NASA Begins Implementation for ESA’s Rosalind Franklin Mission to Mars
Scheduled to launch in 2028, Rosalind Franklin will be the first Mars rover to search for signs of past or present life under the Red Planet’s surface. #Mars #ExoMars 🧪🔭
science.nasa.gov/blogs/mars-r...
The scare was such that, with the #OuterSpaceTreaty putting liability on the satellite’s owner, US decided to pass domestic law capping how much damage they were financially on the hook for.
The contamination, of course, had no such cap.
One has to love History.
#NASA is racing to put a nuclear reactor on the Moon. It's "safe" and "reliable".
Well... in 1964 the US satellite SNAP‑9A failed, its plutonium power source burned up on re‑entry, spreading Pu‑238 worldwide which was, in later risk models, tied to thousands of extra cancers. 🧵
Quizz time!
Rocks and sand. A lot of the rocks have polygonal features on them. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill
The workspace in front of the Mars Curiosity Rover following its Sol 4865 drive this weekend.
flic.kr/p/2s7yKGe
Joining the chorus of commentaries about Artemis II as countdown continues. I'm actually only mildly excited. I'm more concerned about what comes next in this geopolitical competition. And to be clear: my bet is on China having the lead, and that not being all bad
open.substack.com/pub/spacecit...
The pictures from the Artemis II mission are spectacular. They will define a generation the was the Apollo program did over half a century ago.
It wasn't by accident that the astronauts became top-grade shooters.
My take on this: To become good, one needs not to be good first. Increasing criticism on the AI use only leads to a higher use of AI to avoid criticism. You see what I've done there? ;)
"Just because someone on Reddit reads a sentence that feels generic, or a metaphor that lands a little flat, they (increasingly) conclude with absolute certainty that a machine wrote it, as if mediocre prose is a new invention."
Currently reading...
#mentalmodels #cognitivescience #learning #books
📢 Call for Abstracts for #ESWW2026 is OPEN!
🗓️ Nov 2–6, 2026
📍 Florence, Italy (hybrid)
We invite the global Space Weather & Space Climate community to contribute!
👉 Submit your abstract: esww2026.eswan.eu/conference/a...
#ESWW #SpaceWeather #SpaceClimate #Firenze #Italy
NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, hugs the Orion spacecraft in the well deck of USS John P. Murtha, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. Koch, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, Friday, April 10 at 5:07 p.m. PDT (8:07p.m. EDT). Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA astronaut Christina Koch hugs the Orion spacecraft in the well deck of USS John P. Murtha.
Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
flic.kr/p/2s7aCi3 #Artemis 🧪🔭
Good article. The way communication is being done also doesn't help building trust. Though NASA-led, Artemis is a collaboration, something barely mentioned in the media. If you have space agencies contributing that you consistently forget to mention, they will eventually start distancing themselves.
I love it 🙌
“Surely there’s a smarter way to do this” is easily in my top three daily thoughts.
Hardman’s latest piece treats the course as a historical convenience rather than the pinnacle of #learning design, and shows how #AI quietly removes many of the old reasons we leaned on it so heavily
Worth a read.
“Before you launch, it feels like it's the greatest dream on Earth. And when you're out there, you just want to get back to your families and your friends. It's a special thing to be a human, and it's a special thing to be on planet Earth.” — Reid Wiseman, Artemis II Mission Commander
Glad you liked it!
NASA's Orion spacecraft and its crew splashed down safely in a deep blue Pacific Ocean, marking the successful end of the Artemis II mission.
🎉#Artemis II update: Integrity is back on Earth! At 01:07 BST/02:07 CEST, Orion and its crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
🚀Our European Service Module propelled Orion over 1 million km through deep space, before burning up in Earth's atmosphere, its job complete 🔥
www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
One odd side effect of working in space is realising how much of your job runs on law and politics you only half remember from a slide deck.
This offcut is about the map Artemis II is sailing through, and who gets to draw it (or not).
#Space #SpacePolicy #Artemis #SciCom
"Four crew members. One spacecraft. One global team." 🌍
From Mission Control’s Mission Evaluation Room, international experts such as @esa.int's Luca Fossati support the European Service Module - supplying Orion with propulsion, power, air and water for Artemis II
(📽️NASA) @exploration.esa.int
Underside of Orion's Adapter Module with ESA and NASA logos, lower half of image shows the European Service Module's solar arrays stowed before launch.
Two solar arrays seen with the main and auxiliary engine nozzles at the base of the Orion European Service Module, seen against the blackness of space.
A solar array seen with an auxiliary engine and thruster nozzles at the base and side of the Orion European Service Module, seen against the blackness of space with a grey textured partial Moon at right.
The #Artemis II Orion spacecraft is equipped with four solar arrays, built by engineers from Airbus Space in the Netherlands. Installed on the European Service Module, these arrays are essential for providing power for Orion and its crew as they travel around the Moon on this historic mission.
New favorite shot, European Service Module with ESA logo, Dutch Solar Array Wings, the Moon and Earth :)
Hi-res here: images.nasa.gov/details/art0...
#ArtemisII
The Moon! The Sun's corona! A crewed spacecraft! Oh my!
HOLY SHIT
Spring time! Let the frogs pass 🐸
Link to Artemis II data 🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕
#ArtemisII #Artemis #Space #Moon
Things I read while reviewing content:
"It's easier to act yourself into new ways of thinking than think yourself into new ways of acting."
#growthmindset
SLS lift off for Artemis II
CONFIRMED: Orion was successfully placed into Earth's orbit. ✅ #Artemis II
www.flickr.com/photos/europ...
(Credits: ESA/S. Corvaja)
It's launch day (potentially) here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center! Propellant loading is already well underway. Follow updates with NASA here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3kR...
Wow, this has been a good surprise.
Some parts are getting my stomach in knots, though.
Anyone else?
#reading #fiction #books #whenwomenweredragons #kellybarnhill
