Members Can Post Anonymously On This Site
NASA, Partners to Conduct Space Station Research During Expedition 73
-
Similar Topics
-
By NASA
Credit: NASA The Trump-Vance Administration released toplines of the President’s budget for Fiscal Year 2026 on Friday. The budget accelerates human space exploration of the Moon and Mars with a fiscally responsible portfolio of missions.
“This proposal includes investments to simultaneously pursue exploration of the Moon and Mars while still prioritizing critical science and technology research,” said acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro. “I appreciate the President’s continued support for NASA’s mission and look forward to working closely with the administration and Congress to ensure we continue making progress toward achieving the impossible.”
Increased commitment to human space exploration in pursuit of exploration of both the Moon and Mars. By allocating more than $7 billion for lunar exploration and introducing $1 billion in new investments for Mars-focused programs, the budget ensures America’s human space exploration efforts remain unparalleled, innovative, and efficient. Refocus science and space technology resources to efficiently execute high priority research. Consistent with the administration’s priority of returning to the Moon before China and putting an American on Mars, the budget will advance priority science and research missions and projects, ending financially unsustainable programs including Mars Sample Return. It emphasizes investments in transformative space technologies while responsibly shifting projects better suited for private sector leadership. Transition the Artemis campaign to a more sustainable, cost-effective approach to lunar exploration. The SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion capsule will be retired after Artemis III, paving the way for more cost-effective, next-generation commercial systems that will support subsequent NASA lunar missions. The budget also ends the Gateway Program, with the opportunity to repurpose already produced components for use in other missions. International partners will be invited to join these renewed efforts, expanding opportunities for meaningful collaboration on the Moon and Mars. Continue the process of transitioning the International Space Station to commercial replacements in 2030, focusing onboard research on efforts critical to the exploration of the Moon and Mars. The budget reflects the upcoming transition to a more cost-effective, open commercial approach to human activities in low Earth orbit by reducing the space station’s crew size and onboard research, preparing for the safe decommissioning of the station and its replacement by commercial space stations. Work to minimize duplication of efforts and most efficiently steward the allocation of American taxpayer dollars. This budget ensures NASA’s topline enables a financially sustainable trajectory to complete groundbreaking research and execute the agency’s bold mission. Focus NASA’s resources on its core mission of space exploration. This budget ends climate-focused “green aviation” spending while protecting the development of technologies with air traffic control and other U.S. government and commercial applications, producing savings. This budget also will ensure continued elimination any funding toward misaligned DEIA initiatives, instead designating that money to missions capable of advancing NASA’s core mission. NASA will continue to inspire the next generation of explorers through exciting, ambitious space missions that demonstrate American leadership in space. NASA will coordinate closely with its partners to execute these priorities and investments as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Building on the President’s promise to increase efficiency this budget pioneers a focused, innovative, and fiscally-responsible path to America’s next great era of human space exploration.
Learn more about the President’s budget request for NASA:
https://www.nasa.gov/budget
-end-
Bethany Stevens
Headquarters, Washington
771-216-2606
bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov
Share
Details
Last Updated May 02, 2025 EditorJennifer M. DoorenLocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Budget & Annual Reports View the full article
-
By European Space Agency
Image: The Ocean and Land Colour Instrument on Copernicus Sentinel-3 captured this image of Earth’s biggest iceberg, A23a, on 5 April 2025. View the full article
-
By NASA
6 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA’s SPHEREx mission is observing the entire sky in 102 infrared colors, or wavelengths of light not visible to the human eye. This image shows a section of sky in one wavelength (3.29 microns), revealing a cloud of dust made of a molecule similar to soot or smoke.NASA/JPL-Caltech This image from NASA’s SPHEREx shows the same region of space in a different infrared wavelength (0.98 microns), but the dust cloud is no longer visible. The molecules that compose the dust — polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons — do not radiate light in this color.NASA/JPL-Caltech After weeks of preparation, the space observatory has begun its science mission, taking about 3,600 unique images per day to create a map of the cosmos like no other.
Launched on March 11, NASA’s SPHEREx space observatory has spent the last six weeks undergoing checkouts, calibrations, and other activities to ensure it is working as it should. Now it’s mapping the entire sky — not just a large part of it — to chart the positions of hundreds of millions of galaxies in 3D to answer some big questions about the universe. On May 1, the spacecraft began regular science operations, which consist of taking about 3,600 images per day for the next two years to provide new insights about the origins of the universe, galaxies, and the ingredients for life in the Milky Way.
This video shows SPHEREx’s field of view as it scans across one section of sky inside the Large Magellanic Cloud, with rainbow colors representing the infrared wavelengths the telescope’s detectors see. The view from one detector array moves from purple to green, followed by the second array’s view, which changes from yellow to red. The images are looped four times. NASA/JPL-Caltech “Thanks to the hard work of teams across NASA, industry, and academia that built this mission, SPHEREx is operating just as we’d expected and will produce maps of the full sky unlike any we’ve had before,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This new observatory is adding to the suite of space-based astrophysics survey missions leading up to the launch of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Together with these other missions, SPHEREx will play a key role in answering the big questions about the universe we tackle at NASA every day.”
