NASA

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Post-Splashdown News Conference

NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov land in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in the water off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida on March 18, 2025. Hague, Gorbunov, Williams, and Wilmore returned from a long-duration science expedition aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 completed the agency’s ninth commercial crew rotation mission to the International Space Station on Tuesday, splashing down safely in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, in the Gulf of America. NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, returned to Earth at 5:57 p.m. EDT. Teams aboard SpaceX recovery vessels retrieved the spacecraft and its crew. After returning to shore, the crew will fly to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and reunite with their families. “We are thrilled to have Suni, Butch, Nick, and Aleksandr home after their months-long mission conducting vital science, technology demonstrations, and maintenance aboard the International Space Station,” said NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro. “Per President Trump’s direction, NASA and SpaceX worked diligently to pull the schedule a month earlier. This international crew and our teams on the ground embraced the Trump Administration’s challenge of an updated, and somewhat unique, mission plan, to bring our crew home. Through preparation, ingenuity, and dedication, we achieve great things together for the benefit of humanity, pushing the boundaries of what is possible from low Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars.” Hague and Gorbunov lifted off at 1:17 p.m. Sept. 28, 2024, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The next day, they docked to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module. Williams and Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft and United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on June 5, 2024, from Space Launch Complex 41 as part of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. The duo arrived at the space station on June 6. In August, NASA announced the uncrewed return of Starliner to Earth and integrated Wilmore and Williams as part of the space station’s Expedition 71/72 for a return on Crew-9. The crew of four undocked at 1:05 a.m. Tuesday to begin the trip home. Williams and Wilmore traveled 121,347,491 miles during their mission, spent 286 days in space, and completed 4,576 orbits around Earth. Hague and Gorbunov traveled 72,553,920 miles during their mission, spent 171 days in space, and completed 2,736 orbits around Earth. The Crew-9 mission was the first spaceflight for Gorbunov. Hague has logged 374 days in space over his two missions, Williams has logged 608 days in space over her three flights, and Wilmore has logged 464 days in space over his three flights. Throughout its mission, Crew-9 contributed to a host of science and maintenance activities and technology demonstrations. Williams conducted two spacewalks, joined by Wilmore for one and Hague for another, removing a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss, collecting samples from the station’s external surface for analysis, installing patches to cover damaged areas of light filters on an X-ray telescope, and more. Williams now holds the record for total spacewalking time by a female astronaut, with 62 hours and 6 minutes outside of station, and is fourth on the all-time spacewalk duration list. The American crew members conducted more than 150 unique scientific experiments and technology demonstrations between them, with over 900 hours of research. This research included investigations on plant growth and quality, as well as the potential of stem cell technology to address blood diseases, autoimmune disorders, and cancers. They also tested lighting systems to help astronauts maintain circadian rhythms, loaded the first wooden satellite for deployment, and took samples from the space station’s exterior to study whether microorganisms can survive in space. The Crew-9 mission was the fourth flight of the Dragon spacecraft named Freedom. It also previously supported NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4, Axiom Mission 2, and Axiom Mission 3. The spacecraft will return to Florida for inspection and processing at SpaceX’s refurbishing facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, where teams will inspect the Dragon, analyze data on its performance, and begin processing for its next flight. The Crew-9 flight is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, and its return to Earth follows on the heels of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 launch, which docked to the station on March 16, beginning another long-duration science expedition. The goal of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the space station and low Earth orbit. The program provides additional research time and has increased opportunities for discovery aboard humanity’s microgravity testbed for exploration, including helping NASA prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars. Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew -end- Amber Jacobson / Joshua Finch Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 amber.c.jacobson@nasa.gov / joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov Kenna Pell / Sandra Jones Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 kenna.m.pell@nasa.gov / sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov Steve Siceloff / Stephanie Plucinsky Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-867-2468 steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov / stephanie.n.plucinsky@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Mar 18, 2025 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsHumans in SpaceExpedition 72International Space Station (ISS)ISS ResearchSpace Operations Mission Directorate View the full article

After delivering ten NASA science and technology payloads to the near side of the Moon through NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander captured this image of a sunset from the lunar surface. Credit: Firefly Aerospace After landing on the Moon with NASA science and technology demonstrations March 2, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 concluded its mission March 16. Analysis of data returned to Earth from the NASA instruments continues, benefitting future lunar missions. As part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander delivered 10 NASA science and technology instruments to the Mare Crisium basin on the near side of the Moon. During the mission, Blue Ghost captured several images and videos, including imaging a total solar eclipse and a sunset from the surface of the Moon. The mission lasted for about 14 days, or the equivalent of one lunar day, and multiple hours into the lunar night before coming to an end. “Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 marks the longest surface duration commercial mission on the Moon to date, collecting extraordinary science data that will benefit humanity for decades to come,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “With NASA’s CLPS initiative, American companies are now at the forefront of an emerging lunar economy that lights the way for the agency’s exploration goals on the Moon and beyond.” All 10 NASA payloads successfully activated, collected data, and performed operations on the Moon. Throughout the mission, Blue Ghost transmitted 119 gigabytes of data back to Earth, including 51 gigabytes of science and technology data. In addition, all payloads were afforded additional opportunities to conduct science and gather more data for analysis, including during the eclipse and lunar sunset. “Operating on the Moon is complex; carrying 10 payloads, more than has ever flown on a CLPS delivery before, makes the mission that much more impressive,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters. “Teams are eagerly analyzing their data, and we are extremely excited for the expected scientific findings that will be gained from this mission.” Among other achievements, many of the NASA instruments performed first-of-their-kind science and technology demonstrations, including: The Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity is now the deepest robotic planetary subsurface thermal probe, drilling up to 3 feet and providing a first-of-its kind demonstration of robotic thermal measurements at varying depths. The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment acquired and tracked Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) signals, from satellite networks such as GPS and Galileo, for the first time enroute to and on the Moon’s surface. The LuGRE payload’s record-breaking success indicates that GNSS signals could complement other navigation methods and be used to support future Artemis missions. It also acts as a stepping stone to future navigation systems on Mars. The Radiation Tolerant Computer successfully operated in transit through Earth’s Van Allen belts, as well as on the lunar surface into the lunar night, verifying solutions to mitigate radiation effects on computers that could make future missions safer for equipment and more cost effective. The Electrodynamic Dust Shield successfully lifted and removed lunar soil, or regolith, from surfaces using electrodynamic forces, demonstrating a promising solution for dust mitigation on future lunar and interplanetary surface operations. The Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder successfully deployed five sensors to study the Moon’s interior by measuring electric and magnetic fields. The instrument allows scientists to characterize the interior of the Moon to depths up to 700 miles, or more than half the distance to the Moon’s center. The Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager captured a series of X-ray images to study the interaction of the solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field, providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces surrounding Earth affect the planet. The Next Generation Lunar Retroreflector successfully reflected and returned laser light from two Lunar Laser Ranging Observatories, returning measurements allowing scientists to precisely measure the Moon’s shape and distance from Earth, expanding our understanding of the Moon’s inner structure. The Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies instrument captured about 9,000 images during the spacecraft’s lunar descent and touchdown on the Moon, providing insights into the effects engine plumes have on the surface. The payload also operated during the lunar sunset and into the lunar night. The Lunar PlanetVac was deployed on the lander’s surface access arm and successfully collected, transferred, and sorted lunar soil using pressurized nitrogen gas, demonstrating a low-cost, low-mass solution for future robotic sample collection. The Regolith Adherence Characterization instrument examined how lunar regolith sticks to a range of materials exposed to the Moon’s environment, which can help test, improve, and protect spacecraft, spacesuits, and habitats from abrasive lunar dust or regolith. The data captured will benefit humanity in many ways, providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces may impact Earth. Establishing an improved awareness of the lunar environment ahead of future crewed missions will help plan for long-duration surface operations under Artemis. To date, five vendors have been awarded 11 lunar deliveries under CLPS and are sending more than 50 instruments to various locations on the Moon, including the lunar South Pole and far side. Learn more about NASA’s CLPS initiative at: https://www.nasa.gov/clps -end- Alise Fisher Headquarters, Washington 202-617-4977 alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov Natalia Riusech / Nilufar Ramji Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 nataila.s.riusech@nasa.gov / nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov Antonia Jaramillo Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-501-8425 antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Mar 18, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsCommercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)ArtemisBlue Ghost (lander)Johnson Space CenterKennedy Space CenterNASA Headquarters View the full article

