More Than Just Drawings

Artist and graphic designer Mike Okuda may not be a household name, but you’re more familiar with his work than you know. Okuda’s artistic vision has left a mark here at NASA and on Star Trek. The series debuted 50 years ago in September 1966 and the distinctive lines and shapes of logos and ships that he created have etched their way into the minds of fans and inspired many.

Flight Ops

The Flight Operations patch has a lengthy history, the original version of which dates to the early 1970s. Having designed a version of the patch, Okuda had some insights about the evolution of the design.

“The original version of that emblem was designed around 1972 by Robert McCall and represented Mission Control. It later changed to Mission Operations. I did the 2004 version, incorporating the space station, and reflecting the long-term goals of returning to the Moon, then on to Mars and beyond. I later did a version intended to reflect the new generation of spacecraft that are succeeding the shuttle, and most recently the 2014 version reflecting the merger of Mission Operations with the Astronaut Office under the new banner Flight Operations.”

“The NASA logos and patches are an important part of NASA culture,” Okuda said. “They create a team identity and they focus pride on a mission.”

In July 2009, Okuda received the NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal, which is awarded to those who are not government employees, but have made exceptional contributions to NASA’s mission. Above, Okuda holds one of the mission patches he designed, this one for STS-125, the final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Orion

Among the other patches that Okuda has designed for us, it one for the Orion crew exploration vehicle. Orion is an integral of our Journey to Mars and is an advanced spacecraft that will take our astronauts deeper into the solar system than ever before.

Okuda’s vision of space can be seen in the Star Trek series through his futuristic set designs, a vision that came from his childhood fascination with the space program.

Learn more about Star Trek and NASA.

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Flying to New Heights With the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission

A mission studying Earth’s magnetic field by flying four identical spacecraft is headed into new territory.

The Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, or MMS, has been studying the magnetic field on the side of Earth facing the sun, the day side – but now we’re focusing on something else. On February 9, MMS started the three-month-long process of shifting to a new orbit.

One key thing MMS studies is magnetic reconnection – a process that occurs when magnetic fields collide and re-align explosively into new positions. The new orbit will allow MMS to study reconnection on the night side of the Earth, farther from the sun.

Magnetic reconnection on the night side of Earth is thought to be responsible for causing the northern and southern lights.

To study the interesting regions of Earth’s magnetic field on the night side, the four MMS spacecraft are being boosted into an orbit that takes them farther from Earth than ever before. Once it reaches its final orbit, MMS will shatter its previous Guinness World Record for highest altitude fix of a GPS.

To save on fuel, the orbit is slowly adjusted over many weeks. The boost to take each spacecraft to its final orbit will happen during the first week of April.

On April 19, each spacecraft will be boosted again to raise its closest approach to Earth, called perigee. Without this step, the spacecraft would be way too close for comfort – and would actually reenter Earth’s atmosphere next winter!

The four MMS spacecraft usually fly really close together – only four miles between them – in a special pyramid formation called a tetrahedral, which allows us to examine the magnetic environment in three dimensions.

But during orbit adjustments, the pyramid shape is broken up to make sure the spacecraft have plenty of room to maneuver. Once MMS reaches its new orbit in May, the spacecraft will be realigned into their tetrahedral formation and ready to do more 3D magnetic science.

Learn more about MMS and find out what it’s like to fly a spacecraft.

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carlosalberthreis

8 years ago

This is not just an incredible view of Earth, it’s also a fantastic illustration of the terminator. (No not that one!) The terminator is the moving line that separates the day side from the dark night side of a planetary body. From this vantage point you can make out the gradual transition to darkness that is experienced as twilight on the surface. This image was captured on Aug. 31 by astronaut Jeff Williams (@Astro_Jeff) while on board the ISS.

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carlosalberthreis

7 years ago

#Eclipse2017 . A mecânica do eclipse explicada numa figura do século 13.

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carlosalberthreis

7 years ago

NGC 6960 (Western Veil nebula) & Horsehead Nebula and the Flame Nebula

by David Wills

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carlosalberthreis

1 month ago

É um evento único, que ficará em nossas memórias.

📅 Data de registro: 5 de agosto de 2024 às 18:24

Galáxia NGC 1300

Localizada na constelação de Eridanus e com distância aproximadamente de 69 milhões de anos-luz, a galáxia NGC 1300 é um exemplo maravilhoso de uma galáxia espiral barrada.

Ao contrário de outras galáxias espirais, onde os braços estelares se curvam para fora do centro da galáxia, os braços de NGC 1300 se afastam das extremidades de uma barra reta de estrelas que se estende pelo núcleo da galáxia.

Os braços espirais de NGC 1300 incluem aglomerados azuis de estrelas jovens, nuvens cor-de-rosa que estão formando novas estrelas e faixas escuras de poeira. Duas faixas de poeira proeminentes também cortam a barra da galáxia, que contém principalmente estrelas alaranjadas mais velhas. Essas faixas de poeira desaparecem em uma espiral estreita no centro da barra.

Curiosamente, apenas as galáxias com barras grandes parecem ter uma "espiral dentro de uma espiral".

📷 Créditos da imagem: Hubble Space Telescope

📚 Créditos do texto: Hubble Space Telescope, disponível nos links:

[1] https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/3880-Image

[2] https://esahubble.org/images/opo0501a/