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NASA NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft flies over the Mojave Desert in California in this April 14, 2026, image. The transition to flying with wheels up is a key milestone and an important step in the experimental aircraft’s test campaign. The X-59 has made its highest and fastest flights so far, expanding its operational range and making progress toward supersonic flight. In future flights, the team will also be looking at factors like the performance of its controls, loads and structural dynamics, and subsystems including hydraulics, fuel, avionics, landing gear, and more. They will also be monitoring the performance of the eXternal Vision System, the series of cameras located on the X-59 connected to a display in the cockpit. The system takes the place of a traditional forward windscreen. NASA’s Quesst mission, which features the one-of-a-kind X-59 aircraft, will demonstrate technology to fly supersonic, or faster than the speed of sound, without generating loud sonic booms. Keep up with the latest X-59 news on the NASA Quesst blog. Image credit: NASA View the full article

Share Details Last Updated Apr 20, 2026 Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Contact Media Claire Andreoli NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland *****@*****.tld Claire Blome, Christine Pulliam Space Telescope Science Institute Baltimore, Maryland Related Terms Hubble Space Telescope Astrophysics Astrophysics Division Emission Nebulae Goddard Space Flight Center Nebulae Stars The Universe

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Thailand’s Krabi Coast 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 March 23, 2026 Along the western coast of Southern Thailand, a series of bright tan beaches lines the Andaman Sea. These sandy expanses fill the gaps between the myriad other features touching the sea, from limestone karst towers to mangroves to built-up areas. The OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 captured these images on March 23, 2026, showing part of the coastal area along Thailand’s Krabi Province. These beaches lie about 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Phuket across Ao Phangnga, a bay of the Andaman Sea. The beaches are a tourism hotspot and draw visitors from around the world. Railay Beach and Phra Nang Beach, accessible by boat, are especially a draw for rock climbers who come here to scale the seaside walls of limestone. The towering formations are an iconic part of the region’s tropical karst landscape, resulting from the just-right ingredients of rock type and climate conditions. Limestone in this region formed from the accumulation of calcium carbonate, the skeletal remains of marine organisms that settled here when the area was covered by a shallow sea hundreds of millions of years ago. Over time, continental collisions lifted the rock upward and shaped it into complex patterns. Rainwater, made slightly acidic due to the tropical environment, assisted in the chemical weathering that eroded the limestone, sculpting the rock into unique shapes. Limestone towers stand above the sea off the coast of Southern Thailand. Photo by Shawn via Unsplash. March 23, 2026 The karst landscape extends into the sea in the form of islands. For instance, Ko Po Da Nai and Ko Hong, visible in the wide satellite image above, feature steep limestone cliffs and caves, making them a popular destination for paddlers. Larger boats also cut through the water, their wakes appearing as white streaks. On the mainland, the landscape beyond the sandy beaches includes varied terrain. Green forests cover the slopes of Khao Hang Nak, where hikers can take in views of the Andaman Sea and surrounding karst formations. At lower elevations, green mangroves line several rivers, including Khlong Chi Lat. Human activity is most visible in the flatter plains, where urban development and agriculture have transformed the landscape. Krabi, the province’s capital, and nearby towns appear gray. To the northwest, patches of brown and green in geometric patterns indicate agricultural land, where oil palm and rubber trees are commonly grown alongside other crops such as pineapple. NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Photo by Shawn used under the Unsplash license. Story by Kathryn Hansen. Downloads March 23, 2026 JPEG (2.11 MB) References & Resources Englong, A., et al. (2026) Long-term vegetation dynamics, environmental changes, anthropogenic records, and carbon accumulation during 3,800 years in Krabi mangroves, Thailand. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. Gillieson, D. (2005) Karst in Southeast Asia. The Physical Geography of Southeast Asia, edited by Avijit Gupta, Oxford University Press. Kaswiset, N., et al. (2026) Oil palm spreads, but rubber still there—mapping the continuous but slow changes of plantations area in Southern Thailand. Regional Environmental Change, 26(24). 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. The Towers of Tràng An 3 min read Over millions of years, water has sculpted limestone in northern Vietnam into an extraordinary karst landscape full of towers, cones,… Article A Bit of Gray on an Emerald Isle 3 min read Ireland is best known for its many greens, but the striking grays of the island’s Burren region also stand out… Article Barents Sea Tied to Low Arctic Sea Ice 4 min read Patches of open water in the region contributed to low sea ice extent across the Arctic in March 2026, which… 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

Artistic rendering of the MDA Space CHORUS-C (right), RADARSAT-2 (centre), and CHORUS -X (left) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Earth observation constellation in orbit above Earth. NASA/CSDA NASA’s Earth Science Division (ESD) established the Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition (CSDA) program to explore the potential of commercial satellite data in advancing the agency’s Earth science research and application objectives. The program aims to identify, assess, and acquire data from commercial providers, which may offer a cost-effective means of supplementing Earth observations collected by NASA, other U.S. Government agencies, and international collaborators. During this NASA CSDA program vendor webinar, speakers will introduce MDA Space and the company’s satellite constellation; show participants how to discover, access, and work with these satellite C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) products; and speak to how these data products complement NASA Earth science data holdings for research and applications. Additional topics will focus on the services available to data users and getting assistance with the NASA CSDA program vendor MDA Space datasets, services, and tools. For information and to Register View the full article

art002e013365 (April 7, 2026) – The Artemis II crew – (clockwise from left) Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover – pause for a group photo with their zero gravity indicator “Rise,” inside the Orion spacecraft on their way home. Following a swing around the far side of the Moon on April 6, 2026, the crew exited the lunar sphere of influence (the point at which the Moon’s gravity has a stronger pull on Orion than the Earth’s) on April 7, and are headed back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 10. NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP) uses research to develop methods to protect the health and performance of astronauts in space. In support of NASA’s goals for long-term missions on the surface of the Moon and human exploration of Mars, HRP is using ground research facilities, the International Space Station, and analog environments to monitor human health in deep space. NASA’s Artemis II mission was the first crewed mission to the vicinity of the Moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972. The mission carried four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft on a trajectory into deep space – farther than any humans have gone before – marking a pivotal milestone in the history of human exploration. For the first time in more than half a century, human beings experienced the full physiological and psychological conditions of space travel beyond low Earth orbit, including an environment with space radiation, the isolation and confinement of a new spacecraft, and the operational demands of a test mission profile. For HRP, Artemis II represents an irreplaceable research opportunity. The data collected from the four-person crew will expand an existing body of knowledge built primarily from missions in low Earth orbit, extending it into the deep space environment. It will provide direct measurements of how the human body responds to conditions that ground-based simulation cannot fully replicate. The unique dataset will also present a profound analytical challenge. Though the sample size is only four subjects, the data will span multiple physiological systems, data modalities, and time points. That combination is what the NASA Artemis II Human Research Data Methodology Challenge seeks to address. Award: $25,000 in total prizes Challenge Open Date: March 30, 2026 Submission Close Date: June 5, 2026 For more information, visit: [Hidden Content] View the full article

