NASA

NASA, ESA and Jesús Maíz Apellániz (Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Spain); Acknowledgment: Davide De Martin (ESA/Hubble) Pismis 24, the star cluster seen here in an image released on Dec. 11, 2006, lies within the much larger emission nebula called NGC 6357, located about 8,000 light-years from Earth. The brightest object in the picture was once thought to be a single star with an incredibly large mass of 200 to 300 solar masses. That would have made it by far the most massive known star in the galaxy and would have put it considerably above the currently believed upper mass limit of about 150 solar masses for individual stars. Measurements from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, however, discovered that Pismis 24-1 is actually two separate stars, and, in doing so, “halved” their mass to around 100-150 solar masses each. Image credit: NASA, ESA and Jesús Maíz Apellániz (Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Spain); Acknowledgment: Davide De Martin (ESA/Hubble) View the full article

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Instruments in space are helping scientists map wastewater plumes flowing into the Pacific Ocean from the heavily polluted Tijuana River, seen here with the San Diego sky-line to the north. NOAA Proof-of-concept results from the mouth of the Tijuana River in San Diego County show how an instrument called EMIT could aid wastewater detection. An instrument built at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to map minerals on Earth is now revealing clues about water quality. A recent study found that EMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation) was able to identify signs of sewage in the water at a Southern California beach. The authors of the study examined a large wastewater plume at the mouth of the Tijuana River, south of Imperial Beach near San Diego. Every year, millions of gallons of treated and untreated sewage enter the river, which carries pollutants through communities and a national reserve on the U.S.-Mexico border before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. Contaminated coastal waters have been known to impact human health — from beachgoers to U.S. Navy trainees — and harm marine ecosystems, fisheries, and wildlife. For decades scientists have tracked water quality issues like harmful algal blooms using satellite instruments that analyze ocean color. Shades that range from vibrant red to bright green can reveal the presence of algae and phytoplankton. But other pollutants and harmful bacteria are more difficult to monitor because they’re harder to distinguish with traditional satellite sensors. A plume spreads out to sea in this image captured off San Diego by the Sentinel-2 satellite on March 24, 2023. Both a spectroradiometer used to analyze water samples (yellow star) and NASA’s EMIT identified in the plume signs of a type of bacterium that can sicken humans and animals.SDSU/Eva Scrivner That’s where EMIT comes in. NASA’s hyperspectral instrument orbits Earth aboard the International Space Station, observing sunlight reflecting off the planet below. Its advanced optical components split the visible and infrared wavelengths into hundreds of color bands. By analyzing each satellite scene pixel by pixel at finer spatial resolution, scientists can discern what molecules are present based on their unique spectral “fingerprint.” Scientists compared EMIT’s observations of the Tijuana River plume with water samples they tested on the ground. Both EMIT and the ground-based instruments detected a spectral fingerprint pointing to phycocyanin, a pigment in cyanobacteria, an organism that can sicken humans and animals that ingest or inhale it. ‘Smoking Gun’ Many beachgoers are already familiar with online water-quality dashboards, which often rely on samples collected in the field, said Christine Lee, a scientist at JPL in Southern California and a coauthor of the study. She noted the potential for EMIT to complement these efforts. “From orbit you are able to look down and see that a wastewater plume is extending into places you haven’t sampled,” Lee said. “It’s like a diagnostic at the doctor’s office that tells you, ‘Hey, let’s take a closer look at this.’” Lead author Eva Scrivner, a doctoral student at the University of Connecticut, said that the findings “show a ‘smoking gun’ of sorts for wastewater in the Tijuana River plume.” Scrivner, who led the study while at San Diego State University, added that EMIT could be useful for filling data gaps around intensely polluted sites where traditional water sampling takes a lot of time and money. EMIT’s Many Uses The technology behind EMIT is called imaging spectroscopy, which was pioneered at JPL in the 1980s. Imaging spectrometers developed at JPL over the decades have been used to support areas ranging from agriculture to forest health and firefighting. When EMIT was launched in July 2022, it was solely aimed at mapping minerals and dust in Earth’s desert regions. That same sensitivity enabled it to spot the phycocyanin pigments off the California coast. Scrivner hadn’t anticipated that an instrument initially devoted to exploring land could reveal insights about water. “The fact that EMIT’s findings over the coast are consistent with measurements in the field is compelling to water scientists,” she said. “It’s really exciting.” To learn more about EMIT, visit: https://earth.jpl.nasa.gov/emit/ News Media Contacts Jane J. Lee / Andrew Wang Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 626-379-6874 / 818-354-0307 jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov / andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov Written by Sally Younger 2025-078 Share Details Last Updated Jun 12, 2025 Related TermsEMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation)EarthEarth Science Technology OfficeHuman DimensionsInternational Space Station (ISS)OceansWater on Earth Explore More 3 min read Studying Storms from Space Station Article 4 hours ago 4 min read Welcome Home, Expedition 72 Crew! Article 21 hours ago 6 min read NASA’s Ready-to-Use Dataset Details Land Motion Across North America Article 6 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Students from Tropico Middle School in Rosamond, California, build their own paper planes as part of a project during NASA Aero Fair on April 9, 2025.NASA/Genaro Vavuris A new generation of aerospace explorers will soon embark on a hands-on summer experience focusing on careers in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (STEM). This month, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, and the Flight Test Museum Foundation will launch the 2025 Junior Test Pilot School. Held at Blackbird Airpark and Joe Davies Heritage Airpark in Palmdale, California, this six-week program invites elementary-aged students to step into the shoes of test pilots and engineers from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, June 16 through July 25. Registration is free through participating school districts and the Flight Test Museum. Students will have direct access to legendary aircraft such as A-12, SR-71, U-2, F-86 Sabre, and NASA Boeing 747 Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The Junior Test Pilot School combines authentic NASA-designed curriculum, immersive aerospace activities, and direct engagement with engineers, test pilots, and scientists to inspire future aerospace professionals in the Antelope Valley – home to one of the nation’s highest concentrations of STEM careers. “This program offers more than a glimpse into aerospace, it provides students a hands-on opportunity to solve real-world problems and see themselves in future STEM roles,” said Dr. Amira Flores, program integration manager for NASA’s California Office of STEM Engagement. Daily lessons cover eight core modules: flight principles, stealth engineering, altitude effects, speed and g-force, payload impact, maneuverability, reconnaissance design, and jet engine systems. Additionally, in collaboration with NASA Armstrong’s Aero Fair program, students will be guided through the program’s Wildfire Design Challenge by a NASA volunteer. Following the engineering design process, students will collaborate to design and build a prototype of an aerial vehicle that suppresses wildfires. “Our junior test pilots learn to analyze the aircraft to figure out why they were designed the way they are and think like an engineer,” said Lisa Sheldon Brown, director of education at the Flight Test Museum. “Research shows that academic trajectory is set by fifth grade, making this the critical window to inspire STEM interest and career awareness.” The program is delivered in partnership with the City of Palmdale and is supported by industry sponsors, including Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. These partners not only provide funding and volunteers but also elevate career exposure by introducing students to diverse aerospace professionals within the region. NASA Armstrong is a hub of aeronautical innovation and STEM workforce development in the Antelope Valley. Through programs like Aero Fair and partnerships like Junior Test Pilots School, Armstrong inspires and equips the next generation of engineers, pilots, and scientists. The Flight Test Museum Foundation preserves the legacy and promotes the future of aerospace through education programs and historical preservation at the Blackbird Airpark and forthcoming Flight Test Museum at Edwards Air Force Base in Edwards, California. For more about NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/armstrong – end – Elena Aguirre Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, California (661) 276-7004 elena.aguirre@nasa.gov Dede Dinius Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, California (661) 276-5701 darin.l.dinius@nasa.gov Explore More 5 min read NASA F-15s Validate Tools for Quesst Mission Article 2 days ago 4 min read NASA Student Challenge Prepares Future Designers for Lunar Missions Article 2 days ago 2 min read From Garment Industry to NASA: Meet Systems Engineer Daniel Eng Article 6 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

5 min read NASA Launching Rockets Into Radio-Disrupting Clouds NASA is launching rockets from a remote Pacific island to study mysterious, high-altitude cloud-like structures that can disrupt critical communication systems. The mission, called Sporadic-E ElectroDynamics, or SEED, opens its three-week launch window from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands on Friday, June 13. The atmospheric features SEED is studying are known as Sporadic-E layers, and they create a host of problems for radio communications. When they are present, air traffic controllers and marine radio users may pick up signals from unusually distant regions, mistaking them for nearby sources. Military operators using radar to see beyond the horizon may detect false targets — nicknamed “ghosts” — or receive garbled signals that are tricky to decipher. Sporadic-E layers are constantly forming, moving, and dissipating, so these disruptions can be difficult to anticipate. An animated illustration depicts Sporadic-E layers forming in the lower portions of the ionosphere, causing radio signals to reflect back to Earth before reaching higher layers of the ionosphere. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Conceptual Image Lab Sporadic-E layers form in the ionosphere, a layer of Earth’s atmosphere that stretches from about 40 to 600 miles (60 to 1,000 kilometers) above sea level. Home to the International Space Station and most Earth-orbiting satellites, the ionosphere is also where we see the greatest impacts of space weather. Primarily driven by the Sun, space weather causes myriad problems for our communications with satellites and between ground systems. A better understanding of the ionosphere is key to keeping critical infrastructure running smoothly. The ionosphere is named for the charged particles, or ions, that reside there. Some of these ions come from meteors, which burn up in the atmosphere and leave traces of ionized iron, magnesium, calcium, sodium, and potassium suspended in the sky. These “heavy metals” are more massive than the ionosphere’s typical residents and tend to sink to lower altitudes, below 90 miles (140 kilometers). Occasionally, they clump together to create dense clusters known as Sporadic-E layers. The Perseids meteor shower peaks in mid-August. Meteors like these can deposit metals into Earth’s ionosphere that can help create cloud-like structures called Sporadic-E layers. NASA/Preston Dyches “These Sporadic-E layers are not visible to naked eye, and can only be seen by radars. In the radar plots, some layers appear like patchy and puffy clouds, while others spread out, similar to an overcast sky, which we call blanketing Sporadic-E layer” said Aroh Barjatya, the SEED mission’s principal investigator and a professor of engineering physics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. The SEED team includes scientists from Embry-Riddle, Boston College in Massachusetts, and Clemson University in South Carolina. “There’s a lot of interest in predicting these layers and understanding their dynamics because of how they interfere with communications,” Barjatya said. A Mystery at the Equator Scientists can explain Sporadic-E layers when they form at midlatitudes but not when they appear close to Earth’s equator — such as near Kwajalein Atoll, where the SEED mission will launch. In the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, Sporadic-E layers can be thought of as particle traffic jams. Think of ions in the atmosphere as miniature cars traveling single file in lanes defined by Earth’s magnetic field lines. These lanes connect Earth end to end — emerging near the South Pole, bowing around the equator, and plunging back into the North Pole. A conceptual animation shows Earth’s magnetic field. The blue lines radiating from Earth represent the magnetic field lines that charged particles travel along. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Conceptual Image Lab At Earth’s midlatitudes, the field lines angle toward the ground, descending through atmospheric layers with varying wind speeds and directions. As the ions pass through these layers, they experience wind shear — turbulent gusts that cause their orderly line to clump together. These particle pileups form Sporadic-E layers. But near the magnetic equator, this explanation doesn’t work. There, Earth’s magnetic field lines run parallel to the surface and do not intersect atmospheric layers with differing winds, so Sporadic-E layers shouldn’t form. Yet, they do — though less frequently. “We’re launching from the closest place NASA can to the magnetic equator,” Barjatya said, “to study the physics that existing theory doesn’t fully explain.” Taking to the Skies To investigate, Barjatya developed SEED to study low-latitude Sporadic-E layers from the inside. The mission relies on sounding rockets — uncrewed suborbital spacecraft carrying scientific instruments. Their flights last only a few minutes but can be launched precisely at fleeting targets. Beginning the night of June 13, Barjatya and his team will monitor ALTAIR (ARPA Long-Range Tracking and Instrumentation Radar), a high-powered, ground-based radar system at the launch site, for signs of developing Sporadic-E layers. When conditions are right, Barjatya will give the launch command. A few minutes later, the rocket will be in flight. The SEED science team and mission management team in front of the ARPA Long-Range Tracking and Instrumentation Radar (ALTAIR). The SEED team will use ALTAIR to monitor the ionosphere for signs of Sporadic-E layers and time the launch. U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command On ascent, the rocket will release colorful vapor tracers. Ground-based cameras will track the tracers to measure wind patterns in three dimensions. Once inside the Sporadic-E layer, the rocket will deploy four subpayloads — miniature detectors that will measure particle density and magnetic field strength at multiple points. The data will be transmitted back to the ground as the rocket descends. On another night during the launch window, the team will launch a second, nearly identical rocket to collect additional data under potentially different conditions. Barjatya and his team will use the data to improve computer models of the ionosphere, aiming to explain how Sporadic-E layers form so close to the equator. “Sporadic-E layers are part of a much larger, more complicated physical system that is home to space-based assets we rely on every day,” Barjatya said. “This launch gets us closer to understanding another key piece of Earth’s interface to space.” By Miles Hatfield NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Share Details Last Updated Jun 12, 2025 Related Terms Heliophysics Goddard Space Flight Center Heliophysics Division Ionosphere Missions NASA Centers & Facilities NASA Directorates Science & Research Science Mission Directorate Sounding Rockets Sounding Rockets Program The Solar System The Sun Uncategorized Wallops Flight Facility Weather and Atmospheric Dynamics Explore More 9 min read The Earth Observer Editor’s Corner: April–June 2025 Article 22 hours ago 5 min read NASA’s Webb ‘UNCOVERs’ Galaxy Population Driving Cosmic Renovation Article 22 hours ago 6 min read Frigid Exoplanet in Strange Orbit Imaged by NASA’s Webb Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Sounding Rockets Ionosphere, Thermosphere & Mesosphere Space Weather Solar flares, coronal mass ejections, solar particle events, and the solar wind form the recipe space weather that affects life… Solar System View the full article

