Tag archives for NASA
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NASA has taken some amazing pictures from space that show the amount of artificial light generated on Earth. The lights are brightest in the big cities where most of the population lives.
The photographs were taken from a satellite using a powerful new sensor, according to NASA. It’s sensitive enough to capture the light from a ship on the ocean!
See more pictures of the Earth at night on National Geographic News.
What’s the best way to look at the stars in the night sky? Find out on National Geographic Kids.
Image courtesy NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA NGDC
Posted by We landed in Miami, shocked that everyone spoke English and that we were back in the U.S.A. The morning after we landed we drove to Coco Beach and checked into an awesome hotel with a water fall and a huge surf shop.
We were all so excited to board the Disney boat the next morning that we didn’t do much but talk about it while we walked the beach and had dinner on the pier. The cruise was my brother’s birthday present. I was soooo excited I could barely hold it in.
We boarded the ship and Mickey Mouse greeted us. Then we explored the many decks and our state room filled with Mickey everything. We put our stuff down and ran out to do one of the many activities.
NASA’s decommissioned space shuttle Discovery took a victory lap over Washington, D.C., today on the back of a Boeing 747. The shuttle was traveling to its new home at the National Air and Space Museum in Dulles, Virginia. Discovery flew by several iconic buildings as it passed over the the city, including the Washington Monument and the White House.
Discovery‘s first space voyage was on August 30, 1980. The shuttle flew 39 space missions over the next 30 years. Its last mission was a trip to the International Space Station.
See more pictures from Discovery‘s last flight on National Geographic News.
See space shuttle pictures on National Geographic Kids.
Watch a video about space shuttle history on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph courtesy Glenn Benson, NASA
National Geographic is teaming up with NASA and Angry Birds to create a book called Angry Birds Space that will be a companion book to a new Angry Birds game. The book will be available starting on March 20 and the game also called Angry Birds Space will be out on March 22! In an update to the familiar gameplay, players will have to deal with zero gravity, different space objects, and more.
(AD) Find out how to get your copy of National Geographic Angry Birds Space.
How will the game stack up against real space? Find out on National Geographic News Watch.
See pictures of different planets on National Geographic Kids.
Can’t wait to go into space? Explore the solar system with Nat and Geo in Pluto’s Secret.
Space shuttle Atlantis landed this morning, ending its mission and bringing the 30-year-old shuttle program to a close. The retired space shuttles Enterprise, Discovery, Endeavor, and Atlantis will be displayed in museums around the United States.
See pictures from the final space shuttle mission on National Geographic News.
Learn about the space shuttle program on National Geographic News.
See space shuttle pictures on National Geographic Kids.
Explore space in the Pluto’s Secret game on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Joe Skipper, Reuters
Space shuttle Atlantis lifted off this morning, beginning the last mission of the shuttle program. The program began when space shuttle Columbia flew into space in 1981, and Atlantis flew its first mission in 1985. To mark the final flight, Atlantis crew members are planning to take a flag from the first 1981 shuttle mission to the International Space Station, where it will stay until the first commercial flight to the station. The astronauts will also be taking an iPhone, marking the first time the iPhone has traveled into space.
Learn more about this mission as well as past ones on NASA’s space shuttle page.
Read more about the objects that astronauts will take with them on NASA’s website.
See pictures of space shuttles on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph courtesy Kim Shiflett, NASA
NASA’s space shuttle Endeavour concluded its final mission Wednesday. The launch was the last for the Endeavour, which had been in service since 1992. The shuttle made 25 flights and was in service for 19 years. “It’s sad to see her land for the last time,” mission commander astronaut Mark Kelly told NASA mission control, “but she really has a great legacy.”
See photos of Endeavour’s last flight.
Photograph courtesy NASA
On February 24, 2011, space shuttle Discovery rocketed to space for its 39th and final mission. The shuttle traveled to the International Space Station, where it docked and installed a module containing supplies and spare parts for the station. The shuttle’s crew also installed additional space station equipment during spacewalks. Discovery landed a little before noon at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, March 9, completing its last trip.
As of the end of the mission, Discovery spent a total 365 days in space during all its missions–adding up to a whole year! The space shuttles were originally designed to take about 100 trips into space. Endeavour is scheduled to launch on April 19.
See more pictures from Discovery‘s final mission on National Geographic News.
See space shuttle pictures on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Joe Skipper, Reuters
Saturday, Sept. 18, will be the first International Observe the Moon Night. There are more than 300 official moon-watching events scheduled, but you can observe the moon from your own neighborhood if the sky is clear. You can use binoculars or a telescope to get a closer look at the moon. Even without a telescope, you can see some craters, such as the Tycho crater near the moon’s south pole!
NASA and several partners established International Observe the Moon Night to raise people’s awareness of the moon and its scientific importance.
Learn more about Observe the Moon Night on National Geographic News.
Think you know the most about the moon? Quiz Your Noodle and see how you rate!
The moon isn’t the only cool thing in the sky to celebrate. Learn how to throw a star party on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Siamak Sabet, My Shot
Send in Questions for Dr. Sally Ride
Former astronaut Sally Ride is visiting the White House in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Sept. 16 and will answer your questions about science and space! Dr. Ride was the first American woman in space and flew twice aboard the space shuttle Challenger in the early 1980s. Now is your chance to find out how she became an astronaut, ask questions about gravity, and learn what it’s really like to eat, sleep, and move in space. Send us your questions in the comments section and we will send 10-20 questions on to the White House.
Dr. Ride is President and CEO of Sally Ride Science, a science education company that creates programs and products for students and teachers in elementary and middle school and was the first director of NASA’s Office of Exploration, Dr. Ride has a longstanding interest in encouraging girls to pursue coursework and careers in science and engineering.
What do you want to ask Dr. Sally Ride? Add your questions here!
Visit the Sally Ride Science website.
Learn about other women pioneers on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph courtesy NASA Ames Research Center / Dominic Hart
NASA wants to put your face in space during the final space shuttle missions! People can send their pictures and names to NASA, and the photos and names will be electronically transferred to the space shuttles during an upcoming mission. The files will then be transferred back to Earth, and people who entered their photos will be able to print a certificate saying they had their faces in space!
“Since the space shuttles belong to the public, this is an opportunity for the people to ‘ride along’ [during the final shuttle missions],” said Kyle Herring from the NASA press office. Lots of people are interested in the program. NASA has received over 170,000 entries so far!
The program is open to people ages 13 and up. If you are under 13, ask your parent to upload your photo.
Learn more about the Face in Space program on the NASA website.
See pictures of space shuttles on National Geographic Kids.
How much do you know about NASA history? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!
Photograph courtesy NASA
LCROSS mission picture courtesy NASA
This morning, NASA’s LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) intentionally crashed into the moon’s surface in hopes of uncovering traces of ice near the moon’s south pole. The impact created a crater of about 100 feet (300 meters) wide and scattered 200 tons of material on the moon’s surface.
Impacts on the moon aren’t unusual. Other objects similar in size to LCROSS, such as meteors, hit the moon every month and more than two dozen NASA objects are already scattered across the moon’s surface.
Learn more about the LCROSS crash on National Geographic News.
Check out pictures of moon exploration on National Geographic Kids.
Quiz Your Noodle and find out how much you
know about the moon on National Geographic Kids.
Play Pluto’s Secret on National Geographic Kids.
