In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Settlement

Space habitat reports – Jan.5.2025

Here is a new selection of videos, articles, and news items about space habitats (govt and commercial), living in space, and space settlement.

=== International Space Station & NASA

** Space to Ground: 2024 – NASA Johnson

2024 on the International Space Station was a year filled with excitement, challenges, and milestones as we mark 25 unbroken years of humans living, working, and flying in humanity’s home in low-earth orbit.

** Five spaceships were attached to ISS on Dec.16.2024:

“Dec. 16, 2024: International Space Station Configuration. Five spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragon Freedom, the Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply ship, the Soyuz MS-26 crew ship, and the Progress 89 and 90 resupply ships.” Credits: NASA

** NASAs SpaceX 31st Commercial Resupply Services Undocking – Monday, December 16, 2024 – NASA Video

Loaded with scientific experiments and supplies, an unpiloted SpaceX Dragon undocked from the International Space Station Dec.16, completing a month-long mission to the outpost for the company’s 31st commercial resupply services mission for NASA. The SpaceX Dragon undocked from the forward port of the Harmony module, headed for a splashdown off the coast of Florida Dec.17 to complete its flight that delivered several tons of experiments and hardware to the station.

** SpaceX CRS-31 Dragon spacecraft drifts away from space station after undocking – VideoFromSpace

SpaceX’s CRS-31 Dragon cargo capsule undocked from the International Space Station on Dec. 16, 2024 at 11:05 a.m. EST (1605 GMT). See footage of the capsule post-undocking here.

** NASA Astronaut Don Pettit Talks with the Everyday Astronaut – Tuesday, December 17, 2024 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Don Pettit of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview Dec. 17 with Tim Todd, the “Everyday Astronaut” on YouTube. Pettit is in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

** Roscosmos Spacewalk Conducted Outside Space Station – NASA Johnson

Outside the International Space Station, Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of the Expedition 72 crew conducted a spacewalk on Dec. 19 to install an experiment package designed to monitor celestial x-ray sources and new electrical connector patch panels, remove several experiments for disposal, and relocate a control panel for the European Robotic Arm that is attached to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. It was the 272nd spacewalk in support of station maintenance and upgrades, the second for Ovchinin and the first for Vagner.

** Can The International Space Station Make It Until 2030? – NASASpaceflight

Since 2000, the International Space Station has been continuously inhabited, orbiting Earth as a symbol of international collaboration and human innovation. But after 25 years in space, the ISS is showing its age with leaks, outdated hardware, and operational challenges. From Zvezda’s pressure loss to spacewalk delays and cutting-edge IROSA solar arrays, we explore how the ISS is being maintained and upgraded to ensure it can last until its planned deorbit in 2030. Can the station hold on for another five years? Let’s dive into the details.

=== Commercial space habitats

** Axiom Space

** Axiom speeds up station assembly by two years:

** Gravitics

** Starlab – Voyager Space

** Starlab making progress in habitat development: NASA Sees Progress on Starlab Commercial Space Station Development | NASA – Dec.16.2024

A NASA-funded commercial space station, Starlab, recently completed four key developmental milestones, marking substantial progress in the station’s design and operational readiness.

The four milestones are part of a NASA Space Act Agreement awarded in 2021 and focused on reviews of the habitat structural test article preliminary design, systems integration, integrated operations, and a habitat structural test plan.

“These milestone achievements are great indicators to reflect Starlab’s commitment to the continued efforts and advancements of their commercial destination,” said Angela Hart, program manager for NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program. “As we look forward to the future of low Earth orbit, every successful milestone is one step closer to creating a dynamic and robust commercialized low Earth orbit.”

The commercial space station is designed to launch on a single flight and includes a large habitation and laboratory module with a smaller service module for power and propulsion.

** VAST

— Vast contracts SpaceX for two Dragon missions to the ISS with privately financed astronaut crews:

Vast says,

… that SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch up to two Dragon missions to the International Space Station (ISS) in support of Vast’s future bid for NASA’s private astronaut missions (PAM). These missions, contingent on Vast being selected by NASA, will be the fifth and sixth PAMs ever awarded by the agency.

