NASA

Technicians conduct blanket closeout work on NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) observatory at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. The IMAP mission will explore and map the boundaries of the heliosphere — a huge bubble created by the Sun’s wind that encapsulates our entire solar system — and study how the heliosphere interacts with the local galactic neighborhood beyond.Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett Media accreditation is open for the launch of three observatories that will study the Sun and enhance the ability to make accurate space weather forecasts, helping protect technology systems that affect life on Earth. NASA is targeting no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 23, for the launch of the agency’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Follow On–Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) observatory. The observatories will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Accredited media will have the opportunity to participate in prelaunch briefings and interviews with key mission personnel prior to launch, as well as cover the launch. NASA will communicate additional details regarding the media event schedule as the launch date approaches. Media accreditation deadlines for the launch are as follows: International media without U.S. citizenship must apply by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 31. U.S. media and U.S. citizens representing international media organizations must apply by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 4. All accreditation requests must be submitted online at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. For questions about accreditation, please email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. For other mission questions, please contact the NASA Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Para obtener información en español en sobre el Centro Espacial Kennedy, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo: 321-501-8425. Si desea solicitar entrevistas en español sobre IMAP, póngase en contacto con María-José Viñas: maria-jose.vinasgarcia@nasa.gov. NASA’s IMAP will use 10 science instruments to study and map the heliosphere, a vast magnetic bubble surrounding the Sun protecting our solar system from radiation incoming from interstellar space. This mission and its two rideshares will orbit the Sun near Lagrange point 1, about one million miles from Earth, where it will scan the heliosphere, analyze the composition of charged particles, and investigate how those particles move through the solar system. This will provide information on how the Sun accelerates charged particles, filling in essential puzzle pieces to understand the space weather environment across the solar system. The IMAP spacecraft also will continuously monitor solar wind and cosmic radiation. Scientists can use this information to evaluate new and improved capabilities for space weather prediction tools and models, which are vital for the health of human space explorers and the longevity of technological systems, like satellites and power grids, that can affect life on Earth. The agency’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory is a small satellite set to study the exosphere, the outermost part of Earth’s atmosphere. Using ultraviolet cameras, it will monitor how space weather from the Sun impacts the exosphere, which plays a crucial role in protecting Earth from space weather events that can affect satellites, communications, and power lines. The exosphere, a cloud of neutral hydrogen extending to the Moon and possibly beyond, is created by the breakdown of water and methane by ultraviolet light from the Sun, and its glow, known as the geocorona, has been observed globally only four times before this mission. The SWFO-L1 mission, managed by NOAA and developed with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and commercial partners, will use a suite of instruments to provide real-time measurements of solar wind, along with a compact coronagraph to detect coronal mass ejections from the Sun. The observatory, serving as an early warning beacon for potentially destructive space weather events, will enable faster and more accurate forecasts. Its 24/7 data will support NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center in protecting vital infrastructure, economic interests, and national security, both on Earth and in space. David McComas, professor, Princeton University, leads the IMAP mission with an international team of 25 partner institutions. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, built the spacecraft and operates the mission. NASA’s IMAP is the fifth mission in NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Probes program portfolio. The Explorers and Heliophysics Project Division at NASA Goddard manages the program for the agency’s Heliophysics Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at NASA Kennedy, manages the launch service for the mission. For more details about the IMAP mission and updates on launch preparations, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/imap/ -end- Abbey Interrante Headquarters, Washington 301-201-0124 abbey.a.interrante@nasa.gov Sarah Frazier Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 202-853-7191 sarah.frazier@nasa.gov Leejay Lockhart Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-747-8310 leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov John Jones-Bateman NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service, Silver Spring, Md. 202-242-0929 john.jones-bateman@noaa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 21, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsIMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe)Carruthers Geocorona Observatory (GLIDE)Goddard Space Flight CenterHeliophysicsHeliophysics DivisionKennedy Space CenterLaunch Services ProgramScience & ResearchScience Mission DirectorateSpace Weather 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 2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4636-4637: Up Against a Wall NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image, showing itself parked at the wall of a fracture named “Río Frío.” Curiosity used its Left Navigation Camera on Aug. 19, 2025 — Sol 4634, or Martian day 4,634 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 14:51:33 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Written by Michelle Minitti, MAHLI Deputy Principal Investigator, Framework Earth planning date: Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 What does a good rover do when her back is up against a wall? Fight for science! Curiosity indeed fought the good fight at “Río Frío,” the wall of one of the many ridges cutting through the boxwork terrain we have been systematically exploring. The observations along the wall today provide insight into the internal structure and chemistry of the ridges, hopefully giving us clues as to why they are standing proud relative to the surrounding terrain. The structural story will be told by the large Mastcam mosaics we planned, covering the ridge from base to top, and from a MAHLI mosaic covering a horizon of the wall filled with resistant nodules and smooth, swooping surfaces cutting in all directions that are likely veins. The mosaic target, “Jardín de las Delicias,” will surely yield a surfeit of Martian delights. The chemical story will be told by APXS analysis of the nodule-filled target “Minimini” and SuperCam analysis of a vein at “El Tapado.” In contrast to the ridge itself, we planned a Mastcam mosaic of part of the hollow at the base of the ridge at target “Playa Zapatilla.” Beyond the ridge, we planned Mastcam and ChemCam imaging of the “Paniri” and “Mishe Mokwa” buttes, respectively, and sky observations with Navcam and Mastcam. DAN, RAD, and REMS run periodically through the plan keeping their eye on the Martian environment. Our drive will take us to a smaller ridge perpendicular to Río Frío, where we will once again fight to learn the secrets these ridges have to tell about Mars’ past. Want to read more posts from the Curiosity team? Visit Mission Updates Want to learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments? Visit the Science Instruments page NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity at the base of Mount Sharp NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Share Details Last Updated Aug 20, 2025 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4634-4635: A Waiting Game Article 1 day ago 2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4631-4633: Radiant Ridge Revolution Article 1 day ago 2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4629-4630: Feeling Hollow Article 3 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… 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

X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Hong Kong/S. Zhang et al.; Radio: ATNF/CSIRO/ATCA; H-alpha: UK STFC/Royal Observatory Edinburgh; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk In 2009, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory released a captivating image: a pulsar and its surrounding nebula that is shaped like a hand. Since then, astronomers have used Chandra and other telescopes to continue to observe this object. Now, new radio data from the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), has been combined with Chandra’s X-ray data to provide a fresh view of this exploded star and its environment, to help understand its peculiar properties and shape. At the center of this new image lies the pulsar B1509-58, a rapidly spinning neutron star that is only about 12 miles in diameter. This tiny object is responsible for producing an intricate nebula (called MSH 15-52) that spans over 150 light-years, or about 900 trillion miles. The nebula, which is produced by energetic particles, resembles a human hand with a palm and extended fingers pointing to the upper right in X-rays. Labeled Version of the ImageX-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Hong Kong/S. Zhang et al.; Radio: ATNF/CSIRO/ATCA; H-alpha: UK STFC/Royal Observatory Edinburgh; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk The collapse of a massive star created the pulsar when much of the star crashed inward once it burned through its sustainable nuclear fuel. An ensuing explosion sent the star’s outer layers outward into space as a supernova. The pulsar spins around almost seven times every second and has a strong magnetic field, about 15 trillion times stronger than the Earth’s. The rapid rotation and strong magnetic field make B1509-58 one of the most powerful electromagnetic generators in the Galaxy, enabling it to drive an energetic wind of electrons and other particles away from the pulsar, creating the nebula. In this new composite image, the ATCA radio data (represented in red) has been combined with X-rays from Chandra (shown in blue, orange and yellow), along with an optical image of hydrogen gas (gold). The areas of overlap between the X-ray and radio data in MSH 15-52 show as purple. The optical image shows stars in the field of view along with parts of the supernova’s debris, the supernova remnant RCW 89. A labeled version of the figure shows the main features of the image. Radio data from ATCA now reveals complex filaments that are aligned with the directions of the nebula’s magnetic field, shown by the short, straight, white lines in a supplementary image. These filaments could result from the collision of the pulsar’s particle wind with the supernova’s debris. Complex Filaments Aligned with the Directions of the Nebula’s Magnetic FieldX-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Hong Kong/S. Zhang et al.; Radio: ATNF/CSIRO/ATCA; H-alpha: UK STFC/Royal Observatory Edinburgh; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk By comparing the radio and X-ray data, researchers identified key differences between the sources of the two types of light. In particular, some prominent X-ray features, including the jet towards the bottom of the image and the inner parts of the three “fingers” towards the top, are not detected in radio waves. This suggests that highly energetic particles are leaking out from a shock wave — similar to a supersonic plane’s sonic boom — near the pulsar and moving along magnetic field lines to create the fingers. The radio data also shows that RCW 89’s structure is different from typical young supernova remnants. Much of the radio emission is patchy and closely matches clumps of X-ray and optical emission. It also extends well beyond the X-ray emission. All of these characteristics support the idea that RCW 89 is colliding with a dense cloud of nearby hydrogen gas. However, the researchers do not fully understand all that the data is showing them. One area that is perplexing is the sharp boundary of X-ray emission in the upper right of the image that seems to be the blast wave from the supernova — see the labeled feature. Supernova blast waves are usually bright in radio waves for young supernova remnants like RCW 89, so it is surprising to researchers that there is no radio signal at the X-ray boundary. MSH 15–52 and RCW 89 show many unique features not found in other young sources. There are, however, still many open questions regarding the formation and evolution of these structures. Further work is needed to provide better understanding of the complex interplay between the pulsar wind and the supernova debris. A paper describing this work, led by Shumeng Zhang of the University of Hong Kong, with co-authors Stephen C.Y. Ng of the University of Hong Kong and Niccolo’ Bucciantini of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics, has been published in The Astrophysical Journal and is available at https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/adf333. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts. Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory Learn more about the Chandra X-ray Observatory and its mission here: https://www.nasa.gov/chandra https://chandra.si.edu Visual Description This release features a composite image of a nebula and pulsar that strongly resembles a cosmic hand reaching for a neon red cloud. The neon red cloud sits near the top of the image, just to our right of center. Breaks in the cloud reveal interwoven strands of gold resembling spiderwebs, or a latticework substructure. This cloud is the remains of the supernova that formed the pulsar at the heart of the image. The pulsar, a rapidly spinning neutron star only 12 miles in diameter, is far too small to be seen in this image, which represents a region of space over 150 light-years across. The bottom half of the image is dominated by a massive blue hand reaching up toward the pulsar and supernova cloud. This is an intricate nebula called MSH 15-52, an energetic wind of electrons and other particles driven away from the pulsar. The resemblance to a hand is undeniable. Inside the nebula, streaks and swirls of blue range from pale to navy, evoking a medical X-ray, or the yearning hand of a giant, cosmic ghost. The hand and nebula are set against the blackness of space, surrounded by scores of gleaming golden specks. At our lower left, a golden hydrogen gas cloud extends beyond the edges of the image. In this composite, gold represents optical data; red represents ATCA radio data; and blue, orange, and yellow represent X-ray data from Chandra. Where the blue hand of the nebula overlaps with the radio data in red, the fingers appear hazy and purple. News Media Contact Megan Watzke Chandra X-ray Center Cambridge, Mass. 617-496-7998 mwatzke@cfa.harvard.edu Corinne Beckinger Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama 256-544-0034 corinne.m.beckinger@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 20, 2025 EditorLee MohonContactCorinne M. Beckingercorinne.m.beckinger@nasa.gov Related TermsAstrophysicsChandra X-Ray ObservatoryMarshall AstrophysicsMarshall Space Flight CenterNebulaePulsarsThe Universe Explore More 5 min read NASA, Army National Guard Partner on Flight Training for Moon Landing Article 2 days ago 4 min read NASA Challenge Winners Cook Up New Industry Developments Article 2 days ago 3 min read NASA Seeks Proposals for 2026 Human Exploration Rover Challenge Article 5 days ago View the full article

De izquierda a derecha, los astronautas de la NASA Victor Glover, piloto de Artemis II y Reid Wiseman, comandante de Artemis II, el astronauta de la CSA (Agencia Espacial Canadiense) Jeremy Hansen, especialista de misión para Artemis II, y la astronauta de la NASA Christina Koch, especialista de misión para Artemis II, se ponen los trajes espaciales y salen del Edificio de Operaciones y Control Neil A. Armstrong del Centro Espacial Kennedy de la NASA en Florida el 11 de agosto.Crédito: NASA/Kim Shiflett Read this release in English here. La NASA ha abierto el plazo para la acreditación de los medios a un programa de eventos de varios días de duración para presentar a la nueva promoción de astronautas de Estados Unidos y proporcionar información sobre el vuelo de prueba tripulado de la misión Artemis II alrededor de la Luna. Las actividades tendrán lugar en septiembre en el Centro Espacial Johnson de la agencia en Houston. Después de evaluar más de 8.000 solicitudes, la NASA presentará a su nueva generación de candidatos a astronauta de 2025 durante una ceremonia que se llevará a cabo el lunes 22 de septiembre a las 12:30 p.m. hora del este. Después de la ceremonia, los candidatos estarán disponibles para entrevistas con los medios. El evento de selección de astronautas se transmitirá en vivo en NASA+, Netflix, Amazon Prime, el canal de YouTube de la agencia y en la cuenta de X de la NASA, en idioma inglés. Los candidatos seleccionados se someterán a casi dos años de entrenamiento antes de graduarse como astronautas elegibles para el vuelo en las misiones de la agencia a la órbita baja de la Tierra, la Luna y, más adelante, el planeta Marte. A continuación de este evento, la NASA ofrecerá una serie de sesiones informativas para los medios de comunicación el martes 23 de septiembre y el miércoles 24 de septiembre, donde se dará un anticipo de la misión Artemis II, programada para despegar no más tarde de abril de 2026. Este vuelo de prueba —que será lanzado a bordo del cohete Sistema de Lanzamiento Espacial (SLS, por sus siglas en inglés) y la nave espacial Orion— enviará a los astronautas de la NASA Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover y Christina Koch, junto con el astronauta de la CSA (Agencia Espacial Canadiense) Jeremy Hansen, en una misión alrededor de la Luna que durará cerca de 10 días. Artemis II ayudará a comprobar el funcionamiento de los sistemas y el hardware necesarios para la exploración humana del espacio profundo. Esta misión es el primer vuelo tripulado de la campaña Artemis de la NASA, y es otro paso adelante hacia nuevas misiones tripuladas de Estados Unidos en la superficie de la Luna que ayudarán a la agencia a prepararse para enviar a astronautas estadounidenses a Marte. Los eventos de las sesiones informativas de Artemis II serán transmitidos en vivo por el canal de YouTube y la cuenta de X de la agencia, en idioma inglés. Este enlace ofrece más información (en inglés) sobre cómo ver contenido a través de las diferentes plataformas de la NASA. Después de las sesiones informativas, el 24 de septiembre la NASA ofrecerá una jornada para los medios de comunicación dedicada a Artemis II en el centro Johnson de la agencia, y mostrará las instalaciones de apoyo a la misión, los entrenadores y el hardware para las misiones Artemis. Asimismo, ofrecerá oportunidades de entrevistas con líderes, directores de vuelo, astronautas, científicos e ingenieros de esta campaña. Los representantes de los medios que deseen participar en persona deben comunicarse con la sala de prensa del centro Johnson de la NASA llamando al teléfono 281-483-5111 o escribiendo al correo electrónico jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov, indicando a qué eventos desean asistir. Los medios confirmados recibirán detalles adicionales sobre su participación en estos eventos. Una copia de la política de acreditación de medios de la NASA está disponible (en inglés) en el sitio web de la agencia. Los plazos de la acreditación de medios para la selección de candidatos a astronauta y los eventos de Artemis II son los siguientes: Los miembros de medios de comunicación con ciudadanía estadounidense que estén interesados en asistir en persona deben confirmar su asistencia a más tardar a las 5 p. m. hora del este del miércoles 17 de septiembre. Los miembros de medios de comunicación sin ciudadanía estadounidense deben confirmar su asistencia a más tardar a las 5 p. m. del miércoles 10 de septiembre. Los medios que soliciten entrevistas en persona o virtuales con los candidatos a astronautas, los expertos de Artemis o la tripulación de Artemis II deben enviar sus solicitudes a la sala de prensa del centro Johnson de la NASA antes del miércoles 17 de septiembre. Las solicitudes de entrevistas en persona están sujetas a los plazos de acreditación indicados anteriormente. La información sobre la selección de candidatos a astronauta y los eventos de Artemis II, incluida la lista de participantes de las sesiones informativas, es la siguiente (todos los horarios son en hora del este de Estados Unidos): Lunes, 22 de septiembre 12:30 p.m.: 2025: Ceremonia de selección de candidatos a astronauta de 2025 Martes, 23 de septiembre 11 a.m.: Informe general sobre la misión Artemis II Lakiesha Hawkins, administradora adjunta interina, Dirección de Misiones de Desarrollo de Sistemas de Exploración, sede central de la NASA Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, directora de lanzamiento de Artemis II, Centro Espacial Kennedy de la NASA en Florida Jeff Radigan, director de vuelo principal de Artemis II, centro Johnson de la NASA Judd Frieling, director principal de vuelo de ascenso de Artemis II, centro Johnson de la NASA Rick Henfling, director principal de vuelo de ingreso de Artemis II, centro Johnson de la NASA Daniel Florez, director de pruebas, Sistemas Terrestres de Exploración, centro Kennedy de la NASA [Florez es hispanohablante] 1 p.m.: Sesión informativa sobre ciencia y tecnología de Artemis II Matt Ramsey, gerente de la misión Artemis II, sede central de la NASA Howard Hu, gerente del programa Orion, centro Johnson de la NASA Jake Bleacher, gerente de Ciencia, Uso de Tecnología e Integración, Dirección de Misiones de Desarrollo de Sistemas de Exploración, sede central de ka BASA Mark Clampin, administrador adjunto interino, Dirección de Misiones Científicas, sede central de la NASA Los medios que deseen participar por teléfono deben solicitar información de acceso telefónico antes de las 5 p. m. del 22 de septiembre, enviando un correo electrónico a la sala de prensa del centro Johnson de la NASA. Miércoles, 24 de septiembre 10 a.m.: Conferencia de prensa de la tripulación de Artemis II Reid Wiseman, comandante Victor Glover, pilot o Christina Koch, especialista de misión Jeremy Hansen, especialista de misión Los medios que deseen participar por teléfono deben solicitar información de acceso telefónico antes de las 5 p. m. del 23 de septiembre, enviando un correo electrónico a la sala de prensa del centro Johnson de la NASA. Encuentre más información sobre cómo la NASA lidera las iniciativas de vuelos espaciales tripulados en el sitio web (en inglés):  https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space -fin- Jimi Russell / Rachel Kraft / María José Viñas Sede central de la NASA, Washington 202-358-1100 james.j.russell@nasa.gov / rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov / maria-jose.vinasgarcia@nasa.gov Courtney Beasley / Chelsey Ballarte Centro Espacial Johnson, Houston 281-910-4989 courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov / chelsey.n.ballarte@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 20, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsNASA en españolArtemisArtemis 2Candidate AstronautsMars View the full article