NASA and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management opened a new NASA Force website on Friday, April 17, 2026.Credit: NASA NASA and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) launched the NASA Force website on Friday, opening applications for roles aimed at recruiting the nation’s top engineers and technologists to support America’s air and space program. NASA Force, a new hiring initiative developed in partnership with OPM, will recruit and place high-impact technical talent into mission-critical roles supporting NASA’s exploration, research, and advanced technology priorities, ensuring the agency has the cutting-edge expertise needed to maintain U.S. leadership in air and space. “NASA Force is bringing highly skilled early- to mid-career engineers, technologists and innovators to help us achieve our world-changing missions,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Our successful Artemis II mission has inspired the world and generated tremendous interest to join our workforce to be part of the Golden Age of innovation and exploration.” NASA Force is part of a broader US Tech Force  initiative established by OPM to recruit elite technical professionals into federal service at multiple agencies to modernize systems, accelerate innovation, and strengthen mission delivery. “NASA has always shown the world what American talent can achieve when it’s pointed at a bold mission,” said OPM Director Scott Kupor. “NASA Force is about making sure the agency has access to the next generation of innovation and strong partnerships with private sector talent to drive its very ambitious agenda.” The first job application under NASA Force is for aerospace engineer positions for a two-year term position, with the potential for additional term extensions. Additional openings are expected in the coming weeks and months. If interested in jobs in addition to NASA Force, visit: [Hidden Content] NASA is taking deliberate steps to retain and bolster its internal talent pipeline, strengthen technical core competencies and in-house capabilities, and foster an enduring culture of technical resilience.  NASA Force is one part of the agency’s workforce efforts aimed at achieving the President’s national space policy and maintaining unrivaled U.S. leadership in air and space exploration. To learn more about NASA Force and apply for jobs, visit: [Hidden Content] -end- Camille Gallo / Jennifer Dooren  Headquarters, Washington  202-358-1600  *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated Apr 17, 2026 EditorJennifer M. DoorenLocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsCareers View the full article

CSDA Menu CSDA Commercial Data Commercial Datasets Commercial Satellite Data Explorer Satellite Data Evaluation CSDA Vendors Airbus BlackSky Capella Space GeoOptics GHGSat ICEYE Vantor Planet PlanetiQ Polar Geospatial Center Satellogic Spire Teledyne Brown Engineering Tomorrow.io Umbra Program Activities Pilot Research Projects FAQs News Issued March 9, 2026, the Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition Program Tomorrow.io Radar Quality Assessment Report documents the evaluation process of the NASA subject matter experts (SMEs) enlisted to analyze the data quality of the Ka-band Precipitation Radars aboard Tomorrow.io’s R1 and R2 spacecraft. NASA/CSDA A new quality assessment report from NASA’s Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition (CSDA) program approves the use of precipitation radar data from Tomorrow.io for NASA scientific use. Issued March 9, 2026, the Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition Program Tomorrow.io Radar Quality Assessment Report documents the evaluation process of the NASA subject matter experts (SMEs) enlisted to analyze the data quality of the Ka-band Precipitation Radars aboard the company’s R1 and R2 spacecraft. The SMEs assessed the company’s Level 2 Precipitation products and geolocation accuracy and their results were generally in agreement with the analysis provided by Tomorrow.io in its algorithm theoretical basis document. The geolocation assessment showed “excellent correlation” of 0.98 with a digital elevation model (DEM) reference. In addition, comparisons to ground radar were in good agreement for both radars, with correlations to ground radar of 0.73 and 0.93. (R2 showed slightly higher accuracy than R1, with biases of –22% (R1) and –6% (R2)). Based on these results, the SMEs concluded that Tomorrow.io precipitation radar data be considered for NASA scientific use, contingent upon alignment with science objectives and application needs. To Tomorrow.io, the CSDA program’s independent evaluation process provides the confidence the scientific community needs to rely on commercial Earth observation data. “When NASA’s own subject matter experts validate that a commercially built space-based radar system can contribute meaningfully alongside programs like NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement missions, that opens a new chapter for Earth observation,” said Rei Goffer, Chief Strategy Officer and Founder of Tomorrow.io. “We built these instruments to demonstrate that the commercial sector can deliver science-quality data from space, and we’re proud that NASA’s assessment supports that vision.” About the CSDA Program NASA’s Earth Science Division (ESD) established the CSDA program to identify, evaluate, and acquire commercial remote sensing data that enhances NASA’s Earth science research and applications. CSDA provides structured on-ramping opportunities for emerging commercial satellite data vendors, enabling NASA to continuously integrate innovative data sources as the private sector evolves. By leveraging these partnerships, NASA’s ESD aims to accelerate scientific discovery and expand applications of Earth observation data for the NASA Earth science research and applications community and societal benefit. Since its initial pilot, the CSDA Program has conducted three on-ramp activities, resulting in the addition of several vendors into sustainment. Since then, the program has streamlined its evaluation process by introducing high-quality, SME-led data assessments, accelerating reviews and strengthening NASA’s engagement with the rapidly growing commercial data ecosystem. The CSDA’s evaluation criteria include: Accessibility of data Completeness and accuracy of metadata User support services provided by the commercial entity Usefulness of submitted data for science and applications This approach ensures NASA gains timely access to high-quality, mission-relevant commercial data, and provides valuable feedback to private-sector providers, fostering innovation, improved data products, and alignment of industry capabilities with NASA’s evolving scientific needs. Resources To read the Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition Program Tomorrow.io Radar Quality Assessment Report, visit the CSDA website. For more information about the CSDA program’s process for identifying commercial satellite vendors for on-ramp and evaluation, visit the CSDA website. Learn more about Tomorrow.io commercial data available through the CSDA program’s recent Vendor Focus webinar. View the full article

Our planet rests inside a magnetic cocoon filled with plasma – but it’s not always peaceful and quiet. Activity from the Sun can send waves through this space, and some of those disturbances can even reach Earth, affecting our power grid. Scientists are working to understand exactly how these waves behave, and the team behind NASA’s Heliophysics Audified: Resonances in Plasmas (HARP) citizen science project approaches this in a unique way: they compare the Earth’s magnetic field to a giant harp in space. The HARP team translated magnetic field measurements into sound. This translation allowed HARP project volunteers to use their ears to study a particular type of plasma wave that plays a role in space weather. What they heard surprised everyone. The science team expected lower pitches farther from Earth and higher pitches closer to it. But when they played back data from NASA’s THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) mission, volunteers noticed something unexpected. Some plasma waves revealed the opposite pattern – lower pitches close to Earth and higher pitches farther away. The HARP volunteers were thrilled to help discover this anomaly, which will help scientists better understand geomagnetic storms. One volunteer said of the HARP project, “I only signed up for this group because my friend was participating, but now I think I’m going to change my major to physics – this was just too cool.” These findings now appear in a new article in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences. Thank you to all the HARP volunteers who helped develop the project’s audio analysis protocol, beta tested the graphical user interface, and identified and labeled the myriad plasma waves that the team will be studying for years to come. The HARP project was sponsored by NASA and continues to be sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The project is no longer actively seeking volunteers. HARP volunteers uncovered unexpected patterns in plasma wave activity near Earth using data from the NASA THEMIS mission. Image credit: Emmanuel Masongsong and the HARP team Credit: Emmanuel Masongsong and the HARP team Facebook logo @nasascience_ @nasascience_ Instagram logo @nasascience_ Linkedin logo @nasascience_ Share Details Last Updated Apr 17, 2026 Related Terms Citizen Science Heliophysics Heliophysics Division Explore More 4 min read NASA Data Hackathon Inspires Community Action Article 4 weeks ago 2 min read Hail Yeah! NASA Researchers Use Volunteer Observations for Hail Estimates The ******* the hailstone, the more damage it can cause. But scientists find that predicting… Article 1 month ago 7 min read To Protect Artemis II Astronauts, NASA Experts Keep Eyes on Sun Article 1 month ago View the full article

