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

[Gabe Gabrielle]

Hi all,

 Today in the USA, we celebrate Memorial Day, a day to honor those who gave the ultimate in defending our country, maintaining our freedom, and keeping us safe…for me, it is so important we share in each other’s special days…so please  join us in honoring those in all countries who have given their lives in defense of their country…we are starting to open many areas, it seems many people are going to do whatever they feel like, ignoring the medical guidance…I hope it doesn’t set us backwards…I guess we will find out soon...We have to remember to do our best, enjoy everything we do, believe in ourselves, and let those we care about most know (I always say this, we all need to take it to heart) …hugs & smiles... :-) :-) STAY SAFE, TAKE CARE, Love ya, Gabe



We are approaching Wednesday’s historic launch of astronauts from the US to the International Space Station…there is so much excitement here…it will be such a huge step…we can’t get on the space center, which is the best place to see a launch but I’ll be on the beach somewhere… 
Sign up: Virtual Launch Event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/launch-america-registration-101721692320 <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/launch-america-registration-101721692320>

#LaunchAmerica

You are invited to be a NASA virtual guest for the upcoming Demo-2 mission. 

A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts launch on an American rocket from American soil for the first time since the end of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.  

NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley will fly on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifting off on a Falcon 9 rocket at 4:33 p.m. EDT May 27, from Launch Complex 39A 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/launch-america-registration-101721692320>.


 
Wednesday, May 27, 2020 4:33 PM
Launch America 
 <https://www.eventbrite.com/organizations/missive/activity/redirect/?p=ABIdvVurpHcHk6f0yovURE6P3lEmPG2VNVwtzo1E4WEQmeECwQeBfHKQBshY3aNhAJz9XiRG8AurZc_H07e0W2eALWYCwM5PzUFby9ehTKeauYbJbLrROU7Wi2TAz0VGW0B7ShPc3HBszpJ1uXWZ08bXoME9TghqMRlq35uHCTeD_OvudYkyWUxAuZBtcU27IOGMK9wlZll4psuKjU_8m6nZAl0EURX8muU0ivcCe1lTPVWoU2aWUNoCXvU0xYGSsNQfZ4IowSCZ48zWXOIzx2qHvpL2HXZqlON7m3NUwaKnWhc_BXAbX64Y-YK7d-O7lXS-cIgYPfGAnkL7YPTnY2zuuXoYoCeaR1FLCGc4fE3nopN9OapNlY9WtLGScGH_QXNBJ1zCoa4A5PQ4Bv8H6LL6aomXosZFDjp953xMwEoOBPe4rKW4a8U1Yh73WhH7mq0zU-78oGkCY74erV2r1IH_Y4fyoJRoXVHNNpD3UnkyKUO2ycE8BfHIIgiXPS88AMa5kSFv_wDQ&c=183954&co=64682092&eid=101721692320&t=e>
 