From top left to right, NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot; Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander; CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, and NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, suit up and walk out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 11.Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett Lee esta nota de prensa en español aquí. NASA is opening media accreditation for multi-day events to introduce America’s newest astronaut class and provide briefings for the Artemis II crewed test flight around the Moon. The activities will take place in September at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. After evaluating more than 8,000 applications, NASA will debut its 2025 class of astronaut candidates during a ceremony at 12:30 p.m. EDT on Monday, Sept. 22. Following the ceremony, the candidates will be available for media interviews. The astronaut selection event will stream live on NASA+, Netflix, Amazon Prime, NASA’s YouTube channel, and the agency’s X account. The selected candidates will undergo nearly two years of training before they graduate as flight-eligible astronauts for agency missions to low Earth orbit, the Moon, and ultimately, Mars. Next, NASA will host a series of media briefings on Tuesday, Sept. 23, and Wednesday, Sept. 24, to preview the upcoming Artemis II mission, slated for no later than April 2026. The test flight, a launch of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on an approximately 10-day mission around the Moon. Artemis II will help confirm the systems and hardware needed for human deep space exploration. This mission is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign and is another step toward new U.S.-crewed missions on the Moon’s surface that will help the agency prepare to send American astronauts to Mars. The Artemis II events briefings will stream live on the agency’s YouTube channel and X account. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms. Following the briefings, NASA will host an Artemis II media day at NASA Johnson on Sept. 24, to showcase mission support facilities, trainers, and hardware for Artemis missions, as well as offer interview opportunities with leaders, flight directors, astronauts, scientists, and engineers. Media who wish to participate in person must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov and indicate which events they plan to attend. Confirmed media will receive additional details about participating in these events. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is available on the agency’s website. Media accreditation deadlines for the astronaut candidate selection and Artemis II events are as follows: U.S. media interested in attending in person must RSVP no later than 5 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 17. International media without U.S. citizenship must RSVP no later than 5 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 10. Media requesting in-person or virtual interviews with the astronaut candidates, Artemis experts, or the Artemis II crew must submit requests to the NASA Johnson newsroom by Wednesday, Sept. 17. In-person interview requests are subject to the credentialing deadlines noted above. Information for the astronaut candidate selection and Artemis II events, including briefing participants, is as follows (all times Eastern): Monday, Sept. 22 12:30 p.m.: 2025 Astronaut Candidate Selection Ceremony Tuesday, Sept. 23 11 a.m.: Artemis II Mission Overview Briefing Lakiesha Hawkins, acting deputy associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Judd Frieling, lead Artemis II ascent flight director, NASA Johnson Jeff Radigan, lead Artemis II flight director, NASA Johnson Rick Henfling, lead Artemis II entry flight director, NASA Johnson Daniel Florez, test director, Exploration Ground Systems, NASA Kennedy 1 p.m.: Artemis II Science and Technology Briefing Matt Ramsey, Artemis II mission manager, NASA Headquarters Howard Hu, Orion Program manager, NASA Johnson Jacob Bleacher, manager, Science, Technology Utilization, and Integration, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters Mark Clampin, acting deputy associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters Media who wish to participate by phone must request dial-in information by 5 p.m., Sept. 22, by emailing NASA Johnson’s newsroom. Wednesday, Sept. 24 10 a.m.: Artemis II Crew News Conference Reid Wiseman, commander Victor Glover, pilot Christina Koch, mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist Media who wish to participate by phone must request dial-in information by 5 p.m., Sept. 23, by emailing NASA Johnson’s newsroom. Learn more about how NASA leads human spaceflight efforts at: https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space -end- Jimi Russell / Rachel Kraft Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 james.j.russell@nasa.gov / rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov Courtney Beasley / Chelsey Ballarte Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-910-4989 courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov / chelsey.n.ballarte@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 20, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsArtemisArtemis 2Candidate AstronautsHumans in SpaceMars View the full article

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Dwarf planet Ceres is shown in these enhanced-color renderings that use images from NASA’s Dawn mission. New thermal and chemicals models that rely on the mission’s data indicate Ceres may have long ago had conditions suitable for life.NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA The dwarf planet is cold now, but new research paints a picture of Ceres hosting a deep, long-lived energy source that may have maintained habitable conditions in the past. New NASA research has found that Ceres may have had a lasting source of chemical energy: the right types of molecules needed to fuel some microbial metabolisms. Although there is no evidence that microorganisms ever existed on Ceres, the finding supports theories that this intriguing dwarf planet, which is the largest body in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, may have once had conditions suitable to support single-celled lifeforms. Science data from NASA’s Dawn mission, which ended in 2018, previously showed that the bright, reflective regions on Ceres’ surface are mostly made of salts left over from liquid that percolated up from underground. Later analysis in 2020 found that the source of this liquid was an enormous reservoir of brine, or salty water, below the surface. In other research, the Dawn mission also revealed evidence that Ceres has organic material in the form of carbon molecules — essential, though not sufficient on its own, to support microbial cells. The presence of water and carbon molecules are two critical pieces of the habitability puzzle on Ceres. The new findings offer the third: a long-lasting source of chemical energy in Ceres’ ancient past that could have made it possible for microorganisms to survive. This result does not mean that Ceres had life, but rather, that there likely was “food” available should life have ever arisen on Ceres. This illustration depicts the interior of dwarf planet Ceres, including the transfer of water and gases from the rocky core to a reservoir of salty water. Carbon dioxide and methane are among the molecules carrying chemical energy beneath Ceres’ surface.NASA/JPL-Caltech In the study, published in Science Advances on Aug. 20, the authors built thermal and chemical models mimicking the temperature and composition of Ceres’ interior over time. They found that 2.5 billion years or so ago, Ceres’ subsurface ocean may have had a steady supply of hot water containing dissolved gases traveling up from metamorphosed rocks in the rocky core. The heat came from the decay of radioactive elements within the dwarf planet’s rocky interior that occurred when Ceres was young — an internal process thought to be common in our solar system. “On Earth, when hot water from deep underground mixes with the ocean, the result is often a buffet for microbes — a feast of chemical energy. So it could have big implications if we could determine whether Ceres’ ocean had an influx of hydrothermal fluid in the past,” said Sam Courville, lead author of the study. Now based at Arizona State University in Tempe, he led the research while working as an intern at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which also managed the Dawn mission. Catching Chill The Ceres we know today is unlikely to be habitable. It is cooler, with more ice and less water than in the past. There is currently insufficient heat from radioactive decay within Ceres to keep the water from freezing, and what liquid remains has become a concentrated brine. The period when Ceres would most likely have been habitable was between a half-billion and 2 billion years after it formed (or about 2.5 billion to 4 billion years ago), when its rocky core reached its peak temperature. That’s when warm fluids would have been introduced into Ceres’ underground water. The dwarf planet also doesn’t have the benefit of present-day internal heating generated by the push and pull of orbiting a large planet, like Saturn’s moon Enceladus and Jupiter’s moon Europa do. So Ceres’ greatest potential for habitability-fueling energy was in the past. This result has implications for water-rich objects throughout the outer solar system, too. Many of the other icy moons and dwarf planets that are of similar size to Ceres (about 585 miles, or 940 kilometers, in diameter) and don’t have significant internal heating from the gravitational pull of planets could have also had a period of habitability in their past. More About Dawn A division of Caltech in Pasadena, JPL managed Dawn’s mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Dawn was a project of the directorate’s Discovery Program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. JPL was responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Northrop Grumman in Dulles, Virginia, designed and built the spacecraft. The German Aerospace Center, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Italian Space Agency and Italian National Astrophysical Institute were international partners on the mission team. For a complete list of mission participants, visit: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/dawn/overview/ News Media Contacts Gretchen McCartney Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-287-4115 gretchen.p.mccartney@jpl.nasa.gov Karen Fox / Molly Wasser NASA Headquarters, Washington 2025-108 Share Details Last Updated Aug 20, 2025 Related TermsDawnAsteroidsCeresJet Propulsion LaboratoryThe Solar SystemVesta Explore More 6 min read NASA, IBM’s ‘Hot’ New AI Model Unlocks Secrets of Sun Editor’s Note: This article was updated Aug. 20, 2025, to correct the number of years of… Article 5 hours ago 4 min read NASA’s Psyche Captures Images of Earth, Moon Article 1 day ago 3 min read Summer Triangle Corner: Altair Altair is the last stop on our trip around the Summer Triangle! The last star… Article 5 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

NASA A Titan-Centaur rocket carrying the Viking 1 spacecraft launches from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Aug. 20, 1975. Viking 1 touched down on the red planet on July 20, 1976, becoming the first truly successful landing on Mars. Viking 1 was the first of a pair of complex deep space probes that were designed to reach Mars and to collect evidence on the possibility on life on Mars. NASA’s exploration of Mars continues, with rovers exploring the planet’s surface and spacecraft studying from orbit. The agency’s Artemis missions will also lay the groundwork for the first crewed missions to Mars. Learn more about Viking 1 and see the first photo it took upon landing. Image credit: NASA View the full article

Dr. Steven “Steve” Platnick took the NASA agency Deferred Resignation Program (DRP). His last work day was August 8, 2025. Steve spent more than three decades at, or associated with, NASA. While he began his civil servant career at the NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in 2002, his Goddard association went back to 1993, first as a contractor and then as one of the earliest employees of the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET), a cooperative agreement between the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and GSFC’s Earth Science Division. At JCET Steve helped lead the development of the Atmosphere Physics Track curricula. Previously, he had held an NRC post-doctoral fellow at the NASA’s Ames Research Center. Along with his research work on cloud remote sensing from satellite and airborne sensors, Steve served as the Deputy Director for Atmospheres in GSFC’s Earth Sciences Division from January 2015–July 2024. Dr. Steve Platnick Image credit: NASA During his time at NASA, Steve played an integral role in the sustainability and advancement of NASA’s Earth Observing System platforms and data. In 2008, he took over as the Earth Observing System (EOS) Senior Project Scientist from Michael King. In this role, he led the EOS Project Science Office, which included support for related EOS facility airborne sensors, ground networks, and calibration labs. The office also supported The Earth Observer newsletter, the NASA Earth Observatory, and other outreach and exhibit activities on behalf of NASA Headquarter’s Earth Science Division and Science Mission Directorate (further details below). From January 2003 – February 2010, Steve served as the Aqua Deputy Project Scientist. Improving Imager Cloud Algorithms Steve was actively involved in the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Science Team serving as the Lead for the MODIS Atmosphere Discipline Team (cloud, aerosol and clear sky products) since 2008 and as the NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP)/JPSS Atmosphere Discipline Lead/co-Lead from 2012–2020. His research team enhanced, maintained, and evaluated MODIS and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) cloud algorithms that included Level-2 (L2) Cloud Optical/Microphysical Properties components (MOD06 and MYD06 for MODIS on Terra and Aqua, respectively) and the Atmosphere Discipline Team Level-3 (L3) spatial/temporal products (MOD08, MYD08). The L2 cloud algorithms were developed to retrieve thermodynamic phase, optical thickness, effective particle radius, and derived water path for liquid and ice clouds, among other associated datasets. Working closely with longtime University of Wisconsin-Madison colleagues, the team also developed the CLDPROP continuity products designed to bridge the MODIS and VIIRS cloud data records by addressing differences in the spectral coverage between the two sensors; this product is currently in production for VIIRS on Suomi NPP and NOAA-20, as well as MODIS Aqua. The team also ported their CLDPROP code to Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) R-series Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and sister sensors as a research demonstration effort. Steve’s working group participation included the Global Energy and Water Exchanges (GEWEX) Cloud Assessment Working Group (2008–present); the International Cloud Working Group (ICWG), which is part of the Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites (CGMS), and its original incarnation, the Cloud Retrieval Evaluation Working (CREW) since 2009; and the NASA Observations for Modeling Intercomparison Studies (obs4MIPs) Working Group (2011–2013). Other notable roles included Deputy Chair of the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Science Definition Team (2011–2012) and membership in the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) Science Definition Team (2009–2011), the ABI Cloud Team (2005–2009), and the Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) Mission Concept Team (2010-2011). Steve has participated in numerous major airborne field campaigns over his career. His key ER-2 flight scientist and/or science team management roles included the Monterey Area Ship Track experiment (MAST,1994), First (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Regional Experiment – Arctic Cloud Experiment [FIRE-ACE, 1998], Southern Africa Fire-Atmosphere Research Initiative (SAFARI-2000), Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers – Florida Area Cirrus Experiment (CRYSTAL-FACE, 2002), and Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling (TC4, 2007). Supporting Earth Science Communications Through his EOS Project Science Office role, Steve has been supportive of the activities of NASA’s Science Support Office (SSO) and personally participated in many NASA Science exhibits at both national and international scientific conferences, including serving as a Hyperwall presenter numerous times. For The Earth Observer newsletter publication team in particular, Steve replaced Michael King as Acting EOS Senior Project Scientist in June 2008, taking over the authorship of “The Editor’s Corner” beginning with the May–June 2008 issue [Volume 20, Issue 3]. The Acting label was removed beginning with the January–February 2010 issue [Volume 22, Issue 1]. Steve has been a champion of continuing to retain a historical record of NASA science team meetings to maintain a chronology of advances made by different groups within the NASA Earth Science community. He was supportive of the Executive Editor’s efforts to create a series called “Perspectives on EOS,” which ran from 2008–2011 and told the stories of the early years of the EOS Program from the point of view of those who lived them. He also supported the development of articles to commemorate the 25th and 30th anniversary of The Earth Observer. Later, Steve helped guide the transition of the newsletter from a print publication – the November–December 2022 issue was the last printed issue – to fully online by July 2024, a few months after the publication’s 35th anniversary. The Earth Observer team will miss Steve’s keen insight, historical perspective, and encouragement that he has shown through his leadership for the past 85 issues of print and online publications. A Career Recognized through Awards and Honors Throughout his career, Steve has amassed numerous honors, including the Goddard William Nordberg Memorial Award for Earth Science in 2023 and the Verner E. Suomi Award from the American Meteorological Society (AMS) in 2016. He was named an AMS Fellow that same year. He received two NASA Agency Honor Awards – the Exceptional Achievement Medal in 2008 and the Exceptional Service Medal in 2015. Steve received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in electrical engineering from Duke University and the University of California, Berkeley, respectively. He earned a Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences from the University of Arizona. View the full article

6 min read NASA, IBM’s ‘Hot’ New AI Model Unlocks Secrets of Sun This image from June 20, 2013 shows the bright light of a solar flare and an eruption of solar material shooting through the sun’s atmosphere, called a prominence eruption. Shortly thereafter, this same region of the sun sent a coronal mass ejection out into space — a phenomenon which can cause magnetic storms that degrade communication signals and cause unexpected electrical surges in power grids on Earth. NASA’s new heliophysics AI foundation model, Surya, can help predict these storms. NASA/Goddard/SDO NASA is turning up the heat in solar science with the launch of the Surya Heliophysics Foundational Model, an artificial intelligence (AI) model trained on 14 years of observations from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. Developed by NASA in partnership with IBM and others, Surya uses advances in AI to analyze vast amounts of solar data, helping scientists better understand solar eruptions and predict space weather that threatens satellites, power grids, and communication systems. The model can be used to provide early warnings to satellite operators and helps scientists predict how the Sun’s ultraviolet output affects Earth’s upper atmosphere. Preliminary results show Surya is making strides in solar flare forecasting, a long-standing challenge in heliophysics. Surya, with its ability to generate visual predictions of solar flares two hours into the future, marks a major step towards the use of AI for operational space weather prediction. These initial results surpass existing benchmarks by 15%. By providing open access to the model on HuggingFace and the code on GitHub, NASA encourages the science and applications community to test and explore this AI model for innovative solutions that leverage the unique value of continuous, stable, long-duration datasets from the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Illustrations of Solar Dynamics Observatory solar imagery used for training Surya: Solar coronal ultraviolet and extreme ultraviolet images from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and solar surface velocity and magnetic field maps from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). NASA/SDO The model’s success builds directly on the Solar Dynamics Observatory’s long-term database. Launched in 2010, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory has provided an unbroken, high-resolution record of the Sun for nearly 15 years through capturing images every 12 seconds in multiple wavelengths, plus precise magnetic field measurements. This stable, well-calibrated dataset, spanning an entire solar cycle, is uniquely suited for training AI models like Surya, enabling them to detect subtle patterns in solar behavior that shorter datasets would miss. Surya’s strength lies in its foundation model architecture, which learns directly from raw solar data. Unlike traditional AI systems that require extensive labeling, Surya can adapt quickly to new tasks and applications. Applications include tracking active regions, forecasting flare activity, predicting solar wind speed, and integrating data from other observatories including the joint NASA-ESA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory mission and NASA’s Parker Solar Probe. “We are advancing data-driven science by embedding NASA’s deep scientific expertise into cutting-edge AI models,” said Kevin Murphy, chief science data officer at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “By developing a foundation model trained on NASA’s heliophysics data, we’re making it easier to analyze the complexities of the Sun’s behavior with unprecedented speed and precision. This model empowers broader understanding of how solar activity impacts critical systems and technologies that we all rely on here on Earth.” These images compare the ground-truth data (right) with model output (center) for solar flares, which are the events behind most space weather. Surya’s prediction is very close to what happened in reality (right). These preliminary results suggest that Surya has learned enough solar physics to predict the structure and evolution of a solar flare by looking at its beginning phase. NASA/SDO/ODSI IMPACT AI Team Solar storms pose significant risks to our technology-dependent society. Powerful solar events energize Earth’s ionosphere, resulting in substantial GPS errors or complete signal loss to satellite communications. They also pose risks to power grids, as geomagnetically induced currents from coronal mass ejections can overload transformers and trigger widespread outages. In commercial aviation, solar flares can disrupt radio communications and navigation systems while exposing high-altitude flights to increased radiation. The stakes are even higher for human spaceflight. Astronauts bound for the Moon or Mars may need to depend on precise predictions to shelter from intense radiation during solar particle events. The Sun’s influence extends to the growing number of low Earth orbit satellites, including those that deliver global high-speed internet. As solar activity intensifies, it heats Earth’s upper atmosphere, increasing drag that slows satellites, pulls them from orbit, and causes premature reentry. Satellite operators often struggle to forecast where and when solar flares might affect these satellites. The “ground truth” solar activity is shown on the top row. The bottom row shows solar activity predicted by Surya. NASA/SDO/ODSI IMPACT AI Team “Our society is built on technologies that are highly susceptible to space weather,” said Joseph Westlake, Heliophysics Division director at NASA Headquarters. “Just as we use meteorology to forecast Earth’s weather, space weather forecasts predict the conditions and events in the space environment that can affect Earth and our technologies. Applying AI to data from our heliophysics missions is a vital step in increasing our space weather defense to protect astronauts and spacecraft, power grids and GPS, and many other systems that power our modern world.” While Surya is designed to study the Sun, its architecture and methodology are adaptable across scientific domains. From planetary science to Earth observation, the project lays the foundational infrastructure for similar AI efforts in diverse domains. Surya is part of a broader NASA push to develop open-access, AI-powered science tools. Both the model and training datasets are freely available online to researchers, educators, and students worldwide, lowering barriers to participation and sparking new discoveries. The process for creating Surya. Foundation models enhance the utility of NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory datasets and create a base for building new applications. NASA/ODSI IMPACT AI Team Surya’s training was supported in part by the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot, a National Science Foundation (NSF)-led initiative that provides researchers with access to advanced computing, datasets, and AI tools. The NAIRR Pilot brings together federal and industry resources, such as computing power from NVIDIA, to expand access to the infrastructure needed for cutting-edge AI research. “This project shows how the NAIRR Pilot is uniting federal and industry AI resources to accelerate scientific breakthroughs,” said Katie Antypas, director of NSF’s Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure. “With support from NVIDIA and NSF, we’re not only enabling today’s research, we’re laying the groundwork for a national AI network to drive tomorrow’s discoveries.” Surya is part of a larger effort championed and supported by NASA’s Office of the Chief Science Data Officer and Heliophysics Division, the NSF , and partnering universities to advance NASA’s scientific missions through innovative data science and AI models. Surya’s AI architecture was jointly developed by the Interagency Implementation and Advanced Concepts Team (IMPACT) under the Office of Data Science and Informatics at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama; IBM; and a collaborative science team. The science team, assembled by NASA Headquarters, consisted of experts from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas; the University of Alabama in Huntsville in Huntsville, Alabama; the University of Colorado Boulder in Boulder, Colorado; Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia; Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey; NASA’s SMD’s Heliophysics Division; NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California; and the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. For a behind-the-scenes dive into Surya’s architecture, industry and academic collaborations, challenges behind developing the model, read the blog post on NASA’s Science Data Portal: https://science.data.nasa.gov/features-events/inside-surya-solar-ai-model For more information about NASA’s strategy of developing foundation models for science, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/artificial-intelligence-science Share Details Last Updated Aug 20, 2025 Related Terms Science & Research Artificial Intelligence (AI) Heliophysics Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) The Sun The Sun & Solar Physics Explore More 3 min read Sun at the Center: Teacher Ambassadors Bring Heliophysics to Classrooms Nationwide Article 20 hours ago 5 min read NASA-funded Compact Radar Drives Big Changes in Airborne and Suborbital Radar Capabilities Article 23 hours ago 31 min read Summary of the 2025 GEDI Science Team Meeting Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Artificial Intelligence for Science NASA is creating artificial intelligence tools to help researchers use NASA’s science data more effectively. Open Science at NASA NASA’s commitment to open science fuels groundbreaking research while maximizing transparency, innovation, and collaboration. Humans In Space Solar System 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 3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4634-4635: A Waiting Game NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Left Navigation Camera on Aug. 18, 2025 — Sol 4633, or Martian day 4,633 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 12:39:47 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Written by Lucy Thompson, Planetary Scientist and APXS Team Member, University of New Brunswick, Canada Earth Planning Date: Monday, Aug. 18, 2025 The downlink data from our weekend activities arrived on Earth as we started planning this morning. As the APXS payload uplink and downlink lead, I assess the downlink data to ensure that our observations executed and that the instrument is healthy before we can proceed with the day’s activities. We also need that downlink data to assess which targets we can safely touch with Curiosity’s arm, to place APXS and MAHLI to analyze chemistry and closeup textures, respectively, as well as target for Mastcam and ChemCam, and plan the next drive. Because of the relatively late downlink, we all waited patiently for the necessary data to be processed before we could really start to plan in earnest. It is always exciting to see our new parking spot and the view in front of the rover. Today was no exception. The drive executed as planned and we are on stable ground, which will enable us to unstow the arm for contact science with APXS and MAHLI. We selected a representative bedrock patch (“Gil”) that was large enough and smooth enough to brush for dust removal, and to place APXS and MAHLI on. ChemCam will also analyze this target with LIBS, and Mastcam will capture a documentation image. The bedrock at this location is representative of an intermediate zone between the large resistant ridges and hollows that comprise the boxwork terrain that we are currently exploring. Mastcam will image the wall of a prominent resistant ridge that we are driving to (“Río Frío”), as well as a narrow, sand-filled trough (“Cusi Cusi”). The remote long-distance imaging capabilities of ChemCam will be used to look at the base of the Mishe Mokwa butte, off to the east. Observations to monitor the atmosphere are also planned before we drive away from this location. They include a Navcam large dust-devil survey and suprahorizon movie, and a Mastcam tau observation to observe dust in the atmosphere. After the touch (and targeted science) part of this touch-and-go plan, the drive (go part) should take us about 36 meters (about 118 feet) to the wall of Río Frío. (see associated image). After the drive, we will document the ground beneath the rover’s wheels with MARDI before some untargeted science. Mastcam will again image Río Frío in early morning light, trying to highlight structures and veins that might be present, and ChemCam will utilize their autonomous targeting capabilities to analyze a bedrock target in our new workspace. Two more atmospheric observations are also squeezed in before we hand over to the next plan: a Navcam cloud-altitude observation and line-of-sight scan. Standard REMS, DAN and RAD activities round out this jam-packed plan. The downlink was well worth the wait! Want to read more posts from the Curiosity team? Visit Mission Updates Want to learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments? Visit the Science Instruments page NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity at the base of Mount Sharp NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Share Details Last Updated Aug 19, 2025 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4631-4633: Radiant Ridge Revolution Article 1 hour ago 2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4629-4630: Feeling Hollow Article 2 days ago 2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4627-4628: A Ridge Stop in the Boxworks Article 5 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… 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

