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Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home 3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4689-4694: Drill in the Boxwork Unit is GO! NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image showing the “Valle de la Luna” block in the “Monte Grande” hollow, a location it targeted for drilling the weekend of Oct. 18-19, 2025. Curiosity captured the image with its Front Hazard Avoidance Camera (Front Hazcam) on Oct. 12, 2025 — Sol 4687, or Martian day 4,687 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 23:11:12 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Written by Catherine O’Connell-Cooper, APXS Payload Uplink/Downlink Lead, University of New Brunswick Earth planning date: Friday, Oct. 17, 2025 Curiosity has been investigating the “boxwork unit” for several months now. Readers might remember we drilled at the edge of the boxwork at “Altadena,” back in June. Since then, we have driven just under a kilometer across the boxwork unit (about 0.6 miles) and now we are ready to acquire the next drill target, in an area where the structure is really well preserved. The boxwork structures are a series of ridges and hollows, so our plan is to drill within one of the hollows and then on one of the adjacent ridges. On Monday, we did our drill triage on “Valle de la Luna” within the hollow “Monte Grande” – a multi-instrument endeavor. We assessed the chemistry using APXS and ChemCam, to make sure it is within the expected range and not something completely different from the bedrock compositions we have been tracking. The rover planners (RPs) use a “pre-load” test, putting pressure on the bedrock surface to characterize how the rover arm and rock might behave during drilling. We take multiple images (including images before and after the pre-load test), using MAHLI and Mastcam to help the RPs assess the surface of the potential drill area. Finding a suitable place to drill in the hollows was a challenge, as the low point of each hollow (what we are most interested in) is often covered in sand or small pebbles, with just sparse bedrock peeking through, as you can see in the accompanying image. However, we got lucky here in Monte Grande. The chemistry shows that this rock is within our expected compositional range. The MAHLI images show a smoother surface in the center of the brushed area (where the drill will focus), and the before-and-after images indicated that the rock reacted well to the pre-load test. On Friday, the RPs and mission scientists pored over the data in a very intensive meeting called the “Target Acquisition Assessment Meeting,” or TAAM. We have drilled 43 holes on Mars now and it’s always nerve-wracking, waiting to see if the information we gathered during our initial contact science and preload give us a go-ahead. About midway through the planning day, we got the news that TAAM said yes to drilling here, so we will drill on the first sol of this weekend plan. If the drill is successful, we will have no contact science for at least a week, as the arm cannot be deployed during a drill campaign. Normally, as I’m APXS PUDL (responsible for uplinking new APXS targets and assessing downlink of previous targets), the idea of a week with no contact science would be disappointing to me — but not during a drill campaign! CheMin (Chemistry Mineralogy) and SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) will use the drilled sample to give us extra depth of information, looking at mineralogy and composition in a way that is not possible for APXS and ChemCam. We can then use that drill data to help us interpret the APXS and ChemCam data and better understand the formation of these boxworks, especially if we can pair it with a suitable target on the ridges. In the meantime of course, we continue to monitor the atmosphere and environment around us. The Mastcam team are planning some amazing images from this site and ChemCam will continue to characterize the nearby bedrock and image the far-off hills. Want to read more posts from the Curiosity team? Visit Mission Updates Want to learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments? Visit the Science Instruments page NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity at the base of Mount Sharp NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Share Details Last Updated Nov 13, 2025 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 4 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4702-4708: It’s Only Spooky Here on Earth Today! Article 38 minutes ago 3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4695-4701: Searching for Answers at Monte Grande Article 40 minutes ago 4 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4682-4688: Seven Mars Years Article 50 minutes ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four… View the full article

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home 4 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4682-4688: Seven Mars Years NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image that looks down toward both the floor of Gale Crater, where we started our journey up Mount Sharp more than a decade ago, and toward the “Monte Grande” hollow that we hope will contain our next drill target. Curiosity captured the image using its Front Hazard Avoidance Camera (Front Hazcam) on Oct. 9, 2025 — Sol 4684, or Martian day 4,684 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 21:28:14 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Written by Diana Hayes, Graduate Student at York University, Toronto Earth planning date: Friday, Oct. 10, 2025 This week was one of seasonal changes and milestones for the mission. As was mentioned several weeks ago, Mars has now moved out of its “cloudy season” and is transitioning into the “dusty season” as the planet moves closer to the Sun. This means that we should expect to see an increase in dust lifting and dust-****** activity over the next several months. With more dust in the atmosphere, we expect to lose the beautifully clear skies that have allowed us to take pictures of features at tremendous distances from the rover, like a mountain 57 miles (91 kilometers) away, outside of Gale Crater. We’ll also be keeping an eye out for the possible development of a global dust storm this season, as one has not occurred since 2018. Back in August, we celebrated 13 Earth years since Curiosity landed in Gale back in 2012. This Monday, Oct. 6, a bit after 1 a.m. UTC (8 p.m. EDT Oct. 5), our intrepid rover marked its seventh full Mars year on the surface. (Because Mars is farther from the Sun than Earth is, a year on Mars — or one full trip around the Sun — lasts 687 Earth days.) Curiosity is only the second vehicle on Mars to reach that milestone, behind only Opportunity. Although Curiosity has not yet matched Opportunity’s longevity or distance driven, over the last seven Mars years we have put together the longest and most comprehensive record of the modern Martian climate. REMS has been recording weather conditions at least once an hour almost every hour since 2012, and RAD has now measured surface radiation conditions for more than a full solar cycle, data that will be critical to future human exploration of Mars. We’ve taken more than 3,000 cloud movies and countless more observations of atmospheric opacity, dust lifting, and dust-****** activity. I’ve been a member of our environmental science team for just over five (Earth) years now (or about 2 ½ Mars years), and I can still hardly believe that I’ve been able to help contribute to this incredible legacy. Although our well-traveled rover is now in its fifth Extended Mission, as a team we have no intention of slowing down any time soon. Other than celebrating these milestones, this week was focused on setting up for the first of our two planned drills in the boxwork region. This first drill will be in one of the boxwork “hollows.” We’re currently targeting a hollow we’ve nicknamed “Monte Grande,” with the goal that we’ll be set up to drill there next week. Once we’re done at Monte Grande, we plan to drive up to one of the raised ridges that give the boxwork region its spiderweb-like appearance. By comparing the results of these two drill campaigns, our hope is that we’ll be able to gain a better understanding of the processes in Mars’ past that led to the formation of these fascinating features. As we prepare to drill, both science theme groups continued their usual cadence of contact science and remote sensing to characterize the local geology and environment. This weekend will be particularly busy on the environmental science side of the mission, with coordinated observations with APXS and ChemCam to track seasonal changes in the composition of the atmosphere. We’ll also be using SAM’s Tunable Laser Spectrometer instrument to measure the amount of atmospheric methane at Gale. This is an activity that we’ve performed periodically over the mission, and has inspired much spirited debate over the sources and destruction mechanisms of Martian methane. Here’s to many more years of roving and scientific discovery! Want to read more posts from the Curiosity team? Visit Mission Updates Want to learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments? Visit the Science Instruments page NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity at the base of Mount Sharp NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Share Details Last Updated Nov 13, 2025 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 4 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4702-4708: It’s Only Spooky Here on Earth Today! Article 38 minutes ago 3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4695-4701: Searching for Answers at Monte Grande Article 40 minutes ago 3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4689-4694: Drill in the Boxwork Unit is GO! Article 43 minutes ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four… View the full article

