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Skywatching Science Skywatching The Next Full Moon is the Worm… Skywatching Home What’s Up What to See Tonight Moon Guide Eclipses Meteor Showers More Tips & Guides Skywatching FAQ 22 Min Read The Next Full Moon is the Worm Moon
Cockspur Island Lighthouse in Savannah, Georgia, on a full moon night in March 2019. Credits:
NPS/Joel Cadoff The next full moon is called the Worm Moon. Also, there will be a total lunar eclipse this full moon. The Moon will be full early Friday morning, March 14, at 2:55 a.m. EDT, but will appear full for about three days around this time, from Wednesday evening into Saturday morning.
The phases of the Moon for March 2025. As the Moon passes opposite the Sun it will move through the shadow of Earth creating a total eclipse of the Moon. The Moon will begin entering the partial shadow Thursday night at 11:57 p.m. EDT, but the gradual dimming of the Moon will not be noticeable until it starts to enter the full shadow Friday morning at 1:09 a.m. The round shadow of Earth will gradually shift across the face of the Moon (from lower left to upper right) until the Moon is fully shaded beginning at 2:26 a.m. The period of full shadow, or total eclipse, will last about 65 minutes, reaching the greatest eclipse at 2:59 a.m. and ending at 3:31 a.m. Even though it will be in full shadow, the Moon will still be visible. The glow of all of the sunrises and sunsets on Earth will give the Moon a reddish-brown hue, sometimes called a “Blood Moon” — although this name is also used for one of the full moons near the start of fall. From 3:31 a.m. until 4:48 a.m., the Moon will exit the full shadow of Earth, with the round shadow again shifting across the face of the Moon (from upper left to lower right). The Moon will leave the last of the partial shadow at 6 a.m. ending this eclipse.
The Maine Farmers’ Almanac began publishing Native American names for full moons in the 1930s, and these names are now widely known and used. According to this almanac, the tribes of the northeastern U.S. called the full moon in March the Crow, Crust, Sap, Sugar, or Worm Moon. The more northern tribes of the northeastern United States knew this as the Crow Moon, with the cawing of crows signaling the end of winter. Other northern names were the Crust Moon, because the snow cover became crusted from thawing by day and freezing by night, or the Sap (or Sugar) Moon as this was the time for tapping maple trees. The more southern tribes called this the Worm Moon after the earthworm casts that appeared as the ground thawed. It makes sense that only the southern tribes called this the Worm Moon. When glaciers covered the northern part of North America they wiped out the native earthworms. After these glaciers melted about 12,000 years ago the more northern forests grew back without earthworms. Most of the earthworms in these areas are invasive species introduced from Europe and Asia.
Continuing the tradition of naming moons after prominent phenomena tied to the time of year, a few years ago my friend Tom Van Wagner suggested naming this the Pothole Moon. It may be a case of confirmation bias, but whether in my car or on my bicycle I’ve noticed more potholes lately.
As usual, the wearing of suitably celebratory celestial attire is encouraged in honor of the full moon. Enjoy the total lunar eclipse (if you are in a part of the world that can see it), anticipate the coming of spring and watch out for potholes!
Gordon johnston
NASA Program Executive (Retired)
Here are the other celestial events between now and the full moon after next with times and angles based on the location of NASA Headquarters in Washington:
As winter in the Northern Hemisphere ends and spring begins, the daily periods of sunlight continue to lengthen, changing fastest around the vernal (spring) equinox on March 20. On Friday, March 14 (the day of the full moon), morning twilight will begin at 6:23 a.m. EDT, sunrise will be at 7:20 a.m., solar noon will be at 1:17 p.m. when the Sun will reach its maximum altitude of 48.9 degrees, sunset will be at 7:14 p.m., and evening twilight will end at 8:12 p.m. By Saturday, April 12 — the day of the full moon after next — morning twilight will begin at 5:36 a.m., sunrise will be at 6:36 a.m., solar noon will be at 1:09 p.m. when the Sun will reach its maximum altitude of 60.1 degrees, sunset will be at 7:43 p.m., and evening twilight will end at 8:43 p.m.
During this lunar cycle, a backyard telescope should still provide interesting views of Jupiter and Mars high in the evening sky. Venus and Mercury will only be visible near the start at this cycle and will be too low to see easily unless you have access to a location with clear views toward the western horizon. With a telescope, you should be able to see Jupiter’s four bright moons, Ganymede, Callisto, Europa, and Io, noticeably shifting positions in the course of an evening. Jupiter was at its closest and brightest in early December. Mars was at its closest and brightest for the year just a month ago. The planet Uranus will be too dim to see without a telescope when the Moon is in the sky, but later in the lunar cycle, if you are in a very dark area with clear skies and no interference from moonlight, it will still be brighter than the faintest visible stars, making it barely visible. Uranus was at its closest and brightest in mid-November.
Comets and Meteor Shower
No meteor showers are predicted to peak during this lunar cycle, and no comets are expected to be visible without a telescope.
