Questions tagged [identify-this-object]
Questions which ask for an object in a photograph or other media to be identified and/or have its function described.
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Why so many little pieces of “space tape” on this communications satellite?
Maxar's own blogpost Power and Propulsion Element: Five Questions with Maxar’s Tim Cole contains an image with the caption
The ABS-2 spacecraft at Maxar’s Palo Alto, California factory before its ...
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1answer
101 views
Origin, artist, and original purpose of this unusual NASA image from 1996 or earlier? (possibly related to Clementine)
Two astronomy questions below relate to Clementine and poking around I found Ice on the Bone Dry Moon which was
Written by Paul D. Spudis, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX, Deputy Leader of ...
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1answer
250 views
Star-shaped artifacts in SAR images of the “Suez Canal traffic jam seen from space”
Wikipedia's 2021 Suez Canal obstruction links to the Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image of the
Traffic jam in the Gulf of Suez caused by the obstruction as seen by the Sentinel-1 ...
3
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1answer
81 views
Identify this Mars helicopter prototype and when and where it was built and tested?
The new NASA video Things are really looking up (on Mars) is a short set of vignettes in anticipation of the Ingenuity helicopter's first tests on Mars.
Below is a screenshot of a historical file ...
2
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1answer
147 views
Did Skylab have several giant spirit levels? That's what these look like to me, except there's no bubble
The BBC's Skylab: The myth of the mutiny in space shows the image below of one big circular end bulkhead of the main Skylab main space, with an astronaut in the center hatch and giant air manifolds ...
10
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1answer
890 views
What is all this about? (photo of several small cup-like structures on top of Perseverance)
I have been trying to figure out what this arrangement is for.
Could it be where the mast had its 'face' buried prior to deployment?
The various cups seem to fit exactly with lenses and positioning ...
13
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1answer
2k views
What is this unlikely-looking contraption (“plutonium battery and scientific equipment”) they're making Jim Lovell cary around a parking lot?
The BBC's Did nuclear spy devices in the Himalayas trigger India floods contains the following image and caption.
Questions:
What scientific equipment and which plutonium battery is this?
Since this ...
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1answer
85 views
What “advanced computer capable of faster processing and data compression” is the S. S. Katherine Johnson carrying? (Cygnus NG-15)
CBS News; says:
The primary goal of the Cygnus mission is to deliver science equipment and supplies for on-going research utilizing the microgravity environment aboard the space station.
One ...
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2answers
99 views
What were Mars 2's conical aerodynamic braking shield and “gunpowder” engines?
The Soviet Mars 2 and Mars 3 lander missions were the first (human-made) spacecraft to reach the surface of Mars with Mars 3 the first successful landing. They both carried Prop-M's; the first wheel-...
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177 views
What is this ring-shaped part falling from Starship SN9 after launch?
The picture shown is a screenshot during the recent launch of SpaceX's SN9 from a live stream, and I noticed that a black ring fell off the exhaust/engine. It only shows up for around a frame or two ...
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154 views
Why is the bottom of the SLS rocket covered with reflective silver “muffler” tape?
NASA.gov's First Artemis Rocket Stage Moved onto NASA Barge Ahead of Green Run contains a high resolution image of the rocket. The bottom end of the rocket's cylindrical shape is closed flat and ...
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97 views
What ever happened to 6Q0B44E - potentially the “artificial satellite (with) the farthest orbit around the Earth”?
I just started flipping through Handbook of Space Engineering Archaeology, and Heritage Space Hardware Ann Darrin & Beth L. O'Leary, Eds. 2009, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1035 pages
It looks as though ...
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1answer
1k views
What is your name? What is your quest? What is the story behind Satellite 1963-38C?
Source see also the page On Possible Electric Phenomena in Solar Systems and Nebulae By Kristian Birkeland extracted from The Norwegian Aurora Polaris Expedition 1902-1903 (Book)
Wikipedia's ...
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0answers
34 views
What does diiferent colours in orbital path seen in the CRS 21 launch video indicate?
The SpaceX broadcast of Falcon 9 - CRS 21 launch showed the orbital path of the vehicle differently than previous videos. Separate green lines and rectangualar boxes were visible.
What additional ...
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0answers
51 views
What radar-trackable steel ball was thrown from the ISS before October 2015? [duplicate]
The question What kinds of things have been tossed out of the ISS? contains a now-rotted link to a YouTube video of a steel ball being thrown from the ISS for radar tracking tests. I'd sourced it from ...