While Vast is developing its private space station, Haven-1, the company plans to leverage additional missions to the ISS in partnership with NASA to draw on the agency’s extensive expertise. These missions provide opportunities to collaborate with private individuals and international space agency customers through the NASA PAM program and strengthen current partnerships. This is an important step as Vast prepares to compete with its Haven-2 design in NASA’s upcoming Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destination (CLD) Phase II program, which is positioned to select a successor to the ISS.‍

‍”Enabling payload and crewed missions to the ISS is a key part of Vast’s strategy, allowing us to further our collaboration with NASA and global space agencies. These missions not only strengthen our expertise in human spaceflight operations and collaboration with NASA, but also position Vast as a leading contender to deliver the next-generation successor to the ISS, advancing the future of human space exploration,” said Max Haot, Chief Executive Officer of Vast.‍

‍These two missions expand Vast’s launch manifest with SpaceX, which includes the company’s Falcon 9 rocket delivering Haven-1 to low-Earth orbit and a subsequent Dragon mission to fly crew to the commercial space station. Haven-1 will also be supported by Starlink laser-based high-speed internet. ‍

— NASA commercial space station policy

** Why NASA is changing commercial space station plans – Laura Forczyk

Axiom Space announced today plans to accelerate its commercial space station by changing how it assembles Axiom Station and help NASA prepare to deorbit the International Space Station. Earlier this week, NASA published its Low Earth Orbit Microgravity Strategy which outlines why NASA wants a “continuous heartbeat” in space (and what that even means) with a diversity of commercial LEO destination providers. And Roscosmos clarified when Russia plans to exit the ISS partnership.

I discuss the likelihood NASA’s LEO plans are going to happen as envisioned in the new administration and the major research that is not being done but needs to happen to expand humanity off-Earth.

The NASA LEO doc discussed: NASA’s LEO Microgravity Strategy | NASA – Dec.2024 (pdf)

=== Chinese space habitats

** China’s Shenzhou 19 crew conducts spacewalk outside Tiangong space station – VideoFromSpace

Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong conducted a spacewalk outside the Tiangong Space Station on Dec. 18, 2024. Their tasks includes the “installation of the space station’s debris protection device and inspection of extravehicular equipment,” according to China Central Television.

** China release space station progress report: China’s Space Station: A Progress Report | Leonard David – Dec.31.2024

The China Manned Space Agency on Monday released a first-ever progress report on the output from the country’s space station.

This CMSA report provides an overview of the work accomplished over the past two years.

Over those years, China carried out four crewed flights, three cargo resupply missions, and four spacecraft return missions.

Five “taikonaut” crews carried out 15 long-term stays in orbit, with 10 taikonauts performing extravehicular activities.

=== Lunar

** Commodities & Tech of a Lunar Architecture, with Tim Cichan & Christie Iacomini (Lockheed Martin) – Payload

In the second episode of our special three-part Pathfinder series on lunar architecture—brought to you by our partners at Lockheed Martin—we’re zooming in on the technologies and design principles that will help establish a sustainable, long-term presence on the Moon and pave the way for future missions to Mars. Joining us are Christie Iacomini, who manages Lockheed Martin’s lunar infrastructure technology portfolio, and Tim Cichan, the company’s space exploration architect.

Christie and Tim walk us through the building blocks of lunar infrastructure, from robust power systems and reliable communications networks to habitats and mobility solutions. They also highlight the importance of resource utilization, the evolving role of public-private partnerships, and the collaborative efforts needed to turn ambitious concepts into practical solutions.

We discuss:
– The role of vertical solar arrays, nuclear fission systems, and power grids in supporting lunar operations
– Communications challenges and the roadmap for building an interoperable lunar network
– Innovative habitats and rovers designed to withstand extreme lunar conditions
– Strategies for in-situ resource utilization, including extracting water ice and other key materials
– The significance of international collaboration and commercial engagement in achieving lasting lunar sustainability

And much, much more…

• Chapters •
00:00 – Intro
03:45 – What is a space architect?
04:42 – Lockheed’s goal for Mars
08:23 – Technological advancements that have made a long-term Moon mission possible
09:52 – What does a successful Lunar mission look like?
11:46 – Power systems for Lunar and Mars missions and state of development cycles
18:15 – Tech in Artemis II and III
20:04 – Challenges for creating a seamless communications network for the Moon
22:34 – Effect of modern tech in space
27:10 – Lunar mobility capabilities
30:44 – Habitation
33:14 – Inflatable vs modular habitats
34:20 – Lunar resource utilization
36:42 – How to create seamless integration between mission-critical tech
41:55 – Planned contingencies
43:49 – Seemingly futuristic technology
45:54 – Getting around on the Moon
47:48 – How Lockheed works with other companies building Lunar architecture
49:01 – Technical milestones
50:58 – What will it take to land on the Moon on time?
52:07 – Inspirations for your work

=== In-space habitation

** High Frontier, The Hardcover – SSI: Space Studies Institute on Youtube

We were going to wait for the full 50 years and do it in 2027 but…

For the post here: https://ssi.org/happy-holidays-x2/

Happy, Safe, Effective, Future-building Holidays from SSI

=== Other space habitat and settlement news and articles:

=== Earth views from ISS

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA

Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.