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 2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4631-4633: Radiant Ridge Revolution NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Left Navigation Camera on Aug. 14, 2025 — Sol 4629, or Martian day 4,629 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 12:11:32 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Written by Remington Free, Operations Systems Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 15, 2025 Today we uplinked a three-sol weekend plan with lots of exciting activities — to support both the science and engineering teams! While usually our science activities take front and center stage, we often also do engineering maintenance activities as well to maintain the mechanisms and engineering health state of the rover. On Sol 4631, we planned a maintenance activity of our Battery Control Boards (BCBs) which are electronic control boards attached to the rover’s batteries and are what let us interact with the batteries as needed. This maintenance is done periodically to correct for any time drift on the BCBs, so we get as accurate of data as possible. On this sol, we also did a dump of all of our parameters — these are essentially variables set onboard the rover which serve as inputs to a variety of functions. Occasionally we send a list of all these variables back down to the ground so we can verify they match as expected. We don’t want to have set a value and then forget about it! We, of course, also did science activities on this sol. After completing our engineering activities, we started off with some remote science; this included Mastcam imaging and ChemCam measurements of several interesting targets. These were chosen in order to assess variability within the “Cerro Paranal” ridge within view, and to document any layering or fractures in the rock. We then completed several arm activities in order to get more information on these targets through the use of our APXS spectrometer. On Sol 4632, we planned some remote atmospheric science, including a Navcam dust-devil survey, a Mastcam tau (measurement of the atmospheric opacity), APXS atmospheric observations, and more imaging of some of the ridge targets we looked at in the previous sol. On Sol 4633, we continued with more science imaging, including a horizon movie using Navcam and a dust-devil movie, before proceeding into our drive. We planned a drive of about 19 meters (about 62 feet) to the south, along the eastern edge of Cerro Paranal. After the drive, it is then standard for us to take new imaging of our new location. We’re excited to get these science images back and to hear how the drive went when the team comes back on Monday! Want to read more posts from the Curiosity team? Visit Mission Updates Want to learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments? Visit the Science Instruments page NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity at the base of Mount Sharp NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Share Details Last Updated Aug 19, 2025 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4629-4630: Feeling Hollow Article 2 days ago 2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4627-4628: A Ridge Stop in the Boxworks Article 5 days ago 2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4624-4626: A Busy Weekend at the Boxwork Article 7 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… 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

Explore This Section Science Science Activation Sun at the Center: Teacher… Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science 3 min read Sun at the Center: Teacher Ambassadors Bring Heliophysics to Classrooms Nationwide For the fourth year in a row, the American Association of Physics Teachers, a collaborator on the NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT), selected eight new educators to serve as ambassadors for heliophysics education. Meeting in Boulder, CO, from July 14-17, 2025, these teachers met to work through AAPT’s lessons that bring physics content to life in the context of NASA heliophysics missions and the Framework for Heliophysics Education. The Ambassador program began in 2022 as an effort to identify highly-motivated secondary and tertiary educators who could encourage other educators to integrate NASA content into their teaching. The impact is clear – a handful of Ambassadors in the past few years have joined the program directly as a result of previous educators. New Jersey high school physics and astronomy teacher Erin Bontempo first learned about the program at the spring meeting of the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA). She attended a workshop led by Hava Turkakin and Francesca Viale, 2023 and 2024 Ambassadors and community college faculty. In a 60-minute interactive session, Hava and Francesca shared brief snapshots of four of AAPT’s lessons, connecting heliophysics to topics traditionally taught in core science courses, such as motion, light, and magnetism. Erin was intrigued by the lessons she saw: “When I began teaching astronomy eight years ago, I knew little about space. Ever since, I have been an avid student, constantly reading, researching, and in awe of the current NASA missions. I often look for courses to take to further my knowledge, and I feel like this is a perfect fit. When I attended the NSTA conference session on HEAT, it just clicked. The lessons that they brought using real data are the kind of exposure students need.” Ultimately, Erin was invited to be an Ambassador herself, along with seven other educators, to take part in the summit experience in Boulder. In addition to learning about heliophysics with the AAPT leadership team, the group visited the National Space Weather Prediction Center to hear first-hand how NASA, NOAA, and various federal and international agencies work to understand and respond to our changing Sun. Since the program began, 32 Ambassadors have been identified and participated in the multi-day professional learning experience, followed by a year of leadership and outreach to other educators. Beyond their own classrooms, they have reached educators across 36 local, state, and national events, holding extended workshops with nearly 500 other teachers. In addition to AAPT’s lessons, the AAPT/NASA HEAT Resources webpage also provides the names and states for all ambassadors as well as the schedule and topics for the upcoming ‘Physics in an Astronomy Context’ series of free online mini-workshops being planned for the 2025 Fall semester. NASA HEAT is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/ Linh Ho and Samuel S. Macintire analyze the motion of a coronal mass ejection from the Sun. Share Details Last Updated Aug 19, 2025 Editor NASA Science Editorial Team Related Terms Opportunities For Educators to Get Involved Science Activation The Sun & Solar Physics Explore More 3 min read Portable Planetarium takes Thousands of Alaskan Students on a Cosmic Adventure Article 1 day ago 3 min read NASA Science Activation Teams Unite to Support Neurodiverse Learners with Public Libraries Article 2 weeks ago 4 min read STEM Educators Are Bringing Hands-On NASA Science into Virginia Classrooms Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA James Webb Space Telescope Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the… Perseverance Rover This rover and its aerial sidekick were assigned to study the geology of Mars and seek signs of ancient microbial… Parker Solar Probe On a mission to “touch the Sun,” NASA’s Parker Solar Probe became the first spacecraft to fly through the corona… Juno NASA’s Juno spacecraft entered orbit around Jupiter in 2016, the first explorer to peer below the planet’s dense clouds to… View the full article

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on the ramp at sunrise before ground tests at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, on July 18, 2025. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight and the aircraft is scheduled to make its first flight later this year.Lockheed Martin Corporation As we honor the legacy of aviation pioneers this National Aviation Day, NASA’s X-59 is preparing to push the boundaries of what’s possible in air travel. The quiet supersonic aircraft’s historic first flight is on the horizon, with final ground tests about to begin. Following completion of low-speed taxi tests in July 2025 in Palmdale, California, medium- and high-speed taxi tests mark the final steps before the aircraft takes to the skies for the first time. The taxi tests will focus on how the aircraft handles at higher ground speeds, including braking, steering, stability, and sensor performance. The X-59 team will also assess how well the visibility systems work since the cockpit has no forward-facing window. The X-59’s initial flight will kick off a first phase of flight testing focused on verifying the aircraft’s airworthiness and safety. The X-59 will reach speeds of approximately 240 mph at an altitude of about 12,000 feet. The roughly one-hour flight will depart from Palmdale and land at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. During the flight, the X-59 team will evaluate several critical systems, including engine performance, stabilization, instrumentation, autopilot, control systems, and air data performance. These checks will ensure the aircraft is ready for future flight tests, where it will fly faster and higher to evaluate performance and safety, ultimately leading to future phases of the mission. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight by reducing the loud sonic boom to a quieter “thump.” Proving the X-plane’s airworthiness is the first step on the path to gathering data in support of the mission. The flight data will help inform U.S. and international regulators as they consider new noise standards for supersonic commercial flight over land. NASA test pilot Nils Larson lowers the canopy of the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft during ground tests at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, on July 18, 2025. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight and the aircraft is scheduled to make its first flight later this year.Lockheed Martin Corporation Share Details Last Updated Aug 19, 2025 EditorDede DiniusContactAmber Philman-Blair Related TermsAdvanced Air Vehicles ProgramAeronauticsAeronautics Research Mission DirectorateAmes Research CenterArmstrong Flight Research CenterGlenn Research CenterLangley Research CenterLow Boom Flight DemonstratorQuesst (X-59)Supersonic Flight Explore More 12 min read What is BioNutrients? Article 41 minutes ago 5 min read National Aviation Day: Celebrating NASA’s Heritage While Charting Our Future Article 2 hours ago 5 min read NASA Invites You to Celebrate National Aviation Day 2025 Article 6 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

A series of biology experiments, called BioNutrients, is testing ways to use microorganisms to produce nutrients – off Earth and on demand – that will be critical for human health in space. For the BioNutrients-1 experiment, the specially engineered yeast and its powdered food source are held in the container at the left. Its lid holds a membrane that allows carbon dioxide from the yeast to escape. The clear tube at right protects another filter system leading into the compartment with the microorganisms. To activate the yeast and begin the experiment, astronauts on board the space station will inject water through the filter, making it sterile. The water will dissolve the nutrient powder and the yeast will grow and multiply in this liquid environment, producing an important nutrient for human health.NASA/Dominic Hart Editor’s note: This article was updated on Aug. 19, 2025, to clarify which BioNutrients experiments in the series are completed and adds new information about the upcoming experiment, BioNutrients-3. In the future, NASA’s long-duration human exploration missions to the Moon and Mars will require minimizing the amounts of supplies launched, increasing reuse and recycling, and using local resources to make crucial products for crew during spaceflight. Certain supplies, such as vitamins, have a limited shelf life and are most effective freshly made. To meet these needs, NASA is developing technologies to biomanufacture valuable products on-demand. Sailors might have avoided scurvy if NASA had been around in the age of exploration on the high seas. The condition is caused by a vitamin C deficiency, and many people died from spending months at sea without fresh fruits and vegetables. In the age of exploration into deep space, astronauts, too, will need a way to get the right nutrition. Planning new ways to supply food for a multi-year mission on the Moon or Mars may require making food and nutrients in space. NASA scientists are testing an early version of a potential solution: get microorganisms to produce vital nutrients so that, whenever they’re needed, astronauts can drink them down. The same kind of system designed for space also could help provide nutrition for people in remote areas of our planet. Microbial Nutrient Factories With an experiment called BioNutrients-1 – the first of a series of studies, that was launched to the International Space Station in April 2019 – astronauts aboard the orbiting lab helped test a new system over the course of nearly six years. BioNutrients-1 was developed by scientists at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley using this strategy: take a safe organism already present in our food (in this case, baker’s yeast), modify it so that it produces an essential nutrient, and build the right hardware to let astronauts grow the yeast in space. Like tiny living factories, the microorganisms will go about making the desired product. The nutrients that the yeast will produce in this experiment are called beta carotene and zeaxanthin. These are antioxidants usually found in vegetables, and they’re critical for keeping our eyes healthy. Although astronauts on the space station did not consume anything for the BioNutrients-1 experiment, they conducted multiple rounds of tests on the system. For each test, they added sterile water to a mixture of dehydrated yeast and its powdered food source, mixed well and kept the packets warm for 48 hours. Then, they froze the samples to be analyzed later, back on Earth. NASA scientists checked how the system performed, including how much yeast grew in the packets and how much nutrient the experiment produced. The microorganisms at the heart of the BioNutrients-1 experiment and their powdered food source (shown here) are loaded into the hardware for spaceflight using sterile techniques. Astronauts on the International Space Station will help test the BioNutrients system’s ability to use yeast cells as tiny factories to produce essential nutrients for human health.NASA/Dominic Hart Essential (Nutrients) for Exploration An on-demand nutrient production system like this will be vital for human exploration, because it may not be possible to provide complete nutrition from stored foods during a multi-year mission. What’s more, even with a supply of nutritional supplements, many nutrients have a limited shelf life. Some things, like vitamins, also work better in their fresh form than in a processed tablet. Space station crew members performed tests on different yeast types, periodically, over the course of the BioNutrients-1 experiment. This allowed scientists to check how long their specially engineered yeast stays good on the shelf and able to churn out fresh nutrients that humans will need to stay healthy in space. NASA researchers John Hogan (left) and Kevin Sims (right) at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley apply labels and inspect assembled nutrient production packs prior to the launch of BioNutrients-1 to the International Space Station. The tiny labels require precise alignment: the markings on them will help the crew know if they need to tighten the lid before rehydrating the microorganisms inside, ensuring they grow in sterile conditions.NASA/Dominic Hart The BioNutrients-1 system tested two types of yeast with different “lifestyles” in the nutrient-production packets. One makes spores as part of its lifecycle. Spores are a dormant form of microorganisms that are highly stable and radiation tolerant. The microorganisms must maintain viability when stored for long durations – potentially in the high-radiation deep space environment – so spores are likely the optimal form for storage. Yeast in this form should stay stable for at least five years, thereby providing a reasonable “shelf life” for use during long-term human exploration missions on the Moon or to the surface of Mars. The other yeast species does not form spores; they flew as vegetative – or metabolically active – cells, which are expected to have a shorter shelf life than spores. However, scientists are interested in this type for other reasons. People are widely consuming this same yeast in the form of commercially available probiotic supplements. More yeast species, of this same “active” type, are available to scientists for potential use in future nutrient production systems, so understanding how they work could be important for the research. As an additional part of the BioNutrients-1 investigation, the researchers studied the shelf life of other types of microorganisms – different from the two types of yeast tested in the production packs – to track how well the various organisms function during the planned five-year span in space, and what genetic features allow them to survive for the long haul. Samples of these specially prepared biomanufacturing and probiotic microorganisms were stored on the station and periodically returned to Earth for analysis. As of May 2025, some of the returned samples still show viability beyond five years. Researchers Natalie Ball (left) and Hiromi Kagawa (right) at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley assemble the BioNutrients-1 hardware in preparation for an experiment aboard the International Space Station. Kagawa is attaching a one-way valve that will be connected to a filter. When astronaut crew members inject water into the hardware through this filter, it will be sterilized before rehydrating the experiment’s microorganisms and allowing them to grow.NASA/Dominic Hart BioNutrients-2 The BioNutrients-2 investigation launched to the space station in November 2022. This phase of the study built on early results from BioNutrients-1 and incorporated several new features. The overall goal was to test an on-demand system to produce specific amounts of key nutrients using minimal equipment. BioNutrients-2 broadened the types of microorganism being tested. It used the same two yeast strains used in BioNutrients-1 and added four new types. This includes two microorganisms that produce yogurt, one that produces a fermented milk product known as kefir, and another type of yeast specially prepared to produce follistatin, a protein linked to maintaining muscle mass. The entire range of microorganism types were tested in BioNutrients-2’s new hardware. The system uses lightweight, flexible bags – a form factor comparable to existing crew food products – rather than the rigid containers being tested for BioNutrients-1. This change reduced the mass and the volume of the system, offering advantages for long duration spaceflight when volume and mass are limited. Two experiment runs were performed for each sample type: the first in January 2023, approximately 45-60 days after launch, and the second in May 2023, approximately six months after launch. During each run a crew member aboard the space station retrieved four bags of a given sample type, added water, agitated the bags to mix the contents, and placed the bags in an incubator to promote growth. At the end of the run, the crew removed the bags from the incubator and froze them. The bags were later returned to Earth, still frozen, for analysis. View of the BioNutrients-3 packs containing growth media, engineered yeast, and water. These include a color-changing indicator that naturally occurs in red cabbage and allows a way to visually track fermentation progress. As the yogurt and kefir cultures ferment, the level of acid rises and the color seen in the mix changes from purple to pink. Here, a bag containing a purple-colored mix (left) is seen before growth, Another bag shows the pink colored mix after growth (right.) The board behind the bags provides a reference for the starting and ending colors.NASA/ Brandon Torres BioNutrients-3 The BioNutrients-3 investigation is planned to launch to the space station in August 2025 aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-33 mission. This experiment builds on results from the BioNutrients-1 and BioNutrients-2 investigations and incorporates new food safety features. This project aims to develop a platform biomanufacturing technology that demonstrates microbial production of targeted nutrients for long-duration space missions. The concept is similar to making familiar fermented foods, such as how milk – transformed by bacteria – becomes yogurt. But in this case, there is a focus on the production of very specific quantities and qualities of nutritious products using substantially less time and infrastructure than traditional crop-based production methods. BioNutrients-3 uses production bags similar to BioNutrients-2, but larger in size to accommodate an increased sample volume needed for food safety testing. This study includes the same commercial yogurt and kefir starters used in BioNutrients-2 and adds yeast strains that have been bioengineered to produce multiple nutrients in a single bag. Additionally, for BioNutrients-3, the growth substrate – the ingredients needed to sustain the microorganisms as they grow, including a color-changing indicator of the level of acidity in yogurt and kefir samples – is fully edible. Although crew will not be consuming BioNutrients-3 samples, eventually such products may be consumed by crew in future investigations. This color-changing indicator of acidity naturally occurs in red cabbage. The indicator allows a way to visually track fermentation progress. As the yogurt and kefir cultures ferment, the level of acid rises, and the color seen in the mix changes from purple to pink. As in previous BioNutrients experiments, station crew will add water to each production bag and agitate the bags to mix the contents. Crew will visually compare yogurt and kefir samples to a color reference scale before placing the bags into an incubator. Depending on the sample type, the incubation duration ranges from six to 48 hours with intermediate visual inspections and/or agitation time points. After crew remove the bags from the incubator, they will perform additional steps on some of the samples including pasteurization to kill microorganisms in the sample using the space station galley’s food warmer and a demonstration of the feasibility of using a NASA sensor called “electronic nose” – E-Nose, for short. The sensor simulates an ultra-sensitive nose and can be used to detect pathogens. Additionally, crew will test a technique for culturing yogurt by using a bit of yogurt from a finished bag to seed a new batch, much like maintaining a sourdough bread starter. After conclusion of operations, all samples will be frozen and returned to Earth for analysis. Making Molecules and Medicines in Remote Places This technology NASA is developing for future astronauts could also be used by people living in remote areas on Earth today. Results from the study will tell NASA scientists a lot about how to produce other molecules that will be critical for human health in space, including medicines for treating various ailments. Promising research is under way now to use microbes in a range of space applications. By developing microorganisms that can withstand long periods of inactivity and be revived successfully, BioNutrients is taking steps toward making that future a reality. Milestones:​ BioNutrients-1​ April 2019 – The BioNutrients-1 experiment launched to the space station aboard NASA’s Northrop Grumman 11th commercial resupply services (CRS-11) mission June 2019 – BioNutrients-1 samples returned to Earth aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-17 mission.  June 2019 – The first experiment run of BioNutrients-1 packs in space was completed by Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques. August 2019 – BioNutrients-1 samples returned to Earth aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-18 mission. January 2020 – BioNutrients-1 samples returned to Earth aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-19 mission. January 2020 – The second experiment run of BioNutrients-1 packs in space was completed by NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan. April 2020 – BioNutrients-1 samples returned to Earth aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-20 mission. January 2021 – BioNutrients-1 samples returned to Earth aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-21 mission. January 2021 – The third experiment run of BioNutrients-1 packs in space was completed by NASA astronaut Shannon Walker. July 2021 – BioNutrients-1 samples returned to Earth aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-22 mission. January 2022 – BioNutrients-1 samples returned to Earth aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-24 mission. February 2022 – The fourth experiment run of BioNutrients-1 packs in space was completed by NASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn. August 2022 – BioNutrients-1 samples returned to Earth aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-25 mission. January 2023 – The fifth experiment run of BioNutrients-1 packs in space was completed by JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata. January 2023 – BioNutrients-1 samples returned to Earth aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-26 mission. March 2023 – BioNutrients-1 samples returned to Earth aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission. June 2023 – BioNutrients-1 samples returned to Earth aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-28 mission. December 2023 – BioNutrients-1 samples returned to Earth aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-29 mission. January 2024 – The sixth experiment run of BioNutrients-1 packs in space was completed by JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa. February 2025 – The seventh experiment run of BioNutrients-1 packs in space was completed by NASA astronaut Suni Williams. BioNutrients-2 November 2022 – The BioNutrients-2 experiment launched to the station aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-26 mission. January 2023 – The first experiment run of BioNutrients-2 was completed by NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, Josh Cassada, and Frank Rubio. January 2023 – BioNutrients-2 samples returned to Earth aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-26 mission. April 2023 – BioNutrients-2 samples returned to Earth aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-27 mission. May 2023 – The second experiment run of BioNutrients-2 was completed by NASA astronaut Warren Hoburg and UAE astronaut Sultan Alneyadi. June 2023 – BioNutrients-2 samples returned to Earth aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-28 mission. Partners: BioNutrients was developed by NASA Ames. The Game Changing Development program within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate manages the project, which is part of a larger synthetic biology portfolio. Additional support is provided by Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate as part of Exploration Capabilities. The project was previously funded by NASA’s Advanced Exploration Systems program within the Human Exploration Operations Mission Directorate. Learn more: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 Mission Gears Up for Space Station Research (NASA story, July 2025) NASA Continues BioNutrients Space-Fermented Food Research (NASA featured image, March 2025) BioNutrients: A Five-Year Experiment in Space Nears Completion (NASA story, January 2024) JAXA Astronaut Koichi Wakata Performs BioNutrients-1 Run 5 (NASA Image Library, January 2023) Astronaut Josh Cassada works on the BioNutrients-2 investigation (NASA featured image, January 2023) Astronaut Nicole Mann works on the BioNutrients-2 investigation (NASA featured image, January 2023) Cutting-edge Experiments Ride SpaceX’s 26th CRS Mission to Space Station (NASA story, November 2022) A Fresh Take: NASA BioNutrients for Future Artemis Missions (NASA featured image, March 2022) NASA Astronaut Shannon Walker Performs BioNutrients-1 Run 3 (NASA Image Library, January 2021) A Space Traveler’s Recipe for Sweet Potato Pie? (NASA featured image, November 2019) For researchers: BioNutrients-1 – International Space Station technical mission page BioNutrients-1 – Technical experiment page, NASA Ames Space Biosciences division BioNutrients-2 – International Space Station technical mission page BioNutrients-3 – International Space Station technical mission page Space Synthetic Biology (SynBio) project, technical page For news media: Members of the news media interested in covering this topic should reach out to the NASA Ames newsroom. View the full article

NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 Post-Flight News Conference

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s Psyche captured images of Earth and our Moon from about 180 million miles (290 kilometers) away in July 2025, as it calibrated its imager instrument. When choosing targets for the imager testing, scientists look for bodies that shine with reflected sunlight, just as the asteroid Psyche does.NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU Headed for a metal-rich asteroid of the same name, the Psyche spacecraft successfully calibrated its cameras by looking homeward. On schedule for its 2029 arrival at the asteroid Psyche, NASA’s Psyche spacecraft recently looked back toward home and captured images of Earth and our Moon from about 180 million miles (290 million kilometers) away. The images were obtained during one of the mission team’s periodic checkouts of the spacecraft’s science instruments. On July 20 and July 23, the spacecraft’s twin cameras captured multiple long-exposure (up to 10-second) pictures of the two bodies, which appear as dots sparkling with reflected sunlight amid a starfield in the constellation Aries. Learn more about the multispectral imager aboard Psyche that will use a pair of identical cameras with filters and telescopic lenses to photograph the surface of the asteroid in different wavelengths of light. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU The Psyche multispectral imager instrument comprises a pair of identical cameras equipped with filters and telescopic lenses to photograph the asteroid Psyche’s surface in different wavelengths of light. The color and shape of a planetary body’s spectrum can reveal details about what it’s made of. The Moon and the giant asteroid Vesta, for example, have similar kinds of “bumps and wiggles” in their spectra that scientists could potentially also detect at Psyche. Members of the mission’s science team are interested in Psyche because it will help them better understand the formation of rocky planets with metallic cores, including Earth. When choosing targets for the imager testing and calibration, scientists look for bodies that shine with reflected sunlight, just as the asteroid Psyche does. They also look at objects that have a spectrum they’re familiar with, so they can compare previous telescopic or spacecraft data from those objects with what Psyche’s instruments observe. Earlier this year, Psyche turned its lenses toward Jupiter and Mars for calibration — each has a spectrum more reddish than the bluer tones of Earth. That checkout also proved a success. The Psyche spacecraft is taking a spiral path around the solar system in order to get a boost from a Mars gravity assist in 2026. It will arrive at the asteroid Psyche in 2029. NASA/JPL-Caltech To determine whether the imager’s performance is changing, scientists also compare data from the different tests. That way, when the spacecraft slips into orbit around Psyche, scientists can be sure that the instrument behaves as expected. “After this, we may look at Saturn or Vesta to help us continue to test the imagers,” said Jim Bell, the Psyche imager instrument lead at Arizona State University in Tempe. “We’re sort of collecting solar system ‘trading cards’ from these different bodies and running them through our calibration pipeline to make sure we’re getting the right answers.” Strong and Sturdy The imager wasn’t the only instrument that got a successful checkout in late July: The mission team also put the spacecraft’s magnetometer and the gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer through a gamut of tests — something they do every six months. “We are up and running, and everything is working well,” said Bob Mase, the mission’s project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “We’re on target to fly by Mars in May 2026, and we are accomplishing all of our planned activities for cruise.” That flyby is the spacecraft’s next big milestone, when it will use the Red Planet’s gravity as a slingshot to help the spacecraft get to the asteroid Psyche. That will mark Psyche’s first of two planned loops around the solar system and 1 billion miles (1.6 billion kilometers) since launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in October 2023. More About Psyche The Psyche mission is led by ASU. Lindy Elkins-Tanton of the University of California, Berkeley is the principal investigator.A division of Caltech in Pasadena, JPL is responsible for the mission’s overall management, system engineering, integration and test, and mission operations. Maxar Technologies in Palo Alto, California, provided the high-power solar electric propulsion spacecraft chassis. ASU leads the operations of the imager instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego on the design, fabrication, and testing of the cameras. Psyche is the 14th mission selected as part of NASA’s Discovery Program, managed by the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, managed the launch service. For more information about NASA’s Psyche mission go to: http://www.science.nasa.gov/mission/psyche Check out the Psyche spacecraft’s trajectory in 3D News Media Contacts Gretchen McCartney Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-287-4115 gretchen.p.mccartney@jpl.nasa.gov Karen Fox / Molly Wasser NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov 2025-106 Share Details Last Updated Aug 19, 2025 Related TermsPsyche MissionAsteroidsJet Propulsion LaboratoryThe Solar System Explore More 3 min read Summer Triangle Corner: Altair Altair is the last stop on our trip around the Summer Triangle! The last star… Article 4 days ago 5 min read NASA’s Apollo Samples, LRO Help Scientists Forecast Moonquakes Moonquakes pose little risk to astronauts during a mission lasting just a few days. But… Article 5 days ago 4 min read US-French SWOT Satellite Measures Tsunami After Massive Quake Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

NASA The Moon’s light is refracted by Earth’s atmosphere in this April 13, 2025, photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited into a sunset 264 miles above the border between Bolivia and Brazil in South America. Understanding the Moon helps us understand other planets, how they have evolved and the processes which have shaped their surfaces. It also helps us understand the influence the Moon has had on Earth, the record of the ancient Sun, and it serves as a platform to study the rest of the universe. By using the Moon as our closest testing ground for robotics and instrument systems, we can further human exploration to not only the Moon, but the rest of the solar system. Through Artemis missions, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. Image credit: NASA View the full article

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California during sunrise, shortly after completion of painting in December 2023.Credit: NASA/Steve Freeman As we observe National Aviation Day Tuesday – a tribute to Orville Wright’s birthday – let’s reflect on both America’s and NASA’s aviation heritage and share how we are pushing the boundaries of flight for the nation’s future. Modern NASA grew from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), an agency created by Congress in 1915 to advance U.S. aviation. When President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, NACA was dissolved and its people, laboratories and research programs became the foundation of NASA. These intrepid men and women are the cornerstone of the world’s most capable aerospace industry and their legacy lives on today across all facets of the agency. The most significant aviation milestones in the twentieth century were achieved through both NASA and NACA research and through the courage of pioneering test pilots. In 1947, the joint NACA/U.S. Army Air Forces (later the U.S. Air Force, or USAF) developed Bell X‑1 flew faster than the speed of sound, shattering the mythical “sound barrier.” This breakthrough, enabled by NACA wind-tunnel data and high-speed aerodynamic expertise, made supersonic flight a reality and led directly to NACA Test Pilot Scott Crossfield being the first human to reach Mach 2, twice the speed of sound, in the Douglass DD558-II a mere six years later. During the X‑15 program of the 1960s, legendary NASA Test Pilots Joe Walker, John McKay, Neil Armstrong, Milt Thompson, and Bill Dana piloted nearly half of the program’s sorties and flew the rocket-powered research plane at altitudes up to 354,200 feet and speeds of 4,520 mph (Mach 6.7). The NASA/USAF-developed North American X‑15 became the world’s first reusable hypersonic aerospace vehicle, reaching space (above 50 miles altitude) on 11 separate missions; it provided essential data on materials, flight control and pilot physiology that helped shape the agency’s Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. These milestones remind us that our nation’s accomplishments are the result of visionary NASA, Department of Defense, industry engineers, and test pilots working together to achieve audacious goals. NASA’s commitment to aviation innovation did not stop with early experimental high-speed aircraft. In the 1990s, the U.S. general aviation industry faced a steep decline – production fell from 18,000 aircraft in 1978 to fewer than 1,000 in 1993. NASA saw an opportunity: we envisioned a Small Aircraft Transportation System in which safe, efficient general aviation planes could revitalize a critical industry. To enable that vision, NASA partnered with the Federal Aviation Administration, industry, universities, and non‑profits to create the Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE) consortium in 1994. The AGATE consortium developed safer cockpit displays, crashworthiness improvements, efficient airfoils, and modern manufacturing techniques. These innovations transformed U.S. general aviation, helping spawn industry successes like the Cirrus SR20 and SR22 family of aircraft, which incorporate NASA-derived composite structures and safety features. In 2004, NASA’s unmanned X‑43A Hyper-X broke world speed records for air‑breathing aircraft, flying at Mach 6.8 and later Mach 9.6. Those flights demonstrated practical scramjet propulsion and proved that hypersonic cruise flight is achievable. Today, we are building on this legacy and pushing the envelope with the X-59. Later this year, NASA Test Pilot Nils Larson will usher in a new era of quiet supersonic flight when he pilots the X‑59 Quesst’s first flight out of NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The experimental aircraft, designed to fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound while producing only a gentle sonic “thump” instead of the traditional loud sonic boom, will provide data vital to achieving the vision in President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order “Leading the World in Supersonic Flight.” Hypersonics research is another pillar to our 21st‑century vision. Lessons from the X‑15, X‑43, and Space Shuttle inform our study of high-temperature materials, flight controls and propulsion. These technologies will not only bolster national security but will also spur the development of ultrafast civil transports, shrinking the world even further. We are also investing in 21st century propulsion, additive manufacturing, and autonomy for light aircraft while also developing advanced air traffic control systems. Partnering with U.S. aerospace industry and the FAA, we will bring true 21st century technology into light general aviation aircraft, ensuring America remains at the forefront of aviation innovation. I am continually inspired by the ingenuity of our past and the promise of our future. Our roots in NACA remind us that a small group of dedicated men and women can change the world. From the Wright brothers’ pioneering work to the supersonic and hypersonic records set by NASA pilots and vehicles, we have consistently expanded the boundaries of what is possible in flight. Looking ahead, our pursuit of quiet supersonic aircraft, hypersonic technologies, and revitalized general aviation will keep the U.S. aviation industry strong and sustainable for decades to come. On National Aviation Day, we celebrate not only our history but also the teamwork and vision that will carry us into the next century of flight. Higher, Farther, Faster! Todd C. Ericson is a senior advisor to the NASA administrator for aerospace research and development Share Details Last Updated Aug 19, 2025 EditorJennifer M. Dooren Related TermsAeronauticsFlight InnovationNASA AircraftSupersonic Flight View the full article

