NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and space research.
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Jorge Chong is helping shape the future of human spaceflight, one calculation at a time. As a project manager for TRON (Tracking and Ranging via Optical Navigation) and a guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) test engineer in the Aeroscience and Flight Mechanics Division, he is leading efforts to ensure the Orion spacecraft can navigate deep space autonomously. Jorge Chong in front of the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston when he helped with optical navigation operations during Artemis I.Image courtesy of Jorge Chong “GNC is like the brain of a spacecraft. It involves a suite of sensors that keep track of where the vehicle is in orbi…
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Before Apollo astronauts set foot upon the Moon, much remained unknown about the lunar surface. While most scientists believed the Moon had a solid surface that would support astronauts and their landing craft, a few believed a deep layer of dust covered it that would swallow any visitors. Until 1964, no closeup photographs of the lunar surface existed, only those obtained by Earth-based telescopes. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, managed the Ranger program, a series of spacecraft designed to return closeup images before impacting on the Moon’s surface. Ranger 7 first accomplished that goal in July 1964. On Feb. 17, 1965, its successor Range…
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With two months to go before flight, the Apollo 13 prime crew of James Lovell, Thomas Mattingly, Fred Haise, and backups John Young, John Swigert, and Charles Duke continued to train for the 10-day mission planned to land in the Fra Mauro highlands region of the Moon. Engineers continued to prepare the Saturn V rocket and spacecraft at the launch pad for the April 11, 1970, liftoff and completed the Flight Readiness Test of the vehicle. All six astronauts spent many hours in flight simulators training while the Moon walkers practiced landing the Lunar Module and rehearsed their planned Moon walks. The crew for the next Moon landing mission, Apollo 14, participated in a ge…
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The Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) team hosts a Media Day at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on April 11, 2023.Credit: NASA Media are invited to visit NASA’s simulated Mars habitat on Monday, March 10, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The simulation will help prepare humanity for future missions to the Red Planet. This is the second of three missions as part of NASA’s CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog), set to begin in May 2025 when volunteer crew members enter the 3D printed habitat to live and work for a year. During the mission, crew members will carry out different types of mission activiti…
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Explore This SectionEarth HomeEarth Observer HomeEditor’s CornerFeature ArticlesMeeting SummariesNewsScience in the NewsCalendarsIn MemoriamMoreArchives 3 min read In Memoriam: Jeff Dozier [1944–2024] Jeff Dozier [1944–2024]Photo credit: Dozier’s family obituary Jeff Dozier, an environmental scientist, snow hydrologist, researcher, academic – and former Earth Observing System Project Scientist – died on November 17, 2024. Jeff’s research focused on snow hydrology and biogeochemistry in mountain environments and addressed the role of stored and melting snow in the hydrologic cycle as well as the economic and social impact on water resources. In these efforts, he embr…
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Explore This SectionEarth HomeEarth Observer HomeEditor’s CornerFeature ArticlesMeeting SummariesNewsScience in the NewsCalendarsIn MemoriamMoreArchives 3 min read In Memoriam: Berrien Moore III [1941–2024] Berrien Moore III [1941–2024]Photo credit: Moore’s obituary on the University of Oklahoma’s (OU) website Berrien Moore III, Dean of the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences at the University of Oklahoma (OU), director of the National Weather Center in Norman, OK, and Vice President for Weather and Climate Programs, died on December 17, 2024. Berrien earned an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina in 1963 and a doctorate degree from …
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NASA/Kim Shiflett Engineers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida completed stacking the twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters – seen in this Feb. 19, 2025, photo – inside the Vehicle Assembly Building for the agency’s Artemis II crewed test flight around the Moon. During stacking operations, which began Nov. 20, 2024, technicians used a massive overhead crane to lift each booster segment into place on mobile launcher 1, the 380-foot-tall structure used to process, assemble, and launch the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. Learn more about the process of stacking from Exploration Ground Systems. Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett View the ful…
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2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA marked a key milestone Feb. 18 with installation of RS-25 engine No. E20001, the first new production engine to help power the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket on future Artemis missions to the Moon. The engine, built by lead SLS engines contractor L3Harris (formerly Aerojet Rocketdyne), was installed on the Fred Haise Test Stand in preparation for acceptance testing next month. It represents the first of 24 new flight engines being built for missions, beginning with Artemis V. Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine o…
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Explore This Section Earth Home Earth Observer Home Editor’s Corner Feature Articles Meeting Summaries News Science in the News Calendars In Memoriam More Archives 3 min read In Memoriam: Pierre Morel [1933–2024] Pierre Morel [1933–2024] Photo Credit: Morel’s obituary on the Ecole Normale Supérieure website Pierre Morel, the first director of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and founding member of WCRP’s Global Energy and Water Exchanges (GEWEX) Core project, died on December 10, 2024. Pierre began his research as a theoretical physicist. His doctoral thesis examined the existence and properties of a condensed superfluid st…
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3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) How to Attend The workshop will be hosted by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Virtual and in-person attendance are available. Registration is required for both. (Link coming soon!) Virtual attendees will receive connection information one week before the workshop. Background, Goals and Objectives The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) is conducting an assessment of the state of cold capable electronics for future lunar surface missions. The intent is to enable the continuous use of electronics with minimal or no thermal management on missions of up to 20 years in all regions…
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Explore This Section Earth Home Earth Observer Home Editor’s Corner Feature Articles Meeting Summaries News Science in the News Calendars In Memoriam More Archives 35 min read Summary of the Joint NASA LCLUC–SARI Synthesis Meeting Introduction The NASA Land-Cover and Land-Use Change (LCLUC) is an interdisciplinary scientific program within NASA’s Earth Science program that aims to develop the capability for periodic global inventories of land use and land cover from space. The program’s goal is to develop the mapping, monitoring and modeling capabilities necessary to simulate the processes taking place and evaluate the consequences of observ…
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Official portrait of NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free, taken on Nov. 22, 2024, at the agency’s headquarters in Washington.Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free announced Wednesday his retirement, effective Saturday, Feb. 22. As associate administrator, Free has been the senior advisor to NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro and leads NASA’s 10 center directors, as well as the mission directorate associate administrators at NASA Headquarters in Washington. He is the agency’s chief operating officer for more than 18,000 employees and oversaw an annual budget of more than $25 billion. During his tenure as associate administrator since …