NASA/JPL-Caltech/IPAC/Hora et al. An observation made by NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) shows the chemical signatures of water ice (shown in bright blue) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (orange) in Cygnus X, one of the most active and turbulent regions of star birth in our Milky Way galaxy. The image was released on April 15, 2026, along with a study detailing the observation. One of SPHEREx’s main goals is to map the chemical signatures of various types of interstellar ice. This ice includes molecules like water, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide, which are vital to the chemistry that allows life to develop. Researchers believe these ice reservoirs, attached to the surfaces of tiny dust grains, are where most of the universe’s water is formed and stored. The water in Earth’s oceans — and the ices in comets and on other planets and moons in our galaxy — originates from these regions. SPHEREx launched March 11, 2025, and has the unique ability to see the sky in 102 colors, each representing a different wavelength of infrared light that offers distinctive information about galaxies, stars, planet-forming regions, and other cosmic features. Read more about what SPHEREx found. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/IPAC/Hora et al. View the full article

Credit: NASA The Republic of Latvia will sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony at 9 a.m. EDT Monday, April 20, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will host Dace Melbārde, Latvia’s minister for education and science; Jānis Beķeris, chargé d’affaires at the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia to the United States; and Jacob Helberg, under secretary of state for economic affairs at the U.S. Department of State. This event is in person only. Media interested in attending must RSVP no later than 3 p.m. on Friday, April 17, to: *****@*****.tld. NASA’s media accreditation policy is online. The signing ceremony will take place in the James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in the Mary W. Jackson building, 300 E Street SW. In 2020, during the first Trump Administration, the United States, led by NASA and the State Department, joined with seven other founding nations to establish the Artemis Accords, responding to the growing interest in lunar activities by both governments and private companies. The accords introduced the first set of practical principles aimed at enhancing the safety, transparency, and coordination of civil space exploration on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Latvia will be the 62nd country to sign the Artemis Accords. Learn more about the Artemis Accords at: [Hidden Content] -end- Camille Gallo / Elizabeth Shaw Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated Apr 16, 2026 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsArtemisArtemis AccordsLeadershipOffice of International and Interagency Relations (OIIR) View the full article

NASA In this photo taken on April 6, 2026, a portion of the Moon’s far side is seen along the terminator—the boundary between lunar day and night—where low-angle sunlight casts long shadows across the surface. A section of Orientale Basin is visible along the upper right portion of the lunar disk, its structure subtly revealed under grazing illumination. This lighting enhances contrast across the cratered terrain, highlighting variations in surface features and providing insight into the Moon’s geologic history. See more imagery from the Artemis II mission. Credit: NASA View the full article

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Eyeing the Richat Structure 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 The Richat Structure appears as a giant “bull’s eye” on a plateau in Mauritania in this mosaic, composed of images captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 9 and Landsat 8 on March 5 and March 6, 2026, respectively. NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin In a remote part of northern Mauritania on the Adrar Plateau lies a desert landscape rich in human history. This region of northwestern Africa is sprinkled with Paleolithic stone tools, Neolithic cave paintings, and the remains of medieval towns once used by caravans crossing the Sahara Desert. When viewed from space, the landscape appears to be shaped most prominently by natural forces. Wind sculpted the seas of colorful sand dunes and scoured plateaus capped with dark desert pavement, while ancient flowing water carved valleys and networks of dried river channels. But the region’s most eye-catching feature when seen from above is the Richat Structure—a large geologic formation made of concentric ridges on the eastern side of the plateau. French geographers first described the feature in the 1930s, calling it the Richat “buttonhole.” NASA astronauts Ed White and James McDivitt helped bring wider global attention to what became known as “The Eye of the Sahara” after photographing it during their history-making Gemini IV mission. The 40-kilometer-wide (25-mile-wide) structure was initially thought to be an impact crater because large meteors can produce circular features on Earth’s surface. However, researchers later showed that it is actually a deeply eroded geologic dome formed by the uplift of rock above an underground intrusion of igneous material. Over time, differing erosion rates among rock types in the exposed upper dome led to the development of circular ridges known as cuestas. The orange and gray colors reflect differences in sedimentary and igneous rock types across the structure and the surrounding landscape. NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Adam Voiland. Downloads March 5 and March 6, 2026 JPEG (9.03 MB) References & Resources Abdeina, E.H., et al. (2024) How old is the Eye of Africa? A polyphase history for the igneous Richat Structure, Mauritania. Lithos, 107698. Abdeina, E.H., et al. (2021) Geophysical modelling of the deep structure of the Richat magmatic intrusion (northern Mauritania): insights into its kinematics of emplacement. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 14(22), 2315. The Debrief (2021, April 16) The Richat Structure: The “Eye of the Sahara” is One of Earth’s Strangest Marvels. Accessed April 8, 2026. Géoconscience, Adrar Plateau. Accessed April 8, 2026. International Commission on Geoheritage, Richat Structure, A Cretaceous Alkaline Complex. Accessed April 8, 2026. Matton, G., et al. (2005) Resolving the Richat enigma: Doming and hydrothermal karstification above an alkaline complex. Geology, 33 (8), 665-668. Matton, G. & Jébrak, M. (2014) The “eye of Africa” (Richat dome, Mauritania): An isolated Cretaceous alkaline–hydrothermal complex. Journal of African Earth Sciences, 97, 109-124. NASA Earth Observatory (2022, July 10) The Eye of the Sahara. Accessed April 8, 2026. National Archives (1965, June 4) Richat Structure. Accessed April 8, 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. Rings of Rock in the Sahara 3 min read In southeastern Libya, Jabal Arkanū’s concentric rock rings stand as relics of past geologic forces that churned beneath the desert. Article A Bit of Gray on an Emerald Isle 3 min read Ireland is best known for its many greens, but the striking grays of the island’s Burren region also stand out… Article The Towers of Tràng An 3 min read Over millions of years, water has sculpted limestone in northern Vietnam into an extraordinary karst landscape full of towers, cones,… 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

