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Credit: NASA Turkey will sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony at 2:30 p.m. EDT Monday, Aug. 31, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, becoming the 71st country signatory. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will host Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır for the ceremony, together with U.S. Department of State officials. This event is in person only. Media interested in attending must RSVP no later than 11 a.m. on Aug. 31, to: *****@*****.tld. NASA’s media accreditation policy is online. In 2020, during the first Trump Administration, the United States, led by NASA and the State Department, joined with seven other founding nations to establish the Artemis Accords, responding to the growing interest in lunar activities by both governments and private companies. The Artemis Accords introduced the first set of practical principles aimed at enhancing the safety, transparency, and coordination of civil space exploration on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Learn more about the Artemis Accords at: [Hidden Content] -end- Camille Gallo / Elizabeth Shaw Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated Aug 27, 2026 EditorJennifer M. DoorenLocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsOffice of International and Interagency Relations (OIIR)Artemis Accords View the full article

Brandon Torres Navarrete New civil servants and guests pose for a group photo with NASA and center leadership in the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) 80-by-120-foot test section, N221 on Aug. 24, 2026. The civil servants were sworn-in the same day in the largest swearing-in ceremony ever hosted at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley since its inception nearly 87 years ago. Learn more about wind tunnels at NASA Ames. Image credit: Brandon Torres Navarrete View the full article

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch at 7:26 a.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 30. While you wait to watch the launch, brush up on some key facts about this wide-view mission. Teams inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida encapsulate the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope within the payload fairing on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, ahead of mating to a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Encapsulation shields the spacecraft during rollout, ascent, and the early phases of flight. Roman will investigate dark energy and dark matter, conduct a statistical census of planetary systems, and enable a broad range of additional astrophysics research. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy is targeted for no earlier than Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. NASA/Sydney Rohde (Rocz) 01 The mission is named after NASA’s first chief astronomer, Dr. Nancy Grace Roman. Roman is named after Dr. Nancy Grace Roman (1925–2018), NASA’s first chief of astronomy. She championed space-based observatories that could study the universe above Earth’s hazy atmosphere while making their data broadly available to the scientific community. While she’s known as the “mother” of the Hubble Space Telescope, Roman played an even broader role as the driving force behind NASA’s entire Great Observatories program, which included Hubble along with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the retired Compton Gamma Ray Observatory and Spitzer Space Telescope. Her vision and leadership helped establish NASA as a world-class scientific institution and laid the foundation for generations of space telescopes that continue to expand humanity’s understanding of the cosmos. 02 Roman will transform our view of the cosmos by showing us the ******* picture. Roman will pair a large field of view with crisp infrared vision to scan vast, deep swaths of sky. This flagship mission is designed to help astronomers explore dark matter, dark energy, and planets outside our solar system, called exoplanets. Since each of Roman’s surveys will sample such a large volume of the cosmos, the mission will also offer practically limitless opportunities for astronomers to conduct a broad range of additional science. From objects in our outer solar system and exploding stars to growing ****** holes and galaxies by the billions, very little will be beyond Roman’s reach. Roman’s data will be made public as soon as it’s processed, allowing many teams to analyze it simultaneously. 03 The observatory will journey a million miles to join Webb at Lagrange point 2. Roman will orbit 1 million miles away at the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point (L2), the same location as NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. At L2, gravity from the Sun and Earth works together with an object’s motion around the Sun to hold it roughly in place. This balance will give Roman a relatively steady orbit without using much fuel. Like Webb, Roman will trace out a large orbit around the actual L2 point — much larger than the Moon’s orbit around Earth — and the two will easily be kept far apart. 04 The spacecraft carries the names of more than a million people. This summer, everyone was invited to submit their name to be added to a memory card attached to a plaque on the Roman spacecraft. More than 1.3 million people did so and will have their names carried all the way to L2. 05 Roman will scan the skies for at least five years. Roman will have a primary mission lifetime of five years and is designed to support an additional five-year extended mission. Fuel is expected to be the mission’s life-limiting resource, and while NASA does not currently have an ability to service observatories at L2, Roman is designed to be refuelable. 06 Two instruments will enable myriad discoveries. The observatory’s Wide Field Instrument is a 300-megapixel infrared camera that will give Roman the same sharpness (angular resolution) as Hubble but with a field of view at least 100 times larger. Using this instrument, each Roman image will capture a patch of the sky about 1.5 times ******* than the apparent size of a full Moon. Roman’s Coronagraph Instrument is designed to demonstrate the most advanced technologies ever flown in space for directly imaging planets around other stars. It will block the glare from stars and make it possible for scientists to see the faint reflected light from planets in orbit around them, revealing giant worlds that are older, colder, and in closer orbits than the hot, young super-Jupiters direct imaging has mainly revealed so far. 07 Roman joins an international cohort of teamworking telescopes. Roman will work in tandem with many other NASA-led and international missions to provide the most complete view of our universe yet. Roman’s large panoramas will uncover interesting targets that Hubble could follow up on using infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light to offer a more comprehensive view. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope can then use its larger mirror and more powerful vision to deliver even more detailed, ultra-sharp observations. And Roman can view regions around objects Hubble or Webb observe to offer context. Euclid, an ESA (European Space Agency) mission with key contributions from NASA, will observe a larger area of the sky than Roman, though with less detail. Since their survey areas will overlap, scientists can use Roman’s higher-quality data to apply corrections to Euclid’s, then extend these refinements over Euclid’s much larger area. Scientists can also pair Roman’s infrared data with visible-light observations from the ground-based Vera C. Rubin Observatory, a National Science Foundation–Department of Energy collaboration. That will allow astronomers to inch closer to achieving Roman-like quality over Rubin’s much greater sky coverage. By showcasing technology to directly photograph Jupiter-like exoplanets, Roman will also provide a crucial stepping stone for NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory concept, a flagship space telescope that would be designed to photograph Earth-like planets in other solar systems for the first time ever. 08 Watch the Roman launch live from anywhere. NASA will stream this event live through a variety of platforms. Learn where to watch online: nasa.gov/live. The launch broadcast will continue until approximately one hour past launch to follow the first several critical milestones post-launch. 