ESA released photos of ESO 455-10 planetary nebula
On January 29, ESA released a photo of ESO 455-10 planetary nebula taken by Hubble Telescope. This nebula is located in the Scorpio region. The star in the center has evolved to the end of its life, and the emitted gas emits dim fluorescence. There are about 20,000 planetary nebulae in the Milky Way. They continue to release cosmic matter outwards during the process of decay, and promote the formation of the next generation of stars. They play an important role in the evolution of the galaxy .
On January 29, China's "Long March 4C" carrier rocket was launched into space.
On January 29, China's "Long March 4 C" carrier rocket was launched into space in Jiuquan, Gansu Province. At 12:47 on the 29th, a "Long March 4C" rocket ignited and lifted off at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, successfully sending three remote sensing satellites into a predetermined orbit. The new satellites are mainly used for scientific experiment research, marine and terrestrial resource surveys and other tasks. The "Long March" series rockets currently have 9 series and 21 models, which can cover the launch requirements of various earth orbits and spacecraft. So far, they have launched 359 times in total. In 2021, China Aerospace will arrange more than 40 launch missions, including the launch of China's space station core module, manned spacecraft, and cargo spacecraft.
February 1, looking at the moon from the International Space Station.
On February 1, from the international space station , looking at the moon in the distance, the space station was moving over the South China Sea. In 2021, at least four countries in the world plan to launch lunar probes. India plans to launch the Lunar Chuan-3 probe in March, Japan plans to launch the lunar rover Yaoki in July, Russia plans to launch the Lunar-25 lunar probe in October, and NASA plans to In November, the first test of the "Orion" spacecraft orbiting the moon was completed.
On February 1, American astronaut Hopkins took a selfie during his spacewalk.
On February 1, American astronaut Michael Hopkins took a selfie in the spacewalk , reflecting the blue earth on the helmet of the spacesuit. On the 1st, Hopkins and American astronaut Victor Glover performed the second spacewalk in a week, which lasted 5 hours and 20 minutes. They installed the final components of the new battery system and installed 3 extra-cabin cameras. The end of this mission marks the official completion of the 4-year space station battery system upgrade. Previously, all 48 sets of Ni-MH batteries have been replaced with lithium batteries with higher power supply efficiency. The new batteries have a design life of 10 years.
On February 2, the SpaceX interstellar spacecraft prototype SN9 exploded during its test flight and landing.
On February 2, the SpaceX interstellar spacecraft prototype SN9 exploded during the test flight and landing, Texas, USA. On the 2nd, SpaceX conducted another high-altitude flight test of the interstellar spacecraft after a lapse of 2 months. After the spacecraft was ignited, it successfully rose vertically to a height of 10,000 meters and completed the flip. It finally fell too fast and hit the ground and exploded. The whole process lasted 6 minutes and 26 seconds . The flight altitude was slightly lower than the previous test, but it still ended in a failed landing. The next starship prototype SN10 has been assembled and delivered to the launch pad. According to the plan, SpaceX will use an interstellar spacecraft to carry humans to Mars by 2026.
On February 3, 2 SpaceX interstellar spacecraft prototypes were erected on the launch site
On February 3, 2 SpaceX interstellar spacecraft prototypes were erected on the launch site, Texas, USA. On the 3rd, SpaceX announced that the landing explosion of the SN9 starship prototype did not cause damage to another prototype. A new test flight will be carried out at the end of February according to the original plan. SN10 is the 19th starship prototype built by SpaceX. It uses 3 "Raptor" rocket engines and is equipped with more insulation tiles for testing performance. Gen Elon Musk’s vision,Humans need more than 1,000 starships to complete the transportation of materials to build cities on Mars.
On February 6, ESA released a picture of the UGC 3885 galaxy taken by the Hubble Telescope
On February 6, ESA announced a picture of the UGC 3885 galaxy taken by the Hubble Telescope. UGC 3885 is a spiral galaxy located in the northern constellation Lynx (Lynx), about 180 million light-years from Earth. There was a supernova explosion in the center of this galaxy in 2001. The blue light spots on the outer spiral arms of the galaxy are new stars that are forming.
On February 6, China's "Tianwen-1" Mars rover sent back its first image of Mars
On February 6th, China's "Tianwen-1" Mars rover sent back its first Mars image Image, at this time the probe is about 2.2 million kilometers away from Mars. The features of Mars, such as the Asidalia Plain, the Kruse Plain, the Meridian Plateau, and the Skiapareli Pit, can be identified on the image. On the 6th, the "Tianwen-1" probe has flown for 198 days, with a flight mileage of more than 460 million kilometers. The current probe is about 900,000 kilometers away from Mars, and it is expected to enter the orbit around Mars in four days.
On February 6, the UAE celebrated that the country's first Mars rover "Hope" was about to arrive in Mars orbit.