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home 3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4675-4681: Deciding Where to Dig Into the Boxworks NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Right Navigation Camera, showing the three types of geologic features that have held the mission team’s attention for months — a bright, arcuate boxwork ridge, a darker, sand-filled hollow, and, in the distance, the “Mishe Mokwa” butte. Curiosity captured the image on Oct. 2, 2025 — Sol 4677, or Martian day 4,677 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 15:49:32 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Written by Michelle Minitti, MAHLI Deputy Principal Investigator at Framework Earth planning date: Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 Before Curiosity landed 13 years ago, the science team eyed all the geologic wonders scattered across the flanks of Mount Sharp and looked forward to the day when we could put the rover to work on them. We have visited so many of these wonders — valleys, river channels, lakebeds — and found a few that we were not expecting. Since Sol 4600, we have been exploring the heart of one of these long-awaited wonders — the boxwork structures — to uncover what created this expansive network of ridges and hollows. Each stop along the traverse since then has been an exercise in systematic detective work. APXS and ChemCam analyses from the center of a ridge, to its edges, and into its neighboring hollow looked for chemical variations that indicate what is holding the ridges together, making them higher than the hollows. Mastcam and ChemCam RMI imaging mapped the architecture of the ridges and hollows looking for structures that provide clues to their formation. Their imaging of more distant features such as the buttes that rise hundreds of meters on either side of the valley hosting the boxworks helped define the geologic context of the area. MAHLI imaging of ridge and hollow targets sought variations in grain size that might indicate how the boxwork bedrock was deposited. DAN surveyed the ground under the rover at every stop, measuring hydrogen (and thus assumed, water) content to see how it varies between ridges and hollows. This week, the team ingested all the results from this thorough exploration to make a decision about our next drill site, where SAM and CheMin will have their chance to interrogate the boxworks. The rover will head north to the “Monte Grande” hollow in which we identified promising bedrock for sampling. Eventually, we will drill a ridge but that is for a future blog. Comparing the mineralogy, volatile content, and organic chemistry of the ridges and hollows will give us our most detailed insight into how the boxworks formed. REMS and RAD do not particularly care if they are parked over a ridge or hollow, as the sky above is their domain. Both instruments kept their steady watch on the weather — Martian and space, respectively. Navcam and Mastcam helped with the environmental watch by measuring dust in the atmosphere, looking for dust devils, and capturing the last of the cloudy season. Want to read more posts from the Curiosity team? Visit Mission Updates Want to learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments? Visit the Science Instruments page NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity at the base of Mount Sharp NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Share Details Last Updated Nov 13, 2025 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 2 min read A Stranger in Our Midst? Article 7 hours ago 3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4668-4674: Winding Our Way Along Article 1 month ago 5 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4661-4667: Peaking Into the Hollows Article 2 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four… View the full article

NASA/Jonny Kim NASA astronaut Jonny Kim took this photo on July 23, 2025, as the International Space Station orbited 259 miles above a cloudy Pacific Ocean southwest of Mexico. Visible in the image is the 57.7-foot-long Canadarm2 robotic arm, which extends from a data grapple fixture on the International Space Station’s Harmony module. Attached to its latching end effector is Dextre, the station’s fine-tuned robotic hand designed for delicate external maintenance tasks. Station crew use Canadarm2 to perform maintenance tasks, capture visiting spacecraft, and move supplies, equipment, and even astronauts. On Nov. 2, 2025, the space station reached 25 years of continuous human presence. The orbital lab remains a training and proving ground for deep space missions, enabling NASA to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon and Mars. Image credit: NASA/Jonny Kim View the full article

Explore This Section Perseverance Home Mission Overview Rover Components Mars Rock Samples Where is Perseverance? Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Mission Updates Science Overview Objectives Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Perseverance Raw Images Images Videos Audio More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this close-up view showing the cavernous weathering texture of an unusually shaped rock, “Phippsaksla,” targeted for investigation based on its appearance that differed from the low-lying surrounding rocks. Study showed that it is high in iron and nickel content, suggesting that it might be a meteorite. Perseverance captured the image using its Left Mastcam-Z camera, one of a pair of cameras located high on the rover’s mast, on Sept. 19, 2025 — Sol 1629, or Martian day 1,629 of the Mars 2020 mission — at the local mean solar time of 12:11:25. NASA/JPL-Caltech/**** Perseverance Encounters a Possible Meteorite Written by Candice Bedford, Research Scientist at Purdue University Oct. 1, 2025 During the rover’s recent investigation of the bedrock at “Vernodden,” Perseverance encountered an unusually shaped rock about 80 centimeters across (about 31 inches) called “Phippsaksla.” This rock was identified as a target of interest based on its sculpted, high-standing appearance that differed from that of the low-lying, flat and fragmented surrounding rocks. Last week, Perseverance targeted Phippsaksla with the SuperCam instrument revealing that it is high in iron and nickel. This element combination is usually associated with iron-nickel meteorites formed in the core of large asteroids, suggesting that this rock formed elsewhere in the solar system. NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of the unusually shaped rock, “Phippsaksla,” in the distance at upper left, which is suspected to be a meteorite because of its high iron and nickel content. Perseverance captured the image using its Left Mastcam-Z camera, one of a pair of cameras located high on the rover’s mast, on Sept. 2, 2025 — Sol 1612, or Martian day 1,612 of the Mars 2020 mission — at the local mean solar time of 12:45:41. NASA/JPL-Caltech/**** This is not the first time a rover has encountered an exotic rock on Mars. The Curiosity rover has identified many iron-nickel meteorites across its traverse in Gale crater including the 1-meter wide (about 39 inches) “Lebanon” meteorite back in 2014 and the “Cacao” meteorite spotted in 2023. Both Mars Exploration Rovers, Opportunity and Spirit, also found iron-nickel meteorites during their missions. As such, it has been somewhat unexpected that Perseverance had not seen iron-nickel meteorites within Jezero crater, particularly given its similar age to Gale crater and number of smaller impact craters suggesting that meteorites did fall on the crater floor, delta, and crater rim throughout time. Now, on the outside of the crater, atop bedrock known to have formed from impact processes in the past, Perseverance has potentially found one. Due to the exotic composition of this rock, more investigation by the team needs to be done to confirm its status as a meteorite. But if this rock is deemed to be a meteorite Perseverance can at long last add itself to the list of Mars rovers who have investigated the fragments of rocky visitors to Mars. Want to read more posts from the Perseverance team? Visit Mission Updates Want to learn more about Perseverance’s science instruments? Visit the Science Instruments page Explore More 3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4668-4674: Winding Our Way Along Article 1 month ago 5 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4661-4667: Peaking Into the Hollows Article 2 months ago 1 min read The Ancient Mars Variety Show Article 2 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four… Mars Perseverance Rover The Mars Perseverance rover is the first leg the Mars Sample Return Campaign’s interplanetary relay team. Its job is to… View the full article

NASA’s Technology Transfer Office invites entrepreneurs, innovators, and creative thinkers to apply NASA’s patented technologies to practical applications. Participants will select an existing NASA patent and develop a business or product concept that will be evaluated based on value proposition, business model viability, development feasibility, and quality of presentation. Entries should clearly demonstrate creativity, feasibility, and a compelling rationale for how the concept could create real-world impact. Award: $13,000 in total prizes Open Date: October 6, 2025 Close Date: December 15, 2025 For more information, visit: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Meet the “Scene Select Mechanism”—Part of the LDCM Thermal Infrared Sensor Engineer (in a “bunny suit”) working on the Scene Select Mechanism of the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) that will fly on LDCM. NASA Special Topics: LDCM and LDCM Components The Scene Select Mechanism is an apparatus that rotates the LDCM Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) mirror among three scenes: the Earth view (“nadir;” when imaging the Earth), and two calibration views (one of a warm blackbody carried onboard and the other of a deep-space cold view). The Earth view requirements for instrument pointing are very stringent, correct image positioning depends on precise pointing and that position must be returned to faithfully after each calibration sequence. The requirement for the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) is to image up to 44 minutes continuously, which corresponds to the longest uninterrupted landmass pass that TIRS needs to image before traveling over water—when the calibration sequence can be performed again. (This long-land path curves from Northern Russia to the southern tip of Africa.) Bunny suit: The TIRS instrument is kept in a cleanroom and anyone working on it must wear cleanroom clothing that minimizes particulates coming from a person’s clothing. Prior to entering the cleanroom, each person also takes an “air shower” which blows any excess dust off of them before entering the cleanroom. Inside the Class 10,000 cleanroom are filters which continuously filter the air inside to ensure there are no more than 10,000 particles greater than 0.5 microns in size within a cubic foot of air (the average home has about 300,000 particles per cubic foot). View the full article

