Fwd: Worlds Beyond Our Solar System

[Mark Baker]

Interesting stuff…!!!

Clear, Dark Skies...

Mark Baker

951-691-0101

KN6CQR

President Emeritus, Temecula Valley Astronomers

Solar System Ambassador, NASA / JPL

Docent, CalTech Palomar Observatory

Citizen Scientist Emeritus, PDCO

Begin forwarded message:

From: NASA <hq-new...@nasa.gov>
Date: May 15, 2026 at 3:42:26 PM PDT
To: shkn...@hotmail.com
Subject: Worlds Beyond Our Solar System
Reply-To: hq-new...@nasa.gov



Plus: Updates on NASA’s Artemis III mission ///

NASA Newsletter In this week's newsletter, take a look at the most complete view of the starry sky to date from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite; explore what’s ahead for next year’s Artemis III mission in Earth orbit—a crewed flight that will test rendezvous and docking capabilities between the agency’s Orion spacecraft and commercial landers; and learn what NASA scientists uncovered from a rare radio burst from the Sun in August 2025 that lasted 19 days, shattering the previous five‑day record. Plus, more stories you might have missed.    THE UNIVERSE Worlds Beyond Our Solar System  NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, has released its most complete view of the starry sky to date, filling in gaps from earlier observations. Nearly 6,000 colored dots scattered across the image mark the locations of confirmed or candidate exoplanets — worlds beyond our solar system — identified by the mission as of September 2025.  TESS surveys the entire sky by searching for periodic dips in starlight believed to be caused by planets transiting the host star. Its four identical, red‑sensitive, wide‑field cameras monitor a 24‑degree by 90‑degree strip of sky at a time. Each strip is observed continuously for 27 days at a 2‑second cadence. Over successive years, TESS will tile both the southern and northern hemispheres.  TESS REVEALS DAZZLING SKY   THE UNIVERSE For Roman, From Hubble  NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will be the first mission to make detailed studies of the Milky Way’s galactic bulge a core science objective, building on data from earlier observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope. To help Roman characterize the vast number of stars and planets in this region, astronomers used Hubble to observe many of the same fields that Roman will later examine in its Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey. Comparing Hubble’s earlier images with Roman’s new data will give astronomers crucial context, allowing them to interpret Roman’s observations with far greater precision. OBSERVING THE MILKY WAY ARTEMIS Stepping Stones NASA is moving quickly to define next year’s Artemis III mission in Earth orbit, a crewed flight that will test rendezvous and docking capabilities between the agency’s Orion spacecraft and commercial landers from Blue Origin and SpaceX. Since a February announcement adding an Artemis mission ahead of crewed landing missions to the Moon’s South Pole region, engineers have been evaluating options and operational considerations for Artemis III to ensure the test flight helps the agency and its partners reduce risk ahead of the next Americans landing on the Moon during Artemis IV.  ARTEMIS III UPDATES     THE SOLAR SYSTEM Perseverance Snaps Selfie NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover recently captured a self‑portrait at a site known as “Lac de Charmes,” set against a backdrop of ancient Martian terrain. The selfie, assembled from 61 individual images, shows Perseverance training its mast toward a rocky outcrop where it had just created a circular abrasion patch. Behind it, the western rim of Jezero Crater stretches across the horizon. The image was taken on March 11 during the rover’s deepest push west beyond the crater. LEARN MORE HUMANS IN SPACE Off the Earth, For the Earth Expedition 74 astronauts aboard the International Space Station are digging into how the bacteria that causes pneumonia can lead to long‑term heart damage. By taking advantage of the unique conditions in space, researchers are watching how stem‑cell‑derived heart tissues respond to bacterial infections. Their goal is to uncover new ways to protect cardiovascular health and better manage infectious diseases.  LEARN MORE More NASA News Don’t miss your chance to find your place in space with a NASA internship this fall! The agency offers plenty of opportunities for students to dive into meaningful, hands‑on projects that make a real difference for humanity. Applications are due Friday, May 22 — so now’s the perfect time to get started.  When NASA scientists first observed a particular radio burst from the Sun in August 2025, it didn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary. But then it just… kept going. By the time it finally stopped, the burst had lasted 19 days — far longer than anyone expected and smashing the previous five‑day record.  Although NASA’s X‑59 is designed to fly supersonic, its test schedule isn’t just about going faster and higher. Sometimes the best way to make sure the aircraft is truly mission‑ready is to fly slower and lower. The X‑59 has already completed its first high‑altitude, near‑supersonic flights, paving the way for upcoming tests that will explore its full operating range.  How do teams plan for missions that may take years to unfold? How do engineers make decisions when the stakes and the complexity are high? In the latest episode of the Small Steps, Giant Leaps podcast, Darius Yaghoubi, deputy chief engineer for NASA’s Planetary Missions Program Office, discusses these challenges and what he has learned throughout his career.  Today’s spacecraft still rely on older processors — not because they’re fast, but because they’re rugged enough to survive the extreme conditions of space. But enabling truly autonomous missions, accelerating scientific discovery, and supporting astronauts on journeys to the Moon and Mars will require far more computing power. That need is driving the High Performance Spaceflight Computing project, which is developing a new radiation‑hardened processor expected to deliver up to 100 times the performance of current spaceflight computers. Do You Know? Fifty-seven years ago this week, NASA launched Apollo 10. Astronauts Tom Stafford, Gene Cernan, and John Young, the second ever crew of astronauts to circle the Moon, guided their Apollo 10 spacecraft through a series of critical procedures required for the Apollo 11 lunar landing. This included separating the Lunar Module — nicknamed “Snoopy” — from the Command Module “Charlie Brown” and carrying out low-altitude maneuvers around the Moon.  How close did Snoopy get to the lunar surface during the Apollo 10 mission? A. 62 miles B. 31 miles C. 9 miles D. 0.6 miles Find out the answer in next week's NASA newsletter! 🤓 Last week, we asked on which body in our solar system, other than Earth, can you find the logo created to celebrate the United States bicentennial in 1976? The answer? Mars. The bicentennial emblem is emblazoned on NASA’s Viking Project landers, the first American spacecraft to land safely on the surface of Mars and return images of the surface.  National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery. Visit nasa.gov Follow NASA

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