A funky effect Einstein predicted, known as gravitational lensing — when a foreground galaxy magnifies more distant galaxies behind it — will soon become common when NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope begins science operations in 2027 and produces vast surveys of the cosmos. This image shows a simulated observation from NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope with an overlay of its Wide Field Instrument’s field of view. More than 20 gravitational lenses, with examples shown at left and right, are expected to pop out in every one of Roman’s vast observations. A journal paper led by Bryce Wedig, a graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, estimates that of those Roman detects, about 500 from the telescope’s High-Latitude Wide-Area Survey will be suitable for dark matter studies. By examining such a large population of gravitational lenses, the researchers hope to learn a lot more about the mysterious nature of dark matter.Credit: NASA, Bryce Wedig (Washington University), Tansu Daylan (Washington University), Joseph DePasquale (STScI) A particular subset of gravitational lenses, known as strong lenses, is the focus of a new paper published in the Astrophysical Journal led by Bryce Wedig, a graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis. The research team has calculated that over 160,000 gravitational lenses, including hundreds suitable for this study, are expected to pop up in Roman’s vast images. Each Roman image will be 200 times larger than infrared snapshots from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, and its upcoming “wealth” of lenses will vastly outpace the hundreds studied by Hubble to date. Roman will conduct three core surveys, providing expansive views of the universe. This science team’s work is based on a previous version of Roman’s now fully defined High-Latitude Wide-Area Survey. The researchers are working on a follow-up paper that will align with the final survey’s specifications to fully support the research community. “The current sample size of these objects from other telescopes is fairly small because we’re relying on two galaxies to be lined up nearly perfectly along our line of sight,” Wedig said. “Other telescopes are either limited to a smaller field of view or less precise observations, making gravitational lenses harder to detect.” Gravitational lenses are made up of at least two cosmic objects. In some cases, a single foreground galaxy has enough mass to act like a lens, magnifying a galaxy that is almost perfectly behind it. Light from the background galaxy curves around the foreground galaxy along more than one path, appearing in observations as warped arcs and crescents. Of the 160,000 lensed galaxies Roman may identify, the team expects to narrow that down to about 500 that are suitable for studying the structure of dark matter at scales smaller than those galaxies. “Roman will not only significantly increase our sample size — its sharp, high-resolution images will also allow us to discover gravitational lenses that appear smaller on the sky,” said Tansu Daylan, the principal investigator of the science team conducting this research program. Daylan is an assistant professor and a faculty fellow at the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. “Ultimately, both the alignment and the brightness of the background galaxies need to meet a certain threshold so we can characterize the dark matter within the foreground galaxies.” To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This video shows how a background galaxy’s light is lensed or magnified by a massive foreground galaxy, seen at center, before reaching NASA’s Roman Space Telescope. Light from the background galaxy is distorted, curving around the foreground galaxy and appearing more than once as warped arcs and crescents. Researchers studying these objects, known as gravitational lenses, can better characterize the mass of the foreground galaxy, which offers clues about the particle nature of dark matter.Credit: NASA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI) What Is Dark Matter? Not all mass in galaxies is made up of objects we can see, like star clusters. A significant fraction of a galaxy’s mass is made up of dark matter, so called because it doesn’t emit, reflect, or absorb light. Dark matter does, however, possess mass, and like anything else with mass, it can cause gravitational lensing. When the gravity of a foreground galaxy bends the path of a background galaxy’s light, its light is routed onto multiple paths. “This effect produces multiple images of the background galaxy that are magnified and distorted differently,” Daylan said. These “duplicates” are a huge advantage for researchers — they allow multiple measurements of the lensing galaxy’s mass distribution, ensuring that the resulting measurement is far more precise. Roman’s 300-megapixel camera, known as its Wide Field Instrument, will allow researchers to accurately determine the bending of the background galaxies’ light by as little as 50 milliarcseconds, which is like measuring the diameter of a human hair from the distance of more than two and a half American football fields or soccer pitches. The amount of gravitational lensing that the background light experiences depends on the intervening mass. Less massive clumps of dark matter cause smaller distortions. As a result, if researchers are able to measure tinier amounts of bending, they can detect and characterize smaller, less massive dark matter structures — the types of structures that gradually merged over time to build up the galaxies we see today. With Roman, the team will accumulate overwhelming statistics about the size and structures of early galaxies. “Finding gravitational lenses and being able to detect clumps of dark matter in them is a game of tiny odds. With Roman, we can cast a wide net and expect to get lucky often,” Wedig said. “We won’t see dark matter in the images — it’s invisible — but we can measure its effects.” “Ultimately, the question we’re trying to address is: What particle or particles constitute dark matter?” Daylan added. “While some properties of dark matter are known, we essentially have no idea what makes up dark matter. Roman will help us to distinguish how dark matter is distributed on small scales and, hence, its particle nature.” Preparations Continue Before Roman launches, the team will also search for more candidates in observations from ESA’s (the European Space Agency’s) Euclid mission and the upcoming ground-based Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, which will begin its full-scale operations in a few weeks. Once Roman’s infrared images are in hand, the researchers will combine them with complementary visible light images from Euclid, Rubin, and Hubble to maximize what’s known about these galaxies. “We will push the limits of what we can observe, and use every gravitational lens we detect with Roman to pin down the particle nature of dark matter,” Daylan said. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is managed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, with participation by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California; Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, California; the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore; and a science team comprising scientists from various research institutions. The primary industrial partners are BAE Systems, Inc. in Boulder, Colorado; L3Harris Technologies in Melbourne, Florida; and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging in Thousand Oaks, California. By Claire Blome Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Share Details Last Updated Jun 12, 2025 EditorAshley BalzerContactAshley Balzerashley.m.balzer@nasa.govLocationNASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related TermsNancy Grace Roman Space TelescopeAstrophysicsDark MatterGalaxiesGalaxies, Stars, & Black HolesGalaxies, Stars, & Black Holes ResearchThe Universe Explore More 6 min read NASA’s Roman Mission Shares Detailed Plans to Scour Skies Article 2 months ago 5 min read Millions of Galaxies Emerge in New Simulated Images From NASA’s Roman Article 2 years ago 6 min read Team Preps to Study Dark Energy via Exploding Stars With NASA’s Roman Article 3 months ago View the full article

3 Min Read Studying Storms from Space Station An artist’s impression of a blue jet as observed from the space station. Credits: Mount Visual/University of Bergen/DTU Science in Space June 2025 Scientists use instruments on the International Space Station to study phenomena in Earth’s ionosphere or upper atmosphere including thunderstorms, lightning, and transient luminous events (TLEs). TLEs take many forms, including blue jets, discharges that grow upward into the stratosphere from cloud tops, and colorful bursts of energy above storms called Stratospheric/Mesospheric Perturbations Resulting from Intense Thunderstorm Electrification or SPRITES. Red SPRITES are visible above a line of thunderstorms off the coast of South Africa.NASA TLEs can disrupt communication systems on the ground and pose a threat to aircraft and spacecraft. Understanding these phenomena also could improve atmospheric models and weather predictions. Because these events occur well above the altitudes of normal lightning and storm clouds, they are difficult to observe from the ground. ASIM, an investigation from ESA (European Space Agency), uses a monitor on the exterior of the space station to collect data on TLEs. These data are providing insights into how thunderstorms affect Earth’s atmosphere and helping to improve atmospheric models used for weather and climate predictions. ELVES and coronas A study based on ASIM data confirmed that lightning-like discharges at the tops of thunderstorms can create another type of TLE, massive glowing rings in the upper atmosphere known as Emissions of Light and VLF Perturbations from EMP events, or ELVES. This experiment showed that these discharges influence the ionosphere and helped scientists learn more about Earth and space weather. ASIM-based research also described the physical properties of different types of corona discharges in thunderstorm clouds. Corona discharges are linked to powerful but short-lived electrical bursts near the tops of clouds. The data provide a reference to support further investigation into the mechanisms behind these discharges and their role in the initiation of lightning, an important problem in lightning physics. Other researchers used ASIM measurements along with ground-based electric field measurements to determine the height of a blue discharge from a thundercloud. Cloud close-ups To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Lightning on Earth as captured from the space station.NASA Another ESA investigation, Thor-Davis, evaluated use of a special camera to photograph high-altitude thunderstorms through the windows of the space station’s cupola. The camera can observe thunderstorm electrical activity at up to 100,000 frames per second and could be a useful tool for space-based observation of severe electrical storms and other applications. Seeing storms from satellites Deployment of the Light-1 CubeSat from the space station.NASA The JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) investigation Light-1 CubeSat used detectors integrated into a compact satellite to observe terrestrial gamma-ray flashes in the upper atmosphere. These high intensity, energetic events can expose aircraft, aircraft electronics, and passengers to excessive radiation. Researchers are planning to compare data collected from the mission with ground-based observations to provide more comprehensive maps of lightning and thunderstorms in the atmosphere. Small satellite detectors could cost less and be manufactured in less time than other approaches. Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Space Station Research and Technology Space Station Research Results Latest News from Space Station Research Station Researcher’s Guide Series View the full article