From its perch in Earth orbit, SPHEREx peers into the darkness, pointing away from the planet and the Sun. The observatory will complete more than 11,000 orbits over its 25 months of planned survey operations, circling Earth about 14½ times a day. It orbits Earth from north to south, passing over the poles, and each day it takes images along one circular strip of the sky. As the days pass and the planet moves around the Sun, SPHEREx’s field of view shifts as well so that after six months, the observatory will have looked out into space in every direction.
When SPHEREx takes a picture of the sky, the light is sent to six detectors that each produces a unique image capturing different wavelengths of light. These groups of six images are called an exposure, and SPHEREx takes about 600 exposures per day. When it’s done with one exposure, the whole observatory shifts position — the mirrors and detectors don’t move as they do on some other telescopes. Rather than using thrusters, SPHEREx relies on a system of reaction wheels, which spin inside the spacecraft to control its orientation.
Hundreds of thousands of SPHEREx’s images will be digitally woven together to create four all-sky maps in two years. By mapping the entire sky, the mission will provide new insights about what happened in the first fraction of a second after the big bang. In that brief instant, an event called cosmic inflation caused the universe to expand a trillion-trillionfold.
“We’re going to study what happened on the smallest size scales in the universe’s earliest moments by looking at the modern universe on the largest scales,” said Jim Fanson, the mission’s project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “I think there’s a poetic arc to that.”
Cosmic inflation subtly influenced the distribution of matter in the universe, and clues about how such an event could happen are written into the positions of galaxies across the universe. When cosmic inflation began, the universe was smaller than the size of an atom, but the properties of that early universe were stretched out and influence what we see today. No other known event or process involves the amount of energy that would have been required to drive cosmic inflation, so studying it presents a unique opportunity to understand more deeply how our universe works.
“Some of us have been working toward this goal for 12 years,” said Jamie Bock, the mission’s principal investigator at Caltech and JPL. “The performance of the instrument is as good as we hoped. That means we’re going to be able to do all the amazing science we planned on and perhaps even get some unexpected discoveries.”
Color Field
The SPHEREx observatory won’t be the first to map the entire sky, but it will be the first to do so in so many colors. It observes 102 wavelengths, or colors, of infrared light, which are undetectable to the human eye. Through a technique called spectroscopy, the telescope separates the light into wavelengths — much like a prism creates a rainbow from sunlight — revealing all kinds of information about cosmic sources.
For example, spectroscopy can be harnessed to determine the distance to a faraway galaxy, information that can be used to turn a 2D map of those galaxies into a 3D one. The technique will also enable the mission to measure the collective glow from all the galaxies that ever existed and see how that glow has changed over cosmic time.
And spectroscopy can reveal the composition of objects. Using this capability, the mission is searching for water and other key ingredients for life in these systems in our galaxy. It’s thought that the water in Earth’s oceans originated as frozen water molecules attached to dust in the interstellar cloud where the Sun formed.
The SPHEREx mission will make over 9 million observations of interstellar clouds in the Milky Way, mapping these materials across the galaxy and helping scientists understand how different conditions can affect the chemistry that produced many of the compounds found on Earth today.
More About SPHEREx
The SPHEREx mission is managed by JPL for the agency’s Astrophysics Division within the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado, built the telescope and the spacecraft bus. The science analysis of the SPHEREx data will be conducted by a team of scientists located at 10 institutions in the U.S., two in South Korea, and one in Taiwan. Caltech in Pasadena managed and integrated the instrument. The mission’s principal investigator is based at Caltech with a joint JPL appointment. Data will be processed and archived at IPAC at Caltech. The SPHEREx dataset will be publicly available at the NASA-IPAC Infrared Science Archive. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.
For more about SPHEREx, visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/spherex/
News Media Contact
Calla Cofield
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
626-808-2469
calla.e.cofield@jpl.nasa.gov
2025-063
Share
Details
Last Updated May 01, 2025 Related Terms
SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe and Ices Explorer) Astrophysics Exoplanets Galaxies Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Search for Life The Universe Explore More
4 min read NASA’s Chandra Diagnoses Cause of Fracture in Galactic “Bone”
Article 3 hours ago 3 min read The Universe’s Brightest Lights Have Some Dark Origins
Did you know some of the brightest sources of light in the sky come from…
Article 1 day ago 8 min read How to Contribute to Citizen Science with NASA
A cell phone, a computer—and your curiosity—is all you need to become a NASA citizen…
Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics
Missions
Humans in Space
Climate Change
Solar System
View the full article
-
By NASA
Inside a laboratory in the Space Systems Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a payload implementation team member harvests ‘Outredgeous’ romaine lettuce growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat ground unit on Thursday, April 24, 2025. The harvest is part of the ground control work supporting Plant Habitat-07, which launched to the International Space Station aboard NASA’s SpaceX 31st commercial resupply services mission.
