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4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Christine Braden values new experiences that broaden her perspective; a mindset that has guided her 26-year career at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where she currently serves as a senior systems engineer in the Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program. In her role, Braden works with engineering teams to develop commercial space stations that will prioritize the safety of astronauts while maximizing cost-effectiveness and the scientific research capabilities onboard. Managed by NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, the program supports the development of commercially owned and operated space stations in low Earth orbit from which the agency, along with other customers, can purchase services and stimulate the growth of commercial activities in space. Designing and developing these space stations is the first step of NASA’s two-phase approach, enabling the agency to certify stations and procure services as one of many customers. With a bachelor’s degree in Technical Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Braden brings a strong engineering foundation to her work. However, her role unique because it allows her to merge technical expertise with her creative instincts. “My team must think outside the box to define new ways that ensure that the commercial providers’ technical integrations, requirements, development, and operations are designed to the highest degree possible,” said Braden. Recently, she proposed a certification and systems engineering architecture that redefines how companies will interface with NASA and each other in an evolving landscape. Braden’s hybrid approach strikes a balance, allowing companies to innovate while favoring shared assurance and accountability. It also gives NASA situational awareness of the companies’ design, tests, mission, and operational approaches. As a result of her efforts, Braden was recognized with an “On the Spot” award. Christine Braden receives an “On the Spot” award from Angela Hart, program manager for NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program, in March 2024.NASA/Helen Arase Vargas Looking ahead, Braden envisions a world where commercial space stations are a hub for science and technology, spacecraft are more efficient, spaceflight is more accessible, humans are back on the Moon, and Mars is the next frontier. In reflecting on these agency-wide goals, Braden finds that working with passionate team members makes her day-to-day work truly special and enjoyable. “I am a part of a small, close-knit team that works together to make these advancements in space exploration happen for the world,” said Braden. “Working at NASA is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that not only defines my working life going forward but also provides me with an experience I can share with some truly amazing people.” Working at NASA is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that not only defines my working life going forward but also provides me with an experience I can share with some truly amazing people. Christine Braden Senior Systems Engineer, Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program Outside of work, Braden is inspired by her faith, which encourages her to see things from new perspectives and try to understand people from all walks of life. Additionally, Braden is a lifelong learner who loves listening to podcasts, watching documentaries, and reading web articles. She is eager to learn everything from music and dance to plants and animals. “When I look through scientific websites where new planets and galaxies are discovered, it makes me think of ways humanity may expand itself to the stars, and ways that we can preserve the life we have here on Earth,” said Braden. On the topic of preservation, one of Braden’s many hobbies is antique restoration. “It reminds me of my dad and grandfather restoring homes together during my childhood and gives me hope that I can inspire my children as they watch me follow in our family’s footsteps,” said Braden. Her other hobbies include gardening and family activities such as puzzles, board games, watching television, playing video games, hunting, and traveling. As a driven individual known for her creativity and curiosity, Braden’s fresh ideas and spirit are key in guiding the agency’s progress into new frontiers. NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate maintains a continuous human presence in space for the benefit of people on Earth. The programs within the directorate are the hub of NASA’s space exploration efforts, enabling Artemis, commercial space, science, and other agency missions through communication, launch services, research capabilities, and crew support. To learn more about NASA’s Space Operation Mission Directorate, visit: [Hidden Content] Share Details Last Updated May 15, 2025 Related TermsSpace Operations Mission Directorate Explore More 4 min read NASA Enables SPHEREx Data Return Through Commercial Partnership Article 1 week ago 4 min read Meet the Space Ops Team: Becky Brocato Article 4 weeks ago 3 min read Meet the Space Ops Team: Anum Ashraf Article 2 months ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Humans In Space International Space Station Commercial Space NASA Directorates View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

4 Min Read Spacewalk Research and Technology NASA astronaut Anne McClain prepares spacesuits ahead of the May 2025 spacewalk. Credits: NASA Science in Space: May Crew members on the International Space Station periodically conduct spacewalks to perform a variety of tasks such as installing, upgrading, and repairing equipment. During a spacewalk on May 1, astronauts installed hardware to support the planned addition of a seventh roll-out solar array on the exterior of the space station. Each of these arrays produces more than 20 kilowatts of electricity and together they will increased power production by up to 30%, enabling more scientific operations on the orbiting lab. NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore collects samples from the exterior of the space station for ISS External Microorganisms.NASA Some spacewalks include operations for scientific research. On January 20, 2025, crew members collected samples for ISS External Microorganisms, an investigation examining whether microorganisms have exited through station vents and can survive in space. Results could help determine changes needed in design of spacecraft (including spacesuits) to prevent human-associated microbes from contaminating Mars and other exploration destinations. Radiation monitoring CSA astronaut Dave Williams on a spacewalk in 2007. CSA studied the radiation dose crew members experience while outside the station.NASA The CSA (********* Space Agency) investigation EVA Radiation Monitoring, used a miniature, power-efficient wireless radiation measurement system or dosimeter worn by crew members during spacewalks. This type of device could help identify parts of the body that are exposed to the highest radiation levels during spacewalks. Results showed that this type of device is a feasible way to monitor individual dose during spacewalks. The device also has potential uses on Earth, such as monitoring