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home This image was taken by Front Hazard Avoidance Camera (Front Hazcam) onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 4564 NASA/JPL-Caltech Written by Michelle Minitti, Planetary Geologist at Framework Earth planning date: Monday, June 9, 2025 The image above shows the drill poised on the surface of Mars at the start of our attempt to collect sample at “Altadena” over the weekend. Now we know, from subsequent imaging and telemetry, that the drill activity was successful, allowing planning today to focus on delivering sample powder to CheMin and SAM. CheMin and SAM will give us their distinct and valuable insights into the mineralogy (CheMin) and volatiles and organic compounds (SAM) within Altadena, which are key to our continued unravelling the history of Mt. Sharp. It is always exciting to find out what each of these instruments uncovers from Martian samples. In addition to those sample deliveries, we had three other Altadena-focused activities. We acquired ChemCam RMI of the drill hole which helps ChemCam refine their laser targeting for future LIBS analyses of the drill hole. We planned a ChemCam passive spectroscopy observation of the cuttings around the drill hole for more insight into the mineralogy of the sample. We also included a single Mastcam M100 image of the drill hole which helps us track the wind activity at the drill site and thus the stability of the cuttings ahead of planned observations with APXS and MAHLI. The weekend activities ran faster and more efficiently than modeled so that we had power to add additional science observations into the plan. We gathered more ChemCam data from the bedrock near Altadena at the target “Bolsa Chica,” and planned two ChemCam RMI long distance mosaics on sedimentary structures within “Texoli” butte and nearby boxwork structures. We kept track of the environment around us with yet more Mastcam imaging for wind-induced changes in the “Camp Williams” area, regular RAD and REMS measurements, two DAN measurements, and Navcam dust devil imaging and cloud movies. Explore More 4 min read Sols 4561-4562: Prepping to Drill at Altadena Article 5 days ago 2 min read Searching for Ancient Rocks in the ‘Forlandet’ Flats Article 5 days ago 3 min read Sols 4559-4560: Drill Campaign — Searching for a Boxwork Bedrock Drill Site Article 7 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four… View the full article

On May 22, 2025, NASA hosted an Expedition 72 crew debrief and awards ceremony at Space Center Houston, where more than 1,000 attendees gathered to celebrate. The event recognized the achievements of the crew as well as NASA employees and partners whose dedication and support contributed to the expedition’s success. Crew members from Expedition 72 shared reflections and anecdotes from their time on the International Space Station and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to scientific research aboard the orbiting laboratory. A group photo of participants from the Expedition 72 crew debrief and awards ceremony on May 22, 2025, at Space Center Houston’s IMAX theater. NASA/James Blair The event included four NASA astronauts: Nick Hague, Crew-9 commander and Expedition 72 flight engineer Butch Wilmore, Boeing Starliner commander and Expedition 72 flight engineer Suni Williams, Boeing Starliner pilot and Expedition 72 commander Don Pettit, Soyuz MS-26 and Expedition 72 flight engineer The Expedition 72 crew also included Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksandr Gorbunov, Aleksey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner, who were not in attendance. The cosmonauts served as Crew-9 mission specialist, Soyuz-MS commander, and Soyuz-MS flight engineer, respectively. NASA astronaut Matt Dominick kicked off the event by striking the ceremonial bell, a tradition symbolizing the end of the mission for the crew and those that support them. Johnson Space Center Acting Director Stephen Koerner recognized the crew’s commitment to the mission and their role in the advancement of human spaceflight. “These brave men and women make the tough yet rewarding choice to embark on long-duration missions away from their family and friends,” he said. “They do this to conduct groundbreaking research and inspire generations. Spaceflight is hard, but through togetherness we make giant leaps, going further than ever before.” NASA astronauts (from left) Don Pettit and Butch Wilmore, Expedition 72 flight engineers, pack external research hardware which housed a variety of samples exposed to the vacuum of space such as polymers, photovoltaic devices, and more. The samples were returned to Earth to be examined to understand how space radiation, the extreme thermal environment, micrometeoroids, and more affect materials possibly benefitting the space industry. NASA NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams, Expedition 72 Flight Engineer and Commander respectively, discuss orbital lab maintenance procedures aboard the International Space Station.NASA The Expedition 72 crew dedicated more than 1,000 combined hours to scientific research and technology demonstrations aboard the International Space Station. Their work included enhancing metal 3D printing capabilities in orbit, exploring the potential of stem cell technology for treating diseases, preparing the first wooden satellite for deployment, and collecting samples from the station’s exterior to examine whether microorganisms can survive in the harsh environment of space. They also conducted studies on plant growth and quality, investigated how fire behaves in microgravity, and advanced life support systems, all aimed at improving the health, safety, and sustainability of future space missions. Pettit also used his spare time and surroundings aboard the station to conduct unique experiments and captivate the public with his photography. Expedition 72 captured a record 1 million photos during the mission, showcasing the unique research and views aboard the orbiting laboratory through astronauts’ eyes. The expedition was a historic venture, with Williams and Wilmore launching aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft as part of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test before being integrated with the Expedition 71/72 crew and returning on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9. While working aboard the orbiting laboratory, Williams established a new record for the most cumulative spacewalking time by a woman — 62 hours and 6 minutes — placing her fourth among the most experienced spacewalkers in history. Additionally, Expedition 72 saw the first reboost of the International Space Station by a Dragon spacecraft. The crew participated in a panel discussion, sharing further details about the expedition including experiments conducted, favorite foods, and experiencing the Aurora Borealis. The conversation closed with a special patch presentation from Wilmore to Williams to highlight her achievement of exceeding Mach 25 in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. Following the panel, an award ceremony recognized team members for their efforts in supporting the mission, with recipients including the crew, NASA employees, and commercial partners. The Expedition 72 crew poses for a portrait inside the International Space Station’s Harmony module with a cake commemorating a total of 3,000 cumulative days in space gained between the individual crew members. Front row (from left): Roscosmos cosmonaut Ivan Vagner, NASA astronaut Nick Hague, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Back row (from left): NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Don Pettit, Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, and NASA astronaut Suni Williams.NASA Flight Operations Directorate Acting Director Kjell Lindgren discussed the impact of collaboration with commercial and international partners. “Your collaboration is vital not just to mission success but to the very identity of this program,” he said. “Together, we can demonstrate what global collaboration can achieve in pursuit of excellence and exploration.” Watch below to recap the Expedition 72 crew members’ journey aboard the International Space Station and to celebrate those who helped make the mission a success.  Explore More 4 min read NASA Student Challenge Prepares Future Designers for Lunar Missions Article 1 day ago 4 min read Laser Focused: Keith Barr Leads Orion’s Lunar Docking Efforts Article 1 day ago 2 min read NASA Provides Hardware for Space Station DNA Repair Experiment Article 5 days ago View the full article

What does it take to gaze through time to our universe’s very first stars and galaxies? NASA answers this question in its new documentary, “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope.” The agency’s original documentary, which chronicles the story of the most powerful telescope ever deployed in space, was released Wednesday, June 11. Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the delicate assembly, rigorous testing, and triumphant launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The documentary showcases the complexity involved in creating a telescope capable of peering billions of years into the past. Cosmic Dawn is now available for streaming on NASA’s YouTube, NASA+, and select local theaters. The trailer is available on NASA+ and YouTube. Relive the pitfalls and the triumphs of the world’s most powerful space telescope—from developing the idea of an impossible machine to watching with bated breath as it unfolded, hurtling through space a million miles away from Earth. Watch the Documentary on YouTube The film features never-before-seen footage captured by the Webb film crew, offering intimate access to the challenges and triumphs faced by the team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland — the birthplace of Webb. “At NASA, we’re thrilled to share the untold story of our James Webb Space Telescope in our new film ‘Cosmic Dawn,’ celebrating not just the discoveries, but the extraordinary people who made it all happen, for the benefit of humanity,” said Rebecca Sirmons, head of NASA+ at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. From its vantage point more than a million miles from Earth and a massive sunshield to block the light of our star, Webb’s First Deep Field the deepest and sharpest infrared images of the universe that the world had seen. Webb’s images have dazzled people around the globe, capturing the very faint light of the first stars and galaxies that formed more than 13.5 billion years ago. These are baby pictures from an ancient past when the first objects were turning on and emitting light after the Big Bang. Webb has also given us new insights into black holes, planets both inside and outside of our own solar system, and many other cosmic phenomena. Webb was a mission that was going to be spectacular whether that was good or bad — if it failed or was successful. It was always going to make history Sophia roberts NASA Video Producer NASA’s biggest and most powerful space telescope was also its most technically complicated to build. It was harder still to deploy, with more than 300 critical components that had to deploy perfectly. The risks were high in this complicated dance of engineering, but the rewards were so much higher. “Webb was a mission that was going to be spectacular whether that was good or bad — if it failed or was successful,” said video producer Sophia Roberts, who chronicled the five years preceding Webb’s launch. “It was always going to make history.” NASA scientists like Nobel Laureate Dr. John Mather conceived Webb to look farther and deeper into origins of our universe using cutting edge infrared technology and massive mirrors to collect incredibly rich information about our universe, from the light of the first galaxies to detailed images of planets in our own solar system. To achieve this goal, NASA and its partners faced unprecedented hurdles. Webb’s development introduced questions that no one had asked before. How do you fit a telescope with the footprint of a tennis court into a rocket? How do you clean 18 sensitive mirrors when a single scratch could render them inoperable? How do you maintain critical testing while hurricane stormwater pours through ceilings? A technician inspects the James Webb Space Telescope primary mirrors at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.NASA/Sophia Roberts Cosmic Dawn captures 25 years of formidable design constraints, high-stake assessments, devastating natural disasters, a global pandemic and determined individuals who would let none of that get in the way of getting this monumental observatory to its rightful place in the cosmos. “There was nothing easy about Webb at all,” said Webb project manager Bill Ochs. “I don’t care what aspect of the mission you looked at.” Viewers will experience a one-of-a-kind journey as NASA and its partners tackle these dilemmas — and more — through ingenuity, teamwork, and unbreakable determination. “The inspiration of trying to discover something — to build something that’s never been built before, to discover something that’s never been known before — it keeps us going,” Mather said. “We are pleased and privileged in our position here at NASA to be able to carry out this [purpose] on behalf of the country and the world.” Bound by NASA’s 66-year commitment to document and share its work with the public, Cosmic Dawn details every step toward Webb’s launch and science results. Learn more at nasa.gov/cosmicdawn By Laine Havens, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Media Contact: Katie Konans, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Share Details Last Updated Jun 11, 2025 Related TermsJames Webb Space Telescope (JWST)Goddard Space Flight CenterNASA+ View the full article

Cosmic Dawn (NASA+ Original Documentary)

At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a bobcat wades through one of the waterways near Launch Pad 39B.NASA/Tony Gray A NASA photographer captured this June 14, 2013, photo of a bobcat wading through a waterway near Launch Pad 38B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Bobcats are just one of over 30 mammal species that call the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge home, along with hundreds of bird, fish, amphibian, and reptile species. The refuge, which shares space with NASA Kennedy, is also home to over 1,000 known plant species. See more photos of mammals around NASA. Image credit: NASA/Tony Gray View the full article