this might be a little dated but hopefully still useful...
>> The CCP Launch Kit is live here <https://www.nasa.gov/stem/nextgenstem/commercial_crew/commercial-crew-launch-kit.html>.
>>  
>> Below is a list of Next Gen STEM CCP Resources and Activities related to Demo-2 -
>> Launch Kit <https://www.nasa.gov/stem/nextgenstem/commercial_crew/commercial-crew-launch-kit.html> (Launch Day Play-By-Play <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/ppt_launch_day_play-by-play_dm-2_508.pdf>, Commercial Crew Overview <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/ppt_nasas_commercial_crew_program_dm-2_508-2.pdf>)
>> STEM Social Cheat Sheet <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/stem_social_cheat_sheet.pdf>
>> SpaceX/Crew Dragon VR 360 Tour
>>  <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.youtube.com_watch-3Fv-3DRc5D2Jb7qXQ-26list-3DPLTUZypZ67cdumL1V4yFWlfoxwjb3rDCzb-26index-3D2&d=DwMFAw&c=ApwzowJNAKKw3xye91w7BE1XMRKi2LN9kiMk5Csz9Zk&r=p_h3XQ7ugnc_757y1HyBfsWujbkR0ybH5TjDkchSXe8&m=UkkWxLDaqoaaZT11xWFuh7fPE80au_3RiDibyC3vAPM&s=W8mJD9VMLtVIh1N1aXJai5lbrfT4BDMPE0Q8QfhphU4&e=>
>> #LaunchAmerica Ride to Station Challenge (CODing Sim <https://www.nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/crew-orbital-docking-simulation-coding-sim.html>, Ride to Station App <https://www.nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/rocket-science-ride-to-station.html>)
>> EPDC CCP Webinars <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__docs.google.com_document_d_1CtLRbVd6OSmNlJFtloBNoZX2GJPIGN1hNcgzdJNkFec_edit-3Fusp-3Dsharing&d=DwMFAw&c=ApwzowJNAKKw3xye91w7BE1XMRKi2LN9kiMk5Csz9Zk&r=p_h3XQ7ugnc_757y1HyBfsWujbkR0ybH5TjDkchSXe8&m=UkkWxLDaqoaaZT11xWFuh7fPE80au_3RiDibyC3vAPM&s=QjKAa7Zh6gUXHI-12Vm6u5HDNELUHLtvW1ovDKqo3AQ&e=> (Schedule to be added to Launch Kit Website)
>> K-12 Activities (Astro-not-yet Storybook + Sound on a String Activities <https://www.nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/the-astro-not-yets-storybook.html>, Eggstronaut Challenge Activities <https://www.nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/eggstronaut-parachute-challenge-educator-guide.html>)
>> Printable Resources - (Boeing Bookmark <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/ksc_ccp_tron_kids_bookmark_boeing_508.pdf>, SpaceX Bookmark <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/ksc_ccp_tron_kids_bookmark_spacex_508.pdf>, CCP Crew Poster <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/ksc_ccp_lithograph_astronauts_11x17_508_0.pdf>, CCP Kids Poster <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/sp-2019-04-594-ksc_ccp_astrokids_lithograph_11x17_508.pdf>, Astronaut Cards <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/sp-2019-06-1904-ksc_ccp_meet_the_crew_brochure_revised_508.pdf>)
>> CCP: What's It All About Video <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.youtube.com_watch-3Fv-3DA6fCa4ReHX4&d=DwMFAw&c=ApwzowJNAKKw3xye91w7BE1XMRKi2LN9kiMk5Csz9Zk&r=p_h3XQ7ugnc_757y1HyBfsWujbkR0ybH5TjDkchSXe8&m=UkkWxLDaqoaaZT11xWFuh7fPE80au_3RiDibyC3vAPM&s=8Kj0vT7hlzo52NoQ8HGoK9S9CYjatNCExAN3W5SKJkM&e=>
There have been a great set of #NASAatHome videos put together while we’ve been teleworking. #NASAatHome: Spaceport Series is a twice-weekly live show where we talk to experts about a variety of spaceflight topics and answer your questions. You can access the videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLStC43yAV6zSdQwqBabHs_u_Tp6H1movI <https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLStC43yAV6zSdQwqBabHs_u_Tp6H1movI>

 Another fun site:   https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-at-home-for-kids-and-families <https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-at-home-for-kids-and-families> 

Massive disk galaxy could change our understanding of how galaxies are born


A massive, rotating disk galaxy  <https://www.space.com/15680-galaxies.html>that first formed just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang, could upend our understanding of galaxy formation, scientists suggest in a new study. 

In traditional galaxy formation models and according to modern cosmology, galaxies are built beginning with dark-matter halos. Over time, those halos pull in gases and material, eventually building up full-fledged galaxies. Disk galaxies <https://www.space.com/22382-spiral-galaxy.html>, like our own Milky Way <https://www.space.com/19915-milky-way-galaxy.html>, form with prominent disks of stars and gas and are thought to be created in a method known as "hot mode" galaxy formation, where gas falls inward toward the galaxy's central region where it then cools and condenses. 