radiation exposure during ******* treatments. Spacesuit technology Spacesuits are essentially one-person spacecraft that protect their wearers from the hazards of space, including radiation and extreme temperatures. Space station research is helping improve the suits and tools for spacewalks and activities outside spacecraft and for the exploration of the Moon and Mars. SpaceSkin on ExHAM, a JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) investigation, evaluated the durability of a fabric with imbedded sensors to detect damage. Sensors integrated into the exposed outermost layer of a spacesuit could detect damage such as impacts from micrometeoroids. Researchers documented factors to consider in design of textiles with sensing capabilities as well as the ability to withstand the hazards of space. Such fabrics could be integrated into spacesuits and habitats to help protect astronauts on spacewalks and future exploration missions. NASA astronaut Patrick G. Forrester works with the MISSE facility.NASA Researchers use the Materials International Space Station Experiment or MISSE facility on the exterior of the space station for experiments exposing various materials and components to the harsh environment of space. Along with solar cells, electronics, and coatings, MISSE-7 tested pristine fibers from Apollo mission spacesuits and others scratched by lunar dust to examine the combined effects of abrasion and radiation damage. Researchers report that the fabrics significantly degraded, suggesting the need for ways to prevent or mitigate radiation damage to spacesuits on extended missions to the Moon. MISSE-9 tested spacesuit materials treated with shear-thickening fluids. These suspensions of tiny particles in a fluid react to stress by quickly changing from a liquid to a solid. The research showed that the materials maintained their mechanical performance characteristics and puncture resistance after extended exposure. Keeping cool also is important on a spacewalk, where temperatures can reach 250 degrees. SERFE, or Spacesuit Evaporation Rejection Flight Experiment, tested a technology using water evaporation to remove heat from a spacesuit so crew members and equipment remain at appropriate temperatures during spacewalks. A current cooling method, called sublimation, exposes small amounts of water to space, causing it to freeze and then turn into vapor that disperses, removing heat as it does so. The SERFE technology may be less susceptible to water contamination than sublimation. Exiting station The Nanoracks Bishop Airlock is attached to the Canadarm2 robotic arm as the International Space Station orbits 264 miles above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil. Ocean off the coast of southern Brazil at the time of this photograph.NASA Crew members use specialized airlocks to exit the station for spacewalks. Airlocks also make it possible to deploy satellites and other external equipment. The Nanoracks Bishop Airlock was the first commercially owned and operated airlock installed on the space station. Its size, design, and automation enable faster and more efficient movement of materials out of and into the station, reducing the crew and robotics time needed. In addition to facilitating spacewalks, this facility could support increased commercial use of the space station and expand research capabilities. Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Latest News from Space Station Research Space Station Research and Technology Space Station Technology Demonstration Humans In Space View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Will the Sun ever burn out? Well, the Sun, just like the stars we see at night, is a star. It’s a giant ball of super hot hydrogen. Gravity squeezes it in and it creates energy, which is what makes the Sun shine. Eventually, it will use up all of that hydrogen. But in the process, it’s creating helium. So it will then use the helium. And it will continue to use larger and larger elements until it can’t do this anymore. And when that happens, it will start to expand into a red giant about the size of the inner planets. Then it will shrink back down into a very strange star called a white dwarf — super hot, but not very bright and about the size of the Earth. But our Sun has a pretty long lifetime. It’s halfway through its 10-billion-year lifetime. So the Sun will never really burn out, but it will change and be a very, very different dim kind of star when it reaches the end of its normal life. [END VIDEO TRANSCRIPT] Full Episode List Full YouTube Playlist Share Details Last Updated May 15, 2025 Related TermsScience Mission DirectorateHeliophysicsHeliophysics DivisionThe Solar SystemThe SunThe Sun & Solar Physics Explore More 4 min read Eclipses, Auroras, and the Spark of Becoming: NASA Inspires Future Scientists In the heart of Alaska’s winter, where the night sky stretches endlessly and the aurora… Article 16 hours ago 6 min read NASA Observes First Visible-light Auroras at Mars On March 15, 2024, near the peak of the current solar cycle, the Sun produced… Article 19 hours ago 6 min read NASA’s Magellan Mission Reveals Possible Tectonic Activity on Venus Article 19 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

Explore This Section Perseverance Home Mission Overview Rover Components Mars Rock Samples Where is Perseverance? Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Mission Updates Science Overview Objectives Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Perseverance Raw Images Images Videos Audio More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home 2 min read A Tough Drill at Witch Hazel Hill The Bell Island drill hole: This image of the Bell Island drill hole was acquired by the front left Hazcam, on May 7, 2025 (Sol 1497, or Martian day 1,497 of the Mars 2020 mission) at the local mean solar time of 15:31:16. NASA/JPL-Caltech Written by Alex Jones, Ph.D. candidate at Imperial College London After a busy few months exploring the outer slopes of the Jezero crater rim at an area named “Witch Hazel Hill,” the Perseverance Science Team was eyeing another sample of these truly ancient rocks, which likely predate Jezero crater itself. The target? A rock containing spherules, which could shed a light on volcanic- or impact-related processes occurring in Mars’ most ancient past. After a search of several outcrops, the “Hare Bay” abrasion patch at “Pine Pond” revealed suitably accessible and spherule-bearing bedrock for sampling. On Sol 1483 of the mission, sampling was a-go… But Mars wasn’t keen to give its secrets away too easily. As data began arriving on Earth, it became clear Perseverance had managed to drill into the rock but had stopped short of retracting the drill and storing the sample. It transpired that this rock was particularly hard — a far cry from the crumbly rocks of the upper crater rim that fell apart when faced with Perseverance’s drill bit. This isn’t the first time a hard rock has gotten in the way of sampling; an extremely hard-to-crack boulder on the Jezero fan top stopped the drill short. This time though, the drill penetrated the rock as expected, but faulted during retraction. After a few sols of hard work by the engineering team, however, there were smiles all round as images of the successfully retracted drill reached Earth. But Mars wasn’t finished with