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Copernicus Sentinel-1A: seven years in operation

This week marks seven years since the very first satellite that ESA built for the European Union’s Copernicus programme started delivering data to monitor the environment. The Sentinel-1A satellite has shed new light on our changing world and has been key to supplying a wealth of radar imagery to aid disaster response. While this remarkable satellite may have been designed for an operational life of seven years, it is still going strong and fully expected to be in service for several years to come.

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      What does the future of space exploration look like? At the 2025 FIRST Robotics World Championship in Houston, NASA gave student robotics teams and industry leaders a first-hand look—complete with lunar rovers, robotic arms, and real conversations about shaping the next era of discovery. 
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      Multiple NASA centers participated in the event, including Johnson Space Center in Houston; Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California; Kennedy Space Center in Florida; Langley Research Center in Virginia; Ames Research Center in California; Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans; Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California; Glenn Research Center in Cleveland; Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; and the Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility in West Virginia. Each brought unique technologies and expertise to the exhibit floor. 
      FIRST Robotics attendees explore NASA’s exhibit and learn about the agency’s mission during the event.NASA/Robert Markowitz Displays highlighted key innovations such as: 
      Automated Reconfigurable Mission Adaptive Digital Assembly Systems: A modular system of small robots and smart algorithms that can autonomously assemble large-scale structures in space.  Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration: A team of small lunar rovers designed to operate independently, navigating and making decisions together without human input.  Lightweight Surface Manipulation System AutoNomy Capabilities Development for Surface Operations and Construction: A robotic arm system built for lunar construction tasks, developed through NASA’s Early Career Initiative.  Space Exploration Vehicle: A pressurized rover prototype built for human exploration of planetary surfaces, offering attendees a look at how future astronauts may one day travel across the Moon or Mars.  Mars Perseverance Rover: An exhibit detailing the rover’s mission to search for ancient microbial life and collect samples for future return to Earth.  In-Situ Resource Utilization Pilot Excavator: A lunar bulldozer-dump truck hybrid designed to mine and transport regolith, supporting long-term exploration through the Artemis campaign.  Visitors view NASA’s Space Exploration Vehicle on display.NASA/Robert Markowitz “These demonstrations help students see themselves in NASA’s mission and the next frontier of lunar exploration,” said Johnson Public Affairs Specialist Andrew Knotts. “They can picture their future as part of the team shaping how we live and work in space.” 
      Since the FIRST Championship relocated to Houston in 2017, NASA has mentored more than 250 robotics teams annually, supporting elementary through high school students. The agency continued that tradition for this year’s event, and celebrated the fusion of science, engineering, and creativity that defines both robotics and space exploration. 
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    • By NASA
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      Bringing Astronauts Home Safely, Space Station Milestones
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      https://www.nasa.gov
      -end-
      Bethany Stevens
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1600
      bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov
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      Last Updated Apr 29, 2025 EditorJennifer M. DoorenLocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
      What We Do Missions Science for Everyone STEM Impacts View the full article
    • By NASA
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      How do the sudden darkness and temperature changes of a solar eclipse impact life on Earth? The Eclipse Soundscapes project invited you to document changes in the environment during the week of the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse, using your own senses or an audiomoth sound recorder. 
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      At Norfolk Technical Center in Norfolk, Virginia, carpentry students in Jordan Crawford’s first-year class aren’t just learning how to measure and cut wood—they’re discovering how their skills can serve a greater purpose.
      When the NASA Science Activation program’s NASA eClips project—led by the National Institute of Aerospace’s Center for Integrative Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education (NIA-CISE)—needed help building weather instrument shelters for local schools, Norfolk Public Schools’ Career and Technical Education (CTE) team saw an opportunity to connect students to something bigger than the classroom. The shelters are used to house scientific equipment that K–12 students rely on to collect data using GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) protocols—a set of standardized, internationally recognized methods for gathering environmental data such as temperature, soil moisture, and cloud cover. These observations contribute to a global citizen science database, giving young learners a meaningful role in real-world environmental research.
      Originally, shelters were being ordered from a national supplier to support GLOBE training sessions for teachers in GO (Growth & Opportunity) Virginia Region 5, an economic development region. These training sessions were funded through a generous grant from the Coastal Virginia STEM Hub (COVA STEM Hub), which supports regional collaboration in STEM education. But when the supplier couldn’t keep up with demand, Norfolk Public Schools CTE Specialist Dr. Deborah Marshall offered a bold solution: why not have local students build them?
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      “It was an extreme pleasure working on this project. I would love to work with NIA again,” added LaValle Howard. “I am proud to be a part of this vocational school and team.”
      Jaymyson Burden agreed: “It was fun and great to be exposed to the carpentry realm and install them in the real world. It was gratifying to know what we have done has an impact.”
      After completing the shelters, the students volunteered to install them at seven Hampton City Schools. Their work completed the full circle—from building the shelters in their carpentry classroom to setting them up where younger students would use them to collect real environmental data.
      Their dedication did not go unnoticed. The team was invited to NASA’s Langley Research Center for a behind-the-scenes tour of the NASA Model Shop, where they met Sam James, a Mechanical Engineering Technician and Fabrication Specialist. James showed the students how the same kind of craftsmanship they’d used is essential in the creation of tools and components for NASA missions. They also learned about NASA summer internships and discovered that their hands-on skills could open doors to exciting careers in STEM fields.
      “It was an honor to help where we were needed,” said student Josh Hunsucker. “Assembling these gave us a new perspective on the importance of duplication and how each step impacts the result. We’re happy to help wherever or whenever we’re needed—it provides a learning experience for us.”
      Kyra Pope summed it up: “It’s been a great amount of work over the past few months, but it pays off—especially when you’re giving back to the community.”
      According to Dr. Sharon Bowers, Associate Director and Senior STEM Education Specialist for NIA-CISE, the project demonstrates what’s possible when regional partners come together to empower students and educators alike. “The financial support from COVA STEM Hub supported sustained educator professional learning within our STEM learning ecosystem. Work with the Norfolk Technical Center truly made this a real-world, problem-solving experience. This is just the beginning for more collaborative work that will bring the region together to engage educators and learners in authentic STEM learning experiences.”
      This collaboration wasn’t just about building boxes to house thermometers. It was about building bridges—between technical education and science, between high school students and their futures, and between local classrooms and global research. With each shelter they crafted, the students created something that will outlast them, reminding others—and themselves—of what’s possible when learning is hands-on, meaningful, and connected to the world beyond school walls.
      Thanks to Betsy McAllister, NIA’s Educator-in-Residence from Hampton City Schools, for her impactful contributions and for sharing this story. The NASA eClips project provides educators with standards-based videos, activities, and lessons to increase STEM literacy through the lens of NASA. It is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AB91A and 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
      Carpentry students from the Norfolk Technical Center install a digital, multi-day, minimum/maximum thermometer in the GLOBE instrument shelter. Share








