Latest news with #Canadarm2
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'Never been seen before': First images from new ISS solar telescope reveal subtle 'fluctuations' in sun's outer atmosphere
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A mini solar telescope strapped to the side of the International Space Station (ISS) has captured its first images, revealing subtle changes in our home star's outer atmosphere that have never been seen before. NASA's Coronal Diagnostic Experiment (CODEX) is a small solar telescope attached to the outside of the ISS. It is a coronagraph, meaning that it blocks out the solar disk to allow the telescope to focus on the sun's atmosphere, or corona, in unprecedented detail — mimicking the way the moon blocks the sun's visible surface during a total solar eclipse on Earth. The occulting disk blocking out the sun's light is around the size of a tennis ball and it is held in place by three metal arms at the end of a long metal tube, which also cast distinctive shadows in the resulting images. CODEX arrived on the ISS on Nov. 5, 2024, on board a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule, Live Science's sister site previously reported. It was affixed onto the station's hull by the robotic arm, Canadarm2, on Nov. 9, according to NASA. The first photos from CODEX were released on June 10 at the 246th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Anchorage, Alaska. They include footage of temperature fluctuations in the outer corona, captured over the span of several days, and a photo of giant "coronal streamers" shooting out of the sun. "The CODEX instrument is doing something new," Jeffrey Newmark, a heliophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and the principal investigator for CODEX, said in a statement. "These are brand new observations that have never been seen before, and we think there's a lot of really interesting science to be done with it." Related: Watch eerie 'UFOs' and a solar 'cyclone' take shape in stunning new ESA video of the sun The main goal of the new telescope is to discover how the superhot particles constantly streaming out of the sun, known as the solar wind, interact with the sun's outer atmosphere. "Previous coronagraph experiments have measured the density of material in the corona, but CODEX is measuring the temperature and speed of material in the slowly varying solar wind flowing out from the Sun," Newmark said. Mission scientists also want to understand how solar wind gets heated to such high temperatures — up to 1.8 million degrees Fahrenheit (1 million degrees Celsius), which is around 175 times hotter than the sun's surface, according to To do this, the telescope measures the sun using four narrow-band filters, two for temperature and two for speed. "By comparing the brightness of the images in each of these filters, we can tell the temperature and speed of the coronal solar wind," Newmark said. The researchers hope that better understanding the solar wind will help predict dangerous space weather events, particularly those that originate from gigantic "coronal holes" that spew streams of particularly fast solar particles toward Earth. In the last few weeks, Earth has experienced two significant geomagnetic storms, which were both triggered by coronal holes: First, on June 13, when a sizeable storm triggered auroras in up to 18 U.S. states; and more recently on June 25, when a slightly weaker disturbance briefly lit up the night skies. RELATED STORIES —Powerful solar telescope unveils ultra-fine magnetic 'curtains' on the sun's surface —Behold! 1st images of artificial solar eclipse captured by ESA's Proba-3 mission —Bottom of the sun becomes visible to humans for the first time in history (photos) This flurry of activity is the result of solar maximum, the most active phase of the sun's roughly 11-year sunspot cycle. This chaotic peak is now likely coming to an end, meaning less explosive outbursts in the future. However, some experts believe that solar wind could remain unpredictable for several years as the sun's localized magnetic fields vie for dominance in a period dubbed the "solar battle zone." Therefore, the CODEX instrument has likely switched on at the optimal time. "We really never had the ability to do this kind of science before," Newmark said. "We're excited for what's to come."
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronauts Sunita (Suni) Williams and Barry (Butch) Wilmore speak during a news conference at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Monday. The two astronauts were launched to the ISS aboard a Boeing Starliner spacecraft for a scheduled eight-day mission in June 2024. After spacecraft malfunctions, the pair were directed to stay, prolonging the mission nine months.