3 Min Read I Am Artemis: Rebekah Tolatovicz Rebekah Tolatovicz, a mechanical technician lead supporting Lockheed Martin, works inside the Artemis III Orion crew module in the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credits: NASA/Rad Sinyak Listen to this audio excerpt from Rebekah Tolatovicz, a mechanical technician lead supporting the Orion spacecraft’s main contractor Lockheed Martin: 0:00 / 0:00 Your browser does not support the audio element. At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, there is a fleet of Orion spacecraft in work, and Rebekah Tolatovicz’s hands have helped build each one. Tolatovicz works to build, integrate, and test the spacecraft used during the Artemis II test flight, as well as those designed to carry humanity to the Moon on future Artemis missions. Tolatovicz is a mechanical technician lead for the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, or ASRC Federal, supporting the Orion spacecraft’s main contractor Lockheed Martin. A typical day for Tolatovicz takes place inside NASA Kennedy’s Operations and Checkout Building, with Orion assembly and testing. Her work ranges from helping coordinate and lead technicians, to jumping into hands-on installations on components like hatches and engines, to collaborating with the engineering team. “What I really like about the area that I’m in is we do so much,” said Tolatovicz. “From starting with the bare structure and installing giant parts and titanium pieces, to final integration where you’re installing the tiniest little components. I think that’s the coolest part. We don’t do just one technical thing — it’s all the technical things.” Rebekah Tolatovicz, a mechanical technician lead for the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, or ASRC Federal, supporting the Orion spacecraft’s main contractor Lockheed Martin, works inside the Artemis III Orion crew module in the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Credits: NASA/Rad Sinyak Tolatovicz currently works on the Orion crew modules that could sustain the astronauts on future Artemis missions, and she played a large role in work on the Artemis II spacecraft that carried four astronauts on a mission around the Moon, splashing down April 10. This included testing, integration, and final installation and closeout before the spacecraft was prepared for fueling and stacking on the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. As Artemis II was the first crewed mission under NASA’s Artemis program, Tolatovicz recognized the impact of her work. It's really vital to stress the importance of what we do and know nothing is minuscule. Everything matters. It's really important to pass that down on to the new hires and make sure that everybody has that perspective.” Rebekah Tolatovicz Orion Mechanical Technician Lead for ASRC Federal Tolatovicz, who began as an intern with Lockheed Martin through Eastern Florida State College’s aerospace technician program, knows what it’s like to be a newcomer. She had been mentored by technicians who worked through the space shuttle era, which largely shaped her experience and outlook. “At first I didn’t think I was going to make it,” said Tolatovicz. “But if you come in with a good attitude and want to learn — there’s so much you can learn from these guys, they have decades of knowledge to share. Once I got down on the floor and was working with them hands-on, I knew I could figure it out.” Tolatovicz has been working on the Orion program for nine years. Since then, the Maine native has witnessed her work come to fruition on Orion’s uncrewed Artemis I test flight as well as the Artemis II mission around the Moon. “It’s really amazing for me to be a part of NASA’s history and the next step,” said Tolatovicz. “I just really love my job, the team, and working through challenges. You don’t think about it when you’re putting things on, but then you get to tell somebody else that you installed the thrusters for the spacecraft, and you realize — man, that’s pretty cool.” Rebekah Tolatovicz, a technician with Lockheed Martin, operates a 30-ton crane to move NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft out of the Final Assembly and System Testing cell inside the Neil A. Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. The move prepared for the installation of four solar array wings and spacecraft adapter jettison fairings for the agency’s first crewed flight test under the Artemis campaign. Credits: NASA/Cory S Huston About the AuthorErika Peters Share Details Last Updated Apr 15, 2026 Related TermsI Am ArtemisArtemisArtemis 2Orion Multi-Purpose Crew VehicleOrion Program Explore More 3 min read I Am Artemis: Dan Florez Article 6 days ago 1 min read Watching the Artemis II Mission Unfold at JPL’s Space Flight Operations Facility Description Staff at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California watch the agency’s Artemis II… Article 6 days ago 2 min read The Deep Space Network Acquires Artemis II Signal Description A graphical representation of the Deep Space Network’s radio frequency antennas indicate signal acquisition… Article 6 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

NASA NASA and Voyager Technologies have signed an order for the seventh private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, targeted to launch no earlier than 2028 from Florida. This is the company’s first selection for a private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, underscoring NASA’s ongoing investment in fostering a commercial space economy and expanding opportunities for private industry in low Earth orbit. “Private astronaut missions are accelerating the growth of new ideas, industries, and technologies that strengthen America’s presence in low Earth orbit and pave the way for what comes next,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “With three providers now selected for private missions, NASA is doing everything we can to send more astronauts to space and ignite the orbital economy. Each new partner brings fresh capabilities that move us closer to a future with multiple commercially operated space stations and a vibrant, sustainable marketplace in low Earth orbit.” The mission, named VOYG-1, is expected to spend as many as 14 days aboard the space station. A specific launch date will depend on overall spacecraft traffic at the orbital outpost and other planning considerations. Voyager will submit four proposed crew members to NASA and its international partners for review. Once approved and confirmed, they will train with NASA, international partners, and the launch provider for their flight. “This award reflects decades of partnership with NASA and validates our belief that the infrastructure being built in low Earth orbit today is the launchpad for humanity’s future in deep space,” said Dylan Taylor, chairman and CEO, Voyager. “From the International Space Station’s first commercial airlock to the seventh private astronaut mission, Voyager is committed to making American human spaceflight stronger, more capable, and more sustainable at every step of the journey.” The company will purchase mission services from NASA, including crew consumables, cargo delivery, storage, and other in-orbit resources for daily use. NASA will purchase the capability to return scientific samples that must remain cold during transit back to Earth. NASA made the selection from proposals received in response to its March 2025 NASA Research Announcement. Missions aboard the International Space Station, including private astronaut missions, help advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies in the unique microgravity environment. These commercial efforts in low Earth orbit help develop capabilities and technologies that could support NASA’s long-term goals for missions beyond low Earth orbit, including deep space exploration to the Moon and eventually to Mars through the agency’s Artemis program. Learn more about NASA’s commercial space strategy at: [Hidden Content] -end- Jimi Russell Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 *****@*****.tld Anna Schneider / Joseph Zakrzewski Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated Apr 15, 2026 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsPrivate Astronaut MissionsCommercial SpaceInternational Space Station (ISS)NASA Headquarters View the full article

Experiments and supplies bound for the International Space Station launched on April 11 as part of the agency’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 24 mission. As part of the approximately 11,000 pounds cargo that lifted off inside the company’s Cygnus XL spacecraft, NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) launched six CubeSats built by U.S. educational institutions and non-profit organizations. These CubeSats are Coconut, Harvard Undergraduate CubeSat (HUCSat), Low Earth Orbit Platform for Aerospace Research and Development Satellite 1 (LEOPARDSat-1), and three Pleiades Rapid Orbital Verification Experiment System (PROVES) CubeSats: PROVES – Alcyone, PROVES – Atlas, and PROVES – Electra. Each CubeSat is a small satellite that will deploy into orbit from the space station to conduct its experiments. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, manages CSLI and manifested these CubeSats on the mission as part of the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 58 launch grouping. Photo credit: SpaceX View the full article