surprises yet. The “Bell Island” core contained the spherules the team were looking for, but the sample tube was overfilled. This meant that excess core length would prevent the sample from being sealed. In the end, the team opted to execute a dump activity to clear at least some of the sample out of the tube. This activity succeeded in removing enough sample that the tube can now be sealed in the future. As has been the case in the past on Mars, the most exciting discoveries often require a little Perseverance… before during Sampling the spherules: The first image (left) shows Perseverance placing its stabilizers, ready to drill into the layered, spherule-bearing bedrock at the local mean solar time of 15:19:19 on April 22, 2025 (Sol 1483). NASA/JPL-Caltech Sampling the spherules: The second image (right), acquired approximately 25 minutes later, shows Perseverance’s drill embedded into the rock, having covered the Hare Bay abrasion patch with rock powder during the drilling process. Several pebbles (most notably in the lower left) appear to have moved between the first and second image, due to vibrations caused by the drilling. Both images were acquired by the rover’s front left Hazcam. NASA/JPL-Caltech beforeduring Sampling the spherules: The first image (left) shows Perseverance placing its stabilizers, ready to drill into the layered, spherule-bearing bedrock at the local mean solar time of 15:19:19 on April 22, 2025 (Sol 1483). NASA/JPL-Caltech Sampling the spherules: The second image (right), acquired approximately 25 minutes later, shows Perseverance’s drill embedded into the rock, having covered the Hare Bay abrasion patch with rock powder during the drilling process. Several pebbles (most notably in the lower left) appear to have moved between the first and second image, due to vibrations caused by the drilling. Both images were acquired by the rover’s front left Hazcam. NASA/JPL-Caltech before during ready, set, drill Sampling the Spherules April 22, 2025 CurtainToggle2-Up Image Details The first image (left) shows Perseverance placing its stabilizers, ready to drill into the layered, spherule-bearing bedrock at the local mean solar time of 15:19:19 on April 22, 2025 (Sol 1483). The second image (right), acquired approximately 25 minutes later, shows Perseverance’s drill embedded into the rock, having covered the Hare Bay abrasion patch with rock powder during the drilling process. Several pebbles (most notably in the lower left) appear to have moved between the first and second image, due to vibrations caused by the drilling. Both images were acquired by the rover’s front left Hazcam. Share Details Last Updated May 14, 2025 Related Terms Uncategorized Explore More 6 min read Where Does Gold Come From? NASA Data Has Clues Article 2 weeks ago 4 min read Atomic Clock and Plant DNA Research Launching Aboard NASA’s SpaceX CRS-32 Mission Article 4 weeks ago 4 min read NASA to Launch Three Rockets from Alaska in Single Aurora Experiment Article 2 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four… View the full article

Explore This Section Science Science Activation Eclipses, Auroras, and the… Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science 4 min read Eclipses, Auroras, and the Spark of Becoming: NASA Inspires Future Scientists In the heart of Alaska’s winter, where the night sky stretches endlessly and the aurora dances across the sky in a display of ethereal beauty, nine undergraduate students from across the United States were about to embark on a transformative journey. These students had been active ‘NASA Partner Eclipse Ambassadors’ in their home communities, nine of more than 700 volunteers who shared the science and awe of the 2024 eclipse with hundreds of thousands of people across the country as part of the NASA Science Activation program’s Eclipse Ambassadors project. Now, these nine were chosen to participate in a once-in a lifetime experience as a part of the “Eclipses to Aurora” Winter Field School at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Organized by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and NASA’s Aurorasaurus Citizen Science project, supported by NASA, this program offered more than just lectures—it was an immersive experience into the wonders of heliophysics and the profound connections between the Sun and Earth. From January 4 to 11, 2025, the students explored the science behind the aurora through seminars on solar and space physics, hands-on experiments, and tours of cutting-edge research facilities like the Poker Flat Research Range. They also gained invaluable insight from Athabaskan elders, who shared local stories and star knowledge passed down through generations. As Feras recalled, “We attended multiple panels on solar and space physics, spoke to local elders on their connection to the auroras, and visited the Poker Flat Research Range to observe the stunning northern lights.” For many students, witnessing the aurora was not only a scientific milestone, but a deeply personal and emotional experience. One participant, Andrea, described it vividly: “I looked to the darkest horizon I could find to see my only constant dream fulfilled before my eyes, so slowly dancing and bending to cradle the stars. All I could do, with my hands frozen and tears falling, I began to dream again with my eyes wide open.” Another student, Kalid, reflected on the shared human moment: “Standing there under the vast Alaskan sky… we were all just people, looking up, waiting for something magical. The auroras didn’t care about our majors or our knowledge—they brought us together under the same sky.” These moments of wonder were mirrored by a deeper sense of purpose and transformation. “Over the course of the week, I had the incredible opportunity to explore auroras through lectures on solar physics, planetary auroras, and Indigenous star knowledge… and to reflect on these experiences through essays and presentations,” said Sophia. The Winter Field School was more than an academic endeavor—it was a celebration of science, culture, and shared human experience. It fostered not only understanding but unity and awe, reminding everyone involved of the profound interconnectedness of our universe. The impact of the program continues to resonate. For many students, that one aurora-lit week in Alaska became a turning point in the focus of their careers. Sophia has since been accepted into graduate school to pursue heliophysics. Vishvi, inspired by the intersection of science and society, will begin a program in medical physics at the University of Pennsylvania this fall. And Christy, moved by her time at the epicenter of aurora research, has applied to the Ph.D. program in Space Physics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks—the very institution that helped spark her journey. Their stories are powerful proof that the Winter Field School didn’t just teach—it awakened purpose, lit new paths, and left footprints on futures still unfolding. Eclipse Ambassadors is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number 80NSS22M0007 and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: [Hidden Content] Participants at the Winter Field School are enjoying the trip to Anchorage, AK. Andy Witteman Share Details Last Updated May 14, 2025 Editor NASA Science Editorial Team Related Terms Science Activation Auroras Eclipses Opportunities For Students to Get Involved Explore More 4 min read Take a Tour of the Cosmos with New Interactives from NASA’s Universe of Learning Article 1 day ago 6 min read What NASA Is Learning from the Biggest Geomagnetic Storm in 20 Years Article 5 days ago 6 min read Building for a Better World: Norfolk Students Bring STEM to Life with NASA Partnership Article 4 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA James Webb Space Telescope Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the… Perseverance Rover This rover and its aerial sidekick were assigned to study the geology of Mars and seek signs of ancient microbial… Parker Solar Probe On a mission to “touch the Sun,” NASA’s Parker Solar Probe became the first spacecraft to fly through the corona… Juno NASA’s Juno spacecraft entered orbit around Jupiter in 2016, the first explorer to peer below the planet’s dense clouds to… View the full article

