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Then and now.

Discover the differences and similarities between launch and recovery during the Apollo missions and the #Artemis I flight test around the Moon. See how @NASA_SLS and @NASA_Orion broke records and made history: go.nasa.gov/3HMQFrP
#NASAArtemis #Artemis



The crew of #Apollo17 returned to Earth 50 years ago today. And what better way to celebrate a return from the Moon than with dessert! After being picked up by the recovery ship, the crew enjoyed a celebratory cake. What cake flavor would you choose? go.nasa.gov/3v2tUc4
#NASAMoon
in reply to NASA

I watched all of those missions as a child but I never knew that they were cutting the cake with those knives. What the heck, NASA? No actual cutlery onboard?


#OTD in 1999: The third servicing mission up to the Hubble Space Telescope launched!

During this mission, astronauts replaced Hubble’s gyroscopes and installed new equipment to make it more capable than before.

Find out more: go.nasa.gov/3W6ohFm
#Hubble



🎁 We have a holiday gift for you! It's the new edition of NASA History News & Notes, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 17!

Topics: The orange soil at Shorty Crater, engineering support of the Apollo missions, Apollo 17 science & more!

Download: go.nasa.gov/3G0xBFr
#NASAhistory



The Tadpole Nebula in Gas and Dust

Image Credit & Copyright: Craig Stocks (Utah Desert Remote Observatories)

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221219.ht… #APOD

#APOD


Wonder what it’s like to be on the Moon? #Apollo17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt said:

“Working on the Moon is a lot of fun. It’s like walking around on a giant trampoline all the time and you’re just as strong as you were here on Earth, but you don’t weigh as much.” #Apollo50th
#NASAhistory

in reply to NASA

Smartest thing NASA ever did, putting Jack Schmidt on the moon.
in reply to NASA

Watching the moon walkers, I wondered about this. We'd see them bounce about, but always very gingerly, and no one does the great leaps that early SciFi movie astronauts enjoyed.

You do weigh less yet have the same strength, but you also still have the same inertial mass. Wouldn't that cause problems when stopping or turning?

It's like the great spinning space stations. Who would have thought the coriolis effect would pose such a problem?



25 Brightest Stars in the Night Sky apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221218.ht… #APOD
#APOD
in reply to NASA

✨️Betelgeuse's yellow hue burns so bright in the night sky


25 Brightest Stars in the Night Sky

Image Credit & Copyright: Tragoolchitr Jittasaiyapan

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221218.ht… #APOD

#APOD


Then and now.

Discover the differences and similarities between launch and recovery during the Apollo missions and the #Artemis I test flight around the Moon. See how @NASA_SLS and @NASA_Orion broke records and passed milestones: go.nasa.gov/3YxSjU4
#NASAArtemis #Artemis



Mission controllers continue evaluating an external leak on the Soyuz MS-22 crew ship after identifying the source of the leak and conducting a successful thruster test. blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/20…
#ISS
#iss


A small portion of the Lagoon Nebula, 4,350 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius, holds thousands of stars. @NASAHubble searched the nebula for the type of disks that give rise to planets. go.nasa.gov/3V2UHzl
#NASAExoplanets
in reply to NASA

are the posts on Mastodon identical to you twitter posts?


#10YearsAgo today, the GRAIL mission ended as its twin spacecrafts, Ebb and Flow, deorbited to the lunar surface. The mission created a detailed gravitational map of the Moon, providing insight into its structure and composition.

Learn more about GRAIL: go.nasa.gov/3Hv4XNU
#NASAhistory


in reply to NASA

I just want the Trappist-1 system,
7 planets shining bright,
From TRAPPIST-1b to TRAPPIST-1g,
Each one a cosmic sight.

I don't need any presents,
Just the wonder that you bring,
Your planets orbiting around,
The star that makes them sing.

I just want to explore you,
Discover all your secrets, too,
From rocky worlds to gas giants,
The mysteries you hold true.

Chorus:
All I want for Christmas is you,
Trappist-1, oh how true,
All I want for Christmas is you,
The beauty of your cosmic crew.



This week on #SpaceToGround, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 17 as #Artemis I successfully splashes down and @NASA_Astronauts prepare for a spacewalk to install a solar array.
#ISS


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How does NASA celebrate the holidays?

@NASA_Astronauts and our space storytellers share the details in a special episode of our Curious Universe podcast: go.nasa.gov/3YAjyNR
#NASA

#NASA


“Hey, this is great! Talk about being a spaceman, this is it!”

Watch as Ron Evans, the #Apollo17 command module pilot performed a deep space EVA to retrieve a film canister on the outside of the spacecraft: apolloinrealtime.org/17/?t=257…
#Apollo50th
#NASAhistory

in reply to NASA

I want to be a spaceman, are you hiring any 70-ish guys?


Earth from space has us like 😍

An astronaut onboard the @Space_Station took this photo of Isle Royale National Park in April 2020, while the park’s islands were partially covered in snow. 👩‍🚀📸go.nasa.gov/3WbqtLK
#NASAEarth



#Landsat 8 captured this natural color image of Saba Island, an active stratovolcano located about 140 kilometers east of the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea.

🌋 go.nasa.gov/3j6wdYV
#NASAEarth

in reply to NASA

Saba Island - the shortest commercial runway in the world!