Evening Sky Highlights
On the evening of Thursday, March 13 — the night of the full moon — as twilight ends at 8:11 p.m. EDT, the rising Moon will be 14 degrees above the eastern horizon. The brightest planet in the sky will be Venus at 4 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon, appearing as a thin, 4% illuminated crescent through a telescope. Next in brightness will be Jupiter at 62 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon. Third in brightness will be Mars at 72 degrees above the southeastern horizon. Mercury, to the left of Venus, will also be 4 degrees above the western horizon. Uranus, on the edge of what is visible under extremely clear, moonless, and dark skies, will be 45 degrees above the western horizon. The bright star closest to overhead will be Capella at 75 degrees above the northwestern horizon. Capella is the 6th brightest star in our night sky, and the brightest star in the constellation Auriga (shaped like a charioteer). Although we see Capella as a single star it is actually four stars — two pairs of stars orbiting each other. Capella is about 43 light-years from Earth.
Also high in the sky will be the constellation Orion, easily identifiable because of the three stars that form Orion’s Belt. This time of year, we see many bright stars at evening twilight, with bright stars scattered from the south-southeast toward the northwest. We see more stars in this direction because we are looking toward the Local Arm of our home galaxy (also called the Orion Arm, Orion-Cygnus Arm, or Orion Bridge). This arm is about 3,500 light years across and 10,000 light years long. Some of the bright stars we see from this arm are the three stars of Orion’s Belt, along with Rigel (860 light-years from Earth), Betelgeuse (548 light-years), Polaris (about 400 light-years), and Deneb (about 2,600 light-years).
As this lunar cycle progresses, the background of stars will rotate by about a degree westward each evening around the pole star Polaris. March 16 will be the last evening Venus will be above the horizon, and March 17 will be the last evening Mercury will be above the horizon as twilight ends. On March 30, Mars will pass by the bright star Pollux for the third time in 6 months, having passed by in mid-October 2024, changed direction (called apparent retrograde motion) and passed again in mid-January, then changed directions again for this March 30 pass. The waxing moon will appear near the Pleiades star cluster on April 1, Jupiter on April 2, Mars and Pollux on April 5, and Regulus on April 7 and 8.
By the evening of Saturday, April 12 — the evening of the night of the full moon after next — as twilight ends at 8:43 p.m. EDT, the rising Moon will be 10 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon with the bright star Spica about a half degree to the upper left. The brightest planet in the sky will be Jupiter at 38 degrees above the western horizon. Next in brightness will be Mars at 70 degrees above the southwestern horizon. Uranus, on the edge of what is visible under extremely clear, moonless dark skies, will be 18 degrees above the western horizon. The bright star closest to overhead will be Pollux at 71 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon. Pollux is the 17th brightest star in our night sky and the brighter of the twin stars in the constellation Gemini the twins. It is an orange-tinted star about 34 light-years from Earth. Pollux is not quite twice the mass of our Sun, but is about 9 times the diameter and 33 times the brightness.
Morning Sky Highlights
On the morning of Friday, March 14 — the morning of the full moon — as twilight begins at 6:23 a.m. EDT, the setting full moon will be 12 degrees above the western horizon. No visible planets will appear in the sky. The bright star closest to overhead will be Vega at 68 degrees above the eastern horizon. Vega is the 5th brightest star in our night sky and the brightest star in the constellation Lyra (the lyre). Vega is one of the three bright stars of the “Summer Triangle” along with Deneb and Altair. It is about 25 light-years from Earth, has twice the mass of our Sun, and shines 40 times brighter than our Sun.
As this lunar cycle progresses, the background of stars will rotate westward by about a degree each morning around the pole star Polaris. The waning moon will appear near Spica on March 16 and 17, and Antares on March 20. Bright Venus — now the morning star — will begin to emerge from the glow of dawn around March 21 and will be above the horizon as twilight begins after March 29. Mercury and Saturn will begin emerging from the glow of dawn in early April, rising after morning twilight begins. Initially Saturn will appear brighter than Mercury, but Mercury will brighten each morning as it becomes a fuller crescent, showing more illuminated area to Earth. After about April 8, Mercury will appear brighter than Saturn.
By the morning of Sunday, April 13 — the morning of the night of the full moon after next — as twilight begins at 5:34 a.m. EDT, the setting full moon will be 10 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon with the bright star Spica 4 degrees to the right. The only planet in the sky as twilight begins will be bright Venus as the morning star at 5 degrees above the eastern horizon. However, both Mercury and the fainter Saturn should be visible below Venus after they rise 4 and 7 minutes later (Saturn at 5:37 a.m. and Mercury at 5:40 a.m.). The bright star closest to overhead still will be Vega at 81 degrees above the eastern horizon.
Detailed Daily Guide
Here for your reference is a day-by-day listing of celestial events between now and the full moon on April 12, 2025. The times and angles are based on the location of NASA Headquarters in Washington, and some of these details may differ for where you are (I use parentheses to indicate times specific to the D.C. area). If your latitude is significantly different than 39 degrees north (and especially for my Southern Hemisphere readers), I recommend using an astronomy app that is set up for your location or a star-watching guide from a local observatory, news outlet, or astronomy club.