The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8

Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov

====

ISS after undocking of STS-132

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====

Outpost in Orbit:
A Pictorial & Verbal History of the Space Station

Astronomy, Education, Space participation

Night sky highlights for January 2025

Check out the night sky this month, January 2025. Here are videos and links to websites highlighting the top sights to observe.

** What’s Up: January 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA – NASA JPL

What are some skywatching highlights in January 2025?

This month, four bright planets greet you in the early evening. Venus and Saturn cozy up on the 17th and 18th, while Mars is at its brightest in the past two years. The Moon occults Mars for those in the U.S. and Eastern Canada on Jan. 13. Plus, the Quadrantid meteors peak on the morning of Jan. 3 before dawn.

0:00 Intro
0:14 Four planets at once
1:02 Venus & Saturn Get Close
1:39 Mars at Opposition
2:31 Quadrantid Meteors Peak
3:07 January Moon phases

Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatch….

** What to see in the night sky: January 2025 – BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal their pick of the best things to see in the night sky this month, including:

Mars at opposition, Jupiter near Orion, a lunar occultation of Saturn, the Quadrantid meteor shower, the Moon and the Pleiades, and the best deep-sky objects.

** Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast – January 2025 – Sky & Telescope Youtube

Our monthly Sky Tour #astronomy #podcast provides an informative and entertaining 12-minute guided tour of the #night #sky. Join us for the January 2025 episode and start the year with a strong #meteor shower, keep tabs on four bright #planets, watch #Mars disappear behind the full Wolf Moon, and focus on #Orion the Hunter and the #Pleiades star cluster. So grab your curiosity, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour.

See also

** What’s in the Night Sky: January 2025 – National Space Centre

Venus and Saturn
Mars at Opposition
Quadrantids Meteor Shower
Clavius Crater

Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, looking at the night sky with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope, check out our Tour of the Night Sky to find out what you can see this month. #WINS #Astronomy #WhatsInTheNightSky

** What’s in the Sky this Month | January 2025 – High Point Scientific on Youtube

In this episode of What’s in the Sky this Month, Teagan reviews some of the beautiful celestial objects you can see in January!

Read the full January 2025 Newsletter: https://www.highpointscientific.com/a…

Looking to expand your astronomy knowledge even further? The Astronomy Hub is the place to learn everything from what’s in the sky this month, to what gear can help you capture the best celestial images. Learn more here ➡️ https://www.highpointscientific.com/a…

…

Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
00:36 – Nearest Neighbors
01:50 – Mars at Opposition
03:02 – Castor
03:31 – Messier 37
03:53 – NGC 2169
04:32 – Gamma Leporis
04:53 – Messier 42
05:53 – Conclusion

** Night Sky Notebook January 2025– Peter Detterline

What’s happening in the sky for January 2025.

** See also:

Sky chart showing the planetary lineup visible after dark in January 2025. Credits:
NASA/JPL-Caltech

 

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Stellaris: People of the Stars

Astronomy, Education, Space Science

ESO: First ever binary star found near Milky Way’s supermassive black hole

A new report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO):

First ever binary star found near
our galaxy’s supermassive black hole

This image indicates the location of the newly discovered binary star D9, which is orbiting Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. It is the first star pair ever found near a supermassive black hole. The cut-out shows  the binary system as detected by the SINFONI spectrograph on ESO’s Very Large Telescope. While the two stars cannot be discerned separately in this image, the binary nature of D9 was revealed by the spectra captured by SINFONI over several years. These spectra showed that the light emitted by hydrogen gas around D9 oscillates periodically towards red and blue wavelengths as the two stars orbit each other.

An international team of researchers has detected a binary star orbiting close to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. It is the first time a stellar pair has been found in the vicinity of a supermassive black hole. The discovery, based on data collected by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT), helps us understand how stars survive in environments with extreme gravity, and could pave the way for the detection of planets close to Sagittarius A*.

“Black holes are not as destructive as we thought”

says Florian Peißker, a researcher at the University of Cologne, Germany, and lead author of the study published today in Nature Communications. Binary stars, pairs of stars orbiting each other, are very common in the Universe, but they had never before been found near a supermassive black hole, where the intense gravity can make stellar systems unstable.