On February 6, the UAE’s tallest tower, , Burj Khalifa , projected a red countdown to celebrate the country’s first Mars rover, "Hope", which is about to arrive in Mars orbit, Dubai. On the 6th, the UAE Space Agency announced that the "Hope" probe has the last 5.2 million kilometers of distance from Mars orbit. It is expected to enter the orbit around Mars at 7:42 pm on February 9, with a success rate of 50%. "Hope" is the first interstellar probe in an Arab country. It was jointly developed by the UAE and the United States. It has flown about 490 million kilometers since its launch on July 20, 2020.
February 8,ESA released two photos taken by the "Mars Express" exploration satellite.
On February 8, ESA announced two photos taken by the "Mars Express" satellite , which were taken on February 6th and February 7th during the Martian year. February 7, 2021 is the beginning of the 36th Martian Year (MY36). Mars, like the Earth, has four seasons. A Martian year is equivalent to 687 Earth days. Starting from the northern hemisphere entering spring, the new year will last until December 25, 2022. From February 9th to 18th, three human Mars probes from the UAE, China and the United States will soon arrive in Mars orbit.
On February 11, NASA showed the protein crystal structure cultivated in the space station experiment.
On February 11, NASA released a new electron microscope image showing the protein crystal structure cultivated in the space station experiment. Protein is a large biological molecule composed of amino acids and an important component of all cells and tissues of the human body. The ISS environment allows protein crystals to grow without the influence of gravity, helping scientists better understand the crystal structure and function of proteins, thereby accelerating the development of new drugs with special effects.
On February 12, NASA released a picture of the M1-63 "hourglass-shaped" bipolar nebula taken by the Hubble Telescope.
On February 12, NASA released a picture of the M1-63 "hourglass-shaped" bipolar nebula taken by the Hubble Telescope. M1-63 is a bipolar nebula in the southern constellation Scutella, about 32,000 light-years away from the earth. There are two stars in the center of this kind of nebula. A host star emits gas and dust that are gathered by the gravitational force of another companion star, forming a symmetrical nebula shape similar to an hourglass or a butterfly.
On February 12, a Soyuz rocket was delivered to the launch pad
On February 12, a Soyuz rocket was delivered to the launch pad, ready to launch the Progress MS-16 "Cargo spacecraft, Kazakhstan." On February 15, the Russian "Progress MS-16" spacecraft will perform a new international space station cargo mission.It plans to transport 2.4 tons of materials, including food, fuel, sealing materials, and a set of experimental equipment to study the production of oxygen from water algae in a microgravity environment. The sealing material will be used to seal a 4.5 cm leaking crack found in the transfer compartment of the "Xingchen" service cabin.
On February 14th, the UAE Space Agency announced the first photo returned by the Mars probe "Hope".
On February 14th, the UAE Space Agency announced the first photo returned by the "Hope" Mars rover. This photo was taken on February 10th. The "Hope" has entered an elliptical orbit around Mars, about 24,700 kilometers away from Mars. In the center of the image is the largest volcano on Mars-Olympus Mons (Olympus Mons). The "Hope" is equipped with a 12-megapixel high-definition imager, infrared spectrometer and ultraviolet spectrometer, which can collect information on the energy flow and material distribution in the Martian atmosphere and help scientists draw a complete map of the Martian atmosphere.
On February 16, the Russian "Soyuz" rocket was launched into space on board the "Progress MS-16" cargo spacecraft.
On February 16, the Russian "Soyuz" rocket launched on the "Progress MS-16" cargo spacecraft, Kazakhstan. The spacecraft is expected to automatically dock with the International Space Station at 9:20 am on February 17th and arrive at a total of 2.46 tons of supplies. As the cargo mission was delayed by 2 months from the original schedule, the Russian astronauts' food quota was exhausted at the end of January, and they had to seek food support from American astronauts. The Russian Aerospace Agency plans to perform 3 manned launch missions and 3 cargo spacecraft launch missions in 2021.
On February 17, the Russian cargo spacecraft "Progress MS-16" completed docking with the International Space Station.
On February 17, the Russian cargo spacecraft "Progress MS-16" completed docking with the International Space Station. In the morning of the same day, the "Progress MS-16" spacecraft experienced a signal failure during the automatic docking process, and the Russian astronaut Sergei Regykov finally completed the docking in manual mode. The cargo spacecraft will be docked at the space station for 152 days. It is expected to leave the space station in July with the waste materials from the space station and the docking module of the "Dock" which is about to be decommissioned.Crash into the earth’s atmosphere and burn.
On February 17, the Russian cargo spacecraft "Progress MS-16" completed docking with the International Space Station.
On February 18th, NASA announced the first batch of photos after the landing of the Perseverance Mars rover. At 15:55 pm on February 18, Perseverance landed at the "Jezelo" crater north of the Martian equator, becoming the eighth human probe to successfully land on the surface of Mars. The main task of "Perseverance" in the next two years is to find traces of Martian microorganisms, such as soil and rocks. NASA plans to launch a Mars returner in 2026 to bring samples collected by Perseverance back to Earth.