March 8 Just after midnight on Saturday morning, March 8, the planet Mercury will reach its greatest angular separation from the Sun as seen from Earth for this apparition (called greatest elongation).
Saturday evening, March 8, Mercury will appear at its highest (6 degrees) above the western horizon as evening twilight ends (at 7:06 p.m. EST). Mercury will set 34 minutes later (at 7:40 p.m.). This will also be the evening Mercury will have dimmed to the brightness of Mars, after which Mars will be the third brightest visible planet again.
March 8 – 9 On Saturday evening into Sunday morning, March 8 to 9, Mars will appear near the waxing gibbous moon with the bright star Pollux (the brighter of the twin stars in the constellation Gemini) nearby. As evening twilight ends at 7:06 p.m. EST, Mars will be 1.5 degrees to the lower right of the Moon and Pollux will be 6 degrees to the lower left. As the Moon reaches its highest for the night more than an hour later at 8:22 p.m., Mars will be 1.5 degrees to the lower right of the Moon and Pollux will be 5.5 degrees to the upper left. By the time Mars sets on the northwestern horizon (at 4:53 a.m.) it will be 4 degrees to the lower left of the Moon and Pollux will be 3 degrees above the Moon.
March 9 Don’t forget to reset your clocks (if they don’t automatically set themselves) as we “spring forward” to Daylight Saving Time! For much of the U.S., 2 to 3 a.m. on March 9, 2025, might be a good hour for magical or fictional events (as it doesn’t actually exist).
March 11 – 12 Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning, March 11 to 12, the bright star Regulus will appear near the nearly full moon. As evening twilight ends at 8:09 p.m. EDT, Regulus will be 4 degrees to the lower right of the Moon. When the Moon reaches its highest for the night at 11:52 p.m., Regulus will be 3 degrees to the lower right. By the time morning twilight begins at 6:26 a.m., Regulus will be about one degree below the Moon.
Wednesday morning, March 12, Saturn will be passing on the far side of the Sun as seen from Earth, called conjunction. Because Saturn orbits outside of the orbit of Earth it will be shifting from the evening sky to the morning sky. Saturn will begin emerging from the glow of dawn on the eastern horizon in early April (depending upon viewing conditions).
Wednesday evening, March 12, will be when Venus and Mercury will appear closest to each other low on the western horizon, 5.5 degrees apart. They will be about 5 degrees above the horizon as evening twilight ends at 8:10 p.m. EDT, and Mercury will set first 27 minutes later at 8:37 p.m.
March 14 As mentioned above, the full moon will be early Friday morning, March 14, at 2:55 a.m. EDT. There will be a total eclipse of the Moon. As the Moon passes opposite the Sun it will move through the shadow of Earth. The Moon will begin entering the partial shadow Thursday night at 11:57 p.m., but the gradual dimming of the Moon will not be noticeable until it starts to enter the full shadow Friday morning at 1:09 a.m. The round shadow of Earth will gradually shift across the face of the Moon (from lower left to upper right) until the Moon is fully shaded beginning at 2:26 a.m. The period of full shadow or total eclipse will last about 65 minutes, reaching the greatest eclipse at 2:59 a.m. and ending at 3:31 a.m. Even though it will be in full shadow, the Moon will still be visible. The glow of all of the sunrises and sunsets on Earth will give the Moon a reddish-brown hue, sometimes called a “Blood Moon” — although this name is also used for one of the full moons near the start of fall. From 3:31 a.m. until 4:48 a.m. the Moon will exit the full shadow of Earth, with the round shadow of Earth again shifting across the face of the Moon (from upper left to lower right). The Moon will leave the last of the partial shadow at 6 a.m., ending this eclipse. This full moon will be on Thursday evening from Pacific Daylight Time and Mountain Standard Time westward to the International Date Line in the mid Pacific. The Moon will appear full for about three days around this time, from Wednesday evening into Saturday morning.
March 16 Sunday morning, March 16, the bright star Spica will appear near the waning gibbous moon. As the Moon reaches its highest at 2:34 a.m. EDT, Spica will be 6.5 degrees to the lower left. As morning twilight begins at 6:20 a.m. Spica will be 5 degrees to the upper left.
During the day on Sunday, March 16, for parts of Eastern Africa, the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Ocean, and the southern tip of Western Australia, the Moon will pass in front of Spica.
Sunday evening, March 16, will be the last evening that Venus will be above the west-northwestern horizon as evening twilight ends at 8:14 p.m. EDT, with Venus setting 1 minute later.
March 16 – 17 Sunday night into Monday morning, March 16 to 17, the waning gibbous moon will have shifted to the other side of the bright star Spica. As the Moon rises on the east-southeastern horizon at 9:49 p.m. EDT, Spica will be 4 degrees above the Moon. By the time the Moon reaches its highest at 3:15 a.m., Spica will be 6.5 degrees to the upper right. As morning twilight begins at 6:18 a.m., Spica will be 7.5 degrees to the right of the Moon.
Monday midday, March 17, at 12:27 p.m. EDT, the Moon will be at apogee, its farthest from Earth for this orbit.