A group of attendees of the joint NASA-USGS workshop, Planetary Subsurface Exploration for Science and Resources, gathers for a photo at NASA’s Ames Research Center on Feb. 11, 2025. Workshop participants discussed observations, technologies, and operations needed to support new economies for terrestrial and off-world resources, including critical minerals.NASA/Brandon Torres Navarrete NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) welcomed a community of government, industry, and international partners to explore current technology needs around natural resources – both on Earth and “off world.” During a workshop held in February at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, participants discussed technologies that will improve the ability to detect, assess, and develop resources, such as critical minerals and water ice to be found on our Moon, other planets and their moons, and asteroids. More than 300 attendees, taking part in person and virtually, worked to define the elements needed to find and map resources beyond Earth to support the growing space economy. These include sensors to image the subsurface of planetary bodies, new platforms for cost-effective operations, and technologies that enable new concepts of operation for these systems. Scientific studies and measurements of off-world sites will be key to detecting and characterizing resources of interest, creating an important synergy with technology goals and helping to answer fundamental science questions as well. The workshop was the third in a series called Planetary Subsurface Exploration for Science and Resources. By leveraging the expertise gained from decades of resource exploration on this planet and that of the space technology and space mission communities, NASA and USGS aim to spark collaboration across industry, government, and academia to develop new concepts and technologies. Participants in the NASA-USGS off-world resources workshop take part in a panel review of technology opportunities, Feb. 13, 2025, at NASA’s Ames Research Center. The panelists were Dave Alfano, chief of the Intelligent Systems Division at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley (left); Rob Mueller, a senior technologist and principal investigator in the Exploration Research and Technology Programs Directorate at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida; Christine Stewart, CEO at Austmine Limited in Australia; Gerald Sanders, in-situ resource utilization system capability lead for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate based at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston; and Jonathon Ralston, Integrated Mining Research Team lead at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. NASA/Brandon Torres Navarrete View the full article

NASA/Nick Hague NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Suni Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov – the members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission – smile at the camera in this Feb. 19, 2025, photo. While aboard the International Space Station, Hague, Williams, and Wilmore completed more than 900 hours of research between more than 150 unique scientific experiments and technology demonstrations during their stay aboard the orbiting laboratory. Wilmore, Hague, Williams, and Gorbunov are set to return to Earth on Tuesday, March 18, with splashdown set for approximately 5:57 p.m. EDT. Watch NASA’s Crew-9 return coverage at 4:45 p.m. EDT Tuesday on NASA+. Image credit: NASA/Nick Hague View the full article

As part of NASA’s Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations flight tests in November 2024, Overwatch Aero flies a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft in Watsonville, California.Credit: NASA NASA will conduct a live flight test of aircraft performing simulated wildland fire response operations using a newly developed airspace management system at 9 a.m. PDT on Tuesday, March 25, in Salinas, California. NASA’s new portable airspace management system, part of the agency’s Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) project, aims to significantly expand the window of time crews have to respond to wildland fires. The system provides the air traffic awareness needed to safely send aircraft – including drones and remotely piloted helicopters – into wildland fire operations, even during low-visibility conditions. Current aerial firefighting operations are limited to times when pilots have clear visibility, which lowers the risk of flying into the surrounding terrain or colliding with other aircraft. This restriction grounds most aircraft at night and during periods of heavy smoke. During this inaugural flight test, researchers will use the airspace management system to coordinate the flight operations of two small drones, an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, and a remotely piloted aircraft that will have a backup pilot aboard. The drones and aircraft will execute examples of critical tasks for wildland fire management, including weather data sharing, simulated aerial ignition flights, and communications relay. Media interested in viewing the ACERO flight testing must RSVP by 4 p.m. Friday, March 21, to the NASA Ames Office of Communications by email at: arc-dl-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov or by phone at 650-604-4789. NASA will release additional details, including address and arrival logistics, to media credentialed for the event. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is online. NASA’s ACERO researchers will use data from the flight test to refine the airspace management system. The project aims to eventually provide this technology to wildland fire crews for use in the field, helping to save lives and property. This project is managed at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. For more information on ACERO, visit: https://go.nasa.gov/4bYEzsD -end- Rob Margetta Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 robert.j.margetta@nasa.gov Hillary Smith Ames Research Center, Silicon Valley 650-604-4789 hillary.smith@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Mar 18, 2025 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsAmes Research CenterAdvanced Capabilities for Emergency Response OperationsAeronauticsAeronautics Research Mission DirectorateFlight Innovation View the full article

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Media are invited to meet leaders in the space community during the 62nd annual Goddard Space Science Symposium, taking place from Wednesday, March 19, to Friday, March 21, at Martin’s Crosswinds in Greenbelt, Maryland. The symposium will also be streamed online. Hosted by the American Astronautical Society (AAS) in conjunction with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, the symposium examines the current state and future of space science and space exploration at large by convening leading minds across NASA, other government agencies, policy, academia, and industry – collectively navigating a path forward by identifying the opportunities and challenges ahead. This year’s theme, “Pathways and Partnerships for U.S. Leadership in Earth and Space Science,” highlights the evolving collaborative landscape between the public and private sectors, as well as how it is helping the United States remain and grow as a leading space power. “Earth and space science are complex by nature, with a growing list of public and private enterprises carving out their space,” said Christa Peters-Lidard, co-chair of the symposium planning committee and Goddard’s director of sciences and exploration. “It’s an exciting time as we work to determine the future trajectory of space exploration in this new era, and the Goddard Space Science Symposium is an instrumental tool for gathering the insights of leading experts across a broad spectrum.” AAS President Ron Birk and Goddard Deputy Center Director Cynthia Simmons will deliver the symposium’s opening remarks on March 19, followed by panels on enabling science and exploration from the Moon to Mars and navigating space science and exploration policy. Greg Autry, associate provost for space commercialization and strategy at the University of Central Florida, will deliver the keynote address. The first day will conclude with an industry night reception. The second day of the symposium on Thursday, March 20, will feature panels on enhancing U.S. economic leadership through science, the Habitable Worlds Observatory, and the confluence of public science and the private sector. Gillian Bussey, deputy chief science officer for the U.S. Space Force, will serve as the luncheon speaker. Panels on the third and final day, March 21, will discuss integrating multi-sector data to advance Earth and space science, the Heliophysics Decadal Survey, and the space weather enterprise. Mark Clampin, acting deputy associate administrator for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, will provide the luncheon address. Media interested in arranging interviews with NASA speakers should contact Jacob Richmond, Goddard acting news chief. For more information on the Goddard Space Science Symposium and the updated program, or to register as a media representative, visit https://astronautical.org/events/goddard. For more information on NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, visit https://www.nasa.gov/goddard. Media Contact: Jacob Richmond NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Share Details Last Updated Mar 18, 2025 EditorJamie AdkinsLocationNASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related TermsGoddard Space Flight Center View the full article