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1answer
1k views
Identify these mission photos
My grandfather who was involved with the DFVLR (now DLR) had all sorts of space-memorabilia in his basement, including a roll of pictures I've found. Does anyone know what mission they are from and ...
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1answer
141 views
What mission is this Chris Hadfield photo associated with and what is the location? And what is that thing?
Many, many astronauts have gone on to be wonderful orators, educators, advocates for science, education and positive thinking, Major Tom Colonel (ret) and (fmr) ISS Commander Chris Hadfield is just ...
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2answers
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Is there really microfilm on the Moon?
A comment below this answer to Disc mounted on lunar rover? suggests that
...a number of documented microfilms that were on the Apollo missions.
meaning I presume that bits of microfilm were ...
3
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0answers
128 views
What are these white garbage-like things on Falcon 9 vacuum engine?
On recent launch I noticed, that some white things jumping on vacuum engine in space. Something like garbage or condensate. See video at right at times when Earth is at left:
...
7
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1answer
809 views
Which rocket was shown resupplying the ISS in Designated Survivor?
In the TV show Designated Survivor season 2 episode 12 (S2E12) The Final Frontier at 07:47 the following US rocket is shown launching a resupply mission to the ISS.
The rocket detonates during launch.
...
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0answers
105 views
What are these strips on the Long March 4B?
There are yellow square strips arranged semi-erratically on the lower stage of the Long March 4. There are also some on the upper stage. What are they, and do they come off before launch? Why are they ...
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1answer
742 views
Can you help me identify this vehicle outside the VAB?
I found this photo of a house being transported off of Kennedy Space Center property sometime in the 1960s/early 1970s. We managed to track down where the house was moved from/to, but one thing that ...
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1answer
475 views
What's the new hexagonal structure for in Boca Chica TX, SpaceX
At Boca Chica Texas at the SpaceX launch facility there is a new structure being built. RGV Aerial Photography shows a concrete base with six pillars being built in a hexagonal shape. What is this ...
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1answer
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What is the blue and purple glitter dinosaur above NASA astronaut Robert Behnken in this video?
The NASA video Expedition 63 Inflight with New York Times, Fox News, and USA Today - July 7, 2020 includes NASA astronaut Dr. Robert Behnken, and above can be seen a blue and purple glitter covered ...
12
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1answer
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Viking Lander descent engine design feature
The Viking Lander Terminal Descent Engine (3 per vehicle) was a ~600 lbf monopropellant hydrazine engine with an unusual exhaust system of 18 small nozzles. Multiple sources state that the reason ...
5
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1answer
97 views
Which shuttle mission is this video from?
At 12 minutes and 19 seconds into the NASA video Space Shuttle Documentary (Narrated by William Shatner), there’s a really neat video of a space shuttle lighting up the clouds from underneath and then ...
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1answer
185 views
On the ISS what is that frame with a criss-cross of rubber bands?
You can see below a picture of Steven Swanson doing a detailed tour of the ISS.
I was wondering what is that frame with rubber bands on the right? It just seems to block access to the racks behind.
...
11
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1answer
2k views
What is this propeller-like object on top of the SpaceX Hopper?
In the spirit of Why does this rocket have a nose cone “cozy”? I'd like to ask why the SpaceX Hopper has a propellor on top, or at least something that looks reminiscent of Beany's propeller.
What is ...
12
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1answer
368 views
What is this device/object that the SpaceX astronauts are holding?
Watching the SpaceX Demo-2 launch preparation livestream, I saw both Bob and Doug using some sort of little gadget. It looks like a chunky cell phone, or a flat gopro. It appears to have an LCD on the ...
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1answer
128 views
What is this hovering “jet propulsion device” that “moves like a ufo”? [duplicate]
I encountered this reddit post, which is a video of a test of some sort of device hovering precisely in place & maneuvering using some slightly underexpanded reaction control system. I'm also ...
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1answer
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What's is this very CGI looking clip in this NASA video of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer installation?
This is the NASA video AMS Time Lapse Installation a time-lapse of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) installation at the International Space Station. At about ...
9
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1answer
647 views
What are beta cloth and beta marquisette, materials used in Apollo-era space suits?
The NASA PDF Space Suit which contains CSM21 Spacesuits pp 223-228 in the url name mentions beta cloth and beta marquisette several times.
Question: What are they ...
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1answer
129 views
Do we know what is the approximate size of this object on Pluto's surface?
Reportedly this object has been captured on Pluto's surface.
Which mission does this image originate from and can we estimate its size?