On June 5, 2024, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore soared into a blue sky in a new Boeing capsule called Starliner. Their mission? To test the spacecraft, dock with the International Space Station (ISS), and then return home a few days later. Instead, the pair returned in a SpaceX Crew Dragon on March 18 — more than nine months later. On its inaugural mission, Starliner, or CST-100, had experienced several problems, including helium leaks and thruster issues. Between Boeing and NASA, along with Williams and Wilmore, it was decided it would be best to return the capsule without the crew, due to safety concerns. It was safely brought home in September, with the astronauts left to wait for an alternative ride back. WATCH | Astronauts Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams exit SpaceX capsule aboard recovery vessel: It was widely reported across social media and news outlets that the astronauts were "stuck" or "stranded" on the ISS. But in their first news conference since returning, both Williams and Wilmore said they didn't feel that way. "We heard about that," Williams laughed, speaking in response to that narrative on Monday. Wilmore said it was all about planning. "We've said this before: We had a plan, right? The plan went way off for what we had planned. But because we're in human spaceflight, we prepare for any number of contingencies," he said. "Because this is a curvy road. You never know where it's going to go." Instead, Williams and Wilmore formally became part of the Expedition 71/72 crew, working and conducting experiments They even conducted a spacewalk in January, preparing a spare elbow joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm. It was the ninth spacewalk for Williams and the fifth for Wilmore. Williams is attached to the Canadarm2 robotic arm's latching end effector, while being manoeuvered to her worksite at the ISS, some 425 kilometres above the South Pacific Ocean. (NASA) The comforts of home While they said they enjoyed their time on the ISS and the work they did, they were happy to return to the comforts of home. The first things they wanted to do? "I wanted to hug my husband and hug my dogs. And I'll say in that order … maybe not," Williams said, laughing. "No, I'm just joking." And as a vegetarian, she said she also enjoyed a grilled cheese sandwich. For Wilmore, it was a little different. "Certainly embracing the family again," Wilmore said. "But also the opportunity — and I've already said it a couple of times — just to say thank you to a nation that got involved in all of this. It makes it special, not just for us, but for all." In this photo provided by NASA, Boeing crew flight test astronauts Butch Wilmore, left, and Suni Williams pose for a portrait inside the vestibule between the International Space Station's Harmony module and Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 13, 2024. (NASA/The Associated Press) When asked how hard it was being away from friends and family for much longer than planned, Wilmore admitted it was "difficult." "It wasn't in the preparation," he said. "But in my family, we talk about these possibilities. We discussed all of this. We never said we were going to be gone for nine months — but it turned out that way." Though they missed out on Thanksgiving and Christmas with their families, they said they still had a good time celebrating the holidays. "We actually had a reindeer that we built and rode like a bull," Wilmore said. "But we celebrated in style, trust me." The Expedition 72 crew got into the Christmas spirit aboard the International Space Station using excess hardware, cargo bags and Santa hats to decorate the orbiting lab's Unity module, with a familiar reindeer. (NASA) It was also made easier when crewmate Nick Hague arrived at the space station on Sept. 28; Williams said he'd brought up a few surprises. "He was like Santa Claus. [He] had his little bag of goodies for all of us, and it was pretty awesome to have the holidays up there," Williams said. "It's pretty unique and not many of us get to do that." As for reconditioning and adapting back to gravity, Williams said she's been adjusting well. "Our teams here are getting us ready to get ready to take on new challenges," Williams said. "So, you know, feeling good since we've been back almost two weeks now. I actually went out and ran three miles yesterday. So I will give myself a little pat on the back." Williams is helped out of a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship MEGAN after she landed in the water off the coast of Tallahassee, Fla., on March 18, 2025. She came back with fellow NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. (NASA/Keegan Barber) So would they fly on Starliner again? "Yes, because we're going to rectify all the issues that we encountered. We're going to fix it. We're going to make it work," Wilmore said. "Boeing's completely committed. NASA is completely committed. And with that, I'd get on in a heartbeat." Williams agreed. "Yeah, I would," she said. "The spacecraft is really capable. There were a couple things that need to be fixed … and folks are actively working on that, but it's a great spacecraft."