This new discovery shows that some binaries can briefly thrive, even under destructive conditions. D9, as the newly discovered binary star is called, was detected just in time: it is estimated to be only 2.7 million years old, and the strong gravitational force of the nearby black hole will probably cause it to merge into a single star within just one million years, a very narrow timespan for such a young system.

“This provides only a brief window on cosmic timescales to observe such a binary system — and we succeeded!”

explains co-author Emma Bordier, a researcher also at the University of Cologne and a former student at ESO.

For many years, scientists also thought that the extreme environment near a supermassive black hole prevented new stars from forming there. Several young stars found in close proximity to Sagittarius A* have disproved this assumption. The discovery of the young binary star now shows that even stellar pairs have the potential to form in these harsh conditions.

“The D9 system shows clear signs of the presence of gas and dust around the stars, which suggests that it could be a very young stellar system that must have formed in the vicinity of the supermassive black hole”

explains co-author Michal Zajaček, a researcher at Masaryk University, Czechia, and the University of Cologne.

The newly discovered binary was found in a dense cluster of stars and other objects orbiting Sagittarius A*, called the S cluster. Most enigmatic in this cluster are the G objects, which behave like stars but look like clouds of gas and dust.

It was during their observations of these mysterious objects that the team found a surprising pattern in D9. The data obtained with the VLT’s ERIS instrument, combined with archival data from the SINFONI instrument, revealed recurring variations in the velocity of the star, indicating D9 was actually two stars orbiting each other.

“I thought that my analysis was wrong,” Peißker says, “but the spectroscopic pattern covered about 15 years, and it was clear this detection is indeed the first binary observed in the S cluster.”

The results shed new light on what the mysterious G objects could be. The team proposes that they might actually be a combination of binary stars that have not yet merged and the leftover material from already merged stars.

The precise nature of many of the objects orbiting Sagittarius A*, as well as how they could have formed so close to the supermassive black hole, remain a mystery. But soon, the GRAVITY+ upgrade to the VLT Interferometer and the METIS instrument on ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), under construction in Chile, could change this. Both facilities will allow the team to carry out even more detailed observations of the Galactic centre, revealing the nature of known objects and undoubtedly uncovering more binary stars and young systems.

“Our discovery lets us speculate about the presence of planets, since these are often formed around young stars. It seems plausible that the detection of planets in the Galactic centre is just a matter of time”

concludes Peißker.

This chart shows the location of the field of view within which Sagittarius A* resides — the black hole is marked with a red circle within the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer). This map shows most of the stars visible to the unaided eye under good conditions.

Links

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When the Heavens Went on Sale:
The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach

In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Settlement

Space habitat reports – Dec.11.2024

Here is a new selection of videos, articles, and news items about space habitats (govt and commercial), living in space, and space settlement.

=== International Space Station & NASA

** Views of Starship Flight 6 from International Space Station – NASA Johnson

While orbiting approximately 250 miles above Earth, external cameras aboard the International Space Station captured the sixth test flight of SpaceX’s Starship after liftoff at 4 p.m. CST on Tuesday, Nov. 19. For Artemis III, the first crewed return to the Moon in over 50 years, NASA is working with SpaceX to develop Starship as a lunar lander. Prior to the crewed Artemis III mission, SpaceX will perform an uncrewed landing demonstration mission on the Moon.

** One Earth Mission – UCTVInsight

In his last public performance, Maestro Seiji Ozawa conducts Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, as broadcast directly to the International Space Station. His aged yet masterful conducting shows the depth and power of music in our souls. In this emotional production, he conducts the Saito Kinen Orchestra which he co-founded in 1984 as an annual gathering of musicians from around the world. This performance was transmitted by JAXA (Japanese Space Agency) directly to the ISS, where astronaut Koichi Wakata represented humanity as the audience. This One Earth Mission conveys our shared home on this One Earth, a vision that drove Maestra Ozawa throughout his musical career. The dramatic fly-over shows Italy to dusk over the Red Sea.

** NASA Astronaut Nick Hague Talks with Kansas Aviation Museum – Thursday, December 5, 2024 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Nick Hague of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview Dec. 5 with the Kansas Aviation Museum in Wichita, Kansas. Hague is a Kansas native and is in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

=== Commercial space habitats

** NASA posts updates on several commercial habitat technology companies that have gotten support from the agency: NASA’s Commercial Partners Make Progress on Low Earth Orbit Projects | NASA – Nov.25.2024

NASA and its commercial partners continue to drive innovation in space exploration, achieving milestones that will ultimately benefit human spaceflight and commercial low Earth orbit efforts. These recent achievements from NASA’s industry partners include completed safety milestones, successful flight tests, and major technological advancements.

