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Explore Hubble Hubble Home Overview About Hubble The History of Hubble Hubble Timeline Why Have a Telescope in Space? Hubble by the Numbers At the Museum FAQs Impact & Benefits Hubble’s Impact & Benefits Science Impacts Cultural Impact Technology Benefits Impact on Human Spaceflight Astro Community Impacts Science Hubble Science Science Themes Science Highlights Science Behind Discoveries Universe Uncovered Hubble’s Partners in Science Hubble & Citizen Science AI & Hubble Science Explore the Night Sky Observatory Hubble Observatory Hubble Design Mission Operations Science Operations Astronaut Missions to Hubble Hubble vs Webb Team Hubble Team Career Aspirations Hubble Astronauts Multimedia Images Videos Online Activities e-Books Sonifications Podcasts 3D Hubble Models Lithographs Fact Sheets Posters Hubble on the NASA App Glossary News Hubble News Social Media Media Resources 35th Anniversary More Online Activities 2 min read Hubble Captures Galaxy Cluster NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured this scene of galaxy cluster MACS J1141.6-1905 in visible and infrared light. NASA, ESA, H. Ebeling (University of Hawaii); Image Processing: G. Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America) Look closely at this image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and you’ll see galaxies of various shapes and sizes clustered together toward the center-left of the image. A few foreground stars shine brightly and are easily distinguished by the spikes that appear to extend outward from each star. These spikes, called diffraction spikes, are the result of how point sources of light (such as stars) bend, or diffract, around the supports for Hubble’s secondary mirror. Hubble captured this scene of MACS J1141.6-1905 in visible and infrared light. The image includes data from two Hubble observing programs that looked at massive galaxy clusters that shine very brightly in X-rays. Both programs were looking for distant galaxies gravitationally lensed by the cluster. They also wanted to better understand the physical nature of interactions at each cluster’s core. An extra bonus was the addition of Hubble’s visible and infrared observations of these very bright X-ray clusters to its archive. Hubble’s archive of 1.7 million observations, and counting, is a valuable tool for current and future astronomers. They can mine Hubble’s 36 years of observations and examine the data with new tools, enabling researchers to make new discoveries. MACS J1141.6-1905 is around four billion light-years away in the constellation Crater (the Cup). Facebook logo @NASAHubble @NASAHubble Instagram logo @NASAHubble Media Contact: Claire Andreoli NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated May 22, 2026 Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms Hubble Space Telescope Astrophysics Astrophysics Division Galaxies Goddard Space Flight Center The Universe 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 Spectroscopy Hubble’s Partners in Science AI and Hubble Science View the full article

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Tornado Draws a Jagged Line in… 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 Notes from the Field Blog Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search Vegetation damaged by an EF-3 tornado in southern Mississippi appears in a tan line in an image acquired on May 12, 2026, with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8. NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin A powerful supercell storm produced multiple tornadoes across southern Mississippi on May 6, 2026. The longest and most powerful spanned five counties, delivering wind speeds up to 137 miles (220 kilometers) per hour and EF-3 damage, as gauged by the Enhanced Fujita Scale, to several areas. Part of this tornado’s destructive path was visible to the Landsat 8 satellite when it passed over the area on May 12. Winds snapped, uprooted, and tore bark and branches off trees, creating a brownish track across the landscape. This area, south of Brookhaven in Lincoln County, was one that sustained EF-3 damage. National Weather Service (NWS) post-event damage assessments noted extensive tree damage, a home whose exterior walls collapsed, and a mobile home park “devastated with debris.” The tornado covered much more ground than is captured in this scene. It began in St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge near the Mississippi River, approximately 60 miles (100 kilometers) west-southwest of Brookhaven. In just over two hours, it traveled nearly 82 miles (132 kilometers), placing it among some of the longest tornadoes recorded in Mississippi. Heavy tree damage occurred along its entire path, NWS surveys found, with several instances of EF-2 structural damage and bent or collapsed transmission towers. Seven tornadoes occurred in Mississippi on the evening of May 6, according to NWS preliminary data as of May 20. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency received reports of damage to more than 400 homes and dozens of businesses and farm buildings statewide after the storms, according to a news release, the majority of which were in Lincoln County. The Gulf Coast and other southeastern states are not considered part of what’s commonly known as Tornado Alley, an area encompassing much of the U.S. central and southern plains where supercells tend to form. However, this belt of southeastern states is also tornado-prone, experiencing a relatively high frequency of tornadoes in spring and late autumn. Historically in Mississippi, the most monthly tornadoes—an average of more than seven—occur in April, while May averages just over three. Some recent analyses have found decreases in tornado frequency in the Great Plains and increases in the Southeast over several decades. NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Lindsey Doermann. Downloads May 12, 2026 JPEG (6.20 MB) References & Resources AccuWeather (2026, May 7) EF3 tornado damages hundreds of homes, injures 17 in Mississippi. Accessed May 20, 2026. Kentucky Lantern (2025, May 19) Traditional ‘Tornado Alley’ shifts eastward as climate changes, says meteorologist studying trend. Accessed May 20, 2026. Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (2026, May 12) May 6-7, 2026, Severe Weather Update #5. Accessed May 20, 2026. NASA Applied Sciences (2025, March 24) Tracking Tornadoes from Space. Accessed May 20, 2026. National Centers for Environmental Information, Tornado Alley. Accessed May 20, 2026. National Weather Service (2026, May) 2026 NWS Jackson/Mississippi Tornado Information. Accessed May 20, 2026. National Weather Service, Severe Weather Statistics. Accessed May 20, 2026. NOAA (2026, May) Damage Assessment Toolkit. Accessed May 20, 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. Kona Storms Flood Oʻahu 3 min read Back-to-back subtropical cyclones in March fueled destructive flash flooding on several of the Hawaiian Islands. Article Wave of Dust Rolls Through Texas 3 min read An advancing cold front kicked up a sharp line of sand and other small particles that swept over the high… Article Chilled New York City 3 min read Ice in the Hudson River hugged the shore of Manhattan amid a deep freeze. 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

Engineers from Katalyst stabilize their LINK robotic servicing spacecraft during environmental testing at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. The LINK spacecraft will be encapsulated in Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket, for launch in late June on a mission to boost the orbit of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory.Credit: NASA/Scott Wiessinger Media are invited to NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Wednesday, June 17, to view Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket, carrying a Katalyst robotic spacecraft that will attempt to boost the orbit of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. Katalyst’s robotic servicing spacecraft, called LINK, will launch on Pegasus in June to rendezvous with Swift and raise its altitude, extending its science mission lifespan. Both United States and international media may apply for onsite credentials to view the Pegasus and the L-1011 Stargazer aircraft that will deploy the rocket at launch. In addition to interview opportunities on site, media also will receive images and video of LINK, as the spacecraft already will be encapsulated in the rocket. NASA and Katalyst also will host an audio-only media teleconference on June 17 to preview the mission to boost Swift’s orbit. Audio of the media teleconference will stream live on NASA’s YouTube channel. Information about timing and teleconference participants will be shared closer to the event. The application deadline for U.S. citizens to attend in person is 4 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, June 10. International media without U.S. citizenship must apply by 3 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, May 27. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. Media requesting to participate in person or join the media call must send their accreditation requests to Amy Barra at: *****@*****.tld, with the following information: Legal first and last name (must match government identification) Email Phone number Job title and organization Citizenship The Swift mission, which launched in 2004, leads NASA’s fleet of space telescopes in studying changes in the high-energy universe. It studies gamma-ray bursts — the most powerful explosions in the universe — and other cosmic objects and events. When a rapid, sudden event takes place in the cosmos, Swift serves as a “dispatcher,” providing critical information that allows other “first responder” missions to follow up to learn more about how the universe works. Learn more about the mission to boost Swift’s orbit at: [Hidden Content] -end- Karen Fox / Alise Fisher Headquarters, Washington 202-385-1287 / 202-358-2546 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld Amy Barra Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia 757-824-1579 *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated May 21, 2026 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsSwift Boost MissionNASA HeadquartersNeil Gehrels Swift ObservatoryScience Mission DirectorateWallops Flight Facility View the full article