09 NASA expects to share Roman’s first images by early 2027. The Roman team will complete a carefully orchestrated series of deployments, calibrations, and tests in the three months following launch before the observatory reaches its final orbit. Science operations begin once this commissioning ******* is completed, starting with the release of Roman’s first science images. To learn more about the Roman mission, visit: [Hidden Content] Media contact: Claire Andreoli NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. *****@*****.tld 301-286-1940 Share Details Last Updated Aug 27, 2026 Editor Ashley Balzer Contact Ashley Balzer *****@*****.tld Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope ****** Holes Dark Energy Dark Matter Exoplanets Galaxies Stars The Universe Explore More 7 min read Journey to Center of Milky Way With Upcoming NASA Roman Core Survey At the heart of our own galaxy, there is a dense thicket of stars with… Article 7 months ago 7 min read Core Survey by NASA’s Roman Mission Will Unveil Universe’s Dark Side The broadest planned survey by NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will reveal hundreds… Article 7 months ago 6 min read NASA Roman Core Survey Will Trace Cosmic Expansion Over Time NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will be a discovery machine, thanks to its wide… Article 1 year ago View the full article

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel After nearly a decade of service to NASA, including an eight-month science expedition aboard the International Space Station, astronaut Jonny Kim’s last day at the agency is Thursday. He will continue serving as lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy. Kim launched to the space station in April 2025 aboard the Soyuz MS‑27 spacecraft to conduct scientific research as a flight engineer during Expeditions 72/73. During the mission, he orbited Earth 3,920 times, traveled nearly 104 million miles, and contributed to a broad range of scientific investigations spanning technology development, Earth science, biology, and human research critical for future exploration. “Jonny Kim represents the very best of NASA, a person who continually pushed the boundaries of exploration while inspiring countless others,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “His contributions aboard the International Space Station advanced critical science that will shape NASA’s future missions for decades to come. We are grateful for his dedication to our nation and to the pursuit of knowledge, and we wish him success as he continues his service in the U.S. Navy.” Serving as the U.S. Operating Segment lead for the second half of Expedition 73, Kim oversaw operations across the station’s international modules. During the expedition, the station achieved a historic milestone when every available docking port was occupied for the first time in 25 years. He also commanded the Canadarm2 robotic arm during the first capture of Northrop Grumman’s new Cygnus XL spacecraft, securing 11,000 pounds of supplies for the station. Kim and his Roscosmos crewmates landed safely in Kazakhstan in December 2025. “Jonny has been an integral part of the agency, and his immeasurable impact will be felt for generations to come,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “From advancing groundbreaking science to inspiring the next generation, Jonny has been an incredible source of inspiration to our nation. His exceptional talent, determination, and grit will leave a lasting legacy at NASA.” Kim was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017 and completed two years of astronaut candidate training, which included instruction in space station systems, Russian language, robotics, T‑38 flight operations, geology, survival training, and spacewalk preparation. He later supported station operations as a capsule communicator, or capcom, in NASA’s Mission Control Center at Johnson. Kim also contributed to Artemis program development through his work in the astronaut exploration branch, leading the astronaut crew operations branch, and serving as increment lead for Expedition 65. His experiences as a Navy SEAL, physician, and naval aviator provided unique perspectives in mission operations and crew support. “Jonny approached every assignment with humility, precision, and steadfast commitment to the mission,” said Scott Tingle, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson. “His combination of medical training, operational experience, and engineering insight strengthened our team and contributed to advancements in exploration and space station operations.” Born in Los Angeles, Kim enlisted in the U.S. Navy after graduating high school in 2002. He trained as a hospital corpsman and completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training before joining SEAL Team Three. Over the course of more than 100 combat operations, he served as a medic, sniper, navigator, and point man, earning the Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat “V,” and numerous additional commendations. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of San Diego and a doctor of medicine from Harvard Medical School. He completed his internship at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Kim became a dual-designated naval aviator and flight surgeon, completing flight training at Naval Air Stations Corpus Christi in Texas and Whiting Field in Florida, and aerospace medical training at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute at Naval Air Station Pensacola. Kim is returning to active duty to finish out the remainder of his military career within naval aviation training. “Contributing to space exploration and serving NASA has been the honor of a lifetime,” said Kim. “Throughout my career, I’ve learned that beyond the missions, the training, and the hardware, success always comes down to the people. They are our greatest asset, and leading with love and empathy is how we achieve the impossible. I look forward to carrying my commitment to service, my enduring love for space and technology, and the hard-earned lessons of this past decade into my next chapter to make a meaningful impact on humanity’s future.” To learn more about NASA’s astronauts and human space exploration, visit: [Hidden Content] -end- Jimi Russell Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 *****@*****.tld Anna Schneider Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated Aug 27, 2026 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsHumans in SpaceAstronautsJohnson Space CenterJonny Kim View the full article

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 27 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Colorful Aurora over Icelandic Waterfall Explanation: What a sight to behold, when a night sky became filled with colors that appeared to rain over the Skógafoss waterfall in Iceland. This image was taken in a single 5 second exposure by the photographer in April 2025. Seeing an aurora is on many people’s bucket lists. But it is not easy. It requires high solar activity, dark and clear skies, and usually a viewing location at high latitude. That makes the northern lights more easily seen than the corresponding southern lights, simply because there is less landmass in the Southern Hemisphere, especially around the Antarctic Circle. Auroras are caused by charged particles from the solar wind that are captured by the Earth’s magnetosphere and guided by the magnetic field to a region close to one of the poles, where they collide with gas particles in the atmosphere. Different colors indicate interactions with different gases at different altitudes, like oxygen (red and green) and nitrogen (blue and pink). APOD’s main NASA site is moving : From apod.nasa.gov to science.nasa.gov/apod Tomorrow’s picture: What’s next? Date August 27, 2026 Credit & Copyright Victor Lima Authors & editors: Cecilia Chirenti, Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Keighley Rockcliffe A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. Random APOD Generator Yesterday’s Image APOD: 2026 August 26 – JWST Images The Lion’s Head Nebula Tomorrow’s Image View the full article