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Skylab 3 astronauts witnessed many spectacular sights during their 858 orbital trips around the Earth in the summer of 1973. One involved watching powerful Hurricane Ellen take shape off the West African coast. “There’s a nice storm down there. She looks pretty big. She’s got a lot of clouds,” said astronaut Alan L. Bean upon viewing the storm from Skylab’s low-Earth orbit. Knowing they were witnessing something of interest to meteorologists on Earth, Bean and his fellow Skylab crew members captured stereo photographs of the storm using cameras aboard the space station. Meteorologists later used these images, which provided three-dimensional data, to help them understand how the clouds in tropical systems formed and functioned. This image of Hurricane Ellen was taken by Skylab astronauts in September 1973. Unscheduled weather observations that relied on the judgement and actions of Skylab astronauts captured valuable research data for scientists.NASA Like the Skylab 3 crew’s photographs of Hurricane Ellen, the lightning observations of Skylab 4 astronaut Edward G. Gibson were also used by meteorologists to understand regional weather phenomena. While gazing down at a storm over South America’s Andes Mountains, Gibson noted that the thunderstorm he observed generated recognizable lightning patterns over a 500-square-mile region. “A few things impressed me here: one is the fact that they could go off simultaneously or near simultaneously over a large distance—sympathetic lightning bolts, if you will, analogous to sympathetic flares on the sun. And that we do get periods of calm between periods of very high activity. Some sort of collective phenomenon appears to be at work,” Gibson recalled. This photograph of Edward G. Gibson, Skylab 4 science pilot, was taken at Kennedy Space Center, Florida on November 8, 1973, before his November 16 launch to Skylab. Meteorologists were very interested in the regional lightning patterns he witnessed while aboard the space station.NASA The photographs of Hurricane Ellen and Gibson’s notes about lightning patterns are just two of many valuable meteorological observations and recordings astronauts made during Skylab’s three crewed missions. All told, astronaut-conducted Earth studies provided important regional, also known as mesoscale, weather data that improved storm forecasting. Along with providing valuable data to meteorologists, the notable findings of the Skylab astronauts supported the argument of the era’s scientists and mission planners who insisted that there was no adequate replacement for intelligent human observers in space. Perhaps the authors of Living and Working in Space: A History of Skylab put it best when they wrote: “Man’s ability to discriminate, to select the important features of a wide vista, and to respond effectively to unexpected events constituted his greatest contribution to orbital investigations.” Read more about how Ed Gibson's lightning observations impacted weather forecasting Read the NASA publication Skylab Explores the Earth Share Details Last Updated Mar 17, 2025 Related TermsNASA HistorySkylabWeather and Atmospheric Dynamics Explore More 4 min read NASA Atmospheric Wave-Studying Mission Releases Data from First 3,000 Orbits Following the 3,000th orbit of NASA’s AWE (Atmospheric Waves Experiment) aboard the International Space Station,… Article 4 days ago 5 min read NASA’s Chevron Technology Quiets the Skies Article 7 days ago 3 min read 40 Years Ago: Space Shuttle Atlantis Makes its Public Debut Article 1 week ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA NASA History Extreme Weather As Earth’s climate changes, it is impacting extreme weather across the planet. Record-breaking heat waves on land and in the… Skylab Beautiful Earth Gallery View the full article

5 min read Atomic Layer Processing Coating Techniques Enable Missions to See Further into the Ultraviolet Astrophysics observations at ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths often probe the most dynamic aspects of the universe. However, the high energy of ultraviolet photons means that their interaction with the materials that make up an observing instrument are less efficient, resulting in low overall throughput. New approaches in the development of thin film coatings are addressing this shortcoming by engineering the coatings of instrument structures at the atomic scale. Researchers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are employing atomic layer deposition (ALD) and atomic layer etching (ALE) to enable new coating technologies for instruments measuring ultraviolet light. Conventional optical coatings largely rely on physical vapor deposition (PVD) methods like evaporation, where the coating layer is formed by vaporizing the source material and then condensing it onto the intended substrate. In contrast, ALD and ALE rely on a cyclic series of self-limiting chemical reactions that result in the deposition (or removal) of material one atomic layer at a time. This self-limiting characteristic results in a coating or etchings that are conformal over arbitrary shapes with precisely controlled layer thickness determined by the number of ALD or ALE cycles performed. The ALD and ALE techniques are common in the semiconductor industry where they are used to fabricate high-performance transistors. Their use as an optical coating method is less common, particularly at ultraviolet wavelengths where the choice of optical coating material is largely restricted to metal fluorides instead of more common metal oxides, due to the larger optical band energy of fluoride materials, which minimizes absorption losses in the coatings. Using an approach based on co-reaction with hydrogen fluoride, the team at JPL has developed a variety of fluoride-based ALD and ALE processes. (left) The Supernova remnants and Proxies for ReIonization Testbed Experiment (SPRITE) CubeSat primary mirror inside the ALD coating facility at JPL, the mirror is 18 cm on the long and is the largest optic coated in this chamber to-date. (right) Flight optic coating inside JPL ALD chamber for Pioneers Aspera Mission. Like SPRITE, the Aspera coating combines a lithium fluoride process developed at NASA GSFC with thin ALD encapsulation of magnesium fluoride at JPL. Image Credit: NASA-JPL In addition to these metal-fluoride materials, layers of aluminum are often used to construct structures like reflective mirrors and bandpass filters for instruments operating in the UV. Although aluminum has high intrinsic UV reflectance, it also readily forms a surface oxide that strongly absorbs UV light. The role of the metal fluoride coating is then to protect the aluminum surface from oxidation while maintaining enough transparency to create a mirror with high reflectance. The use of ALD in this context has initially been pursued in the development of telescope optics for two SmallSat astrophysics missions that will operate in the UV: the Supernova remnants and Proxies for ReIonization Testbed Experiment (SPRITE) CubeSat mission led by Brian Fleming at the University of Colorado Boulder, and the Aspera mission led by Carlos Vargas at the University of Arizona. The mirrors for SPRITE and Aspera have reflective coatings that utilize aluminum protected by lithium fluoride using a novel PVD processes developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and an additional very thin top coating of magnesium fluoride deposited via ALD. Team member John Hennessy prepares to load a sample wafer in the ALD coating chamber at JPL. Image Credit: NASA JPL The use of lithium fluoride enables SPRITE and Aspera to “see” further into the UV than other missions like NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, which uses only magnesium fluoride to protect its aluminum mirror surfaces. However, a drawback of lithium fluoride is its sensitivity to moisture, which in some cases can cause the performance of these mirror coatings to degrade on the ground prior to launch. To circumvent this issue, very thin layers (~1.5 nanometers) of magnesium fluoride were deposited by ALD on top of the lithium fluoride on the SPRITE and Aspera mirrors. The magnesium fluoride layers are thin enough to not strongly impact the performance of the mirror at the shortest wavelengths, but thick enough to enhance the stability against humidity during ground phases of the missions. Similar approaches are being considered for the mirror coatings of the future NASA flagship Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). Multilayer structures of aluminum and metal fluorides can also function as bandpass filters (filters that allow only signals within a selected range of wavelengths to pass through to be recorded) in the UV. Here, ALD is an attractive option due to the inherent repeatability and precise thickness control of the process. There is currently no suitable ALD process to deposit aluminum, and so additional work by the JPL team has explored the development of a custom vacuum coating chamber that combines the PVD aluminum and ALD fluoride processes described above. This system has been used to develop UV bandpass filters that can be deposited directly onto imaging sensors like silicon (Si) CCDs. These coatings can enable such sensors to operate with high UV efficiency, but low sensitivity to longer wavelength visible photons that would otherwise add background noise to the UV observations. Structures composed of multilayer aluminum and metal fluoride coatings have recently been delivered as part of a UV camera to the Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS) mission led by Evgenya Shkolnik at Arizona State University. The JPL-developed camera incorporates a delta-doped Si CCD with the ALD/PVD filter coating on the far ultraviolet channel, yielding a sensor with high efficiency in a band centered near 160 nm with low response to out-of-band light. A prototype of a back-illuminated CCD incorporating a multi-layer metal-dielectric bandpass filter coating deposited by a combination of thermal evaporation and ALD. This coating combined with JPL back surface passivation approaches enable the Si CCD to operate with high UV efficiency while rejecting longer wavelength light. Image credit: NASA JPL Next, the JPL team that developed these coating processes plans to focus on implementing a similar bandpass filter on an array of larger-format Si Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) sensors for the recently selected NASA Medium-Class Explorer (MIDEX) UltraViolet EXplorer (UVEX) mission led by Fiona Harrison at the California Institute of Technology, which is targeted to launch in the early 2030s. For additional details, see the entry for this project on NASA TechPort Project Lead: Dr. John Hennessy, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Share Details Last Updated Mar 18, 2025 Related Terms Technology Highlights Astrophysics Astrophysics Division Jet Propulsion Laboratory Science-enabling Technology Explore More 5 min read NASA’s Webb Images Young, Giant Exoplanets, Detects Carbon Dioxide Article 1 day ago 2 min read Hubble Sees a Spiral and a Star Article 4 days ago 4 min read Discovery Alert: ‘Super-Earth’ Swings from Super-Heated to Super-Chill Article 7 days ago View the full article