Representatives of the Artemis Accords signatories including the United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, met May 13–14, 2026, in Lima for the fourth annual Artemis Accords workshop.Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru and Peruvian Space Agency (CONIDA) The United States participated in an Artemis Accords workshop in Lima, Peru, last week, following a new wave of nations committing to safe and responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Leading up to the event, six countries, including Latvia, Jordan, Morocco, Malta, Ireland, and Paraguay, joined the growing coalition of Artemis Accords signatories during ceremonies held at NASA Headquarters and abroad. This brings the total number of Artemis Accords signatories to 67 like-minded nations. “This gathering showcases the remarkable global momentum behind the Artemis Accords and our Artemis program,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “The Artemis Accords were created in President Trump’s first term and, as we execute his National Space Policy, we are putting these principles into practice. By aligning our capabilities, acting with urgency, and moving forward as partners, these signatory countries will help shape the future, not from the sidelines, but as essential contributors to humanity’s first permanent outpost on the Moon. Each and every Artemis Accords signatory has the opportunity to play a meaningful role with NASA as we work together to build a sustained human presence on the surface of the Moon.” On May 13-14, representatives from NASA and the U.S. Department of State joined dozens of counterparts from 30 countries, including several of the newest signatories, for technical discussions and a tabletop exercise focused on operating in complex lunar environments. Peru hosted the fourth annual workshop, marking the first time the gathering has taken place in South America. “One of our objectives in hosting this edition of the workshops in our country was to increase regional participation,” said Maj. Gen. Roberto Melgar Sheen, director of Peruvian Space Agency (CONIDA). “I am pleased to say that we have achieved this: All South American signatory countries are taking part in this event, with 90% participating in person and 10% virtually.” The Artemis Accords community reviewed planned lunar landing and orbiting missions from all the signatories in attendance. With more than a dozen lunar landing missions expected over the next 18 months, last week’s discussions and tabletop exercises focused on non-interference, interoperability, release of scientific data, orbital debris and mitigation. These conversations included a presentation on NASA’s exploration plan, which accelerates the agency’s missions to the Moon. Artemis Accords signatories now have expanded opportunities to support NASA’s Moon Base and deepen their participation in the broader Artemis program, following the agency’s Ignition event on March 24. “Peru joined the Artemis Accords in 2024, aiming to participate in a cutting-edge dialogue mechanism that addresses global trends in space exploration. We aspire to forge cooperative ties with the signatories of the Artemis Accords that contribute to the scientific and aerospace development of our country,” said Peru’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Felix Denegri about the workshop. During the first Trump Administration, the United States, led by NASA and the U.S. State Department, joined with seven other founding nations in 2020 to establish the Artemis Accords in response to the growing interest in lunar activities by both governments and private companies. Today, countries representing every region of the world have committed to responsible principles for exploration. Signing the Artemis Accords means a commitment to the peaceful and transparent exploration of space; rendering aid to those in need; enabling access to scientific data; ensuring activities do not interfere with those of others; and preserving historically significant sites and artifacts by developing best practices. 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. For more information about the Artemis Accords, visit: [Hidden Content] -end- Camille Gallo / Elizabeth Shaw Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated May 21, 2026 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsArtemis AccordsArtemisOffice of International and Interagency Relations (OIIR) View the full article

Two of the Artemis II CubeSats can be seen in the lower portion of the Orion stage adapter on the right side of the image. NASA Organizations interested in launching CubeSats on future Artemis missions should respond to NASA’s request for information (RFI) by Monday, June 1, for initial consideration. “The SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and the Artemis missions provide great opportunities for teams to conduct important, science and technology investigations that contribute to the expansion of human space exploration,” said Courtney Ryals, acting manager, SLS payload integration, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The RFI will inform potential future opportunities for CubeSats to fly on Artemis III, IV and V. While NASA is reviewing specific mission profiles, the agency expects to accommodate 6U and 12U-sized CubeSats that would deploy in Earth orbit or on a heliocentric disposal trajectory following the separation of the Orion spacecraft from the rocket, as the nanosatellites would deploy from a ring on the upper stage of the rocket. Opportunities may also exist for CubeSats deployed on a reentry trajectory from Earth orbit. CubeSat sizes are measured in “one unit” or “1U” increments, each measuring 10x10x10 centimeters. NASA flew 10 CubeSats on the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022 and four on the crewed Artemis II mission, deploying each after the upper stage detached from the spacecraft and Orion was flying free on its own to carry out its primary mission. In addition to providing a ride to space as secondary payloads, the agency provides payload integration and engineering support. As part of the Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send Artemis astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of 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. Share Details Last Updated May 21, 2026 EditorLee MohonContactJonathan Dealjonathan.e*****@*****.tldLocationMarshall Space Flight Center Related TermsArtemisArtemis 2Artemis 3Artemis 4Artemis 5Marshall Space Flight CenterSpace Launch System (SLS) Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Artemis Space Launch System (SLS) Artemis III Artemis IV View the full article

4 Min Read NASA’s AWE Completes Mission to Study Earth’s Effect on Space Weather A long-exposure photo taken from the International Space Station shows airglow as bands of green and red curving around Earth. A flash of lightning appears near the bottom. Credits: NASA On May 21, ground controllers powered down NASA’s AWE (Atmospheric Waves Experiment) instrument, bringing the data collection phase of the mission to a successful and scheduled end, surpassing its planned two-year mission. Installed on the exterior of the International Space Station since November 2023, AWE studied atmospheric gravity waves, which are giant ripples in the atmosphere caused by strong winds flowing over tall mountains or by violent weather events, such as tornadoes, thunderstorms, and hurricanes. The AWE instrument looked for these waves in colorful bands of light in Earth’s atmosphere, called airglow. Funded by NASA’s Heliophysics Division, AWE investigated how atmospheric gravity waves propagate upward to space and contribute to space weather — conditions in space that can disrupt satellites, as well as navigation and communications signals. “The AWE mission has proven that our atmosphere is not a ceiling, but a living, breathing ocean in the sky,” said Joe Westlake, director of NASA’s Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “For the first time, we can see how a thunderstorm in the Midwest, a hurricane over Florida, or a wind gust over the Andes sends invisible ripples — atmospheric gravity waves — crashing into the edge of space like waves hitting a shoreline. By mapping these ripples from the International Space Station, we’ve discovered that Earth’s weather doesn’t just end at the clouds, instead it reaches out beyond our planet, shaping the space weather that impacts our orbital economy.” This artist’s conception depicts the Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) scanning the atmosphere from aboard the International Space Station, measuring variations in infrared airglow to track atmospheric gravity waves as they move up from the lower atmosphere into space. Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory During AWE’s 30-month residency on the station, the instrument captured four infrared images every second, tallying more than 80 million nighttime images, which is when airglow can be seen. It observed atmospheric gravity waves from numerous extreme weather events, including a tornado outbreak across the central U.S. in May 2024 and Hurricane Helene impacting the gulf coast of Florida in September 2024. “We’ve seen atmospheric wave signatures associated with major terrestrial events, which provided a clear example of how intense weather systems can generate measurable upper-atmospheric responses,” said AWE’s principal investigator, Ludger Scherliess of Utah State University in Logan. These events revealed variations in the types of atmospheric gravity waves created by different kinds of storms. For example, when AWE viewed atmospheric gravity waves generated by a thunderstorm in north Texas on May 26, 2024, it saw they were smaller and more irregular, with a notable asymmetry from north to south, compared to waves created by storms in the same part of the country earlier that month. This image from AWE shows concentric atmospheric gravity waves caused by a severe weather event that included a tornado near the U.S.-Mexico border on May 3, 2024. Captured during orbit 2529 of AWE’s stay on the International Space Station, the image shows waves spreading across Texas and Mexico in near-perfect circles, a sight rarely observed with such clarity prior to the AWE mission. NASA/Utah State University It is important to understand variations in the density of plasma, which is electrically charged gas, in Earth’s upper atmosphere instigated by atmospheric gravity waves, because these variations can disrupt radio signals traveling between satellites and the ground, and from satellite to satellite, degrading the accuracy and reliability of systems used for navigation, timing, and communications. In a recent study, AWE measurements also revealed the gravity waves with the greatest influence on the upper atmosphere have small horizontal wavelengths, ranging from 30 to 300 kilometers, which AWE was specifically designed to measure. With its data-collection phase complete, the AWE instrument was turned off to make way for another science experiment that will take its place on the outside of the space station. Called CLARREO Pathfinder (Calibration Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory Pathfinder), the new instrument will take measurements of sunlight reflected by Earth and the Moon that are five to 10 times more accurate than those from existing sensors. The exchange of instruments is a key part of the space station’s mission and versatility as an orbiting laboratory for various types of research. As the International Space Station traveled over the southeastern United States on Sept. 26, 2024, AWE observed atmospheric gravity waves generated by Hurricane Helene as the storm slammed into the gulf coast of Florida. The curved bands extending to the northwest of Florida, artificially colored red, yellow, and blue, show changes in brightness (or radiance) in a wavelength of infrared light produced by airglow in Earth’s mesosphere. The small ****** circles on the continent mark the locations of cities. Utah State University In the coming days, a robotic arm on the space station, called Canadarm2, will remove the AWE instrument from its location. Soon afterward, the AWE instrument will be loaded into part of a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft that will deorbit and burn up as it re-enters the atmosphere. However, all of AWE’s observations will ultimately become available to the public and the scientific community for ongoing research and discovery. “Data from AWE will continue to be made public for both professional researchers and citizen scientists,” Scherliess said. Some of this data already is available, including interactive, online visualizations on Utah State University’s website, where AWE’s observations are “painted” in swaths onto a globe or on a map as the space station orbits the planet. Users can rotate the visualizations to view atmospheric gravity waves from different angles. A still image from an interactive visualization shows AWE data collected over the Western Hemisphere. Utah State University Launched on Nov. 9, 2023, AWE is managed by the Explorers Program Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory built the AWE instrument and provided the mission operations center. Hear more about AWE by listening to episode 334 of NASA’s Houston We Have a Podcast, recorded on Jan. 26, 2024. By Vanessa Thomas NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Share Details Last Updated May 21, 2026 Related Terms Heliophysics Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) Goddard Space Flight Center Heliophysics Division International Space Station (ISS) Space Weather The Sun Explore More 5 min read NASA’s Fermi Glimpses Power Source of Supercharged Supernovae An international team studying data from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope concludes the mission detected… Article 1 day ago 5 min read NASA’s MAVEN Makes 1st Discovery of Atmospheric Effect at Mars Article 3 days ago 4 min read Great ****** of Fire An astronaut on the International Space Station was surprised to photograph a shower of light… Article 4 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket lifts off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, sending NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch and CSA (********* Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen aboard the Orion spacecraft on a test flight around the Moon and back.Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani NASA’s historic Artemis II mission coverage, which connected global audiences to watch the first humans to travel around the Moon in more than half a century, is among the agency’s video productions recognized with four 2026 Telly Awards. The agency’s continuous, 24/7 livestream of the Artemis II mission, which functioned as both a live event and as a science storytelling experience, combined visuals, real-time mission data, and expert analysis to make a complex spaceflight clear and accessible for an international audience. NASA’s video documentation of mission astronauts and support teams conducting geology training on Earth to prepare for future Artemis missions on the Moon also won a science and technology storytelling award. In addition, NASA won a screenwriting award for a documentary on the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, and Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, narrated by actor John Rhys-Davies. “By following NASA’s Artemis II coverage in real time on multiple platforms, millions of viewers around the world were able to experience the mission inside the Orion spacecraft and alongside the crew, from lunar flyby to splashdown,” said Brittany Brown, director, Office of Communications Digital and Technology Division, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Our team’s coordination, from the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to the Moon, technical expertise, and around-the-clock dedication turned a single spaceflight mission into a shared, global experience of wonder and inspiration.” Full list of NASA’s Telly Award wins: NASA’s Artemis II: Humanity’s Return to the Moon Gold Winner, Science and Technology NASA’s Artemis II: Humanity’s Return to the Moon Silver Winner, Live Events and Experiences Preparing for Artemis: NASA’s Geology Training for Lunar Exploration Silver Winner, Science and Technology The Fellowship of the Telescopes Bronze Winner, Craft-Writing Livestream coverage of the mission and milestones reached NASA’s largest streaming audience ever on its individual platforms, ultimately reaching nearly 290 million combined views across agency and commercial partnership streaming platforms. Watch all NASA content through a variety of online platforms: [Hidden Content] Share Details Last Updated May 21, 2026 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsMission Support DirectorateGeneralNASA Headquarters View the full article