CNN
30-01-2025
- Science
- CNN
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore swab the outside of the International Space Station for microorganisms
Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been on an unexpectedly monthslong assignment after serving on Boeing's Starliner crewed test flight, are conducting a spacewalk Thursday. The duo is venturing outside the International Space Station to collect samples that may show whether microorganisms exist on the exterior of the orbiting laboratory. The spacewalk began at 7:43 a.m. ET and will last for about 6 ½ hours. The entirety of the spacewalk will be streamed on NASA+ and NASA's YouTube channel. Williams is wearing a white suit marked with red stripes, while Wilmore is in an unmarked suit during the 274th spacewalk to help maintain and upgrade the station. It is Williams' ninth career spacewalk and the fifth for Wilmore. The veteran NASA astronauts' tasks outside the space station will include removing some degraded radio communications hardware, which will be returned to Earth and refurbished on the ground, and preparing a spare joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm in case it's needed to replace the elbow of the 55-foot-long (17-meter-long) tool. The Canadarm2, the Canadian robotic arm initially used in the space station's assembly, now helps to move supplies, equipment and even astronauts around during spacewalks and also 'catches' spacecraft and helps those vehicles dock to the station. The astronaut duo will swab different places outside the space station for the ISS External Microorganisms experiment, which focuses on collecting samples near life support system vents to see whether the space station releases microorganisms. Any spacecraft and spacesuits that arrive at the space station are thoroughly sterilized ahead of their missions, but humans carry their own sets of microorganisms, which constantly regenerate. Understanding which microorganisms can survive the sterilization process and make it to the space station could inform changes needed to be made to the cleaning process before humans plan a return to the lunar surface through the Artemis III mission later this decade, and eventually, aim to land on Mars for the first time. The agency follows strict requirements for planetary protections, which seek to limit any human contamination of extraterrestrial environments — and prevents returning any contaminants from those environments to Earth. Scientists want to know how many, if any, microorganisms are released into space by the orbiting laboratory, how they can survive and reproduce in the cosmic environment, and how far the microorganisms could travel. On Earth, organisms living in harsh environments, such as hydrothermal vents in the ocean floor, are called extremophiles, and the experiment could reveal which microorganisms are hardy enough to exist amid the harsh radiation of space. Returning to Earth Increasing attention has been paid to Wilmore and Williams' current venture in space, which began in June when the astronauts launched to the space station aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft during its first crewed journey. The duo was initially expected to return to Earth about eight days later. But problems with Starliner, including helium leaks and propulsion issues, led NASA to decide it was too risky for the astronauts to use on their return flight, and the capsule was sent back to Earth empty. NASA has opted to return Wilmore and Williams to Earth no earlier than late March aboard the SpaceX Crew-9 capsule, which is currently docked outside the space station. The duo will not return home before the next flight, Crew-10, arrives at the space station. When Williams and Wilmore do return home, they will have been in space for nearly 10 months. In a previous interview with CNN last week, former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who led the agency under the Biden administration and stepped down from the post when President Donald Trump took office on January 20, spoke in-depth about the agency's decision to extend the astronauts' stay in space, emphasizing the determination was made with astronaut safety top of mind — and despite Boeing's objections. Among NASA leadership, the decision announced in August to fly Williams and Wilmore home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon rather than Starship was unanimous. However, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted on his social media platform X Tuesday claiming the astronauts were 'stranded' in space. 'The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as soon as possible. We will do so. Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long,' Musk asserted in a post. Trump shared similar sentiments on his social media platform Truth Social, posting, 'I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to 'go get' the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration. They have been waiting for many months on @Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!' When CNN reached out for comment from NASA, the agency shared that 'NASA and SpaceX are expeditiously working to safely return the agency's SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore as soon as practical, while also preparing for the launch of Crew-10 to complete a handover between expeditions.' 'SpaceX will bring Butch and Suni back on a Dragon spacecraft as Crew 9 on a regular rotation after Crew 10 has arrived. The handover from one crew to the other is important to maintain the ISS and keep all astronauts safe,' Nelson said in a previous statement to CNN. Despite the unexpectedly lengthy duration of their stay, which astronauts are accustomed to experiencing over the course of days, weeks or months, Wilmore and Williams have remained in good spirits and said they don't feel 'stranded.' Williams recently conducted her eighth career spacewalk on January 16 alongside fellow NASA astronaut Nick Hague. 'It's just a great team and — no, it doesn't feel like we're castaways,' Williams said during a January 8 interview with then-NASA Administrator Nelson. 'Eventually we want to go home because we left our families a little while ago, but we have a lot to do while we're up here.'