** Axiom Space

** Orbital Outpost X

Orbital Outpost X (OOX), previously called Space Villages, aims to

lead in the development of cost-effective, customizable space modular infrastructure, empowering diverse and sustainable growth.

— Negar Feher, Orbital Outpost X – SpaceNews on Youtube

In this episode of the SpaceNews Leading Women in Space series, correspondent Debra Werner speaks with Negar Feher, CEO, Orbital Outpost X.

Through this series SpaceNews is shining a spotlight on some of the extraordinary women at the helm of space programs and organizations. We’re delving into their backgrounds, discussing their accomplishments and highlighting their ongoing work at prime contractors, startups, government agencies, and federally funded research and development centers. We’re speaking with women in key leadership roles.

Time Markers –
00:06 – Welcome
00:41 – How would you describe Orbital Outpost X for those not familiar with the company?
02:23 – Why did you join the company? And why as CEO?
04:41 – Our commercial space stations part of the future that you see?
07:14 – What are the opportunities and challenges for your company?
10:22 – Why did you switch from working at Primes to startups?
13:03 – Do you have advice for people who may not fit the traditional stereotype looking to work in space?
21:06 – Final thoughts

See also:

** Sierra Space

— Tour an Inflatable Space Habitat! – Sierra Space Youtube

Join NOVA Education for a tour of a new generation of inflatable space habitats that are being designed to allow humans to live and work in space and eventually on Mars.

Featured in NOVA’s “Building Stuff” series, Sierra Space is an aerospace company working with NASA to create an inflatable space habitat called LIFE, Large Integrated Flexible Environment. In this virtual field trip, Sierra Space engineer and program manager Beth Licavoli will walk us through the production of the inflatable habitat, explain how they test the structure of the habitat, and give us a tour inside a fully inflated habitat.

— Using space stations for semiconductor production:

** VAST

** Starlab – Voyager Space

— Starlab Partners – Heritage in Manufacturing – Voyager Space on Vimeo

=== Chinese space habitats

** China’s Shenzhou-19 Crew Finishes Tasks During Over-Month-Long Flight on Space Station – CCTV Video News Agency

China’s Shenzhou-19 crew members have completed various tasks during their over-one-month stay aboard the orbiting Tiangong space station, including scientific research and experiments and space station maintenance work.

=== Lunar habitation

** The architecture of a Moon Village – Space Renaissance

The Off-world Anthropologic Space Infrastructure Settlement (OASIS) project systems engineering entails addressing the flow down of all mission/system-level requirements into every element and distributed system, orchestrating the overall design, and evaluating the efficacy of derived requirements implementation by testing, verification, and validation.
Key Considerations include:

Orchestrating Symbiosis: shared control between Humans, Robots, and Advanced Autonoma
In Situ Resource Utilization is learned science, engineering, and art
Integrated Interoperable Sustainable Systems that translate archology from principle to practice
Human Landing Systems (HLS) volume and performance metrology

The OASIS systems engineering considerations start with the launch and functional mass of everything that must be transported to the Moon. The payload volumetrics of the NASA HLS further constrain the maximum stowed volume. This resolves to a logistics train with handling requirements and allocatable mass and volume fractions for each manifested flight. The geopolitical considerations mandate that OASIS implement the letter and spirit of the Artemis Accords and maintain compliance with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

OASIS shall be scalable by expansion and replication to accommodate, at a minimum, a genetically viable human population (50+ people to combat inbreeding), implement a reasonable division of labor (50+ people to provide all the required skill sets), implement at least two-fault tolerant cross-training (3+ people for any skill set), and the capability to accommodate up to 500 people (to mitigate genetic drift).
Until shelter-in-place is assured, at least one Starship per 100 people must be on the lunar surface at a given time.

…

** Lunar Module Engineering: Designing for a Harsh Environment – apollo11space

Explore the engineering marvels that made the Apollo Lunar Module possible as it faced the extreme temperatures, vacuum, and dust of the moon’s surface. Learn about the innovative solutions developed for its lightweight structure, thermal control systems, landing gear, life support systems, and propulsion systems. Discover the challenges overcome and the lasting legacy of the LM on modern space exploration.