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      “The goal is to improve satellite data products for Earth science applications,” Yorks said. “These measurements allow scientists and decision-makers to confidently use this satellite information for applications like weather forecasting and hazard monitoring.”
      Researcher Jackson Begolka from the University of Iowa examines instrument connectors onboard the ER-2 aircraft at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Feb. 1, 2025. The GLOVE instrument will validate data from satellites orbiting the Earth.NASA/Steve Freeman The four instruments installed on the ER-2 were the Cloud Physics Lidar, the Roscoe Lidar, the enhanced Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Airborne Simulator, and the Cloud Radar System. These instruments validate data produced by sensors on NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2) and the Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE), a joint venture between the ESA (European Space Agency) and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).
      “Additionally, the EarthCARE satellite is flying the first ever Doppler radar for measurements of air motions within clouds,” Yorks said. While the ER-2 is operated by pilots and aircrew from NASA Armstrong, these instruments are supported by scientists from NASA Goddard, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, and the Naval Research Laboratory office in Monterey, California, as well as by students from the University of Iowa in Iowa City and the University of Maryland College Park.
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      Last Updated Apr 16, 2025 EditorDede DiniusContactErica HeimLocationArmstrong Flight Research Center Related Terms
      Armstrong Flight Research Center Airborne Science Earth Science Earth Science Technology Office Earth's Atmosphere ER-2 Goddard Space Flight Center Explore More
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