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Rare, Widespread Snow in the… Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search August 6, 2026 August 14, 2026 A plateau in the Chilean Andes is surrounded by stratovolcanoes and lava domes. The dry, mostly brown landscape has a lighter brown patch near the center, marking the radio telescope array. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin The same plateau is now blanketed in white snow. The location of the radio telescope array is nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding terrain. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin August 6, 2026August 14, 2026 A plateau in the Chilean Andes is surrounded by stratovolcanoes and lava domes. The dry, mostly brown landscape has a lighter brown patch near the center, marking the radio telescope array. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin The same plateau is now blanketed in white snow. The location of the radio telescope array is nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding terrain. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin August 6, 2026 August 14, 2026 CurtainToggle2-Up Image Details Part of northern Chile transforms from bare to snow-covered in these images captured before and after winter storms in August 2026 by the NASA-USGS Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 satellites. NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin. In August 2026, back-to-back winter storms left parts of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile covered in a rare blanket of snow. The typically arid region has seen snowfall before, notably in 2025 and before that in 2011. But one of the 2026 events was unusually widespread, stretching from the Andes to near the Pacific coast. The OLI (Operational Land Imager) on the NASA-USGS Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 satellites captured these images (above) on August 6 and August 14, before and after a ******* of severe weather, respectively. They show a detailed view of the Chajnantor plateau within the Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex, home to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)—one of the planet’s most powerful radio telescopes. As snow and high winds set in, ALMA suspended operations, moving its antennas into a protective survival mode. A blanket of snow spans a vast area of northern Chile, from the Andes to near the Pacific coast, captured in this image on August 19, 2026, by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite. NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin Another storm in the second half of the month blanketed an even wider area with fresh snowfall. This image, captured by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite on August 19, shows snow extending westward from the Andes, across the desert’s hyper-arid core, and close to the Pacific coast south of the Chilean port city of Antofagasta. This coastal area is home to several other major astronomical observatories, some of which also suspended operations during the event. Most of the region’s winter precipitation comes from cutoff lows—low-pressure systems that become cut off from the jet stream and can occasionally reach northern Chile. That’s what happened in 2025, said René Garreaud, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Chile. The late-August 2026 storm also came from a cutoff low, but this one spun off from an unusually large trough—an elongated area of relatively low atmospheric pressure—that spanned an enormous stretch of the hemisphere, from the tip of South America up into the subtropics. The atmospheric disruption, combined with ample coastal moisture, produced precipitation that spanned an unusually wide swath of the region—offshore, along the coast, across the core of the Atacama, and over the Andes. Totals reached a magnitude “rarely seen in the otherwise extremely arid region,” Garreaud said. In some areas it fell as rain, not snow. Taltal, for instance, on Chile’s northern coast, accumulated nearly 40 millimeters (1.6 inches) of rain in three days—about 10 times its annual mean, Garreaud said. “We see these kinds of events only a few times, if any, per decade.” The abundant precipitation spurred destructive mudflows and flash flooding in parts of northern Chile. The National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (SENAPRED) reported thousands were affected and hundreds of homes had major damage. Garreaud noted that the strengthening El Niño is the backdrop for the anomalously wet winter in north-central Chile. In addition to the August storms, a major event in July brought significant impacts to the country’s Norte Chico region. During El Niño, the subtropical Pacific high—which normally keeps the region dry—weakens, while a blocking high tends to form in the South Pacific near the tip of the continent. Together, these shifts push the Southern Hemisphere storm track equatorward. NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey and MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Kathryn Hansen. Downloads View All August 6, 2026: Landsat 8 JPEG (8.39 MB) August 14, 2026: Landsat 9 JPEG (13.44 MB) August 19, 2026: Terra MODIS JPEG (3.22 MB) References & Resources CR2 (2026, July 23) The extreme event of July 15-20, 2026, within the context of the developing El Niño. Accessed August 26, 2026. NASA Earth Observatory (2025, July 19) Rare Snowfall in the Atacama Desert. Accessed August 26, 2026. National Weather Service, Climate Prediction Center (2026, August 13) El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion. Accessed August 26, 2026. The Watchers (2026, August 18) Snow and 90 km/h (55 mph) winds suspend ALMA observations in the Atacama Desert, Chile. Accessed August 26, 2026. You may also be interested in: Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet. Snow Is Scarce in the Upper Colorado Basin 5 min read The mountains of Utah and Colorado are among the areas of the western U.S. that are low on snow and… Article Tropical Storm Arthur 2 min read The first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season brought intense rainfall and the threat of flash flooding to… Article Typhoon Jangmi 2 min read The sprawling storm promised to deliver torrential rain across a wide swath of southern Japan. Article 1 2 3 4 Next Keep Exploring Discover More from NASA Earth Science Subscribe to Earth Observatory Newsletters Subscribe to the Earth Observatory and get the Earth in your inbox. Earth Observatory Image of the Day NASA’s Earth Observatory brings you the Earth, every day, with in-depth stories and stunning imagery. Explore Earth Science Earth Science Data Open access to NASA’s archive of Earth science data View the full article

NASA’s Earth-observing satellite missions track dozens of features of a changing planet — aerosols, sea levels, land cover, cloud cover — over years and decades. Sustaining that record for the scientific and operational communities who depend on it requires more than engineering talent. It requires planning for an uncertain future: anticipating where a mission delay or on-orbit event might create a gap in the data those communities rely on. Lindsey Jacobson’s work helps NASA anticipate those disruptions before they happen and gives senior leaders options for managing them. A Pathways intern in engineering, Jacobson supports NASA’s Earth Science Division through the NASA Earth Science Strategic Integration Environment (NESSIE) team within the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate (SACD) at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. NASA’s Pathways program connects undergraduate and graduate students with NASA centers through internships that, with satisfactory performance, can lead to full-time civil service positions. Jacobson has returned to NASA Langley every summer since 2022, splitting her time between the center and finishing her mechanical engineering dissertation at North Carolina State University. Lindsey Jacobson, Pathways InternCredit: NASA “The way we do Earth science is changing.