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All hands on deck!

The launch of the first Skylab crew, scheduled for May 15, 1973, was delayed as NASA worked around the clock to come up with a plan to save the space station. Temperatures in the orbital workshop were rising quickly… #Skylab50

More: go.nasa.gov/3W6hXyr
#NASAhistory



The Exp 69 crew began the week studying human immunity and cleaning up after a spacewalk. @Axiom_Space is also prepping for the launch of its second private astronaut mission. blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/20…
#ISS
#iss


Lights are steadily returning to southeast Türkiye after deadly earthquakes triggered power outages in February 2023.

These maps show nighttime lights detected near Antakya just after the quake (Feb. 8, left) and on April 30 (right). go.nasa.gov/3MsAJNv
#NASAEarth



☄️ @NASAWebb confirmed water vapor around a comet in the main asteroid belt. This suggests that ice from the primordial solar system can be preserved there — a breakthrough in searching for water and systems on their way to hosting planets like Earth: go.nasa.gov/3BucEzm
#NASAExoplanets


"Faith 7 is all go."

#60YearsAgo today, L. Gordon "Gordo" Cooper, Jr. was launched in his Faith 7 spacecraft on the final mission of Project Mercury: Mercury-Atlas 9. 🧵 1/4
#NASAhistory



Com-et me, bro. ☄️

Webb confirmed the 1st detection of water vapor around a rare type of comet in the main asteroid belt. This suggests that ice from the early solar system can be preserved there—a breakthrough for studying the origins of water on Earth: go.nasa.gov/3BucEzm
#JamesWebb

in reply to NASA

Cool
Clear
Water (water)…

youtu.be/amDo-KqUjpA



Com-et me, bro. ☄️

Webb confirmed the 1st detection of water vapor around a rare type of comet in the main asteroid belt. This suggests that ice from the early solar system can be preserved there—a breakthrough for studying the origins of water on Earth: go.nasa.gov/3BucEzm
#JamesWebb



Cooper took photos of Earth and performed experiments while circling the planet.

All was going well until the 19th orbit when a short circuit knocked out the automatic stabilization and control system, carbon dioxide levels began to rise and the cabin temperature exceeded 54°C!
#NASAhistory



Cooper, seen here getting into his tiny spacecraft, was the last NASA astronaut ever to be launched into orbit on a solo flight, orbiting the Earth 22 times, and logging more than 34 hours in space, longer than all previous Mercury missions combined.

#Claustrophobia 2/4
#NASAhistory



Despite the malfunctions, Cooper was able to make a perfect manual reentry. Faith 7 splashed down about 80 miles southeast of Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean on May 16, 1963.

Get the details of this highly successful mission: go.nasa.gov/3MCktcZ
#NASAhistory



M16: Eagle Nebula Deep Field apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230515.ht… #APOD
#APOD


M16: Eagle Nebula Deep Field

Image Credit & Copyright: Gianni Lacroce

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230515.ht… #APOD

#APOD


Some exoplanets are so close to their stars that they're tidally locked, meaning the same side, called the dayside, gets every bit of light. Sound familiar? Happy #MothersDay!
#NASAExoplanets
in reply to NASA

"The City in the Middle of the Night" by Charlie Jane Anders is one of my favorite SF books, and it takes place on the narrow habitable ring of a tidally locked planet between the hot side (day) and the frozen side (night).


#HappyMothersDay!

Dr. Nancy Grace Roman is often called the "Mother of Hubble". Her work at @nasa made Hubble's mission possible, and also helped pave the way for space-based telescopes like @NASAWebb and @NASARoman.

Find out more about Dr. Roman: go.nasa.gov/3BqscUX
#Hubble



Who made you the star you are today? Mention them to give them cosmic #MothersDay flowers. 🌹

The Rosette Nebula, about 5,000 light-years from Earth, is a region in space where stars are formed. This image by the Spitzer Space Telescope shows the stellar nursery in infrared.
#NASA



There are all kinds of galaxies out there, just as there are all kinds of moms. Some would love a rose made of two entwined galaxies, others might prefer a lightsaber (or a galaxy seen edge-on). You can't go wrong with both! Happy #MothersDay!
#NASAExoplanets


“Mother of Hubble,” friend of Webb. 💐

We’re honored that Dr. Nancy Grace Roman visited the Webb Telescope at @NASAGoddard in 2017. Here she is shown with our Operations Project Scientist, Dr. Jane Rigby.
#JamesWebb



The Skylab space station was launched into orbit 50 years ago today — the last launch of a Saturn V rocket! #Skylab50

63 seconds into the flight, controllers saw the first signs that something had gone wrong, kicking off a dramatic race to save the entire Skylab program.
#NASAhistory



To Fly Free in Space apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230514.ht… #APOD
#APOD


To Fly Free in Space

Image Credit: NASA, STS-41B

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230514.ht… #APOD

#APOD


A bright star, visible in Earth’s Southern sky, has a secret. The well known Fomalhaut debris disk, imaged here by @NASAWebb, has an asteroid belt, inner rings and an undulating structure that hints at unseen planets! go.nasa.gov/42dH7h6
#NASAExoplanets


Happy 50th, Skylab!

