgFF3_Wiy1heazfKsMTmnusKCaVjj1Hxygy0F9YOYWGlx0kD60oLkvOZcNzsS0-z6UizGppETxoBKHZviLWdJNP5s77NklUWhEp9DtixtaYLNQhjDm2enwWaaexZKvnQvPo2UQFAhjDzpxp9qudGo&eid=109297596052&t=e&co=64682092&c=253652>

NASA Television to Air Space Station Cargo Ship Launch, Docking

This photograph of the Earth's horizon looks back towards Uruguay as the International Space Station orbited just off the coast of the South American nation. The Progress 75 cargo craft from Russia is pictured in the left foreground.
Credits: NASA
NASA Television will provide live coverage <http://www.nasa.gov/live> of the launch and docking of a Russian cargo spacecraft delivering almost three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) beginning at 10 a.m. EDT Thursday, July 23. The uncrewed Russian Progress 76 is scheduled to launch on a Soyuz rocket at 10:26 a.m. (7:26 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Rendezvous and docking coverage will begin at 1 p.m., with the Progress spacecraft expected to automatically link up to the Pirs docking compartment on the station’s Russian segment at 1:47 p.m. Progress 76 will remain docked at the station for more than four months, departing in December for its deorbit into Earth’s atmosphere. For almost 20 years <https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-counts-down-to-twenty-years-of-continuous-human-presence-on-international-space-station>, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. As a global endeavor, 240 people from 19 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 3,000 research investigations from researchers in 108 countries. Learn more about the International Space Station activities online <http://www.nasa.gov/station>, and by following @space_station <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.twitter.com_space-5Fstation&d=DwMGaQ&c=ApwzowJNAKKw3xye91w7BE1XMRKi2LN9kiMk5Csz9Zk&r=qTNa0VEUOkJBsKb-QiAtIlAbInD7Kiarv5NkwD9pSKo&m=VkztGRZT32izx7h2mw5juiklcOqVBYzHWURC0zNaHUQ&s=PBNf2pVTKdzKFhtApojKZPVJciu0qyav_UnyD9m8oHQ&e=> and @ISS_Research <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.twitter.com_ISS-5FResearch&d=DwMGaQ&c=ApwzowJNAKKw3xye91w7BE1XMRKi2LN9kiMk5Csz9Zk&r=qTNa0VEUOkJBsKb-QiAtIlAbInD7Kiarv5NkwD9pSKo&m=VkztGRZT32izx7h2mw5juiklcOqVBYzHWURC0zNaHUQ&s=F6TJfrukqcaQkkkJf530EeFS2VDa1gDt9BQxYr0AKrM&e=> on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.facebook.com_ISS&d=DwMGaQ&c=ApwzowJNAKKw3xye91w7BE1XMRKi2LN9kiMk5Csz9Zk&r=qTNa0VEUOkJBsKb-QiAtIlAbInD7Kiarv5NkwD9pSKo&m=VkztGRZT32izx7h2mw5juiklcOqVBYzHWURC0zNaHUQ&s=MO4LbjrFVpILYm0LQts2wFD02JK9Yx0uf1x1TktPqg8&e=> and ISS Instagram <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.instagram.com_ISS_&d=DwMGaQ&c=ApwzowJNAKKw3xye91w7BE1XMRKi2LN9kiMk5Csz9Zk&r=qTNa0VEUOkJBsKb-QiAtIlAbInD7Kiarv5NkwD9pSKo&m=VkztGRZT32izx7h2mw5juiklcOqVBYzHWURC0zNaHUQ&s=SJ3w3ilu0LHrTtIby87jhr1DEvx59rgoI8t5mrAVL3s&e=> accounts.

Comet NEOWISE Seen in an Aurora-Filled Sky
 <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/9744_steve_neowise_aurora_meteor_donna_lach-sm.jpg>
Image: Copyright Donna Lach

Comet NEOWISE is visible in an aurora-filled sky in this photo by Aurorasaurus Ambassador <https://aurorasaurus.org/> Donna Lach. The photo was taken early on July 14, 2020, in western Manitoba, Canada. The purple ribbon-like structure to the left is STEVE, an aurora-related phenomenon <https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/mystery-of-purple-lights-in-sky-solved-with-help-from-citizen-scientists/> discovered with the help of citizen scientists working with the Aurorasaurus project. The bright streak near the top of the image is a meteor.

Lach tells how she captured the photo: “I took several shots of the comet a few days prior with my zoom lens, and caught a whiff of aurora in a few shots. I had hoped the aurora forecast was right, since we had clear skies the previous night. I fought off mosquitoes as I waited for the never-ending dusk to show me what was in the sky. Finally, at about 11:30 p.m. CDT, the aurora and comet were both appearing, and I could see it was going to be epic. The large, thick band of aurora soon started to dance, showing brilliant blues and purples looking to the west. When I saw some loops skipping out of the main band at the westward side, I was pretty sure I would see STEVE soon also, so I kept watching. Finally, at about 1:00 a.m., STEVE was visible. I was excited to see my wide-angle lens could capture the span from STEVE to NEOWISE, and got about 10 photos. I observed the incredible aurora for about 3 hours, and it sometimes stretched above me. At times NEOWISE was outshone by the brilliant aurora, but it was visible the entire time.”

 <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/9744_steve_neowise_aurora_meteor_donna_lach-sm.jpg>

Live coverage: Emirates Mars Mission counting down to liftoff today from Japan <https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/07/19/h-2a-emirates-mars-mission-mission-status-center-2/>
July 19, 2020
 <https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/07/19/h-2a-emirates-mars-mission-mission-status-center-2/>
≈ <https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/07/19/h-2a-emirates-mars-mission-mission-status-center-2/>
July 19, 2020
A Japanese H-2A rocket rolled out to its launch pad Sunday at the Tanegashima Space Center in preparation for liftoff at 5:58 p.m. EDT (2158 GMT) with the Emirates Mars Mission’s Hope orbiter, the UAE’s first probe to Mars.

xxxnxnx