“ The Problem Space Jacobson and the NESSIE team support the Earth science satellite portfolio — dozens of missions, each measuring specific features of the planet, from clouds to sea surface temperature to land use. The goal is providing end user communities with the data products they depend on. The challenge is the unknown. This image depicts a full view of the Earth, taken by the Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite (GOES-8), a satellite that was in service from 1994-2004. It was owned and operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and provided the kind of continuous monitoring necessary for intensive data analysis.Credit: NASA “There’s uncertainty about mission lifetimes and what could happen on orbit, and about schedules,” Jacobson explains. The team’s work gives NASA’s senior leadership a way to navigate that uncertainty: understanding where a gap in coverage might emerge and identifying options to mitigate or hedge against it. By providing alternative pathways for meeting end-user needs, this work supports senior leaders in managing a complex, interdependent portfolio. Writing the Code Within that effort, Jacobson’s focus is building analysis tools that give the team what she calls a “foresight ability.” “It’s the ability to anticipate different things that might happen — changes that might occur across the portfolio of Earth-observing missions — and to have strategies in mind for how to respond, so we can keep delivering data to end users,” she says. Not every change is bad news. Missions sometimes operate well beyond their planned lifespan, creating room to extend their value. But whether an adjustment is welcome or not, the principle is the same: know the options before anything happens. Jacobson compares it to preparing for hurricane season. “You get the storm shutters, you buy the sandbags, and you have them pre-positioned,” she says. “Then when the warning comes, you’re not scrambling, and you’re not at risk of the store selling out. You already have what you need in place.” NESSIE’s work follows the same logic for the Earth-observing portfolio by understanding ahead of time what a disruption might mean and having a set of responses ready before anything happens. “We proactively suggest the strategies and alternatives that could be enacted if there’s a change,” Jacobson says. “We do that ahead of time, so people understand what options might exist.” Her approach carries echoes of her graduate research, which examines how complex systems — infrastructure that can’t simply be torn down and rebuilt, like the electric grid — must evolve deliberately instead. “We designed a grid, and now we live with that grid forever,” she says. “We can’t tear it down and build a new one. What we can do is modify, expand, and improve upon what we have.” It’s the same instinct for working with what exists, rather than starting from scratch, that shapes how she approaches her work at NASA. Keeping Pace Engineers arriving at NASA for the first time might expect the hardest part of the job to be technical. Jacobson found something else: the landscape itself is what demands the most adaptability. “The way we do Earth science is changing,” she says. Commercial companies are increasingly contributing data alongside government agencies. New space agencies are entering the field. Innovative technologies and architectures are emerging all the time. Keeping pace with that shift — understanding how NASA’s own capabilities are evolving and how to best serve the communities that depend on the data — is as much a part of the job as any calculation. Jacobson presenting NESSIE’s work on managing portfolios of Earth-observing missions to meet science needs despite uncertainties in mission scheduling and lifetimes, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Aerospace Conference, 2025.Credit: NASA Some of that adaptability shows up in smaller ways too, like the growing role of AI tools in her team’s own workflow. “Langley has done a lot of firsts,” Jacobson says, echoing something she heard recently from Trina Dyal, NASA Langley’s director, at an intern event. “And we want to continue to be the first. That means learning new things and figuring out how to bring them into how we work.” On Jacobson’s Sci-Fi Shelf The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut Jacobson received this novel in high school, let it sit on her shelf for years, and finally picked it up during the pandemic. “It was very special. It touches a lot on the meaning of life, and that connects to some of the reasons I was motivated by space in the first place. The idea that space exploration can bring humanity together. That cosmic perspective.” Part of the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate at NASA’s Langley Research Center. Learn more about our work by visiting our website. View the full article

NASA/Sydney Rohde (Rocz) NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, encapsulated in its payload fairing, travels from the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility to the SpaceX hangar at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, ahead of mating to a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Roman’s science instruments are designed to help researchers understand dark energy, the mysterious force accelerating the universe’s expansion. The observatory also will map how galaxies form, cluster, and evolve by tracing the influence of dark matter. Liftoff from NASA Kennedy is targeted no earlier than Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. Image credit: NASA/Sydney Rohde (Rocz) View the full article

3 Min Read NASA Johnson Pilots Chase Moon’s Shadow for Eclipse Science NASA’s WB-57F aircraft prepares for takeoff from Ellington Field in Houston ahead of its mission to observe the Aug. 12, 2026, total solar eclipse from Iceland. From left are John Gustine, NASA WB-57F pilot, and Cary Klemm, sensor equipment operator for NASA’s WB-57F. NASA/Robert Markowitz During the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse over Europe, scientists aimed to study a long-standing mystery: why the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, is far hotter than its visible surface. Capturing the data they needed meant being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. Pilots from NASA’s Johnson Space Center flew the WB-57F high altitude research aircraft from Ellington Field in Houston to Iceland, their base for flying through the path of totality to give scientists a clearer view of the Sun’s corona. A total solar eclipse provides a unique opportunity to examine the corona because the Moon temporarily blocks the Sun’s bright surface, revealing its fainter outer atmosphere. Observations collected during this brief window can help scientists better understand how energy and material move through the corona and away from the Sun, improving our understanding of space weather. John Gustine, NASA WB-57F pilot, prepares for flight at Ellington Field in Houston ahead of the aircraft’s departure for Iceland to support the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse. NASA/Robert Markowitz At about 50,000 feet, the WB-57F flew above most clouds, dust, and water vapor that can interfere with observations from the ground. The altitude reduced atmospheric interference while also allowing the science instruments to observe infrared wavelengths that are largely absorbed lower in Earth’s atmosphere. Capturing those observations required careful coordination between scientists and the flight crew. Before the mission, teams calculated where the aircraft needed to be as the Moon’s shadow moved across the North Atlantic. “Going into a mission like this takes a huge team. It starts with the science team establishing the requirements, and then we work closely with them for months leading up to the mission,” said Tom Parent, NASA WB-57F pilot. “We rely heavily on our maintenance team to get the instruments serviced, prepared, loaded onto the aircraft, and flight tested. It’s a huge team effort to get an aircraft like this up there to image and achieve these objectives.” NASA’s WB-57F aircraft takes off from Ellington Field in Houston ahead of its mission supporting the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse from Iceland. NASA/Robert Markowitz During totality, NASA WB-57F pilot John Gustine positioned the aircraft