NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and space research.
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ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Windhorst, W. Keel This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a spiral galaxy, named UGC 10043. We don’t see the galaxy’s spiral arms because we are seeing it from the side. Located roughly 150 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Serpens, UGC 10043 is one of the somewhat rare spiral galaxies that we see edge-on. This edge-on viewpoint makes the galaxy’s disk appear as a sharp line through space, with its prominent dust lanes forming thick bands of clouds that obscure our view of the galaxy’s glow. If we could fly above the galaxy, viewing it from the top down, we would see this dust scattered across UGC 10043, possi…
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A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:06 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. SpaceX From sending crew members to the International Space Station to launching a spacecraft to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa to determine if it could support life, 2024 was a busy record setting year for NASA and its partners at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. JANUARY First Lunar Lander Takes Flight The first flight of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative lifted off with Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission One lunar lander aboard the inaugural launch of U…
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Artemis Accords: Celebrating 50 Country Signatories
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5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover used its right-front navigation camera to capture this first view over the rim of Jezero Crater on Dec. 10, 2024, the 1,354th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The camera is facing west from a location nicknamed “Lookout Hill.”NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover captured this scene showing the slippery terrain that’s made its climb up to the rim of Jezero Crater challenging. Rover tracks can be seen trailing off into the distance, back toward th…
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3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Current brake system technology cool disc brakes with air pulled from inside the vehicle’s body to prevent overheating. The channels cut into the exterior of the disc brakes developed by Orbis Brakes draw in external air, which is cooler, ensure the brakes work more efficiently.Credit: Orbis Brakes Inc Just as NASA needs to reduce mass on a spacecraft so it can escape Earth’s gravity, automotive manufacturers work to reduce weight to improve vehicle performance. In the case of brake rotors, lighter is better for a vehicle’s acceleration, reliable stopping, and even gas mileage. Orbis Brakes…
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This article is from the 2024 Technical Update. Multiple human spaceflight programs are underway at NASA including Orion, Space Launch System, Gateway, Human Landing System, and EVA and Lunar Surface Mobility programs. Achieving success in these programs requires NASA to collaborate with a variety of commercial partners, including both new spaceflight companies and robotic spaceflight companies pursuing crewed spaceflight for the first time. It is not always clear to these organizations how to show their systems are safe for human spaceflight. This is particularly true for avionics systems, which are responsible for performing some of a crewed spacecraft’s most c…
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This article is from the 2024 Technical Update. In 2015, the NESC released benchmark Earth-based check-cases for well specified, rigid-body, six-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) aero/spacecraft models to promote consistent and accurate flight simulations across multiple Agency tools and facilities. Recently, the NESC expanded upon that effort to add Lunar-based check-cases to support new lunar exploration initiatives. This study produced a smaller, focused set of cases that exercise new and unique features of missions in the lunar environment in comparison with 8 high-fidelity NASA simulation tools and provides a measure of validation for simulations supporting Human Lan…
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Curiosity NavigationCuriosity HomeMission OverviewWhere is Curiosity?Mission UpdatesScienceOverviewInstrumentsHighlightsExploration GoalsNews and FeaturesMultimediaCuriosity Raw ImagesImagesVideosAudioMosaicsMore ResourcesMars MissionsMars Sample ReturnMars Perseverance RoverMars Curiosity RoverMAVENMars Reconnaissance OrbiterMars OdysseyMore Mars MissionsThe Solar SystemThe SunMercuryVenusEarthThe MoonMarsJupiterSaturnUranusNeptunePluto & Dwarf PlanetsAsteroids, Comets & MeteorsThe Kuiper BeltThe Oort Cloud 3 min read Sols 4391-4392: Rounding the Bend NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Left Navigation Camera on sol 4389 — Martian day 4,38…
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This article is from the 2024 Technical Update. The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) has developed an analytical model that predicts diffusion between two gases during piston purging of liquid hydrogen (LH2) tanks. This model helps explain dramatic helium savings seen in a recent Kennedy Space Center (KSC) purge, shows that undesired turbulent mixing occurred in Space Shuttle External Tank purges, and is applicable to future helium purges of the Space Launch System Core Stage LH2 tanks. Background In 2023, work was completed on a new 1.3-million-gallon (174,000 standard cubic feet (scf)) liquid hydrogen tank at KSC in support of the Space Launch Sys…
