Pervasive Ice Retreat in West Antarctica

Along the Bellingshausen Sea coast of West Antarctica, ice has been retreating inland being lost to the sea. Scientists knew this, but they lacked a full picture of the scale. Now a team of researchers has compiled a Landsat-based data set and found that such losses have been going on for at least the past four decades. via NASA http://ift.tt/28OJdyC

Space Station View of the Full Moon

Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams of NASA took this photograph on June 21, 2016, from the International Space Station, writing, “A spectacular rise of the full moon just before sunset while flying over western China.” via NASA http://ift.tt/28K2lJR

Expedition 47 Soyuz Landing

The Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 47 crew members Tim Kopra of NASA, Tim Peake of the European Space Agency, and Yuri Malenchenko of Roscosmos near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Saturday, June 18, 2016. Kopra, Peake, and Malenchenko are returning after six months onboard the International Space Station. via NASA http://ift.tt/28Iwr3y

NASA’s X-57 Hybrid Electric Research Plane

With 14 electric motors turning propellers and all of them integrated into a uniquely-designed wing, NASA will test new propulsion technology using an experimental airplane now designated the X-57 and nicknamed “Maxwell.” This concept image illustrates NASA’s X-57 plane in flight. via NASA http://ift.tt/1sJCEBk

Sunset From the International Space Station

Expedition 47 Flight Engineer Jeff Williams of NASA captured a series of photos for this composite image of the setting sun reflected by the ocean. via NASA http://ift.tt/28Hx1Ev

Cygnus Cargo Craft Released From Space Station

Orbital ATK’s Cygnus cargo craft is released from the International Space Station in this June 14, 2016, photograph by ESA astronaut Tim Peake. Once Cygnus reached a safe distance, ground controllers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center initiated the sequence for an experiment design to better understand how fire spreads in a microgravity environment. via NASA http://ift.tt/1PtN3WF

Orion Dives Deep for the Sake of Safety

A test version of the Orion spacecraft is pulled back like a pendulum and released, taking a dive into the 20-foot-deep (6.1 meters) Hydro Impact Basin at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. via NASA http://ift.tt/1Q0SUIG

Orion High Dive – Swing Drop From 20 Feet

A test version of the Orion spacecraft is pulled back like a pendulum and released, taking a dive into the 20-foot-deep (6.1 meters) Hydro Impact Basin at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. via NASA http://ift.tt/1UhGZVJ

NASA Honors Orlando Victims

The American flag flies at half staff at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building in the background. On Sunday, June 12, President Barack Obama ordered U.S. flags flown at half staff “as a mark of respect for the victims of the act of hatred and terror” at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. via NASA http://ift.tt/1UMp3SN

Hubble Uncovers a Mysterious Hermit

The drizzle of stars scattered across this image forms a galaxy known as UGC 4879. UGC 4879 is an irregular dwarf galaxy — as the name suggests, galaxies of this type are a little smaller and messier than their cosmic cousins, lacking the majestic swirl of a spiral or the coherence of an elliptical. via NASA http://ift.tt/1UHgF73