along the eclipse path to maximize time in the Moon’s shadow and give scientists as much opportunity as possible to collect data. From the back seat, Cary Klemm, sensor equipment operator for NASA’s WB-57F, controlled the camera systems, adjusting focus and exposure times while tracking features of interest throughout totality. With the cameras capturing observations throughout the brief window, every second mattered. “Every image is another piece of data that could reveal something new about the Sun,” Klemm said. What scientists can learn from those observations reaches far beyond the eclipse itself. The Sun’s corona is made of plasma shaped by magnetic fields, and many of the same physical processes occur elsewhere in the universe. “The NASA WB-57F’s unique capabilities of high-altitude flight were truly crucial in providing access to these valuable wavelengths during an eclipse whose path crossed mostly over the ocean in an area where clouds are common,” said Amir Caspi, principal investigator for the study at Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado. “We could not have achieved this success without this platform, and all of the efforts of the many intrepid ground, air, and science crew members.” Members of NASA’s WB-57F eclipse mission team gather at Ellington Field in Houston ahead of the aircraft’s departure for Iceland. NASA/Robert Markowitz The data gathered during the flight will give scientists another opportunity to investigate the Sun and the processes that influence the space environment around Earth. View images and videos from NASA’s eclipse mission. About the AuthorSumer Loggins Share Details Last Updated Aug 26, 2026 Related TermsJohnson Space CenterEllington FieldSolar EclipsesWB-57 Explore More 3 min read NASA Shares Views of August Solar Eclipse from Ground, Air, Space On Aug. 12, a total solar eclipse darkened skies over Greenland, Iceland, and Spain. As… Article 5 days ago 5 min read Human-Related Microbes May Survive Moon’s South Pole, NASA Finds Lee esta historia en español aquí. Some of Earth’s microbes likely to hitch a ride… Article 7 days ago 7 min read Behind the Lens: Meet NASA Johnson’s Photographers Article 1 week ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot work together inside the International Space Station’s Quest airlock during spacesuit fit and leak checks.Credit: NASA NASA will provide coverage as two astronauts step outside the International Space Station on Tuesday, Sept. 1, to replace a spacecraft navigational aid and complete several maintenance tasks in support of space station operations. Watch live coverage beginning at 7 a.m. EDT. The spacewalk is expected to start at approximately 8:30 a.m. and last about six and a half hours. NASA’s spacewalk coverage will stream through a variety of platforms. Learn where to watch online: [Hidden Content] During U.S. spacewalk 99, NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot will replace a retroreflector on the forward port of the space station’s Harmony module to support spacecraft navigation during rendezvous and docking operations. After installing the reflector, the crew will work to install jumper cables for the data-relay systems, prepare the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer’s radiator for future maintenance, and replace a high-definition camera on the station’s truss. Adenot will serve as spacewalk crew member 1 and will wear a suit with red stripes. Meir will serve as crew member 2 and will wear an unmarked suit. This will be Meir’s seventh spacewalk and Adenot’s third. Meir will move into third all-time for total spacewalks among women at NASA, trailing Peggy Whitson (10) and Suni Williams (9). The excursion also marks the 284th spacewalk supporting space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. To learn more about International Space Station research, operations, and its crews, visit: [Hidden Content] -end- Jimi Russell Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 *****@*****.tld Sandra Jones / Anna Schneider Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 sandra.p*****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated Aug 26, 2026 EditorJennifer M. DoorenLocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsHumans in SpaceInternational Space Station (ISS)Johnson Space Center View the full article

5 Min Read NASA Begins Moon Mission Plume-Surface Interaction Tests A run of the plume-surface interaction testing with the ethane nozzle firing into the simulated lunar dirt. Credits: NASA EDITOR’S NOTE: This story, originally published in December, was revised Aug. 26, 2026 with an update on a new phase of testing, including video from a recent test run and new images. To help NASA and commercial partners better understand the science of lunar landings, specifically the hazards that may occur when a lander’s engine plumes blast away at lunar dust, soil, and rocks, a team at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, has initiated a series of plume-surface interaction tests inside a massive 60-foot spherical vacuum chamber. As NASA works to return humans to the Moon starting with Artemis IV in 2028 and develop a Moon Base, the tests will provide a trove of data for researchers to use to improve predictive models and influence the design of space hardware. “This plume-surface interaction ground test is the most complex test of its kind to be undertaken in a vacuum chamber,” said Ashley Korzun, testing lead at NASA Langley. “If I’m in a spacecraft and I’m going to move all that regolith while landing, some of that’s going to hit my lander. Some of it’s going to go out toward other things — payloads, science experiments, eventually rovers and other assets. Understanding those physics is pivotal to ensuring crew safety and mission success.” The campaign involves multiple NASA centers, academic institutions, and commercial entities both small and large. Korzun’ s team will test two types of propulsion systems in the vacuum sphere. For the first round of tests, they are using an ethane plume simulation system designed by NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and built and operated by Purdue University. The ethane system generates a maximum of about 100 pounds of thrust — imagine the force necessary to lift or support a 100-pound person. It heats up but doesn’t burn. The team recently began firing the system into a roughly six-and-a-half-foot diameter, one-foot-deep bin of simulated lunar regolith, called ****** Point-1, that has jagged, cohesive properties similar to actual lunar regolith. A number of different instruments, including a version of the Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies system that imaged the plume-surface interaction when Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission-1 landed on the Moon in 2025, are capturing data and imagery from the tests, which will only last about six seconds each. The instruments are measuring things such as crater formation, angle and height of the ejecta sheet, spatial distribution of solid ejecta, and the speed of the regolith particles as they get blasted out of the bin. A crew loads simulated lunar dirt into the test bin in the 60′ vacuum sphere.NASA/Rob Lorkiewicz Later this year, a second round of tests will involve a 14-inch, 3D-printed hybrid rocket motor developed at Utah State University in Logan, Utah, and tested at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. It produces around 35 pounds of thrust, igniting both solid propellant and a stream of gaseous oxygen to create a hot, powerful stream of rocket exhaust, simulating a real rocket engine but at smaller scale for this test series. Researchers will test both propulsion systems at various heights. “It gives us a huge range of test conditions,” Korzun said, “to be able to talk about spacecraft of all different kinds going to the Moon, and for us to understand what they’re going to do as they land or try to take back off from the surface.” Korzun sees this test campaign as more than a one-shot, Moon-specific thing. The entire operation is modular by design and also can prepare NASA for missions to Mars. The lunar regolith simulant can be replaced with a Mars simulant that’s more like sand. Pieces of hardware and instrumentation can be unbolted and replaced