Credit: NASA NASA has selected Rocket Lab USA Inc. of Long Beach, California, to launch the agency’s Aspera mission, a SmallSat to study galaxy formation and evolution, providing new insights into how the universe works. The selection is part of NASA’s Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract. This contract allows the agency to make fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity launch service task order awards during VADR’s five-year ordering *******, with a maximum total contract value of $300 million. Through the observation of ultraviolet light, Aspera will examine hot gas in the space between galaxies, called the intergalactic medium. The mission will study the inflow and outflow of gas from galaxies, a process thought to contribute to star formation. Aspera is part of NASA’s Pioneers Program in the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, which funds compelling astrophysics science at a lower cost using small hardware and modest payloads. The principal investigator for Aspera is Carlos Vargas at the University of Arizona in Tucson. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, manages the VADR contract. To learn more about NASA’s Aspera mission and the Pioneers Program, visit: [Hidden Content] -end- Joshua Finch / Tiernan Doyle Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld Patti Bielling Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-501-7575 *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated May 14, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsSpace Operations Mission DirectorateKennedy Space CenterLaunch Services OfficeLaunch Services ProgramNASA Headquarters View the full article

NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA The spiral galaxy known as Messier 81 (M81) has a rosy tint in this June 1, 2007, composite image that incorporates data from NASA’s Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes, and NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer. Discovered by the ******* astronomer Johann Elert Bode in 1774, M81 is one of the brightest galaxies in the night sky. It is located 11.6 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major. The galaxy’s spiral arms, which wind all the way down into its nucleus, are made up of young, bluish, hot stars formed in the past few million years. They also host a population of stars formed in an episode of star formation that started about 600 million years ago. Learn more about M81 in Hubble’s Messier Catalog. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA View the full article

The Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4, crew will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left to right: ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.Credit: Axiom Space NASA will join a media teleconference hosted by Axiom Space at 10:30 a.m. EDT, Tuesday, May 20, to discuss the launch of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Briefing participants include: Dana Weigel, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Allen Flynt, chief of mission services, Axiom Space Sarah Walker, director, Dragon mission management, SpaceX Sergio Palumberi, mission manager, ESA (European Space Agency) Aleksandra Bukała, project manager, head of strategy and international cooperation, POLSA (Polish Space Agency) Orsolya Ferencz, ministerial commissioner of space research, HUNOR (Hungarian to Orbit) To join the call, media must register with Axiom Space by 12 p.m., Monday, May 19, at: [Hidden Content] The Ax-4 launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket is targeted no earlier than 9:11 a.m., Sunday, June 8, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During the mission aboard the space station, a four-person multi-national crew will complete about 60 research experiments developed for microgravity in collaboration with organizations across the globe. Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission, while ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. The first private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 1, lifted off in April 2022 for a 17-day mission aboard the orbiting laboratory. The second private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 2, also was commanded by Whitson and launched in May 2023 for eight days in orbit. The most recent private astronaut mission, Axiom Mission 3, launched in January 2024; the crew spent 18 days docked to the space station. The International Space Station is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy. NASA’s goal is to achieve a strong economy off the Earth where the agency can purchase services as one of many customers to meet its science and research objectives in microgravity. NASA’s commercial strategy for low Earth orbit provides the government with reliable and safe services at a lower cost, enabling the agency to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars while also continuing to use low Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions. Learn more about NASA’s commercial space strategy at: [Hidden Content] -end- Claire O’Shea Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 claire.a.o’*****@*****.tld Anna Schneider Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 *****@*****.tld Alexis DeJarnette Axiom Space, Houston *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated May 14, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsHumans in SpaceCommercial SpaceInternational Space Station (ISS)Johnson Space CenterNASA Headquarters View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