On February 17, the Russian cargo spacecraft "Progress MS-16" completed docking with the International Space Station.
On February 19, NASA released a photo of the landing process of the Perseverance Mars rover. Sky Crane propellers used nylon ropes to smoothly descend the rover to the surface of Mars. The sky crane is a landing vehicle similar to a helicopter. The four corners have propellers to adjust the direction in real time to ensure that the six wheels of the rover smoothly touch the Martian ground. Due to the 11-minute signal delay between Mars and the Earth, the landing process is completely automated by the probe.
On February 17, the Russian cargo spacecraft "Progress MS-16" completed docking with the International Space Station.
On February 19, ESA released a picture of the Hubble-Harrow object "HH 46/47" taken by the Hubble Telescope. Herbig-Haro objects are formed by the rubbing of gas and dust emitted by newborn stars. They appear as luminous objects resembling nebulae and generally last only a few thousand years. HH 46/47 is located in the southern constellation Vela, about 1,400 light-years from the earth. This celestial body has a depth of 10 light years and was discovered for the first time by American astronomer R. Schwartz in 1977.
On February 20th, the American Antares carrier rocket launched into the air with the "Cygnus" cargo spacecraft.
On February 20th, the American Antares carrier rocket carried the "Cygnus" cargo spacecraft into the sky, Florida. The "Cygnus" spacecraft carried 3.8 tons of supplies to the International Space Station, which is the largest commercial cargo mission to date. The supplies included a computer for the operation and maintenance system of the space station, a filter system that converts urine into drinking water, 120,000 worms used to study muscle changes in a microgravity environment, as well as apples, tomatoes, and cheese , Smoked salmon and other fresh foods.
On February 22, NASA announced the environmental landscape photos taken by the "Perseverance" Mars rover navigation camera.
On February 22, NASA announced the environmental landscape photos taken by the "Perseverance" Mars Rover Navigation Camera (Navcams). On the 22nd, "Perseverance" began to survey the surrounding terrain with the main camera Mastcam-Z, which can construct panoramic and stereo images through lens zoom, as well as analyze the mineral composition of the Martian surface and draw 3D maps. "Perseverance" is expected to complete the test of key equipment such as the robotic arm within 4 Mars days and conduct the first short-distance travel.
On February 22, the "Cygnus" cargo spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station.
On February 22, the "Cygnus" cargo spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station. On the same day, Japanese astronaut Satoshi Noguchi manipulated the robotic arm to successfully dock the spacecraft to the "Unity" node module. After docking, the "Cygnus" spacecraft can be used as a storage cabin or as an independent experiment cabin for astronauts. This replenishment mission brought a total of 3.8 tons of materials, of which 1.1 tons were scientific research equipment and samples, including experimental worms to test the influence of microgravity environment on muscle strength, headsets for monitoring the sleep quality of astronauts, and artificial retina manufacturing test samples.
On February 23, NASA released a color photo of the surface of Mars taken by Perseverance.
On February 23, NASA released a photo of the Martian surface taken by the Perseverance Mars rover. This photo was taken by the Down-Look Camera installed at the bottom of the Perseverance.The surface of Mars is red because of its rich iron oxide compounds. The landing site of Perseverance is the "Jezelo" crater north of the Martian equator. It used to be an ancient river delta with various minerals brought about by water flow, such as clay and carbonate rocks.
On February 24, NASA announced a picture of Venus taken by the "Parker" solar probe.
On February 24, NASA announced a picture of Venus taken by the Parker solar probe. The dark region near the equator of Venus is the plateau of Aphrodite Terra, which is close to the earth's African continent. The bright rays around Venus are formed by the reflection of sunlight from cosmic dust. This photo was taken on July 11, 2020. The "Parker" probe is flying past Venus for the third time, only 12,380 kilometers from the surface of Venus.
On February 25, three US and Russian spacecraft docked at the International Space Station at the same time.
On February 25, the American cargo spacecraft "Cygnus", the Russian "Soyuz MS-17" manned spacecraft and the "Progress-77" cargo spacecraft docked at the International Space Station at the same time. The two American astronauts will perform a new spacewalk mission on February 28, with an estimated duration of 6 and a half hours. The main goal is to upgrade the power line to support the new solar panels. NASA plans to install 6 sets of new batteries for the space station in 2021 to increase power generation performance by 30%. The first batch of batteries will be shipped by the SpaceX Dragon cargo ship in June.
On February 26, NASA released a picture of the NGC 4826 galaxy taken by the Hubble Telescope.
On February 26, NASA released a picture of the NGC 4826 galaxy taken by the Hubble Telescope. NGC 4826 is a spiral galaxy located in the posterior constellation of the northern sky constellation, about 17 million light-years from the earth. The center of this galaxy is surrounded by a spectacular black dust cloud belt, so it is called the "Evil Eye" (Evil Eye). Astronomers speculate that NGC 4826 collided with another galaxy about 1 billion years ago.Therefore, the central star and the outer gas rotate in opposite directions.
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