NASA, ESA, K. Alatalo (STScI); Image Processing: G. Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America) This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image reveals an enigmatic galaxy with a bright center and a face that hints at spiral structure, yet it holds no obvious spiral arms. Reddish-brown clumps and filaments of dust partially obscure the galaxy’s full face, while red, blue, and orange light from distant galaxies shines through its diffuse outer regions and dots the inky-****** background. NGC 1266 is a lenticular galaxy located some 100 million light-years away in the constellation Eridanus (the Celestial River). Astronomers classify lenticulars as transitional galaxies that represent an evolutionary bridge between spirals and ellipticals. Lenticulars are “lens-shaped” and have a bright central bulge and flattened disk like spirals, but they have no spiral arms and little to no star formation like ellipticals. Read more about NGC 1266, its interesting features, and why astronomers study galaxies like it. Image credit: NASA, ESA, K. Alatalo (STScI); Image Processing: G. Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America) View the full article

Matt Anderson, left, joined by his wife Christine, is sworn in as the 16th deputy administrator of NASA, by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington.Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls Matt Anderson was sworn in Thursday as NASA’s 16th deputy administrator by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. The oath was taken during a ceremony held at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington. As NASA deputy administrator, Anderson will help lead the agency’s efforts to execute the President’s national space policy, strengthen America’s leadership in space, and advance NASA’s missions in exploration, science, and aeronautics. “Matt Anderson brings exactly the kind of operational leadership, technical expertise, and mission focus NASA needs right now,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “His decades of experience across the Air Force, Space Command, and the aerospace industry give him a valuable perspective as we work to strengthen America’s leadership in space and enter the next era of exploration. I’m excited to have him helping lead NASA as we take on the near-impossible and push the boundaries of what we can achieve.” “I’m deeply honored to serve as the deputy administrator and support the men and women across NASA who carry out some of the most ambitious and important work in the world,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson. “NASA has been entrusted with a mission of enormous strategic, scientific, and economic significance, and delivering on that mission will require disciplined execution, technical excellence, and a strong culture of accountability. I’m grateful to President Trump for the trust and confidence he has placed in me with this nomination, and I look forward to serving alongside Administrator Isaacman and the extraordinary NASA workforce as we strengthen America’s leadership in space and build toward the next golden era of space exploration.” “NASA succeeds when we pair clear mission goals with empowered teams and disciplined execution,” said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya. “Matt Anderson has spent his career leading in complex operational environments where the stakes are high and mission success depends on trust in the people doing the work. I look forward to working with him as we continue building the capabilities, partnerships, and workforce needed for the challenging missions ahead of us.” Anderson was nominated by President Donald J. Trump on Jan. 13, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 18. Read Anderson’s official biography on the agency’s website: [Hidden Content] -end- Bethany Stevens / George Alderman Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated May 21, 2026 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsNASA HeadquartersLeadershipNASA Centers & Facilities View the full article

5 Min Read NASA Highlights 2025 International Space Station Science Results To dive deeper into the International Space Station research achievements from the past year, browse the 2025 Annual Highlights of Results, which NASA released in May 2026. In 2025, researchers using the orbital laboratory conducted more than 750 investigations that advanced understanding of life in space, drove innovations to benefit people on Earth, and supported NASA’s exploration of the Moon and Mars. Results include a study that could protect astronaut performance on future long-duration missions and a biomaterials investigation aimed at advancing tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Miniaturizing surgery The Robotic Surgery Tech Demo device is shown simulating a surgical task with rubber bands on Earth.Virtual Incision NASA evaluated whether a miniature robotic system could perform surgical tasks in microgravity. Researchers used rubber bands to simulate surgical tasks aboard the space station, allowing them to observe communication delays from Earth and test robotic precision in space during remote operations. Results showed that while timing delays increased the duration of procedures, they had minimal impact on robotic accuracy. This research demonstrates that precise surgical procedures could one day be performed in space, including at a future lunar base or on Mars. Robotic surgery also offers a compact, reliable option for performing medical procedures in remote places on Earth. Learn more about the Robotic Surgery Tech Demo Levitating bone growth Images show calcium phosphate crystals grown in space (left) and on Earth (right). Synthetic bone graft materials developed aboard the International Space Station showed strong support for bone growth and healthy tissue formation.Komlev, Biomedical Technology The Roscosmos investigation Magnetic 3D Bioprinter used magnetic levitation to form complex tissue structures in microgravity with high precision and minimal materials. Researchers used this technique to position calcium crystals into structures that can serve as synthetic bone grafts to promote new bone growth. Samples formed in microgravity showed superior structural organization and a high capacity for bone tissue regeneration. Astronauts experience bone loss in space and may face a higher risk of bone fractures during long-duration exploration missions. This research could one day allow astronauts to fabricate medical treatments on demand to address skeletal injuries far from Earth. Melanin infused materials The International Space Station’s robotic manipulator, Dextre, hovers above Materials International Space Station Experiment-13 sample hardware during operations outside the space station.NASA NASA examined how prolonged exposure to the vacuum of space affects the performance and durability of materials used in space exploration. Researchers exposed polymers, thermal protection systems, spacesuit components, and radiation-shielding materials to the space environment for six months. The research also tested several biomaterials infused with different types of melanin, a naturally occurring pigment that protects against ultraviolet radiation. The materials infused with fungal melanin showed the greatest resistance to radiation damage. Biologically derived materials offer a lightweight, sustainable option for radiation shielding during future missions beyond Earth, with potential applications on Earth in medical protection, UV defense, and radiation-resistant structures. Learn more about the Materials International Space Station Experiment-13-NASA (MISSE-13-NASA) investigation. Power that endures The All Solid-state Lithium Ion Battery investigation is shown near the top center, mounted on the exterior of the International Space Station on the Japanese Experiment Module exposed facility.NASA A JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) investigation studied the stable operation of all solid-state lithium ion batteries in space, including under extreme temperature swings and vacuum. Compared to conventional lithium ion batteries, these batteries are believed to operate across a wider temperature range, offer greater chemical stability, and provide increased ignition resistance. Researchers assembled a battery pack from multiple all solid-state lithium ion batteries in space and exposed it to space for 434 days to track performance, degradation, and radiation response. The battery pack showed stable electrical behavior, no signs of degradation, and only a 2% loss in capacity. These results demonstrate that these batteries could provide safer, more reliable power systems for missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as for use in extreme environments on Earth. Learn more about the Space Demonstration for All Solid-state Lithium Ion Battery investigation. Runway return Test subject Lance Dean performs a manual control task in the Neurosciences Laboratory’s Motion Simulator at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.NASA NASA continues to study how long-duration spaceflight affects astronauts’ ability to pilot and perform complex tasks after landing. Five experienced astronauts completed simulated aircraft landings before and after their space station missions. The astronauts’ results showed degraded performance after returning to Earth, including higher touchdown speeds and navigational errors. However, most pilots returned to baseline during a second attempt on the same day. These findings suggest that long-term exposure to microgravity can temporarily diminish critical piloting skills, highlighting the need for countermeasures that help astronauts maintain their abilities after space travel. Learn more about NASA’s Manual Control investigation. Tracking electrical phenomena from space Blue lightning flashes illuminate cloud tops near the Pacific coast of central Mexico in June 2025 in an image taken from the International Space Station.NASA The European Space Agency is studying electrical phenomena that occur above severe thunderstorms, including colorful sprays of energy and light known as sprites, blue jets, and elves. Researchers combined the observations with radio measurements from ground-based receivers to confirm powerful bursts of electricity above thunderstorms can generate enough energy to trigger elves. The team also found a correlation between the brightness of blue flashes and electrical current, improving our ability to model energy transfer between the upper atmosphere and the edge of space. Tracking this activity could enhance severe weather prediction and deepen understanding of the upper atmosphere, a region critical for satellite operations and communication systems. Learn more about the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor investigation. Throughout more than two decades of operations, researchers from more than 110 nations have carried out 4,000-plus experiments, producing over 5,000 scientific publications. Space station research has been cited more than 100,000 times in scientific journals. Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Space Station Research Results International Space Station Latest News from Space Station Research Space Station Research and Technology Resources View the full article