LDCM Operational Land Imager (OLI) Telescope Mirrors for the LDCM Operational Land Imager (OLI) Telescope. NASA Special Topics: LDCM and LDCM Components The OLI telescope uses a four-mirror compact design. The optics are positioned inside a lightweight, yet highly stable, carbon composite optical bench (i.e., a substrate on which the optics are mounted) that has special features to control undesired stray light (stray light is any light entering the optics from someplace other than the observed Earth surface, or imaging “target”). Because OLI is a push-broom instrument, as opposed to a scanner (or “whisk-broom”), it has a wide field-of-view to cover the entire ground swath width. Wide field-of-view telescopes are generally susceptible to stray light, so the OLI telescope is designed for improved stray light control. The number and shapes of the mirrors meet the required optical design parameters, like focal length, for example, within a size that also meets the volume and mass requirements for the instrument. Note: The previous Landsat sensors have used scanner or “whisk-broom” technology. This means that a mirror scans from side-to-side across the satellite path directing light into the instrument detectors. The OLI uses push-broom technology meaning that an array of detectors is used to image the entire swath/width of the satellite path simultaneously. View the full article

Landsat Data Continuity Mission Becomes an Observatory TIRS being hoisted into place on the LDCM satellite in Gilbert, Ariz. Orbital Science Corp • Engineers at Orbital Sciences Corporation, Gilbert, Ariz., have installed the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) instrument back onto to the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) spacecraft. With both the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and TIRS instruments now on the spacecraft, LDCM is a complete observatory.After the TIRS instrument was shipped to Orbital in February, engineers discovered that helium had leaked from the TIRS cryogenic cooler. The cooler keeps the detectors extremely cold, which is required for the instrument to detect thermal infrared radiation emitted from Earth. The leak was quickly repaired, the cooler was re-pressurized with helium, and TIRS was re-installed onto the instrument deck of the spacecraft. Once the TIRS instrument is electrically connected later this month, TIRS will be ready to begin environmental testing with the rest of the observatory. The engineering team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., built TIRS on an accelerated schedule, going from a design on paper to a completed instrument in 43 months. An instrument of this type usually takes another year to complete. Under contract to NASA, Orbital is responsible for providing the spacecraft bus, installing the science instruments and performing system-level integration and testing of the Observatory prior to launch. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. built the OLI. The USGS developed the LDCM ground system. LDCM is on schedule for launch on Feb. 11, 2013. View the full article

4 Min Read October’s Night Sky Notes: Let’s Go, LIGO! An artist’s impression of gravitational waves generated by binary neutron stars. Credits: R. Hurt/Caltech-JPL by Kat Troche of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific September 2025 marks ten years since the first direct detection of gravitational waves as predicted by Albert Einstein’s 1916 theory of General Relativity. These invisible ripples in space were first directly detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). Traveling at the speed of light (~186,000 miles per second), these waves stretch and squeeze the fabric of space itself, changing the distance between objects as they pass. Waves In Space Gravitational waves are created when massive objects accelerate in space, especially in violent events. LIGO detected the first gravitational waves when two ****** holes, orbiting one another, finally merged, creating ripples in space-time. But these waves are not exclusive to ****** holes. If a star were to go supernova, it could produce the same effect. Neutron stars can also create these waves for various reasons. While these waves are invisible to the human eye, this animation from NASA’s Science Visualization Studio shows the merger of two ****** holes and the waves they create in the process. Two ****** holes orbit each other, generating space-time ripples called gravitational waves in this animation. As the ****** holes get closer, the waves increase in until they merge completely. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab How It Works A gravitational wave observatory, like LIGO, is built with two tunnels, each approximately 2.5 miles long, arranged in an “L” shape. At the end of each tunnel, a highly polished 40 kg mirror (about 16 inches across) is mounted; this will reflect the laser beam that is sent from the observatory. A laser beam is sent from the observatory room and split into two, with equal parts traveling down each tunnel, bouncing off the mirrors at the end. When the beams return, they are recombined. If the arm lengths are perfectly equal, the light waves cancel out in just the right way, producing darkness at the detector. But if a gravitational wave passes, it slightly stretches one arm while squeezing the other, so the returning beams no longer cancel perfectly, creating a flicker of light that reveals the wave’s presence. When a gravitational wave passes by Earth, it squeezes and stretches space. LIGO can detect this squeezing and stretching. Each LIGO observatory has two “arms” that are each more than 2 miles (4 kilometers) long. A passing gravitational wave causes the length of the arms to change slightly. The observatory uses lasers, mirrors, and extremely sensitive instruments to detect these tiny changes. NASA The actual detection happens at the point of recombination, when even a minuscule stretching of one arm and squeezing of the other changes how long it takes the laser beams to return. This difference produces a measurable shift in the interference pattern. To be certain that the signal is real and not local noise, both LIGO observatories — one in Washington State (LIGO Hanford) and the other in Louisiana (LIGO Livingston) — must record the same pattern within milliseconds. When they do, it’s confirmation of a gravitational wave rippling through Earth. We don’t feel these waves as they pass through our planet, but we now have a method of detecting them! Get Involved With the help of two additional gravitational-wave observatories, VIRGO and KAGRA, there have been 300 ****** hole mergers detected in the past decade; some of which are confirmed, while others await further study. While the average person may not have a laser interferometer lying around in the backyard, you can help with two projects geared toward detecting gravitational waves and the ****** holes that contribute to them: ****** Hole Hunters: Using data from the TESS satellite, you would study graphs of how the brightness of stars changes over time, looking for an effect called gravitational microlensing. This lensing effect can indicate that a massive object has passed in front of a star, such as a ****** hole. Gravity Spy: You can help LIGO scientists with their gravitational wave research by looking for glitches that may mimic gravitational waves. By sorting out the mimics, we can train algorithms on how to detect the real thing. You can also use gelatin, magnetic marbles, and a small mirror for a more hands-on demonstration on how gravitational waves move through space-time with JPL’s Dropping In With Gravitational Waves activity! View the full article

A stylized illustration shows the twin ESCAPADE spacecraft entering Mars’ orbit.Credits: James Rattray/Rocket Lab USA NASA and Blue Origin are reopening media accreditation for the launch of the agency’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission. The twin ESCAPADE spacecraft will study the solar wind’s interaction with Mars, providing insight into the planet’s real-time response to space weather and how solar activity drives atmospheric escape. This will be the second launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. Media interested in covering ESCAPADE launch activities must apply for media credentials. Media who previously applied for media credentials for the ESCAPADE launch do not need to reapply. U.S. media and U.S. citizens representing international media must apply by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 13. Media accreditation requests should be submitted online to: [Hidden Content]. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. For questions about accreditation, please email: ksc*****@*****.tld. For other mission questions, please contact NASA Kennedy’s newsroom: 321-867-2468. Blue Origin is targeting later this fall for the launch of New Glenn’s second mission (NG-2) from Space Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Accredited media will have the opportunity to participate in prelaunch media activities and cover the launch. Once a specific launch date is targeted, NASA and Blue Origin will communicate additional details regarding the media event schedule. NASA will post updates on launch preparations for the twin Martian orbiters on the ESCAPADE blog. The ESCAPADE mission is part of the NASA Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration program and is funded by the agency’s Heliophysics Division. The mission is led by the University of California, Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory, and Rocket Lab designed the spacecraft. The agency’s Launch Services Program, based at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, secured launch services under the VADR (Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare) contract. To learn more about ESCAPADE, visit: [Hidden Content] -end- Abbey Interrante Headquarters, Washington 301-201-0124 *****@*****.tld Leejay Lockhart Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-747-8310 *****@*****.tld View the full article

