NASA Ames

NASA

@NASAAmes

We're NASA's center in Silicon Valley.

California nasa.gov/ames Joined July 2008

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NASA Ames @NASAAmes 6d

Last week, we welcomed NASA astronaut Douglas "Wheels" Wheelock to our Silicon Valley center!

Wheelock became one of the first to pilot a newly integrated lunar lander simulation in our Vertical Motion Simulator, the world’s largest flight simulator for high-fidelity testing of new and experimental aircraft and spacecraft designs.

The simulation will provide insights that will help shape the future of landing vehicles and crew controls for Artemis missions.

Astronaut Douglas Wheelock pilots the M-Cab with the lunar lander configuration of the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) in N243. As part of the agency’s Human Landing System (HLS) program, lunar lander simulations will be integrated into the VMS. These simulations will help develop the manual control system for crewed lunar landers during the approach and landing phases of the Artemis IV mission and beyond. Credit: NASA/Brandon Torres Navarrete

Astronaut Douglas Wheelock “hearts” Earth in the background of the M-Cab with the lunar lander configuration of the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) in N243. As part of the agency’s Human Landing System (HLS) program, lunar lander simulations will be integrated into the VMS. These simulations will help develop the manual control system for crewed lunar landers during the approach and landing phases of the Artemis IV mission and beyond. Credit: NASA/Brandon Torres Navarrete

Astronaut Douglas Wheelock, left, and Haroon Khan pilot the M-Cab with the lunar lander configuration of the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) in N243. As part of the agency’s Human Landing System (HLS) program, lunar lander simulations will be integrated into the VMS. These simulations will help develop the manual control system for crewed lunar landers during the approach and landing phases of the Artemis IV mission and beyond. Credit: NASA/Brandon Torres Navarrete

NASA Ames @NASAAmes 5d

From Apollo to Artemis: Wind tunnel edition.

In the '60s, we tested early designs of Apollo parachutes to inform steering maneuvers and assess aerodynamic drag. Decades later, we tested Orion parachutes—designed for Artemis missions—to evaluate canopy performance and stability.

This black and white image was taken in 1962, showing a steerable parachute in the Ames 40-by-80 foot wind tunnel. The parachute is mounted to a control head and projects outward to the left. This was an early design of an Apollo parachute tested at Ames, ultimately shaping the development of the parachutes used during Apollo missions. Credit: NASA

A bright orange parachute for the Orion spacecraft is tested inside the 80-by-120 foot wind tunnel at NASA Ames. Credit: NASA/Eric James

NASA Ames @NASAAmes Oct 30

I ain’t afraid of no ghost 🎶 👻

550 light-years from Earth, the Ghost Nebula haunts the cosmos, sculpted by ultraviolet rays from a nearby star. Light reflected by dust gives this nebula its blue tint, and interactions between gas and radiation cast an eerie red glow.

Against a black background, a ghostly, blue silhouette takes shape amongst white, yellow, blue, and orange twinkling stars. The glowing apparition comes to a point in the top right of the frame, and rounded recesses just below resemble a brow, eyes, and an open mouth. The blue phantom emits a subtle red glow. Credit: NASA/ESA, and STScI/Acknowledgment: H. Arab (University of Strasbourg)

NASA Ames @NASAAmes Oct 28

Feeling brave? We dare you trick or treat at the house with the cosmic keyhole. 🔑

1,350 light-years away, young stars illuminate dusty wisps of NGC 1999. This nebula skirts around a keyhole-shaped void – a gap that continues to puzzle scientists today!

Learn more: go.nasa.gov/4BxvSSD

The image is dominated by a hazy nebula in space. The center of the nebula glows a whitish blue, which grades concentrically to reddish brown at its edges before fading to black. A bright, young star near the center of the image emits four thin beams of light in a diagonal cross shape. This star sits on the border of a black, keyhole-shaped void in the center of the frame. In the background of the image, three red-and-yellow pinpoints of light glow from the darkness. Two of these spots resemble a pair of eyes. Credit: NASA/ESA/ESO/K. Noll

NASA Ames @NASAAmes Oct 23

On the hunt for a full moon? Keep an eye out this weekend! 🌕

The Hunter’s Moon will reach peak illumination late Sunday evening. The best time to view will be shortly after sunset.

A full moon hangs against the black of space in this image taken from the International Space Station in October 2023. The Moon shines its deep silver color to the right of the image, while pale white clouds pepper the blue glow of Earth to the left. Credit: NASA