Depending on where you stand at the lunar South Pole, you may experience temperatures of 130°F (54°C) during sunlit periods, or as low as -334°F (-203°C) in a permanently shadowed region. Keeping crews comfortable and tools and vehicles operational in such extreme temperatures is a key challenge for engineers at Johnson Space Center working on elements of NASA’s Artemis campaign. Abigail Howard is part of that innovative team. Since joining Johnson in 2019, she has conducted thermal analysis for projects including the lunar terrain vehicle (LTV), pressurized rover, VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover), and Gateway – humanity’s first lunar space station. Her work explores how different materials and components respond to different temperatures and how to manage heat transfer in products and structures. She currently serves as the passive thermal system manager for the Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program, leading a small team of thermal analysts. Together, they provide expertise on passive thermal design, hardware, modeling, and testing to vendors and international partners that are developing rovers and tools for human exploration of the lunar surface. Abigail Howard posing in front of a mockup of VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover), which she worked on as a thermal analyst for three years. Image courtesy of Abigail Howard Howard said her sudden shift from thermal analysis engineer to thermal system manager involved a steep learning curve. “Every day was like drinking through a firehose. I had to learn very quickly about systems engineering tasks, project phases, and leadership, while also learning about many new thermal approaches and designs so that I could provide good insight to project leadership and program vendors and partners,” she said. “Having a good group of senior engineers and friends to lean on and building up my team helped me get through it, but the single most important thing was not giving up. It gets easier and persistence pays off!” Abigail Howard (left) and Brittany Spivey (right) after presenting their poster at the 2022 International Symposium for Materials in the Space Environment in Leiden, the Netherlands. Image courtesy of Abigail Howard Howard feels fortunate to have worked on many interesting projects at NASA and presented her work at several conferences. Top achievements include watching her first NASA project launch successfully on Artemis I and supporting the LTV Source Evaluation Board as the thermal representative. “Something I’m really proud of is obtaining funding for and managing a test that looked at thermal performance of dust mitigation for spacecraft radiators,” she added. Abigail Howard removes lunar dust simulant from a tray holding radiator test coupons during a test to evaluate thermal performance of radiators with integrated Electrodynamic Dust Shield for dust mitigation. Image courtesy of Abigail Howard She believes interesting and challenging work is important but says the biggest determinant to professional success and satisfaction is your team and your team lead. “Having a really great team and team lead on Gateway thermal taught me the kind of leader and teammate I want to be,” she said. Howard encourages fellow members of the Artemis Generation to not let imposter syndrome get in their way. “Focus on the evidence of your abilities and remember that no one is in this alone,” she said. “It’s okay to ask for help.” View the full article

NASA's Space X Crew-9 Hatch Close

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Undocking

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Re-Entry and Splashdown

NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement at Johnson Space Center offers Texas high school students a unique gateway to the world of space exploration through the High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) program. This initiative gives juniors hands-on experience, working on projects that range from designing spacecraft to planning Mars missions. Nearly 30 participants who have been hired by NASA in the past five years are HAS alumni. Their stories highlight the program’s impact on students—inspiring innovation, fostering collaboration, unlocking their potential as they move forward into STEM careers. Discover how the HAS experience has shaped these former students’ space exploration journey. Jaylon Collins: Designing the Future of Spaceflight Jaylon Collins always knew he wanted to study the universe but HAS shifted his perspective on what a STEM career could be. “HAS brought a newfound perspective on what my STEM career could look like, and that shift led me to where I am today,” Collins said. “The coursework, NASA-led seminars, and space exploration research showed me that I could do direct design work to aid humanity’s exploration of the cosmos. I didn’t want to only learn about our universe—I wanted to help explore it.” Jaylon Collins with his parents at the University of Texas at Austin after being accepted as a student class of 2028. “HAS showed me that a career in STEM doesn’t require a label, only your passion,” Collins said. “I saw that STEM could lead to endless career paths, and the guide was whatever I was most passionate about.” He saw firsthand how engineers tackle the challenges of spaceflight, from designing spacecraft to solving complex mission scenarios. His strong performance in the program earned him an invitation to Moonshot, a five-day virtual challenge where NASA scientists and engineers mentor students through an Artemis-themed mission. His team developed a Mars sample return mission, an experience that taught him valuable lessons in teamwork. “We combined our knowledge to design solutions that fit our mission profile, and I learned how problem-solving goes beyond the obvious tools like math and science,” he said. “Instead, it entails finding unique methods that trade off certain elements to bolster others and finding the optimal solution for our problem. HAS taught me to listen more than talk and take constructive feedback to create a solid plan.” Now studying aerospace engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, Collins credits HAS with building his professional network and opening doors to NASA internship opportunities. “I learned so much from seminars, my peers, and my Moonshot mentors about not only my academic future but also my prospective career,” he said. “My HAS experience has granted me a web of internship opportunities at NASA through the Gateway Program, and I hope that I can leverage it soon in L’Space Academy’s Lucy Internship.” Jaylon Collins at Johnson Space Center with the 2024 astronaut graduate class. Collins hopes to contribute to NASA’s mission by developing solutions for deep space travel. Beyond that, he wants to inspire the next generation. “I believe that the goal of universal knowledge is to reverberate the passions I have onto other curious dreamers,” he said. “Having mentors who teach the curious is the way we progress and innovate as a society, and I am dedicated to being one of those mentors one day.” Erin Shimoda: Guiding Astronauts to Safety Erin Shimoda’s path to becoming an aerospace engineer did not start with a clear vision of her future. Growing up in a family full of engineers and scientists, she was already on the STEM path, but she did not know where to focus. HAS changed that. “HAS exposed me to so many different things that an aerospace engineer does,” she said. “I learned about the history of humans in space, NASA’s missions, how to design 3D models, how to apply equations from math class to real-life scenarios.” During the program’s summer experience, she and her team designed a mission to send humans to Mars. She credits the program with inspiring her to earn an aerospace engineering degree. Official portrait of Erin Shimoda. NASA/Josh Valcarcel The HAS program also reshaped her understanding of what a STEM career could look like. “My mentors were incredible. They talked about their projects with such energy and passion. It made me want to feel that way about my own work,” she said. “I didn’t realize before how exciting and innovative working in STEM could be.” Shimoda said every person she met through HAS was inspiring. “Just knowing that those people existed and worked at NASA helped push me to persevere and succeed in my undergraduate career. I had plenty of bumps in the road, but I had a goal in mind that others had achieved before me, so I knew I could, too.” One of the biggest lessons she took from the program was the power of collaboration. In high school, she often felt like she was carrying the load on group projects, which left her with a negative view of working on a team. HAS changed that perspective. “During HAS, everyone was very passionate about accomplishing our goal, so I was consistently supported by my peers,” she said. “That’s so true at NASA, too. Not one single person can build an entire mission to the Moon. We’re all so passionate about accomplishing the mission, so we always support each other and strive for excellence.” Shimoda also saw firsthand how diverse perspectives lead to better results. “There are many ways to come to a solution, and not every solution is right,” she said. “Collaboration leads to innovation and better problem-solving.” Erin Shimoda stands in front of a presentation on the Launch Abort System for NASA’s Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket.NASA/Robert Markowitz Now, Shimoda plays a key role in NASA’s Orion Program, ensuring astronaut safety through comprehensive ascent abort planning and procedures, and supporting Artemis recovery operations. She works on guidance, navigation, and control, predicting where the crew module and recovery hardware will land so teams—including the U.S. Navy—are in the right place at the right time. “It’s exciting because we get to go ‘in the field’ on a U.S. Navy ship during training. Last year, I spent a week on a Navy ship, and seeing everything come together was incredible,” she said. Her advice for students exploring STEM? “Try every opportunity possible! I joined almost every club imaginable. When I saw the HAS poster in front of my high school’s library, I thought to myself, ‘Well, I’m not in anything space-related yet!’ and the rest is history.” Looking ahead, she is eager for what is to come. “I’m especially excited for Artemis III, where I’ll be directly involved in recovery operations,” Shimoda said. “I hope that all this work propels us to a future with a sustained human presence on the Moon.” Hallel Chery: Aspiring Astronaut and Emerging Leader Hallel Chery is a high school senior who will pursue a degree in mechanical engineering and materials science at Harvard College, with her sights set on becoming both an engineer and an astronaut. She completed all three stages of HAS: the online course, the virtual Moonshot challenge, and the five-day on-site experience at Johnson. Balancing the program with academics and leading a school-wide tutoring club pushed her limits—but also broadened her confidence. “I learned that I could take on a tremendous amount of work at one time,” she said. “This realization has helped me become more ambitious in my future plans.” A portrait of Hallel Chery during her time in the High School Aerospace Scholars program. Moonshot was her proving ground. Tasked with redesigning a module for NASA’s future Gateway lunar space station, she led a team of eight HAS scholars—none of whom she had met before—through an intense, weeklong mission. Their work was presented to NASA scientists and engineers and her group landed among the top teams in the challenge. “The experience strengthened my confidence in my abilities as a leader,” said Chery. “I learned that I thrive under pressure and am well prepared to tackle any challenge, technical or interpersonal, no matter how difficult it is.” “Moonshot exposed me for the first time to true, deep teamwork,” she said. “Interacting almost non-stop with the same people over one week in a high stakes situation truly taught me about the dynamics of how teams work, the value of teamwork, and being an effective leader. This, coupled with the program’s emphasis on the importance of teamwork have firmly ingrained in me the essentiality of this core NASA value.” While at Johnson, Chery toured the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, watched astronauts suit up at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, and visited the Mission Control Center. “Spending only a few days at Johnson, I can truly say that as an aspiring astronaut, being there felt just like home,” Chery said. Hallel Chery in a spacesuit mockup at Johnson Space Center. “Because of HAS, I directly visualize myself working in a team to solve the problems I wanted to tackle instead of primarily focusing on the individual accomplishments that will solve them,” she said. “The program taught me how essential teamwork is to effective problem solving and innovation.” The advice she has for the next generation is to keep exploring and to answer the question: What do you want to contribute for the good of the world? HAS also introduced her to professional networking early in her academic career. Engaging with NASA professionals provided insight into the agency’s work culture and internship opportunities. Now, as she prepares for her future in mechanical engineering and materials science, Chery is determined to apply what she has learned. She is particularly grateful for the mentorship of NASA consultant Gotthard Janson, who provided encouragement and guidance throughout the HAS journey. “The opportunity to connect with great professionals like him has provided additional wisdom and support as I grow through my academic and professional career,” she said. Looking ahead, Chery aims to design space habitats, create innovative exercise solutions, and develop advanced materials for use in space. “I want to help propel humanity forward—on Earth, to the Moon, Mars, and beyond—while inspiring others in the Artemis Generation,” she said. “Building and launching my rocket at Johnson felt like launching my future—one dedicated to contributing to NASA and humanity.” Johnson Space Center will showcase its achievements at the Texas Capitol for Space Day Texas on Tuesday, March 25. The High School Aerospace Scholars program will have a booth, and NASA will have interactive exhibits highlighting the programs and technologies that will help humanity push forward to the Moon and Mars. Learn more about NASA’s involvement here. View the full article