Representatives of the Artemis Accords signatories, including acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy and NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya, met Sept. 29, 2025, for a principals meeting during the 76th International Astronautical Congress in Sydney. Credit: NASA/Max van Otterdyk NASA, along with leaders from global space agencies and government representatives worldwide, convened on Monday to further the implementation of the Artemis Accords — practical principles designed to guide the responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The meeting was held during the 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) taking place in Sydney. In opening remarks, acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy highlighted the five-year anniversary of the Artemis Accords next month. “When President Trump launched the Artemis Accords in his first term, he made sure American values would lead the way – bringing together a coalition of nations to set the rules of the road in space and ensure exploration remains peaceful. After five years, the coalition is stronger than ever. This is critical as we seek to beat China to the Moon, not just to leave footprints, but this time to stay,” said Duffy. The United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, signed the accords on Oct. 13, 2020, with seven other founding nations. The accords were created in response to the growing global interest in lunar activities by governments and private companies. They now comprise 56 country signatories — nearly 30% of the world’s countries. The event was co-chaired by NASA, the *********** Space Agency, and the UAE Space Agency. Dozens of nations were represented, creating the foundation for future space exploration for the Golden Age of exploration and innovation. “Australia is a proud founding signatory of the Artemis Accords and is focused on supporting new signatories in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Head of *********** Space Agency Enrico Palermo. “The purpose of the accords is as important — if not more important — as it was when first established. This annual gathering of principals at IAC 2025 is a key opportunity to reaffirm our collective commitment to exploring the Moon, Mars and beyond in a peaceful, safe, and sustainable way.” During the meeting, leaders discussed recommendations for non-interference in each other’s space activities including transparency on expected launch dates, general nature of activities, and landing locations. They also discussed orbital debris mitigation and disposal management, interoperability of systems for safer and more efficient operations, and the release of scientific data. In May 2025, the United Arab Emirates hosted an Artemis Accords workshop focused on topics, such as non-interference and space object registration and reporting beyond Earth orbit. “Through our active participation in the Artemis Accords and by organizing specialised workshops, we aim to reinforce the principles of transparency, sustainability, and innovation in space activities. We are committed to strengthening international partnerships and facilitating the exchange of expertise, thereby contributing to the development of a robust global framework for safe and responsible space exploration, while opening new frontiers for scientific research,” said UAE Minister of Sports and Chairman of UAE Space Agency Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi. “This reflects the UAE’s unwavering commitment to enhancing international cooperation in space exploration and promoting the peaceful use of space.” More countries are expected to sign the Artemis Accords in the months and years ahead, as NASA continues its work to establish a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future in space. Learn more about the Artemis Accords at: [Hidden Content] -end- Bethany Stevens / Elizabeth Shaw Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated Sep 30, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsArtemis AccordsArtemisOffice of International and Interagency Relations (OIIR) View the full article

Skywatching Skywatching Home What’s Up Meteor Showers Eclipses Daily Moon Guide More Tips & Guides Skywatching FAQ Night Sky Network A supermoon, and meteor showers from the Draconids and Orionids A supermoon takes over the sky, the Draconid meteor shower peeks through, and the Orionid meteor shower shines bright. Skywatching Highlights Oct. 6: The October supermoon Oct. 6-10: The Draconid meteor shower Oct. 21: The Orionid meteor shower peaks (full duration Sept. 26 – Nov. 22) Transcript What’s Up for October? A Supermoon takes over, the Draconid meteor shower peeks through, and the Orionid meteors sparkle across the night sky. The evening of October 6, look up and be amazed as the full moon is ******* and brighter because – it’s a supermoon! Illustrated infographic showing the difference (as seen from Earth) between perigee, when a supermoon appears, and apogee, when a micromoon appears. NASA/JPL-Caltech This evening, the moon could appear to be about 30% brighter and up to 14% larger than a typical full moon. But why? Supermoons happen when a new moon or a full moon coincides with “perigee,” which is when the moon is at its closest to Earth all month. So this is an exceptionally close full moon! Which explains its spectacular appearance. And what timing – while the supermoon appears on October 6th, just a couple of days before on October 4th is “International Observe the Moon Night”! It’s an annual, worldwide event when Moon enthusiasts come together to enjoy our natural satellite.You can attend or host a moon-viewing party, or simply observe the Moon from wherever you are. So look up, and celebrate the moon along with people all around the world! The supermoon will light up the sky on October 6th, but if you luck into some dark sky between October 6th and 10th, you might witness the first of two October meteor showers – the Draconids! The Draconid meteor shower comes from debris trailing the comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner burning up in Earth’s atmosphere These meteors originate from nearby the head of the constellation Draco the dragon in the northern sky and the shower can produce up to 10 meteors per hour! The Draconids peak around October 8th, but if you don’t see any, you can always blame the bright supermoon and wait a few weeks until the next meteor shower – the Orionids! Sky chart showing the Draconid meteor shower, including the radiant point of the shower and the Draco constellation where the meteors in the shower are often seen and stem from. NASA/JPL-Caltech The Orionid meteor shower, peaking October 21, is set to put on a spectacular show, shooting about 20 meteors per hour across the night sky. This meteor shower happens when Earth travels through the debris trailing behind Halley’s Comet and it burns up in our atmosphere. The full duration of the meteor shower stretches from September 26 to November 22, but your best bet to see meteors is on October 21 before midnight until around 2 am. Sky chart showing the Orionid meteor shower, including the radiant point of the shower and the Orion constellation where the meteors in the shower are often seen and stem from. NASA/JPL-Caltech This is because, not only is this night the shower’s peak, it is also the October new moon, meaning the moon will be between the Earth and the Sun, making it dark and invisible to us. With a moonless sky, you’re much more likely to catch a fireball careening through the night. So find a dark location after the sun has set, look to the southeast sky (if you’re in the northern hemisphere) and the northeast (if you’re in the southern hemisphere) and enjoy! Orionid meteors appear to come from the direction of the Orion constellation but you might catch them all across the sky. Here are the phases of the Moon for October. You can stay up to date on all of NASA’s missions exploring the solar system and beyond at science.nasa.gov. I’m Chelsea Gohd from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that’s What’s Up for this month. Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