Explore This Section Earth Earth Observer Editor’s Corner Feature Articles Meeting Summaries News Science in the News In Memoriam Announcements Archives 2 min read 2026 NSTA Hyperwall Schedule NASA Science at NSTA Hyperwall Schedule, April 16-18, 2026 Join NASA in the Exhibit Hall (Booth #1265) for Hyperwall Storytelling by NASA experts. Full Hyperwall Agenda below. THURSDAY, APRIL 16 11:00 AM Teaching Space Weather in the Artemis Mission Era Christina Milotte 11:15 AM 5E StoryMaps using NASA Resources Tina Harte Ballinger 11:30 AM Growing Beyond Earth: A Partnership Between Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden & NASA Amy Padolf 11:45 AM Learn Science by Doing Science: Real NASA Research That Your Class Can Do Today Sarah Kirn 12:00 PM Unlock NASA’s Eyes and Inspire the Scientists of Tomorrow Jason Craig 12:15 PM Access NASA Earth Data for your Class Angela Rizzi 12:30 PM Solar System Treks George Chang 12:45 PM Earth in Motion: How the NISAR Satellite Mission will Transform Our View of the Planet Erika Podest 1:30 PM Differentiated NASA Earth Data Analysis and Interpretation Angela Rizzi 1:45 PM Roman Space Telescope and Webb Space Telescope Begoña Vila 2:00 PM Earth in Motion: How the NISAR Satellite Mission will Transform Our View of the Planet Erika Podest 2:15 PM Solar System Treks George Chang 2:30 PM Unlock NASA’s Eyes and Inspire the Scientists of Tomorrow Jason Craig 2:45 PM Teaching Space Weather in the Artemis Mission Era Christina Milotte 3:00 PM Earth in Motion: How the NISAR Satellite Mission will Transform Our View of the Planet Erika Podest 3:45 PM Learn Science by Doing Science: Real NASA Research That Your Class Can Do Today Sarah Kirn FRIDAY, APRIL 17 11:00 AM NASA Solar System Ambassador Program Sarah Marcotte 11:15 AM Growing Beyond Earth: A Partnership Between Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden & NASA Amy Padolf 11:30 AM Access NASA Earth Data for your Class Angela Rizzi 11:45 AM Roman Space Telescope and Webb Space Telescope Begoña Vila 12:00 PM Learn Science by Doing Science: Real NASA Research That Your Class Can Do Today Sarah Kirn 12:15 PM Teaching Space Weather in the Artemis Mission Era Christina Milotte 12:30 PM 5E StoryMaps using NASA Resources Tina Harte Ballinger 1:30 PM Growing Beyond Earth: A Partnership Between Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden & NASA Amy Padolf 1:45 PM Learn Science by Doing Science: Real NASA Research That Your Class Can Do Today Sarah Kirn 2:00 PM Roman Space Telescope and Webb Space Telescope Begoña Vila 2:15 PM NASA Solar System Ambassador Program Sarah Marcotte View the full article

3 Min Read NASA’s SPHEREx Mission Maps Water Ice Throughout Cygnus X PIA26748 Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/IPAC/Hora et al. Photojournal Navigation Science Photojournal NASA’s SPHEREx Mission Maps… Photojournal Home Photojournal Search Latest Content Galleries Feedback RSS About Downloads NASA’s SPHEREx Mission Maps Water Ice Throughout Cygnus X JPEG (1.99 MB) PIA26748 Figure A JPEG (6.64 MB) Description An observation made by NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) shows the chemical signatures of water ice (shown in bright blue) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (orange) in Cygnus X, one of the most active and turbulent regions of star birth in our Milky Way galaxy. One of several maps of molecular clouds made by SPHEREx, this observation is detailed in a study published April 15, 2026, in The Astrophysical Journal. The study supports the hypothesis that interstellar ice forms on the surface of tiny dust particles no larger than particles found in the smoke from a candle. The findings show the densest regions of ice coincide with the densest regions of dust, and the dust shields the ice from the intense ultraviolet radiation emitted by newborn stars. Figure A Figure A shows the same region, but in three different wavelengths assigned the colors green, blue, and red. This SPHEREx observation highlights the dark, dusty lanes that protect the water molecules from the intense radiation generated by newborn stars. Although space telescopes such as NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and the agency’s retired Spitzer have detected water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other icy molecules throughout our galaxy, the SPHEREx observatory is the first infrared mission specifically designed to find such molecules over the entire sky, via the mission’s large-scale spectral survey. Managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the SPHEREx observatory launchedMarch 11, 2025, and has the unique ability to see the sky in 102 colors, each representing a different wavelength of infrared light that offers distinctive information about galaxies, stars, planet-forming regions, and other cosmic features. By late 2025, SPHEREx had completed the first of four all-sky infrared maps of the universe, charting the positions of hundreds of millions of galaxies in 3D to help answer major questions about the cosmos, including those about the origins of water and life. The mission is managed by JPL for the agency’s Astrophysics Division within the Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The telescope and the spacecraft bus were built by BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado. The science analysis of the SPHEREx data is being conducted by a team of scientists at 13 institutions across the U.S. and in South Korea and Taiwan, led by Principal Investigator Jamie Bock, who is based at Caltech with a joint JPL appointment, and by JPL Project Scientist Olivier Doré. Data is processed and archived at IPAC at Caltech in Pasadena, which manages JPL for NASA. The SPHEREx dataset is freely available to scientists and the public. For more information about the SPHEREx mission visit: [Hidden Content] Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Photojournal Photojournal Search Photojournal Photojournal’s Latest Content Feedback View the full article

