Sunrise Through the Solar Arrays

On July 26, 2017, a member of the Expedition 52 crew aboard the International Space Station took this photograph of one of the 16 sunrises they experience every day, as the orbiting laboratory travels around Earth. One of the solar panels that provides power to the station is seen in the upper left. via NASA http://ift.tt/2vYsCPc

Expedition 52 Soyuz Launches to the Space Station

The Soyuz MS-05 rocket is launched with Expedition 52 flight engineer Sergei Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos, flight engineer Randy Bresnik of NASA, and flight engineer Paolo Nespoli of ESA (European Space Agency), Friday, July 28, 2017 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. via NASA http://ift.tt/2tKAz9d

Haze on the Horizon

This false-color view from NASA's Cassini spacecraft gazes toward the rings beyond Saturn's sunlit horizon. via NASA http://ift.tt/2uFPXVE

Expedition 52 Soyuz Rollout

The Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft is seen as it is raised into a vertical position on the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, July 26, 2017. The Expedition 52 crew is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz on Friday, July 28, at 11:41 a.m. EDT (9:41 p.m. Baikonur time). via NASA http://ift.tt/2vIFr0f

Watching the Aurora From Orbit

Expedition 52 Flight Engineer Jack Fischer of NASA shared photos and time-lapse video of a glowing green aurora seen from his vantage point 250 miles up, aboard the International Space Station. This aurora photo was taken on June 26, 2017. via NASA http://ift.tt/2uU3SKy

Hubble’s Hunting Dog Galaxy

Tucked away in the small northern constellation of Canes Venatici (The Hunting Dogs) is the galaxy NGC 4242. via NASA http://ift.tt/2twOBzs

Enhanced Color Panorama Above 'Perseverance Valley' on Mars

Toward the right side of this enhanced-color scene is a broad notch in the crest of the western rim of Endeavour Crater on Mars. Wheel tracks in that area were left by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity as it observed "Perseverance Valley" from above in the spring of 2017. via NASA http://ift.tt/2uhwo7D

Lunar Module at Tranquility Base

This photograph of the Lunar Module at Tranquility Base was taken by Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 mission, from the rim of Little West Crater on the lunar surface. Armstrong's shadow and the shadow of the camera are visible in the foreground. This is the furthest distance from the lunar module traveled by either astronaut while on the moon. via NASA http://ift.tt/2tiLhDM

July 14 Solar Flare and a Coronal Mass Ejection

A medium-sized (M2) solar flare and a coronal mass ejection erupted from the same, large active region of the sun on July 14, 2017. The flare lasted almost two hours, quite a long duration. The coils arcing over this active region are particles spiraling along magnetic field lines. via NASA http://ift.tt/2uJ7lf4

NASA Evaluates How Crew Will Exit Orion Spacecraft

When astronauts return to Earth from destinations beyond the moon in NASA’s Orion spacecraft and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, they’ll still need to safely get out of the spacecraft and back on dry land. Using the waters off the coast of Galveston, a NASA and Department of Defense team tested Orion exit procedures on July 10-14, 2017. via NASA http://ift.tt/2vefiGn

NASA Langley and the Space Race

Neil Armstrong trained for the Apollo 11 mission at NASA Langley's Lunar Landing Research Facility on equipment that cancelled all but one-sixth of Earth's gravitational force. Armstrong offered perhaps the greatest tribute to the importance of his training when asked what it was like to land on the moon, replying, "Like Langley." via NASA http://ift.tt/2tjeylH

Hubble Traps a Lynx Barred Spiral

NGC 2500 is a particular kind of spiral galaxy known as a barred spiral, its wispy arms swirling out from a bright, elongated core. via NASA http://ift.tt/2tU0IDG

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot (Enhanced Color)

This enhanced-color image of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot was created by citizen scientist Gerald Eichstädt using data from the JunoCam imager on NASA’s Juno spacecraft. via NASA http://ift.tt/2tQeNll

Looking Back: Aircraft Engineering Research Conference at Langley's Full Scale Tunnel, 1934

This year, NASA is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the agency’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. In Langley's early years of crafting flight, aviation pioneers flocked to the center for engineering conferences. This photo was taken in Langley's Full Scale Tunnel during the 1934 Aircraft Engineering Research Conference. via NASA http://ift.tt/2sQ4IDO

Lakes and Rivers Have Ice, Too

On May 29, 2017, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of ice covering the Amundsen Gulf, Great Bear Lake, and numerous small lakes in the northern reaches of Canada’s Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Icy lakes and rivers make a significant footprint on the Arctic landscape. via NASA http://ift.tt/2tJZ0om

Dawn’s Early Light

The light of a new day on Saturn illuminates the planet’s wavy cloud patterns and the smooth arcs of the vast rings. via NASA http://ift.tt/2sWYfeq

Winds Trigger Pond Growth

Wind is a force to be reckoned with. It can stir up monsoons, carry dust thousands of miles, and sculpt rock into sinuous arches. But sometimes, the effects of wind go unnoticed for years, like when it carves away slowly at the edges of a pond. via NASA http://ift.tt/2suFpH8

Vice President Mike Pence Visits Kennedy Space Center

Vice President Mike Pence addresses NASA employees, Thursday, July 6, 2017, at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Cape Canaveral, Florida. via NASA http://ift.tt/2sRRqpn

This Week in NASA History: Apollo AS-203 Launches -- July 5, 1966

This week in 1966, the AS-203 rocket launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The Apollo AS-203 mission was an uncrewed test of the vehicle’s second stage, the S-IVB stage, and the instrument unit of the Saturn V to obtain flight information under orbital conditions. via NASA http://ift.tt/2sFZqP6

Happy Fourth of July From the Space Station

NASA astronauts Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson celebrated the Fourth of July from over 250 miles above Earth on the International Space Station. Fischer shared this photo on social media and said, "We sometimes have issues standing up straight, but we have no problems at all showing our American pride-Happy 4th!" via NASA http://ift.tt/2umrzrV

Dragon Returns Space Station Science to Earth

NASA astronaut Jack Fischer photographed the SpaceX Dragon capsule as it reentered Earth's atmosphere before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean west of Baja California at 8:12 a.m. EDT, July 3, 2017. Fischer commented, "Beautiful expanse of stars-but the “long” orange one is SpaceX-11 reentering!" via NASA http://ift.tt/2t9KQy8