Explore This Section Earth Earth Observer Editor’s Corner Feature Articles Meeting Summaries News Science in the News Calendars In Memoriam Announcements More Archives Conference Schedules Style Guide 9 min read The Earth Observer Editor’s Corner: April–June 2025 NASA’s Earth science missions have continued to demonstrate remarkable adaptability and innovation, balancing the legacy of long-standing satellites with the momentum of cutting-edge new technologies. The Terra platform, the first of three Earth Observing System flagship missions, has been in orbit since December 1999. Over a quarter-century later, four of its five instruments continue to deliver valuable data, despite recent power challenges. As of this writing, Terra’s Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) – Visible–Near Infrared (VNIR) and Thermal Infrared (TIR) bands, Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and one of the two Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy Systems (CERES) instruments onboard, are all still producing science data. For reasons explained below, only the Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument has been shut down completely, after 25 years of successful operations. The longevity of the Terra instruments is credited to Terra’s instrument team members, who have skillfully adjusted operations to compensate for the reduction in power and extend Terra’s scientific contributions for as long as possible. Terra has been experiencing power-based limitations caused by platform orbital changes and solar array impacts. On November 28, 2024, one of Terra’s power-transmitting shunt units failed. A response team reviewed Terra’s status, and discussed potential impacts and options. Consequently, the team changed the battery charge rate and reduced spacecraft power demands by placing the ASTER instrument into safe mode. In order to maintain power margins, the Terra team also moved the MOPITT instrument from science mode into safe mode on February 4, 2025, ceasing data collection. On April 9, 2025, the Terra project determined that additional power was needed for the platform and MOPITT was moved from safe mode and fully turned off, ending the instrument’s carbon monoxide data record of near-global coverage every three days. MOPITT was the Canadian Space Agency’s (CSA) contribution to the Earth Observing System. Launched as part of Terra’s payload in 1999, it became the longest-running air quality monitor in space, and the longest continuously operating Canadian space mission in history. MOPITT’s specific focus was on the distribution, transport, sources, and sinks of carbon monoxide (CO) in the troposphere – see Figure. The spectrometer’s marquee Earthdata products have included MOPITT Near Real-Time Datasets and offerings from the MOPITT Science Investigator-led Processing System (MOPITT SIPS). From tracking pollution from wildfires to providing data that informs international climate agreements, MOPITT served as a powerful tool for gathering data about pollution in the lowest portion of Earth’s atmosphere, informing research, policies, and even helping to advance forecasting models used by scientists worldwide. Congratulations to the MOPITT team for more than 25 years of groundbreaking science and international collaboration! To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Figure. This data visualization of total column carbon monoxide was created using MOPITT data from 2000-2019. In these maps, yellow areas have little or no carbon monoxide, while progressively higher concentrations are shown in orange, red, and dark red. Figure Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/SVS As chance would have it, the MOPITT Team had planned a 25th anniversary celebration in April, 10–11, 2025, at CSA headquarters in Longueuil, Quebec and online – which began one day after the instrument was shut down. The celebration was a fitting closeout to the MOPITT mission and a celebration of its accomplishments. Over the two days, more than 45 speakers shared memories and presented findings from MOPITT’s quarter-century record of atmospheric carbon monoxide monitoring. Its data showed a global decline in carbon monoxide emissions over two decades and could also track the atmospheric transport of the gas from fires and industry from individual regions. MOPITT is a testament to remarkable international collaboration and achievement. As it is officially decommissioned, its data record will continue to drive research for years to come. The Director General of the Canadian Space Agency—a key MOPITT partner—delivered remarks, and both Ken Jucks [NASA HQ— Program Manager for the Upper Atmosphere Research Program (UARP)] and Helen Worden [National Center for Atmospheric Research— MOPITT U.S. Principal Investigator] attended representing the U.S. More information is available in a recently-released Terra blog post and on the Canadian Space Agency MOPITT website. After continued investigation and monitoring of platform battery status, the Terra Flight Operations Team (FOT) determined there was sufficient power to resume imaging with ASTER’s VNIR bands, and as a result, ASTER once again began collecting VNIR data on January 17, 2025. Subsequently, ASTER resumed acquisitions for the TIR bands on April 15, 2025. (The ASTER Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) bands have been shut down since 2008). As one long-serving mission sunsets its operations, new missions are stepping in to carry forward the legacy of Earth system science with fresh capabilities and approaches. Launched on May 25, 2023, the NASA Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) mission provides a groundbreaking approach to studying tropical cyclones using a passive microwave sounder CubeSat constellation. TROPICS uses multiple small satellites flying in a carefully engineered formation to measure precipitation structure as well as temperature and humidity profiles both within and outside of storms. Unlike traditional polar-orbiting satellites, TROPICS’ low-inclination orbits allow for hourly revisits over tropical regions, enabling scientists to better monitor storm structure, intensity changes, and key processes like upper-level warm core formation and convective bursts. The mission has already significantly contributed to operational forecasting and scientific research. With over 10 billion observations to date, TROPICS data have been used to validate storm models, support early-warning systems, and improve forecasts for events like Hurricane Franklin and Typhoon Kong-rey. Collaborations with agencies like the National Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center have shown the value of TROPICS channels, particularly the 204.8 GHz channel, in identifying storm structure and intensity. The data are publicly available through the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC), and TROPICS continues to set the stage for the next generation of rapid-revisit Earth observation missions. To read more about the last two years of successful science operations with TROPICS, see NASA’s TROPICS Mission: Offering Detailed Images and Analysis of Tropical Cyclones. While some missions focus on monitoring atmospheric processes, others are expanding the frontiers of Earth observation in entirely different domains—ranging from seafloor mapping to land surface monitoring and beyond. NASA’s Ice, Clouds, and land Elevation Satellite–2 (ICESat-2) mission continues to provide critical data on Earth’s changing ice sheets, glaciers, and other environmental features. In March 2025, the satellite achieved a significant milestone by firing its two trillionth laser pulse, measuring clouds off the coast of East Antarctica. Despite challenges, such as a solar storm in May 2024 that temporarily disrupted operations, the mission has resumed full functionality, providing high-resolution data that has enabled scientists to map over 16 years of ice sheet changes. The mission’s advanced laser altimeter system, ATLAS, continues to deliver unprecedented detail in monitoring Earth’s changing ice sheets, glaciers, forests, and ocean floor. The ICESat-2 Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB) workshop, held on March 17, 2025, in conjunction with the US-Hydro meeting, brought together experts and stakeholders from government, academia, and industry to explore the current capabilities and future potential of satellite-based seafloor mapping. With over 2000 journal articles referencing ICESat-2 in the context of bathymetry, the workshop underscored the growing importance of this technology in coastal management, navigation, habitat monitoring, and disaster response. For more details, see the ICESat-2 Applications Team Hosts Satellite Bathymetry Workshop report. As satellite technologies continue to evolve, so do the scientific communities that rely on them, bringing researchers together to share insights, refine data products, and explore new applications across a range of Earth and atmospheric science disciplines. As of early 2025, NASA’s Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE III) aboard the International Space Station (ISS) continues to provide critical insights into Earth’s atmospheric composition. In addition to scientific advancements, SAGE III/ISS has enhanced public accessibility to its data. In February 2025, the mission launched updates to its Quicklook and Expedited data portal, introducing a new ‘Highlights’ tab to showcase major stratospheric events and a ‘Comparisons’ tab for validating measurements with ground-based stations. These enhancements aim to make SAGE III/ISS data more accessible and increase its utilization for atmospheric research. The most recent SAGE III/ISS Science Team Meeting took place in October 2024 at NASA Langley Research Center and was held in hybrid format. Around 50 scientists gathered to discuss recent advancements, mission updates, and future directions in upper troposphere–stratosphere (UTS) research. The SAGE III/ISS team celebrated eight years of continuous data collection aboard the ISS and presented Version 6.0 of SAGE III/ISS data products during the meeting, which addresses previous data biases and enhances aerosol profile recovery. Presentations also covered aerosol and cloud studies, lunar-based aerosol retrievals, and collaborative projects using data from multiple satellite platforms and instruments. To learn more, see the full Summary of the 2024 SAGE III/ISS Meeting. Moving on to personnel announcements, I wish to extend my condolences to the friends and family of Dr. Stanley Sander, who passed away in March 2025. Sander devoted over 50 years to atmospheric science at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, making groundbreaking contributions to stratospheric ozone research, air pollution, and climate science. His precise laboratory work on reaction kinetics and spectroscopy became foundational for atmospheric modeling and environmental policy, including the Montreal Protocol. Sander also played a key role in satellite calibration, mentored dozens of young scientists, and held several leadership positions at JPL. Remembered for his brilliance, humility, and kindness, his legacy endures through both his scientific achievements and the many lives he influenced. See In Memoriam: Dr. Stanley Sander. On a happier, though bittersweet, note, my congratulations to Jack Kaye [NASA HQ—Associate Director for Research, Earth Science Division (ESD)] who retired from NASA on April 30, 2025, after 42 years of distinguished service. With a background in chemistry and atmospheric science, he played a leading role in NASA’s efforts to understand Earth’s atmosphere and climate using satellite data and modeling. Throughout his career, Kaye has held various key leadership positions, managed major missions, e.g., the series of Shuttle-based Atmospheric Laboratory of Applications and Science (ATLAS) experiments, and supported the development of early-career scientists. He also represented NASA in national and international science collaborations and advisory roles. Kaye received numerous awards, published extensively, and was widely recognized for his contributions to Earth science and global climate research. I extend my sincere thanks to Jack for his many years of vital leadership and lasting contributions to the global Earth science community! Barry Lefer [NASA HQ—Tropospheric Composition Program Manager] has taken over as Acting Associate Director for Research in ESD. Reflecting on Kaye’s impact, Lefer said, “Jack has been a wonderful friend and mentor. The one thing about Jack that has had the biggest impact on me (besides his incredible memory) is his kindness. He has an enormous heart. He will be missed, but his impact on Earth Science will endure for a very long time!” See the full announcement, Jack Kaye Retires After a Storied Career at NASA. Steve Platnick EOS Senior Project Scientist Share Details Last Updated Jun 11, 2025 Related Terms Earth Science View the full article