A collaboration between NASA and the small business Aloft Sensing produced a new compact radar system that will enable researchers to leverage High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) platforms to observe dynamic Earth systems. This new radar is small, provides highly sensitive measurements, and doesn’t require GPS for positioning; eventually, it could be used on vehicles in space. HALE InSAR flies aboard a high-altitude balloon during a test-flight. This lightweight instrument will help researchers measure ground deformation and dynamic Earth systems. Credit: Aloft Sensing Long before a volcano erupts or a mountainous snowpack disappears, millimeter-scale changes in Earth’s surface indicate larger geologic processes are at work. But detecting those minute changes, which can serve as early warnings for impending disasters, is difficult. With support from NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO ) a team of researchers from the small aerospace company Aloft Sensing is developing a compact radar instrument for observing Earth’s surface deformation, topography, and vegetation with unprecedented precision. Their project, “HALE InSAR,” has demonstrated the feasibility of using high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) vehicles equipped with Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) to observe changes in surface deformation mere millimeters in size and terrain information with centimetric vertical accuracy. “It’s a level of sensitivity that has eluded traditional radar sensors, without making them bulky and expensive,” said Lauren Wye, CEO of Aloft Sensing and principal investigator for HALE InSAR. HALE vehicles are lightweight aircraft designed to stay airborne for extended periods of time, from weeks to months and even years. These vehicles can revisit a scene multiple times an hour, making them ideal for locating subtle changes in an area’s geologic environment. InSAR, a remote sensing technique that compares multiple images of the same scene to detect changes in surface topography or determine structure, is also uniquely well-suited to locate these clues. But traditional InSAR instruments are typically too large to fly aboard HALE vehicles. HALE InSAR is different. The instrument is compact enough for a variety of HALE vehicles, weighing less than 15 pounds (seven kilograms) and consuming fewer than 300 watts of power, about as much energy as it takes to power an electric bike. HALE InSAR leverages previously-funded NASA technologies to make such detailed measurements from a small platform: a novel electronically steered antenna and advanced positioning algorithms embedded within an agile software-defined transceiver. These technologies were developed under ESTO’s Instrument Incubation Program (IIP) and Decadal Survey Incubation (DSI) Program, respectively. “All of the design features that we’ve built into the instrument are starting to showcase themselves and highlight why this payload in particular is distinct from what other small radars might be looking to achieve,” said Wye. One of those features is a flat phased array antenna, which gives users the ability to focus HALE InSAR’s radar beam without physically moving the instrument. Using a panel about the size of a tablet computer, operators can steer the beam electronically, eliminating the need for gimbles and other heavy components, which helps enable the instrument’s reduced size and weight. A close up HALE InSAR fixed to a high-altitude airship. The flat planar antenna reduces the instruments mass and eliminates the need for gimbles and other heavy components. Credit: Aloft Sensing “SAR needs to look to the side. Our instrument can be mounted straight down, but look left and right on every other pulse such that we’re collecting a left-looking SAR image and a right-looking SAR image essentially simultaneously. It opens up opportunities for the most mass-constrained types of stratospheric vehicles,” said Wye. Using advanced positioning algorithms, HALE InSAR also has the unique ability to locate itself without GPS, relying instead on feedback from its own radar signals to determine its position even more accurately. Brian Pollard, Chief Engineer at Aloft Sensing and co-investigator for HALE InSAR, explained that precise positioning is essential for creating high-resolution data about surface deformation and topography. “SAR is like a long exposure camera, except with radio waves. Your exposure time could be a minute or two long, so you can imagine how much smearing goes on if you don’t know exactly where the radar is,” said Pollard. Navigating without GPS also makes HALE InSAR ideal for field missions in austere environments where reliable GPS signals may be unavailable, increasing the instrument’s utility for national security applications and science missions in remote locations. The Aloft Sensing team recently achieved several key milestones, validating their instrument aboard an airship at 65,000 feet as well as small stratospheric balloons. Next, they’ll test HALE InSAR aboard a fixed wing HALE aircraft. A future version of their instrument could even find its way into low Earth orbit on a small satellite. Wye credits NASA support for helping her company turn a prototype into a proven instrument. “This technology has been critically enabled by ESTO, and the benefit to science and civil applications is huge,” said Wye. “It also exemplifies the dual-use potential enabled by NASA-funded research. We are seeing significant military interest in this capability now that it is reaching maturity. As a small business, we need this hand-in-hand approach to be able to succeed.” For more information about opportunities to work with NASA to develop new Earth observation technologies, visit esto.nasa.gov. For additional details, see the entry for this project on NASA TechPort. Project Lead: Dr. Lauren Wye, CEO, Aloft Sensing Sponsoring Organization: NASA’s Instrument Incubation Program (IIP) Share Details Last Updated Aug 19, 2025 Related Terms Earth Science Division Earth Science Technology Office Science-enabling Technology Technology Highlights Explore More 1 min read Snapshot Wisconsin Celebrates 10 Years and 100 Million Photos Collected! The Snapshot Wisconsin project recently collected their 100 millionth trail camera photo! 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5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) This National Aviation Day graphic shows Orville Wright surrounded by the faces of some of NASA’s aeronautical innovators.NASA / Maria Werries The first “A” in NASA stands for Aeronautics – so naturally that means today, Aug. 19, National Aviation Day, is one of our favorite days all year! National Aviation Day was first proclaimed in 1939 by President Franklin Roosevelt to celebrate the birthday of aviation pioneer Orville Wright, who, with his brother Wilbur, in 1903, were the first humans to achieve powered flight. Each year since the President first marked the occasion, sky-faring Americans have come together on this date in an annual celebration of flight – a time to revel in spreading our wings and slipping the surly bonds of Earth. All of us at NASA share in that celebration. We love everything about flight, whether it’s into space or within Earth’s atmosphere. Our aeronautical innovators are dedicated to improving the design of airplanes to carry on pioneering new technologies in high-speed flight, airframes and propulsion methods, aerospace engineering modelling, and automating airspace and safety management. Our heritage in aviation research goes back more than 100 years. We’ve helped air travel become a safe, efficient, reliable form of transportation. If you’re heading to an airport, keep an eye out for these NASA-developed aviation technologies you might see on your flight: WINGLETSNASA studies led to development of vertical extensions that can be attached to wing tips in order to reduce aerodynamic drag without having to increase wingspan. Winglets help increase an airplane’s range, decrease fuel use, and today can be seen on airplanes everywhere.NASA CHEVRON NOZZLESWorking with its industry partners, NASA researchers determined an effective way to reduce noise levels on the ground and in the passenger cabin was to add saw tooth-shaped cut outs, or chevrons, to structures such as exhaust nozzles and cowlings of jet engines.NASA / The Boeing Company GLASS COCKPITS NASA created and tested the concept of replacing dial and gauge instruments with flat panel digital displays. The displays present information more efficiently and provide the flight crew with a more easily understood picture of the aircraft’s health and position.NASA Langley / Sean Smith How Will You Celebrate? How else can you celebrate National Aviation Day? Here are seven ideas: Visit your local science museum or NASA visitor center Explore your local science center for exhibits about aviation and how an airplane flies. And if you live within a short drive from Norfolk, Virginia; Cleveland, or San Francisco, you might consider checking out the visitor centers associated with NASA’s Langley Research Center, Glenn Research Center, or Ames Research Center, respectively. These major NASA field centers play host to the majority of NASA’s aeronautics research. (NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, the fourth of NASA’s aeronautics centers, is located within the restricted area of Edwards Air Force Base in California so they do not have a public visitor’s center.) Watch an aviation-themed movie There’s no shortage of classic aviation-themed movies available to watch in any format (streaming, DVD, cinema, library rentals, etc.), and with any snacks (popcorn, nachos, gummies, etc.). We dare not attempt a comprehensive list, but a good place to start is our documentary “X-59: NASA’s “Quesst” for Quiet Supersonic Flight” available to stream on NASA+. Build an airplane Why not? It doesn’t have to be big enough to actually fly in – plastic model kits of the world’s most historic aircraft can be just as rewarding and just as educational, especially for kids who might be thinking about a career as an engineer or technician. In fact, many astronauts will tell you their love of aviation and space began with putting models together as a child. Another idea: Grab some LEGO bricks and build the airplane of your dreams. Or make it easy on yourself, fold a paper airplane and shoot it across the room. Take an introductory flight lesson Pilots will tell you there is a wonderful sense of freedom in flying, not to mention the incredible views and the personal sense of accomplishment. At the same time, being a pilot is not for everyone, but you won’t know unless you try! Many general aviation airports in the nation have a flight school that may offer an introductory flight lesson at a discounted price. And if you want a taste of flight without leaving the ground, computer desktop flight simulators such as Microsoft Flight Simulator or X-Plane are popular choices and can get you into the virtual sky in short order. Visit your local library or download a NASA e-book Aviation-themed books, whether fact or fiction, are all over the shelves of your local library – literally. That’s because there’s no single Dewey Decimal number for aviation. A book about aviation history will be in a different section of the library than a book about how to design an airplane. And creative nonfiction books such as the Mark Vanhoenacker’s “Skyfaring,” or autobiographies such as Eileen Collins’ “Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars,” are off on yet another shelf. Don’t hesitate to ask your librarian for help. And when you get back from the library, or while still there, jump online and check out the NASA e-books you can download and own for free. Have a plane spotting picnic near an airport At Washington’s National Airport, it’s Gravelly Point. In Tampa, Florida it’s International Mall. If you live near a major international airport, chances are you know the best place where the locals can go to watch aircraft take off and land up close. Be sure to take heed of any security restrictions about where you can and can’t go. But once you have your spot picked out, then load up your picnic basket and camp out for an evening of plane spotting. See how many different types of airplanes you can count or identify. Follow what we’re doing to transform aviation NASA’s aeronautical innovators are working to transform air transportation to meet the future needs of the global aviation community. Sounds like a big job, right? It is and there are many ways in which NASA is doing this. Improving an airplane’s aerodynamics, making airplanes more efficient and quieter, working with the Federal Aviation Administration to improve air traffic control – the list could go on for many thousands of more words. Bookmark our NASA Aeronautics topic page and follow us on social media @NASAaero. So remember this National Aviation Day, NASA is with you when you fly! About the AuthorJohn GouldAeronautics Research Mission DirectorateJohn Gould is a member of NASA Aeronautics' Strategic Communications team at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. He is dedicated to public service and NASA’s leading role in scientific exploration. Prior to working for NASA Aeronautics, he was a spaceflight historian and writer, having a lifelong passion for space and aviation. Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Linkedin logo @NASA Explore More 4 min read NASA Tests Research Aircraft to Improve Air Taxi Flight Controls Article 5 days ago 3 min read NASA Uses Wind Tunnel to Test Advanced Air Mobility Aircraft Wing Article 2 weeks ago 3 min read NASA Drop Test Supports Safer Air Taxi Design and Certification Article 3 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Artemis Aeronautics STEM Explore NASA’s History Share Details Last Updated Aug 19, 2025 Related TermsAeronauticsAeronautics Research Mission Directorate View the full article

If you asked someone what they expected to see during a visit to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, they would probably list things like astronauts, engineers, and maybe a spacecraft or two. It might be a surprise to learn you can also spy hundreds of species of animals – from geckos and snakes to white-tailed deer and red-tailed hawks. Ensuring those species and Johnson’s workforce can safely coexist is the main job of Matt Strausser, Johnson’s senior biologist for wildlife management. Strausser works to reduce the negative impacts animals can have on Johnson’s operations as well as the negative impact humans might have on native wildlife and their habitats. NASA’s Johnson Space Center Senior Biologist Matt Strausser leads a nature hike to Johnson staff that detailed the native plant species and wildlife onsite, invasive species, and mitigation efforts.NASA/Lauren Harnett Strausser joined NASA in 2012, fresh out of graduate school, when he was hired on a six-month contract to write Johnson’s first Wildlife Management Plan. “My contract was extended a couple of times until I became a regular part of the facilities service contract, which is where I still am today,” he said. Strausser remembers being interested in natural resources from a young age. “I spent a lot of my childhood poring through copies of National Geographic, hiking, and camping,” he said. When it was time for college, Strausser decided to study biology and natural resource management. He spent his summers in jobs or internships that mostly involved endangered wildlife species, including Attwater’s prairie chickens, which are bred at Johnson through a partnership with the Houston Zoo. Strausser noted that he conducted research across the country while he was a student, and even studied fish for a short time in the South Pacific. “After all of those adventures in faraway places, I find it ironic that I ended up about 20 miles from where I grew up,” he said. “Once I got onsite, it did not take me long to find that this property has great remnant native plant communities, a fascinating land use history, and some unique natural resource challenges that come from the work done here. Those factors really drew me in and helped motivate me to build a career at Johnson.” Matthew Strausser received a Silver Snoopy Award through NASA’s Space Flight Awareness Program in 2018, in recognition of his efforts to prevent and mitigate ant-inflicted damage to critical infrastructure electrical systems. From left: NASA astronaut Reid Weissman, Strausser, Strausser’s wife Kayla, NASA Acting Associate Administrator Vanessa Wyche. NASA Strausser’s work involves a variety of activities. First, he gathers data about Johnson’s wildlife populations and their habitats. “I use population counts, conflict records, satellite and aerial imagery, nest surveys, outside reports, and even historical data to get an understanding of what’s on the landscape and what problems we have to tackle,” he said. With that information, Strausser works to engage project and facility managers and provide recommendations on how to prevent or reduce the impact of wildlife problems onsite. Strausser works with Johnson’s facilities maintenance group to modify buildings to keep animals on the outside, and he gets support from the Johnson veterinarian on animal health issues. He also works closely with Johnson’s pest control and groundskeeping contracts, as their work is often adjacent to wildlife management. He supports the safety team, as well. “Our security contractors are a great resource for reporting wildlife issues as well as helping address them,” Strausser said, adding that some of Johnson’s safety groups “have been really helpful at getting the word out about how to stay safe around our wildlife” in coordination with the center’s internal communications team. His team also responds to wildlife conflict calls, which often involve capturing and relocating animals that have wandered into areas where they pose a risk to people or operations. Additionally, Strausser runs the facilities contract’s small unmanned aircraft system, which uses drones to conduct facility inspections, support hurricane response, and survey on-site wildlife. An on-site wildlife snapshot captured by the Johnson Space Center facilities contract’s small unmanned aircraft system. NASA The nature of his work has instilled in Strausser an appreciation for teamwork and collaboration among colleagues with distinct experiences. Each of the projects he works on involves team members from different organizations and contracts, and most of them do not have a background in biology. “Building a wildlife and natural resource program from the ground up and bringing all of these once-disconnected and diverse professionals together to effectively address problems – that is the achievement I take the most pride in,” he said. Strausser observed that accomplishing the goals of the agency’s Artemis campaign will require a tremendous amount of specialized support infrastructure, and that developing and running that infrastructure will require a wide variety of professionals. “It is going to require students and specialists with all different types of backgrounds, passions, and talents.” Overall, Strausser said he has a very dynamic job. “Wildlife issues tend to be very seasonal, so throughout the year, the types of issues I am addressing change,” he said. “On top of that, there are always new projects, problems, and questions out there that keep the work fresh and challenging.” He has learned the value of being open to new challenges and learning new skills. “Being adaptable can be just as important as mastery in a specific field,” he said. An on-site wildlife snapshot captured by the Johnson Space Center facilities contract’s small unmanned aircraft system. NASA A Texas Longhorn relaxes onsite at Johnson Space Center, with Space Center Houston in the background.NASA Deer are plentiful on the Johnson Space Center campus.NASA A hawk perches in a tree at Johnson Space Center.NASA Attwater’s prairie chickens are bred at Johnson Space Center through a partnership with the Houston Zoo.NASA Explore More 7 min read Station Nation: Meet Tess Caswell, Extravehicular Activity Flight Controller and Lead Capsule Communicator Article 2 hours ago 3 min read Human Rating and NASA-STD-3001 Article 3 days ago 2 min read Juliana Barajas: Supporting NASA’s Mission, One Task at a Time Article 1 week ago View the full article

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, April 21, 2025, on the company’s 32nd commercial resupply services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 4:15 a.m. EDT. SpaceX NASA and SpaceX are targeting 2:45 a.m. EDT, Sunday, Aug. 24, for the next launch to deliver science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. This is the 33rd SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory for NASA. Filled with more than 5,000 pounds of supplies, a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket will lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Dragon will dock autonomously about 7:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 25, to the forward port of the space station’s Harmony module. Watch agency launch and arrival coverage on NASA+, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and more. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media. In addition to food, supplies, and equipment for the crew, Dragon will deliver several experiments, including bone-forming stem cells for studying bone loss prevention and materials to 3D print medical implants that could advance treatments for nerve damage on Earth. Dragon also will deliver bioprinted liver tissue to study blood vessel development in microgravity and supplies to 3D print metal cubes in space. Research conducted aboard the space station advances future space exploration – including Artemis missions to the Moon and astronaut missions Mars – and provides multiple benefits to humanity. In addition, Dragon will perform a reboost demonstration of station to maintain its current altitude. The hardware, located in the trunk of Dragon, contains an independent propellant system separate from the spacecraft to fuel two Draco engines using existing hardware and propellant system design. The boost kit will demonstrate the capability to help sustain the orbiting lab’s altitude starting in September with a series of burns planned periodically throughout the fall of 2025. During NASA’s SpaceX 31st commercial resupply services mission, the Dragon spacecraft performed its first demonstration of these capabilities on Nov. 8, 2024. The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until December when it will depart and return to Earth with research and cargo, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. NASA’s mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations): Tuesday, Aug. 19: 1 p.m. – International Space Station National Laboratory Science Webinar with the following participants: Heidi Parris, associate program scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program Research Office Michael Roberts, chief scientific officer, International Space Station National Laboratory James Yoo, assistant director, Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine Tony James, chief architect for science and space, Red Hat Abba Zubair, medical director and scientist, Mayo Clinic Arun Sharma, director, Center for Space Medicine Research, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Media who wish to participate must register for Zoom access no later than one hour before the start of the webinar. The conference will stream live on the International Space Station National Lab’s website. Friday, Aug. 22: 11:30 a.m. – Prelaunch media teleconference with the following participants: Bill Spetch, operations integration manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program Heidi Parris, associate program scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program Research Office Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX Media who wish to participate by phone must request dial-in information by 10 a.m. Aug. 22, by emailing NASA Kennedy Space Center’s newsroom at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov. Audio of the media teleconference will stream live on the agency’s YouTube channel. Sunday, Aug. 24 2:25 a.m. – Launch coverage begins on NASA+, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. 2:45 a.m. – Launch Monday, Aug. 25: 6 a.m. – Arrival coverage begins on NASA+, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. 7:30 a.m. – Docking NASA website launch coverage Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 2:25 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 24, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video on NASA+ and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the NASA Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our International Space Station blog for updates. Attend Launch Virtually Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following launch. Watch, Engage on Social Media Let people know you’re watching the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by following and tagging these accounts: X: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_CASIS Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab Coverage en Espanol Did you know NASA has a Spanish section called NASA en Espanol? Check out NASA en Espanol on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for additional mission coverage. Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo o Messod Bendayan a: antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov o messod.c.bendayan@nasa.gov. Learn more about the mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/nasas-spacex-crs-33/ -end- Joshua Finch Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov Steven Siceloff Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-876-2468 steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewskI@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 18, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsSpaceX Commercial ResupplyCommercial ResupplyInternational Space Station (ISS)Johnson Space CenterKennedy Space CenterNASA Headquarters View the full article