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Boeing Starliner astronauts on extended stay at space station to conduct a spacewalk
Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been on an unexpectedly monthslong assignment after serving on Boeing's Starliner crewed test flight, will conduct a spacewalk Thursday. The duo will venture outside the International Space Station to collect samples that may show whether microorganisms exist on the exterior of the orbiting laboratory. The spacewalk is expected to start at 8 a.m. ET and last for about 6 ½ hours. Live coverage began on NASA's website at 6:30 a.m. ET, and the entirety of the spacewalk will be streamed on NASA+ and NASA's YouTube channel. Williams will wear a white suit marked with red stripes, while Wilmore will be in an unmarked suit during the 274th spacewalk to help maintain and upgrade the station. It will be Williams' ninth career spacewalk and the fifth for Wilmore. The veteran NASA astronauts' tasks outside the space station will include removing some degraded radio communications hardware, which will be returned to Earth and refurbished on the ground, and preparing a spare joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm in case it's needed to replace the elbow of the 55-foot-long (17-meter-long) tool. The Canadarm2, the Canadian robotic arm initially used in the space station's assembly, now helps to move supplies, equipment and even astronauts around during spacewalks and also 'catches' spacecraft and helps those vehicles dock to the station. The astronaut duo will swab different places outside the space station for the ISS External Microorganisms experiment, which focuses on collecting samples near life support system vents to see whether the space station releases microorganisms. Any spacecraft and spacesuits that arrive at the space station are thoroughly sterilized ahead of their missions, but humans carry their own sets of microorganisms, which constantly regenerate. Understanding which microorganisms can survive the sterilization process and make it to the space station could inform changes needed to be made to the cleaning process before humans plan a return to the lunar surface through the Artemis III mission later this decade, and eventually, aim to land on Mars for the first time. The agency follows strict requirements for planetary protections, which seek to limit any human contamination of extraterrestrial environments — and prevents returning any contaminants from those environments to Earth. Scientists want to know how many, if any, microorganisms are released into space by the orbiting laboratory, how they can survive and reproduce in the cosmic environment, and how far the microorganisms could travel. On Earth, organisms living in harsh environments, such as hydrothermal vents in the ocean floor, are called extremophiles, and the experiment could reveal which microorganisms are hardy enough to exist amid the harsh radiation of space. Increasing attention has been paid to Wilmore and Williams' current venture in space, which began in June when the astronauts launched to the space station aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft during its first crewed journey. The duo was initially expected to return to Earth about eight days later. But problems with Starliner, including helium leaks and propulsion issues, led NASA to decide it was too risky for the astronauts to use on their return flight, and the capsule was sent back to Earth empty. NASA has opted to return Wilmore and Williams to Earth no earlier than late March aboard the SpaceX Crew-9 capsule, which is currently docked outside the space station. The duo will not return home before the next flight, Crew-10, arrives at the space station. When Williams and Wilmore do return home, they will have been in space for nearly 10 months. In a previous interview with CNN last week, former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who led the agency under the Biden administration and stepped down from the post when President Donald Trump took office on January 20, spoke in-depth about the agency's decision to extend the astronauts' stay in space, emphasizing the determination was made with astronaut safety top of mind — and despite Boeing's objections. Among NASA leadership, the decision announced in August to fly Williams and Wilmore home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon rather than Starship was unanimous. However, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted on his social media platform X Tuesday claiming the astronauts were 'stranded' in space. 'The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as soon as possible. We will do so. Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long,' Musk asserted in a post. Trump shared similar sentiments on his social media platform Truth Social, posting, 'I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to 'go get' the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration. They have been waiting for many months on @Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!' When CNN reached out for comment from NASA, the agency shared that 'NASA and SpaceX are expeditiously working to safely return the agency's SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore as soon as practical, while also preparing for the launch of Crew-10 to complete a handover between expeditions.' 'SpaceX will bring Butch and Suni back on a Dragon spacecraft as Crew 9 on a regular rotation after Crew 10 has arrived. The handover from one crew to the other is important to maintain the ISS and keep all astronauts safe,' Nelson said in a previous statement to CNN. Despite the unexpectedly lengthy duration of their stay, which astronauts are accustomed to experiencing over the course of days, weeks or months, Wilmore and Williams have remained in good spirits and said they don't feel 'stranded.' Williams recently conducted her eighth career spacewalk on January 16 alongside fellow NASA astronaut Nick Hague. 'It's just a great team and — no, it doesn't feel like we're castaways,' Williams said during a January 8 interview with then-NASA Administrator Nelson. 'Eventually we want to go home because we left our families a little while ago, but we have a lot to do while we're up here.' CNN's Jackie Wattles contributed to this report.