6 min read NASA Observes First Visible-light Auroras at Mars On March 15, 2024, near the peak of the current solar cycle, the Sun produced a solar flare and an accompanying coronal mass ejection (CME), a massive explosion of gas and magnetic energy that carries with it large amounts of solar energetic particles. This solar activity led to stunning auroras across the solar system, including at Mars, where NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover made history by detecting them for the first time from the surface of another planet. The first visible-light image of green aurora on Mars (left), taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument on NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. On the right is a comparison image of the night sky of Mars without aurora but featuring the Martian moon Deimos. The moonlit Martian night sky, lit up mostly by Mars’ nearer and larger moon Phobos (outside the frame) has a reddish-brown hue due to the dust in the atmosphere, so when green auroral light is added, the sky takes on a green-yellow tone, as seen in the left image. NASA/JPL-Caltech/****/MSSS/SSI “This exciting discovery opens up new possibilities for auroral research and confirms that auroras could be visible to future astronauts on Mars’ surface.” said Elise Knutsen, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oslo in Norway and lead author of the Science Advances study, which reported the detection. Picking the right aurora On Earth, auroras form when solar particles interact with the global magnetic field, funneling them to the poles where they collide with atmospheric gases and emit light. The most common color, green, is caused by excited oxygen atoms emitting light at a wavelength of 557.7 nanometers. For years, scientists have theorized that green light auroras could also exist on Mars but suggested they would be much fainter and harder to capture than the green auroras we see on Earth. Due to the Red Planet’s lack of a global magnetic field, Mars has different types of auroras than those we have on Earth. One of these is solar energetic particle (SEP) auroras, which NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) mission discovered in 2014. These occur when super-energetic particles from the Sun hit the Martian atmosphere, causing a reaction that makes the atmosphere glow across the whole night sky. While MAVEN had observed SEP auroras in ultraviolet light from orbit, this phenomenon had never been observed in visible light from the ground. Since SEPs typically occur during solar storms, which increase during solar maximum, Knutsen and her team set their sights on capturing visible images and spectra of SEP aurora from Mars’ surface at the peak of the Sun’s current solar cycle. Coordinating the picture-perfect moment Through modeling, Knutsen and her team determined the optimal angle for the Perseverance rover’s SuperCam spectrometer and Mastcam-Z camera to successfully observe the SEP aurora in visible light. With this observation strategy in place, it all came down to the timing and understanding of CMEs. “The trick was to pick a good CME, one that would accelerate and inject many charged particles into Mars’ atmosphere,” said Knutsen. That is where the teams at NASA’s Moon to Mars (M2M) Space Weather Analysis Office and the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC), both located at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, came in. The M2M team provides real-time analysis of solar eruptions to the CCMC for initiating simulations of CMEs to determine if they might impact current NASA missions. When the simulations suggest potential impacts, the team sends out an alert. At the University of California, Berkeley, space physicist Christina Lee received an alert from the M2M office about the March 15, 2024, CME. Lee, a member of the MAVEN mission team who serves as the space weather lead, determined there was a notable solar storm heading toward the Red Planet,which could arrive in a few days. She immediately issued the Mars Space Weather Alert Notification to currently operating Mars missions. “This allows the science teams of Perseverance and MAVEN to anticipate impacts of interplanetary CMEs and the associated SEPs,” said Lee. “When we saw the strength of this one,” Knutsen said, “we estimated it could trigger aurora bright enough for our instruments to detect.” A few days later, the CME impacted Mars, providing a lightshow for the rover to capture, showing the aurora to be nearly uniform across the sky at an emission wavelength of exactly 557.7 nm. To confirm the presence of SEPs during the aurora observation, the team looked to MAVEN’s SEP instrument, which was additionally corroborated by data from ESA’s (European Space Agency) Mars Express mission. Data from both missions confirmed that the rover team had managed to successfully catch a glimpse of the phenomenon in the very narrow time window available. “This was a fantastic example of cross-mission coordination. We all worked together quickly to facilitate this observation and are thrilled to have finally gotten a sneak peek of what astronauts will be able to see there some day,” said Shannon Curry, MAVEN principal investigator and research scientist at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder). The future of aurora on Mars By coordinating the Perseverance observations with measurements from MAVEN’s SEP instrument, the teams could help each other determine that the observed 557.7 nm emission came from solar energetic particles. Since this is the same emission line as the green aurora on Earth, it is likely that future Martian astronauts would be able to see this type of aurora. “Perseverance’s observations of the visible-light aurora confirm a new way to study these phenomena that’s complementary to what we can observe with our Mars orbiters,” said Katie Stack Morgan, acting project scientist for Perseverance at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “A better understanding of auroras and the conditions around Mars that lead to their formation are especially important as we prepare to send human explorers there safely.” On September 21, 2014, NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) spacecraft entered orbit around Mars. The mission has produced a wealth of data about how Mars’ atmosphere responds to the Sun and solar wind NASA/JPL-Caltech More About Perseverance and MAVEN The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program portfolio and NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. The MAVEN mission, also part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program portfolio, is led by LASP at CU Boulder. It’s managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and was built and operated by Lockheed Martin Space, with navigation and network support from NASA’s JPL. — By Willow Reed Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), University of Colorado Boulder Media Contact: Karen Fox / Molly Wasser Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld Nancy N. Jones NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. DC Agle Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-393-9011 *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated May 14, 2025 Related Terms Mars Goddard Space Flight Center MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