Explore This Section Science Science Activation Helio Highlights: October… Home Framework for Heliophysics Education About Helio Big Idea 1.1 Helio Big Idea 1.2 Helio Big Idea 1.3 Helio Big Idea 2.1 Helio Big Idea 2.2 Helio Big Idea 2.3 Helio Big Idea 3.1 Helio Big Idea 3.2 Helio Big Idea 3.3 Helio Missions Helio Topics Resource Database About NASA HEAT More Highlights Space Math 5 min read Helio Highlights: October 2025 5 Min Read Helio Highlights: October 2025 NASA Education Specialist Christine Milotte demonstrates heliophysics activities during a teacher professional development event hosted by the NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) at the Dallas Arboretum, Saturday, April 6, 2024. Credits: NASA/Keegan Barber The Sun and Our Lives On a clear night, you might see thousands of stars in the sky. Most of these stars are dozens or hundreds of light years away from us. A light year is the distance a beam of light travels in a year: about 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers). This means that for those stars we see at night, it takes their light, which travels at about 186,000 miles per second (or about 300 thousand kilometers per second), dozens or hundreds of years to reach us. But in the daytime, we only see one star: the Sun. It dominates the daytime sky because it is so close – about 93 million miles (or 150 million kilometers) away. That distance is also called one astronomical unit, and its another unit of measurement astronomers use to record distance in space. But even if 1 astronomical unit seems like a long way, it’s still about 270 thousand times closer than Alpha Centauri, the next nearest star system. The Sun isn’t just close – it’s also gigantic! The Sun is large enough to fit more than a million Earths inside it, and has more mass than 330 thousand Earths put together. Its light also provides the energy which allows life as we know it to flourish. For these reasons, the Sun is a powerful presence in our lives. We all have a relationship with the Sun, so knowing about it, and about the benefits and hazards of its presence, is essential. Teaching About the Sun Autumn is when most students in the United States return for a new school year after summer vacation. This back-to-school time offers a wonderful opportunity to reach students fresh off of a few months of fun in the Sun and capture their imaginations with new information about how our native star works and how it impacts their lives. To that end, NASA conducts efforts to educate and inform students and educators about the Sun, its features, and the ways it impacts our lives. NASA’s Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) teaches people of all ages about the Sun, covering everything from how to safely view an eclipse to how to mitigate the effects of geomagnetic storms. This “Our Dynamic Sun” banner is one of many educational outreach products offered by NASA HEAT. It uses imagery of the Sun at different wavelengths of light to demonstrate the features of our nearest star, and features information about how the Sun interacts with the rest of the Solar System. NASA HEAT This often means tailoring lesson plans for educators. By connecting NASA scientists who study Heliophysics with education specialists who align the material to K-12 content standards, HEAT gets Heliophysics out of the lab and into the classroom. Making Sun science accessible lets learners of all ages and backgrounds get involved in and excited about the discovery, and instills a lifelong thirst for knowledge that builds the next generation of scientists. Since 2007, NASA’s Living With a Star (LWS) program and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research’s Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS) have cooperated to offer the Heliophysics Summer School program for doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars. This program aims to foster heliophysics as an integrated science, teaching a new generation of researchers to engage in cross-disciplinary communication while they are still in the early days of their career. One Way to Get Involved As part of its efforts to increase awareness of the scientific and social importance of heliophysics, and to both inspire future scientists and spark breakthroughs in heliophysics as a discipline, the NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (NASA HEAT) is working on a slate of educational materials designed to get students involved with real-world mission data. My NASA Data, in collaboration with NASA HEAT, has released a new set of resources for educators centered around space weather. My NASA Data supports the use of authentic NASA data as part of classroom learning materials. These materials include lesson plans, mini-lessons (shorter activities for quick engagement), student-facing web-based interactives, and a longer “story map,” which deepens the investigation of the phenomenon over multiple class periods. These resources are designed to engage learners with data and observations collected during both past and ongoing missions, including the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), and more. One example of this is the educational material published to support outreach efforts focusing on the 2023 and 2024 American solar eclipses. These materials allowed learners to collect their own data on cloud and temperature observations during the eclipses with the GLOBE Observer Eclipse tool. This gave them the chance to participate in the scientific process by contributing meaningfully to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment. New Ways to Engage Groups like HEAT don’t just spark interest in science for the sake of inspiring the next generation of heliophysicists. Just like amateur astronomers can bring in a lot more data than their professional counterparts, citizen scientists can do a lot to support the same institutions that may have inspired them to take up the practice of citizen science. This can mean anything from helping to track sunspots to reporting on the effects of space weather events. 2023 Partial Solar Eclipse Viewing at Camino Real Marketplace with the View the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit. Events like this, which can take place during major events such as eclipses or during impromptu circumstances, offer an excellent opportunity for the public to get involved in and excited about heliophysics. Photo by Chuck McPartlin These enthusiasts are also adept at sharing knowledge of heliophysics. Even just one person inspired to buy a telescope with the right solar filter (international standard ISO 12312-2), set it up in a park, and teach their neighbors about the Sun can do amazing work, and there are a lot more of them than there are professional scientists. That means these amateur heliophysicists can reach farther than even the best official outreach. Whether they take place in the classroom, at conferences, or in online lectures, the efforts of science communicators are a vital part of the work done at NASA. Just as scientists make new discoveries, these writers, teachers, audio and video producers, and outreach specialists are passionate about making those discoveries accessible to the public. All of this work helps to inspire the scientists of tomorrow, and to instill wonder in the citizen scientists of today. The Sun is a constant and magnificent presence in our lives, and it offers plenty of reasons to be inspired, both now and in the future. Additional Resources Lesson Plans & Educator Guides Explore the Sun Toolkit The Explore the Sun Toolkit includes postcards, a banner, and slides ideal for informal educators and community events to bring the wonder of NASA Solar Science to your community. Sun as a Star Activities, Grades 5-12 Educator guide consisting of eight roughly one-hour, hands-on activities adapted from a classroom environment for after-school audiences, and which will work for a variety of audiences. Interactive Resources My NASA Data My NASA Data, a NASA Langley Research Center Science Directorate project, supports the use of authentic NASA Earth data for educators and learners in grades 3-12. NASA Space Place Sun Page Videos, games, activities and more for engaging younger students in a variety of space science topics, including resources on the Sun which range from hands-on activities to detailed lessons. Student HelioViewer: Solar Data Interactive A user-friendly interactive where students can access NASA data collected by spacecraft about the Sun and its features, including solar flares, magnetic fields, sunspots, and CMEs. Make a Solar Viewer Activity Create a simple solar viewer, or pinhole viewer, which works by projecting the image of the Sun through a small hole, to safely observe the Sun with just some paper and aluminum foil. Webinars & Slide Decks HBY & Math #3: The Sun Touches Everything From agriculture to economics, the Sun touches all parts of our lives, especially with the sunlight that allows crops to grow. This webinar looks at sunlight through the year and how it changes. The Solar Cycle As Seen From Space Roughly 2-minute video which uses views of the Sun taken by a variety of spacecraft to show how different features of the Sun vary between solar minimum and solar maximum. View the full article

Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy and *********** Space Agency Head Enrico Palermo signed an agreement Sept. 30, 2025, in Sydney that strengthens collaboration in aeronautics and space exploration between the two nations.Credit: NASA/Max van Otterdyk At the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) taking place in Sydney this week, representatives from the United States and Australia gathered to sign a framework agreement that strengthens collaboration in aeronautics and space exploration between the two nations. Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy and *********** Space Agency Head Enrico Palermo signed the agreement Tuesday on behalf of their countries, respectively. “Australia is an important and longtime space partner, from Apollo to Artemis, and this agreement depends on that partnership,” said Duffy. “International agreements like this one work to leverage our resources and increase our capacities and scientific returns for all, proving critical to NASA’s plans from low Earth orbit to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.” *********** Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science Tim Ayres said the signing builds on more than half a century of collaboration between the two nations. “Strengthening Australia’s partnership with the U.S. and NASA creates new opportunities for *********** ideas and technologies, improving Australia’s industrial capability, boosting productivity, and building economic resilience,” Ayres said. Known as the “Framework Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Australia on Cooperation in Aeronautics and the Exploration and Use of Airspace and Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes,” it recognizes cooperation that’s mutually beneficial for the U.S. and Australia and establishes the legal framework under which the countries will work together. Potential areas for cooperation include space exploration, space science, Earth science including geodesy, space medicine and life sciences, aeronautics research, and technology. NASA has collaborated with Australia on civil space activities since 1960, when the two countries signed their first cooperative space agreement. The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex played a vital role in supporting NASA’s Apollo Program, most notably during the Apollo 13 mission. Today, the complex is one of three global stations in NASA’s Deep Space Network, supporting both robotic and human spaceflight missions. One of the original signatories to the Artemis Accords, Australia joined the United States under President Donald Trump and six other nations in October 2020, in supporting a basic set of principles for the safe and responsible use of space. Global space leaders from many of the 56 signatory countries met at IAC in Sydney this week to further their implementation. As part of an existing partnership with the *********** Space Agency, Australia is developing a semi-autonomous lunar rover, which will carry a NASA analysis instrument intended to demonstrate technology for scientific and exploration purposes. The rover is scheduled to launch by the end of this decade through NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative. NASA’s international partnerships reflect the agency’s commitment to peaceful, collaborative space exploration. Building on a legacy of cooperation, from the space shuttle to the International Space Station and now Artemis, international partnerships support NASA’s plans for lunar exploration under the Artemis campaign and future human exploration of Mars. To learn more about NASA’s international partnerships, visit: [Hidden Content] Share Details Last Updated Sep 30, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsArtemisArtemis AccordsCommercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)Office of International and Interagency Relations (OIIR) View the full article