6 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Water ice highlighted Interstellar dust highlighted These observations made by NASA’s SPHEREx mission reveal vast frozen complexes in the Cygnus X star-forming region of the Milky Way galaxy. Water ice, shown as bright blue structures at left, exactly overlays the dark lanes of interstellar dust, shown in different wavelengths at right.NASA/JPL-Caltech/IPAC/Hora et al These observations made by NASA’s SPHEREx mission reveal vast frozen complexes in the Cygnus X star-forming region of the Milky Way galaxy. Water ice, shown as bright blue structures at left, exactly overlays the dark lanes of interstellar dust, shown in different wavelengths at right. Water ice highlightedInterstellar dust highlighted These observations made by NASA’s SPHEREx mission reveal vast frozen complexes in the Cygnus X star-forming region of the Milky Way galaxy. Water ice, shown as bright blue structures at left, exactly overlays the dark lanes of interstellar dust, shown in different wavelengths at right.NASA/JPL-Caltech/IPAC/Hora et al These observations made by NASA’s SPHEREx mission reveal vast frozen complexes in the Cygnus X star-forming region of the Milky Way galaxy. Water ice, shown as bright blue structures at left, exactly overlays the dark lanes of interstellar dust, shown in different wavelengths at right. Water ice highlighted Interstellar dust highlighted CurtainToggle2-Up Image Details These observations made by NASA’s SPHEREx mission reveal vast frozen complexes in the Cygnus X star-forming region of the Milky Way galaxy. Water ice, shown as bright blue structures at left, exactly overlays the dark lanes of interstellar dust, shown in different wavelengths at right. NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) mission has mapped interstellar ice at an unprecedented scale. Covering regions in our Milky Way galaxy more than 600 light-years across, the ice was found inside giant molecular clouds — vast regions of gas and dust where dense clumps of matter collapse under gravity, giving birth to stars. A study describing these findings published Wednesday in The Astrophysical Journal. One of SPHEREx’s main goals is to map the chemical signatures of various types of interstellar ice. This ice includes molecules like water, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide, which are vital to the chemistry that allows life to develop. Researchers believe these ice reservoirs, attached to the surfaces of tiny dust grains, are where most of the universe’s water is formed and stored. The water in Earth’s oceans — and the ices in comets and on other planets and moons in our galaxy — originates from these regions. “These vast frozen complexes are like ‘interstellar glaciers’ that could deliver a massive water supply to new solar systems that will be born in the region,” said study coauthor Phil Korngut, the instrument scientist for SPHEREx at Caltech in Pasadena, California. “It’s a profound idea that we are looking at a map of material that could rain on nascent planets and potentially support future life.” Thanks to its spectral capabilities, SPHEREx can measure the amounts of various ices and molecules, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, in and around molecular clouds, helping scientists better understand their composition and environment.  Although space telescopes such as NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and the agency’s retired Spitzer have detected water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other icy molecules throughout our galaxy, the SPHEREx observatory is the first infrared mission specifically designed to find such molecules over the entire sky via the mission’s large-scale spectral survey. “We expected to detect these ices in front of individual bright stars: The light from a star acts like a spotlight, revealing any ice in the space between us and that star. But this is something different,” said lead author Joseph Hora, an astronomer at the Center for Astrophysics (CfA) at Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “When looking along the galactic plane — where most of the stars, gas, and dust of our galaxy are concentrated — there’s a lot of diffuse background light shining through entire dust clouds, and SPHEREx can see the spatial distribution of the ices they contain in incredible detail.” Managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the SPHEREx observatory launched March 11, 2025, and has the unique ability to see the sky in 102 colors, each representing a different wavelength of infrared light that offers distinctive information about galaxies, stars, planet-forming regions, and other cosmic features. By late 2025, SPHEREx had completed the first of four all-sky infrared maps of the universe, charting the positions of hundreds of millions of galaxies in 3D to help answer major questions about the cosmos, including those about the origins of water and life. Icy origins Using the SPHEREx maps of various icy molecules, the study’s authors were able to look deep into many molecular clouds in the Cygnus X and North American Nebula regions of the Milky Way. In the densest areas, where the amount of dust is greatest, dark filamentary lanes block the visible light from the stars behind. With its infrared eye, the space telescope also revealed where the different ices — which absorb specific wavelengths of infrared light that would pass through the clouds if they consisted only of dust — are at their densest.  This finding supports the hypothesis that interstellar ice forms on the surface of tiny dust particles, which are no larger than particles found in candle smoke, and that the dense regions of dust shield the ices from the intense ultraviolet radiation emitted by newborn stars. However, not all ices are treated the same way in the interstellar medium. “We can investigate the environmental factors that contribute to different ice formation rates across large areas of interstellar space,” said study coauthor Gary Melnick, also an astronomer at the CfA. “The SPHEREx mission’s ‘big picture’ view provides valuable new information you can’t get when zooming in on a small region.” Within this broad perspective, adds Melnick, SPHEREx can do something ground-based observatories cannot: detect varying amounts of water and carbon dioxide, two ices that respond differently to environmental factors. For example, the presence of intense ultraviolet light from nearby massive young stars or the heating of these dust grains by that light affects the abundances of different ices in distinct ways. This is just the beginning for the mission. Observations from SPHEREx will provide scientists with a powerful tool to explore the various components of our galaxy, the physics of the interstellar medium that lead to star and planet formation, and the chemical processes that deliver molecules essential for life to newly formed planets. More about SPHEREx The mission is managed by JPL for the agency’s Astrophysics Division within the Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The telescope and the spacecraft bus were built by BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado. The science analysis of the SPHEREx data is being conducted by a team of scientists at 13 institutions across the U.S. and in South Korea and Taiwan, led by Principal Investigator Jamie Bock, who is based at Caltech with a joint JPL appointment, and by JPL Project Scientist Olivier Doré. Data is processed and archived at IPAC at Caltech in Pasadena, which manages JPL for NASA. The SPHEREx dataset is freely available to scientists and the public. For more information about the SPHEREx mission visit: [Hidden Content] Media Contacts Ian J. O’Neill Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-2649 *****@*****.tld Alise Fisher NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-617-4977 *****@*****.tld Amy C. Oliver, FRAS Public Affairs Officer Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory *****@*****.tld 2026-022 Share Details Last Updated Apr 15, 2026 Related TermsSPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe and Ices Explorer)AstrophysicsJet Propulsion LaboratoryNebulaeProtostarsStarsThe Milky Way Explore More 3 min read NASA’s SPHEREx Mission Maps Water Ice Throughout Cygnus X Description An observation made by NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of… Article 21 minutes ago 5 min read NASA Finds Young Stars Dim in X-rays Surprisingly Quickly Scientists have found that young stellar cousins of our Sun are calming down and dimming… Article 19 hours ago 5 min read NASA’s Webb Redefines Dividing Line Between Planets, Stars Planets, like those in our solar system, form in a bottom-up process where small bits… Article 1 day ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics SPHEREx Stars Astronomers estimate that the universe could contain up to one septillion stars – that’s a one followed by 24 zeros.… Infrared Astronomy Beyond Visible Light The rainbow of light that the human eye can see is a small portion of the total… Cosmic Clouds in Cygnus These cosmic clouds of gas and dust driftthrough rich star fields along theplane of our Milky Way Galaxy toward the… View the full article

NASA/Helen Arase Vargas NASA’s Artemis II crew – NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (********* Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen – smile at friends, family, and colleagues. They shared brief remarks with the crowd after landing at Ellington Airport near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026, after a nearly 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth. View the latest imagery from the Artemis II mission on our Artemis II Multimedia Resource Page. Image credit: NASA/Helen Arase Vargas View the full article

Landsat Navigation Landsat Home Missions Landsat Next Landsat 9 Landsat 8 Landsat 7 Landsat 6 Landsat 5 Landsat 4 Landsat 3 Landsat 2 Landsat 1 News Latest News People of Landsat Q&As Newsletter Publications Data Overview Cal/Val Open Data Benefits Overview Agriculture & Food Security Disaster Management Ecosystems & Biodiversity Energy Resources Forest Management Human Health Urban Development Water Resources Wildfires Case Studies Outreach Multimedia About Search The Landsat 7 Science Team at the launch of the Landsat 7 satellite, April 15, 1999. In the more than five decades of the Landsat program, there have been many visionaries who have changed the course of remote sensing history. One such figure is Alexander Goetz, a physicist and planetary scientist who pioneered imaging spectrometry from space. Goetz was part of the Landsat Program from the very beginning, working as a principal investigator for Landsats 1 and 2. Years later, he returned to the program as a member of the first formal Landsat Science Team on Landsat 7. This diverse group of researchers, technologists, and calibration and applications specialists helped advance Landsat science goals, refined algorithms, and supported on-the-ground calibration. Crucially, the team advised on the creation of the long-term acquisition plan (LTAP), which ensured consistent global, seasonal coverage of Landsat data. Goetz, for his part, led a study titled “Land and Land-Use Change in the Climate Sensitive High Plains: An Automated Approach with Landsat”. Goetz, who passed away in 2025 at age 86, was an innovator in the field of spectrometry. According to a 2009 special issue of Remote Sensing of Environment, Goetz was “one of the few remote sensing scientists in the early days of the Landsat program to recognize the Multispectral Scanner (MSS) and later the Thematic Mapper (TM) for what they really were: quantitative spectral measuring instruments, not just ‘cameras in space’ that made pretty pictures.” True to that vision, in 1974—just two years after the launch of Landsat 1—Goetz developed a portable field spectrometer to acquire ground truth surface reflectance data to calibrate data from the MSS. Building on the success of the field spectrometer experiment, he worked with a team to develop the Shuttle Multispectral Infrared Radiometer (SMIRR), which flew on the Space Shuttle in 1981. SMIRR, which collected data across ten bands, enabled scientists to map mineral composition from space for the first time. Data from SMIRR contributed to the case for adding band 7 to the TM on Landsat 4. By measuring data in the shortwave-infrared (SWIR) part of the electromagnetic spectrum, band 7 allowed geological researchers to better map rock types. Goetz was awarded the prestigious William T. Pecora Award and the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement for his pioneering work on imaging spectrometry. Today, 27 years after the launch of Landsat 7, we honor the legacy of Alexander Goetz, one of the key figures in Landsat history. Explore More Honoring Alex Goetz, a Landsat Legend 2 min read Dr. Alex Goetz, who passed away in 2025, was a member of the Landsat 7 Science Team and a key… Apr 15, 2026 Article Megaberg Ends Its Long Odyssey at Sea 5 min read Antarctic Iceberg A-23A’s journey ends in fragmentation in the South Atlantic Ocean, after a 40-year lifespan documented by satellites. Apr 13, 2026 Article Snow in the Shadow of the Andes 2 min read An early autumn storm left higher elevations in southern Argentina with a fresh and fleeting coat of white. Apr 9, 2026 Article 1 2 3 … 303 Next View the full article