Explore Webb Webb News Latest News Latest Images Webb’s Blog Awards X (offsite – login reqd) Instagram (offsite – login reqd) Facebook (offsite- login reqd) Youtube (offsite) Overview About Who is James Webb? Fact Sheet Impacts+Benefits FAQ Science Overview and Goals Early Universe Galaxies Over Time Star Lifecycle Other Worlds Observatory Overview Launch Deployment Orbit Mirrors Sunshield Instrument: NIRCam Instrument: MIRI Instrument: NIRSpec Instrument: FGS/NIRISS Optical Telescope Element Backplane Spacecraft Bus Instrument Module Multimedia About Webb Images Images Videos What is Webb Observing? 3d Webb in 3d Solar System Podcasts Webb Image Sonifications Webb’s First Images Team International Team People Of Webb More For the Media For Scientists For Educators For Fun/Learning 5 Min Read NASA’s Webb ‘UNCOVERs’ Galaxy Population Driving Cosmic Renovation White diamonds show the locations of 20 of the 83 young, low-mass, starburst galaxies found in infrared images of the giant galaxy cluster Abell 2744. Full image and description shown below. Credits: NASA/ESA/CSA/Bezanson et al. 2024 and Wold et al. 2025 Astronomers using data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have identified dozens of small galaxies that played a starring role in a cosmic makeover that transformed the early universe into the one we know today. “When it comes to producing ultraviolet light, these small galaxies punch well above their weight,” said Isak Wold, an assistant research scientist at Catholic University of America in Washington and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “Our analysis of these tiny but mighty galaxies is 10 times more sensitive than previous studies, and shows they existed in sufficient numbers and packed enough ultraviolet power to drive this cosmic renovation.” Wold discussed his findings Wednesday at the 246th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Anchorage, Alaska. The study took advantage of existing imaging collected by Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument, as well as new observations made with its NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) instrument. Image A: Webb search finds dozens of tiny, young star-forming galaxies Symbols mark the locations of young, low-mass galaxies bursting with new stars when the universe was about 800 million years old. Using a filter sensitive to such galaxies, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope imaged them with the help of a natural gravitational lens created by the massive galaxy cluster Abell 2744. In all, 83 young galaxies were found, but only the 20 shown here (white diamonds) were selected for deeper study. The inset zooms into one of the galaxies. Download high-resolution images from NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio NASA/ESA/CSA/Bezanson et al. 2024 and Wold et al. 2025 The tiny galaxies were discovered by Wold and his Goddard colleagues, Sangeeta Malhotra and James Rhoads, by sifting through Webb images captured as part of the UNCOVER (Ultradeep NIRSpec and NIRCam ObserVations before the Epoch of Reionization) observing program, led by Rachel Bezanson at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. The project mapped a giant galaxy cluster known as Abell 2744, nicknamed Pandora’s cluster, located about 4 billion light-years away in the southern constellation Sculptor. The cluster’s mass forms a gravitational lens that magnifies distant sources, adding to Webb’s already considerable reach. Image B: Galaxy cluster helps reveal young, low-mass galaxies bursting with stars White diamonds show the locations of 20 of the 83 young, low-mass, starburst galaxies found in infrared images of the giant galaxy cluster Abell 2744. This composite incorporates images taken through three NIRCam filters (F200W as blue, F410M as green, and F444W as red). The F410M filter is highly sensitive to light emitted by doubly ionized oxygen — oxygen atoms that have been stripped of two electrons — at a time when reionization was well underway. Emitted as green light, the glow was stretched into the infrared as it traversed the expanding universe over billions of years. The cluster’s mass acts as a natural magnifying glass, allowing astronomers to see these tiny galaxies as they were when the universe was about 800 million years old. NASA/ESA/CSA/Bezanson et al. 2024 and Wold et al. 2025 For much of its first billion years, the universe was immersed in a fog of neutral hydrogen gas. Today, this gas is ionized — stripped of its electrons. Astronomers, who refer to this transformation as reionization, have long wondered which types of objects were most responsible: big galaxies, small galaxies, or supermassive black holes in active galaxies. As one of its main goals, NASA’s Webb was specifically designed to address key questions about this major transition in the history of the universe. Recent studies have shown that small galaxies undergoing vigorous star formation could have played an outsized role. Such galaxies are rare today, making up only about 1% of those around us. But they were abundant when the universe was about 800 million years old, an epoch astronomers refer to as redshift 7, when reionization was well underway. The team searched for small galaxies of the right cosmic age that showed signs of extreme star formation, called starbursts, in NIRCam images of the cluster. “Low-mass galaxies gather less neutral hydrogen gas around them, which makes it easier for ionizing ultraviolet light to escape,” Rhoads said. “Likewise, starburst episodes not only produce plentiful ultraviolet light — they also carve channels into a galaxy’s interstellar matter that helps this light break out.” Image C: A deeper look into small, young, star-forming galaxies during reionization At left is an enlarged infrared view of galaxy cluster Abell 2744 with three young, star-forming galaxies highlighted by green diamonds. The center column shows close-ups of each galaxy, along with their designations, the amount of magnification provided by the cluster’s gravitational lens, their redshifts (shown as z — all correspond to a cosmic age of about 790 million years), and their estimated mass of stars. At right, measurements from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRSpec instrument confirm that the galaxies produce strong emission in the light of doubly ionized oxygen (green bars), indicating vigorous star formation is taking place. NASA/ESA/CSA/Bezanson et al. 2024 and Wold et al. 2025 The astronomers looked for strong sources of a specific wavelength of light that signifies the presence of high-energy processes: a green line emitted by oxygen atoms that have lost two electrons. Originally emitted as visible light in the early cosmos, the green glow from doubly ionized oxygen was stretched into the infrared as it traversed the expanding universe and eventually reached Webb’s instruments. This technique revealed 83 small starburst galaxies as they appear when the universe was 800 million years old, or about 6% of its current age of 13.8 billion years. The team selected 20 of these for deeper inspection using NIRSpec. “These galaxies are so small that, to build the equivalent stellar mass of our own Milky Way galaxy, you’d need from 2,000 to 200,000 of them,” Malhotra said. “But we are able to detect them because of our novel sample selection technique combined with gravitational lensing.” Image D: Tiny but mighty galaxy helped clear cosmic fog One of the most interesting galaxies of the study, dubbed 41028 (the green oval at center), has an estimated stellar mass of just 2 million Suns — comparable to the masses of the largest star clusters in our own Milky Way galaxy. NASA/ESA/CSA/Bezanson et al. 2024 and Wold et al. 2025 Similar types of galaxies in the present-day universe, such as green peas, release about 25% of their ionizing ultraviolet light into surrounding space. If the low-mass starburst galaxies explored by Wold and his team release a similar amount, they can account for all of the ultraviolet light needed to convert the universe’s neutral hydrogen to its ionized form. The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). To learn more about Webb, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/webb By Francis Reddy NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Downloads Click any image above to open a larger version. Download high-resolution images from NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio. Media Contacts Laura Betz – laura.e.betz@nasa.gov NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Related Information Article: Types of Galaxies Video: Different types of galaxies More Webb News More Webb Images Webb Science Themes Webb Mission Page Related For Kids What is the Webb Telescope? SpacePlace for Kids En Español Ciencia de la NASA NASA en español Space Place para niños Keep Exploring Related Topics James Webb Space Telescope Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the… Galaxies Galaxies Stories Universe Share Details Last Updated Jun 11, 2025 Editor Marty McCoy Contact Laura Betz laura.e.betz@nasa.gov Related Terms James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Astrophysics Galaxies Goddard Space Flight Center Science & Research The Universe View the full article

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Electrical engineer Nikolas Gibson performs calibration tests on the MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER) spectrometer, co-developed by NASA’s Ames Research Center and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Gibson works at the Airborne Sensor Facility at Ames, which builds, maintains, miniaturizes, and calibrates instruments.NASA/Milan Loiacono NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley houses a unique laboratory: the Airborne Sensor Facility (ASF). The engineers at the ASF are responsible for building, maintaining, and operating numerous instruments that get deployed on research aircraft, but one of their most important roles is instrument calibration. Think of calibration like tuning a piano between performances: A musician uses a tuner to set the standard pitch for each string, ensuring that the piano remains on pitch for every concert. The “tuners” at ASF include lasers, mirrors, and a light source called an integrating sphere – a hollow sphere about 36 inches in diameter that emits a set amount of light from a hole in the top. By checking an instrument against this baseline between each mission, engineers ensure that the instrument sensors provide accurate, reliable data every time. In the photo above, electrical engineer Nikolas Gibson performs calibration tests on the MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER) spectrometer, co-developed by NASA Ames and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. A spectrometer separates light into individual wavelengths, providing researchers with information about the properties of whatever is creating or interacting with that light. The MASTER instrument measures about 50 individual spectral channels, providing data on wavelengths from the visible spectrum through the infrared. When it comes to calibration, each of these channels functions like a specific key on a piano and needs to be individually checked against the “tuner.” By pointing the instrument’s sensor at a known quantity of light coming from the integrating sphere, the team checks the accuracy of MASTER’s data output and repairs or adjusts the sensor as needed. In this image, MASTER had returned from an April 2025 scientific campaign observing prescribed fires in Alabama and Georgia with NASA’s FireSense project. It was recalibrated before heading back into the field for the Geological Earth Mapping Experiment, or GEMx, mission in late May 2025, which will use the instrument to help map critical minerals across the southwestern United States. About the AuthorMilan LoiaconoScience Communication SpecialistMilan Loiacono is a science communication specialist for the Earth Science Division at NASA Ames Research Center. Share Details Last Updated Jun 11, 2025 Related TermsAmes Research Center's Science DirectorateAmes Research CenterScience Instruments Explore More 5 min read NASA F-15s Validate Tools for Quesst Mission Article 1 day ago 2 min read Dr. Natasha Schatzman Receives Vertical Flight Society (VFS) Award Article 5 days ago 2 min read NASA Provides Hardware for Space Station DNA Repair Experiment Article 5 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

In today’s crowded digital landscape, cutting through the noise is paramount for any organization trying to connect with its audience. Recognizing this, NASA has embarked on a significant initiative to streamline its extensive social media presence, aiming to create a more unified and impactful digital voice for its groundbreaking work. The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 tasked NASA with providing the “widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof.” The 2025 social media consolidation project is designed to fulfill this mandate more effectively. By reducing the number of agency accounts, NASA seeks to make its work more accessible to the public, avoiding the potential for oversaturation or confusion that can arise from numerous social media accounts bearing the NASA name and insignia. Over time, NASA’s social media footprint has expanded considerably, growing to over 400 individual accounts across 15 platforms. While this allowed for highly specialized updates, it also created a fragmented digital landscape that was challenging for both the public to navigate and for NASA to manage efficiently. To ensure a more cohesive and impactful digital presence, the consolidation project involved a thorough evaluation of every existing account. Accounts were assessed based on several key considerations, including their compliance with federal and agency policies, their activity within the last year, their unique value proposition, their level of two-way engagement with the public, and their approach to publishing new, original content versus reposting existing material. Based on this comprehensive evaluation, accounts will be handled in one of a few ways: Deactivate/Sunset: Many accounts that publish content that can be effectively absorbed by broader channels will be sunset. This means they will cease active posting and eventually become inactive or removed from public view by the platform. Merge: Content and followers from some specialized accounts will be merged into larger, thematic accounts or NASA’s flagship channels. This ensures valuable information still reaches the intended audience, but through fewer, more prominent feeds. Rebrand: A small number of accounts may be rebranded to better align with the new strategic framework, reflecting a broader scope or a more direct connection to core NASA initiatives. This initiative builds upon the success of previous digital transformation projects within the agency, such as the Science Mission Directorate’s social media consolidation project in 2019 and website modernization in 2023. Both efforts resulted in streamlined processes, modernized content, and more focused communications, and NASA anticipates similar positive outcomes from this current social media consolidation. Ultimately, this strategic shift underscores a broader trend for NASA’s digital communication strategy: the move toward quality over quantity. For NASA, it’s about making vital information more accessible and digestible, ensuring the agency’s awe-inspiring work resonates deeply with a global audience. The future of space communication promises to be more focused, more powerful, and even more inspiring. References: Blog posted by Dr. Z Statement on NASA’s social media directory Web, app, and NASA+ transformation View the full article