NASA’s exhibit at the 2026 FIRST Robotics World Championship, held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston from April 29 to May 2, 2026. NASA Robotics will play a critical role in NASA’s ambitious plan to establish a long-term presence on the Moon, presenting opportunities for the next generation of engineers, technologists, and innovators to contribute to a bold vision for the future. That was the agency’s message to students, partners, and industry leaders at the 2026 FIRST Robotics World Championship in Houston, where more than 1,000 student teams convened for exciting competitions and hands-on experiences. NASA connected directly with the future workforce at the event, engaging more than 51,000 students, parents, and mentors through interactive exhibits and discussions. The agency highlighted its plan to construct a permanent lunar outpost – Moon Base – that will serve as a hub for lunar exploration, scientific research, and technology demonstration, laying the foundation for future missions to Mars and beyond. Phase 1 of NASA’s Moon Base plan centers around a rapid series of robotic and early uncrewed missions to scout, experiment, and prepare for surface operations ahead of crewed Artemis missions. That includes an accelerated cadence of CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) flights, with up to 30 robotic lunar landings targeted for 2027, to expedite the delivery of science and technology payloads including rovers, hoppers, and drones. NASA’s exhibit included a model of Moon Base, the agency’s plan for a permanent lunar outpost. NASA A Moon Base model was a focal point of NASA’s exhibit. Other displays highlighted key innovations such as: Automated Reconfigurable Mission Adaptive Digital Assembly Systems: A modular construction system of small robots and smart algorithms that can autonomously assemble large-scale infrastructure in space, such as solar power, communications, and habitat systems. This system could reduce reliance on launching fully assembled hardware from Earth, supporting sustainable deep space exploration. Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration: A trio of small lunar rovers designed to explore together autonomously, collecting data that would be impossible for a single robot to gather. Their success could pave the way for multirobot missions that can help inform future science objectives, navigate hazardous terrain, and support astronaut activities. Skyfall Mars Helicopters: Building on the success of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which completed 72 historic flights at Mars’ Jezero Crater, the SkyFall helicopters would also serve as aerial scouts for scientists and mission planners, paving the way for human exploration of the Red Planet. Students observe a demonstration of NASA’s Automated Reconfigurable Mission Adaptive Digital Assembly Systems. NASA Multiple NASA centers participated in the event, including Johnson Space Center in Houston; Kennedy Space Center in Florida; Langley Research Center in Virginia; Ames Research Center in California; Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans; Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California; Glenn Research Center in Cleveland; Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico; and Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. Each brought unique technologies and expertise to the exhibit floor. Since 1996, NASA has supported and mentored FIRST Robotics teams across the country. This year, NASA sponsored more than 160 FIRST Robotics Teams – 50 of which also had a NASA mentor. NASA Johnson directly mentored six teams, with two of them making it all the way to the FIRST Championship. Additionally, NASA supported the FIRST Championship with a Mobile Machine Shop where teams could bring broken parts and have NASA machinists help them with repairs. The shop completed over 600 jobs for the teams during the event. NASA’s presence at the championship not only provides a platform for sharing its ambitious plans but also inspires students to envision themselves as part of the NASA team, working to achieve the near-impossible. View the full article

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory New Eruption in the Bismarck Sea 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 Notes from the Field Blog Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search Natural color False color Closely spaced volcanic plumes, surrounded by clouds, stream from a growing underwater volcanic platform in this natural-color image captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 9 on May 11, 2026, three days after the eruption began. The false-color inset emphasizes the infrared signature of the eruption. NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison Closely spaced volcanic plumes, surrounded by clouds, stream from a growing underwater volcanic platform in this natural-color image captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 9 on May 11, 2026, three days after the eruption began. The false-color inset emphasizes the infrared signature of the eruption. NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison Natural colorFalse color Closely spaced volcanic plumes, surrounded by clouds, stream from a growing underwater volcanic platform in this natural-color image captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 9 on May 11, 2026, three days after the eruption began. The false-color inset emphasizes the infrared signature of the eruption. NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison Closely spaced volcanic plumes, surrounded by clouds, stream from a growing underwater volcanic platform in this natural-color image captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 9 on May 11, 2026, three days after the eruption began. The false-color inset emphasizes the infrared signature of the eruption. NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison Natural color False color CurtainToggle2-Up Image Details Closely spaced volcanic plumes, surrounded by clouds, stream from a growing underwater volcanic platform in this natural-color image captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 9 on May 11, 2026, three days after the eruption began. The right image emphasizes the infrared signature of the eruption. NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison. It’s a truism among oceanographers that there is more accurate mapping of the surface of the Moon and Mars than of the deep-ocean floor. That’s especially true for the Bismarck Sea, a relatively deep body of water north of Papua New Guinea. It’s an ocean basin with a geologically complex seafloor rife with faults, volcanic features, rifts, scarps, and active subduction and spreading zones at depths that make high-resolution sonar mapping challenging. When satellites detected signs of an unexpected submarine volcanic eruption in the Central Bismarck Sea on May 8, 2026, volcanologists were confronted with the reality that no high-resolution maps of the area were available, and relatively little is known about the deep-water eruption setting. The new eruption is thought to be occurring along the Titan Ridge, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) southeast of the location of a submarine eruption in 1972. However, there is little clarity or consensus among scientists about precisely which volcanic feature may be erupting, the original depth of the currently active vent, or when it last erupted. “The good news is that there are huge opportunities to explore and learn using both government and commercial satellite platforms already in orbit,” said Jim Garvin, the chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. What is known is that seismometers detected a small swarm of earthquakes on May 8, followed soon after by clear signs of a submarine eruption in satellite observations. Beginning on May 9, NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites captured optical imagery of white, steam-rich volcanic plumes rising into the atmosphere, while the ocean color sensor on NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem) satellite revealed discolored and disturbed water surrounding the eruption site. Floating pumice and green, discolored water extend southwest from the eruption site as a white volcanic plume drifts west overhead in this image acquired by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite on May 15, 2026. NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison Other satellites observed ash plumes soaring several kilometers into the atmosphere. Higher resolution imagery from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 and the NASA/USGS Landsat 9 (top) satellites, acquired on May 10 and 11, respectively, captured detailed views of activity near the water surface. The right image at the top of the page shows the same scene in false color (bands 7-6-5), with the inset highlighting the infrared signature of the eruption. On May 12, the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on Suomi NPP detected thermal anomalies spanning roughly seven square kilometers. “There must be a lot of hot material near the surface to generate so many thermal anomalies,” said Simon Carn, a volcanologist at Michigan Tech. “This suggests a fairly shallow eruption vent—much shallower than what’s implied by the existing bathymetry, which shows water depths of several hundred meters or more.” Optical satellite imagery shows intense activity in near-surface water, including large plumes of discolored water and widely distributed steam and ash vents. Both medium– and high-resolution sensors—from both government sources and commercial satellite companies—have captured images of expansive pumice rafts (floating volcanic rocks) forming long bands in the surface currents in recent days. “We’re now eagerly waiting to see if a new island is about to be born—something that we’ve only rarely been able to observe with satellites as it happens,” Garvin said. If a new island does emerge, volcanologists will be watching it closely to see how it evolves. It could build a tuff cone with a long-lived vent crater, or it could collapse and erode rapidly. The eruption could also take a much more explosive turn if seawater finds its way into the shallow magma chamber that has risen within the growing underwater structure. To date, the eruption has been much less explosive than other recent submarine eruptions, such as those at Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai in 2022 and Fukutoku-Okanobain 2021. It seems unlikely that this event will become highly explosive because it appears to be associated with a volcanic ridge near the junction of a transform fault and a back-arc spreading center, Carn said. “Spreading centers are associated with less explosive activity, while the most explosive eruptions are usually along subduction zones and involve large stratovolcanoes.” How long the current eruption will persist is unclear. The 1972 event in this general region lasted for just four days, while another submarine eruption that occurred about 100 kilometers away in the St. Andrew Strait in 1957 lasted nearly four years. Garvin and scientists from other institutions are tracking developments closely. He plans to analyze radar data from the NASA-ISRO NISAR satellite and the ********* Space Agency’s RADARSAT Constellation Mission to map the contours of any new land that emerges and track how its shape changes over time. If a permanent island forms, Garvin also sees opportunities for researchers, or “island-nauts,” to visit the area and study how the infant island responds to plant and animal colonization, rainfall, chemical weathering, and other erosive forces, just as happened after the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai eruption. “This new eruption could present an even better opportunity for ‘island-naut’ exploration as we prepare to return to the Moon with women and men via Artemis IV,” he said. NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey and MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Adam Voiland. Downloads May 11, 2026 JPEG (1.20 MB) May 11, 2026 (false color) JPEG (1.41 MB) May 15, 2026 JPEG (2.63 MB) References & Resources ABC (2026, May 19) Undersea volcano erupts in Papua New Guinea’s Bismarck Sea prompting tsunami concerns. Accessed May 20, 2026. Bureau of Meteorology (2026) Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisories. Accessed May 20, 2026. Carn, S., via Bluesky (2026, May 12) New submarine #volcanic #eruption in the Central Bismarck Sea. Accessed May 20, 2026. Global Volcanism Program (2026, May 13) Central Bismarck Sea. Accessed May 20, 2026. Ikegami, F., via Bluesky (2026, May 19) Another magnificent photo has been dropped. Accessed May 20, 2026. NASA (2026) Volcanoes. Accessed May 20, 2026. PNG Bulletin (2026, May 20) Submarine Volcano Eruption in Bismarck Sea Under Close Monitoring. Accessed May 20, 2026. RNZ (2026, May 20) Could the rare submarine volcano erupting in PNG blow big? Accessed May 20, 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. Home Reef Adds On 3 min read The Tongan volcano expanded its mid-Pacific real estate during its latest eruptive phase. Article Restless Kīlauea Launches Lava and Ash 3 min read Episode 43 of the Hawaiian volcano’s current eruption was marked by high lava fountains and widespread ash dispersal. Article Melting Snow Off Shivelyuch 4 min read Near-constant activity continues on the volcano in Russia. 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