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Contours of the James Bay… 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 March 26, 2026 Early spring around Hudson Bay in northern Canada is largely indistinguishable from winter. Sea ice still clings to land, and the boggy lowlands remain frozen. In the dulled tones of the boreal landscape, however, snow helps accentuate the area’s subtle topography. In late March 2026, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station captured this photo of frozen channels feeding Hannah Bay—a southern offshoot of James Bay, which is itself an extension of Hudson Bay. Some of the patterns visible in the photo relate to the region’s ice age history. During the Pleistocene Epoch, the Laurentide Ice Sheet covered most of present-day Canada. It centered on Hudson Bay, where its immense weight depressed the land. Since the Last Glacial Maximum about 20,000 years ago, the ice has retreated and the land has been bouncing back. Glacial isostatic adjustment, or isostatic rebound, is relatively rapid around southern Hudson Bay; the surface continues to rise about 10 millimeters (0.4 inches) per year, or 1 meter per century. The process has left a fingerprint on the newly emerged land. In this photo, faint, closely spaced ridges parallel the shore of ice-covered James Bay at the terminus of the Harricana river. These beach ridges formed from tidal action reworking sands and silts along the shore, with newer ridges developing along the water as land rises and relative sea level drops. The Harricana and adjacent waterways flow through boreal peat bogs, or muskeg, in the Hudson Bay Lowlands on their journey out to sea. As the world’s second largest peatland complex, the lowlands store significant amounts of soil carbon. Elsewhere around the bay, the landscape retains features carved by glaciers, such as drumlins and eskers. With the approach of summer, the muted colors of the frozen months give way to a more varied palette. Peatlands take on a lush, green appearance, and partially decayed organic matter in the peat releases tannins that stain the water dark brown like a strong tea. Sea ice that has remained attached to the James Bay shoreline for several months typically begins to break up in mid- to late-May, with melting complete by the end of July. Astronaut photograph ISS074-E-417241 was acquired on March 26, 2026, with a Nikon Z9 digital camera using a focal length of 200 millimeters. It was provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit at NASA Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 74 crew. The image has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Story by Lindsey Doermann. Downloads March 26, 2026 JPEG (8.70 MB) References & Resources EBSCO Research Starters (2024) Hudson Bay. Accessed April 14, 2026. GRACE Tellus, Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA). Accessed April 14, 2026. NASA Earth Observatory (2023, June 17) James Bay Melts Out. Accessed April 14, 2026. NASA Earth Observatory (2016, October 1) Some Tea With Your River? Accessed April 14, 2026. Price, J.S., et al. (1988) Vegetation patterns in James Bay coastal marshes. II. Effects of hydrology on salinity and vegetation. ********* Journal of Botany, 66(12): 2586-2594. Rice, J.M., et al. (2024) The surficial geology record of ice stream catchment dynamics and ice-divide migration in the Quebec-Labrador sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Quaternary Science Advances, 13, 100123. 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. Chesapeake Bay Locked in Ice 3 min read Nearly 50 years ago, the first Landsat satellite captured the rare sight of Mid-Atlantic waterways frozen over. Article Antarctic Sea Ice Saw Its Third-Lowest Maximum 2 min read Sea ice around the southernmost continent hit one of its lowest seasonal highs since the start of the satellite record. 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

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home 3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4859-4866: One Small Crater and Thousands of Polygons NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image showing faint tracks behind the rover on April 9, 2026. The mission team used autonomous navigation during the end of this drive, so Curiosity herself made the decision to take the turns visible in the images. The rover captured this image using its Left Navigation Camera on Sol 4861, or Martian day 4,861 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission, at 19:03:01 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Written by Abigail Fraeman, Deputy Project Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Earth planning date: Friday, April 10, 2026 Curiosity spent the past week driving towards a small crater, about 10 meters (32 feet) in diameter. Today the team informally named this crater “Antofagasta,” after a region and major city in Chile next to the Atacama. Craters are very cool for many reasons, one of which is that they act as “nature’s drill,” exposing material to the surface through their walls and ejecta that would have otherwise been buried. From orbit, Antofagasta looks like it might be a relatively young crater (less than 50 million years old, which is young on a Martian geologic scale!), so there may be material in and around the crater that was only exposed to the harsh, organic-molecule destroying radiation environment on Mars’ surface in the very recent past. Curiosity has already found many hardy organic molecules that survived billions of years, but could there be an even ******* treasure trove of complex chemistry deep below the surface? Antofagasta could help us answer this question… but only if the crater is big enough to have excavated deep rocks, if it really is relatively young, and if we are able to find a rock we are confident was excavated from depth that also meets the physical requirements for Curiosity’s drill. That’s a lot of “ifs,” but also too exciting of an opportunity to drive by! We’ll be able to answer all these “ifs” and decide what to do once we get a much closer look at the crater from the ground next week. In the meantime, the journey to Antofagasta has been extremely interesting. Many of the rocks we’ve driven over have these incredible textures — thousands of honeycomb-shaped polygons crisscross their surface. Here’s one example, and here’s another example, both from Sol 4859. We’ve seen polygon-patterned rocks like these before, but they didn’t seem quite this dramatically abundant, stretching across the ground for meters and meters in our Mastcam mosaics. This week we continued to collect lots of images and chemical data that will help us distinguish between different hypotheses for how the honeycomb textures formed. We also continued to monitor Mars’ environment, with lots of dust-****** searches and images toward the horizon to characterize the Martian atmosphere as it grows predictably dustier approaching the warm summer months. I’m looking forward to seeing the data that should arrive on Earth by Tuesday morning. If all goes well, Curiosity will be perched on the edge of Antofagasta, sending images that will allow us humans to see the crater rim and into the interior for the first time from the ground. Want to read more posts from the Curiosity team? Visit Mission Updates Want to learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments? Visit the Science Instruments page NASA’s Curiosity rover at the base of Mount Sharp NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Share Details Last Updated Apr 14, 2026 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 4 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4852–4858: When Data Take Their Time… Article 1 day ago 3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4845-4851: Bye-Bye Boxwork, Bye-Bye Article 1 day ago 4 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4838-4844: Wrapping Up the Boxwork Terrain Article 3 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four… View the full article