Skip to 2:20 for the landing:
youtube.com/watch?v=LwgCuaedyf…



#Landsat 9 captured this image of Mexico City, still showing the signs of an ancient network of canals and chinampas – small stationary “floating” garden beds – in the Valley of Mexico. go.nasa.gov/3j4Qf5W
#NASAEarth
in reply to NASA

This is so cool. Interesting to learn how this hydrology formed


A rare December sandstorm in China darkened skies over several major cities.

This image from @nasa’s Terra satellite, taken on Dec. 12, shows plumes of sand and dust from the Gobi Desert spanning parts of Hebei, Shanxi, Liáoníng, and Jílín provinces. go.nasa.gov/3BBZbGb
#NASAEarth




Apollo 17 VIP Site Anaglyph

Image Credit: Gene Cernan, Apollo 17, NASA; Anaglyph by Erik van Meijgaarden

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221217.ht… #APOD

#APOD
in reply to (moving) APOD

I have a set of those glasses I got from Xtravision, the Irish equivalent of Blockbuster, in the 90s. I'll have to dig them out to look at this.


50 years ago today, the #Apollo17 crew completed its time at the Moon and performed a Trans-Earth injection (TEI) burn to return home. #Apollo50th

Photo: View of the far side of the Moon taken just after TEI.
#NASAhistory

in reply to NASA

ok it’s a bit higher res than my images. You have a slight advantage though.


This collection of side-by-side photos of comparable Apollo and Artemis events at @NASAKennedy is phenomenal! Check it out: go.nasa.gov/3W2Bj6Q
#NASAhistory
in reply to NASA

@nasa@social.the the tiny people compared to Apollo and Artemis give quite a perspective.


Apollo 17 VIP Site Anaglyph apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221217.ht… #APOD
#APOD
in reply to NASA

woah! luckily we keep anaglyph 3D glasses as our holiday tree topper, so viewing this was a snap! So cool. 🖖


Welcome to the team, SWOT! 🛰️

The international mission will observe nearly all of Earth's water and help address some of the most pressing climate questions of our time.

nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-la…
#NASAEarth



Welcome to the team, SWOT! 🛰️

The international mission will observe nearly all of Earth's water and help address some of the most pressing climate questions of our time.

nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-la…
#NASAEarth



Up ahead: “Three Forks.” The spot where I’ll drop a set of samples that the #MarsSampleReturn missions could bring back to Earth for closer study. This first set is full of diverse rocks that could help answer if life ever arose here.
Learn more: go.nasa.gov/3YrmL2l
#PerseveranceRover
in reply to NASA

She's beautiful. I wish I could see her with my own eyes one day.
in reply to NASA

I hate to say it, but it definitely looks like the rover might be flipping us off.


This #HubbleFriday view is pretty *stellar*! ⭐

Dive into this spectacular image of a portion of the gigantic Lagoon Nebula. The stars seen throughout are part of the cluster NGC 6530, located about 4,350 light-years away!

For more information: go.nasa.gov/3G7vpfr
#Hubble



The Geminid apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221216.ht… #APOD
#APOD
in reply to NASA

is it possible to live stream the entire journey of the next craft you send to the moon?


That's teamwork 👨‍🚀 👨‍🚀

Astronauts Walter Schirra (right) and Thomas Stafford shake each other's hand as they arrive aboard the USS Wasp aircraft carrier, after their nearly 26-hour Gemini-VI-A spaceflight #OTD in 1965. It was the 1st recovery to be broadcast live on TV!
#NASAhistory



The newest Earth science satellite lifted off Dec. 16 atop a @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Led by NASA and @CNES, the #SWOTMission is the first to help scientists track changes in nearly all of Earth’s surface water. go.nasa.gov/3Vj8t17
#NASA




Want to hold a Moon rock in your hand? Now you can, virtually! @Astromaterials 3D is an interactive online library of lunar & meteorite samples that you can explore from your computer. Check out this tour of Astromaterials 3D featuring #Apollo17 samples: go.nasa.gov/3V5dHNN
#NASAMoon


"We send our good morning on our last wakeup day from the Moon.”

Gene Cernan sent greetings from the #Apollo17 crew to everyone back on Earth #OTD in 1972. #Apollo50th

📷 Earthrise seen from lunar orbit
#NASAhistory



Liftoff! @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches with the @nasa @CNES SWOT spacecraft onboard. see more 📸 flic.kr/s/aHBqjAj2SK
#NASAhqphoto
in reply to NASA

@nasa: There’s just nothing better than a night launch from Vandenburg. The way the horizon lights up - it’s astonishingly beautiful.
@NASA
in reply to NASA

Let's hope Elon comes back to Earth before his current breakdown affects SpaceX.


The Geminid

Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai (TWAN)

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221216.ht… #APOD

#APOD


Somehow I get the feeling I’ve been here before… 🤔

(I have. I’m retracing my steps to a place we call “Three Forks.” More on that soon!)

My latest location: go.nasa.gov/where-is-persevera…
#PerseveranceRover

in reply to NASA

Aww, it took a photo of its footsteps in the sand! How are the rovers so cute?

in reply to NASA

Alt text for visually impaired users:
A satellite floats in space. Underneath it is the earth with clouds. #alttext

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