6 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) New research suggests vast surface features on Venus called coronae continue to be shaped by tectonic processes. Observations of these features from NASA’s Magellan mission include, clockwise from top left, Artemis Corona, Quetzalpetlatl Corona, Bahet Corona, and Aine Corona.NASA/JPL-Caltech Using archival data from the mission, launched in 1989, researchers have uncovered new evidence that tectonic activity may be deforming the planet’s surface. Vast, quasi-circular features on Venus’ surface may reveal that the planet has ongoing tectonics, according to new research based on data gathered more than 30 years ago by NASA’s Magellan mission. On Earth, the planet’s surface is continually renewed by the constant shifting and recycling of massive sections of crust, called tectonic plates, that float atop a viscous interior. Venus doesn’t have tectonic plates, but its surface is still being deformed by molten material from below. Seeking to better understand the underlying processes driving these deformations, the researchers studied a type of feature called a corona. Ranging in size from dozens to hundreds of miles across, a corona is most often thought to be the location where a plume of hot, buoyant material from the planet’s mantle rises, pushing against the lithosphere above. (The lithosphere includes the planet’s crust and the uppermost part of its mantle.) These structures are usually oval, with a concentric fracture system surrounding them. Hundreds of coronae are known to exist on Venus. Published in the journal Science Advances, the new study details newly discovered signs of activity at or beneath the surface shaping many of Venus’ coronae, features that may also provide a unique window into Earth’s past. The researchers found the evidence of this tectonic activity within data from NASA’s Magellan mission, which orbited Venus in the 1990s and gathered the most detailed gravity and topography data on the planet currently available. “Coronae are not found on Earth today; however, they may have existed when our planet was young and before plate tectonics had been established,” said the study’s lead author, Gael Cascioli, assistant research scientist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “By combining gravity and topography data, this research has provided a new and important insight into the possible subsurface processes currently shaping the surface of Venus.” This artist’s concept of the large Quetzalpetlatl Corona located in Venus’ southern hemisphere depicts active volcanism and a subduction zone, where the foreground crust plunges into the planet’s interior. A new study suggests coronae are the locations of several types of tectonic activity.NASA/JPL-Caltech/Peter Rubin As members of NASA’s forthcoming VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) mission, Cascioli and his team are particularly interested in the high-resolution gravity data the spacecraft will provide. Study coauthor Erwan Mazarico, also at Goddard, will co-lead the VERITAS gravity experiment when the mission launches no earlier than 2031. Mystery Coronae Managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, Magellan used its radar system to see through Venus’ thick atmosphere and map the topography of its mountains and plains. Of the geological features the spacecraft mapped, coronae were perhaps the most enigmatic: It wasn’t clear how they formed. In the years since, scientists have found many coronae in locations where the planet’s lithosphere is thin and heat flow is high. “Coronae are abundant on Venus. They are very large features, and people have proposed different theories over the years as to how they formed,” said coauthor Anna Gülcher, Earth and planetary scientist at the University of Bern in Switzerland. “The most exciting thing for our study is that we can now say there are most likely various and ongoing active processes driving their formation. We believe these same processes may have occurred early in Earth’s history.” The researchers developed sophisticated 3D geodynamic models that demonstrate various formation scenarios for plume-induced coronae and compared them with the combined gravity and topography data from Magellan. The gravity data proved crucial in helping the researchers detect less dense, hot, and buoyant plumes under the surface — information that couldn’t be discerned from topography data alone. Of the 75 coronae studied, 52 appear to have buoyant mantle material beneath them that is likely driving tectonic processes. One key process is subduction: On Earth, it happens when the edge of one tectonic plate is driven beneath the adjacent plate. Friction between the plates can generate earthquakes, and as the old rocky material dives into the hot mantle, the rock melts and is recycled back to the surface via volcanic vents. These illustrations depict various types of tectonic activity thought to persist beneath Venus’ coronae. Lithospheric dripping and subduction are shown at top; below are and two scenarios where hot plume material rises and pushes against the lithosphere, potentially driving volcanism above it.Anna Gülcher, CC BY-NC On Venus, a different kind of subduction is thought to occur around the perimeter of some coronae. In this scenario, as a buoyant plume of hot rock in the mantle pushes upward into the lithosphere, surface material rises and spreads outward, colliding with surrounding surface material and pushing that material downward into the mantle. Another tectonic process known as lithospheric dripping could also be present, where dense accumulations of comparatively cool material sink from the lithosphere into the hot mantle. The researchers also identify several places where a third process may be taking place: A plume of molten rock beneath a thicker part of the lithosphere potentially drives volcanism above it. Deciphering Venus This work marks the latest instance of scientists returning to Magellan data to find that Venus exhibits geologic processes that are more Earth-like than originally thought. Recently, researchers were able to spot erupting volcanoes, including vast lava flows that vented from Maat Mons, Sif Mons, and Eistla Regio in radar images from the orbiter. While those images provided direct evidence of volcanic action, the authors of the new study will need sharper resolution to draw a complete picture about the tectonic processes driving corona formation. “The VERITAS gravity maps of Venus will boost the resolution by at least a factor of two to four, depending on location — a level of detail that could revolutionize our understanding of Venus’ geology and implications for early Earth,” said study coauthor Suzanne Smrekar, a planetary scientist at JPL and principal investigator for VERITAS. Managed by JPL, VERITAS will use a synthetic aperture radar to create 3D global maps and a near-infrared spectrometer to figure out what the surface of Venus is made of. Using its radio tracking system, the spacecraft will also measure the planet’s gravitational field to determine the structure of Venus’ interior. All of these instruments will help pinpoint areas of activity on the surface. For more information about NASA’s VERITAS mission, visit: [Hidden Content] News Media Contacts Ian J. O’Neill Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-2649 *****@*****.tld Karen Fox / Molly Wasser NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld 2025-068 Share Details Last Updated May 14, 2025 Related TermsMagellanJet Propulsion LaboratoryPlanetary ScienceVenusVERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography & Spectroscopy) Explore More 6 min read NASA Studies Reveal Hidden Secrets About Interiors of Moon, Vesta Article 3 hours ago 5 min read NASA’s Europa Clipper Captures Mars in Infrared Article 2 days ago 3 min read NASA Study Reveals Venus Crust Surprise New details about the crust on Venus include some surprises about the geology of Earth’s… Article 5 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