Team WINGMAN from South Dakota State University, comprised of (from left to right) Todd Letcher (advisor), Matthew Wieberdink, Owen Diede, Christian Lee, and Anders Olsen, took home first place at the 2026 Gateways to Blue Skies Forum held at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Steven Holz, NASA sponsor and GBS Chair and judge, presented the award. Credit: NASA/Mark Knopp The South Dakota State University team took first place at NASA’s fifth annual Gateways to Blue Skies Competition, which challenged student teams to address a critical element of U.S. aviation: aircraft maintenance. This year’s competition, RepAir: Advancing Aircraft Maintenance, asked teams of postsecondary students to develop innovative systems and practices that could advance commercial aircraft maintenance and repair operations by 2035. The competition, sponsored by NASA’s University Innovation project within the agency’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, supported the agency’s objectives of fostering innovative research and strengthening the future aviation workforce. “This year’s finalists proposed novel ideas to equip companies and their workers with innovative technologies to help keep our nation’s planes airworthy. This is especially critical in a time where flight safety is more commonly in the spotlight and where workforce shortages lead to challenges and opportunities in aviation,” said Steven Holz, associate project manager for NASA’s University Innovation Project and judging panel chair for Gateways to Blue Skies. “Our panel of industry and subject matter experts were excited about the possibilities these concepts could bring, as well as shared insights needed for these teams to push forward for real-world implementation.” The winning project, WINGMAN, proposed augmented reality safety glasses equipped with voice-controlled manuals, automatic documentation, and photo recognition that could assist aircraft mechanics during routine daily servicing and minor repairs. The glasses would function as the mechanic’s “wingman,” enabling hands-free access to the information and reporting mechanisms required for line inspections. The WINGMAN team presented their research along with eight finalists at the 2026 Gateways to Blue Skies Forum held May 18 and 19 at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The forum was judged by subject matter experts from NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, and industry, including representatives from Southwest Airlines and American Airlines. Students at the forum had the opportunity to network with NASA and industry experts, tour the center, and gain insight into potential careers. The event was livestreamed, and the presentations were recorded. The winning team members will have the opportunity to intern at one of NASA’s four aeronautics research centers during the 2026-27 academic year, including NASA Langley, NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, and NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. “It was super exciting to participate in Gateways to Blue Skies, especially with the really interesting concepts this year,” said Owen Diede, WINGMAN team lead. “We couldn’t have done it without the feedback and support from our faculty advisor, Dr. Todd Letcher, as well as our design review committee, Dr. Ruyi Lian and Dr. Cody Christensen. This was a fantastic opportunity to learn and grow, and we are incredibly thankful for the experience.” Other recognitions included: Best Infographic: University of California, Irvine Aishield: Aircraft Structural Health Intelligence for Evaluation and Lifecycle Detection Future Game-Changer: University of Georgia Quasar: Quantum Sensing Aerial Reporting Safety Spotlight: South Dakota State University SPIDER (Surveying Platform and Inspection Device for Enclosed Regions) The commercial aviation industry is a crucial component of the U.S. economy, yet it faces significant challenges due to a shortage of qualified maintenance workers and increasing demands to keep aircraft running for longer. NASA is dedicated to working with commercial, academic, and government partners to advance the capabilities and performance of U.S. aviation. The Gateways to Blue Skies Challenge is part of the Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program in NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. The NASA Tournament Lab, part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Program in the Space Technology Mission Directorate, manages the challenge through the National Institute of Aerospace on behalf of NASA. For more information about NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, visit: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Concepto artístico de astronautas trabajando en la superficie lunar.Crédito: NASA Read this news release in English here. La NASA ofrecerá una conferencia de prensa el martes 26 de mayo a las 2 p.m. EDT (hora del este) para compartir los planes para la Base Lunar y destacar los avances hacia una presencia sostenida en la superficie lunar. La sesión informativa para los medios tendrá lugar en la sede central de la agencia en Washington. Líderes de la agencia hablarán sobre los avances del programa, incluyendo a los nuevos socios de la industria y los planes de la misión. Una vez finalizada la conferencia de prensa, habrá expertos en la materia disponibles para dar entrevistas individuales. Siga la rueda de prensa en vivo a través de la aplicación NASA+ y el canal de YouTube de la agencia. Descubra cómo ver el contenido de la NASA en diversas plataformas en línea, incluidas las redes sociales (información ofrecida en inglés). Entre los participantes se encuentran: Jared Isaacman, administrador de la NASA Lori Glaze, administradora asociada interina, Dirección de Misiones de Desarrollo de Sistemas de Exploración Carlos García-Galán, director del programa Base Lunar. García-Galán es hispanohablante. Los representantes de los medios que no puedan asistir en persona podrán hacer preguntas por teléfono. Para participar en persona o por teléfono, debe confirmar su asistencia a la oficina de prensa de la sede a más tardar a las 11 a.m. del 26 de mayo, enviando un correo a: *****@*****.tld. La política de acreditación de medios de la NASA está disponible en línea (en inglés). La NASA impulsa el desarrollo de la Base Lunar, una iniciativa de exploración e infraestructura lunar a largo plazo diseñada para permitir una presencia humana sostenida y una mayor actividad científica y comercial en el Polo Sur lunar. Como parte de una edad de oro de innovación y exploración, la NASA enviará astronautas en misiones cada vez más difíciles para explorar más de la Luna **** fines de descubrimiento científico y beneficios económicos, y para continuar sentando las bases para las primeras misiones tripuladas a Marte. Para más información sobre las misiones de la NASA, visite: [Hidden Content] (inglés) [Hidden Content] (español) -fin- Bethany Stevens / James Gannon / María José Viñas Sede central, Washington +1-202-358-1600 *****@*****.tld / james.h*****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated May 20, 2026 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsNASA en español View the full article

The Robotically Manipulated Payload Challenge — the fifth in the NASA TechLeap Prize series — is a competition to advance persistent infrastructure for in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing. NASA Flight Opportunities invites applicants to propose a payload that can be manipulated by a robotic arm in low Earth orbit. Up to three winners will each receive up to $500,000 to develop a flight-ready payload. In addition, NASA intends to provide an opportunity for the winning teams to demonstrate their payload in orbit (at no additional cost). These TechLeap payloads will fly aboard an orbital spacecraft that will rendezvous with the Fly Foundational Robots (FFR) platform. The FFR mission is expected to launch in late 2027, and the TechLeap payloads are slated to launch in early 2028. Across three phases, applicants will move from ideation to payload build over 12 months. The timeline for this challenge is intentionally rapid, with the goal of increasing the pace of space. Award: Up to three winners may receive up to $500,000 in prizes across three phases Challenge Open Date: May 20, 2026 Phase 1 Registration Close Date: July 29, 2026 Application Close Date: August 12, 2026 For more information, visit: [Hidden Content] View the full article

