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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1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) ECF 2024 Quadchart Yang.pdf Shuolong Yang University of Chicago This effort will leverage the latest developments in superconductors to build a power transmission cable that can operate in the extreme cold temperatures found on the Moon with very low electrical losses. The team will use novel manufacturing techniques to grow alternating layers of FeSe SrTiO3 films onto a substrate and the resulting, superconducting tape can be fashioned into electrical transmission lines. The project will culminate with a demonstration 1-meter-long superconducting transmission line which supports…
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1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) ECF 2024 Quadchart McGuirk.pdf Christopher McGuirk Colorado School of Mines This project will investigate and develop improved storage methods for the fuels needed to generate electrical power in places where sunlight is not available. The effort will focus on particularly tailored materials called Metal Oxide Frameworks, or MOFs, that can be used to store methane and oxygen. The methane and oxygen can be reacted in a solid oxide fuel cell to generate electricity, and storing them in a MOF could potentially result in significant mass and cost savings over traditional storage tank…
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1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) ECF 2024 Quadchart Boles.pdf Jessica Boles University of California, Berkeley This project will develop piezoelectric-based power conversion for small power systems on the lunar surface. These piezoelectric systems can potentially offer high power density to significantly reduce size, weight, and cost. They can also offer high efficiency as well as resistance to the extreme lunar environment with its expected prolonged exposure to extreme cold and radiation. The effort will build and test prototype piezoelectric DC-to-DC power converters and DC-to-DC power supplies. Back to E…
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1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) ECF 2024 Quadchart Arya.pdf Manan Arya Stanford University This grant will design and develop lightweight, low-cost modular solar reflectors that can be stowed for transport in a compact volume. These reflectors can potentially be used to reflect and concentrate sunlight into a permanently shadowed area of the Moon where it could power photovoltaics. These reflectors could also potentially be used for concentrated photovoltaics for deep-space missions, solar thermal propulsion, or for thermal mining. The team will use recently developed origami design algorithms to allow for comp…
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1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) ECF 2024 Quadchart Underwood.pdf Thomas Underwood University of Texas, Austin This project will demonstrate a fusion propulsion system based on z-pinch which is a method of compressing plasma by running electrical current though it. The z-pinch will compress and heat the plasma to produce fusion reactions, and the system will be paired with an electromagnetic accelerator to produce thrust from these reactions. The effort intends to design, build, and test a prototype device and use computational modeling to evaluate the potential performance of larger systems which would be suita…
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1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) ECF 2024 Quadchart Oguri.pdf Kenshiro Oguri Purdue University This project will investigate one of the key fundamental challenges associated with directed-energy light-sailing technology, similar to solar sails but powered by a laser beam pointed at the sail instead of by the sun. The effort will first mathematically model, then design, build, and test a prototype diffractive light sail. The three-dimensional, origami-inspired light sail could potentially unlock higher thrust, passive beam riding stability, and higher maneuverability via its ability to transform its shape. Ba…
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1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) ECF 2024 Quadchart Ilic.pdf Ognjen Ilic University of Minnesota This effort will aim to demonstrate the feasibility of directed-energy propulsion through a combination of computational simulations and prototype testing. The project will model the interactions between lightsail material and a laser beam that can be pointed at the sail to propel the spacecraft. The results of the modeling will be used to fabricate an optimized sail for testing with a 30W laser. A successful demonstration would pave the way for ultrafast spaceflight within and beyond the solar system. Back to EC…
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1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) ECF 2024 Quadchart Beik.pdf Omid Beik Colorado School of Mines This project will design a power management and distribution (PMAD) system that can be coupled with a megawatt-scale nuclear power generation system for nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) that is suitable for a Mars mission. The system will include all needed components including a dual rotor generator and power rectifier. The overall design will be optimized and validated with a smaller-scale (10kW) experiment that will be built and tested in the laboratory. Back to ECF 2024 Full List Share…
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2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s C-130, now under new ownership, sits ready for its final departure from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on Friday, April 18, 2025. NASA/Garon Clark NASA’s C-130 Hercules, fondly known as the Herc, went wheels up at 9:45 a.m., Friday, April 18, as it departed from its decade-long home at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, for the final time. The aircraft is embarking on a new adventure to serve and protect in the state of California where it is now under the ownership of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). The transition of t…
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3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA test pilot Nils Larson inspects the agency’s F-15D research aircraft at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, ahead of a calibration flight for a newly installed near-field shock-sensing probe. Mounted on the F-15D, the probe is designed to measure shock waves generated by the X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft during flight. The data will help researchers better understand how shock waves behave in close proximity to the aircraft, supporting NASA’s Quesst mission to enable quiet supersonic flight over land.NASA/Steve Free…
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Explore Hubble Hubble Home Overview About Hubble The History of Hubble Hubble Timeline Why Have a Telescope in Space? Hubble by the Numbers At the Museum FAQs Impact & Benefits Hubble’s Impact & Benefits Science Impacts Cultural Impact Technology Benefits Impact on Human Spaceflight Astro Community Impacts Science Hubble Science Science Themes Science Highlights Science Behind Discoveries Hubble’s Partners in Science Universe Uncovered Explore the Night Sky Observatory Hubble Observatory Hubble Design Mission Operations Missions to Hubble Hubble vs Webb Team Hubble Team Career Aspirations Hubble Astronauts News Hubble News Social Media Media Re…
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NASA researchers are sending three air quality monitors to the International Space Station to test them for potential future use on the Moon.Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna As NASA prepares to return to the Moon, studying astronaut health and safety is a top priority. Scientists monitor and analyze every part of the International Space Station crew’s daily life—down to the air they breathe. These studies are helping NASA prepare for long-term human exploration of the Moon and, eventually, Mars. As part of this effort, NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is sending three air quality monitors to the space station to test them for potential future use on th…