Monday evening, March 17, will be the last evening that Mercury will be above the western horizon as evening twilight ends at 8:15 p.m. EDT, with Mercury setting 3 minutes later.
March 19 Wednesday evening, March 19, Neptune will be passing on the far side of the Sun as seen from Earth, called conjunction. Because it orbits outside of the orbit of Earth, Neptune will be shifting from the evening sky to the morning sky. Neptune is faint enough that it is only visible with a telescope.
March 20 Thursday morning, March 20, the bright star Antares will appear near the waning gibbous moon. As Antares rises on the southeastern horizon at 1:17 a.m. EDT, it will be 5 degrees to the lower left of the Moon. By the time the Moon reaches its highest for the night at 5:31 a.m., Antares will be 3.5 degrees to the left of the Moon. Morning twilight will begin 42 minutes later at 6:13 a.m. For parts of Australia and New Zealand the Moon will pass in front of Antares.
Thursday morning at 5:01 a.m. EDT will be the vernal equinox, the astronomical end of winter and start of spring.
March 21 Starting around Friday morning, March 21, Venus as the morning star will begin to emerge from the glow of dawn, rising on the east-northeastern horizon more than 30 minutes before sunrise. Interestingly, this is just before inferior conjunction, when Venus passes “between” Earth and the Sun (passing through the same ecliptic longitude as the Sun as seen from Earth).
March 22 Saturday morning, March 22, the waning moon will appear half-full as it reaches its last quarter at 7:29 a.m. EDT.
Saturday night, Venus will be passing through the same ecliptic longitude as the Sun as seen from Earth, called inferior conjunction. Planets that orbit inside of the orbit of Earth can have two types of conjunctions with the Sun, inferior (when passing between Earth and Sun) and superior (when passing on the far side of the Sun as seen from Earth). Venus will be shifting from the evening sky to the morning sky but will be passing far enough away from the Sun that it may have already begun to be visible in the glow of dawn on the east-northeastern horizon (depending upon viewing conditions).
March 24 Monday afternoon, March 24, Mercury will be passing between Earth and Sun as seen from Earth, called inferior conjunction. It also will be shifting from the evening sky to the morning sky and will begin emerging from the glow of dawn on the eastern horizon in early April (depending upon viewing conditions).
March 29 Saturday morning, March 29, will be the first morning that Venus as the morning star will be above the horizon as twilight begins at 5:59 a.m. EDT.
Saturday morning, March 29, at 6:58 a.m. EDT, will be the new moon, when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun and is usually not visible from Earth. However, for parts of northwestern Africa, northwestern Eurasia, and northeastern North America, part of the silhouette of the Moon will be visible as it passes in front of the Sun in a partial solar eclipse. The viewing from the Washington area will not be very good. As the Sun rises on the eastern horizon at 6:57 a.m., the Moon will be blocking a small sliver of the left side of the Sun, with the eclipse ending 5 minutes later at 7:02 a.m.
March 30 Early Sunday morning, March 30, at 1:19 a.m. EDT, the Moon will be at perigee, its closest to Earth for this orbit.
For the third time since mid-October 2024, Mars will be passing by the bright star Pollux, the brighter of the twin stars in the constellation Gemini (the twins). Planets that orbit farther from the Sun than Earth’s orbit usually appear to shift westward each night, like the stars, but more slowly, so that they shift eastward relative to the stars. This is because the planets all move in the same direction around the Sun. But around the time when an outer planet is closest to Earth it appears to move the other direction, shifting westward relative to the stars, called apparent retrograde motion. This tendency to “wander” relative to the stars is where the word “planet” comes from (based on the Greek word for “wanderer”). In mid-October 2024 Mars passed by Pollux for the first time as it moved eastward relative to the stars. Beginning Dec. 6, 2024, Mars started its retrograde motion. On Jan. 15, 2025, Mars was at its closest and brightest for the year. On January 23 Mars passed by Pollux for the second time, just 2.5 degrees apart, this time shifting westward relative to the stars. Mars ended its retrograde motion on February 23. It is now shifting eastward again relative to the stars and will pass Pollux a third time on March 30, this time 4 degrees apart. Mars and Pollux will be nearly overhead as evening twilight ends at 8:29 p.m. EDT. Mars will set first on the west-northwestern horizon the morning of March 31 at 3:43 a.m.
This also is the first morning that Mercury will be above the eastern horizon 30 minutes before sunrise. Mercury will be relatively dim, as it will only present a narrow crescent toward Earth. It will brighten significantly each morning, but it’s difficult to predict when it will be bright enough to see in the glow of dawn.
April 1 Tuesday morning, April 1, will be the first morning that Saturn will be above the eastern horizon 30 minutes before sunrise, a rough approximation of when it might start being visible in the glow of dawn.
Tuesday evening, the Pleiades star cluster will appear 1.5 degrees below the waxing crescent moon. The Moon will be 36 degrees above the western horizon as evening twilight ends at 8:31 p.m. EDT, and the Pleiades will set first on the west-northwestern horizon 3 hours later at about 11:40 p.m.