LOCATION: Texas State Capitol – Austin, Texas SUBJECT: Space Day activities at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas PHOTOGRAPHER: Lauren HarnettNASA March 17, 2025 NASA is heading back to the state capitol in March for Space Day Texas, a recognition of achievements throughout Texas and a look ahead to the impact future human space exploration has on the Lone Star state. The two-day schedule of events and exhibits focusing on exploration, astronauts, and science, technology, engineering, and math education will include astronaut visits, interactive exhibits, and legislative proclamations. NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will share its accomplishments on the Capitol grounds from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT Tuesday, March 25, joining academic and commercial partners from across the state to share Texas’ blueprint for expanding humanity’s frontier in space. On Monday, March 24, exhibits will feature the Texas High School Aerospace Scholars program at the University of Texas Elementary Charter school, along with NASA Johnson’s Office of STEM Engagement, Orion program, and Lockheed Martin. Interactive events will feature NASA STEM engagement programs and hands-on exhibits. At 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 25, proclamations celebrating NASA’s 25th anniversary of continuous human presence on the International Space Station, the High School Aerospace Scholars program, and the continued progression of the Artemis campaign through NASA’s commercialization of cargo, crew, landers, spacesuits, and rovers will be read in the Texas House and Senate chambers, respectively. Following the proclamations, an Artemis II crew astronaut will participate in a live question and answer session on the front steps of the Capitol. NASA’s impact in Texas is strong. NASA Johnson has served as the iconic site for some of the greatest moments in American history, from landing humans on the Moon to assembling the International Space Station. For more than 60 years, NASA has led the world in human space exploration. Today, it is testing technologies on the Space Station that will help humanity push forward to the Moon and Mars. NASA’s workforce in Texas includes more than 10,000 aerospace employees and more than $2 billion in contracts and federal salaries in 2024. Learn more about NASA Johnson and its impact in Texas at: https://www.nasa.gov/johnson -end- Kelly Humphries Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 kelly.o.humphries@nasa.gov View the full article

Students, mentors, and team supporters donning team colors watch robots clash on the playing field at the FIRST Robotics Los Angeles regional competition in El Segundo on March 16. NASA/JPL-Caltech Robots built by high schoolers vied for points in a fast-moving game inspired by complex ocean ecosystems at the FIRST Robotics Los Angeles regional competition. High school students who spent weeks designing, assembling, and testing 125-pound rolling robots put their fast-moving creations into the ring over the weekend, facing off at the annual Los Angeles regional FIRST Robotics Competition, an event supported by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Four of the 43 participating teams earned a chance to compete in April at the FIRST international championship tournament in Houston, which draws winning teams from across the country. Held March 14 to 16 at the Da Vinci Schools campus in El Segundo, the event is one of many supported by the nonprofit FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), which pairs students with STEM professionals. Teams receive the game rules, which change every year, in January and sprint toward competition, assembling their robot based on FIRST’s specifications. The global competition not only gives students engineering experience but also helps them develop business skills with a range of activities, from fundraising for their team to marketing. For this year’s game, called “Reefscape,” two alliances of three teams competed for points during each 2½-minute match. That meant six robots at a time sped across the floor, knocking into each other and angling to seed “coral” (pieces of PVC pipe) on “reefs” and harvesting “algae” (rubber balls). In the final seconds of each round, teams could earn extra points if their robots were able to hoist themselves into the air and dangle from hanging cages, as though they were ascending to the ocean surface. The action was set to a bouncy soundtrack that reverberated through the gym, while in the bleachers there were choreographed dancing, loud cheers, pom-poms, and even some tears. The winning alliance was composed of Warbots from Downey’s Warren High School, TorBots from Torrance’s South High School, and West Torrance Robotics from Torrance’s West High School. The Robo-Nerds of Benjamin Franklin High in Los Angeles’ Highland Park and Robo’Lyon from Notre Dame de Bellegarde outside Lyon, France, won awards that mean they’ll also get to compete in Houston, alongside the Warbots and the TorBots. NASA and its Robotics Alliance Project provide grants for high school teams across the country and support FIRST Robotics competitions to encourage students to pursue STEM careers in aerospace. For the L.A. regional competition, JPL has coordinated volunteers — and provided coaching and mentoring to teams, judges, and other competition support — for 25 years. For more information about the FIRST Los Angeles regional, visit: https://cafirst.org/frc/losangeles/ News Media Contact Melissa Pamer Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 626-314-4928 melissa.pamer@jpl.nasa.gov 2025-037 Share Details Last Updated Mar 17, 2025 Related TermsJet Propulsion Laboratory Explore More 3 min read NASA Analysis Shows Unexpected Amount of Sea Level Rise in 2024 Article 4 days ago 6 min read Cosmic Mapmaker: NASA’s SPHEREx Space Telescope Ready to Launch Article 1 week ago 5 min read NASA Turns Off 2 Voyager Science Instruments to Extend Mission Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov onboard, Friday, March 14, 2025, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission is the tenth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. McClain, Ayers, Onishi, and Peskov launched at 7:03 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy to begin a six-month mission aboard the orbital outpost. Image Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani View the full article