Our first space station launched into orbit on May 14, 1973. Skylab hosted three crews of @NASA_Astronauts, proving that humans could live and work in space for extended periods of time. Learn more with @NASA_History: go.nasa.gov/3nVqFmz
#NASA

#NASA
in reply to NASA

I remember being very excited about Skylab in the early 70s. Good memories.


Black lava and pink ash from volcanic and tectonic activity make these two Gulf of California islands appear rust-colored in this photograph taken by a @Space_Station astronaut. 🌋

The two large islands are Isla del Espíritu Santo and Isla La Partida. go.nasa.gov/3nXxxQj
#NASAEarth



This week was busy.

@Space_Station crew members relocated their @SpaceX Dragon to a new docking port, @NASAWebb imaged a nearby star, and @RocketLab launched two small satellites to study hurricanes.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get the full scoop: nasa.gov/subscribe
#NASA

#NASA


Apollo 17: The Crescent Earth

Image Credit: Apollo 17, NASA; Restoration - Toby Ord

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230513.ht… #APOD

#APOD


#ICYMI: Two cosmonauts deployed a radiator (seen here sped up at 2.4x) during a spacewalk on Friday and completed other tasks outside the station including installing handrails on the @ESA robotic arm. More... go.nasa.gov/41rl992
#ISS


NASA’s Lunar Flashlight mission has ended after being unable to reach its science orbit around the Moon. But the technology demonstration tested several key technologies that had never been used in space before that will benefit future spacecraft.

jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-calls-e…
#NASAMoon



This week on #SpaceToGround, a Dragon Endeavor relocation makes room for upcoming missions, cosmonauts complete a spacewalk, crews test hardware that may make one station task a bit easier, and @nasa celebrates the 50th anniversary of Skylab. 🛰
#ISS


300 light-years from Earth, two planets still glowing from formation 17 million years ago, were directly imaged. We can't see exoplanets beyond a few pixels of light because of the distances. But what glorious light! (Seen with the star, at upper left.) go.nasa.gov/41wPxin
#NASAExoplanets
in reply to NASA

In my youth I really enjoyed a project I had on extraterrestrial biology for one of the first rovers, but since we've done so little to address #GlobalWarming since then the thrill with space exploration has waned.


"Ground control to Major Tom" 🎤

@csa_asc astronaut @Cmdr_Hadfield treated us to the first music video made in space, released #OTD in 2013 (10 years ago today)! It's unclear whether we've been able to get David Bowie’s Space Oddity out of our heads since.
#NASAhistory



We're holding a public meeting of our independent study team on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) on Wednesday, May 31, at 10:30am ET (1430 UTC), with a media teleconference to follow.

How to watch: go.nasa.gov/42tSGAX

Submit your questions: go.nasa.gov/42uzK4J
#NASA

#NASA
in reply to NASA

I still wonder about Rendlesham Forest. That was a strange one…


Spacewalker Sergey Prokopyev is seen working on the @ESA robotic arm completing the installation of gap spanners, or handrails, allowing for easier access during spacewalks. Watch now... nasa.gov/live
#ISS
#iss


Over their eight days on the @Space_Station, the private astronauts of @Axiom_Space's Axiom Mission 2 will run activities from student outreach to scientific experiments.

#Ax2 is set to lift off from @NASAKennedy on Sunday, May 21—here's how to watch: go.nasa.gov/41yAdlp
#NASA

#NASA #ax2


Why yes, Mercury is in retrograde.

This little planet’s motion in our skies takes the blame for plenty of mishaps here on Earth, but it’s just doing its thing, orbiting the Sun!

More about retrograde motion (and Mars): mars.nasa.gov/all-about-mars/n… twitter.com/i/web/status/16570…
#NASASolarSystem



From our perspective, planets move west-to-east. Periodically, they appear to move east-to-west, which we call retrograde motion. From Earth, we see all the planets in retrograde, but Mercury is in retrograde most often because it's the fastest planet around the Sun.
#NASASolarSystem


Imagine the planets as speed skaters in different lanes on a circular track. The innermost skater’s loops are short and fast. From the perspective of a skater on the third lane, the first skater sometimes travels the same direction and sometimes, the opposite.
#NASASolarSystem


What could you make with 8 crayons? What about a box of 96 or 128? 🖍️

@nasa’s PACE satellite, slated to launch in 2024, will see ocean color in more shades than any other sensor, helping scientists unlock the secrets of the sea. 🌊 🛰️
go.nasa.gov/41v5CFo
#NASAEarth



Earth is aglow as spacewalker Sergey Prokopyev installs a gap spanner—a handrail allowing easier movement for future spacewalkers—to the @ESA robotic arm. Watch now…nasa.gov/live
#ISS
#iss


Celebrating 50 years!

Skylab, America's first space station, launched 50 years ago this Sunday! Join us as we revisit the first long-duration space missions made by @nasa astronauts and see how they paved the way for the future. #Skylab50
#NASAhistory



The @nasa @usgs #Landsat captured a high-flow experiment – releasing water to simulate natural flooding and carry sediment downstream – at Glen Canyon Dam north of Horseshoe Bend in Arizona on April 27, 2023. go.nasa.gov/42Sdkdy
#NASAEarth

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