April 2 Wednesday evening, April 2, Jupiter will appear 5.5 degrees to the lower left of the waxing crescent moon. The Moon will be 49 degrees above the western horizon as evening twilight ends at 8:32 p.m. EDT. Jupiter will set first on the west-northwestern horizon 4 hours later Thursday morning at 12:43 a.m.
April 4 Friday night, April 4, the Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its first quarter at 10:15 p.m. EDT.
April 5 – 6 Saturday night into Sunday morning, April 5 to 6, the waxing gibbous moon, Mars, and the bright star Pollux will appear to form a triangle. As evening twilight ends at 8:35 p.m. EDT, Mars will be 3 degrees to the lower right and Pollux 5 degrees to the upper right. As the night progresses, Mars and Pollux will appear to rotate clockwise and away from the Moon. As Mars sets first on the west-northwestern horizon 7 hours later at 3:26 a.m. it will be 6 degrees to the lower right, with Pollux 8.5 degrees to the right of the Moon.
April 7 – 8 Monday night into Tuesday morning, April 7 to 8, the bright star Regulus will appear near the waxing gibbous moon. As evening twilight ends at 8:37 p.m. EDT, Regulus will be 7 degrees below the Moon. As the Moon reaches its highest in the sky at 9:51 p.m., Regulus will be 6.5 degrees to the lower left. By the time Regulus and the Moon set together on the west-northwestern horizon at 4:52 a.m., Regulus will be 3.5 degrees to the left of the Moon.
Tuesday morning, April 8, will be when Mercury will become as bright as Saturn in the glow of dawn (with both Mercury and Saturn rising after morning twilight begins). After this, Mercury will continue brightening each morning as more of its sunlit crescent faces Earth.
April 8 – 9 Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, April 8 to 9, the waxing gibbous moon will have shifted to the other side of the bright star Regulus. As evening twilight ends at 8:38 p.m. EDT, Regulus will be 6 degrees to the upper right of the Moon. As the Moon reaches its highest in the sky at 10:34 p.m., Regulus will be 7 degrees to the right. The pair will continue to separate as the night progresses.
April 10 Thursday morning, April 10, the planets Mercury and Saturn will appear nearest each other, 2 degrees apart, in the glow of dawn. Mercury — the brighter of the two — will be on the left and Saturn will be on the right. Saturn will rise last on the eastern horizon at 5:48 a.m. EDT, 9 minutes after morning twilight begins. You will only have about 20 minutes to view the pair, as by 30 minutes before sunrise (i.e., 6:09 a.m.) the sky will become too bright to see them.
April 12 Saturday, April 12, 2025, is the International Day of Human Space Flight as declared by the United Nations to mark the date of the first human space flight.
The full moon after next will be April 12 at 8:22 p.m. EDT. This will be on April 13 in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and from the Azores, Iceland, Liberia, and Senegal times zones eastward across Africa, Eurasia, and Australia to the International Date Line in the mid-Pacific. Most commercial calendars are based on UTC and will show this full moon on April 13. The Moon will appear full for about three days around this time, from Friday evening into Monday morning, making this a full moon weekend.
Saturday evening into Sunday morning, the bright star Spica will appear close to the full moon. As evening twilight ends at 8:43 p.m., Spica will be less than a degree to the upper left of the Moon. Spica will appear to rotate clockwise and shift away from the Moon as the night progresses.
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2 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
What is a NASA Spinoff?
Well, to answer that question, we’re going to have to go all the way back to 1958, back to the legislation that originally created the space agency, NASA.
So in that legislation, there’s some forward-looking language that says, “Make sure that all the cool stuff you develop for space doesn’t just get blasted off into the universe, but comes back down to the Earth in the form of practical and terrestrial benefits.”
I’m paraphrasing, of course. The legislation is actually a little bit dry like legislation should be. Since that time, NASA has worked to get the technologies it created into the hands of the public. These become products and services and they save lives, they improve lives, they generate income, they create jobs, they boost the economy, they increase crop yields, they make airplane travel safer, they make train transportation safer.
NASA’s everywhere you look. One example I like to bring up is the camera in your cell phone. That was actually developed at JPL. We were working on a lightweight, high resolution camera for a satellite application, and that became the very first camera on a chip, camera in the cell phone.
We’ve also worked on things like indoor agriculture, which is increasingly important as the world gets denser and people need access to healthy foods.
During the pandemic, some researchers developed a ventilator that had fewer than 100 parts, none of which were required in the supply chain to make other ventilators. We gave that to dozens of companies all around the world to help save lives.
If you check out spinoff.nasa.gov you can find thousands of examples of how NASA is everywhere in your life.
[END VIDEO TRANSCRIPT]
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By NASA
The crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission pictured during an equipment test at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Credit: SpaceX NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station.
Liftoff is targeted for 7:48 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, March 12, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The targeted docking time is approximately 10 a.m., Thursday, March 13.
Coverage of the mission overview teleconference will be available on the agency’s website. The crew news conference, launch, the postlaunch news conference, and docking will be live on NASA+. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Anne McClain, commander; and Nichole Ayers, pilot; along with mission specialists JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov to the orbiting laboratory for a science mission of about four months. This is the 10th crew rotation mission and the 11th human spaceflight mission for NASA to the space station supported by the Dragon spacecraft since 2020 as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
The deadline for media accreditation for in person coverage of this launch has passed. The agency’s media credentialing policy is available online. For questions about media accreditation, please email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.