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This article is from the 2024 Technical Update Autonomous flight termination systems (AFTS) are being progressively employed onboard launch vehicles to replace ground personnel and infrastructure needed to terminate flight or destruct the vehicle should an anomaly occur. This automation uses on-board real-time data and encoded logic to determine if the flight should be self-terminated. For uncrewed launch vehicles, FTS systems are required to protect the public and governed by the United States Space Force (USSF). For crewed missions, NASA must augment range AFTS requirements for crew safety and certify each flight according to human rating standards, thus addin…
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This article is from the 2024 Technical Update. The NESC evaluated material compatibility of some common aerospace metals in monomethylhydrazine (MMH) and nitrogen tetroxide (MON-3). Previous work had identified a lack of quantitative compatibility data for nickel alloy 718, 300 series stainless steel, and titanium Ti-6Al-4V in MMH and MON-3 to support the use of zero-failure-tolerant, thin-walled pressure barriers in these propellants. Static (i.e., not flowing) general corrosion and electrochemistry testing was conducted, evaluating varied processing forms and heat treatment of the metals, water content of propellant, and exposure duration. Corrosion-rate data …
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5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The north polar region of Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io was captured by NASA’s Juno during spacecraft’s 57th close pass of the gas giant on Dec. 30, 2023. Data from recent flybys is helping scientists understand Io’s interior. Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS Image processing by Gerald Eichstädt A new study points to why, and how, Io became the most volcanic body in the solar system. Scientists with NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter have discovered that the volcanoes on Jupiter’s moon Io are each likely powered by their own chamber of roiling hot magma rather than an ocean of magma. The…
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The telescope and instruments for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope were recently integrated together on the observatory’s instrument carrier at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Next, the entire system will be joined to the Roman spacecraft. NASA/Chris Gunn NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team has successfully integrated the mission’s telescope and two instruments onto the instrument carrier, marking the completion of the Roman payload. Now the team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will begin joining the payload to the spacecraft. “We’re in the middle of an exciting stage of mission preparation,”…
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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 The Solar System The Sun Mercury Venus Earth The Moon Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto & Dwarf Planets Asteroids, Comets & Meteors The Kuiper Belt The Oort Cloud 3 min read Sols 4389-4390: A Wealth of Ripples, Nodules and Veins NASA’s Mars rov…
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El administrador de la NASA, Bill Nelson (izquierda), y la secretaria adjunta en funciones de la Oficina de Océanos y Asuntos Medioambientales y Científicos Internacionales del Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos, Jennifer R. Littlejohn (derecha), observan a la embajadora de la República de Austria en Estados Unidos, Petra Schneebauer, mientras firma los Acuerdos de Artemis, el miércoles 11 de diciembre de 2024, en el edificio Mary W. Jackson de la sede de la NASA en Washington. La República de Austria es el 50.º país en firmar los Acuerdos de Artemis, que establecen un conjunto práctico de principios para guiar la cooperación en la exploración espacial entre las nac…
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Michelle Dominguez proudly displays her award at the Women of Color STEM Conference in Detroit, Michigan, October 2024.NASA Dorcas Kaweesa holding her award at the Women of Color STEM Conference in Detroit, Michigan, October 2024. NASA In October 2024, Michelle Dominguez and Dorcas Kaweesa from the Ames Aeromechanics Office were each awarded as a “Technology Rising Star” at the Women of Color STEM Conference in Detroit, Michigan. Rising Star awards are for “young women, with 21 years or less in the workforce, who are helping to shape technology for the future.” Ms. Dominguez is a Mechanical Systems Engineer working on rotorcraft design for vertical-lift vehicles suc…
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9 Min Read Artemis in Motion Listening Sessions The Earth and Moon appear side by side off in the distance while the Orion crew module is in the foreground. Credits: NASA Through Artemis in Motion Sessions, NASA Seeks Moon Storytelling Ideas To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video As NASA pioneers new technologies and methods for storytelling in space for the benefit of humanity, the agency is hosting Artemis in Motion listening sessions wit…