to represent future Mars landers. Rather than take the vacuum sphere down to really low pressure like on the Moon, it can be adjusted to a pressure that simulates the atmosphere on the Red Planet. “Mars has always been in our road maps,” Korzun said. But for now, the Moon looms large. Clockwise from left: Wesley Chambers, deputy principal investigator for the PSI tests from Marshall’s Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama; Ashley Korzun, test lead and principal investigator; Dave Lehotay, project manager; and Tylor Takahashi and Olivia Tyrrell, both from the SCALPSS instrument team, watch test footage in the control room.NASA/Rob Lorkiewicz “This test campaign is one of the most flight-relevant and highly instrumented plume-surface interaction test series NASA has ever conducted,” said Daniel Stubbs, an engineer with the Human Landing Systems plume and aero environments team at NASA Marshall. “The data from these tests at NASA Langley will be critical in developing and validating models to predict the effects of plume-surface interaction for landing on the Moon and even Mars, ensuring mission success for the human landing systems and the safety of our astronauts.” Through the Artemis program, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly complex missions to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, establish an enduring human presence on the lunar surface, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. For more information about Artemis, visit: [Hidden Content] Share Details Last Updated Aug 26, 2026 Related TermsArtemisGeneralHuman Landing System ProgramLangley Research CenterMarshall Space Flight Center Explore More 5 min read NASA Ames’ Contributions to Roman’s Mission Article 19 hours ago 4 min read Galactic Gems Glisten in New Gallery From NASA’s Chandra Galaxies are like cosmic gems, each with characteristics including size and shape that make them… Article 22 hours ago 7 min read Behind the Lens: Meet NASA Johnson’s Photographers Article 1 week ago View the full article

Jeret Howard, logistics management specialist at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, poses for a photograph on July 27, 2026. Howard is now a NASA civil servant at Stennis as part of the administrator’s directive to strengthen technical core competencies within the civil service workforce. NASA/Danny Nowlin At 17, Jeret Howard raised his right hand to serve his country as a United States Army combat medic in Iraq. This past summer, he raised his right hand again at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Hired as a civil servant under the agency’s workforce directive to restore core competencies by converting contractors to civil service, Howard’s transition from long-time contractor to logistics management specialist represents a continuation of a life dedicated to national service. He has worked for more than 15 years at America’s largest rocket propulsion test site as a mechanical technician, turning wrenches and building test stand infrastructure as a contractor. Now, he steps into a NASA role that carries deep personal meaning. “It is absolutely a continuation of service,” said Howard. “It is a point of pride to go from being a 17-year-old just wanting to serve your country to coming full circle like this, hoping to one day retire from NASA.” As a logistics management specialist, Howard’s job is to secure necessary hardware and components for propulsion testing. He relies on years of technical experience to anticipate the needs of the engineering team. As he secures essential materials, Howard ensures taxpayer dollars are wisely spent. Howard’s expertise is not confined to a desk as he actively works alongside new technicians and supports testing across multiple areas, including the build up to support Blue Origin’s testing at NASA Stennis. “Mechanical work is a challenge,” said Howard. “Everything is a puzzle. Even when it seems like it is going to be monotonous, there is always something new that comes up. It is a skill, and once you do it so much over the years and get really good at it, you do not want to waste it.” Howard’s motivation for public service is rooted in his home. A resident of Kiln, Mississippi, Howard views his career as a chance to lead by example and make his family proud. “My little girl can look at me, be proud, and know she can do anything,” said Howard. This resonates just as strongly with his teenage son, who dreams of one day becoming a NASA engineer. Even as his son navigates physical challenges, the family’s focus is entirely on his limitless potential. “We push him to not think about what he cannot do, but to focus on how much he can do,” said Howard. The family balances drive with a “work hard, play hard” lifestyle by spending their free time riding dirt bikes and taking their boat out on the water. The hard work is paying off at a time in history when NASA is returning humans to the Moon through the Artemis program and building a Moon Base as humanity’s first lunar outpost where astronauts will live, work, and explore near the Moon’s South Pole. The future of spaceflight is a shared family passion for the Howards. When the Artemis II mission launched last April, the family set up a large tablet outside next to their boat, using its heavy-duty sound system to amplify the broadcast. “My daughter could feel the bass of the launch,” said Howard. “I got chills.” As Howard’s work supports NASA and the commercial companies conducting propulsion test work at Stennis, the family is already anticipating the launch of Artemis III, a mission intended to demonstrate integrated operations before Artemis IV returns astronauts to the lunar surface. Howard’s transition to a civil servant means he has a direct role with NASA. His work contributes to securing American leadership in space today, while inspiring the next generation of engineers, such as his son, into the future. For more information about NASA’s Stennis Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/stennis Share Details Last Updated Aug 26, 2026 EditorBo ******LocationStennis Space Center Related TermsStennis Space Center Explore More 3 min read Contractor to Civil Servant: NASA Welcomes Ray Williams Article 4 weeks ago 2 min read NASA Drains 66-Million-Gallon Reservoir to Upgrade Critical Water System Article 3 months ago 5 min read How NASA is Collecting Explosion Data for Next Generation Rockets Article 5 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Stennis NASA’s Stennis Space Center History Employers and Careers at NASA Stennis NASA Stennis Fact Sheets Doing Business with NASA Stennis View the full article

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 26 – JWST… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. JWST Images The Lion’s Head Nebula Explanation: Are we looking at the future of our Sun? The James Webb Space Telescope captured today’s composite image of the Lion’s Head Nebula (NGC 2392) with its NIRCam and MIRI instruments. The Lion’s Head Nebula is the remnant of a Sun-like star. This star was unable to sustain the nuclear fusion in its core needed to remain stable. It began to shed layers of gas and dust into space, forming this planetary nebula. A hot stellar core, called a white dwarf, is left behind within the lion’s nose. Do not boop this nose! Intense radiation from the white dwarf is ionizing the gas as it expands, creating the irregular bubble that makes up the lion’s face. Dust clumps that have survived the white dwarf’s radiation and a cloud of ionized gas make up the lion’s mane. This new and more detailed view of the nebula will help humanity learn more about how the gas and dust interact with each other and the white dwarf radiation. Tomorrow’s picture: a waterfall of light Date: August 26, 2026 Credit: Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI) Authors & editors: Keighley Rockcliffe, Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. Random APOD Generator Yesterday’s Image APOD: 2026 August 25 – Earth’s Shadow Visualized with Lunar Eclipses Tomorrow’s Image View the full article