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 Hubble’s Partners in Science Universe Uncovered Explore the Night Sky Observatory Hubble Observatory Hubble Design Mission Operations Missions to Hubble Hubble vs Webb Team Hubble Team Career Aspirations Hubble Astronauts Multimedia Multimedia Images Videos Sonifications Podcasts e-Books Online Activities 3D Hubble Models Lithographs Fact Sheets Posters Hubble on the NASA App Glossary News Hubble News Social Media Media Resources More 35th Anniversary Online Activities 2 min read Hubble Pinpoints Young Stars in Spiral Galaxy This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the spiral galaxy NGC 1317. ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team In this image, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope peers into the spiral galaxy NGC 1317 in the constellation Fornax, located more than 50 million light-years from Earth. Visible in this galaxy image is a bright blue ring that hosts hot, young stars. NGC 1317 is one of a pair, but its rowdy larger neighbor, NGC 1316, lies outside Hubble’s field of view. Despite the absence of its neighboring galaxy, this image finds NGC 1317 accompanied by two objects from very different parts of the universe. The bright point ringed with a crisscross pattern is a star from our own galaxy surrounded by diffraction spikes, whereas the redder elongated smudge is a distant galaxy lying far beyond NGC 1317. The data presented in this image are from a vast observing campaign of hundreds of observations from Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys. Combined with data from the ALMA array in the Atacama Desert, these observations help astronomers chart the connections between vast clouds of cold gas and the fiercely hot, young stars that form within them. ALMA’s unparalleled sensitivity at long wavelengths identified vast reservoirs of cold gas throughout the local universe, and Hubble’s sharp vision pinpointed clusters of young stars, as well as measuring their ages and masses. Often the most exciting astronomical discoveries require this kind of telescope teamwork, with cutting-edge facilities working together to provide astronomers with information across the electromagnetic spectrum. The same applies to Hubble’s observations that laid the groundwork for the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s scientific observations. Facebook logo @NASAHubble @NASAHubble Instagram logo @NASAHubble Media Contact: Claire Andreoli (*****@*****.tld) NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD Share Details Last Updated May 14, 2025 Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms Hubble Space Telescope Astrophysics Astrophysics Division Galaxies Goddard Space Flight Center Spiral Galaxies 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’s Galaxies Hubble Science Highlights Science Behind the Discoveries View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

6 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) This artist’s concept shows the Moon’s hot interior and volcanism about 2 to 3 billion years ago. It is thought that volcanic activity on the lunar near side (the side facing Earth) helped create a landscape dominated by vast plains called mare, which are formed by molten rock that cooled and solidified. NASA/JPL-Caltech Analyzing gravity data collected by spacecraft orbiting other worlds reveals groundbreaking insights about planetary structures without having to land on the surface. Although the Moon and the asteroid Vesta are very different, two NASA studies use the same technique to reveal new details about the interiors of both. In the lunar study, published May 14 in the journal Nature, researchers developed a new gravity model of the Moon that includes tiny variations in the celestial body’s gravity during its elliptical orbit around Earth. These fluctuations cause the Moon to flex slightly due to Earth’s tidal force — a process called tidal deformation — which provides critical insights into the Moon’s deep internal structure. Using their model, the researchers produced the most detailed lunar gravitational map yet, providing future missions an improved way to calculate location and time on the Moon. They accomplished this by analyzing data on the motion of NASA’s GRAIL (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory) mission, whose spacecraft, Ebb and Flow, orbited the Moon from Dec. 31, 2011, to Dec. 17, 2012. These views of the Moon’s near side, left, and far side were put together from observations made by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. NASA/JPL-Caltech In a second study, published in the journal Nature Astronomy on April 23, the researchers focused on Vesta, an object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Using NASA’s Deep Space Network radiometric data and imaging data from the agency’s Dawn spacecraft, which orbited the asteroid from July 16, 2011, to Sept. 5, 2012, they found that instead of having distinct layers as expected, Vesta’s internal structure may be mostly uniform, with a very small iron core or no core at all. Both studies were led by Ryan Park, supervisor of the Solar System Dynamics Group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, and were years in the making due to their complexity. The team used NASA supercomputers to build a detailed map of how gravity varies across each body. From that, they could better understand what the Moon and Vesta are made of and how planetary bodies across the solar system formed. “Gravity is a unique and fundamental property of a planetary body that can be used to explore its deep interior,” said Park. “Our technique doesn’t need data from the surface; we just need to track the motion of the spacecraft very precisely to get a global view of what’s inside.” Lunar Asymmetry The lunar study looked at gravitational changes to the Moon’s near and far sides. While the near side is dominated by vast plains — known as mare — formed by molten rock that cooled and solidified billions of years ago, the far side is more rugged, with few plains. NASA’s Dawn mission obtained this image of the giant asteroid Vesta on July 24, 2011. The spacecraft spent 14 months orbiting the asteroid, capturing more than 30,000 images and fully mapping its surface. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA Some theories suggest intense volcanism on the near side likely caused these differences. That process would have caused radioactive, heat-generating elements to accumulate deep inside the near side’s mantle, and the new study offers the strongest evidence yet that this is likely the case. “We found that the Moon’s near side is flexing more than the far side, meaning there’s something fundamentally different about the internal structure of the Moon’s near side compared to its far side,” said Park. “When we first analyzed the data, we were so surprised by the result we didn’t believe it. So we ran the calculations many times to verify the findings. In all, this is a decade of work.” When comparing their results with other models, Park’s team found a small but greater-than-expected difference in how much the two hemispheres deform. The most likely explanation is that the near side has a warm mantle region, indicating the presence of heat-generating radioactive elements, which is evidence for volcanic activity that shaped the Moon’s near side 2 billion to 3 billion years ago. Vesta’s Evolution Park’s team applied a similar approach