This process is thought to be fairly gradual, taking a long time. But the newly discovered galaxy DLA0817g, nicknamed the "Wolfe Disk," which scientists believe formed in the early universe, suggests that disk galaxies could actually form quite quickly. 


NASA Telescope Named For ‘Mother of Hubble’ Nancy Grace Roman

NASA’s Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) is now named the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, after NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy.
Credits: NASA
NASA is naming its next-generation space telescope currently under development, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), in honor of Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer, who paved the way for space telescopes focused on the broader universe. The newly named Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope – or Roman Space Telescope, for short – is set to launch in the mid-2020s. It will investigate long-standing astronomical mysteries, such as the force behind the universe’s expansion, and search for distant planets beyond our solar system.  Considered the “mother” of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, which launched 30 years ago, Roman tirelessly advocated for new tools that would allow scientists to study the broader universe from space. She left behind a tremendous legacy in the scientific community when she died in 2018. “It is because of Nancy Grace Roman’s leadership and vision that NASA became a pioneer in astrophysics and launched Hubble, the world’s most powerful and productive space telescope,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “I can think of no better name for WFIRST, which will be the successor to NASA’s Hubble and Webb Telescopes.” Former Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who worked with NASA on the Hubble and WFIRST space telescopes, said, "It is fitting that as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, NASA has announced the name of their new WFIRST telescope in honor of Dr. Nancy Roman, the Mother of Hubble – well deserved. It recognizes the incredible achievements of women in science and moves us even closer to no more hidden figures and no more hidden galaxies."

For a statement from Nancy Grace Roman’s cousins, Laura Bates Verreau and Barbara Brinker, go to: https://go.nasa.gov/2WREEtz <https://go.nasa.gov/2WREEtz>
For more information about the Roman Space Telescope, go to: https://www.nasa.gov/roman <https://www.nasa.gov/roman>

These lava tubes could be the safest place for explorers to live on Mars
The Martian surface is a radiation hot zone. But these lava tubes might offer safety.




Curiosity can handle the harsh radiation on the Martian surface. But people can't.
(Image: © NASA/JPL/MSSS/Marco Di Lorenzo/Ken Kremer)
There's no safe place to camp out on Mars. But a team of researchers has identified what could be future Martian explorers' best possible hideout: a string of lava tubes in the low-lying Hellas Planitia — an impact basin blasted into the Red Planet's surface by ancient meteor impacts.

Every part of Mars could kill you. Its surface is arid, starved of oxygen and blasted daily with unrelenting, unfiltered solar radiation <https://www.livescience.com/38169-electromagnetism.html>. Any future Martian explorers will put their lives in peril when they embark. NASA has decades of experience hauling oxygen, food and water beyond Earth <https://www.livescience.com/earth.html>. But that last killer, the radiation, is a harder problem to tackle.

On Earth, a powerful magnetic shield, known as the magnetosphere <https://www.livescience.com/64930-earths-magenetic-field.html>, protects us from the harsh radiation of space. Without it, a constant stream of electromagnetic rays would damage our cells and DNA, with dire consequences to our health. Ionized particles, streaming through space as slower-moving solar wind or relativistic cosmic rays add to that risk. And we know from the experiences of the only humans to exit the magnetosphere — Apollo astronauts — that even a few days' exposure to those particles can trigger headaches, flashes of light and cataracts, the researchers of the new study noted in their new paper. Plus, there's always the risk that a solar flare or cosmic ray burst could expose a Martian habitat to a sudden, deadly dose.

Related: Here's what NASA's Opportunity rover saw before 'lights out' <https://www.livescience.com/64989-mars-rover-opportunity-last-photographs.html>