This artist’s concept depicts the protoplanet WISPIT 2b accreting matter as it orbits around its star, WISPIT 2. NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC) The (Proto) Planet: WISPIT 2b The Discovery: Researchers have discovered a young protoplanet called WISPIT 2b embedded in a ring-shaped gap in a disk encircling a young star. While theorists have thought that planets likely exist in these gaps (and possibly even create them), this is the first time that it has actually been observed. This image of the WISPIT 2 system was captured by the Magellan Telescope in Chile and the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona. The protoplanet WISPIT 2b is a small purple dot to the right of a bright white ring of dust surrounding the system’s star. A fainter white ring outside of WISPIT 2b can be seen. Laird Close, University of Arizona Key Takeaway: Researchers have directly detected – essentially photographed – a new planet called WISPIT 2b, labeled a protoplanet because it is an astronomical object that is accumulating material and growing into a fully-realized planet. However, even in its “proto” state, WISPIT 2b is a gas giant about 5 times as massive as Jupiter. This massive protoplanet is just about 5 million years old, or almost 1,000 times younger than the Earth, and about 437 light-years from Earth. Being a giant and still-growing baby planet, WISPIT 2b is interesting to study on its own, but its location in this protoplanetary disk gap is even more fascinating. Protoplanetary disks are made of gas and dust that surround young stars and function as the birthplace for new planets. Within these disks, gaps or clearings in the dust and gas can form, appearing as empty rings. Scientists have long suggested that these growing planets are likely responsible for clearing the material in these gaps, pushing and scattering dusty disk material outwards and greeting the ring gaps in the first place. Our own solar system was once just a protoplanetary disk, and it’s possible that Jupiter and Saturn may have cleared ring gaps like this in that disk many, many years ago. But despite continued observation of stars with these kinds of disks, there was never any direct evidence of a growing planet found in one of these ring gaps. That is, until now. As reported in this paper, WISPIT 2b was directly observed in one of the ring gaps around its star, WISPIT 2. Another interesting aspect of this discovery is that WISPIT 2b appears to have formed where it was found, it didn’t form elsewhere and move into the gap somehow. This artist’s concept depicts a close-up of the protoplanet WISPIT 2b accreting matter as it orbits around its star, WISPIT 2. NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC) Details: The star WISPIT 2 was first observed using VLT-SPHERE (Very Large Telescope – Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch), a ground-based telescope in northern Chile operated by the European Southern Observatory. In these observations, the rings and gap around this star were first seen. Following these observations of the system, researchers looked at WISPIT 2, and spotted the planet WISPIT 2b for the first time, using the University of Arizona’s MagAO-X extreme adaptive optics system, a high-contrast exoplanet imager at the Magellan 2 (Clay) Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. This technology adds another unique layer to this discovery. The MagAO-X instrument captures direct images, so it didn’t just detect WISPIT 2b, it essentially captured a photograph of the protoplanet. The team used this technology to study the WISPIT 2 system in what is called H-alpha, or Hydrogen-alpha, light. This is a type of visible light that is emitted when hydrogen gas falls from a protoplanetary disk onto young, growing planets. This could look like a ring of super heated plasma circling the planet. This plasma emits the H-alpha light that MagAO-X is specially designed to detect (even if it is a very faint signal compared to the bright star nearby). When looking at the system in H-alpha light, the team spotted a clear dot in one of the dark ring gaps in the disk around WISPIT 2. This dot? The planet WISPIT 2b. In addition to observing the protoplanet’s H-alpha emission using MagAO-X, the team also studied the protoplanet in other wavelengths of infrared light using the LMIRcam detector as part of the The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer instrument on the University of Arizona’s Large Binocular Telescope. Fun Facts: In addition to discovering WISPIT 2b, this team spotted a second dot in one of the other dark ring gaps even closer to the star WISPIT 2. This second dot has been identified as another candidate planet that will likely be investigated in future studies of the system. The Discoverers: WISPIT-2b was discovered by a team led by University of Arizona astronomer Laird Close and Richelle van Capelleveen, an astronomy graduate student at Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands. This followed the recent discovery of the WISPIT 2 disk and ring system using the VLT, which was led by van Capelleveen. This discovery was detailed in the paper “Wide Separation Planets in Time (WISPIT): Discovery of a Gap Hα Protoplanet WISPIT 2b with MagAO-X,” published August 26, 2025 in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. A second paper led by van Capelleveen and the University of Galway published on the same day in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. This research was partially supported by a grant from the NASA eXoplanet Research Program. MagAO-X was developed in part by a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation with support from the Heising-Simons Foundation. View the full article

NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory–Caltech/Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)/Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS); Image processing: Emma Wälimäki © CC BY During its close flyby of Jupiter’s moon Io on December 30, 2023, NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured some of the most detailed imagery ever of Io’s volcanic surface. In this image, taken by the JunoCam instrument from about 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) above the moon, Io’s night side [left lobe] is illuminated by “Jupitershine,” which is sunlight reflected from the planet’s surface. This image is the NASA Science Image of the Month for October 2025. Each month, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate chooses an image to feature, offering desktop wallpaper downloads, as well as links to related topics, activities, and games. Text credit: NASA/JPL–Caltech/Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)/Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) Image credit: NASA/JPL–Caltech/Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)/Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS); Image processing: Emma Wälimäki © CC BY View the full article

NASA/Nichole Ayers A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the Axiom Mission 4 crew docks to the space-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module on June 26. Axiom Mission 4 is the fourth all-private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, welcoming commander Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) astronaut and pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, and mission specialists ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and HUNOR (Hungarian to Orbit) astronaut Tibor Kapu of Hungary. The crew is scheduled to remain at the space station, conducting microgravity research, educational outreach, and commercial activities, for about two weeks. This mission serves as an example of the success derived from collaboration between NASA’s international partners and American commercial space companies. Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Low Earth Orbit Economy Humans in Space Commercial Space Private Astronaut Missions View the full article

2 Min Read NASA Announces Winners of 2025 Human Lander Challenge NASA’s Human Lander Challenge marked its second year on June 26, awarding $18,000 in prize money to three university teams for their solutions for long-duration cryogenic, or super chilled, liquid storage and transfer systems for spaceflight. Building on the crewed Artemis II flight test, NASA’s Artemis III mission will send astronauts to explore the lunar South Pole region with a human landing system and advanced spacesuits, preparing humanity to ultimately go to Mars. In-space propulsion systems that use cryogenic liquids as propellants must stay extremely cold to remain in a liquid state and are critical to mission success. The Artemis mission architecture will need these systems to function for several weeks or even months. Students and advisors with the 12 finalist teams for the 2025 Human Lander Challenge competed in Huntsville, Alabama, near the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center between June 24-26. NASA/Charles Beason NASA announced Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott as the overall winner and recipient of the $10,000 top prize award. Old Dominion University won second place and a $5,000 award, followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology in third place and a $3,000 award. Before the winners were announced, 12 finalist teams selected in April gave their presentations to a panel of NASA and industry judges as part of the final competition in Huntsville. As part of the 2025 Human Lander Challenge, university teams developed systems-level solutions that could be used within the next 3-5 years for Artemis. NASA selected Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott as the overall winner of NASA’s 2025 Human Lander Challenge Forum June 26. Lisa Watson-Morgan, manager of NASA’s Human Landing System Program, presented the awards at the ceremony. NASA/Charles Beason “Today’s Golden Age of Innovation and Exploration students are tomorrow’s mission designers, systems engineers, and explorers,” said Juan Valenzuela, main propulsion systems and cryogenic fluid management subsystems lead for NASA’s Human Landing System Program at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “The Human Lander Challenge concepts at this year’s forum demonstrate the ingenuity, passion, and determination NASA and industry need to help solve long-duration cryogenic storage challenges to advance human exploration to deep space.” The challenge is sponsored by the agency’s Human Landing System Program within the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate and managed by the National Institute of Aerospace. Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars – for the benefit of all. For more information about Artemis missions, visit: [Hidden Content] News Media Contact Corinne Beckinger Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256.544.0034 *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated Jun 27, 2025 EditorLee MohonContactCorinne M. Beckinger*****@*****.tldLocationMarshall Space Flight Center Related TermsHuman Lander ChallengeArtemisGeneralHuman Landing System ProgramHumans in SpaceMarshall Space Flight Center Explore More 3 min read NASA Engineers Simulate Lunar Lighting for Artemis III Moon Landing Article 1 week ago 4 min read NASA Marshall Fires Up Hybrid Rocket Motor to Prep for Moon Landings Article 2 months ago 3 min read NASA Selects Finalist Teams for Student Human Lander Challenge Article 3 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Human Landing System Space Launch System (SLS) Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Space Launch System (SLS), an integrated super heavy lift launch platform enabling a new… Humans In Space Orion Capsule NASA’s Orion spacecraft is built to take humans farther than they’ve ever gone before. Orion will serve as the exploration… View the full article