A group of students huddle around two of their classmates using virtual reality headsets to get an up-close view of a rocket during Education Day with the Lake Erie Crushers on Thursday, May 15, 2025. Credit: NASA/Chris Hartenstine NASA’s Glenn Research Center headed to the ballpark for Education Day with the Lake Erie Crushers on May 15. NASA Glenn staff showcased the science of NASA using portable wind tunnel demonstrations, virtual reality simulations, and other interactives inspired by NASA’s Artemis missions. NASA Glenn Research Center engineers Heath Reising, far left, and Dave Saunders, far right, provide a wind tunnel demonstration to a group of aspiring STEM professionals during Education Day with the Lake Erie Crushers on Thursday, May 15, 2025.Credit: NASA/Chris Hartenstine Guests snapped photos at an “out-of-this-world” selfie station and learned how to take the first step toward a career in the aerospace or space industry through NASA’s internship programs. The mid-day game welcomed 3,575 fans, many who came from local schools on field trips for the special day. Return to Newsletter View the full article

Presenters and NASA Glenn Research Center’s Silver Snoopy Award recipients at the center on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. Left to right: Deputy Center Director Dawn Schaible, Ron Johns, Joshua Finkbeiner, Rula Coroneos, Tyler Hickman, and astronaut Randy Bresnik. Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna Four of NASA Glenn Research Center’s employees have received the coveted NASA Silver Snoopy Award. This award, overseen by NASA’s Space Flight Awareness program, is a special honor given to NASA employees and contractors for their outstanding achievements related to flight safety and mission success. It is the astronauts’ personal award to recognize excellence and is given to less than 1% of the workforce annually. Deputy Center Director Dawn Schaible, joined by astronaut Randy Bresnik, presented the awards at the center in Cleveland on May 14. Bresnik was part of a crew in 2009 that delivered 30,000 pounds of essential parts and equipment to the International Space Station. He served as the commander of the space station for Expedition 53 and flight engineer for Expedition 52. The recipients include Rula Coroneos, Joshua Finkbeiner, Tyler Hickman, and Ron Johns. Each of the honorees has played a crucial role in supporting the Artemis campaign, which will explore the Moon and prepare for human missions to Mars. The award recipients have made significant contributions to the success of the Orion spacecraft and its European Service Module and have been dedicated to the safety and success of Artemis I and upcoming Artemis missions. Return to Newsletter View the full article

At COSI’s Big Science Celebration on Sunday, May 4, 2025, a young visitor uses one of NASA Glenn Research Center’s virtual reality headsets to immerse herself in a virtual environment. Credit: NASA/Lily Hammel NASA’s Glenn Research Center joined the Center for Science and Industry (COSI) Big Science Celebration on the museum’s front lawn in Columbus, Ohio, on May 4. This event centered on science activities by STEM professionals, researchers, and experts from Central Ohio — and despite chilly, damp weather, it drew more than 20,000 visitors. At COSI’s Big Science Celebration on Sunday, May 4, 2025, a young visitor steps out of the rain and into NASA Glenn Research Center’s booth to check out the Graphics and Visualization Lab’s augmented reality fluid flow table that allows users to virtually explore a model of the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Lily Hammel NASA’s 10-by-80-foot tent housed a variety of information booths and hands-on demonstrations to introduce guests to the vital research being performed at the Cleveland center. Popular attractions included a mini wind tunnel and multiple augmented and virtual reality demonstrations. Visitors also engaged through tangram puzzles and a cosmic selfie station. NASA Glenn’s astronaut mascot made several appearances to the delight of young and old alike. Return to Newsletter View the full article

For the first time, scientists can observe temperature changes in the Sun’s outer atmosphere thanks to new technology introduced by NASA’s CODEX instrument. This animated, color-coded heat map shows temperature changes over the course of a couple days, where red indicates hotter regions and purple indicates cooler ones. NASA/KASI/INAF/CODEX Key Points: NASA’s CODEX investigation captured images of the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, showcasing new aspects of its gusty, uneven flow. The CODEX instrument, located on the International Space Station, is a coronagraph — a scientific tool that creates an artificial eclipse with physical disks — that measures the speed and temperature of solar wind using special filters. These first-of-their-kind measurements will help scientists improve models of space weather and better understand the Sun’s impact on Earth. Scientists analyzing data from NASA’s CODEX (Coronal Diagnostic Experiment) investigation have successfully evaluated the instrument’s first images, revealing the speed and temperature of material flowing out from the Sun. These images, shared at a press event Tuesday at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, illustrate the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, is not a homogenous, steady flow of material, but an area with sputtering gusts of hot plasma. These images will help scientists improve their understanding of how the Sun impacts Earth and our technology in space. “We really never had the ability to do this kind of science before,” said Jeffrey Newmark, a heliophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the principal investigator for CODEX. “The right kind of filters, the right size instrumentation — all the right things fell into place. These are brand new observations that have never been seen before, and we think there’s a lot of really interesting science to be done with it.” The Sun continuously radiates material in the form of the solar wind. The Sun’s magnetic field shapes this material, sometimes creating flowing, ray-like formations called coronal streamers. In this view from NASA’s CODEX instrument, large dark spots block much of the bright light from the Sun. Blocking this light allows the instrument’s sensitive equipment to capture the faint light of the Sun’s outer atmosphere. NASA/KASI/INAF/CODEX NASA’s CODEX is a solar coronagraph, an instrument often employed to study the Sun’s faint corona, or outer atmosphere, by blocking the bright face of the Sun. The instrument, which is installed on the International Space Station, creates artificial eclipses using a series of circular pieces of material called occulting disks at the end of a long telescope-like tube. The occulting disks are about the size of a tennis ball and are held in place by three metal arms. Scientists often use coronagraphs to study visible light from the corona, revealing dynamic features, such as solar storms, that shape the weather in space, potentially impacting Earth and beyond. NASA missions use coronagraphs to study the Sun in various ways, but that doesn’t mean they all see the same thing. Coronagraphs on the joint NASA-ESA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission look at visible light from the solar corona with both a wide field of view and a smaller one. The CODEX instrument’s field of view is somewhere in the middle, but looks at blue light to understand temperature and speed variations in the background solar wind. In this composite image of overlapping solar observations, the center and left panels show the field-of-view coverage of the different coronagraphs with overlays and are labeled with observation ranges in solar radii. The third panel shows a zoomed-in, color-coded portion of the larger CODEX image. It highlights the temperature ratios in that portion of the solar corona using CODEX 405.0 and 393.5 nm filters. NASA/ESA/SOHO/KASI/INAF/CODEX “The CODEX instrument is doing something new,” said Newmark. “Previous coronagraph experiments have measured the density of material in the corona, but CODEX is measuring the temperature and speed of material in the slowly varying solar wind flowing out from the Sun.” These new measurements allow scientists to better characterize the energy at the source of the solar wind. The CODEX instrument uses four narrow-band filters — two for temperature and two for speed — to capture solar wind data. “By comparing the brightness of the images in each of these filters, we can tell the temperature and speed of the coronal solar wind,” said Newmark. Understanding the speed and temperature of the solar wind helps scientists build a more accurate picture of the Sun, which is necessary for modeling and predicting the Sun’s behaviors. “The CODEX instrument will impact space weather modeling by providing constraints for modelers to use in the future,” said Newmark. “We’re excited for what’s to come.” by NASA Science Editorial Team NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md CODEX is a collaboration between NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) with additional contribution from Italy’s National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF). Share Details Last Updated Jun 10, 2025 Related Terms Heliophysics Coronagraph Coronal Diagnostic Experiment (CODEX) Goddard Space Flight Center Heliophysics Division Space Weather The Sun The Sun & Solar Physics View the full article

NASA NASA astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz works with a grapple fixture during a June 2002 spacewalk outside of the International Space Station. He was partnered with CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales) astronaut Philippe Perrin for the spacewalk – one of three that occurred during the STS-111 mission. Chang-Diaz was part of NASA’s ninth class of astronaut candidates. He became the first Hispanic American to fly in space. Image credit: NASA View the full article

Explore Webb Webb News Latest News Latest Images Webb’s Blog Awards X (offsite – login reqd) Instagram (offsite – login reqd) Facebook (offsite- login reqd) Youtube (offsite) Overview About Who is James Webb? Fact Sheet Impacts+Benefits FAQ Science Overview and Goals Early Universe Galaxies Over Time Star Lifecycle Other Worlds Observatory Overview Launch Deployment Orbit Mirrors Sunshield Instrument: NIRCam Instrument: MIRI Instrument: NIRSpec Instrument: FGS/NIRISS Optical Telescope Element Backplane Spacecraft Bus Instrument Module Multimedia About Webb Images Images Videos What is Webb Observing? 3d Webb in 3d Solar System Podcasts Webb Image Sonifications Webb’s First Images Team International Team People Of Webb More For the Media For Scientists For Educators For Fun/Learning 6 Min Read Frigid Exoplanet in Strange Orbit Imaged by NASA’s Webb This image of exoplanet 14 Herculis c was taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera). A star symbol marks the location of the host star 14 Herculis, whose light has been blocked by a coronagraph on NIRCam (shown here as a dark circle outlined in white). Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, W. Balmer (JHU), D. Bardalez Gagliuffi (Amherst College) A planetary system described as abnormal, chaotic, and strange by researchers has come into clearer view with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Using Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera), researchers have successfully imaged one of two known planets surrounding the star 14 Herculis, located 60 light-years away from Earth in our own Milky Way galaxy. The exoplanet, 14 Herculis c, is one of the coldest imaged to date. While there are nearly 6,000 exoplanets that have been discovered, only a small number of those have been directly imaged, most of those being very hot (think hundreds or even thousands of degrees Fahrenheit). The new data suggests 14 Herculis c, which weighs about 7 times the planet Jupiter, is as cool as 26 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 3 degrees Celsius). Image: 14 Herculis c (NIRCam) This image of exoplanet 14 Herculis c was taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera). A star symbol marks the location of the host star 14 Herculis, whose light has been blocked by a coronagraph on NIRCam (shown here as a dark circle outlined in white). NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, W. Balmer (JHU), D. Bardalez Gagliuffi (Amherst College) The team’s results covering 14 Herculis c have been submitted to The Astrophysical Journal Letters and were presented in a press conference Tuesday at the 246th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Anchorage, Alaska. “The colder an exoplanet, the harder it is to image, so this is a totally new regime of study that Webb has unlocked with its extreme sensitivity in the infrared,” said William Balmer, co-first author of the new paper and graduate student at Johns Hopkins University. “We are now able to add to the catalog of not just hot, young exoplanets imaged, but older exoplanets that are far colder than we’ve directly seen before Webb.” Webb’s image of 14 Herculis c also provides insights into a planetary system unlike most others studied in detail with Webb and other ground- and space-based `observatories. The central star, 14 Herculis, is almost Sun-like – it is similar in age and temperature to our own Sun, but a little less massive and cooler. There are two planets in this system – 14 Herculis b is closer to the star, and covered by the coronagraphic mask in the Webb image. These planets don’t orbit each other on the same plane like our solar system. Instead, they cross each other like an ‘X’, with the star being at the center. That is, the orbital planes of the two planets are inclined relative to one another at an angle of about 40 degrees. The planets tug and pull at one another as they orbit the star. This is the first time an image has ever been snapped of an exoplanet in such a mis-aligned system. Scientists are working on several theories for just how the planets in this system got so “off track.” One of the leading concepts is that the planets scattered after a third planet was violently ejected from the system early in its formation. “The early evolution of our own solar system was dominated by the movement and pull of our own gas giants,” added Balmer. “They threw around asteroids and rearranged other planets. Here, we are seeing the aftermath of a more violent planetary crime scene. It reminds us that something similar could have happened to our own solar system, and that the outcomes for small planets like Earth are often dictated by much larger forces.” Understanding the Planet’s Characteristics With Webb Webb’s new data is giving researchers further insights into not just the temperature of 14 Herculis c, but other details about the planet’s orbit and atmosphere. Findings indicate the planet orbits around 1.4 billion miles from the host star in a highly elliptical, or football-shaped orbit, closer in than previous estimates. This is around 15 times farther from the Sun than Earth. On average, this would put 14 Herculis c between Saturn and Uranus in our solar system. The planet’s brightness at 4.4 microns measured using Webb’s coronagraph, combined with the known mass of the planet and age of the system, hints at some complex atmospheric dynamics at play. “If a planet of a certain mass formed 4 billion years ago, then cooled over time because it doesn’t have a source of energy keeping it warm, we can predict how hot it should be today,” said Daniella C. Bardalez Gagliuffi of Amherst College, co-first author on the paper with Balmer. “Added information, like the perceived brightness in direct imaging, would in theory support this estimate of the planet’s temperature.” However, what researchers expect isn’t always reflected in the results. With 14 Herculis c, the brightness at this wavelength is fainter than expected for an object of this mass and age. The research team can explain this discrepancy, though. It’s called carbon disequilibrium chemistry, something often seen in brown dwarfs. “This exoplanet is so cold, the best comparisons we have that are well-studied are the coldest brown dwarfs,” Bardalez Gagliuffi explained. “In those objects, like with 14 Herculis c, we see carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide existing at temperatures where we should see methane. This is explained by churning in the atmosphere. Molecules made at warmer temperatures in the lower atmosphere are brought to the cold, upper atmosphere very quickly.” Researchers hope Webb’s image of 14 Herculis c is just the beginning of a new phase of investigation into this strange system. While the small dot of light obtained by Webb contains a plethora of information, future spectroscopic studies of 14 Herculis could better constrain the atmospheric properties of this interesting planet and help researchers understand the dynamics and formation pathways of the system. The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). To learn more about Webb, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/webb Downloads Click any image to open a larger version. View/Download all image products at all resolutions for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute. Media Contacts Laura Betz – laura.e.betz@nasa.gov NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Hannah Braun – hbraun@stsci.edu Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Christine Pulliam – cpulliam@stsci.edu Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Related Information Video: Eclipse/Coronagraph Animation Webb Blog: How Webb’s Coronagraphs Reveal Exoplanets in the Infrared Read more about Webb’s Impact on Exoplanet Research More Webb News More Webb Images Webb Science Themes Webb Mission Page Related For Kids What is the Webb Telescope? SpacePlace for Kids En Español Ciencia de la NASA NASA en español Space Place para niños Keep Exploring Related Topics James Webb Space Telescope Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the… Exoplanets Exoplanet Stories Universe Share Details Last Updated Jun 10, 2025 Editor Marty McCoy Contact Laura Betz laura.e.betz@nasa.gov Related Terms Exoplanets Astrophysics Goddard Space Flight Center James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Science & Research Studying Exoplanets The Universe View the full article