=== Other space habitat and settlement news and articles:

=== Earth views from ISS

** NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick documented his ISS experience with an extensive portfolio of images and videos:  Matt Dominick’s X Account: A Visual Journey From Space | NASA – Dec.5.2024

Amid his daily astronaut duties, Dominick dedicated personal time to this endeavor, amassing nearly 500,000 captivating photos of Earth and snapshots of life aboard the International Space Station, while having traveled 99,708,603 total statue miles around our home planet. Through his lens(es), he invited us to experience the awe of space while highlighting the realities of life in orbit, fostering an authentic connection with those who engage with his work.

Building on this commitment to connect, Dominick participated in the first-ever live X Spaces event from space, marking a new way for NASA astronauts to connect personally with followers. He shared insider tips on astrophotography from orbit and discussed the challenges and joys of capturing stunning images in microgravity. Concluding the event, he vividly narrated his live experience floating into the Cupola at sunset while orbiting over Paris just days before the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

Dominick’s journey as an astronaut unfolds in real-time on his X account. He has captured the arrivals and departures of various spacecraft, documented dynamic weather events, and even participated in Olympic festivities. His stunning timelapses and behind-the-scenes videos offer an intimate look at life aboard the space station, beautifully illustrating the intricate interplay between science and wonder.

A couple of examples of his posts on X:

** Space to Ground: Six Minutes of Serenity: Nov. 27, 2024 – NASA Johnson

Take some time during this holiday season and enjoy a few minutes of serenity as we offer a glimpse of the beauty of our home planet from the vantage point of the International Space Station.

** SpaceX Dragon and the Milky Way seen from ISS in stunning time-lapse – VideoFromSpace

See the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and the Milky Way galaxy in this time-lapse view from the International Space Station. Full Story: https://www.space.com/space-explorati… 

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA

Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.

The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8

Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov

====

ISS after undocking of STS-132

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Lego Ideas International Space Station
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A Pictorial & Verbal History of the Space Station

Astronomy, Education, Space Science

Night sky highlights for December 2024

Check out the night sky this month, December 2024. Here are videos and links to websites highlighting the top sights to observe.

Credits: NASA JPL

** What’s Up: December 2024 Skywatching Tips from NASA – NASA JPL

What are some skywatching highlights in December 2024?

This month, enjoy dazzling views of Venus as the “Evening Star,” Jupiter at its brightest during opposition, and Mars doubling in brightness, and look for the Winter Triangle. The Geminid meteor shower peaks under challenging moonlight conditions, but you might get lucky and catch a shooting star that week before sunrise!

0:00 Intro
0:14 December planet highlights
1:31 The Winter Stars
1:57 The Winter Triangle
2:42 Geminid Meteor Shower
3:14 December Moon phases

Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatch….

** What to see in the night sky: December 2024 – BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal their pick of the best things to see in the night sky this month.

** Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast – December 2024 | Jupiter Shines, Winter Stars, and Many Meteors – Sky & Telescope Youtube

Our monthly Sky Tour #astronomy #podcast provides an informative and entertaining 10-minute guided tour of the #night #sky. Join us for the December 2024 episode and mark the #solstice, be amazed by #Jupiter, welcome the arrival of winter’s bright #stars, and prep for what’s usually the year’s best #meteorshower.

Listen and subscribe to this podcast at https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/ and don’t forget to subscribe to S&T’s YouTube channel to get alerts about new videos, including this monthly podcast.

See also

** What’s in the Night Sky: December 2024 – National Space Centre

What’s in the Night Sky: December 2024

Venus, Jupiter, and Mars
Ray Craters on the Moon
✨ Constellation of the Month: Pisces

** What’s in the Sky this Month | December 2024 – High Point Scientific on Youtube

In this episode of What’s in the Sky this Month, Teagan reviews some of the beautiful celestial objects you can see in December 2024!

Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
00:36 – Nearest Neighbors
01:56 – Jupiter at Opposition
02:51 – Geminid Meteor Shower
03:13 – Melotte 20
04:04 – Algol
04:30 – Pleiades
05:37 – Conclusion

** Night Sky Notebook December 2024– Peter Detterline

What you see when you look up into the night skies of December 2024.

** See also:

=== Amazon Ads ===

Celestron
70mm Travel Scope
Portable Refractor Telescope
Fully-Coated Glass Optics
Ideal Telescope for Beginners
BONUS Astronomy Software Package

==

Stellaris: People of the Stars

Everyone can participate in space