This picture, captured from the surface of the Moon, shows Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander, which performed operations on the Moon from March 2, to March 16, 2025, in the foreground, and Earth in the sky above it. Credit: Firefly Aerospace NASA and Firefly Aerospace will host a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT Tuesday, March 18, from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to discuss the company’s successful Blue Ghost Mission 1 on the Moon’s surface. Watch the news conference on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media. U.S. media interested in participating in person or remotely must request accreditation by 5 p.m., Monday, March 17, by contacting the NASA Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is online. To ask questions via phone, media must dial into the news conference no later than 15 minutes prior to the start of the call. Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander touched down March 2, on the Moon’s Mare Crisium basin. The lander’s NASA payloads were activated, collected science data, and performed operations as part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign to establish a long-term lunar presence. The mission is not designed to survive through the lunar night; however, Blue Ghost continued operations for five hours after lunar sunset on March 16. Participants will include: Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington Jason Kim, CEO, Firefly Aerospace Ray Allensworth, spacecraft program director, Firefly Adam Schlesinger, CLPS project manager, NASA Johnson The Blue Ghost Mission 1 mission launched at 1:11 a.m., Jan. 15, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The lander delivered 10 NASA science investigations and technology demonstrations including testing and demonstrating lunar drilling technology, regolith (lunar rocks and soil) sample collection capabilities, global navigation satellite system abilities, radiation tolerant computing, and lunar dust mitigation. The data captured will benefit humans on Earth in many ways, providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces impact our home planet. NASA continues to work with multiple American companies to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface through the agency’s CLPS initiative. This pool of companies may bid on NASA contracts for end-to-end lunar surface delivery services, including all payload integration and operations, launching from Earth and landing on the surface of the Moon. Through the Artemis campaign, commercial robotic deliveries will perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities on and around the Moon to help NASA explore in advance of Artemis Generation astronaut missions to the lunar surface, and ultimately crewed missions to Mars. For more information about the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative: https://www.nasa.gov/clps -end- Karen Fox / Alise Fisher Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov Natalia Riusech / Nilufar Ramji Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 natalia.s.riusech@nasa.gov / nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Mar 17, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsMissionsArtemisCommercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) View the full article

Although NASA’s Lucy spacecraft’s upcoming encounter with the asteroid Donaldjohanson is primarily a mission rehearsal for later asteroid encounters, a new paper suggests that this small, main belt asteroid may have some surprises of its own. New modeling indicates that Donaldjohanson may have been formed about 150 million years ago when a larger parent asteroid broke apart; its orbit and spin properties have undergone significant evolution since. This artist’s concept compares the approximate size of Lucy’s next asteroid target, Donaldjohanson, to the smallest main belt asteroids previously visited by spacecraft — Dinkinesh, visited by Lucy in November 2023, and Steins — as well as two recently explored near-Earth asteroids, Bennu and Ryugu. Credits: SwRI/ESA/OSIRIS/NASA/Goddard/Johns Hopkins APL/NOIRLab/University of Arizona/JAXA/University of Tokyo & Collaborators When the Lucy spacecraft flies by this approximately three-mile-wide space rock on April 20, 2025, the data collected could provide independent insights on such processes based on its shape, surface geology and cratering history. “Based on ground-based observations, Donaldjohanson appears to be a peculiar object,” said Simone Marchi, deputy principal investigator for Lucy of Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado and lead author of the research published in The Planetary Science Journal. “Understanding the formation of Donaldjohanson could help explain its peculiarities.” “Data indicates that it could be quite elongated and a slow rotator, possibly due to thermal torques that have slowed its spin over time,” added David Vokrouhlický, a professor at the Charles University, Prague, and co-author of the research. Lucy’s target is a common type of asteroid, composed of silicate rocks and perhaps containing clays and organic matter. The new paper indicates that Donaldjohanson is a likely member of the Erigone collisional asteroid family, a group of asteroids on similar orbits that was created when a larger parent asteroid broke apart. The family originated in the inner main belt not very far from the source regions of the near-Earth asteroids Bennu and Ryugu, recently visited respectively by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx and JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s) Hayabusa2 missions. “We can hardly wait for the flyby because, as of now, Donaldjohanson’s characteristics appear very distinct from Bennu and Ryugu. Yet, we may uncover unexpected connections,” added Marchi. “It’s exciting to put together what we’ve been able to glean about this asteroid,” said Keith Noll, Lucy project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “But Earth-based observing and theoretical models can only take us so far – to validate these models and get to the next level of detail we need close-up data. Lucy’s upcoming flyby will give us that.” Donaldjohanson is named for the paleontologist who discovered Lucy, the fossilized skeleton of an early hominin found in Ethiopia in 1974, which is how the Lucy mission got its name. Just as the Lucy fossil provided unique insights into the origin of humanity, the Lucy mission promises to revolutionize our knowledge of the origin of humanity’s home world. Donaldjohanson is the only named asteroid so far to be visited while its namesake is still living. “Lucy is an ambitious NASA mission, with plans to visit 11 asteroids in its 12-year mission to tour the Trojan asteroids that are located in two swarms leading and trailing Jupiter,” said SwRI’s Dr. Hal Levison, mission principal investigator at the Boulder, Colorado branch of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. “Encounters with main belt asteroids not only provide a close-up view of those bodies but also allow us to perform engineering tests of the spacecraft’s innovative navigation system before the main event to study the Trojans. These relics are effectively fossils of the planet formation process, holding vital clues to deciphering the history of our solar system.” Lucy’s principal investigator is based out of the Boulder, Colorado, branch of Southwest Research Institute, headquartered in San Antonio. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, provides overall mission management, systems engineering, and safety and mission assurance. Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, built the spacecraft. Lucy is the 13th mission in NASA’s Discovery Program. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Discovery Program for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. By Deb Schmid and Katherine Kretke, Southwest Research Institute Media Contact: Karen Fox / Molly Wasser Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov Nancy N. Jones NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Share Details Last Updated Mar 17, 2025 EditorMadison OlsonContactNancy N. Jonesnancy.n.jones@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related TermsGoddard Space Flight CenterLucyMissionsPlanetary SciencePlanetary Science Division Explore More 3 min read NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Takes Its 1st Images of Asteroid Donaldjohanson Article 3 weeks ago 3 min read NASA’s Lucy Asteroid Target Gets a Name Article 2 years ago 4 min read NASA Lucy Images Reveal Asteroid Dinkinesh to be Surprisingly Complex Article 10 months ago View the full article