NASA/JPL-Caltech/**** NASA’s Psyche spacecraft completed its close approach of Mars on May 15, coming within 2,864 miles (4,609 kilometers) of the planet’s surface. During the flyby, it took this image and others. This representative color image, captured by Psyche’s multispectral imager instrument, features the double-ring crater Huygens and the surrounding heavily cratered southern highlands. This flyby used a gravity assist from Mars to provide a critical boost in speed and to adjust the spacecraft’s orbital plane without using any onboard propellant, sending it on its way toward the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. When it arrives in August 2029, it will insert itself into orbit, then map the asteroid and gather science data. If the asteroid proves to be the metallic core of an ancient planetesimal, it could offer a one-of-a-kind window into the interior of rocky planets like Earth. Learn more about the flyby and see more photos from the event. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/**** View the full article

Green swirls of microscopic algae (phytoplankton) are visible off the U.S. Gulf Coast in this image captured Oct. 21, 2024, by the Ocean Color Instrument on NASA’s PACE satellite. The sensor also observed autumn leaf colors, visible as a reddish streak, to the northeast.NASA NASA scientists have developed an artificial intelligence tool to take on a longstanding challenge in ocean waters. In a study recently published in AGU Earth and Space Science, researchers reported the tool was able to fuse data from multiple satellites and detect harmful algal blooms that occurred in western Florida and Southern California. Severe blooms can pose health risks and cost coastal economies in the United States tens of millions of dollars every year. Areas in Florida such as Tampa Bay and Sarasota have wrestled with the problem for decades. A species called Karenia brevis can thrive in Gulf of America waters, spawning harmful algal blooms that kill wildlife, foul beaches, and sicken swimmers. On the West Coast, blooms of Pseudo-nitzschia have poisoned hundreds of dolphins, California sea lions, and other marine animals in recent years. Toxins from algaecan even enter the air and cause respiratory illness in humans. To manage the risk, health agencies regularly test waters and issue warnings or beach closures when necessary. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) works with states and other local partners to issue harmful algal bloom forecasts, like weather forecasts, during bloom seasons. On-site testing requires hours in a boat to manually collect water samples that must be sent to a lab for analysis, taking a day or more and requiring multiple tests. It’s even more challenging to know where to test before a bloom starts spreading. NASA’s Earth-orbiting satellites already track harmful algal blooms with their unique global view. By bringing together diverse datasets, the new AI tool could serve as a force multiplier to help communities determine where to focus their efforts. “At the very least, a tool like this can help us know where and when to collect water samples as an algal bloom is starting,” said one of the paper’s coauthors, Michelle Gierach, a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “It can also drive collaboration between specialists, fostering new ways to conduct the science and deliver decision-support products.” Today, satellites can detect a variety of clues that signal an algal bloom. A hyperspectral sensor aboard NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite, for example, can identify algal communities by their size, shape, and pigment. Other instruments like TROPOMI (Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument) pick up on the faint red glow emitted by species such as K. brevis as they photosynthesize. The study team, consisting of Gierach, Kelly Luis of NASA JPL, and research data scientist Nick LaHaye of Spatial Informatics Group, brought together findings from five space missions or instruments, including PACE and TROPOMI. The challenge for them was the quantity of raw data involved. How would AI distinguish between deep water and a coastline? Could it recognize a bloom across different data streams? Would it ever be able to handle inputs from both satellites and sensors in the water? The team developed a self-supervised machine learning system, designed to learn patterns from multiple kinds of satellite data and compare them with field observations. This approach enables AI to recognize relationships between different data sources without needing any labeling in advance. The system was trained on satellite data collected in 2018 and 2019. Field and lab measurements were then used to add real-world context to the patterns that the system was recognizing. The scientists evaluated the tool’s performance across later time periods in the same geographic areas. Initial results indicate that it can correctly identify and map harmful blooms, including specific species like K. brevis, performing well even in complex coastal waters swirling with sediment, plants, and runoff. “Applying self-supervised AI to massive streams of satellite data is rapidly becoming a powerful tool for generating actionable ocean intelligence,” said Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, lead program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The team is now improving the tool with more data from more coastlines and expanding tests to other kinds of water bodies, including lakes, with the goal of making it accessible to decision-makers in coming years. “The aim of this work is to start to bridge technologies to better serve end users and their needs, from aquaculture to tourism,” Luis said. “To do that, we’re going to bring all our NASA assets to the table.” Media Contacts Andrew Wang / Andrew Good Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 626-379-6874 / 818-393-2433 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld 2026-034 Explore More 2 min read Fire Chars Santa Rosa Island The blaze spread across the southern side of the second-largest island in California’s Channel Islands… Article 14 hours ago 5 min read NASA’s Psyche Mission Aces Mars Flyby, Targets Metal-Rich Asteroid Article 22 hours ago 3 min read Farming in Ancient Lake Agassiz The glacial lake left a layer of silt and clay in southeastern Manitoba, creating fertile… Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Earth Observations Earth Science Mission Mission: PACE When did PACE launch? February 8, 2024 Where is PACE? 420 miles (676.5 km) from Earth What does PACE do?… Jet Propulsion Laboratory View the full article

An artist’s concept of astronauts working on the lunar surface.Credit: NASA NASA will host a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, May 26, to share Moon Base plans and highlight progress toward a sustained presence on the lunar surface. The media briefing will take place at the agency’s Headquarters in Washington. Leadership will discuss program progress, including new industry partners and mission plans. Subject matter experts will be available for one-on-one interviews after the news conference ends. Watch live on NASA+ and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media. Participants include: NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate Carlos García-Galán, program executive, Moon Base Media unable to attend in person may ask questions by telephone. To participate in person or by phone, media must RSVP to the headquarters newsroom no later than 11 a.m. on May 26, at: *****@*****.tld. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. NASA is advancing development of Moon Base, a long-term lunar exploration and infrastructure initiative designed to enable sustained human presence and expanded scientific and commercial activity at the lunar South Pole. As part of the Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. For more information about NASA’s missions, visit: [Hidden Content] -end- Bethany Stevens / James Gannon Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 *****@*****.tld / james.h*****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated May 20, 2026 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsExploration Systems Development Mission DirectorateNASA Headquarters View the full article

3 Min Read NASA Releases Technology Priorities to Energize Space Industry Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the Moon. A muted blue Earth with bright white clouds sets behind the cratered lunar surface. The dark portion of Earth is in nighttime. On Earth’s day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region. Credit: NASA Credits: NASA NASA released the 2026 Civil Space Shortfall Ranking list on Wednesday, which integrates more than 400 responses from stakeholders including industry organizations, government agencies, and academia. Shortfalls refer to technology areas requiring further development to meet future exploration, science, and other mission needs. The goal of this document is to rank the space community’s most pervasive shortfalls to help guide NASA’s space technology development and investments. The greatest technological breakthroughs are built on shared vision. At the intersection of government and industry, we’re poised to use this feedback to accelerate high-risk, high-reward technologies, pushing NASA beyond the cutting edge to enable the near impossible. Greg Stover Acting associate administrator for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate at the agency’s headquarters in Washington As NASA lays the foundation for long-term missions to the Moon and paves the way for human exploration on Mars, the top ranked shortfalls reflect the challenges industry is most eager to solve, such as developing infrastructure and capabilities for assets to operate for extended durations in the lunar environment, providing surface mobility and logistics for crew and assets on planetary surfaces, and developing on-board advanced computing capabilities for space operations. From this year’s public call for feedback, NASA received 454 total external responses. Each response was considered the input of a single individual, not a consolidated response of the organization they represented. The cross-cutting nature of this feedback underscores the importance of public, private partnership to drive U.S. leadership in space technology and energize the space economy. “This feedback provides an invaluable dataset,” said Angela Krenn, acting chief architect for NASA Technology. “As our process matures, each round of input helps target our resources, ensuring America’s space industry can tackle tomorrow’s greatest challenges. By tapping into the collective expertise of our stakeholders, we turn their insights into fuel for NASA’s next giant leap.” The 2026 shortfalls process builds on NASA’s first shortfall ranking, which asked participants to rank 187 civil space shortfalls, resulting in an integrated list of technology priorities. Leveraging the feedback provided by stakeholders, this year’s exercise streamlined the process by consolidating the shortfalls into 32 broader, integrated categories. This restructuring maintains the original content’s depth while creating a more efficient and accessible feedback mechanism for participants. Using the 2026 shortfalls results, NASA Technology selected 40 primary focus areas for its fiscal year 2026 investments. These focus areas combine the quantitative data of the shortfall rankings with considerations from NASA’s Ignition initiatives, science and technology, while establishing paths for collaboration with industry, ensuring relevance with academia, and leveraging overlaps in interests with other government agencies. The 40 focus areas include several capabilities to enable NASA’s future lunar infrastructure including: landing at the lunar South Pole exploration sites in various illumination conditions with accuracy; excavating and transporting lunar regolith at a scale relevant for a demonstration mission; and providing low power, thermal management, and actuation for distributed surface assets to survive and operate in the lunar environment. The list of 40 focus areas is available on page 10 of the shortfalls document. To learn more about the civil space shortfall feedback opportunity and results as well as monitor future feedback opportunities, visit: www.nasa.gov/civilspaceshortfalls Share Details Last Updated May 20, 2026 EditorLoura HallLocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsTechnologySpace Technology Mission Directorate Explore More 3 min read NASA Bolsters Golden Age of Exploration with Technology Priorities Article 4 months ago 3 min read NASA Releases First Integrated Ranking of Civil Space Challenges Article 2 years ago View the full article