Media who need access to NASA live video feeds may subscribe to the agency’s media resources distribution list to receive daily updates and links.
NASA’s mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
Friday, March 7
2 p.m. – Crew arrival media event at NASA Kennedy with the following participants:
Anne McClain, Crew-10 spacecraft commander, NASA Nichole Ayers, Crew-10 pilot, NASA Takuya Onishi, Crew-10 mission specialist, JAXA Kirill Peskov, Crew-10 mission specialist, Roscosmos Watch live coverage of the crew arrival media event on NASA Kennedy’s social media accounts.
This event is open to in person media only previously credentialed for this event, and questions will be taken only during the crew news conference scheduled for later that day. Follow @CommercialCrew and @NASAKennedy on X for the latest arrival updates.
5:30 p.m. – Mission overview teleconference at NASA Kennedy (or no earlier than one hour after the completion of the Flight Readiness Review) with the following participants:
Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy Dana Weigel, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston Meg Everett, deputy chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson William Gerstenmaier, vice president, Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX Junichi Sakai, manager, International Space Station Program, JAXA NASA will provide audio-only coverage of the teleconference.
Media may ask questions in person and via phone. For the dial-in number and passcode, media should contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 4 p.m., Friday, March 7, at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.
6:30 p.m. – Crew-10 crew news conference (or directly following the completion of the mission overview news conference) with the following participants:
Anne McClain, Crew-10 spacecraft commander, NASA Nichole Ayers, Crew-10 pilot, NASA Takuya Onishi, Crew-10 mission specialist, JAXA Kirill Peskov, Crew-10 mission specialist, Roscosmos Watch live coverage of the mission overview news conference on NASA+.
Media may ask questions via phone only. For the dial-in number and passcode, media should contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 4 p.m., Friday, March 7, at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.
Wednesday, March 12
3:45 p.m. – Launch coverage begins on NASA+.
7:48 p.m. – Launch
Following the conclusion of launch and ascent coverage, NASA will switch to audio only and continue audio coverage through Thursday, March 13. Continuous coverage resumes on NASA+ at the start of rendezvous and docking and continues through hatch opening and the welcome ceremony.
9:30 p.m. – Postlaunch news conference with the following participants:
Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy Dana Weigel, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX Mayumi Matsuura, vice president and director general, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, JAXA Watch live coverage of the postlaunch news conference on NASA+.
Media may ask questions in person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 12, at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.
Thursday, March 13
8:15 a.m. – Arrival coverage begins on NASA+.
10 a.m. – Targeted docking to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module
11:45 a.m. – Hatch opening
12:20 p.m. – Welcome ceremony
All times are estimates and could be adjusted based on real-time operations after launch. Follow the space station blog for the most up-to-date operations information.
Live Video Coverage Prior to Launch
NASA will provide a live video feed of Launch Complex 39A approximately six hours prior to the planned liftoff of the Crew-10 mission. Pending unlikely technical issues, the feed will be uninterrupted until the prelaunch broadcast begins on NASA+, approximately four hours prior to launch. Once the feed is live, find it online at: http://youtube.com/kscnewsroom.
NASA Website Launch Coverage
Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include livestreaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 3:45 p.m., March 12, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video on NASA+ and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the NASA Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on the commercial crew or Crew-10 blog.
Attend Launch Virtually
Members of the public may register to attend this launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following launch.
Watch, Engage on Social Media
Let people know you’re following the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Crew10 and #NASASocial. You may also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:
X: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab, @SpaceX, @Commercial_Crew
Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab, @SpaceX
Coverage en Espanol
Did you know NASA has a Spanish section called NASA en Espanol? Check out NASA en Espanol on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for additional mission coverage.
Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo: 321-501-8425; antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov; o Messod Bendayan: 256-930-1371; messod.c.bendayan@nasa.gov.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is changing the arc of human spaceflight history by opening access to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station to more people, more science, and more commercial opportunities. The space station remains the springboard to NASA’s next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.
For more information about the mission, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
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Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
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Steven Siceloff / Stephanie Plucinsky
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-867-2468
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov / stephanie.n.plucinsky@nasa.gov
Kenna Pell
Johnson Space Center, Houston
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Tess Caswell, a stand-in crew member for the Artemis III Virtual Reality Mini-Simulation, executes a moonwalk in the Prototype Immersive Technology (PIT) lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The simulation was a test of using VR as a training method for flight controllers and science teams’ collaboration on science-focused traverses on the lunar surface. Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz When astronauts walk on the Moon, they’ll serve as the eyes, hands, and boots-on-the-ground interpreters supporting the broader teams of scientists on Earth. NASA is leveraging virtual reality to provide high-fidelity, cost-effective support to prepare crew members, flight control teams, and science teams for a return to the Moon through its Artemis campaign.