The experiment focuses on studying how optimal and suboptimal moisture conditions affect plant growth, nutrient content, and the plant microbiome in microgravity. Research like this continues NASA’s efforts to grow food that is not only safe but also nutritious for astronauts living and working in the harsh environment of space.
The ‘Outredgeous’ romaine lettuce variety was first grown aboard the space station in 2014, and Plant Habitat-07 builds on that legacy, using the station’s Advanced Plant Habitat to expand understanding of how plants adapt to spaceflight conditions. Findings from this work will support future long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, and could also lead to agricultural advances here on Earth.
Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
View the full article
-
By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Gary Laier, center liaison for the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, teaches students about aeronautics during Aero Fair at Tropico Middle School in Rosamond, California, on April 9, 2025.NASA/Genaro Vavuris When curiosity takes flight, learning knows no bounds. The impact of supporting STEM education extends far beyond the classroom, shaping the future of innovation and exploration. NASA Engages is the agency’s outreach website that connects NASA experts and resources with communities, educators, and students across the country. Led by NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, the platform fosters collaboration between educators, organizations, and NASA employees to inspire the next generation.
Giovanna Camacho, Pathways systems engineering intern from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, teaches students about aeronautics during Aero Fair at Tropico Middle School in Rosamond, California, on April 9, 2025.NASA/Genaro Vavuris Bringing NASA to the Classroom
NASA employees dedicate their time and expertise through NASA Engages, whether they’re passionate about robotics, flight research, or inspiring young minds to pursue STEM careers. One example of this is Aero Fair, a STEM program led by the California Office of STEM Engagement at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. This initiative brings aeronautics directly to students, with NASA Armstrong professionals visiting classrooms – both in person and virtually – to engage students during three-day experiences that allow them to learn about aeronautics, meet NASA professionals, and explore potential career paths they might not have previously considered.
“When volunteers step up to help inspire and facilitate learning in the classroom, they are benefiting not only the students they interact with, but our future generation as well,” says Giovanna Camacho, Pathways systems engineering intern at NASA Armstrong, who volunteered at the event.
Chloe Day, a student at Tropico Middle School in Rosamond, California, said Aero Fair inspired her to consider a STEM career. “When NASA employees were talking about what they do and how they help our world today, it made me feel like I want to do it too.”
Educators can request an Aero Fair experience through NASA’s STEM Gateway. These programs “give students a chance to see themselves as real problem-solvers and innovators,” said Shauna Tinich, a Tropico Middle School teacher. “The most beneficial part of Aero Fair is the real-world connection to STEM. The connection to NASA makes it real and exciting for the students.”
Students from Tropico Middle School in Rosamond, California, build their own paper planes as part of a project during NASA Aero Fair on April 9, 2025.NASA/Genaro Vavuris A Program for Impact
The NASA Engages website matches outreach opportunities to employee skills and interests, while educators and community organizations can use the website to request public speakers, classroom visits, and educational support at events.
For many volunteers, the experience is just as inspiring as it is for the students. “Every time I volunteer, I walk out inspired,” Camacho said. “It motivates me to continue my pursuit of making a difference.”
Gary Laier, center liaison for the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs at NASA Armstrong, and Aero Fair volunteer, agreed: “It’s a rewarding experience for students, teachers, and NASA volunteers alike. I enjoy the opportunity to inspire youth and get them excited about their futures.”
By participating in outreach activities like Aero Fair, career panels, or events, NASA employees not only help ignite curiosity and provide knowledge to students and the community but also strengthen NASA’s connection to the communities it serves.
Gary Laier, center liaison for the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, teaches students about aeronautics during Aero Fair at Tropico Middle School in Rosamond, California, on April 9, 2025.NASA/Genaro Vavuris Explore NASA STEM Opportunities
Educators, organizations, and community groups can connect with NASA in two ways. Through NASA Engages, external groups can request NASA support for their own events – such as inviting a NASA speaker or arranging classroom visits and providing outreach materials. Meanwhile, NASA STEM Gateway provides opportunities for individuals to participate in NASA-developed STEM events, internships, and programs like Aero Fair. To request NASA participation in an event or to learn more about NASA STEM opportunities, visit https://stemgateway.nasa.gov/nasaengages/s/.
Giovanna Camacho, Pathways systems engineering intern at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, teaches students about aeronautics during Aero Fair at Tropico Middle School in Rosamond, California, on April 9, 2025.NASA/Genaro Vavuris Share
Details
Last Updated Apr 30, 2025 Related Terms
Armstrong Flight Research Center Learning Resources NASA STEM Projects STEM Engagement at NASA Explore More
7 min read ¿Qué es una caminata espacial? (Grados 5.o a 8.o)
Article 4 hours ago 4 min read Robots, Rovers, and Regolith: NASA Brings Exploration to FIRST Robotics 2025
Article 1 day ago 3 min read NASA Tracks Snowmelt to Improve Water Management
Article 6 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
Armstrong Flight Research Center
Humans in Space
Climate Change
Solar System
View the full article
-
-
Check out these Videos
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.