Trumpler 3 and NGC 2353 (Labeled). X-ray: NASA/CXC/Penn State Univ/K. Getman; Optical/IR: PanSTARRS; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk Scientists have found that young stellar cousins of our Sun are calming down and dimming more quickly in their X-ray output than previously thought, according to a new study using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. A paper describing the results published Monday in The Astrophysical Journal. Unlike in the new movie “Project Hail Mary,” this quieting of young stars is a benefit for the prospects for life on orbiting planets around these stars — not a threat. Astronomers used Chandra and other telescopes to monitor how powerful radiation from young stars — often in the form of dangerous X-rays — can pummel planets surrounding them. They did not know, however, how long this high-energy barrage continued. This latest study looked at eight clusters of stars between the ages of 45 million and 750 million years old. The researchers found that Sun-like stars in these clusters unleashed only about a quarter to a third of the X-rays they expected. “While science fiction – like the microbes in Project Hail Mary – imagines alien life that dims stellar output by consuming its energy, our real observations reveal a natural ‘quieting’ of young Sun-like stars in X-rays,” said Konstantin Getman, the lead author of the new study from Penn State University. “This is not because an outside force is consuming their light, but because their internal generation of magnetic fields becomes less efficient.” In fact, this calming could be a boon to the formation of life on planets around stars that are younger versions of our own Sun. (Our Sun is about 4.6 billion years old, so significantly older than the stellar cousins in this study.) This is because large amounts of X-rays can erode a planet’s atmosphere and prevent formation of molecules necessary for organic life as we know it. On average, three-million-year-old stars with a mass equal to the Sun produce about a thousand times more X-rays than today’s Sun. Meanwhile, 100-million-year-old solar-mass stars are about 40 times brighter in X-rays than the present Sun. Illustration of a young Sun-like star eroding some of the atmosphere of an orbiting planet. NASA/SAO/CXC/M. Weiss “It’s possible that we owe our existence to our Sun doing the same thing, several billion years ago, that we see these young stars doing now,” said co-author Vladimir Airapetian of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “This real-world dimming echoes the dramatic stellar change in fiction, but it may be even more fascinating because it highlights our own Sun’s actual history.” The researchers found that stars with about the same mass as the Sun quieted down relatively rapidly — after a few hundred million years — while ones with less mass kept up their high levels of X-ray emission for longer. Combined with a decrease in the energy of the X-rays and the disappearance of energetic particles, the Sun-sized stars are apparently better suited to host planets with robust atmospheres and possibly blossoming life than previously thought. The research team also used data from ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) Gaia satellite and X-ray data from the ROSAT (ROentgen SATellite) mission. This data allowed them to identify the stars that were members of the clusters (not foreground or background stars). To measure the X-ray output from the stars, they made new Chandra observations of five clusters with ages between 45 million and 100 million years, in addition to using Chandra and ROSAT data from archives to study three older clusters with ages between 220 and 750 million years. Astronomers have not been able to study the X-ray output of stars in this age range well before. Most astronomers have relied on sparse data and a derived relation that predicts the X-ray emission young stars should produce based on their ages and rates of spin. Older and more slowly rotating stars are usually fainter in X-rays, but the team found that X-ray output drops off about 15 times more rapidly than the derived relation predicts during this specific adolescent phase. “We can only see our Sun at this current snapshot in time, so to really understand its past we must look to other stars with about the same mass,” said co-author Eric Feigelson, also of Penn State University. “By studying X-rays from stars that are hundreds of millions of years old, we have filled in a large gap in our understanding of their evolution.” While they are still investigating the cause of this slower-than-expected activity, scientists think the process that generates magnetic fields in these stars may become less efficient. This would lead to the stars becoming quieter in X-rays more quickly, as they age. The researchers will continue to look at this and other potential causes for the rapid dimming of young Sun-like stars. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts. Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory Learn more about the Chandra X-ray Observatory and its mission here: [Hidden Content] [Hidden Content] News Media Contact Megan Watzke Chandra X-ray Center Cambridge, Mass. 617-496-7998 *****@*****.tld Joel Wallace Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama 256-544-0034 *****@*****.tld View the full article

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA/Keegan Barber Since it began in 1958, NASA has been charged by law with spreading the word about its work to the widest extent practicable. From typewritten press releases to analog photos and film, the agency has effectively moved into social media and other online communications. NASA’s broad reach across digital platforms has been recognized by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), with 7 nominations across multiple categories for the academy’s 30th annual Webby Awards. Public Voting Opportunities Voting for the Webby People’s Voice Awards—chosen by the public—is open now through Thursday, April 16. Voting links for each category are listed below. 30th Annual Webby Award Nominees AI, Immersive & Games Hearing Hubble NASA Goddard Immersive Content: Science & Education Social NASA’s Webb Telescope and the Universe: Using social media to connect us all NASA Goddard Social Campaigns: Education & Science Nerdy Words NASA Marshall Social Video Short Form: Education & Science NASA Astronauts Posts from Space NASA General Social: Education & Science Video & Film Cosmic Dawn (NASA+ Original Documentary) NASA General Video and Film: Documentary: Longform Podcasts Houston We Have a Podcast: Artemis II: The Mission NASA Johnson Individual Episodes: Science & Education NASA’s Curious Universe: The Earth Series NASA Limited-Series & Specials: Health, Science, & Education About the Webby Awards Established in 1996 during the web’s infancy, The Webbys is presented by the IADAS—a 3000+ member judging body. The Academy is comprised of Executive Members—leading Internet experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries, and creative celebrities—and associate members who are former Webby winners, nominees and other internet professionals. The Webby Awards presents two honors in every category—the Webby Award and the Webby People’s Voice Award. Members of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) select the nominees for both awards in each category, as well as the winners of the Webby Awards. In the spirit of the open web, the Webby People’s Voice is chosen by the voting public, and garners millions of votes from all over the world. View the full article

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) 2025-2026 Dream with Us Winners Congratulation to our 2025-2026 Dream with Us Design Challenge Winners! We are pleased to share this year’s winning projects: Middle School 1st Place: Scout Farm (Varenya D., Aashritha P., and Alvitha P., NJ) 2nd Place: AgriTech (Charlotte W. and Richard F., CA) 3rd Place: AgriDrone (Hasini B. and Kanishka A, TX and CA) High School 1st Place: SkySeekers (****** Vista High School and Foothill High School, CA) Team SkySeekers Engineering Notebook 2nd Place: AeroForge (Adrian Wilcox High School, CA) Team AeroForge Engineering Notebook 3rd Place: Flight Fusion Team (Eastern Technical High School, Damascus High School, Dulaney High School, and Thomas Wooten High School, MD) Team Flight Fusion Engineering Notebook Dream with Us Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASAes @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Linkedin logo @NASA Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans In Space Aeronautics STEM Explore NASA’s History Share Details Last Updated Apr 14, 2026 EditorLillian GipsonContactJim Banke*****@*****.tld Related TermsAeronautics STEM View the full article