Tess Caswell supports the International Space Station from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston as a capsule communicator, or capcom, as well as through the Extravehicular Activity Office. She is currently on rotation as the Artemis lead capcom, helping to develop training and processes for the Artemis campaign by leveraging her experience supporting the space station. She helps ensure that astronauts aboard the spacecraft receive the right information at the right time. This role involves a range of activities, from learning the language of the spacecraft and its onboard operations to participating in simulations to relay critical information to the crew, especially during dynamic operations or when things go wrong. Read on to learn more about Tess! Tess Caswell serves as lead capsule communicator, or capcom, in the Mission Control Center in Houston for the arrival of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 to the International Space Station. NASA/Robert Markowitz Where are you from? Soldotna, Alaska. How would you describe your job to family or friends that may not be familiar with NASA? Capcoms are the people who speak to the astronauts on behalf of Mission Control, and I am the lead for the team of capcoms who will support missions to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign. What advice would you give to young individuals aspiring to work in the space industry or at NASA? Remember that space travel is more than just engineers and scientists. It takes all kinds of people to support astronauts in space, including medicine, food science, communications, photography – you name it! Tess Caswell Extravehicular Activity Flight Controller and Lead Capsule Communicator I like to encourage young people to think about what part of space travel inspires them. We live in an era where there are many companies leveraging space for different purposes, including tourism, settlement, profit, and exploration. It’s important to think about what aspect of space travel interests you – or use things like internships to figure it out! If you’re excited about space but don’t want to be an engineer, there are still jobs for you. How long have you been working for NASA? Eight years, plus a few internships. What was your path to NASA? Internships and student projects were my path to NASA. As an undergraduate, I worked in a student rocket lab, which gave me firsthand experience building and testing hardware. During the summers, I participated in internships to explore various careers and NASA centers. My final internship led directly to my first job after college as an Environmental and Thermal Operating Systems (ETHOS) flight controller in mission control for the space station. I left NASA for a while to pursue an advanced degree in planetary geology and spent two years working at Blue Origin as the lead flight controller for the New Shepard capsule. Ultimately, though, I am motivated by exploration and chose to return to NASA where that is our focus. I landed in the Extravehicular Activity Office (EVA) within the Flight Operations Directorate after returning from Blue Origin. Tess Caswell suits up in the Extravehicular Mobility Unit at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at NASA’s Sonny Carter Training Facility in Houston during training to become an EVA instructor. NASA/Richie Hindman Is there a space figure you’ve looked up to or someone that inspires you? It’s hard to name a specific figure who inspires me. Instead, it’s the caliber of people overall who work in flight operations at Johnson Space Center. Not just the astronauts, but the folks in mission control, in the backrooms supporting the control center, and on the training teams for astronauts and flight controllers. Every single person demonstrates excellence every day. It inspires me to bring my best self to the table in each and every project. What is your favorite NASA memory or the most meaningful project you’ve worked on during your time with NASA? That is a hard one! My current favorite is probably the day I certified as a capcom for the space station. The first time talking to the crew is both nerve-wracking and exciting. You know the entire space station community stops and listens when you are speaking, but it’s incredibly cool to be privileged with speaking to the crew. So, your first few days are a little scary, but awesome. After I’d been declared certified, the crew called down on Space –to Ground to congratulate me. It was a very special moment. I saved a recording of it! Tess Caswell learns to fly the International Space Station Remote Manipulator System, or Canadarm2, in Canada as part of capcom training. Tess Caswell What do you love sharing about station? The international collaboration required to design, build, and operate the International Space Station is a constant source of inspiration for me. Tess Caswell Extravehicular Activity Flight Controller and Lead Capsule Communicator When I give folks tours of mission control, I like to point out the photo of the U.S.-built Unity node and the Russian-built Zarya module mated in the shuttle cargo bay. The idea that those two modules were designed and built in different countries, launched in two different vehicles, and connected for the first time in low Earth orbit reminds me of what we can all do when we work together across geopolitical boundaries. The space station brings people together in a common mission that benefits all of us. If you could have dinner with any astronaut, past or present, who would it be? Sally Ride, definitely. Do you have a favorite space-related memory or moment that stands out to you? If I had to choose one, I’d say it was the day a person from NASA visited my elementary school in 1995. I remember being completely captivated by his presentation and dying to ask questions when he came by my classroom later. It’s a favorite memory because it poured fuel on the spark of my early childhood interest in space exploration. It wasn’t the thing that initially piqued my interest, but that visit made the dream feel attainable and set me on the course that has me at NASA today. What are some of the key projects you have worked on during your time at NASA? What have been your favorite? I’ve worked in mission control for the space station as an ETHOS flight controller and, later, as a capcom. I’ve also certified as an EVA task backroom controller and scripted three spacewalks that were performed on the space station. While working in EVA, I also helped design the products and processes that will be used to design moonwalks for Artemis astronauts and how flight control operations will work during dynamic, science-driven spacewalks. Developing an EVA is a huge integration effort, and you get to work with a broad range of perspectives to build a solid plan. Then, the spacewalks themselves were both challenging and rewarding. They didn’t go exactly to plan, but we kept the crew safe and accomplished our primary objectives! I’m fortunate to have had so many cool experiences while working at NASA, and I know there will be many more. Tess Caswell, right, and geoscientist Dr. Kelsey Young, left, conduct night operations in NASA’s Johnson Space Center rock yard, testing EVA techniques to prepare for future lunar missions.NASA/Norah Moran What are your hobbies/things you enjoy doing outside of work? I like to stay active, including trail running, taekwondo, backpacking, and cross-country skiing (which is a bit hard to train for in Houston). I spend as much time as I can flying my Piper J-3 Cub, trying to make myself a better pilot each time I fly. Finally, I read and write fiction to let my imagination wander. Day launch or night launch? Night launch! Favorite space movie? Apollo 13, hands down! NASA Worm or Meatball logo? Worm – elegant and cool! Every day, we are conducting exciting research aboard our orbiting laboratory that will help us explore farther into space and bring benefits back to people on Earth. You can keep up with the latest news, videos, and pictures about space station science on the Station Research & Technology news page. It is a curated hub of space station research digital media from Johnson and other centers and space agencies. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter to get the updates delivered directly to you. Follow updates on social media at @ISS_Research on X, and on the space station accounts on Facebook and Instagram. Explore More 3 min read Countdown to Space Station’s Silver Jubilee with Silver Research Article 3 days ago 9 min read Station Nation: Meet Megan Harvey, Utilization Flight Lead and Capsule Communicator Article 3 months ago 3 min read Meet Alex Olley: Air Force Veteran Powering the Space Station Article 4 months ago 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 31 min read Summary of the 2025 GEDI Science Team Meeting Introduction The 2025 Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Science Team Meeting (STM) took place April 1–3, 2025 at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). Upwards of 60 participants attended in-person, while several others joined virtually by Zoom. The GEDI Mission and Competed Science Team members were in attendance along with the GEDI NASA program manager and various postdoctoral associates, graduate students, collaborators, and data users – see Photo. Participants shared updates on the GEDI instrument and data products post-hibernation with the GEDI community. They also shared progress reports on the second Competed Science Team cohort’s projects as well as applications of GEDI data. This article provides a mission status update and summaries of the presentations given at the STM. Readers who would like to learn more about certain topics can submit specific questions through the GEDI website’s contact form. Photo. Attendees, both in person and virtual, at the 2025 GEDI Science Team meeting. Photo credit: Talia Schwelling Mission Status Update: GEDI Up and Running After its Time in Hibernation When the 2023 GEDI STM summary was published in June 2024 – see archived article, “Summary of the 2023 GEDI Science Team Meeting” [The Earth Observer, June 18, 2024] – GEDI had been placed in a temporary state of hibernation and moved from the International Space Station’s (ISS) Japanese Experiment Module–Exposed Facility (JEM–EF) Exposed Facility Unit (EFU)-6 to EFU-7 (storage). Two years later, as the 2025 GEDI STM took place, the GEDI instrument was back in its original location on EFU-6 collecting high-resolution observations of Earth’s three-dimensional (3D) structure from space. DAY ONE GEDI Mission and Data Product Status I Ralph Dubayah [UMD—GEDI Principal Investigator (PI)] opened the STM with updates on mission status (see previous section) and the development of current and pending GEDI data products. Following its hibernation on the ISS from March 2023–April 2024, the GEDI mission entered its second extension period. Since re-installation, the instrument’s lasers have been operating nominally, steadily collecting data, increasing coverage, and filling gaps. As of November 27, 2024, GEDI had collected 33 billion Level-2A (L2A) land surface returns, with approximately 12.1 billion passing quality filters. Since the last STM, an additional 1422 new simulated GEDI footprints have been added to GEDI’s forest structure and biomass database (FSBD), which is a database of forest inventory and airborne laser scanning data (ALS) from around the globe that is used for cal/val of GEDI data. The FSBD now has 27,876 simulated footprints in total – see Figure 1. This data will support improved L4A biomass algorithm calibration. Figure 1. Training samples, or simulated footprints, are derived from coincident forest inventory and ALS data. DBT = deciduous broadleaf, EBT = evergreen broadleaf, ENT = evergreen needleleaf, GSW = grass, shrub, woodland. Figure credit: David Minor Version 2.1 (V2.1) of GEDI L1B, L2A, L2B, and L4A data products are the latest product releases available for download. This version incorporates post-storage data through November 2024. In January 2025, the team also released the new L4C footprint-level Waveform Structural Complexity Index (WSCI) product using pre-storage data. The upcoming V3.0 release will incorporate pre- and post-storage data that will improve quality filtering, geolocation accuracy, and algorithm performance. Although GEDI met its L1 mission science requirements before entering hibernation, orbital resonance on the ISS impacted GEDI’s coverage in the tropics. To help address these gaps, the team is exploring data fusion opportunities with other missions – e.g., NASA-Indian Space Research Organisation Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt’s (DLR – German Aerospace Center) Terra Synthetic Aperture Radar–X (TerraSAR-X) and TerraSAR add-on for Digital Elevation Measurement (TanDEM-X) missions, and the European Space Agency’s upcoming forest mission – Biomass. [UPDATE: Biomass launched successfully on April 29, 2025 from Europe’s Spaceport in Korou, French Guiana, and NISAR launched July 30, 2025 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre located on Sriharikota Island in India.] Additional ongoing mission team efforts include advancing waveform processing, developing gridded products tailored to end-user needs, understanding error and bias, and continuing expansion of the FSBD. Dubayah concluded by highlighting the steady rise in GEDI-related publications and datasets appearing in high-impact journals, including PNAS, Nature, and Science families. Visit the GEDI website to gain access to a comprehensive list of GEDI-related publications. After hearing general updates from the mission PI, attendees heard more in-depth reports on science data planning, mission operations, and instrument status. Scott Luthcke [NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)—GEDI Co-Investigator (Co-I)] reported on Science Operations Center activities, including geolocation performance and improvements. He shared that the Science Planning System, which is used to plan GEDI data acquisition locations, has been upgraded to improve targeting capabilities using high-resolution Reference Ground Tracks. The Science Data Processing System also underwent a technical refresh that increased computational and storage capability and has completed processing and delivery of all V2.1 data products, including post-storage data (April–November 2024), to the Land Processes and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs). Luthcke explained that V2.1 improves on precision orbit determination, precision attitude determination, tracking point modeling, time tags, and oscillator calibration. Looking ahead, V3.0 will enhance range bias calibration, improved pointing bias calibration, and modifications to L1A, L1B, L2A, and L2B products. Luthcke also discussed updates to the L3 data product, which include corrected timing and range bias, improved positioning and elevation, and a wall-to-wall 1-km (0.62-mi) elevation map to be released alongside V3.0. Tony Scaffardi [GSFC—GEDI Mission Director] provided an update on the Science and Mission Operations Center since its post-hibernation return to science operations on June 3, 2024. He addressed various on-orbit events that may have briefly disrupted data collection and reviewed upcoming ISS altitude plans. As of March 2025, each of the instrument’s three lasers logged over 22,000 hours in firing mode, collecting more than 20 billion shots each, with 72% of that time directly over land surfaces. As of April 2025, 95,346 hours of science data have been downlinked, averaging 51.21 GB of data per day. Bryan Blair [GSFC—Deputy PI and Instrument Scientist] concluded this section of the meeting with a discussion of GEDI instrument status, reporting that all three lasers are operating nominally and that both the detectors and digitizers continue to perform well. He noted that the laser pulse shapes have remained stable since the mission began, indicating consistent system performance over time. Blair also addressed the inherent challenges of operating in space, such as radiation exposure, and emphasized the importance of designing systems for graceful degradation. A recent firmware update was successfully applied to all three digitizers, and no life-limiting concerns have been identified to date. Competed Science Team Presentations – Session I Jim Kellner [Brown University—GEDI Co-I] kicked off the Competed Science Team (CST) presentations with an overview of his work investigating the role of stratification and quality filtering to improve GEDI data products and the impact of stratification error on prediction. He explained how GEDI quality filtering and aboveground biomass density (AGBD) model selection and prediction rely heavily on stratification by plant functional type (PFT) and geographic world region. Thus, evaluation and improvement of stratification and quality filtering will help maximize the number of usable GEDI shots, some of which are potentially excluded unnecessarily. To support these improvements, Kellner is exploring replacement of the current 1-km (0.62-mi) stratification layer with a 30-m (98-ft) product derived from Landsat and similarly upgrading the 500-m (1640-ft) phenology stratification layer to a 30-m (98-ft) Landsat version. These changes aim to improve the L4A footprint-level AGBD estimates in particular, but flow through to the GEDI L4B data product. Birgit Peterson [United States Geological Survey (USGS), Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center] presented her research on the decomposition of GEDI waveforms to derive vegetation structure information for 3D fuels and wildfire modeling, emphasizing the importance of consistent and comprehensive information on vegetation status for effective wildland fire management. Canopy structure data, like that provided by GEDI, can play a key role in developing physics-based fire behavior models, such as QUIC-Fire. With study sites in South Dakota, the Sierra Nevada, and dispersed around the southeastern United States, Peterson’s work aims to demonstrate how vegetation structure parameters needed to run the QUIC-Fire model can be derived from GEDI waveform data. David Roy [Michigan State University] shared updates on his CST project leveraging GEDI data to improve understanding of species-specific tropical forest regrowth in central Africa. Focusing on the Mai Ndombe region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the project aims to quantify forest regrowth by integrating GEDI-derived structural data with satellite and airborne laser scanner (ALS) based maps of forest height. Roy emphasized the potential of secondary and recovering forest conservation as a low-cost mechanism for carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation. GEDI data combined with satellite maps provides new opportunities to quantify forest regrowth and carbon sequestration in secondary forests at finer detail, although high species diversity and varying regrowth rates can be complex to assess with remote sensing. Roy also presented a 2025 paper validating the GEDI relative height product in the DRC and at two US temperate forest sites with a simple method to improve the GEDI canopy height using digital terrain heights measured by airborne laser scanning (ALS). Perspectives I After the morning CST presentation session, meeting attendees heard the first perspectives presentation from Amanda Whitehurst [NASA Headquarters (HQ] GEDI Program Scientist and NASA Terrestrial Ecology Program Manager]. Whitehurst is new to the GEDI Program Scientist role; she used this opportunity to officially introduce herself to the ST and expressed her enthusiasm for the work ahead She commended the GEDI team on the impressive accomplishments of the mission to date, and spoke about the exciting potential for continued data collection and scientific discovery through the program. Matteo Pardini [DLR] shared his perspective on the potential of combining synthetic aperture radar (SAR) with lidar data to improve four-dimensional (4D) forest structure mapping. He highlighted DLR’s TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X missions, which have been acquiring interferometric data since 2007 and 2010, respectively. Both missions are expected to continue acquiring data through 2028. The TanDEM-X Global Digital Elevation Model, covering 150 million km2 (58 million mi2) with approximately 1-m (3-ft) accuracy, can be used to derive forest height and biomass. The fusion of TanDEM-X and GEDI data can improve biomass estimates – see Figure 2 – and help researchers parameterize the relationship between coherence and forest structure. Pardini also previewed the upcoming BIOMASS mission, which will operate at a lower frequency and be able to penetrate vegetation, providing complementary information to the TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X missions. Figure 2. Biomass estimates over the Amazon basin at 25-m (82-ft) resolution derived using a fusion of data from NASA’s GEDI and DLR’s TanDEM-X missions. Figure credit: Wenlu Qi CST Presentations – Session II Chris Hakkenberg [University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)] opened the second CST presentation session with a discussion on his research using GEDI to characterize fuel structure, burn severity, and post-fire response across the regions of California affected by wildfire. He began by highlighting significant land cover changes resulting from wildfires in recent years that are visible as enormous [greater than 100 km2 (38 mi2)] conversions from forest to grass/scrub in the National Land Cover Dataset. Hakkenberg’s project aims to examine the role of fuel structure in driving fire severity patterns, improve burn severity maps using GEDI for change detection, and characterize post-fire response using data from Landsat 5, 7, and 8 and GEDI. He noted that while fire behavior is heavily dependent on weather, topography, and fuels – only fuels can be actively managed. GEDI provides valuable insights into forest fuel structure by measuring canopy volume (total fuel quantities) and vertical continuity (how fire may spread through those volumes). Hakkenberg and his team found that vertical fuel continuity metrics were stronger predictors of severity than fuel volume, especially in extreme weather conditions, and are most closely related to the high-burn severities that can delay long-term recovery. Finally, Hakkenberg presented research that combines GEDI and Landsat to improve burn severity assessments, which will be the focus on the next phase of this research project. Sean Healey [U.S. Forest Service (USFS)—GEDI Co-I] presented an overview of the Online Biomass Inference using Waveforms and iNventory (OBI-WAN) project. OBI-WAN provides globally consistent estimates of biomass and carbon, as well as changes in these estimates over time, for user-defined areas and periods of interest rather than fixed 1-km (0.62-mi) squares. The project leverages GEDI L4A models to predict biomass at the footprint level and uses this dense collection of footprints to create local-level biomass models with Landsat (assuming consistent calibration of Landsat through time). To quantify uncertainty in change estimates, OBI-WAN employs a statistical method called bootstrapping, which can be embedded into customized accounting systems through a powerful programming interface accessed through Google Earth Engine. Data Product Status I Michelle Hofton [UMD—GEDI Co-I] and Sarah Story [GSFC] returned to the topic of GEDI data product status. They presented an update on the GEDI L2A product, which includes ground topography and canopy height measurements. Encouragingly, preliminary testing shows that GEDI’s post-storage performance has remained consistent with pre-storage. Hofton explained GEDI observations are compared with high-quality intersections with the Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS) (an airborne lidar) data in order to assess GEDI data quality and accuracy. She highlighted the use of bingos – pairs of GEDI waveforms believed to be spatially coincident in vegetated areas – as a valuable tool for assessing geolocation and waveform errors as well as algorithm performance. As of December 2024, more than one million bingos had been collected. Hofton and Story concluded with a preview of anticipated updates to the L2A product for V3.0, including new quality flags for data cleaning and a refined algorithm selection approach. John Armston [UMD—GEDI Co-I] presented on GEDI L2B data, which provides gridded footprint-level [25-m (82-ft) resolution] metrics such as canopy cover (see Figure 3), plant area index (PAI), plant area volume density (PAVD), and foliage height diversity (FHD). Waveform analysis will remain largely unchanged from V2.0. He shared that the upcoming V3.0 release will differ from V2.0 in that it will use GEDI-derived canopy-ground reflectance ratios — rather than values derived from NASA LVIS — to estimate canopy cover, thus allowing for spatial variability. Waveform analysis will remain largely unchanged from V2.0. Armston also presented 1-km (0.62-mi) leaf-on and leaf-off gridded L2B canopy cover fraction maps using both pre- and post-storage data (April 2019–November 2024), explaining how post-storage data were used to fill gaps. Additionally, the mission team has mapped GEDI canopy cover distributions using a H3-indexing API developed by Tiago de Conto [UMD], which are being used to improve GEDI L2A algorithms for ground detection. V3.0 will offer a more direct measure of canopy structure to complement L2A relative height metrics by improving quality flags and including relative canopy height metrics. Finally, the team presented progress on the independent validation of GEDI L2B V3.0 algorithms and products using the GEDI FSBD and NASA LVIS campaign data from Costa Rica, Gabon, French Guiana and the United States. Figure 3. GEDI L2B leaf-on canopy cover fraction map derived from data obtained April 2019–October 2024. Figure credit: John Armston Jamis Bruening [UMD] shared the final data product update of the day. He discussed GEDI’s L4B gridded aboveground biomass density (AGBD) product, which is a 1-km (0.62-mi) raster dataset representing area-level estimates of mean AGBD and associated uncertainty across the mission’s range of observation. GEDI’s L4B estimates are derived from the footprint-level L4A AGBD predictions through one of two statistical modes of inference. Currently, hybrid estimation is used to generate L4B. This approach uses GEDI data as the sole input and requires at least two GEDI tracks in a 1-km (0.62-mi) grid cell to produce a mean estimate. The hybrid estimator also provides a standard error, accounting for both model variance in the L4A predictions and GEDI’s sampling uncertainty. To address gaps in GEDI’s coverage where hybrid estimates cannot be produced, the team has begun implementing an alternative inference mode, called generalized hierarchical model-based (GHMB) estimation. GHMB incorporates auxiliary imagery, such as Landsat, SAR, and GEDI’s L4A predictions, to infer mean biomass and its standard