A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket transits the Sun. The hot gasses from the liquid-fuelled boosters create complex refraction patterns that distort sunlight at lower left. Shockwaves from the rocket's 27 engines emanate in arcs that break up the Sun's outline.

https://bsky.app/profile/theplanetaryguy.com/post/3mucwiw7czc2s

Learn more about the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope:

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasas-dark-universe-seeking-nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope-launches/

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NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope transits our neighborhood star on its way to unlock the secrets of the universe

Image credit: NASA/John Kraus

https://x.com/johnkrausphotos/status/2094034694358630768

I can't describe all of the feelings from the rocket rumbles to the sonic booms!

The impression is made in lunar regolith, a layer of loose material produced by countless impacts over geological time. Because the Moon lacks the atmosphere and weather systems that continually reshape Earth’s surface, the fine particles can hold remarkably detailed impressions. Aldrin’s photograph consequently preserves not just an image of a footprint, but a record of the physical interaction between a human-made boot and the lunar surface.

More than half a century later, the original footprint remains on the Moon. The absence of conventional erosion means it can survive for an extraordinarily long time, although microscopic impacts from space and other changes to the lunar environment will slowly alter the impression over geological timescales.

I was part of the awesome NASA social group and here is the launch of the Roman telescope on the Falcon Heavy!

Woke up at 3:45 am and drove to KSC for the Roman Space Telescope launch. I worked on the Coronagraph instrument but didn't get any viewing passes. Was able to go through gate 3 and get to causeway about 5:30 am. Setup and took shots during the sunrise. I got super excited when they announced fueling because it meant the launch was a go. Amazing launch, great weather. Got to see the side boosters return. The noise was better than fireworks. I can add the launch video later.

My take on an old classic

Hi y’all,

I used to work for NASA at the Langley Research Center and enjoyed my time there, but unfortunately, I was impacted by federal cuts.

Recently, I learned that there will be a job that I would like and that I am qualified for that will open up in the next month or so at the Wallops Flight Facility.

I’m a young person, and I’m able to go out and spend a few years in an area like Wallops since I don’t have commitments, so I’ve been thinking about this a lot, but I’m worried about living in essentially the middle of nowhere. It’d be great to be at Wallops for a few years, then transfer to another facility or center.

I’m curious if current or former employees who worked at the Wallops Flight Facility could chime in about their lifestyle?

I’ve found very limited information on Reddit and the internet in general, so I would greatly appreciate any insights!

1. Did you enjoy your time at Wallops?

2. What were some things that you liked/disliked?

3. What did you do in your free time?

4. Is there a big focus on just working and not doing anything else?

5. Would you ever travel up to Annapolis or down to Hampton/Virginia Beach on the weekends?

6. Do you have any recommended places to live? I’m a planner by heart, so I’ve been doing lots of forward thinking, and have looked a lot at Salisbury, Princess Anne, and Pocomoke City.

7. Did you ever try to transfer to a different facility or center?

8. What was your favorite thing or something that made you proud about Wallops?

9. If you were in a younger version of yourself, would you choose to work at Wallops again? Why or why not?

Thanks in advance!

My view sitting on the bleechers at banana creek, waiting for Roman lift-off. Beyond excited

I captured this morning’s Falcon Heavy launch with a group of photographers in Titusville. Clouds cleared just in time. Go Roman!

Mosaics from the Magellan radar were mapped onto a computer-simulated globe to create this image. Magellan launched to Venus on May 4, 1989. Contact with Magellan was lost on Oct. 13, 1994, after it was commanded to plunge into the Venusian atmosphere.

I know I have a fair few collected? But can't seem to find all of them, was just curious to see if there is a way to find them all

Hey guys, I've been looking at NASA's 2017 "Big Bang Animation 5k Resolution" (svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12656, animator Krystofer Kim) for a research project on how the origin of the universe gets visually represented. I'm curious whether there's any documented reasoning behind the violet/purple color palette used.

Is it a stylistic choice by CI Lab, does it follow some convention used elsewhere in NASA visualizations, or is it more or less arbitrary? I couldn't find anything explaining it on the SVS page itself. Would appreciate any insight, even secondhand!

I got an on-site tour of KSC including the inside of VAB. Roman telescope wasn’t even on the pad yet. Spacex says it will be pushed out about 12 hours before launch. Cool to see Artemis 3 items going together. Also saw the visitor center spots like Saturn 5 exhibit and Atlantis shuttle.

I don’t claim these are the best shots, just that they were taken by me and shared for your personal enjoyment.
Quick captions
Pad 39A from viewing hill. Saw guys doing camera checks for Sunday.
Crawlerway to 39B pad with special river rock for gripping shot from the car.
Artemis 3 model inside VAB. Left side booster has the paint marking. Cool to see the work going on. May post camera shots later.
Mission panels inside Launch Control Center entryway. Lots of history in these plaques.
Apollo 11 control center mockup. Great video.
Saturn 5 display. Amazing display. Ate lunch just staring at the setup.
Apollo 14 command module Kitty Hawk.
Shuttle Atlantis display is stunning. Open bay with arm deployed. 2nd shuttle I’ve seen in person.
Hubble mockup perhaps the most famous telescope. Arguably the instrument that has been used to most advance our understanding of astronomy. I’m a big fan of WFPC2 and WFPC3.
COLBERT display is amazing display with a great acronym. Entertainment meets space science.
Rocket garden shot late in the day. It was so hot so I had to stand in the shade. Hard to capture all the sites.

Are there any new plans for orbital missions to Uranus and Neptune? When are they expected to launch?