Vatasta Koul

colourful mind, 90s R&B type #OurGiantLeap @SGAC

[Reid Wiseman @astro_reid]

Only one chance in this lifetime…

Like watching sunset at the beach from the most foreign seat in the cosmos, I couldn’t resist a cell phone video of Earthset. You can hear the shutter on the Nikon as @Astro_Christina is hammering away on 3-shot brackets and capturing those exceptional Earthset photos through the 400mm lens. @AstroVicGlover was in window 3 watching with @Astro_Jeremy next to him.

I could barely see the Moon through the docking hatch window but the iPhone was the perfect size to catch the view…this is uncropped, uncut with 8x zoom which is quite comparable to the view of the human eye. Enjoy.

[NASA @NASA]

Lock in, we’re Moonbound.

Artemis II astronauts are more than halfway to their destination, and preparations for lunar flyby are underway. During their trip around the far side of the Moon, they will capture imagery to share with scientists (and you, too!).

[NASA @NASA]

Good morning, world! 🌎

We have spectacular new high-resolution images of our home planet, all of us looking back through the Orion capsule window at our Artemis II astronauts as they continue their journey to the Moon.

[NASA @NASA]

Action. Wonder. Adventure. Artemis II has got it all. Don't miss the moment. Our crewed Moon mission will launch as early as April 1.

Learn how to watch: https://t.co/fAg0bGAqEc

[Shubhanshu Shukla @gagan_shux]

During my mission aboard the International Space Station, I experienced a moment that quietly stirred something deep within me. While working in the Columbus module, my eyes drifted across the cabin—and there it was: our flag, gently floating in the stillness of microgravity.

In that instant, I felt an overwhelming sense of pride and connection, as though the vast distance from Earth had dissolved. It was a moment too meaningful to let slip away unrecorded, a reminder of where I come from and what I carry with me, even among the stars.

Here it is, in all its quiet magnificence—
“सुजलाम सुफलाम मलयज शीतलाम शस्यश्यामलाम वन्दे मातरम्।”

#shux #space #shubhanshushukla #india #axiom4

[Vatasta Koul @VatastaK]

@thanada65 Belated birthday wishes Sensei! ✨

[Debapratim @debapratim_]

I believe I have found the cause of the fireball observed over Delhi last night - and it's NOT a meteor!! ☄️

Last night, many people in and around Delhi reported seeing a "meteor-shower" raining down across the sky.

But it's not. Meteors are FAST and are only visible for 3-4 seconds at best. If you had enough time to pull out your phone and record, then it's not a meteor, it's most certainly a satellite or some space debris reentering the Earth's atmosphere and disintegrating due to the extreme heat and aerodynamic forces.

So what exactly is it?
I went over the list of objects that were in orbit and were predicted to reenter roughly around the time these videos were taken (1:22 am IST, 20 Sept).
[Link: https://t.co/Jmj1Gex7Af]

These predictions provide a time window within which it will reenter and a ground trace of the object's orbit during this window.

And I found a match!
CZ-3B R/B (ID: 61188) - It was the upper stage of a Chinese Long March 3B rocket launched from China's Xichang Satellite Launch Center on 19 September, carrying two navigation satellites into orbit.

It was expected to reenter between 19 Sept 6:15 pm IST to 20 Sept 2:15 am IST, and the timing of these videos (1:22 am) is clearly within this window.

But that’s quite a large time window - 8 hours wide! Is there anything else that we can use to double-check that we've got the correct object?

Yes! Let us now look at the ground trace of the CZ-3B R/B within this window (see attached map). As you can see, it passes precisely over the Delhi region.

(Don't worry about that circle near Japan, it just shows where the object would've been in the middle of the 8 hour window)

So all of this, to me, makes it pretty certain that this particular Chinese rocket stage is what we are looking at in those videos from last night.

We all know China is notorious for being irresponsible about where their rocket stages end up. While other space agencies and companies such as ISRO or SpaceX ensure that their stages fall harmlessly in the middle of some ocean, China just doesn't care - not about other countries, not even about it's own country.