In 1963, Captain Engle was assigned as one of two Air Force test pilots to fly the X-15 Research Rocket aircraft. In 1965, he flew the X-15 to an altitude of 280,600 feet, and became the youngest pilot ever to qualify as an astronaut. Three of his sixteen flights in the X-15 exceeded the 50-mile (264,000 feet) altitude required for astronaut rating.NASA Former NASA astronaut Joe Engle poses in front of an X-15 plane in this Dec. 2, 1965, photo. On June 29, 1965, Engle flew the X-15 to 280,600 feet, becoming the youngest U.S. pilot to qualify as an astronaut. The Kansas native flew the X-15 for the U.S. Air Force 16 times from 1963 to 1965. Three times Engle flew an X-15 higher than 50 miles (the altitude required for astronaut rating), officially qualifying him for Air Force astronaut wings and providing him a brief moment for sightseeing at the edge of space. “You could glance out and see the blackness of space above and the extremely bright Earth below. The horizon had the same bands of color you see from the shuttle, with ****** on top, then purple to deep indigo, then blues and whites,” he said. Image credit: NASA View the full article

Astrophysics Science Video Producer – Goddard Space Flight Center Growing up in Detroit with a camera in her hand, Sophia Roberts — now an award-winning astrophysics science video producer—never imagined that one day her path would wind through clean rooms, vacuum chambers, and even a beryllium mine. But framing the final frontier sometimes requires traveling through some of Earth’s less-explored corners. Sophia Roberts is an astrophysics Science video producer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. She films space hardware assembly and explains complicated topics, weaving science and art together.Credit: Courtesy of Sophia Roberts Sophia received her first camera from her father, a photography enthusiast, when she was just five or six years old. “I’ve basically been snapping away ever since!” she says. With a natural curiosity and enthusiasm for science, Sophia pursued a degree in biology at Oberlin College in Ohio. There, she discovered that she could blend her two passions. “I often lingered in lab sessions, not to finish an experiment but to photograph it,” Sophia says. “I had an epiphany at the beginning of class one day, which always opened with clips from BBC nature documentaries. I decided right then that I would be one of the people who make those videos one day.” Part of Sophia’s role currently involves documenting NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is taking shape and being tested at NASA Goddard. She captured a cosmic selfie while photographing the telescope’s primary mirror, which was designed and built by L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York, before it was integrated with other components.Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts She initially thought that meant wildlife filmmaking—perched in a blind on a mountainside, waiting hours for an animal to appear. That dream led her to Montana State University, where she learned to blend scientific rigor with visual storytelling through their science and natural history filmmaking master’s program. While completing her degree, Sophia worked as a traveling presenter for the Montana Space Grant Consortium. “I was mainly giving presentations about NASA missions and showing kids beautiful images of space,” she says. “That was my first true introduction to NASA. I loved being able to watch the children’s eyes light up when they saw what’s out there in space.” Sophia then completed an internship at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History while completing her thesis. Once she graduated, she landed a year-long fellowship at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, as an Earth science news fellow. In this role, she focused on packaging up stories through satellite imagery and explanations. Sophia holds a Webby award she, Mike McClare (left), and Michael Starobin (right) won for their broadcasts of the James Webb Space Telescope’s launch, deployment, and first images.Credit: James Hartley She leaned into her videography skills in her next role, as part of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope team. “Webb is one of my great loves in life,” she says. “I learned to negotiate with engineers for the perfect shot, navigate NASA’s protocols, and work with mission partners. I only spent five years on Webb, but it feels like it was half my life. Still—it was everything.” That mission took her to some unforgettable places, like a mine in Delta, Utah, where raw material for Webb’s mirrors was unearthed. “It was this giant, spiral pit where they were mining beryllium at just 0.02% concentration,” Sophia says. The process was as otherworldly as the location. In 2021, Sophia traveled to Delta, Utah to capture behind-the-scenes footage of raw material for the James Webb Space Telescope’s mirrors being unearthed. In this gif, a drone captures an aerial view of the site.Credit: Scott Rogers She also documented thermal vacuum testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in a giant pill-shaped chamber with a 40-foot round door. “I had to take confined space training to crawl around in the area underneath the chamber,” she says. “It felt like spelunking.” Once Webb launched, Sophia pivoted to covering many of NASA’s smaller astrophysics missions along with the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. These days, she can often be found gowned up in a “bunny suit” in the largest clean room at Goddard to document space telescope assembly, or in a studio recording science explanations. Sophia stands in the largest clean room at Goddard, where she documents space hardware coming together. Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn “I love capturing the visual stories and helping fill in the gaps to help people understand NASA research,” Sophia says. “I try to focus on the things that will get people excited about the science so they’ll stop scrolling to find out more.” For Sophia, the process is often as exhilarating as the result. “I love venturing out to remote places where science is being done,” she says. “I’d love to film a balloon launch in Antarctica someday!” Jacob Pinter (left), host of NASA’s Curious Universe Podcast, leads a discussion with Sophia Roberts (center), a NASA video producer who documented the Webb project, and Paul Geithner (right), former deputy project manager for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, following a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Md. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into Webb’s assembly, testing, and launch. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky To others who dream of pursuing a similar career, Sophia recommends diving in headfirst. “With cameras readily available and free online platforms, it’s never been easier to get into the media,” she says. “You just have to be careful to research your topic and sources, making sure you really know what you’re sharing and understand that science is always evolving as we learn more.” And Sophia emphasizes how important storytelling is for conveying information, especially when it’s as complex as astrophysics. “Studying science is wonderful, but I also think helping people visualize it is magical.” By Ashley Balzer NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Share Details Last Updated Jun 27, 2025 EditorAshley BalzerContactAshley Balzer*****@*****.tldLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related TermsPeople of GoddardJames Webb Space Telescope (JWST)Nancy Grace Roman Space TelescopePeople of NASA View the full article

2 min read Hubble Captures an Active Galactic Center This Hubble image shows the spiral galaxy UGC 11397. ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. J. Koss, A. J. Barth The light that the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope collected to create this image reached the telescope after a journey of 250 million years. Its source was the spiral galaxy UGC 11397, which resides in the constellation Lyra (The Lyre). At first glance, UGC 11397 appears to be an average spiral galaxy: it sports two graceful spiral arms that are illuminated by stars and defined by dark, clumpy clouds of dust. What sets UGC 11397 apart from a typical spiral lies at its center, where a supermassive ****** hole containing 174 million times the mass of our Sun grows. As a ****** hole ensnares gas, dust, and even entire stars from its vicinity, this doomed matter heats up and puts on a fantastic cosmic light show. Material trapped by the ****** hole emits light from gamma rays to radio waves, and can brighten and fade without warning. But in some galaxies, including UGC 11397, thick clouds of dust hide much of this energetic activity from view in optical light. Despite this, UGC 11397’s actively growing ****** hole was revealed through its bright X-ray emission — high-energy light that can pierce the surrounding dust. This led astronomers to classify it as a Type 2 Seyfert galaxy, a category used for active galaxies whose central regions are hidden from view in visible light by a donut-shaped cloud of dust and gas. Using Hubble, researchers will study hundreds of galaxies that, like UGC 11397, harbor a supermassive ****** hole that is gaining mass. The Hubble observations will help researchers weigh nearby supermassive ****** holes, understand how ****** holes grew early in the universe’s history, and even study how stars form in the extreme environment found at the very center of a galaxy. Facebook logo @NASAHubble @NASAHubble Instagram logo @NASAHubble Media Contact: Claire Andreoli (*****@*****.tld) NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD Share Details Last Updated Jun 27, 2025 Related Terms Hubble Space Telescope Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Hubble Hubble Space Telescope Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble’s Galaxies Galaxy Details and Mergers Hubble’s Night Sky Challenge View the full article