CNN
30-01-2025
- Science
- CNN
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to swab the outside of the International Space Station for microorganisms
Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been on an unexpectedly monthslong assignment after serving on Boeing's Starliner crewed test flight, will conduct a spacewalk Thursday. The duo will venture outside the International Space Station to collect samples that may show whether microorganisms exist on the exterior of the orbiting laboratory. The spacewalk is expected to start at 8 a.m. ET and last for about 6 ½ hours. Live coverage began on NASA's website at 6:30 a.m. ET, and the entirety of the spacewalk will be streamed on NASA+ and NASA's YouTube channel. Williams will wear a white suit marked with red stripes, while Wilmore will be in an unmarked suit during the 274th spacewalk to help maintain and upgrade the station. It will be Williams' ninth career spacewalk and the fifth for Wilmore. The veteran NASA astronauts' tasks outside the space station will include removing some degraded radio communications hardware, which will be returned to Earth and refurbished on the ground, and preparing a spare joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm in case it's needed to replace the elbow of the 55-foot-long (17-meter-long) tool. The Canadarm2, the Canadian robotic arm initially used in the space station's assembly, now helps to move supplies, equipment and even astronauts around during spacewalks and also 'catches' spacecraft and helps those vehicles dock to the station. The astronaut duo will swab different places outside the space station for the ISS External Microorganisms experiment, which focuses on collecting samples near life support system vents to see whether the space station releases microorganisms. Any spacecraft and spacesuits that arrive at the space station are thoroughly sterilized ahead of their missions, but humans carry their own sets of microorganisms, which constantly regenerate. Understanding which microorganisms can survive the sterilization process and make it to the space station could inform changes needed to be made to the cleaning process before humans plan a return to the lunar surface through the Artemis III mission later this decade, and eventually, aim to land on Mars for the first time. The agency follows strict requirements for planetary protections, which seek to limit any human contamination of extraterrestrial environments — and prevents returning any contaminants from those environments to Earth. Scientists want to know how many, if any, microorganisms are released into space by the orbiting laboratory, how they can survive and reproduce in the cosmic environment, and how far the microorganisms could travel. On Earth, organisms living in harsh environments, such as hydrothermal vents in the ocean floor, are called extremophiles, and the experiment could reveal which microorganisms are hardy enough to exist amid the harsh radiation of space. Returning to Earth Increasing attention has been paid to Wilmore and Williams' current venture in space, which began in June when the astronauts launched to the space station aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft during its first crewed journey. The duo was initially expected to return to Earth about eight days later. But problems with Starliner, including helium leaks and propulsion issues, led NASA to decide it was too risky for the astronauts to use on their return flight, and the capsule was sent back to Earth empty. NASA has opted to return Wilmore and Williams to Earth no earlier than late March aboard the SpaceX Crew-9 capsule, which is currently docked outside the space station. The duo will not return home before the next flight, Crew-10, arrives at the space station. When Williams and Wilmore do return home, they will have been in space for nearly 10 months. In a previous interview with CNN last week, former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who led the agency under the Biden administration and stepped down from the post when President Donald Trump took office on January 20, spoke in-depth about the agency's decision to extend the astronauts' stay in space, emphasizing the determination was made with astronaut safety top of mind — and despite Boeing's objections. Among NASA leadership, the decision announced in August to fly Williams and Wilmore home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon rather than Starship was unanimous. However, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted on his social media platform X Tuesday claiming the astronauts were 'stranded' in space. 'The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as soon as possible. We will do so. Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long,' Musk asserted in a post. Trump shared similar sentiments on his social media platform Truth Social, posting, 'I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to 'go get' the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration. They have been waiting for many months on @Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!' When CNN reached out for comment from NASA, the agency shared that 'NASA and SpaceX are expeditiously working to safely return the agency's SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore as soon as practical, while also preparing for the launch of Crew-10 to complete a handover between expeditions.' 'SpaceX will bring Butch and Suni back on a Dragon spacecraft as Crew 9 on a regular rotation after Crew 10 has arrived. The handover from one crew to the other is important to maintain the ISS and keep all astronauts safe,' Nelson said in a previous statement to CNN. Despite the unexpectedly lengthy duration of their stay, which astronauts are accustomed to experiencing over the course of days, weeks or months, Wilmore and Williams have remained in good spirits and said they don't feel 'stranded.' Williams recently conducted her eighth career spacewalk on January 16 alongside fellow NASA astronaut Nick Hague. 'It's just a great team and — no, it doesn't feel like we're castaways,' Williams said during a January 8 interview with then-NASA Administrator Nelson. 'Eventually we want to go home because we left our families a little while ago, but we have a lot to do while we're up here.'