3 Min Read I Am Artemis: Ernesto Garcia Ernesto Garcia, engineering manager at Rayotech Scientific, Inc., holds a test article of one of the windowpanes for the Orion spacecraft. Credits: NASA/Rad Sinyak Listen to this audio excerpt from Ernesto Garcia, Rayotech Scientific engineering manager: 0:00 / 0:00 Your browser does not support the audio element. My name is Ernesto Garcia, and I am an engineering manager at Rayotech Scientific in San Diego, in charge of fabricating the windowpanes for the Orion spacecraft. Fabricating Orion’s windowpanes entails a very strict manufacturing process. It involves first starting from a giant sheet of glass that we cut down to near net shape. Once we get down to that near net shape, we perform a grinding operation. We grind the window edges and grind the faces. The windows are visible on the Orion spacecraft crew module for Artemis I, shown here on May 2, 2019, undergoing direct field acoustic testing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.NASA/Rad Sinyak Once we do all that grinding, we perform a specialized process where we actually strengthen the edges of the window. Since most of the window’s strength comes from the edges, we want to make sure that those are perfect and pristine, and so we minimize any subsurface damage that is around that. Then we send it off to get polished and coated. After that, we perform pressure testing in our lab, which is really the most important thing that is required for this window to prove that it can survive in space. We apply the required stresses to make sure that the windows can survive on the Orion spacecraft. The opportunity to be part of this program has been something that I’m really proud of. When I was a child, I always wanted to work for NASA — and now, I work directly with NASA engineers, work with the windows first-hand, and work to develop processes. Ernesto Garcia Engineering Manager, Rayotech Scientific Coming up with ideas of how to manufacture [the windows] and then coming up with the pressure testing equipment to verify that they are going to survive in space was extremely fulfilling. Being able to participate in Artemis I and seeing those windows on that [Orion spacecraft] — seeing it go into space — was probably one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever experienced besides having my kids. My children are immensely proud of what I’m doing. Seeing my kids’ reactions when I’m letting them know that I’m working directly with people that are putting things in space, with people that are making changes in the world — it’s something that inspires them. NASA astronauts and Artemis II crew members Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover look through a window of Orion spacecraft mockup during Post Insertion and Deorbit Preparation training at the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility in Houston, Texas. The crew practiced getting the Orion spacecraft configured once in orbit, how to make it habitable, and suited up in their entry pressure suits to prepare for their return from the Moon.Mark Sowa – NASA – JSC I imagine it will be a very special experience for the Artemis II astronauts to look out of these windows on their mission around the Moon. For them to be able to just look out and see what’s around them…to explore what else is out there from their eyes, not a camera’s point of view. It’s going to be pretty extraordinary that they’ll be able to see from their eyes — through our windows — something that not everybody else gets to see. About the AuthorErika Peters Share Details Last Updated Jun 10, 2025 Related TermsOrion ProgramI Am ArtemisOrion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle Explore More 4 min read Laser Focused: Keith Barr Leads Orion’s Lunar Docking Efforts Article 8 hours ago 3 min read I Am Artemis: Lili Villarreal Lili Villarreal fell in love with space exploration from an early age when her and… Article 6 days ago 4 min read Integrated Testing on Horizon for Artemis II Launch Preparations Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s F-15D research aircraft conducts a calibration flight of a shock-sensing probe near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The shock-sensing probe is designed to measure the signature and strength of shock waves in flight. The probe was validated during dual F-15 flights and will be flown behind NASA’s X-59 to measure small pressure changes caused by shock waves in support of the agency’s Quesst mission.NASA/Jim Ross High over the Mojave Desert, two NASA F-15 research jets made a series of flights throughout May to validate tools designed to measure and record the shock waves that will be produced by the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic experimental aircraft. The F-15s, carrying the recording tools, flew faster than the speed of sound, matching the conditions the X-59 is expected to fly. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission to gather data that can help lead to quiet commercial supersonic flight over land. The team behind the successful test flight series operates under the Schlieren, Airborne Measurements, and Range Operations for Quesst (SCHAMROQ) project at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. There, they developed tools that will measure and visualize the X-59’s unique shock waves when it flies at Mach 1.4 and altitudes above 50,000 feet. For a typical supersonic aircraft, those shock waves would result in a sonic boom. But thanks to the X-59’s design and technologies, it will generate just a quiet thump. Cheng Moua, engineering project manager for SCHAMROQ, described the validation flight campaign as “a graduation exercise – it brings all the pieces together in their final configuration and proves that they will work.” NASA began to develop the tools years ago, anchored by the arrival of one of the two F-15s – an F-15D from the U.S. Air Force – a tactical aircraft delivered without research instrumentation. “It showed up as a former war-fighting machine without a research-capable instrumentation system – no telemetry, no HD video, no data recording,” Cheng said. “Now it’s a fully instrumented research platform.” The team used both F-15s to validate three key tools: A shock wave-measuring device called a near-field shock-sensing probe A guidance capability known as an Airborne Location Integrating Geospatial Navigation System An Airborne Schlieren Photography System that will allow the capture of images that render visible the density changes in air caused by the X-59 Before the F-15D’s arrival, Armstrong relied on the second F-15 flown during this campaign – an F-15B typically used to test equipment, train pilots, and support other flight projects. The SCHAMROQ project used the two aircraft to successfully complete “dual ship flights,” a series of flight tests using two aircraft simultaneously. Both aircraft flew in formation carrying near-field shock-sensing probes and collected data from one another to test the probes and validate the tools under real-world conditions. The data help confirm how shock waves form and evolve during flight. NASA Photographer Carla Thomas holds the Airborne Schlieren Photography System (ASPS), aiming it out the window in flight. The ASPS uses a photographic method called schlieren imaging, capable of visualizing changes in air density and revealing shock waves and air flow patterns around moving objects. The system is one of several tools validated during recent dual F-15 flights at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, in support of NASA’s Quesst mission, ahead of the X-59’s first flight. NASA/Carla Thomas Keeping Things ALIGNed For the Quesst mission, the F-15D will lead data-gathering efforts using the onboard probe, while the F-15B will serve as the backup. When flown behind the X-59, the probe will help measure small pressure changes caused by the shock waves and validate predictions made years ago when the plane’s design was first created. The schlieren photography systems aboard the F-15s will provide Quesst researchers with crucial data. Other tools, like computer simulations that predict airflow and wind tunnel tests are helpful, but schlieren imagery shows real-world airflow, especially in tricky zones like the engine and air inlet. For that system to work correctly, the two aircraft will need to be precisely positioned during the test flights. Their pilots will be using a NASA-developed software tool called the Airborne Location Integrating Geospatial Navigation System (ALIGNS). “ALIGNS acts as a guidance system for the pilots,” said Troy Robillos, a NASA researcher who led development of ALIGNS. “It shows them where to position the aircraft to either probe a shock wave at a specific point or to get into the correct geometry for schlieren photography.” The schlieren system involves a handheld high-speed camera with a telescopic lens that captures hundreds of frames per second and visualizes changes in air density – but only if it can use the sun as a backdrop. Two NASA F-15 aircraft sit on the ramp at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, in Edwards, California, ahead of dual F-15 flights that validated the integration of three tools – the Airborne Schlieren Photography System (ASPS), the Airborne Location Integrating Geospatial Navigation System (ALIGNS), and shock-sensing probe. Together these tools will measure and visualize the shock waves generated by NASA’s X-59.NASA/Genaro Vavuris “The photographer holds the camera to their chest, aiming out the side of the cockpit canopy at the sun, while the pilot maneuvers through a 100-foot-wide target zone,” said Edward Haering, a NASA aerospace engineer who leads research on schlieren. “If the sun leaves the frame, we lose that data, so we fly multiple passes to make sure we capture the shot.” Aligning two fast-moving aircraft against the backdrop of the sun is the most challenging part. The photographer must capture the aircraft flying across the center of the sun, and even the slightest shift can affect the shot and reduce the quality of the data. “It’s like trying to take a photo through a straw while flying supersonic,” Robillos said. But with ALIGNS, the process is much more accurate. The software runs on ruggedized tablets and uses GPS data from both aircraft to calculate when the aircraft are in position for probing and to capture schlieren imagery. Giving pilots real-time instructions, enabling them to achieve precise positioning. The X-59 team’s validation milestone for the schlieren imaging and other systems confirms that NASA’s core tools for measuring shock waves are ready to study the X-59 in flight, checking the aircraft’s unique acoustics to confirm its quieter sonic “thump.” Share Details Last Updated Jun 10, 2025 EditorDede DiniusContactNicolas Cholulanicolas.h.cholula@nasa.govLocationArmstrong Flight Research Center Related TermsArmstrong Flight Research CenterAeronauticsAeronautics Research Mission DirectorateAmes Research CenterCommercial Supersonic TechnologyGlenn Research CenterIntegrated Aviation Systems ProgramLangley Research CenterLow Boom Flight DemonstratorQuesst (X-59)Quesst: The VehicleSupersonic Flight Explore More 2 min read From Garment Industry to NASA: Meet Systems Engineer Daniel Eng Article 4 days ago 2 min read NASA Provides Hardware for Space Station DNA Repair Experiment Article 4 days ago 9 min read ARMD Research Solicitations (Updated June 6) Article 4 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center Aeronautics Earth Science Solar System View the full article