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home 2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4580-4581: Something in the Air… NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Left Navigation Camera on June 23, 2025 — Sol 4578, or Martian day 4,578 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 02:38:50 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Written by Scott VanBommel, Planetary Scientist at Washington University in St. Louis Earth planning date: Monday, June 23, 2025 Curiosity was back at work on Monday, with a full slate of activities planned. While summer has officially arrived for much of Curiosity’s team back on Earth, Mars’ eldest active rover is recently through the depths of southern Mars winter and trending toward warmer temperatures itself. Warmer temperatures mean less component heating is required and therefore more power is freed up for science and driving. However, the current cooler temperatures do present an opportunity to acquire quality short-duration APXS measurements first thing in the morning, which is what Curiosity elected to do once again. Curiosity’s plan commenced by brushing a rock target with potential cross-cutting veins, “Hornitos,” and subsequently analyzing it with APXS. A sequence of Mastcam images followed on targets such as “Volcán Peña Blanca,” “La Pacana,” “Iglesia de Jarinilla de Umatia,” and “Ayparavi.” ChemCam, returning to action after a brief and understood hiatus, rounded out the morning’s chemical analysis activities with a 5-point analysis of Ayparavi. After some images of the brush, and a handful of MAHLI snaps of Hornitos, Curiosity was on its way with a planned drive of about 37 meters (about 121 feet).Curiosity’s night would not be spent entirely dreaming of whatever rovers dream, but rather conducting a lengthy APXS analysis of the atmosphere. These analyses enable Curiosity’s team to assess the abundance of argon in the atmosphere — from a volume about the size of a pop can (or soda can, depending on your unit of preference) — which can be used to trace global circulation patterns and better understand modern Mars. Recently, Curiosity has been increasing the frequency of these measurements and pairing them with ChemCam “Passive Sky” observations. These ChemCam activities do not utilize the instrument’s laser, but instead use its other components to characterize the air above the rover. By combining APXS and ChemCam observations of the atmosphere, Curiosity’s team is able to better assess daily and seasonal trends in gases around Gale crater. A ChemCam “Passive Sky” was the primary observation in the second sol of the plan, with Curiosity spending much of the remaining time recharging and eagerly awaiting commands from Wednesday’s team. For more Curiosity blog posts, visit MSL Mission Updates Learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments Share Details Last Updated Jun 26, 2025 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 2 min read Clay Minerals From Mars’ Most Ancient Past? Article 3 days ago 4 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4577-4579: Watch the Skies Article 6 days ago 2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4575-4576: Perfect Parking Spot Article 6 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four… View the full article

NASA For some people, a passion for space is something that might develop over time, but for Patrick Junen, the desire was there from the beginning. With a father and grandfather who both worked for NASA, space exploration is not just a dream; it remains a family legacy. Now, as the stage assembly and structures subsystem manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the BOLE (Booster Obsolescence Life Extension) Program — an advanced solid rocket booster for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) heavy lift rocket — Junen is continuing that legacy. “My grandfather worked on the Apollo & Space Shuttle Programs. Then my dad went on to work for the Space Shuttle and SLS Programs,” Junen says. “I guess you could say engineering is in my blood.” In his role, he’s responsible for managing the Design, Development, Test, & Evaluation team for all unpressurized structural elements, such as the forward skirt, aft skirt, and the integration hardware that connects the boosters to the core stage. He also collaborates closely with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems at Kennedy Space Center in Florida to coordinate any necessary modifications to ground facilities or the mobile launcher to support the new boosters. Junen enjoys the technical challenges of his role and said he feels fortunate to be in a position of leadership — but it takes a team of talented individuals to build the next generation of boosters. As a former offensive lineman for the University of Mississippi, he knows firsthand the power of teamwork and the importance of effective communication in guiding a coordinated effort. “I’ve always been drawn to team activities, and exploration is the ultimate team endeavor,” Junen says. “On the football field, it takes a strong team to be successful — and it’s really no different from what we’re doing as a team at NASA with our Northrop Grumman counterparts for the SLS rocket and Artemis missions.” As a kid, Junen often accompanied his dad to Space Shuttle launches and was inspired by some of the talented engineers that developed Shuttle. Years later, he’s still seeing some of those same faces — but now they’re teammates, working together toward a greater mission. “Growing up around Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, there was always this strong sense of family and dedication to the Misson. And that has always resonated with me,” Junen recalls. This philosophy of connecting family to the mission is a tradition Junen now continues with his own children. One of his fondest NASA memories is watching the successful launch of Artemis I on Nov. 16, 2022. Although he couldn’t attend in person, Junen and his family made the most of the moment — watching the launch live beneath the Saturn V rocket at Huntsville’s U.S. Space & Rocket Center. With his dad beside him and his daughter on his shoulders, three generations stood beneath the rocket Junen’s grandfather helped build, as a new era of space exploration began. In June, Junen witnessed the BOLE Demonstration Motor-1 perform a full-scale static test to demonstrate the ballistic performance for the evolved booster motor. This test isn’t just a technical milestone for Junen — it’s a continuation of a lifelong journey rooted in family and teamwork. As NASA explores the Moon and prepares for the journey to Mars through Artemis, Junen is helping shape the next chapter of human spaceflight. And just like the generations before him, he’s not only building rockets — he’s building a legacy. News Media Contact Jonathan Deal Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256-544-0034 jonathan.e*****@*****.tld View the full article

X-ray: NASA/CXO/UMass/Z. Li & Q.D. Wang, ESA/XMM-Newton; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech/WISE, Spitzer, NASA/JPL-Caltech/K. Gordon (U. Az), ESA/Herschel, ESA/Planck, NASA/IRAS, NASA/COBE; Radio: NSF/GBT/WSRT/IRAM/C. Clark (STScI); Ultraviolet: NASA/JPL-Caltech/GALEX; Optical: Andromeda, Unexpected © Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner, Yann Sainty & J. Sahner, T. Kottary. Composite image processing: L. Frattare, K. Arcand, J.Major The Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31 (M31), is a glittering beacon in this image released on June 25, 2025, in tribute to the groundbreaking legacy of astronomer Dr. Vera Rubin, whose observations transformed our understanding of the universe. In the 1960s, Rubin and her colleagues studied M31 and determined that there was some unseen matter in the galaxy that was affecting how the galaxy and its spiral arms rotated. This unknown material was named “dark matter.” M31 is the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way at a distance of about 2.5 million light-years. Astronomers use Andromeda to understand the structure and evolution of our own spiral, which is much harder to do since Earth is embedded inside the Milky Way. Learn more about this image and experience in sound, too. Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXO/UMass/Z. Li & Q.D. Wang, ESA/XMM-Newton; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech/WISE, Spitzer, NASA/JPL-Caltech/K. Gordon (U. Az), ESA/Herschel, ESA/Planck, NASA/IRAS, NASA/COBE; Radio: NSF/GBT/WSRT/IRAM/C. Clark (STScI); Ultraviolet: NASA/JPL-Caltech/GALEX; Optical: Andromeda, Unexpected © Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner, Yann Sainty & J. Sahner, T. Kottary. Composite image processing: L. Frattare, K. Arcand, J.Major View the full article