4 Min Read I Am Artemis: Tim Goddard Tim Goddard, NASA open water lead, stands in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credits: NASA/Rad Sinyak Listen to this audio excerpt from Tim Goddard, NASA open water lead: 0:00 / 0:00 Your browser does not support the audio element. At the end of their mission around the Moon, NASA’s Artemis II astronauts were recovered from their Orion spacecraft by a team of U.S. Navy divers and NASA personnel. This included Tim Goddard, NASA open water lead, who helped guide the complex open water recovery of both Orion and the crew members, once they safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. As the open water lead, Goddard is responsible for the design, certification, procurement, and training, for both the NASA and Navy team. He also oversees the hardware and operations that are needed to recover the crew and spacecraft from the open ocean and bring them to safety aboard an amphibious Navy ship after splashdown. Tim Goddard, NASA open water lead, stands in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Goddard conducts training in the NBL with NASA and U.S. Navy recovery teams to prepare for Orion spacecraft recovery operations. NASA/Rad Sinyak “This is a very complex set of operations,” said Goddard. “We have six small boats in the water. We’re relying on four separate helicopters and the host Navy ship at the same time. We have over 50 folks in the water and in different boats. I have team members underwater, on the surface, and small boats moving all around.” And that’s just Goddard’s portion of the recovery — the larger operation entails coordination of activities that includes the Navy ship’s operations, communications, vessel traffic, medical needs, aviation operations, and more. It’s a large orchestration of personnel and hardware to just enable recovery of the astronauts from the capsule — and then, we have to recover the spacecraft in the well deck of the Navy ship, which can be up to nine hours later. Tim Goddard NASA Open Water Lead Goddard and his team practice, practice, practice long before recovery day to ensure the complicated dance goes smoothly. They start by performing training runs with representative Orion hardware at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, one of the world’s largest indoor pools that can support large-scale underwater and topside operations. The team then pushes out to San Diego, starting with bay operations and working their way up to open ocean conditions similar to what they’ll see on recovery day. “By the time they do the real mission, they have hours and hours on each type of facet or each phase of that recovery,” said Goddard. “We bring them out and then we just go through repetition after repetition. When we do the real thing, it’s not their first time seeing it.” NASA and U.S. Navy recovery teams, including NASA Open Water Lead Tim Goddard, prepare to transfer the crew to the USS John P. Murtha following the splashdown of the Orion spacecraft on April 10, 2026, marking the conclusion of the nearly 10‑day Artemis II mission around the Moon.NASA/Joel Kowsky It’s actually Goddard’s third time recovering Orion — the team recovered the capsule on Orion’s first flight, Exploration Flight Test-1 in 2014, and Artemis I, Orion’s first uncrewed test flight around the Moon in 2022. “We were strictly focused on capsule recovery for both of those flights,” said Goddard. “Now we introduced humans to the loop with a flight crew being in the capsule. Our primary focus has shifted from recovering the capsule to recovering the crew first. Once we get the crew safe and sound on the ship, we transfer our focus and shift our operations to the recovery of the capsule.” Goddard joined the initial Orion recovery team in 2007, and has served as the open water lead for over 10 years. He joined NASA in the 1990s after a 27-year career as a Navy diver, initially serving in dive operations in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab and then pursuing mechanical engineering. Over half of my time at NASA has been supporting this operation. That's a long time, and to finally have the Moon mission go off and bring the folks back — it's an immense pleasure. I am very excited and proud to be able to support this mission. Tim Goddard NASA Open Water Lead With crew aboard, there was an immense responsibility along with the pleasure of getting them home safely for Goddard. “There was a lot of weight and stress that the other folks and I carried,” he said. “I can tell you under the previous two missions, once we set the capsule down, that was the moment of elation and ‘I can sleep now.’ That was tenfold when we recovered the crew. Once they were recovered and the capsule was back in San Diego, I had an immense feeling of relief.” About the AuthorErika Peters Share Details Last Updated May 20, 2026 Related TermsI Am ArtemisArtemis 2Exploration Ground SystemsOrion Multi-Purpose Crew VehicleOrion Program Explore More 4 min read NASA Outlines Preliminary Artemis III Mission Plans Article 7 days ago 3 min read I Am Artemis: Kathleen Harmon Article 1 week ago 2 min read Nicholas Houghton: Engineering Crew Safety for NASA’s Artemis Missions Article 1 week ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

5 min read NASA’s Fermi Glimpses Power Source of Supercharged Supernovae An international team studying data from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope concludes the mission detected a rare, unusually luminous supernova. The researchers say it likely received its power-up from a supermagnetized neutron star born in the stellar collapse that triggered the explosion. Gamma rays detected by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope gave scientists a look under the hood of a rare supernova that produced much more light than normal. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Download high-resolution video and images from NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio The Fermi mission is part of NASA’s fleet of observatories monitoring the changing cosmos to help humanity better understand how the universe works. “For nearly 20 years, astronomers have searched Fermi data for gamma-ray signals from thousands of supernovae, and while a few intriguing hints have been reported, none were definitive until now,” study lead Fabio Acero at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the University of Paris-Saclay. A paper describing the findings published Wednesday in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. This composite image shows two views of SN 2017egm, in visible light (inset) and gamma rays (background). The optical image shows the supernova — the brightest object in the scene — and its host galaxy on July 1, 2017. The background map shows a wide area of the sky surrounding the supernova’s position. Brighter colors indicate greater statistical likelihood that gamma rays are associated with the explosion. The map includes gamma rays detected by Fermi’s Large Area Telescope from July 5, 2017, to Oct. 25, 2017, or from 43 to 155 days after the supernova was discovered. Background, NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration and Acero et. al. 2026; inset, NOT+ALFSOC/Bose et al. 2020 Core-collapse supernovae occur when the energy-producing center of a star many times our Sun’s mass runs out of fuel, collapses under its own weight, and explodes. During the collapse, a city-sized neutron star or an even smaller ****** hole may form. A blast wave blows away the rest of the star, which rapidly expands as a hot, dense cloud of ionized gas. In the last couple of decades, nearly 400 exceptional core-collapse supernovae have been identified. Each of these events, dubbed superluminous supernovae, produced 10 or more times the amount of visible light normally seen. In 2024, a study led by Li Shang at Anhui University in Hefei, China, noted that Fermi’s Large Area Telescope may have seen gamma rays — the most energetic form of light — from a superluminous supernova that occurred years earlier. Dubbed SN 2017egm, this supercharged outburst occurred in galaxy NGC 3191, located about 440 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Even at this distance, the explosion remains one of the closest of its type to us on Earth. The superluminous supernova SN 2017egm was discovered by the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission on May 23, 2017. It exploded in a massive barred spiral galaxy known as NGC 3191, shown on the left before the eruption. The image at right, taken on July 1, 2017, shows the supernova outshining the entire galaxy. Left, SDSS and PS1; right, NOT+ALFSOC/Bose et al. 2020 “We searched for gamma rays from the six nearest superluminous supernovae seen during the first 16 years of Fermi’s mission,” said Guillem Martí-Devesa, a researcher previously at the University of Trieste in Italy and now a fellow at the Institute of Space Sciences in Barcelona, Spain. “Only SN 2017egm shows evidence for gamma rays, confirming earlier hints that some supernovae can be as luminous in gamma rays as they are in visible light. This opens up a new window for studying these fascinating events.” Theorists have debated the possible energy sources that give these explosions their extra punch. High on the list has been the formation of a magnetar, a type of neutron star with the strongest magnetic fields known — up to 1,000 times the intensity of typical neutron stars. That’s 10 trillion times stronger than a refrigerator magnet. The team undertook a deeper analysis of the supernova’s observed optical and gamma-ray features to compare how well different theoretical models reproduced them. A model developed by co-authors Indrek Vurm at the University of Tartu in Estonia and Brian Metzger at Columbia University in New York City traced how light and particles produced by a newborn magnetar would move outward and interact with the supernova’s expanding debris. Scientists expect a newly formed magnetar to spin a few hundred times a second. This rapid rotation produces a strong outflow of electrons and positrons, their antimatter counterparts, that forms a vast cloud of energetic particles. The Crab Nebula formed in a supernova explosion observed in 1054. At its heart lies an isolated neutron star, the crushed core of the original star. It spins about 30 times a second, sweeping a beam of radiation toward Earth with every rotation, lighthouse style, which classifies the neutron star as a pulsar. This rapid spin powers X-ray jets (elongated blue-white feature near center) and a high-speed outflow of electrons and other particles. The particles collect in a vast cloud-like structure called a pulsar wind nebula, which also forms around magnetars, the pulsar’s supermagnetized cousin. This emission gradually slows the neutron star’s spin. These images combine X-ray data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory (bluish white) and infrared data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. X-ray, Chandra: NASA/CXC/SAO; Infrared, Webb: NASA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major Within this cloud — called a magnetar wind nebula — various interactions fuel the production and absorption of gamma rays. For example, an electron and a positron can annihilate into a pair of gamma-ray photons, or two gamma rays can collide and produce the particles. In these and other ways, gamma rays interact with the supernova debris. Unable to escape directly, they become reprocessed, downshifted into lower-energy visible light that provides the supernova with its extra boost in luminosity. “About three months after the collapse, as the supernova debris expands and cools, the gamma rays can begin to leak out,” Acero said. “This magnetar model best reproduces the supernova’s luminosity and the arrival time of its gamma rays during the first months, but we see room for improvement at later times, when the visible light fades quite irregularly.” Acero and his colleagues suggest that additional processes likely played contributing roles during SN 2017egm’s long fade-out. These include debris falling back onto the magnetar and interactions between the blast wave and matter ejected by the star in the centuries prior to its demise. The X-ray glow associated with a source known as Swift J1834.9-0846, located near the center of the W41 supernova remnant, comes from the first magnetar wind nebula identified (outline). ESA/XMM-Newton and Younes et al. 2016 The team also examined how well a new ground-based gamma-ray facility, the Cerenkov Telescope Array Observatory, might detect events like SN 2017egm. With about 50 hours of observing time, they say, a similar supernova could be detected out to about 500 million light-years. Our understanding of phenomena like SN 2017egm will improve thanks to cooperation between such facilities and NASA’s fleet of space-based observatories that watch for rapid changes in the universe. “The magnetar central engine mechanism discussed in this paper builds upon a lot of observational and theoretical advances in magnetars over the last 20 years,” said Judy Racusin, a deputy project scientist for the Fermi mission at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “Observing gamma rays from supernovae will give us a new way to explore their inner workings.” By Francis Reddy NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Media Contact: Claire Andreoli 301-286-1940 *****@*****.tld NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Facebook logo @NASAUniverse @NASAUniverse Instagram logo @NASAUniverse@NASA Share Details Last Updated May 19, 2026 Related Terms Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope Gamma Rays Goddard Space Flight Center Magnetars Neutron Stars Stars Supernovae The Universe View the full article