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Explore Hubble Hubble Home Overview About Hubble The History of Hubble Hubble Timeline Why Have a Telescope in Space? Hubble by the Numbers At the Museum FAQs Impact & Benefits Hubble’s Impact & Benefits Science Impacts Cultural Impact Technology Benefits Impact on Human Spaceflight Astro Community Impacts Science Hubble Science Science Themes Science Highlights Science Behind Discoveries Hubble’s Partners in Science Universe Uncovered Explore the Night Sky Observatory Hubble Observatory Hubble Design Mission Operations Missions to Hubble Hubble vs Webb Team Hubble Team Career Aspirations Hubble Astronauts News Hubble News Social Media Media Re…
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Explore This Section Perseverance Home Mission Overview Rover Components Mars Rock Samples Where is Perseverance? Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Mission Updates Science Overview Objectives Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Perseverance Raw Images Images Videos Audio More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home 2 min read Origins Uncertain: ‘Skull Hill’ Rock Written by Margaret Deahn, Ph.D. Student at Purdue University Last week, NASA’s Mars 2020 rover continued its journey down lower ‘Wi…
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3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) One of several NASA distributed sensing ground nodes is set up in the foreground while an experimental air taxi aircraft owned by Joby Aviation sits in the background near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on March 12, 2025. NASA is collecting information during this study to help advance future air taxi flights, especially those occurring in cities, to track aircraft moving through traffic corridors and around landing zones.NASA/Genaro Vavuris NASA engineers began using a network of ground sensors in March to collect data from an experimental air taxi to evalu…
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NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers works at the controls of the robotics workstation in the International Space Station’s Destiny Laboratory. Credit: NASA Students from Woodland Park, Colorado, will connect with NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers as she answers prerecorded science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-related questions from aboard the International Space Station. Watch the 20-minute space-to-Earth call at 11:55 a.m. EDT on Monday, April 21, on the NASA STEM YouTube Channel. The event, hosted by Woodland Park High School, also is open to students from Woodland Park Middle School. The Colorado high school wants to show students that even though they resid…
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The space shuttle Discovery launches from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, heading through Atlantic skies toward its 51-D mission. The seven-member crew lifted off at 8:59 a.m. ET, April 12, 1985.NASA The launch of space shuttle Discovery is captured in this April 12, 1985, photo. This mission, STS-51D, was the 16th flight of NASA’s Space Shuttle program, and Discovery’s fourth flight. Discovery carried out 39 missions, more than any other space shuttle. Its missions included deploying and repairing the Hubble Space Telescope and 13 flights to the International Space Station – including the very first docking in 1999. The retired shuttle now resides at the Na…
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Explore This Section Science Science Activation Building for a Better World:… Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science 6 min read Building for a Better World: Norfolk Students Bring STEM to Life with NASA Partnership At Norfolk Technical Center in Norfolk, Virginia, carpentry students in Jordan Crawford’s first-year class aren’t just learning how to measure and cut wood—they’re discovering how their skills can serve a greater purpose. When the NASA Science Activation program’s NASA eClips project—led by the National Institute of Aerospace’s Center for Integrative…
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3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover sees its tracks receding into the distance at a site nicknamed “Ubajara” on April 30, 2023. This site is where Curiosity made the discovery of siderite, a mineral that may help explain the fate of the planet’s thicker ancient atmosphere.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS New findings from NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover could provide an answer to the mystery of what happened to the planet’s ancient atmosphere and how Mars has evolved over time. Researchers have long believed that Mars once had a thick, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere and liquid water on the planet’s su…
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Credit: NASA NASA is marking progress in strengthening the agency’s small business partnerships, supply chain resiliency, and domestic space manufacturing capabilities. Under the agency’s enhanced Mentor-Protégé Program, NASA has announced the first Mentor-Protégé Agreement between L3Harris Technologies, a NASA large prime contractor, and Parametric Machining, Inc., a veteran-owned small business. This agreement will help advance NASA’s mission by fostering innovation and reinforcing the agency’s supply chain. As NASA continues to advance the Artemis campaign, deep space exploration, and aeronautics research, partnerships like this are essential in securing a re…
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2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Robotics teams gather on the main floor of the 2025 Aerospace Valley FIRST Robotics Competition at Eastside High School in Lancaster, California, adjusting and testing the functions of their robots, on April 3, 2025NASA/Genaro Vavuris A group of attendees to the 2025 Aerospace Valley FIRST Robotics Competition gather outside Eastside High School’s gymnasium in Lancaster, California, to watch an F/A-18 from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, in Edwards, California, fly over the school …
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4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) As an adventurous individual, Becky Brocato, Ph.D., has a deep curiosity for understanding the conditions of the human body, especially as it pertains to spaceflight. This passion directly translates to her role at NASA, where Brocato serves as the Element Scientist in the Human Health Countermeasures division and oversees research that seeks to reduce medical risks that astronauts face from spaceflight, ensuring the continual health and safety of current and future NASA astronauts. As part of the Human Research Program, the group strives to understand the physiological effects of spacefli…
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NASA Astronaut Don Pettit Turns the Camera on Science
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4 Min Read Science Meets Art: NASA Astronaut Don Pettit Turns the Camera on Science NASA astronaut Don Pettit is scheduled to return home in mid-April after a seven-month mission aboard the International Space Station as part of Expedition 72. Throughout his stay, Pettit contributed to research that benefits humanity and future space missions. Pettit also shared what he calls “science of opportunity” to demonstrate how experimenting with our surroundings can help gain a better understanding of how things work. This understanding is perhaps enhanced when art, science, and microgra…
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NASA Astronaut Don Pettit Soyuz MS-26 Space Station Farewells and Hatch Closing
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