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NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, left, and U.S. Department of State Acting Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Jennifer R. Littlejohn, right, look on as Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the United States of America Petra Schneebauer, signs the Artemis Accords, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The Republic of Austria is the 50th country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky Lee esta nota…
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Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program lift the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) core stage for the Artemis II mission from horizonal to vertical inside the transfer aisle at the Vehicle Assembly building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. The one-of-a kind lifting beam is designed to move the core stage from the transfer aisle to High Bay 2 where it will remain while teams stack the two solid rocket boosters for the SLS core stage. NASA/Adeline Morgan NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket core stage is vertical in High Bay 2 on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space C…
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3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA/Steve Parcel The most effective way to prove a new idea is to start small, test, learn, and test again. A team of researchers developing an atmospheric probe at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, are taking that approach. The concept could offer future scientists a potentially better and more economical way to collect data on other planets. The latest iteration of the atmospheric probe flew after release from a quad-rotor remotely piloted aircraft on Oct. 22 above Rogers Dry Lake, a flight area adjacent to NASA Armstrong. The probe benefits from NAS…
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5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Watersheds on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard will be among the areas most affected by underground saltwater intrusion by the year 2100 due to sea level rise and changes in groundwater supplies, according to a NASA-DOD study. NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image on April 21, 2023. Intrusion of saltwater into coastal groundwater can make water there unusable, damage ecosystems, and corrode infrastructure. Seawater will infiltrate underground freshwater supplies in about three of every four coastal areas around the world by the year 2100, according to a recent study led by researchers at…
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Earth (ESD) Earth Explore Climate Change Science in Action Multimedia Data For Researchers About Us 4 min read NASA Study: Crops, Forests Responding to Changing Rainfall Patterns Earth’s rainy days are changing and plant life is responding. This visualization shows average precipitation for the entire globe based on more than 20 years of data from 2000 to 2023. Cooler colors indicate areas that receive less rain. Warm colors receive more rain. NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio A new NASA-led study has found that how rain falls in a given year is nearly as important to the world’s vegetation as how much. Reporting Dec. 11 in Nature, the resear…
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NASA Astronauts (from left) Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Loral O’Hara take photographs of Earth from inside the cupola aboard space station.Credit: NASA That’s a wrap! Astronauts aboard the International Space Station conducted hundreds of science experiments and technology demonstrations during 2024. Crew members participated in research across a variety of scientific disciplines and accomplished milestones demonstrating benefits for future missions and humanity back on Earth. Their work included snapping thousands of images of Earth to understand our planet’s changing landscape, bioprinting cardiac tissues to validate technology for organ manufacturing in space…
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3 Min Read They Grow So Fast: Moon Tree Progress Since NASA’s Artemis I Mission In the two years since NASA’s Orion spacecraft returned to Earth with more than 2,000 tree seedlings sourced in a partnership with USDA Forest Service, Artemis I Moon trees have taken root at 236 locations across the contiguous United States. Organizations are cultivating more than just trees, as they nurture community connections, spark curiosity about space, and foster a deeper understanding of NASA’s missions. Universities, federal agencies, museums, and other organizations who were selected to be Moo…
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Webb Webb News Latest News Latest Images Blog (offsite) Awards X (offsite – login reqd) Instagram (offsite – login reqd) Facebook (offsite- login reqd) Youtube (offsite) Overview About Who is James Webb? Fact Sheet Impacts+Benefits FAQ Science Overview and Goals Early Universe Galaxies Over Time Star Lifecycle Other Worlds Observatory Overview Launch Orbit Mirrors Sunshield Instrument: NIRCam Instrument: MIRI Instrument: NIRSpec Instrument: FGS/NIRISS Optical Telescope Element Backplane Spacecraft Bus Instrument Module Multimedia About Webb Images Images Videos What is Webb Observing? 3d Webb in 3d Solar System Podcasts Webb Image Sonifications Team I…
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