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Fire Chars Santa Rosa Island 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 Notes from the Field Blog Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search False Color Natural Color A downward-looking image of Santa Rosa Island shows a dark-brown burned area toward the bottom-right. A thin, bright orange line runs along the burned area, indicating the active fire front. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin A downward-looking image of Santa Rosa Island is mostly brown, with a darker brown area on the bottom-right side. Gray-white smoke drifts toward the bottom-right over dark blue ocean water. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin False ColorNatural Color A downward-looking image of Santa Rosa Island shows a dark-brown burned area toward the bottom-right. A thin, bright orange line runs along the burned area, indicating the active fire front. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin A downward-looking image of Santa Rosa Island is mostly brown, with a darker brown area on the bottom-right side. Gray-white smoke drifts toward the bottom-right over dark blue ocean water. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin False Color Natural Color CurtainToggle2-Up Image Details A wildland fire burns on Santa Rosa Island in California’s Channel Islands National Park, visible in these false-color (left) and natural-color (right) images captured on May 16, 2026, by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 9. Channel Islands National Park, a chain of five ecologically rich islands off the coast of mainland California, is known for its diversity of plant and animal species, earning it the nickname “North America’s Galapagos.” For part of May 2026, Santa Rosa Island—the park’s second-largest island—was closed to the public as firefighters worked to contain a wildland fire burning through grassland, coastal sage scrub, and areas of island chaparral. The fire was first spotted from aircraft on May 15, 2026, and confirmed by the National Park Service that morning. The Landsat 9 satellite captured these images the next day, when the burned area had grown to 5,690 acres (2,300 hectares). By May 19, it had burned around 16,600 acres (6,700 hectares), including much of the southeastern quadrant of the island. Its perimeter remained uncontained. The left image is false color, composed of wavelengths that cut through the smoke to reveal the burned area (dark brown). The infrared signature of the actively burning fire front is orange. The second image, on the right, shows the same area in natural color, as human eyes would see it, with smoke pouring over the Pacific Ocean. Officials and news accounts said the fire was human-caused, though investigators were still working to determine the circumstances surrounding the event. According to news reports, the fire burned near a stand of Torrey pines, a rare type of pine that in the United States grows naturally only on Santa Rosa Island and near San Diego. NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Kathryn Hansen. Downloads May 16, 2026: False Color JPEG (1.33 MB) May 16, 2026: Natural Color JPEG (2.50 MB) References & Resources InciWeb (2026, May 19) Santa Rosa Island Fire. Accessed May 19, 2026. NASA Earth Observatory (2025, April 21) North America’s “Galapagos.” Accessed May 19, 2026. National Park Service, Channel Islands. Accessed May 19, 2026. The New York Times (2026, May 18) A Sailor Shot Distress Flares. Now a California Island Is Burning. Accessed May 19, 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. North America’s Greenhouse Hub 3 min read The expansion of greenhouses in southern Ontario is changing the appearance of the land surface—and the night sky. Article Northern Glow Spans Iceland and Canada 3 min read A vivid display of the aurora lit up skies over the Denmark Strait and eastern Canada during a minor geomagnetic… Article Shades of a Lunar Eclipse 3 min read A series of nighttime satellite images revealed how moonlight reaching Earth varied throughout a total lunar eclipse. 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

1 Min Read NASA’s Psyche Mission Images Mars’ Huygens Crater PIA26775 Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/**** Photojournal Navigation Science Photojournal NASA’s Psyche Mission Images… Photojournal Home Photojournal Search Latest Content Galleries Feedback RSS About Downloads NASA’s Psyche Mission Images Mars’ Huygens Crater PNG (3.47 MB) Description Captured by the multispectral imager instrument on NASA’s Psyche mission, this is an enhanced-color view of the large double-ring crater Huygens (upper left; about 290 miles, or 470 kilometers, in diameter) and the surrounding heavily cratered southern highlands near 15 degrees south latitude. The various colors in this dramatic scene are likely due to differences in the compositional properties of dust, sand, and bedrock in this ancient terrain. The image scale is around 2,200 feet (670 meters) per pixel. The image was acquired with Imager A on May 15, 2026, at about 1:18 p.m. PDT, shortly after closest approach with the planet. The images have been processed into an enhanced-color view (to bring out color details beyond what the human eye can see) using red, green, and blue data from imager filters. For more information about NASA’s Psyche mission, visit: [Hidden Content] Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Photojournal Photojournal Search Photojournal Photojournal’s Latest Content Feedback View the full article

1 Min Read NASA’s Psyche Mission Spies Mars’ Wind-Blown Craters During Close Approach PIA26774 Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/**** Photojournal Navigation Science Photojournal NASA’s Psyche Mission Spies… Photojournal Home Photojournal Search Latest Content Galleries Feedback RSS About Downloads NASA’s Psyche Mission Spies Mars’ Wind-Blown Craters During Close Approach PNG (1.78 MB) Description This view of the Martian surface, captured by NASA’s Psyche spacecraft on May 15, 2026, shows streaks that have formed due to wind blowing over impact craters in the Syrtis Major region. The image scale is nearly 1,200 feet (360 meters) per pixel. The wind streaks extend to about 30 miles (50 kilometers) long, and the large craters near center-bottom of the scene average around 30 miles in diameter. The images have been processed into a natural-color view (approximating what the human eye would see) using red, green, and blue data from imager filters. For more information about NASA’s Psyche mission, visit: [Hidden Content] Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Photojournal Photojournal Search Photojournal Photojournal’s Latest Content Feedback View the full article

1 Min Read Psyche’s High-Resolution View of Mars’ South Pole PIA26773 Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/**** Photojournal Navigation Science Photojournal Psyche’s High-Resolution… Photojournal Home Photojournal Search Latest Content Galleries Feedback RSS About Downloads Psyche’s High-Resolution View of Mars’ South Pole PNG (1.09 MB) Description This is the highest-resolution view of the water ice-rich south polar cap of Mars captured by NASA’s Psyche mission after it made its close approach with the planet for a gravity assist. The image scale is around 0.7 miles per pixel (1.14 kilometers per pixel). The cap itself extends across more than 430 miles (700 kilometers). The image was acquired with Imager A on May 15, 2026, at about 1:53 p.m. PDT. With Mars in the rearview mirror, the spacecraft will soon resume use of its solar-electric propulsion system to make a beeline to the main asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. When it arrives in August 2029, it will insert itself into orbit around the asteroid Psyche, which is thought to be the partial core of a planetesimal, a building block of an early planet. For more information about NASA’s Psyche mission, visit: [Hidden Content] Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Photojournal Photojournal Search Photojournal Photojournal’s Latest Content Feedback View the full article