The Artemis III Geology Team, led by principal investigator Dr. Brett Denevi of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, participated in an Artemis III Surface Extra-Vehicular VR Mini-Simulation, or “sim” at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in the fall of 2024. The sim brought together science teams and flight directors and controllers from Mission Control to carry out science-focused moonwalks and test the way the teams communicate with each other and the astronauts.
“There are two worlds colliding,” said Dr. Matthew Miller, co-lead for the simulation and exploration engineer, Amentum/JETSII contract with NASA. “There is the operational world and the scientific world, and they are becoming one.”
NASA mission training can include field tests covering areas from navigation and communication to astronaut physical and psychological workloads. Many of these tests take place in remote locations and can require up to a year to plan and large teams to execute. VR may provide an additional option for training that can be planned and executed more quickly to keep up with the demands of preparing to land on the Moon in an environment where time, budgets, and travel resources are limited.
VR helps us break down some of those limitations and allows us to do more immersive, high-fidelity training without having to go into the field. It provides us with a lot of different, and significantly more, training opportunities.
BRI SPARKS
NASA co-lead for the simulation and Extra Vehicular Activity Extended Reality team at Johnson.
Field testing won’t be going away. Nothing can fully replace the experience crew members gain by being in an environment that puts literal rocks in their hands and incudes the physical challenges that come with moonwalks, but VR has competitive advantages.
The virtual environment used in the Artemis III VR Mini-Sim was built using actual lunar surface data from one of the Artemis III candidate regions. This allowed the science team to focus on Artemis III science objectives and traverse planning directly applicable to the Moon. Eddie Paddock, engineering VR technical discipline lead at NASA Johnson, and his team used data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and planet position and velocity over time to develop a virtual software representation of a site within the Nobile Rim 1 region near the south pole of the Moon. Two stand-in crew members performed moonwalk traverses in virtual reality in the Prototype Immersive Technology lab at Johnson, and streamed suit-mounted virtual video camera views, hand-held virtual camera imagery, and audio to another location where flight controllers and science support teams simulated ground communications.
A screen capture of a virtual reality view during the Artemis III VR Mini-Simulation. The lunar surface virtual environment was built using actual lunar surface data from one of the Artemis III candidate regions. Credit: Prototype Immersive Technology lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The crew stand-ins were immersed in the lunar environment and could then share the experience with the science and flight control teams. That quick and direct feedback could prove critical to the science and flight control teams as they work to build cohesive teams despite very different approaches to their work.
The flight operations team and the science team are learning how to work together and speak a shared language. Both teams are pivotal parts of the overall mission operations. The flight control team focuses on maintaining crew and vehicle safety and minimizing risk as much as possible. The science team, as Miller explains, is “relentlessly thirsty” for as much science as possible. Training sessions like this simulation allow the teams to hone their relationships and processes.
Members of the Artemis III Geology Team and science support team work in a mock Science Evaluation Room during the Artemis III Virtual Reality Mini-Simulation at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Video feeds from the stand-in crew members’ VR headsets allow the science team to follow, assess, and direct moonwalks and science activities. Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz Denevi described the flight control team as a “well-oiled machine” and praised their dedication to getting it right for the science team. Many members of the flight control team have participated in field and classroom training to learn more about geology and better understand the science objectives for Artemis.
“They have invested a lot of their own effort into understanding the science background and science objectives, and the science team really appreciates that and wants to make sure they are also learning to operate in the best way we can to support the flight control team, because there’s a lot for us to learn as well,” Denevi said. “It’s a joy to get to share the science with them and have them be excited to help us implement it all.”
Artemis III Geology Team lead Dr. Brett Denevi of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, left, Artemis III Geology Team member, Dr. Jose Hurtado, University of Texas at El Paso, and simulation co-lead, Bri Sparks, work together during the Artemis III Virtual Reality Mini-Simulation at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz This simulation, Sparks said, was just the beginning for how virtual reality could supplement training opportunities for Artemis science. In the future, using mixed reality could help take the experience to the next level, allowing crew members to be fully immersed in the virtual environment while interacting with real objects they can hold in their hands. Now that the Nobile Rim 1 landing site is built in VR, it can continue to be improved and used for crew training, something that Sparks said can’t be done with field training on Earth.
While “virtual” was part of the title for this exercise, its applications are very real.
“We are uncovering a lot of things that people probably had in the back of their head as something we’d need to deal with in the future,” Miller said. “But guess what? The future is now. This is now.”
Test subject crew members for the Artemis III Virtual Reality Mini-Simulation, including Grier Wilt, left, and Tess Caswell, center, execute a moonwalk in the Prototype Immersive Technology lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz Grier Wilt, left, and Tess Caswell, crew stand-ins for the Artemis III Virtual Reality Mini-Simulation, execute a moonwalk in the Prototype Immersive Technology (PIT) lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz Engineering VR technical discipline lead Eddie Paddock works with team members to facilitate the virtual reality components of the Artemis III Virtual Reality Mini-Simulation in the Prototype Immersive Technology lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credit: Robert Markowitz Flight director Paul Konyha follows moonwalk activities during the Artemis III Virtual Reality Mini-Simulation at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz
Rachel Barry
NASA’s Johnson Space Center
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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
An artist’s concept depicts one of NASA’s Voyager probes. The twin spacecraft launched in 1977.NASA/JPL-Caltech The farthest-flung human-made objects will be able to take their science-gathering even farther, thanks to these energy-conserving measures.