error. Although the addition of post-storage data has increased GEDI’s coverage, GHMB remains essential for producing a complete, gap-free 1-km (0.62-mi) AGBD map. Both hybrid and GHMB approaches will soon be used together to generate a global, gap-free L4B product. Users can expect the release of V3.0 L4B estimates – featuring hybrid and GHMB models of biomass inference using both pre- and post-storage data – later in 2025. What’s Next? Day one concluded with John Armston, who presented on the potential new satellite laser altimetry mission called Earth Dynamics Geodetic Explorer (EDGE), which was competitively selected for a Phase A Concept Study under NASA’s Earth Systems Explorer Announcement of Opportunity. If selected, EDGE would launch in 2030 and operate for a two-year mission, providing a critical link between current and future satellite laser altimetry missions. Armston explained that EDGE addresses two of the targeted observables identified in the 2017 Earth Science Decadal Survey – terrestrial ecosystem structure and ice elevation. It provides a dramatic improvement in coverage and resolution over current active missions by operating in a Sun-synchronous orbit that will enable the direct measurement of change in the three-dimensional (3D) structure of vegetation and the surface topography of ice at the spatial and temporal scales needed to observe the driving processes. EDGE will provide fine-scale detail of ecosystem structure in some of the world’s most critical and challenging-to-quantify regions, including the boreal, transforming the field’s understanding of global terrestrial ecosystem structure and its response to natural and anthropogenic change over all of Earth’s wooded ecosystems. DAY TWO Data Product Status II/Extended and Demonstrative Products I Jim Kellner began day two with an L4A footprint-level AGBD product update. His presentation focused on current product status and planned evaluation of and improvements to the L4A algorithm. Since the last STM, L4A V2.1 was updated to include data through MW 311 (through November 2024) and is now available to end users. V3.0, along with an updated Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD), is expected later in 2025. The revised ATBD will outline enhancements to the waveform simulator, quality filtering, stratification, and model selection thanks in part to the availability of on-orbit data. V3.0 will also benefit from the ingestion of approximately 35% more simulated waveforms that passed quality assurance and quality control in the FSBD, significantly expanding training data coverage, particularly in Africa and North America. Kellner noted that users should be aware of key differences between L2 and L4 quality flags; L4 flags account for factors such as sensitivity, water presence, urban conditions, and phenology. Additionally, updates to the selected models may lead to changes in AGBD estimates, which will be more clearly communicated in the V 3.0 release. Comparing pre- and post-storage data, Kellner and his team found that AGBD estimates remain stable across both periods. He encouraged users to review the updated ATBD upon release to fully understand the changes and their implications. Tiago de Conto [UMD] presented the new GEDI L4C WSCI product, which was released in May 2024 and available through the ORNL DAAC – see Figure 4. This footprint-level metric captures the amount and variability of canopy structure in 3D space, reflecting the richness of structural information underlying any given GEDI observation. It synthesizes multiple structural attributes into a single metric and incorporates elements of both vertical and horizontal variability. WSCI models are trained at the PFT level (i.e., deciduous broadleaf trees, evergreen broadleaf trees, evergreen needleleaf trees, and the combination of grasslands, shrubs, and woodlands) using crossovers of GEDI and airborne lidar point clouds. While WSCI tends to scale with canopy height, the relationship varies across biomes. Looking ahead, de Conto previewed forthcoming WSCI–SAR fusion work designed to produce wall-to-wall maps that are suitable for applications, such as change detection. Early fusion results using data from the European Union’s Copernicus Sentinel-1 (a synthetic aperture radar mission) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Advanced Land Observing Satellite Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (ALOS-PALSAR) show stable prediction performance across different biomes and time periods as well as consistent performance against airborne lidar wall-to-wall reference data. Figure 4. The global frequency distribution of GEDI L4C Waveform Structural Complexity Index. Figure credit: Tiago de Conto Paul May [South Dakota School of Mines and Technology] presented his work predicting interpolated waveforms, along with their associated uncertainties, over USDA Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) field plots across the contiguous United States (CONUS). This project aims to develop regression models that convert GEDI’s waveform data into measurements of key forest attributes and enhance monitoring capabilities for a variety of applications. The resulting data product – GEDI-FIA Fusion: Training Lidar Models to Estimate Forest Attributes – was released June 2025 and is publicly available through the ORNL DAAC. Sean Healey presented ongoing work on the GEDI L4D Imputed Waveform product, led by postdoctoral researcher Eugene Seo [Oregon State University]. This product aims to generate a wall-to-wall 30-m (98-ft) resolution map of GEDI waveforms across the globe in 2023. To achieve this, Seo, Healey, and Zhiqiang Yang [USFS] are using a k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) imputation approach to address areas without GEDI observations. The model operates at a 10-km (6-mi) scale but draws neighbors from a surrounding 30×30 km (19×19 mi) window. The resulting 30-m (98-ft) resolution imputed waveform map is aligned with Landsat data from 2023. Users can expect the release of the L4D product later in 2025. GEDI Applications and Perspectives II Neha Hunka [European Space Agency] shared her work using GEDI to fill gaps in the Republic of Sudan’s National Forest Inventory (NFI) in support of their Forest Reference Level (FRL) report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Using existing NFI data for calibration, Hunka and colleagues developed a geostatistical model-based approach that interpolates between NFI sample units, allowing predictions of AGBD to be made in areas of interest – see Figure 5. (Hunka was lead author on a 2025 paper in Remote Sensing of Environment that describes a similar approach to what she described in this presentation.) UNFCCC called for the modeling approach to be transparent and replicable. Hunka emphasized the importance of access to and preparation of covariate data and called for greater capacity-building and knowledge-transfer support to help other countries adopt GEDI in their reporting. Sudan’s submission marks the first time GEDI data has been used in an FRL report. Figure 5. A geostatistical model-based approach uses data from the Republic of Sudan’s National Forest Inventory (NFI) for calibration and interpolates between NFI sample units, allowing predictions of aboveground biomass density where desired. Figure credit: Neha Hunka Forests cover about 30% of Earth’s land area, store over 80% of terrestrial biomass and carbon, and absorb around 30% of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. While storing carbon in forests can help mitigate carbon emissions, deforestation, disturbances, shifting global economy, and low confidence in forest carbon credits add risk and uncertainty to this strategy. By monitoring forest biomass, some of these risks can be alleviated. Stuart Davies [Smithsonian Institution] joined the STM to present his work on GEO-TREES, a global forest biomass reference system aiming to provide high-quality, publicly available ground data from a network of long-term forest inventory sites to improve biomass mapping on the global scale. Despite many Earth observing (EO) missions focused on forest biomass, a lack of standardized ground reference data has hindered accurate validation. GEO-TREES addresses this need, by fostering collaboration between carbon monitoring, biodiversity research, and EO communities. The project includes 100 core sites and 200 supplementary sites across tropical and temperate regions, selected to represent environmental and human-use gradients, with greater emphasis on sampling in the tropics. Each core site follows Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) protocol and includes three types of measurements: forest plot inventory plot, terrestrial laser scanning, and ALS. CST Presentations – Session III Atticus Stovall [GSFC] shared first-year findings from his research on post-fire disturbance forest recovery in Mediterranean ecosystems – specifically Spain and Portugal – where the frequency and intensity of wildfires have significantly increased in the 21st century. Using Iberian Forest Inventory ALS data and GEDI footprint data, Stovall and his team showed that GEDI can be used to assess post-fire change as well as evaluate degradation patterns from increasing fire recurrence and intensity. Stovall shared examples demonstrating the use of GEDI to detect both immediate fire effects as well as recovery after disturbance, including stand-replacement and understory clearing. By overlaying disturbance maps with GEDI data, the team observed that recovery rates differ across height class. Looking forward, they plan to investigate how recovery rates vary across environmental gradients and incorporate field plot data to validate their findings. KC Cushman [ORNL] presented on biomass calibration and validation (cal/val) activities for the NISAR mission, which launched in July 2025. She outlined the general approach to the NISAR biomass algorithm, which uses multiple observations from NISAR every year to produce annual biomass estimates at 1-ha (0.004 mi2) resolution. Cal/val efforts will use ALS to link sparse field data to larger landscapes with estimates at two or more sites in 15 different ecoregions. NISAR has supported cal/val field plot data collection in Spain, South Africa, and various National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) sites in addition to ALS campaigns at Agua Salud, Panama, near the Los Amigos Biological Station, Peru, in the Chaco ecosystem, Argentina, and near Madrid, Spain. Chi Chen [Rutgers University] presented his work exploring vertical acclimation of vegetation canopy structure and photosynthetic activities using GEDI data. Chen’s research aims to generate gap-free, high-temporal-frequency canopy profile data and to develop a novel framework that integrates GEDI observations into a multi-layer canopy process model. By training a random forest model with spatially discontinuous GEDI PAVD profiles and multiple features, e.g., multiband spectral reflectance, tree height, and forest type, Chen and his team successfully estimated spatially continuous PAI profiles across different canopy heights. The team cross-validated their predicted PAI with GEDI PAI, NEON PAI, and LAI measurements from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA’s Terra and Aqua platforms. These data could be used to study seasonal variation in different canopy heights. Using a Global Multilayer Canopy OPTimization (GMC-OPT) model, they also found that GEDI-informed data has the potential to identify the vertical position of “net” seasonal leaf turnover – ultimately improving the accuracy of estimates of carbon and water fluxes. CST Presentations – Session IV Marcos Longo [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in transition to Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE)] and his team presented a proposed project that integrates GEDI data with process-based models to assess the impact of wildfires on forest structure, recovery, and ecosystem function. As western US forests face increasing wildfire risk due to drier climates, more human ignitions, and a legacy of fire suppression, changes in forest structure, composition, and function are likely to become more detectable over time. This project, under the leadership of Robinson Negron Juarez [University of California, Irvine and LBNL—PI] aims to quantify biomass changes in mixed conifer forests across California, Oregon, and Washington using both ALS and GEDI data. The team plans to use GEDI L2A and L2B data to assess immediate fire impacts on forest structure, investigate post-fire forest recovery, and establish relationships between forest structure and fire intensity/severity. This information will inform process-based models – e.g., the U.S. Department of Energy’s Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator (FATES) – and support a better understanding of forest resilience under fire disturbance regime changes. Ovidiu Csillik [Wake Forest University] presented work using GEDI and ALS to investigate biomass and structural changes in tropical forests. The work, conducted with Michael Keller [NASA/ Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), USFS—PI], aims to use models to quantify changes in tropical forest biomass and evaluate understanding of topical forest productivity drivers. The project will use ALS data from over the Brazilian Amazon and other sites in Brazil, Gabon, French Guiana, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Borneo alongside GEDI data over pantropical regions around the globe. Csillik and Keller are currently conducting ALS–ALS and GEDI–GEDI comparisons, and are planning to estimate aboveground biomass change from ALS–ALS, ALS–GEDI, and GEDI–GEDI comparisons at both regional and pantropical scales from 2008–2026. Zhenpeng Zuo [Boston University (BU)] presented his team’s research, led by Ranga Myneni [BU—PI], using mechanistic model-GEDI integration to map potential canopy top height (pCTH) and inform forest restoration planning. Predicting restoration potential is challenging, as empirical, deep-learning, and mechanistic methods vary in their accuracy, interpretability, and spatial detail. This project uses a mechanistic model based on water use and supply equilibrium, calibrated using GEDI canopy height metrics, to predict pCTH. The team found this approach produced robust pCTH predictions and shows that the Eastern US has vast restorable areas. Future work will expand to dynamic modeling to incorporate disturbance risks and effects under different climate scenarios. DAAC Reports Rupesh Shrestha [ORNL DAAC] presented the status of GEDI L3 and L4 datasets at the ORNL DAAC – see Figure 6. Since the 2023 STM, three new datasets have been released: L4B (country-level summaries of aboveground biomass), L4C (footprint level waveform structural complexity index), and a GEDI-FIA (fusion dataset for training lidar models to forest attributes). In total, almost 34,000 unique users have downloaded GEDI L3 and L4A-C data 13,770,648 times, with L4A being the most popular at 13.1 million downloads. As of April 30, 2025, all GEDI footprint-level datasets from L1–L4 are available with data through mission week 311 (November 2024), besides L4C. Users can look forward to a GEDI L4D Imputation Dataset later in 2025 along with the much-anticipated V3.0 GEDI data product release. All levels of GEDI data can now be accessed in one place through the NASA Earthdata Search and Data Catalog. In addition to the data products themselves, data tools and services, publications citing GEDI data and GEDI data tutorials and workshops can be found at the ORNL DAAC website. The ORNL DAAC provides data user support through the Earthdata Forum, or via their email uso@daac.ornl.gov. Figure 6. GEDI L3 and L4B data projected on NASA WorldView/GIBS API. Explore the program here. Figure credit: Rupesh Shrestha Jared Beck [Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC)] presented on GEDI data products at the LP DAAC, a USGS–NASA partnership that archives and distributes lower-level GEDI products (GEDI L1B, L2A, and L2B). The LP DAAC has distributed over seven petabytes of GEDI data so far, and is now exclusively distributing GEDI data through NASA’s Earth Data Cloud. GEDI L2A is the most popular of the products in terms of terabytes of distribution. Like the ORNL DAAC, data user support also flows through the NASA Earthdata Forum. Tutorials can be found on GitHub. All levels of GEDI data can now be accessed in one place through the NASA Earthdata search and data catalog options. GEDI Extended and Demonstrative Products II Scott Goetz [NAU] discussed his team’s research leveraging GEDI data for biodiversity applications, emphasizing its potential to help improve species distribution models and the high value of understanding forest structure for conservation assessments. He highlighted a 2022 Nature Ecology & Evolution article showing that forests with higher structural integrity and cover reduced the extinction risk for over 16,000 threatened or declining species. Another 2023 study in Nature demonstrated how biodiversity indicators, such as habitat cover, canopy structure, and human pressures, can influence the effectiveness of protected areas. In order to have a wider variety of gridded products to work with for species distribution models, Pat Burns [NAU], Chris Hakkenberg, and Goetz developed the Gridded GEDI Vegetation Structure Metrics and Biomass Density at Multiple Resolutions product that has been released through the ORNL DAAC and Google Earth Engine along with a data descriptor paper published in a Nature Scientific Data paper – see Figure 7. Burns elaborated that, relative to fusion products, gridded GEDI products performed better when measuring structure, especially in the understory. The team is now comparing species distribution models in mainland Southeast Asia using fusion versus solely GEDI data. Figure 7. GEDI mean foliage height diversity (FHD) map using shots from April 2019 to March 2023 at 6-km (4.7-mi) spatial resolution. Red boxes indicate the approximate location of airborne lidar used for intercomparison. Three insets show GEDI mean FHD at finer spatial resolution [1 km (0.62 mi)] as well as more detailed airborne lidar coverage (red polygons). From left to right the insets show: Sonoma County, California, Coconino National Forest, Arizona, and Sumatra/Borneo. Figure credit: From Patrick Burns et al (2024) Nature Scientific Data Perspectives III STM attendees concluded day two with a perspective talk from Marc Simard [JPL], who showcased a range of studies demonstrating diverse applications of GEDI data, opportunities for its improvement, and potential for informing future scientific research. Drawing on his own work, Simard shared examples of using GEDI data for cal/val of global Digital Elevation Measurement (DEM) and Digital Terrain Model (DTM), mapping global mangrove heights, monitoring forest growth, and analyzing hydrological processes. In more detail, he explained how he led the development of a 12-m (39-ft) spatial resolution global mangrove height product using GEDI and TanDEM-X data. Additionally, he discussed a study evaluating tree growth rates in the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve in Quebec, Canada using both GEDI and ALS. The analysis revealed an average growth rate of approximately 32 ±23 cm (12 ±9 in) per year. Finally, he presented a paper under review examining water level detection and hydrological conditions in coastal regions using GEDI alongside Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2) data. In closing, Simard emphasized that GEDI datasets can help identify critical data and knowledge gaps, guiding the development of new missions – e.g., the Surface Topography and Vegetation (STV) mission concept called for in the 2017 Earth Science Decadal Survey report. As described in the STV Study Team Report, the mission would focus on elevation and vertical structure to study the solid Earth, cryosphere, vegetation structure, hydrology, and coastal geomorphology. DAY THREE CST Presentations – Session V Jody Vogeler [Colorado State University] opened the final CST presentation session with an overview of her research using GEDI data fusions to characterize post-fire landscapes and understand habitat refugia for the threatened Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). This project builds on her team’s phase-I work, which produced 30-m (98-ft) resolution gridded GEDI fusion maps across six Western U.S. states to support habitat and diversity applications related to cavity-nesting birds, small mammals, and carnivore–prey relationships. The team is now focusing on validating and improving their GEDI fusion products within post-disturbance landscapes, specifically post-fire. Using this data, Vogeler and her team aim to better understand how post-fire structural information from GEDI improves their ability to understand lynx behavior–habitat relationships across early post-fire landscapes. This information can help evaluate what structural attributes determine post-fire refugia patch use by lynx. Next steps for this work include integrating GEDI V3.0 data upon its release, identifying new GEDI metrics and derived products, and incorporating lynx radio-collar data into their analyses. Vogeler also presented her work as co-PI on a NASA Ecological Conservation Project in Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa, where she and her team are developing spatial monitoring tools to support management and conservation planning. Jingfeng Xiao [University of New Hampshire] provided updates on his team’s research using GEDI data to understand how structural diversity influences productivity and carbon uptake of forests in the United States. The project aims to assess GEDI’s ability to quantify structural diversity, investigate how that diversity regulates forest productivity and carbon uptake, and understand its role in resilience of forest productivity to drought. When analyzing the relationships of gross primary production (GPP) and evapotranspiration (ET) with canopy structure metrics, the team found that increased canopy structure complexity positively affected GPP and ET and reduced their seasonal variability. They also found that greater canopy complexity improved ecosystem resistance to drought. As part of the project, the team also produced 1-km (0.62-mi) resolution gridded maps of GPP and ET. Lei Ma [UMD] delivered the final talk of the STM, presenting his project that integrates GEDI observations with mechanistic ecosystem modeling to quantify forest regrowth in a changing climate. Ma used GEDI data and the Ecosystem Demography (ED) model in his research and found that height and aboveground biomass (AGB) regrowth rates can be derived by combining GEDI and land-use and land-cover change data. Ma found that regrowth rates derived from different inputs are generally consistent at large scales but variable at fine scales. Notably, regrowth rates showed temporal dependence, decreasing by roughly 50% every decade. Lastly, Ma and his team found that spatial variation in height and AGB regrowth rates can be partially explained by environmental conditions and disturbance frequency. Conclusion The 2025 GEDI STM was especially exciting, as it came on the cusp of post-storage data being processed and released as V2.1. Additionally, it marked the first time the new CST cohort presented on their research and joined breakout sessions with the wider GEDI team. The meeting highlighted the mission’s ongoing success and scientific value following hibernation on the ISS. Looking ahead, data users can anticipate the V3.0 product release later in 2025. Talia Schwelling University of Maryland College Park tschwell@umd.edu Share Details Last Updated Aug 18, 2025 Related Terms Uncategorized Earth Science 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 21 min read A Decade of Global Water Cycle Monitoring: NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive Mission Introduction The NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, launched in 2015, has over 10 years of global L-band radiometry observations. The low frequency [1.4 GHz frequency or 21 cm (8 in) wavelength] measurements provide information on the state of land surfaces in all weather conditions – regardless of solar illumination. A principal objective of the SMAP mission is to provide estimates of surface soil moisture and its frozen or thawed status. Over the land surface, soil moisture links the water, energy, and carbon cycles. These three cycles are the main drivers of regional climate and regulate the functioning of ecosystems. The achievement of 10 years in orbit is a fitting time to reflect on what SMAP has accomplished. After briefly discussing the innovative measurement approach and the instrument payload (e.g., a radiometer and a regrettably short-lived L-band radar), a significant section of this article is devoted to describing the mission’s major scientific achievements and how the data from SMAP have been used to serve society (e.g., applied sciences) – including SMAP’s pathfinding role as Early Adopters. This content is followed by a discussion of how SMAP has dealt with issues related to radio frequency interference in the L-Band region, a discussion of the SMAP data products suite, future plans for the SMAP active–passive algorithm, and a possible follow-on L-band global radiometry mission being developed by the European Union’s Copernicus Programme that would allow for data continuity beyond SMAP. This summary for The Earth Observer is excerpted from a longer and more comprehensive paper that, as of this article’s posting, is being prepared for publication in the Proceedings of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). SMAP Measurement Approach and Instruments The SMAP primary and operating instrument is the L-band radiometer, which collects precise surface brightness temperature data. The radiometer includes advanced radio frequency interference (RFI) detection and mitigation hardware and software. The radiometer measures vertical and horizontal polarization observations along with the third and fourth Stokes parameters (T3 and T4) of the microwave radiation upwelling from the Earth. The reflector boom and assembly, which includes a 6 m (20 ft) deployable light mesh reflector, is spun at 14.6 revolutions-per-minute, which creates a 1000 km (621 mi) swath as the SMAP satellite makes its Sun-synchronous orbit of the Earth – see Figure 1. This approach allows coverage of the entire globe in two to three days with an eight-day exact repeat. The radiometer instrument is calibrated monthly by pointing it to the deep sky. Figure 1. An artist’s rendering of the SMAP Observatory showing both the radiometer and radar. Figure credit: NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology The original SMAP instrument design included a companion L-band radar, which operated from April through early July 2015, acquiring observations of co- and cross-polarized radar backscatter at a spatial resolution of about 1 km (0.6 mi) with a temporal revisit of about three days over