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory A Changing World for Emperor… Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search 1989 2025 NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison 19892025 NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison 1989 2025 CurtainToggle2-Up Image Details Landsat has observed evidence of emperor penguins living on Smyley Island in Antarctica as early as 1989. The TM (Thematic Mapper) on Landsat 4 captured this false-color image (left) of guano stains on fast ice on December 24, 1989. The OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 captured a similar scene on December 10, 2025 (right). The images combine observations of infrared, red, and green light to make it easier to distinguish the guano stains. NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison. With their charming waddles, heat-conserving huddles, and tuxedo-like plumage, emperor penguins are among the world’s most recognizable animals. Recent satellite surveys estimate that hundreds of thousands of the flightless birds live in 66 colonies spread around Antarctica’s inaccessible, frozen coastlines. But those numbers could fall in the coming decades because emperor penguins rely on landfast (or fast) ice—a type of sea ice attached to the shoreline—to breed, raise chicks, and molt. While Antarctic sea ice remained relatively stable between the late 1970s and 2015, it has been declining since 2016, and climate projections suggest that trend will continue. How landfast ice is faring remains poorly understood and is an active area of study. However, one study suggests that it has declined in West Antarctica and the Weddell Sea in recent decades even as it has trended upward in the Bellingshausen Sea and East Antarctica. Meanwhile, some models project that emperor penguins could disappear by 2100 due to their habitats becoming inhospitable. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service listed emperor penguins as threatened in 2022, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature classified them as endangered in 2026. After Antarctic sea ice cover hit a record low in 2022, British Antarctic Survey researchers reported “catastrophic” breeding failures among Bellingshausen Sea colonies. However, new research, based on decades of observations from NASA-USGS Landsat satellites, offers some hope, underscoring that many colonies have persisted for decades and that emperor penguins may be more flexible about where they breed than previously thought. Except for a few well-studied colonies, scientists have known little about how long many emperor penguin colonies have existed, how their populations have changed, or how they have responded to past disruptions in landfast sea ice. Adult and juvenile emperor penguins congregate on sea ice in Antarctica. Michael Van Woert, NOAA NESDIS, ORA “There’s little baseline information for what’s ‘normal’ for most of these colonies,” said Michelle LaRue, a wildlife ecologist at the University of Canterbury. That’s made projecting future population levels a challenge. Two new studies published in 2026 used decades of Landsat observations to start filling gaps in understanding. Landsat cannot resolve individual penguins, but researchers identify colonies from the guano stains that accumulate where thousands of birds congregate on the ice. Using this technique, researchers at the University of Freiburg found that 18 colonies predate their initial identification by an average of 17 years. Because Landsat has imaged Antarctica continuously since the early 1980s, it provides one of the few systematic long-term records of remote penguin colonies. Among the oldest colonies studied was the roughly 6,000-bird Smyley Island colony in the Bellingshausen Sea, which dates to at least 1989, two decades earlier than previously known. Other colonies that predated their earliest known presence by 20 or more years included those at Barrier Bay, Brownson, Luitpold Coast, Ragnhild, Smith, and Verdi Inlet. Scientists have watched the Smyley Island colony closely in recent years because it is among the colonies that may have suffered a total breeding failure in 2022. Satellite images captured that year show the colony splitting up, with some penguins moving onto a large iceberg grounded near the coast. Despite persistently low sea-ice conditions since then, the colony has continued to appear in satellite imagery, generally establishing itself near icebergs along the edge of the ice shelf. The image above on the right shows the colony in December 2025, the most recent month Landsat has observed the colony. “We’re seeing a degree of resilience in the Smyley Island colony,” LaRue said. “They seem to be doing okay now, and we will continue to monitor them to learn more about their behaviors.” The colony’s persistence underscores that one bad breeding year—even a total failure—doesn’t mean the end of a colony. Blizzards and predators can lead to bad years with very low chick survival rates as well, she added. “It’s when we start to see frequent breeding failures year after year that the birds won’t be able to keep up, and it starts to be a problem for a colony.” Landsat 8 captured an image of the SANAE colony with a guano trail leading from rift ice to the ice shelf on January 23, 2018 (left). On January 4, 2023, the birds had returned to their original fast ice area (right). The images combine observations of infrared, red, and green light to make it easier to distinguish the guano stains. NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison A second study, led by Grant Macdonald, a remote sensing scientist at Durham University, found further evidence of behavioral flexibility. Macdonald and colleagues analyzed nearly 40 years of observations from Landsat, the ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite, and other sources for three colonies disrupted by iceberg calving or early sea ice breakup. They found that penguins of the Mertz and SANAE colonies responded by temporarily shifting to nearby icebergs, embayments, or ice shelves before returning to their former breeding sites. Landsat first imaged the SANAE colony in 1984 on fast ice in a sheltered bay in the Queen Maud Land region in East Antarctica. After a major calving event in 2011 exposed the fast ice to more punishing winds, the colony relocated to rift ice in an embayment 11 kilometers (7 miles) to the south. The move proved temporary. Part of the group moved to another nearby site, and part of it returned to the original breeding location in 2016. Yet in the 2016–2017 breeding season, the returnees did something unexpected. Despite the presence of stable fast ice, they trekked onto the ice shelf and huddled and bred there. In the Landsat image above, a winding guano-stained trail traces the penguins’ route onto the ice shelf. By 2022, after roughly a decade of wandering and splitting between sites, the entire colony had returned to its original breeding ground on the fast ice, where it has bred each year since. At the third colony the researchers studied, the Astrid colony on the Vigridisen Ice Shelf, the birds kept returning to their original breeding location even after a major calving event in 2006. That’s likely because some fast ice remained and nearby icebergs provided some shelter. The guano stains indicate that the colony did, however, sometimes spend time on a nearby ice shelf toward the end of the breeding season both before and after the calving event. Indeed, moving and sometimes breeding on alternative surfaces such as ice shelves, icebergs, or rift ice may be “more common and feasible than previously thought,” Macdonald said, perhaps because some sites offer better shelter from wind. This willingness to move may represent a “useful adaptation” as ocean temperatures warm and sea ice declines, he added, though he cautioned that behavioral flexibility alone won’t necessarily offset the long-term effects of continued sea-ice loss. “We have so much more to learn about emperor penguins,” added LaRue. “These colonies are so remote and difficult to access that satellites—especially government satellites with easily accessible data—are going to be absolutely invaluable to understanding what the future will bring for them.” NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Photo by Michael Van Woert (NOAA NESDIS, ORA). Story by Adam Voiland. Downloads December 24, 1989 JPEG (5.26 MB) December 10, 2025 JPEG (2.67 MB) January 23, 2018 JPEG (4.15 MB) January 4, 2023 JPEG (6.85 MB) References & Resources Bielinis, M., et al. (2026) Historical remote sensing highlights long-term persistence of Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) colonies. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation. Fraser, A., et al. (2021) Eighteen-year record of circum-Antarctic landfast-sea-ice distribution allows detailed baseline characterisation and reveals trends and variability. The Cryosphere, 15, 5061–5077. Fretwell, P., et al. (2025) Regional emperor penguin population declines exceed modelled projections. Communications Earth & Environment, 6, 436. Fretwell, P. (2024) A 6 year assessment of low sea-ice impacts on emperor penguins. Communications Earth & Environment, 36(1), 3-5. Fretwell, P., et al. (2023) Record low 2022 Antarctic sea ice led to catastrophic breeding failure of emperor penguins. Communications Earth & Environment, 4, 273. Jenouvrier, S., et al. (2023) Emperor Penguins on Thin Sea Ice. Frontiers for Young Minds. LaRue, M., et al. (2024) Advances in remote sensing of emperor penguins: first multi-year time series documenting trends in the global population. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 291. Macdonald, G., et al. (2026) Response of emperor penguins to 40 years of changing ice conditions at the Astrid, Mertz and SANAE colonies using satellite remote sensing (1984–2024). Antarctic Science, 38(3), 175-191. Trathan, P., et al. (2020) The emperor penguin – Vulnerable to projected rates of warming and sea ice loss. Biological Conservation, 241, 108216. You may also be interested in: Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet. Pink Penguin Guano Provides Diet Clues 3 min read The color of Adélie penguin droppings reveals what the birds are eating, offering scientists a way to track how sea… Article Record-Setting Retreat of Hektoria Glacier 5 min read Scientists relied on satellite data to understand how the Antarctic glacier lost so much ice so rapidly. Article An Uncommon Drifter in the Denmark Strait 4 min read A large iceberg, observed in summer 2026, had drifted more than 1,000 kilometers south from the northeastern Greenland bay where… Article 1 2 3 4 Next Keep Exploring Discover More from NASA Earth Science Subscribe to Earth Observatory Newsletters Subscribe to the Earth Observatory and get the Earth in your inbox. Earth Observatory Image of the Day NASA’s Earth Observatory brings you the Earth, every day, with in-depth stories and stunning imagery. Explore Earth Science Earth Science Data Open access to NASA’s archive of Earth science data View the full article

Antennas soak in the summer Sun in August 2026 at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone complex near Barstow, California, including the recently completed Deep Space Station 23 (shown in the foreground, to the right).NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA’s Deep Space Network facility in California is marking the addition of a brand new 34-meter-wide (114-foot-wide) radio frequency antenna to the agency’s deep space communications and navigation system. The network uses giant dish antennas located at three global facilities to support more than 40 spacecraft exploring the solar system and interstellar space. The new Deep Space Station 23 (DSS-23) is located at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, near Barstow, and is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. NASA leadership and personnel as well as dignitaries gathered at the complete DSS-23 antenna for a ceremonial ribbon cutting. It’s the latest to be added as part of the Deep Space Network’s Aperture Enhancement Project, which began in 2009 to upgrade and expand the network by adding six new 34-meter multifrequency beam-waveguide antennas. These versatile dishes can enhance many missions operating over different radio frequencies. “By expanding the Deep Space Network, we are strengthening the communications foundation NASA needs for the bold missions ahead — from exploring more of the Moon than ever before to peering deeper into the solar system,” said James Kenyon, associate administrator of the Research and Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This new antenna will help us deliver on our national goals for space exploration and push beyond the limits of what once seemed impossible.” After completing a testing campaign from May through July to demonstrate its capabilities, the new DSS-23 began operations on Aug. 3, tracking NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Since then, it has been communicating with dozens of missions such as NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Psyche, Juno, Voyager 1, and other robotic spacecraft in deep space. Long shadows are cast by the recently completed Deep Space Station 23 at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone complex near Barstow, California. A multifrequency beam waveguide antenna, DSS-23 will boost the DSN’s capacity and enhance NASA’s deep space communications capabilities for decades to come.NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Deep Space Network leadership pose in front of the recently completed Deep Space Station 23 (DSS-23) antenna at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone complex near Barstow, California, on Aug. 25, 2026..NASA/JPL-Caltech “The addition of this next-generation antenna brings us closer to a completely modernized network that embraces advanced technology to ensure NASA’s leadership in deep space communications,” said Dave Gallagher, director of JPL. “After over 60 years of continuous operations supporting consequential missions, these upgrades prime the network for a new era of exploration. The teams that designed, planned, and built DSS-23 should be proud.” Enhanced capabilities Construction of DSS-23 began in February 2020. After the 133-ton metal reflector framework was placed and bolted atop the antenna’s pedestal in December 2024, engineers installed the panels to the framework that reflect radio frequency signals transmitted to and received from spacecraft. Then came the careful process of calibrating the antenna so it can work in concert with the rest of the network. It is the fifth antenna at Goldstone (joining three 34-meter antennas and one 70-meter, or 230-foot, antenna) and the fifth enhancement project antenna to join the network, which includes antennas at the DSN’s Goldstone, Madrid, and Canberra, Australia, complexes. Multifrequency beam waveguide antennas direct signals down to a stable, climate-controlled underground room, rather than housing heavy, sensitive electronic equipment on the moving antenna dish. In addition to offering versatility, this design allows easy access for maintenance and upgrades to the system. “The biggest challenge wasn’t actually constructing the antenna. It was transforming a complex collection of mechanical, electrical, software, radio frequency, and infrastructure systems into a single, mission-ready asset,” said Germaine Aziz, manager of the Deep Space Network Aperture Enhancement Project at JPL. “Every subsystem must be integrated, calibrated, and verified to operate with extraordinary precision and reliability before it can support NASA’s deep space missions.” The enhancement project will be complete when a sixth enhancement-project antenna, Deep Space Station 33, comes online at the Canberra facility in 2029, bringing the total number of 34-meter antennas across the network to 13. The 34-meter antennas can be arrayed (combined and operated together) to provide an equivalent communications backup for each facility’s single 70-meter antenna, which, after more than 50 years of near-continuous operation, are getting increasingly costly to maintain and repair. Managed by Caltech for NASA, JPL manages the agency’s Deep Space Network with the oversight of NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) Program within NASA’s Research and Technology Mission Directorate. More than 100 NASA and non-NASA missions rely on the Deep Space Network and Near Space Network. They include missions that support astronauts aboard the International Space Station and future Artemis missions, monitoring Earth, exploring the Moon, and exploring the solar system and beyond. For more information about the Deep Space Network, visit: [Hidden Content] View the full article