Mission engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California turned off the cosmic ray subsystem experiment aboard Voyager 1 on Feb. 25 and will shut off Voyager 2’s low-energy charged particle instrument on March 24. Three science instruments will continue to operate on each spacecraft. The moves are part of an ongoing effort to manage the gradually diminishing power supply of the twin probes.
Launched in 1977, Voyagers 1 and 2 rely on a radioisotope power system that generates electricity from the heat of decaying plutonium. Both lose about 4 watts of power each year.
“The Voyagers have been deep space rock stars since launch, and we want to keep it that way as long as possible,” said Suzanne Dodd, Voyager project manager at JPL. “But electrical power is running low. If we don’t turn off an instrument on each Voyager now, they would probably have only a few more months of power before we would need to declare end of mission.”
The two spacecraft carry identical sets of 10 science instruments. Some of the instruments, geared toward collecting data during planetary flybys, were turned off after both spacecraft completed their exploration of the solar system’s gas giants.
The instruments that remained powered on well beyond the last planetary flyby were those the science team considered important for studying the solar system’s heliosphere, a protective bubble of solar wind and magnetic fields created by the Sun, and interstellar space, the region outside the heliosphere. Voyager 1 reached the edge of the heliosphere and the beginning of interstellar space in 2012; Voyager 2 reached the boundary in 2018. No other human-made spacecraft has operated in interstellar space.
Last October, to conserve energy, the project turned off Voyager 2’s plasma science instrument, which measures the amount of plasma — electrically charged atoms — and the direction it is flowing. The instrument had collected only limited data in recent years due to its orientation relative to the direction that plasma flows in interstellar space. Voyager 1’s plasma science instrument had been turned off years ago because of degraded performance.
Interstellar Science Legacy
The cosmic ray subsystem that was shut down on Voyager 1 last week is a suite of three telescopes designed to study cosmic rays, including protons from the galaxy and the Sun, by measuring their energy and flux. Data from those telescopes helped the Voyager science team determine when and where Voyager 1 exited the heliosphere.
Scheduled for deactivation later this month, Voyager 2’s low-energy charged particle instrument measures the various ions, electrons, and cosmic rays originating from our solar system and galaxy. The instrument consists of two subsystems: the low-energy particle telescope for broader energy measurements, and the low-energy magnetospheric particle analyzer for more focused magnetospheric studies.
Both systems use a rotating platform so that the field of view is 360 degrees, and the platform is powered by a stepper motor that provides a 15.7-watt pulse every 192 seconds. The motor was tested to 500,000 steps — enough to guarantee continuous operation through the mission’s encounters with Saturn, which occurred in August 1980 for Voyager 2. By the time it is deactivated on Voyager 2, the motor will have completed more than 8.5 million steps.
“The Voyager spacecraft have far surpassed their original mission to study the outer planets,” said Patrick Koehn, Voyager program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Every bit of additional data we have gathered since then is not only valuable bonus science for heliophysics, but also a testament to the exemplary engineering that has gone into the Voyagers — starting nearly 50 years ago and continuing to this day.”
Addition Through Subtraction
Mission engineers have taken steps to avoid turning off science instruments for as long as possible because the science data collected by the twin Voyager probes is unique. With these two instruments turned off, the Voyagers should have enough power to operate for about a year before the team needs to shut off another instrument on both spacecraft.
In the meantime, Voyager 1 will continue to operate its magnetometer and plasma wave subsystem. The spacecraft’s low-energy charged particle instrument will operate through the remainder of 2025 but will be shut off next year.
Voyager 2 will continue to operate its magnetic field and plasma wave instruments for the foreseeable future. Its cosmic ray subsystem is scheduled to be shut off in 2026.
With the implementation of this power conservation plan, engineers believe the two probes could have enough electricity to continue operating with at least one science instrument into the 2030s. But they are also mindful that the Voyagers have been weathering deep space for 47 years and that unforeseen challenges could shorten that timeline.
Long Distance
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 remain the most distant human-made objects ever built. Voyager 1 is more than 15 billion miles (25 billion kilometers) away. Voyager 2 is over 13 billion miles (21 billion kilometers) from Earth.
In fact, due to this distance, it takes over 23 hours to get a radio signal from Earth to Voyager 1, and 19½ hours to Voyager 2.
“Every minute of every day, the Voyagers explore a region where no spacecraft has gone before,” said Linda Spilker, Voyager project scientist at JPL. “That also means every day could be our last. But that day could also bring another interstellar revelation. So, we’re pulling out all the stops, doing what we can to make sure Voyagers 1 and 2 continue their trailblazing for the maximum time possible.”
For more information about NASA’s Voyager missions, visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager
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DC Agle / Calla Cofield
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
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agle@jpl.nasa.gov / calla.e.cofield@jpl.nasa.gov
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