land. This data collection revealed the dependence of L-band radar signals on soil moisture, vegetation water content, and freeze thaw state. The radar transmitter failed on July 7, 2015. Shortly thereafter, the radar receiver channels were repurposed to record the reflected signals from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) constellation in August 2015, making SMAP the first full-polarimetric GNSS reflectometer in space for the investigation of land surface and cryosphere. Scientific Achievements from a Decade of SMAP Data A decade of SMAP soil moisture observations have led to a plethora of scientific achievements. The data have been used to quantify the linkages of the three main metabolic cycles (e.g., carbon, water, and energy) on land. They have also been used to improve drought assessments and flood prediction as well as the accuracy of numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. They are also used to measure liquid water and thickness of ice sheets, and sea surface salinity. The subsections that follow describe how SMAP data are being put to use in myriad ways that benefit society. Quantifying Processes that Link the Terrestrial Water, Energy, and Carbon Cycles The primary SMAP science goal is to develop observational benchmarks of how the water, energy, and carbon cycles link together over land. Soil moisture is the variable state of the land branch of the water cycle. It links the water cycle to the energy cycle through limiting latent heat flux – the change in energy as heat exchanges when water undergoes a phase change, such as evapotranspiration at the land–atmosphere interface. Soil moisture also links the water and carbon cycles, which is evident through plant photosynthesis. SMAP global observations of soil moisture fields, in conjunction with remote sensing of elements of the energy and carbon cycles, can reveal how these three cycles are linked in the real world as a benchmark for weather and Earth system models. Photosynthesis is down-regulated by both the deficit in water availability and the lack of an adequate amount of photosynthetically active radiation. Global maps reveal how soil moisture and light regulate photosynthesis – see Figure 2. These benchmark observational results can be used to assess how Earth system models link to the three main metabolic cycles of the climate system. Figure 2. Observed regulation of photosynthesis by water availability [left] and light availability [right]. Blue denotes greater limitation. Photosynthesis rates for both maps determined using solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) measurements (mW/m2 nm sr) from the Tropospheric Ozone Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) on the European Union’s Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission. Water availability was determined using soil moisture (SM) measurements from the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission. Light availability was determined using measurements of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra and Aqua platforms. The resulting maps show the model slope (mW/m2/nm/sr) of the estimated SIF-SM relationship in the water-limited regime [left] and the model slope (10-3/nm/sr) of estimated SIF-PAR relationship in the light-limited regime [right]. Figure credit: Jonard et al (2022) in Biogeosciences Development of Improved Flood Prediction and Drought Monitoring Capability SMAP products have also been widely used in applied sciences and natural hazard decision-support systems. SMAP’s observation-based soil moisture estimates offer transformative information for managing water-related natural hazards, such as monitoring agricultural drought – defined as a persistent deficit in soil moisture – and flood volumes – defined as the landscape’s water absorption capacity during precipitation events. The SMAP project produces a parallel, near-real-time data stream that is accessed by a number of federal and state agencies in decision-support systems related to drought monitoring, food security, and landscape inundation and trafficability. Enhancing Weather and Climate Forecasting Skill SMAP’s enhancement of numerical weather prediction, model skill, and reduction of climate model projection uncertainties is based on the premise of the contribution of solar energy to weather and climate dynamics. Soil moisture has a strong influence on how available solar energy is partitioned into components (e.g., sensible heat flux versus latent heat flux) over land. The influence propagates through the atmospheric boundary layer and ultimately influences the evolution of weather. To give an example, land surface processes can affect the evolution of the U.S. Great Plains low-level jets (GPLLJs). These jets drive mesoscale convective weather systems. Previous studies have shown that GPLLJs are sensitive to regional soil moisture gradients. Assimilation of SMAP soil moisture data improves forecasts of weakly synoptically forced or uncoupled GPLLJs compared to forecasts of cyclone-induced coupled GPLLJs. For example, the NASA Unified Weather Research and Forecasting Model, with 75 GPLLJs at 9 km (5.6 mi) resolution both with and without SMAP soil moisture data assimilation [SMAP data assimilation (DA) and no-DA respectively], shows how the windspeed mean absolute difference between SMAP DA and no-DA increase approximately linearly over the course of the simulation with maximum differences at 850 hPa (or mb) for the jet entrance and core – see Figure 3. Figure 3. The impact of adding soil moisture data [SMAP data assimilation (DA) minus no-DA] to a model simulation from theNASA Unified Weather Research and Forecasting Model (NU-WRF)) of the Great Plains Low Level Jet (GPLLJ). The results show the mean over 75 independent GPLLJ events. The plots correspond to wind speed difference with height (y-axis) and time (hours on x-axis). The panels are for jet entrance [left], jet core [middle] and jet exit [right]. Soil moisture data assimilation enhances the intensity of the simulated GPLLJ. The stippling corresponds to 99% statistical confidence. Figure credit: Ferguson (2020) in Monthly Weather Review Measuring Liquid Water Content and Thickness of Ice Sheets The mass loss of Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets contributes to sea-level rise – which is one of the most impactful and immediate damaging consequences of climate change. The melt rates over the last few years have raised alarm across the globe and impact countries with coastal communities. The cryosphere community has raised a call-to-action to use every observing system and model available to monitor the patterns and rates of land ice melt. Surface melt affects the ice cap mass loss in many ways: the direct melt outflow from the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet, the structural change of the percolation zone of the Greenland ice sheet, changes in the melt water retention and outflow boundaries, changes in the structure of the Antarctic ice shelves, and destabilization of the buttressing of the glacier outflow through various processes (e.g., hydrofracturing and calving). The long-term climate and mass balance models rely on accurate representation of snow, firn, and ice processes to project the future sea level. The SMAP L-band radiometer has relatively long wavelength [21 cm (8 in)] observations compared to other Earth-observing instruments. It enables the measurement of liquid water content (LWC) in the ice sheets and shelves as it receives the radiation from the deep layers of the snow/firn/ice column. Relatively high LWC values absorb the emission only partially, making the measurement sensitive to different liquid water amounts (LWA) in the entire column. Figure 4 shows the cumulative LWA for 2015–2023 based on SMAP measurements. Figure 4. Total annual sum of SMAP daily liquid water amount (LWA) for 2015–2023. The black solid line on each map represents grid edges, and the grey color mask inside the ice sheet indicates melt detections by decreasing brightness temperature. Figure Credit: Andreas Colliander [Finnish Meteorological Institute]. The SMAP L-band radiometer has also been used to derive the thickness of thin sea ice [Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission have been recalibrated to SMAP, using the same fixed incidence angle. The data show strong agreement and demonstrate clear benefits of a combined dataset. The L-band thin ice thickness retrievals provide a useful complement to higher-resolution profiles of thicker ice obtained from satellite altimeters (e.g. ESA’s CryoSat-2 and NASA’s Ice, Clouds and land Elevation Satellite–2 missions). Extending and Expanding the Aquarius Sea Surface Salinity Record The joint NASA/Argentinian Aquarius/Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D (Aquarius), which operated from 2011–2015, used an L-band radiometer and an L-band scatterometer to make unprecedented monthly maps of global sea surface salinity at 150-km (93-mi) resolution. The SMAP L-band radiometer has not only extended the sea surface salinity record in the post-Aquarius period, it has also increased the spatial resolution and temporal frequency of these measurements because of its larger reflector and wider swath. The increased resolution and revisit allow new and unprecedented perspectives into mixing and freshwater events, coastal plume tracking, and other more local oceanic features. Providing New Perspectives on Global Ecology and Plant Water Stress The L-band vegetation optical depth (VOD) – which is related to water content in vegetation – has been retrieved simultaneously with soil moisture using SMAP’s dual-polarized brightness temperatures and is being used to better understand global ecology. Water in above-ground vegetative tissue attenuates and thus depolarizes surface microwave emission, and VOD quantifies this effect. SMAP can provide global observations of VOD in all weather conditions with a two to three day temporal frequency. Changes in VOD indicate either plant rehydration or growth. Ecologists benefit from this new ecosystem observational data, which augments optical and near-infrared vegetation indices [e.g., leaf area index (LAI)] and has a higher temporal frequency that is not affected by clouds and does not saturate as rapidly for dense vegetation. Examples of how the data have been used include deciphering the conditions when vegetation uptakes soil water only for rehydration (i.e., VOD increase with no LAI change) compared to plant growth (i.e., increase in both VOD and LAI). The applications of VOD are increasing and the ecology community views this product as a valuable additional perspective on soil–plant water relations. At the moment, this measurement has no ground-based equivalent. Therefore, field experiments with airborne instruments and ground sampling teams are needed to firmly establish the product as a new observational capability for global ecology. Applied Science Collaboration: SMAP Observations Serving Society The SMAP project has worked with the NASA Earth Science Division Applied Sciences Program (now known as Earth Science to Action) and the natural hazards monitoring and forecasting communities for pre- and post-launch implementation of SMAP products in their operations. In some operational applications, for which long-term data continuity is a requirement, the SMAP data are still used for assessment of current conditions, as well as research and development. The Original Early Adopters Prior to its launch, the SMAP mission established a program to explore and facilitate applied and operational uses of SMAP mission data products in decision-making activities for societal benefit. To help accomplish these objectives, SMAP was the first NASA mission to create a formal Applications Program and an Early Adopter (EA) program, which eventually became a requirement for all future NASA Earth Science directed satellite missions. SMAP’s EA program increases the awareness of mission products, broadens the user community, increases collaboration with potential users, improves knowledge of SMAP data product capabilities, and expedites the distribution and uses of mission products after launch. SMAP Data in Action Several project accomplishments have been achieved primarily through an active continuous engagement with EAs and operational agencies working towards national interests. SMAP soil moisture data have been used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for domestic and international crop yield applications. For example the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) conducts a weekly survey of crop progress, crop condition, and soil moisture condition for U.S. cropland. NASS surveys and publishes state-level soil moisture conditions in the NASS Crop Progress Report. The traditional field soil moisture survey is a large-scale, labor-intensive data collection effort that relies heavily on responses from farmers, agricultural extension agents and/or other domain experts for field observations. One weakness of these observations is that they are based on subjective assessments rather than quantitative measures and can lead to spatial inconsistency based on the human responses from the respective counties. Moreover, the NASS Crop Progress Reports do not provide specific geolocation information for the assessed soil moisture conditions – which are extremely useful metadata to provide to data users. NASS implemented the use of SMAP observations in their weekly reports during the growing period (March–November). SMAP maps estimated root-zone soil moisture for the week of November 14–20, 2022, over NASS Pacific (California and Nevada) and Delta (Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana) regional domains—see Figure 5. Figure 5. SMAP-based soil moisture estimates for California, Nevada, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in their weekly report covering November 14–20, 2022. These data are available for selected states at the NASS website linked in the text. Figure Credit: NASS SMAP Radio Frequency Interference Detection and Mitigation Although SMAP operates within the protected frequency allocation of 1400–1427 MHz, the radiometer has been impacted by radio frequency interference over the mission lifetime. Unauthorized in-band transmitters as well as out-of-band emissions from transmitters operating adjacent to the allocated spectrum have been observed in SMAP measurements since its launch. The previously launched SMOS and Aquarius radiometers provide evidence of global RFI at L-band. Consequently, SMAP was designed to incorporate a novel onboard digital detector on the back end to enable detection and filtering of RFI. The radiometer produces science data in time and frequency, enabling the use of multiple RFI detection methods in the ground processing software. On-orbit data demonstrate that the RFI detection and filtering performs well and improves the quality of SMAP brightness temperature measurements. The algorithms are most effective at filtering RFI that is sparse in time and frequency, with minimal impact on the noise equivalent delta temperature (NEDT) – a measure of the radiometer sensitivity. Some areas of the globe remain problematic as RFI that is very high level and persistent results in high percentages of data loss due to removal of contaminated data. A global map of RFI detection rate for January 2025 shows a large contrast between Eastern and Western Hemispheres and between Northern and Southern Hemispheres – see Figure 6. Regions of isolated RFI and severe RFI correspond to populated areas. A detection rate of 100% means all pixels are flagged and removed, resulting in data loss. Analysis of spectral information reveal many sources are likely terrestrial radar systems; however, many wideband, high-level sources and low-level, non-radar sources also persist. Over areas of geopolitical conflict, the time-frequency data show interference covering the entire radiometer receiver bandwidth. Figure 6. Percentage of pixels on a 0.25° grid for January 2025 that have been flagged for removal by the Soil Moisture Active Passive radio frequency interference detection algorithms. Figure Credit: Priscilla N. Mohammed [GSFC] The RFI challenge is further addressed through official spectrum management channels and formal reports that include the geolocated coordinates of sources, interference levels, frequency of occurrence during the observed period, and spectral information – all of which aid field agents as they work to identify potential offenders. Reports are submitted to the NASA Spectrum office and then forwarded to the country of interest through the Satellite Interference Reporting and Resolution System. SMAP Science Data Products The current suite of SMAP science data products is available in the Table. The principal data products are grouped in four levels designated as L1–4. The L1 products are instrument L-band brightness temperature in Kelvin and include all four Stokes parameters (i.e., horizonal and vertical polarization as well as third and fourth Stokes). Both 6:00 AM equatorial crossing (descending) and 6:00 PM equatorial crossing (ascending data) are contained in the products. The user has access to quality flags of the conditions under which measurements are available for each project. The L1B products are time-ordered and include fore and aft measurements. L1C products are on the Equal-Area Scalable Earth V2 (EASE2) grid with polar and global projections. L2 data products are geophysical retrievals (i.e., soil moisture, VOD, and binary freeze/thaw classification on a fixed Earth grid). The L2 half-orbit products are available to the public within a day of acquisition. L3 products are daily composites and include all half-orbits for that day. The SMAP project also produces L4 data that are the result of data assimilation. The L4 products take advantage of other environmental observations, such as precipitation, air temperature and humidity, radiative fluxes at the land surface, and ancillary land use and soil texture information, to produce estimates of surface [nominally 0–5 cm (0–2 in)] and subsurface (e.g., root-zone up to a meter) soil moisture. The data assimilation system is a merger of model and measurements and hence resolves the diurnal cycle of land surface conditions. The data assimilation system also provides estimates of surface fluxes of carbon, energy, and water, such as evaporation, runoff, gross primary productivity (GPP), and respiration. The difference between GPP and respiration is the net ecosystem exchange, which is the net source/sink of the carbon cycle over land. The SMAP suite of products also include near-real-time (NRT) brightness temperature and soil moisture products for use in operational weather forecast applications. The NRT product targets delivery to users within three hours of measurement acquisition. The NRT uses predicted SMAP antenna pointing (instead of telemetry) and model predicted ancillary data (soil temperature) in order to support operational centers that require more than three hours of data products for updating weather forecast models. To date SMAP has met its required and target (for NRT) latency requirements. Two other data projects merge synergistically with other (colocated) satellite measurements. The SPL2SMAP_S merges SMAP L-band radio brightness measurements with C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) measurements from the ESA Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission. The SAR data have high resolution and allow the generation of 1 and 3 km (0.62 and 1.8 mi) merged surface soil moisture estimates. The high resolution soil moisture information, however, is only available when there is coincident SMAP and Sentinel-1 measurements. The refresh rate of this product is limited and can be as long as 12 days. The merged SMOS–SMAP passive L-band radiometry data allows the generation of global, near daily surface soil moisture estimates, which are required to resolve fast hydrologic processes, such as gravity drainage and recharge flux. These parameters are only partially resolved with the SMAP, with a two to three day data refresh rate. This product interpolates the multi-angular SMOS data to the SMAP 40º incident angle and uses all SMAP algorithms, including correction of waterbody impact on SMAP brightness temperature, and ancillary data for geophysical inversions to soil moisture and VOD, ensuring consistency. The combined SMAP–SMOS data product may not be available daily across locations, such as Japan, parts of China, and the Middle East, where RFI affects data collection. Table. Soil Moisture Active Passive suite of science products are available through the National Snow and Ice Data Center, one of NASA’s Distributed Active Archive Centers. Product Type Product description Resolution (Gridding) Granule Extent SPL1BTB Geolocated, calibrated brightness temperature in time order 36 km Half Orbit SPL1CTB_E Backus-Gilbert interpolated, calibrated brightness temperature in time order (9 km) Half Orbit SPL1CTB Geolocated, calibrated brightness temperature on Equal-Area Scalable Earth V2 (EASE2) grid 36 km Half Orbit SPL1CTB_E Backus-Gilbert interpolated, calibrated brightness temperature on EASE2 grid (9 km) Half Orbit SPL2SMP Radiometer soil moisture and vegetation optical depth 36 km Half Orbit SPL2SMP_E Radiometer soil moisture and vegetation optical depth based on SPL1CTB (9 km) Half Orbit SPL2SMAP_S SMAP radiometer/Copernicus Sentinel-1 soil moisture 3 km Sentinel-1 SPL3SMP Daily global composite radiometer soil moisture and vegetation optical depth based on SPL1CTB 36 km Daily–Global SPL3SMP_E Daily global composite radiometer soil moisture and vegetation optical depth based on SPL1CTB_E (9 km) Daily–Global SPL3FTP Daily composite freeze/thaw state based on SPL1CTB 36 km Daily–Global SPL3FTP_E Daily composite freeze/thaw state based on SPL1CTB_E (9 km) Daily–Global SPL4SMAU Surface and Root Zone soil moisture 9 km 3 hours – Global SPL4CMDL Carbon Net Ecosystem Exchange 9 km Daily–Global SPL1BTB_NRT Near Real Time Geolocated, calibrated brightness temperature in time order 36 km Half Orbit SPL2SMP_NRT Near Real Time Radiometer soil moisture 36 km Half Orbit L2/L3 SMOS SM SMOS soil moisture and VOD based on SMAP algorithms (9 km) Half Orbit/Daily Global Future Directions for the SMAP Active–Passive Algorithm Although the SMAP radar failed not long after launch, the data that were collected have been used to advance the development of the SMAP Active–Passive (AP) algorithm, which will be applied to the combined SMAP radiometer data and radar data from the NASA–Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Synthetic Aperture Radar [NISAR] mission, a recently-launched L-Band Synthetic Aperture mission to produce global soil moisture at a spatial resolution of 1 km (0.62 mi) or better. The high resolution product can advance applications of SMAP data (e.g., agricultural productivity, wildfire, and landslide monitoring). Data Continuity Beyond SMAP A forthcoming mission meets some – but not all – of the SMAP measurement requirements and desired enhancements. The European Union’s Copernicus Program Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR) mission is a proposed multichannel microwave radiometry observatory that includes L-band and four other microwave channels sharing a large mesh reflector. The mesh reflector is similar to the one that is used on SMAP, but larger. The successful SMAP demonstration of rotating large deployable mesh antennas for Earth observations has been useful to the CIMR design. In terms of RFI detection capability, CIMR will also use an approach that is similar to SMAP. With regard to instrument thermal noise (NEDT) and data latency, CIMR meets or comes close to the next-mission desired characteristics and equals or exceeds SMAP in most of the attributes. The native L-band resolution of CIMR is ~60 km (37 mi); however, the measurements are coincident and higher-resolution measurements in this configuration allow reconstruction of L-band radiometry at higher resolution than CIMR’s L-band. It may be possible to combine the L- and C-bands and achieve a reconstructed ~15 km (9 mi) L-band product based on the coincident and overlapping measurements. A refresh rate of one day is possible with the wide-swath characteristic of CIMR. CIMR is currently in development; the first version, CIMR-1A, is expected to launch within this decade and the second version, CIMR-1B, in the mid 2030s. Since the Copernicus program supports operational activities (e.g., numerical weather prediction), the program includes plans for follow-on CIMR observatories so that the data record will be maintained without gaps in the future. Conclusions The SMAP mission was launched in 2015 and has produced over 10 years of science data. Because of its unique instrument and operating characteristics, the global low-frequency microwave radiometry with the SMAP observatory has resulted in surface soil moisture, vegetation optical depth, and freeze/thaw state estimates that outperform past and current products. The data have been widely used in the Earth system science community and also applied to natural hazards applications. The Earth system science and application communities are actively using the decade-long, high-quality global L-band radiometry. The intensity and range of SMAP science data usage is evident in the number of peer-reviewed journal publications that contain SMAP or Soil Moisture Active Passive in their title or abstract and use SMAP data in the study (i.e., search: www.webofscience.com data-base). The authors acknowledge that many publications escape this particular query approach. Currently the bibliography includes over 1700 entries and over 20,000 citations spanning several elements of Earth system science, including hydrologic science and regional and global water cycle, oceanic and atmospheric sciences, cryosphere science, global ecology as well as microwave remote sensing technologies. To Learn More About SMAP A more comprehensive bibliography of studies published based on SMAP data products, a set of one-page SMAP science and applications highlights in standardized format, and SMAP project documents including assessment reports are all available online via the links provided. Acknowledgements The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of the SMAP Science Team, the SMAP Algorithm Development Team, and the SMAP Project Office engineers and staff. All of these teams contribute to the ongoing SMAP science product generation and uses reported in this article. Dara Entekhabi Massachusetts Institute of Technology darae@mit.edu Simon Yueh Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology simon.h.yueh@jpl.nasa.gov Rajat Bindlish NASA Goddard Space Flight Center rajat.bindlish@nasa.gov Mark Garcia Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology mark.d.garcia@jpl.nasa.gov Jared Entin NASA Headquarters jared.k.entin@nasa.gov Craig Ferguson NASA Headquarters craig.r.ferguson@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 18, 2025 Related Terms Earth Science View the full article