In fact, the Phillipine Space Agency had published an advisory for this very launch for the lower stage of this rocket, which fell too close to the Philippine islands for comfort.

You can check it out here:
https://t.co/3hGZGjh4f9

[Vatasta Koul @VatastaK]

Honoured to be selected for this.
Thank you so much for this opportunity #SGAC
Ad astra!

[SGAC @SGAC]

🌟 Congrats to the SGAC Nebula Award winners! 🌟 We’re thrilled to announce the winners for the 2024 SGC & IAC in Milan! 🏆🚀 Huge thanks to our generous #SGAC alumnus for supporting the next generation of space leaders.

Read more: https://t.co/mrjNGreuaf

[Indian Air Force @IAF_MCC]

After touching the sky with glory, it's time for the #IAF to touch space with glory. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair are chosen for the upcoming Indo-US Axiom-4 mission to the ISS. The prime astronaut, Group Captain Shukla, is an experienced Test Pilot with 2000 hrs of flying.

#SpaceMission

[SGAC @SGAC]

🌌 Congratulations to the winners of our partnership with BryceTech, HEO, and Secure World Foundation for the 6th Summit for Space Sustainability in Tokyo, Japan, on July 11-12, 2024. 🎉

https://t.co/uwjeoefB4U

#SGAC #SpaceGeneration #Spacesustainability

[SpaceX @SpaceX]

Liftoff from pad 39A in Florida!

[Koichi Wakata 若田光一 @Astro_Wakata]

母校 #九州大学 でISS長期滞在ミッションの報告をさせて戴き光栄でした。多くの皆さんから貴重なお話を伺う事ができ、大変有意義な時間でした。学生の皆さんからの沢山の素晴らしい質問も有難うございました。

[ISRO @isro]

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
All set to initiate the Automatic Landing Sequence (ALS).
Awaiting the arrival of Lander Module (LM) at the designated point, around 17:44 Hrs. IST.

Upon receiving the ALS command, the LM activates the throttleable engines for powered descent.
The mission operations team will keep confirming the sequential execution of commands.

The live telecast of operations at MOX begins at 17:20 Hrs. IST

[Fascinating @fasc1nate]

Incredible time lapse of a storm in Western Australia by Geoff Green.

[Vatasta Koul @VatastaK]

#OurGiantLeapHackathon2022 💪🏻♥️

[SGAC Diversity and Gender Equality Project Group @ourgiantleap]

And today, we proudly release to you the #OurGiantLeapPodcast episode 4 - starring Leandro @leoaiassistant, Yulia @YAkisheva and Alexandra - part of the #OurGiantLeapHackathon organising team! ✨

They beautifully explain our team vision for this unique hackathon 👥

[SGAC Diversity and Gender Equality Project Group @ourgiantleap]

We were just live on the @SGAC YouTube Channel with Dr. Soyeon Yi @MsCoolAstro 🚀

https://t.co/rOLgsy52WO

#OurGiantLeapHackathon Day 1

[SGAC Diversity and Gender Equality Project Group @ourgiantleap]

5 hours of unique start-up development mentoring with @starburstaero industry experts, and project evaluation to start an independent contract for next level support, will be provided to winners of the #OurGiantLeapHackathon 🚀

Thank you for this amazing opportunity 🌌🔥

[NewsBytes @NewsBytesApp]

The Earth set a new record for the shortest day on July 29 by completing a full rotation on its axis in 1.59 milliseconds less than the standard 24 hours. The speed of the rotation is increasing recently but the reasons are currently unknown.
https://t.co/5k6k6a6VFO

[Vatasta Koul @VatastaK]

🏸 ♥️

[PV Sindhu @Pvsindhu1]

It was like a rollercoaster of emotions, but managed to pulled through and win the championship! Thank you for all your support, it means so much to me.
#SingaporeOpen2022 (1/2)

[Dr Yulia Akisheva @YAkisheva]

If you want to participate in the #OurGiantLeap #Hackathon, drop me a DM or reply in the thread, and I'll see what I can do😉 We still have (a few) spots left!
#genderequality #SDGs #space4women #spacetech #spacegen @Space4WomenOOSA @UNOOSA