Explore This Section 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 Deployment Orbit Mirrors Sunshield Instrument: NIRCam Instrument: MIRI Instrument: NIRSpec Instrument: FGS/NIRISS Optical Telescope Element Backplane Spacecraft Bus Instrument Module Multimedia About Webb Images Images Videos What is Webb Observing? 3d Webb in 3d Solar System Podcasts Webb Image Sonifications Team International Team People Of Webb More For the Media For Scientists For Educators For Fun/Learning 5 Min Read NASA’s Webb Images Young, Giant Exoplanets, Detects Carbon Dioxide NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has provided the clearest look in the infrared yet at the iconic multi-planet system HR 8799. Full image below. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, W. Balmer (JHU), L. Pueyo (STScI), M. Perrin (STScI) NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured direct images of multiple gas giant planets within an iconic planetary system. HR 8799, a young system 130 light-years away, has long been a key target for planet formation studies. The observations indicate that the well-studied planets of HR 8799 are rich in carbon dioxide gas. This provides strong evidence that the system’s four giant planets formed much like Jupiter and Saturn, by slowly building solid cores that attract gas from within a protoplanetary disk, a process known as core accretion. The results also confirm that Webb can infer the chemistry of exoplanet atmospheres through imaging. This technique complements Webb’s powerful spectroscopic instruments, which can resolve the atmospheric composition. “By spotting these strong carbon dioxide features, we have shown there is a sizable fraction of heavier elements, like carbon, oxygen, and iron, in these planets’ atmospheres,” said William Balmer, of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. “Given what we know about the star they orbit, that likely indicates they formed via core accretion, which is an exciting conclusion for planets that we can directly see.” Balmer is the lead author of the study announcing the results published today in The Astrophysical Journal. Balmer and their team’s analysis also includes Webb’s observation of a system 97 light-years away called 51 Eridani. Image A: HR 8799 (NIRCam Image) NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has provided the clearest look in the infrared yet at the iconic multi-planet system HR 8799. The closest planet to the star, HR 8799 e, orbits 1.5 billion miles from its star, which in our solar system would be located between the orbit of Saturn and Neptune. The furthest, HR 8799 b, orbits around 6.3 billion miles from the star, more than twice Neptune’s orbital distance. Colors are applied to filters from Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera), revealing their intrinsic differences. A star symbol marks the location of the host star HR 8799, whose light has been blocked by the coronagraph. In this image, the color blue is assigned to 4.1 micron light, green to 4.3 micron light, and red to the 4.6 micron light. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, W. Balmer (JHU), L. Pueyo (STScI), M. Perrin (STScI) Image B: 51 Eridani (NIRCam Image) Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) captured this image of 51 Eridani b (also referred to as 51 Eri b), a cool, young exoplanet that orbits 890 million miles from its star, similar to Saturn’s orbit in our solar system. The 51 Eridani system is 97 light-years from Earth. This image includes filters representing 4.1-micron light as red. The background red in this image is not light from other planets, but a result of light subtraction during image processing. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, W. Balmer (JHU), L. Pueyo (STScI), M. Perrin (STScI) HR 8799 is a young system about 30 million years old, a fraction of our solar system’s 4.6 billion years. Still hot from their tumultuous formation, the planets within HR 8799 emit large amounts of infrared light that give scientists valuable data on how they formed. Giant planets can take shape in two ways: by slowly building solid cores with heavier elements that attract gas, just like the giants in our solar system, or when particles of gas rapidly coalesce into massive objects from a young star’s cooling disk, which is made mostly of the same kind of material as the star. The first process is called core accretion, and the second is called disk instability. Knowing which formation model is more common can give scientists clues to distinguish between the types of planets they find in other systems. “Our hope with this kind of research is to understand our own solar system, life, and ourselves in the comparison to other exoplanetary systems, so we can contextualize our existence,” Balmer said. “We want to take pictures of other solar systems and see how they’re similar or different when compared to ours. From there, we can try to get a sense of how weird our solar system really is—or how normal.” Image C: Young Gas Giant HR 8799 e (NIRCam Spectrum) This graph shows a spectrum of one of the planets in the HR 8799 system, HR 8799 e. Spectral fingerprints of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide appear in data collected by Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera). NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. Olmsted (STScI) Of the nearly 6,000 exoplanets discovered, few have been directly imaged, as even giant planets are many thousands of times fainter than their stars. The images of HR 8799 and 51 Eridani were made possible by Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) coronagraph, which blocks light from bright stars to reveal otherwise hidden worlds. This technology allowed the team to look for infrared light emitted by the planets in wavelengths that are absorbed by specific gases. The team found that the four HR 8799 planets contain more heavy elements than previously thought. The team is paving the way for more detailed observations to determine whether objects they see orbiting other stars are truly giant planets or objects such as brown dwarfs, which form like stars but don’t accumulate enough mass to ignite nuclear fusion. “We have other lines of evidence that hint at these four HR 8799 planets forming using this bottom-up approach” said Laurent Pueyo, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, who co-led the work. “How common is this for planets we can directly image? We don’t know yet, but we’re proposing more Webb observations to answer that question.” “We knew Webb could measure colors of the outer planets in directly imaged systems,” added Rémi Soummer, director of STScI’s Russell B. Makidon Optics Lab and former lead for Webb coronagraph operations. “We have been waiting for 10 years to confirm that our finely tuned operations of the telescope would also allow us to access the inner planets. Now the results are in and we can do interesting science with it.” The NIRCam observations of HR 8799 and 51 Eridani were conducted as part of Guaranteed Time Observations programs 1194 and 1412 respectively. The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb will solve mysteries in our solar system, look beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency. Downloads Click any image to open a larger version. View/Download all image products at all resolutions for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute. View/Download the research results from The Astrophysical Journal. Media Contacts Laura Betz – laura.e.betz@nasa.gov NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Hannah Braun – hbraun@stsci.edu Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Roberto Molar Candanosa Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. Related Information More Webb News More Webb Images Webb Science Themes Webb Mission Page Webb Blog: How Webb’s Coronagraphs Reveal Exoplanets in the Infrared Video: Eclipse/Coronagraph Animation Video: Exploring Star and Planet Formation Learn more about gas giants Related For Kids What is the Webb Telescope? SpacePlace for Kids En Español Ciencia de la NASA NASA en español Space Place para niños Keep Exploring Related Topics James Webb Space Telescope Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the… Exoplanets Exoplanet Stories Universe Share Details Last Updated Mar 17, 2025 Editor Marty McCoy Contact Laura Betz laura.e.betz@nasa.gov Related Terms James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Astrophysics Exoplanets Gas Giant Exoplanets Goddard Space Flight Center Science & Research The Universe View the full article

Main Menu Videos For Educators For Students TBD News About Help learners STEMify their summer through hands-on and engaging activities curated by the NASA eClips team. You’ll find something for everyone – Earth-based and out-of-this-world. This issue includes eClips videos, resources, and design challenges as well as partner activities and other recommended summer activities. We have organized them by the amount of time the activity will take so you can easily plan your day around them! Enjoy! Downloads Summer 2024 newsletter Mar 17, 2025 PDF (4.91 MB) View the full article

Main Menu Videos For Educators For Students TBD News About Fall back to school with this edition of the NASA eClips newsletter! Educators are provided with a host of resources to help engineer a great school year! Videos and activities focus on comparing science and engineering practices. Two new Spotlite Design Challenges are launched on climate change and Earth-observing satellites! And a fun activity for learners to work in groups to design their own mission patches. Downloads Newsletter_June_2024_508 Mar 17, 2025 PDF (13.52 MB) View the full article

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 members pose together for a portrait inside the vestibule between the International Space Station and the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft. Clockwise from left, are NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Suni Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.NASA NASA will provide live coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 return to Earth from the International Space Station, beginning with Dragon spacecraft hatch closure preparations at 10:45 p.m. EDT Monday, March 17. NASA and SpaceX met on Sunday to assess weather and splashdown conditions off Florida’s coast for the return of the agency’s Crew-9 mission from the International Space Station. Mission managers are targeting an earlier Crew-9 return opportunity based on favorable conditions forecasted for the evening of Tuesday, March 18. The updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favorable weather conditions expected for later in the week. NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, are completing a long-duration science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory and will return time-sensitive research to Earth. Mission managers will continue monitoring weather conditions in the area, as Dragon’s undocking depends on various factors, including spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors. NASA and SpaceX will confirm the specific splashdown location closer to the Crew-9 return. Watch Crew-9 return activities on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of additional platforms, including social media. For schedule information, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/live For Crew-9 return, NASA’s live operations coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations): Monday, March 17 10:45 p.m. – Hatch closing coverage begins on NASA+ Tuesday, March 18 12:45 a.m. – Undocking coverage begins on NASA+ 1:05 a.m. – Undocking Following the conclusion of undocking coverage, NASA will switch to audio only. Pending weather conditions at the splashdown sites, continuous coverage will resume on March 18 on NASA+ prior to the start of deorbit burn. 4:45 p.m. – Return coverage begins on NASA+ 5:11 p.m. – Deorbit burn (time is approximate) 5:57 p.m. – Splashdown (time is approximate) 7:30 p.m. – Return-to-Earth media conference on NASA+, with the following participants: Joel Montalbano, deputy associate administrator, NASA’ Space Operations Mission Directorate Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Jeff Arend, manager for systems engineering and integration, NASA’s International Space Station, NASA’s International Space Station Office Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX To participate in the briefing media must contact the newsroom at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston by 5 p.m., March 17, at: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111. To ask questions, media must dial in no later than 10 minutes before the start of the call. The agency’s media credentialing policy is available online. Find full mission coverage, NASA’s commercial crew blog, and more information about the Crew-9 mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew -end- Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov Kenna Pell / Sandra Jones Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 kenna.m.pell@nasa.gov / sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov Steve Siceloff / Stephanie Plucinsky Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-867-2468 steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov / stephanie.n.plucinsky@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Mar 16, 2025 EditorJennifer M. DoorenLocationNASA Headquarters View the full article