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2answers
134 views
How to explain the fast motion of the Starlink satellite in this video?
My friend in Łódź sent me this video today:
https://i.imgur.com/EmpNzfs.mp4
This was observed in Widzew district, at 20:42 Warsaw time. He has two questions:
given that it looks like it's Starlink ...
49
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1answer
4k views
Why is there a Saturn V in the background of this Gemini-Titan launch?
In this photo, a Gemini-Titan is lifting off in the foreground, while a Saturn V is visible in the background.
The last Gemini flight was in late 1966, but the first flight of a Saturn V wasn't ...
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1answer
2k views
Did astronaut Scott Kelley eat cake in space?
From what I understand and remember the first cookies baked in space were returned to Earth for testing and I think part of the reason that no cookies baked on the ISS's oven could be eaten is that ...
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1answer
141 views
Which Viking-1 orbiter photo is this? When was it taken and what part of Mars is shown?
This answer to Are there any photos of the Martian terminator from low Mars orbit? includes (without credit) what looks like an oft-repeated photo of Mars. A comment written from reverse image ...
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1answer
116 views
Satellite positions online (also historical)
Around 19:30 CET (UTC+1) we saw a satellite over Prague with my friend, and at 19:50 another one. The second one could have been ISS, according to http://www.isstracker.com/historical.
But how do I ...
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3answers
262 views
Why do these two Hubble Space Telescope star cameras point in nearly the same direction, and what's the other window for?
The article in Forbes Former Astronauts Share Ways To Cope With Social Distancing & Isolation includes the following image of the Hubble Space Telescope.
Question: I believe that those three ...
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2answers
3k views
Apollo Command Module heatshield tube - what was it for?
I went to the Science Museum in London last year, where I saw (amongst many other wonderful things!) the Apollo 10 CM, Charlie Brown. Looking at the heat shield, I saw two circular indentations with a ...
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1answer
203 views
How does Indonesia's development and test vehicle work? Could something like this reach space or even orbit when scaled up?
Phys.org's Blast off: space minnow Indonesia eyes celestial success says
It's a very long way from a Mission Control in Houston, but the Southeast Asian archipelago's answer to NASA has big hopes and ...
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1answer
130 views
Did the Saturn IB have eight equally spaced fins around its circumference?
This answer to Saturn V Small Rectangles On S-II Stage includes images and links related to the Saturn IB rocket. It shows what I think is an unwrapped representation of part of a circumference which ...
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1answer
855 views
Atlas Rocket Burning Hose
I was just watching The Right Stuff for the 100th time,and I've always wondered what is that hose spewing flame/burning propellant out of the bottom of the rocket. It's definitely not an engine,and ...
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What are these two items sticking out of Soyuz capsule MS-13 with returning Expedition 61 Crew? [duplicate]
At 18:55and 19:00 in NASA Videos' NASA Television Video File- MS 13 Hatch Closing Undocking Landing - February 6, 2020 what ...
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1answer
224 views
How does this large, flat antenna made from overlapping circles at Australia's Carnarvon Space Tracking Center work?
@Fred's comment links to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's How the Apollo 11 Moon landing was achieved with the vital help of Carnarvon Tracking Station which links to their Carnarvon space ...
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2answers
379 views
What likely is the chemical composition of the thin piece of material on the surface of Mars on the image below?
Note: The MAHLI images below were acquired when both the two groups of white light LEDs and the ultraviolet LEDs were off.
When looking for the damage on the wheels of Curiosity on the raw images i ...
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65 views
what are the fast moving white objects in JCSAT-18 separation video
Fast moving objects seen at 0:27 (bottom), 0:30 (middle), 0:32 (top and bottom right) etc. What are they?
They don't seem to originate from the rocket or the payload.
...
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0answers
202 views
What is the mysterious object flying by in this SpaceX video?
In the last second of this video tweeted by spaceX, you can see an object fly by on screen. Did this come from the SpaceX ship, or is it foreign space junk? If it turns out to be the latter, is that a ...
6
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1answer
1k views
In multiple parachutes, is each offset by a weight/hole?
Source: NASA via wikimedia.org
As the image shows, in multiple parachutes, each assumes a position away from the center. The post, Why don't 3-parachute descent systems collide and collapse?, ...
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1answer
6k views
What is this large fan in front of the Space Shuttle during Ground Turnaround?
In this amazing video of multiple camera angles of Endeavour landing and post-landing processing, at around the 15:45–15:56 minute mark, we see a large propeller running in front of the Orbiter.
It ...