4 Min Read NASA Student Challenge Prepares Future Designers for Lunar Missions At NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the next generation of lunar explorers and engineers are already hard at work. Some started with sketchbooks and others worked with computer-aided design files, but all had a vision of how design could thrive in extreme environments. Thanks to NASA’s Student Design Challenge, Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students (SUITS), those visions are finding their way into real mission technologies. NASA’s Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students (SUITS) teams test their augmented reality devices at the Mars Rock Yard during the 2025 test week at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credit: NASA/James Blair The SUITS challenge invites university and graduate students from across the U.S. to design, build, and test interactive displays integrated into spacesuit helmets, continuing an eight-year tradition of hands-on field evaluations that simulate conditions astronauts may face on the lunar surface. The technology aims to support astronauts with real-time navigation, task management, and scientific data visualization during moonwalks. While the challenge provides a unique opportunity to contribute to future lunar missions, for many participants, SUITS offers something more: a launchpad to aerospace careers. The challenge fosters collaboration between students in design, engineering, and computer science—mirroring the teamwork needed for real mission development. NASA SUITS teams test their augmented reality devices at Johnson’s Mars Rock Yard on May 21, 2025. Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz SUITS taught me how design can be pushed to solve for the many niche challenges that come with an environment as unique and unforgiving as space. Keya Shah Softgoods Engineering Technologist Keya Shah, now a softgoods engineering technologist in Johnson’s Softgoods Laboratory, discovered her path through SUITS while studying industrial design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). “SUITS taught me how design can be pushed to solve for the many niche challenges that come with an environment as unique and unforgiving as space,” Shah said. “Whether applied to digital or physical products, it gave me a deep understanding of how intuitive and thoughtfully designed solutions are vital for space exploration.” As chief designer for her team’s 2024 Mars spacewalk project, Shah led more than 30 designers and developers through rounds of user flow mapping, iterative prototyping, and interface testing. “Design holds its value in making you think beyond just the ‘what’ to solve a problem and figure out ‘how’ to make the solution most efficient and user-oriented,” she said, “SUITS emphasized that, and I continually strive to highlight these strengths with the softgoods I design.” Shah now works on fabric-based flight hardware at Johnson, including thermal and acoustic insulation blankets, tool stowage packs, and spacesuit components. “There’s a very exciting future in human space exploration at the intersection of softgoods with hardgoods and the digital world, through innovations like smart textiles, wearable technology, and soft robotics,” Shah said. “I look forward to being part of it.” Softgoods Engineering Technologist Keya Shah evaluates the SUITS interface design during the 2025 test week. Credit: NASA/James Blair For RISD alumnus Felix Arwen, now a softgoods engineer at Johnson, the challenge offered invaluable hands-on experience. “It gave me the opportunity to take projects from concept to a finished, tested product—something most classrooms didn’t push me to do,” Arwen said. Serving as a technical adviser and liaison between SUITS designers and engineers, Arwen helped bridge gaps between disciplines—a skill critical to NASA’s team-based approach. “It seems obvious now, but I didn’t always realize how much design contributes to space exploration,” Arwen said. “The creative, iterative process is invaluable. Our work isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about usability, safety, and mission success.” Arwen played a key role in expanding RISD’s presence across multiple NASA Student Design Challenges, including the Human Exploration Rover Challenge, the Micro-g Neutral Buoyancy Experiment Design Teams, and the Breakthrough, Innovative, and Game-changing Idea Challenge. The teams, often partnering with Brown University, demonstrated how a design-focused education can uniquely contribute to solving complex engineering problems. “NASA’s Student Design Challenges gave me the structure to focus my efforts on learning new skills and pursuing projects I didn’t even know I’d be interested in,” he said. It seems obvious now, but I didn’t always realize how much design contributes to space exploration. The creative, iterative process is invaluable. Our work isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about usability, safety, and mission success. Felix Arwen Softgoods Engineer Softgoods Engineer Felix Arwen tests hardware while wearing pressurized gloves inside a vacuum glovebox. Both Arwen and Shah remain involved with SUITS as mentors and judges, eager to support the next generation of space designers. Their advice to current participants? Build a portfolio that reflects your passion, seek opportunities outside the classroom, and do not be afraid to apply for roles that might not seem to fit a designer. “While the number of openings for a designer at NASA might be low, there will always be a need for good design work, and if you have the portfolio to back it up, you can apply to engineering roles that just might not know they need you yet,” Arwen said. SUIT teams test their augmented reality devices during nighttime activities on May 21, 2025. Credit: NASA/Robert MarkowitzNASA/Robert Markowitz As NASA prepares for lunar missions, the SUITS challenge continues to bridge the gap between student imagination and real-world innovation, inspiring a new wave of space-ready problem-solvers. “Design pushes you to consistently ask ‘what if?’ and reimagine what’s possible,” Shah said. “That kind of perspective will always stay core to NASA.” Are you interested in joining the next NASA SUITS challenge? Find more information here. The next challenge will open for proposals at the end of August 2025. About the AuthorSumer Loggins Share Details Last Updated Jun 10, 2025 Related TermsJohnson Space CenterSpacesuitsSTEM Engagement at NASA Explore More 4 min read Laser Focused: Keith Barr Leads Orion’s Lunar Docking Efforts Article 5 hours ago 3 min read NASA, ISRO Research Aboard Fourth Private Astronaut Mission to Station Article 6 days ago 4 min read Future Engineers Shine at NASA’s 2025 Lunabotics Robotics Competition Article 7 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

Keith Barr was born only months before the historic Apollo 11 landing in 1969. While he was too young to witness that giant leap for mankind, the moment sparked a lifelong fascination that set him on a path to design technology that will carry astronauts farther into space than ever before. Today, Barr serves as a chief engineer and Orion Docking Lidar Field Test lead at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. He spearheads the field testing of docking lidars for the Orion spacecraft, which will carry astronauts to the Moon on the Artemis III mission. These lidars are critical to enabling Orion to autonomously dock with the human landing system on Artemis III — the mission that will land astronauts near the Moon’s South Pole for the first time in history. Keith Barr prepares for a wind lidar test flight in one of the U.S. Navy’s Twin Otter aircraft in support of the AC-130 Gunship lidar program. “The Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions are some of humanity’s greatest technical achievements,” he said. “To be part of the Artemis chapter is a profound honor.” In recognition of his contributions, Barr was selected as a NASA Space Flight Awareness Honoree in 2025 for his exceptional dedication to astronaut safety and mission success. Established in 1963, NASA’s Space Flight Awareness Program celebrates individuals who play a vital role in supporting human spaceflight. The award is one of the highest honors presented to the agency’s workforce. With a career spanning over 25 years at Lockheed Martin, Barr is now recognized as a renowned leader in lidar systems—technologies that use laser light to measure distances. He has led numerous lidar deployments and test programs across commercial aviation, wind energy, and military markets. In 2019, Barr and his team began planning a multi-phase field campaign to validate Orion’s docking lidars under real-world conditions. They repurposed existing hardware, developed a drone-based simulation system, and conducted dynamic testing at Lockheed Martin facilities in Littleton, Colorado, and Santa Cruz, California. In Littleton, the team conducted two phases of testing at the Space Operations Simulation Center, evaluating performance across distances ranging from 50 meters to docking. At the Santa Cruz facility, they began much farther out at 6,500 meters and tested down to 10 meters, just before the final docking phase. Of all these efforts, Barr is especially proud of the ingenuity behind the Santa Cruz tests. To simulate a spacecraft docking scenario, he repurposed a lidar pointing gimbal and test trailer from previous projects and designed a drone-based test system with unprecedented accuracy. “An often-overlooked portion of any field campaign is the measurement and understanding of truth,” he said. “The system I designed allowed us to record lidar and target positions with accuracy never before demonstrated in outdoor docking lidar testing.” Testing at the Santa Cruz Facility in California often began before sunrise and continued past sunset to complete the full schedule. Here, a drone hovers at the 10-meter station-keeping waypoint as the sun sets in the background. The test stand at the Santa Cruz Facility had once been used for Agena upper stage rockets—a key piece of hardware used during the Gemini program in the 1960s. “We found a Gemini-era sticker on the door of the test bunker—likely from the time of Gemini VIII, the first space docking completed by Neil Armstrong and David Scott,” Barr said. “This really brought it home to me that we are simply part of the continuing story.” Keith Barr operates a wind lidar during a live fire test in an AC-130 Gunship aircraft. He is seated next to an open door while flying at 18,000 feet over New Mexico in January 2017. Barr spent more than two decades working on WindTracer—a ground-based Doppler wind lidar system used to measure wind speed and turbulence at airports, wind farms, and in atmospheric research. The transition from WindTracer to Orion presented new challenges. “Moving onto a space program has a steep learning curve, but I have found success in this new arena and I have learned that I can adapt and I shouldn’t be nervous about the unknown,” he said. “Learning new technologies, applications, and skills keeps my career fun and exciting and I look forward to the next giant leap—whatever it is.” Keith Barr stands beside the Piper Cherokee 6 aircraft during his time as a captain for New England Airlines. Barr’s passion for flight moves in tandem with his pursuit of innovation. Over his career, he has flown over 1.6 million miles on commercial airlines. “I often joke that I’m on my fourth trip to the Moon and back—just in economy class,” he said. Before specializing in lidar systems, Barr flew as a captain and assistant chief pilot at New England Airlines, operating small aircraft like the Piper Cherokee 6 and the Britten-Norman Islander. He also worked at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, contributing to several NASA airborne missions aimed at unraveling the science behind global ozone depletion. Keith Barr boards NASA’s DC-8 aircraft at Ames Research Center in California before heading to Salina, Kansas, to support a 1996 research mission studying how airplane emissions affect clouds and the atmosphere. As Barr reflects on his journey, he hopes to pass along a sense of legacy to the Artemis Generation. “We are in the process of writing the next chapter of human space exploration history, and our actions, successes, and troubles will be studied and analyzed well into the future,” he said. “We all need to consider how our actions will shape history.” Explore More 3 min read NASA, ISRO Research Aboard Fourth Private Astronaut Mission to Station Article 6 days ago 3 min read I Am Artemis: Lili Villarreal Lili Villarreal fell in love with space exploration from an early age when her and… Article 6 days ago 6 min read NASA Tests New Ways to Stick the Landing in Challenging Terrain Article 2 weeks ago View the full article