Subj : Daily APOD Report
To   : All
From : Alan Ianson
Date : Wed Oct 23 2024 00:05:56

                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2024 October 23

     Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster!

                         Credit & Copyright: SpaceX

   Explanation: What if a rocket could return to its launch tower -- and
   be caught? This happened for the first time 10 days ago, after a SpaceX
   Starship rocket blasted off from its pad in Boca Chica, Texas, USA.
   Starship then split, as planned, with its upper stage landing in the
   Pacific Ocean. The big difference was the lower stage, Super Heavy
   Booster 12, was caught by its launch tower about 7 minutes later.
   Catching a rocket for reuse is a new and innovative way to help reduce
   the cost of rocket flight by making rockets more easily reusable.
   Starship rockets may be used by NASA in the future to send spacecraft
   to Earth orbit, the Moon, and even other planets.

                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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