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One semester as a NASA Pathways intern was enough to inspire Portia Keyes to sign up for a Russian language class at college. After interning in the Johnson Space Center’s Office of Procurement, Keyes hoped to someday use her new language skills in support of the International Space Station Program. Now, 12 years later, Keyes is the deputy manager of the procurement office for the International Space Station and Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Programs. That means she is responsible for implementing and overseeing acquisition solutions that enable the purchasing of goods and services in support of both programs. Official NASA portrait of Portia Key…
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5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Astronaut Jeanette Epps extracts DNA samples from bacteria colonies for genomic analysis aboard the International Space Station’s Harmony module.NASA In an effort to learn more about astronaut health and the effects of space on the human body, NASA is conducting a new experiment aboard the International Space Station to speed up the detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, thus improving the health safety not only of astronauts but patients back on Earth. Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be difficult or impossible to treat, making antibiotic resistance a leading…
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How Long Does it Take to Get to the Moon... Mars... Jupiter? We Asked a NASA Expert
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2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) During the Apollo program, when NASA sent humans to the Moon, those missions took several days to reach the Moon. The fastest of these was Apollo 8, which took just under three days to go from Earth orbit to orbit around the Moon. Now it’s possible to save some fuel by flying different kinds of trajectories to the Moon that are shaped in such a way to save fuel. And those trajectories can take more time, potentially weeks or months, to reach the Moon, depending on how you do it. Mars is further away, about 50 percent further away from the Sun than Earth is. And r…
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3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA / Getty Images NASA has selected two new university student teams to participate in real-world aviation research challenges meant to transform the skies above our communities. The research awards were made through NASA’s University Student Research Challenge (USRC), which provides students with opportunities to contribute to NASA’s flight research goals. This round is notable for including USRC’s first-ever award to a community college: Cerritos Community College. We’re trying to tap into the community college talent pool to bring new student…
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Official crew portrait for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.Credit: NASA NASA and its partners will discuss the upcoming Expedition 73 mission aboard the International Space Station during a pair of news conferences on Monday, Feb. 24, from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Mission leadership will participate in an overview news conference at 2 p.m. EST live on NASA+, covering preparations for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 launch in March and the agency’s crew member rotation launch on Soyuz in April. Learn ho…
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Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1 Lunar Landing (Official NASA Broadcast)
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Explore This Section Science Science Activation Eclipses to Auroras: Eclipse… Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science 3 min read Eclipses to Auroras: Eclipse Ambassadors Experience Winter Field School in Alaska In 2023 and 2024, two eclipses crossed the United States, and the NASA Science Activation program’s Eclipse Ambassadors Off the Path project invited undergraduate students and amateur astronomers to join them as “NASA Partner Eclipse Ambassadors”. This opportunity to partner with NASA, provide solar viewing glasses, and share eclipse knowledge with underse…
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This updated version of “the Pale Blue Dot,” made for the photo’s 30th anniversary in 2020, uses modern image-processing software and techniques to revisit the well-known Voyager view while attempting to respect the original data and intent of those who planned the images.NASA/JPL-Caltech Earth is but a tiny light blue dot in this 30th anniversary version of the iconic “Pale Blue Dot” image. The original photo, taken by NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft on Feb. 14, 1990, is now 35 years old. Voyager 1 was 3.7 billion miles (6 billion km) away from the Sun, giving it a unique vantage point to take a series of photos that created a “family portrait” of our solar system. Voyag…
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2 min read NASA Science: Being Responsive to Executive Orders February 18, 2025 To the NASA Science Community – As the nation’s leader in Earth and space science, NASA Science operates within the broader context of the federal government and its priorities. As part of the Executive Branch, we are always responsive to the direction set by the Administration, including executive orders and policy guidance that relate to our programs and activities. We are working as quickly as possible to implement these Executive Orders and related policies. We understand that these priorities can have tangible effects on our community, from potential changes in solicitations and …
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NASA’s SPHEREx is situated on a work stand ahead of prelaunch operations at the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The SPHEREx space telescope will share its ride to space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with NASA’s PUNCH mission. Credit: USSF 30th Space Wing/Christopher NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer), the agency’s newest space telescope. This will lift off with another NASA mission, Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere, or PUNCH, which will study the Sun’s solar wind. The launc…
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October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023 This eighth annual report provides an overall highlight of research results published from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023 from investigations operated on the space station. Annual Highlights of Results from the International Space Station (October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023) (PDF, 19.6 MB). List of Archived ISS Publications October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023. (PDF, 1.2 MB) October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2022 This seventh annual report provides an overall highlight of research results published from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022 from investigations operated on the space station. Annual Highlights of Res…
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Rodent Research-28 fluorescein angiogram of the microvascular circulation of the mouse retina.Image courtesy: Oculogenex Inc. Key Takeaways A total of 361 publications were collected in FY-24. These publications include peer-reviewed scientific studies or other literature such as books and patents published recently or years prior. More than 80% of the publications collected in FY-24 were from research sponsored by NASA and JAXA. In FY-24, the predominant area of study for publications was Earth and Space science. The results obtained were primarily generated via Derived Results, studies that retrieve open data from online sources to make new discoveries. These D…
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