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base, carrying NASA’s EZIE spacecraft into orbit. SpaceX Under the nighttime California sky, NASA’s EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) mission launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 11:43 p.m. PDT on March 14. Taking off from Vandenberg Space Force Base near Santa Barbara, the EZIE mission’s trio of small satellites will fly in a pearls-on-a-string configuration approximately 260 to 370 miles above Earth’s surface to map the auroral electrojets, powerful electric currents that flow through our upper atmosphere in the polar regions where auroras glow in the sky. At approximately 2 a.m. PDT on March 15, the EZIE satellites were successfully deployed. Within the next 10 days, the spacecraft will send signals to verify they are in good health and ready to embark on their 18-month mission. “NASA has leaned into small missions that can provide compelling science while accepting more risk. EZIE represents excellent science being executed by an excellent team, and it is delivering exactly what NASA is looking for,” said Jared Leisner, program executive for EZIE at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The electrojets — and their visible counterparts, theauroras — are generated duringsolar storms when tremendous amounts of energy get transferred into Earth’s upper atmosphere from the solar wind. Each of the EZIE spacecraft will map the electrojets, advancing our understanding of the physics of how Earth interacts with its surrounding space. This understanding will apply not only to our own planet but also to any magnetized planet in our solar system and beyond. The mission will also help scientists create models for predicting space weather to mitigate its disruptive impacts on our society. “It is truly incredible to see our spacecraft flying and making critical measurements, marking the start of an exciting new chapter for the EZIE mission,” said Nelli Mosavi-Hoyer, project manager for EZIE at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. “I am very proud of the dedication and hard work of our team. This achievement is a testament to the team’s perseverance and expertise, and I look forward to the valuable insights EZIE will bring to our understanding of Earth’s electrojets and space weather.” Instead of using propulsion to control their polar orbit, the spacecraft will actively use drag experienced while flying through the upper atmosphere to individually tune their spacing. Each successive spacecraft will fly over the same region 2 to 10 minutes after the former. “Missions have studied these currents before, but typically either at the very large or very small scales,” said Larry Kepko, EZIE mission scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “EZIE will help us understand how these currents form and evolve, at scales we’ve never probed.” The mission team is also working to distribute magnetometer kits called EZIE-Mag, which are available to teachers, students, and science enthusiasts who want to take their own measurements of the Earth-space electrical current system. EZIE-Mag data will be combined with EZIE measurements made from space to assemble a clear picture of this vast electrical current circuit. The EZIE mission is funded by the Heliophysics Division within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and is managed by the Explorers Program Office at NASA Goddard. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory leads the mission for NASA. Blue Canyon Technologies in Boulder, Colorado, built the CubeSats, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California built the Microwave Electrojet Magnetogram, which will map the electrojets, for each of the three satellites. For the latest mission updates, follow NASA’s EZIE blog. By Brett Molina Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Share Details Last Updated Mar 15, 2025 Editor Vanessa Thomas Contact Sarah Frazier sarah.frazier@nasa.gov Location Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms Heliophysics Auroras CubeSats EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) Goddard Space Flight Center Heliophysics Division Missions Small Satellite Missions The Sun Explore More 5 min read NASA’s EZIE Launching to Study Magnetic Fingerprints of Earth’s Aurora Article 3 weeks ago 5 min read NASA Rockets to Fly Through Flickering, Vanishing Auroras Article 2 months ago 5 min read How NASA Tracked the Most Intense Solar Storm in Decades Article 10 months ago View the full article

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Dragon spacecraft into orbit carrying NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. (Credit: NASA) Four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission launched at 7:03 p.m. EDT Friday from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a science expedition aboard the International Space Station. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Dragon spacecraft into orbit carrying NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. The spacecraft will dock autonomously to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 15. Shortly after docking, the crew will join Expedition 72/73 for a long-duration stay aboard the orbiting laboratory. “Congratulations to our NASA and SpaceX teams on the 10th crew rotation mission under our commercial crew partnership. This milestone demonstrates NASA’s continued commitment to advancing American leadership in space and driving growth in our national space economy,” said NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro. “Through these missions, we are laying the foundation for future exploration, from low Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars. Our international crew will contribute to innovative science research and technology development, delivering benefits to all humanity.” During Dragon’s flight, SpaceX will monitor a series of automatic spacecraft maneuvers from its mission control center in Hawthorne, California. NASA will monitor space station operations throughout the flight from the Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA’s live coverage resumes at 9:45 p.m., March 15, on NASA+ with rendezvous, docking, and hatching opening. After docking, the crew will change out of their spacesuits and prepare cargo for offload before opening the hatch between Dragon and the space station’s Harmony module around 1:05 a.m., Sunday, March 16. Once the new crew is aboard the orbital outpost, NASA will broadcast welcome remarks from Crew-10 and farewell remarks from the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 crew, beginning at about 1:40 a.m. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media. The number of crew aboard the space station will increase to 11 for a short time as Crew-10 joins NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Don Pettit, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksandr Gorbunov, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner. Following a brief handover period, Hague, Williams, Wilmore, and Gorbunov will return to Earth no earlier than Wednesday, March 19.Ahead of Crew-9’s departure from station, mission teams will review weather conditions at the splashdown sites off the coast of Florida. During their mission, Crew-10 is scheduled to conduct material flammability tests to contribute to future spacecraft and facility designs. The crew will engage with students worldwide via the ISS Ham Radio program and use the program’s existing hardware to test a backup lunar navigation solution. The astronauts also will serve as test subjects, with one crew member conducting an integrated study to better understand physiological and psychological changes to the human body to provide valuable insights for future deep space missions. With this mission, NASA continues to maximize the use of the orbiting laboratory, where people have lived and worked continuously for more than 24 years, testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to operate future commercial destinations in low Earth orbit and explore farther from our home planet. Research conducted at the space station benefits people on Earth and paves the way for future long-duration missions to the Moon under NASA’s Artemis campaign and beyond. More about Crew-10 McClain is the commander of Crew-10 and is making her second trip to the orbital outpost since her selection as an astronaut in 2013. She will serve as a flight engineer during Expeditions 72/73 aboard the space station. Follow McClain on X. Ayers is the pilot of Crew-10 and is flying her first mission. Selected as an astronaut in 2021, Ayers will serve as a flight engineer during Expeditions 72/73. Follow Ayers on X and Instagram. Onishi is a mission specialist for Crew-10 and is making his second flight to the space station. He will serve as a flight engineer during Expeditions 72/73. Follow Onishi on X. Peskov is a mission specialist for Crew-10 and is making his first flight to the space station. Peskov will serve as a flight engineer during Expeditions 72/73. Learn more about NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission and the agency’s Commercial Crew Program at: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew -end- Josh Finch / Jimi Russell Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov Steven Siceloff / Stephanie Plucinsky Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-867-2468 steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov / stephanie.n.plucinsky@nasa.gov Kenna Pell / Sandra Jones Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 kenna.m.pell@nasa.gov / sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Mar 14, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsHumans in SpaceInternational Space Station (ISS) View the full article