for their study that focused on Vesta’s rotational properties to learn more about its interior. “Our technique is sensitive to any changes in the gravitational field of a body in space, whether that gravitational field changes over time, like the tidal flexing of the Moon, or through space, like a wobbling asteroid,” said Park. “Vesta wobbles as it spins, so we could measure its moment of inertia, a characteristic that is highly sensitive to the internal structure of the asteroid.” Changes in inertia can be seen when an ice skater spins with their arms held outward. As they pull their arms in, bringing more mass toward their center of gravity, their inertia decreases and their spin speeds up. By measuring Vesta’s inertia, scientists can gain a detailed understanding of the distribution of mass inside the asteroid: If its inertia is low, there would be a concentration of mass toward its center; if it’s high, the mass would be more evenly distributed. Some theories suggest that over a long *******, Vesta gradually formed onion-like layers and a dense core. But the new inertia measurement from Park’s team suggests instead that Vesta is far more homogeneous, with its mass distributed evenly throughout and only a small core of dense material, or no core. Gravity slowly pulls the heaviest elements to a planet’s center over time, which is how Earth ended up with a dense core of liquid iron. While Vesta has long been considered a differentiated asteroid, a more homogenous structure would suggest that it may not have fully formed layers or may have formed from the debris of another planetary body after a massive impact. In 2016, Park used the same data types as the Vesta study to focus on Dawn’s second target, the dwarf planet Ceres, and results suggested a partially differentiated interior. Park and his team recently applied a similar technique to Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io, using data acquired by NASA’s Juno and Galileo spacecraft during their flybys of the Jovian satellite as well as from ground-based observations. By measuring how Io’s gravity changes as it orbits Jupiter, which exerts a powerful tidal force, they revealed that the fiery moon is unlikely to possess a global magma ocean. “Our technique isn’t restricted just to Io, Ceres, Vesta, or the Moon,” said Park. “There are many opportunities in the future to apply our technique for studying the interiors of intriguing planetary bodies throughout the solar system.” News Media Contacts Ian J. O’Neill Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-2649 *****@*****.tld Karen Fox / Molly Wasser NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated May 14, 2025 Related TermsVestaDawnEarth's MoonGRAIL (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory)Jet Propulsion LaboratoryPlanetary ScienceSmall Bodies of the Solar SystemThe Solar System Explore More 7 min read Webb’s Titan Forecast: Partly Cloudy With Occasional Methane Showers Saturn’s moon Titan is an intriguing world cloaked in a yellowish, smoggy haze. Similar to… Article 4 hours ago 5 min read NASA’s Europa Clipper Captures Mars in Infrared Article 2 days ago 5 min read NASA’s Webb Reveals New Details, Mysteries in Jupiter’s Aurora NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured new details of the auroras on our solar… Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

Explore Webb Webb News Latest News Latest Images Webb’s Blog Awards X (offsite – login reqd) Instagram (offsite – login reqd) Facebook (offsite- login reqd) Youtube (offsite) Overview About Who is James Webb? Fact Sheet Impacts+Benefits FAQ Science Overview and Goals Early Universe Galaxies Over Time Star Lifecycle Other Worlds Observatory Overview Launch Deployment Orbit Mirrors Sunshield Instrument: NIRCam Instrument: MIRI Instrument: NIRSpec Instrument: FGS/NIRISS Optical Telescope Element Backplane Spacecraft Bus Instrument Module Multimedia About Webb Images Images Videos What is Webb Observing? 3d Webb in 3d Solar System Podcasts Webb Image Sonifications Team International Team People Of Webb More For the Media For Scientists For Educators For Fun/Learning 5 Min Read Another First: NASA Webb Identifies Frozen Water in Young Star System For the first time, researchers confirmed the presence of crystalline water ice in a dusty debris disk that orbits a Sun-like star, using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The full artist’s concept illustration and full caption is shown below. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI) Is frozen water scattered in systems around other stars? Astronomers have long expected it is, partially based on previous detections of its gaseous form, water vapor, and its presence in our own solar system. Now there is definitive evidence: Researchers confirmed the presence of crystalline water ice in a dusty debris disk that orbits a Sun-like star 155 light-years away using detailed data known as spectra from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. (The term water ice specifies its makeup, since many other frozen molecules are also observed in space, such as carbon dioxide ice, or “dry ice.”) In 2008, data from NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope hinted at the possibility of frozen water in this system. “Webb unambiguously detected not just water ice, but crystalline water ice, which is also found in locations like Saturn’s rings and icy bodies in our solar system’s Kuiper Belt,” said Chen Xie, the lead author of the new paper and an assistant research scientist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. All the frozen water Webb detected is paired with fine dust particles throughout the disk — like itsy-bitsy “dirty snowballs.” The results published Wednesday in the journal Nature. Astronomers have been waiting for this definitive data for decades. “When I was a graduate student 25 years ago, my advisor told me there should be ice in debris disks, but prior to Webb, we didn’t have instruments sensitive enough to make these observations,” said Christine Chen, a co-author and associate astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. “What’s most striking is that this data looks similar to the telescope’s other recent observations of Kuiper Belt objects in our own solar system.” Water ice is a vital ingredient in disks around young stars — it heavily influences the formation of giant planets and may also be delivered by small bodies like comets and asteroids to fully formed rocky planets. Now that researchers have detected water ice with Webb, they have opened the door for all researchers to study how these processes play out in new ways in many other planetary systems. Image: Debris Disk Around Star HD 181327 (Artist’s Concept) For the first time, researchers confirmed the presence of crystalline water ice in a dusty debris disk that orbits a Sun-like star, using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. All the frozen water detected by Webb is paired with fine dust particles throughout the disk. The majority of the water ice observed is found where it’s coldest and farthest from the star. The closer to the star the researchers looked, the less water ice they found. NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI) Rocks, Dust, Ice Rushing Around The star, cataloged HD 181327, is significantly younger than our Sun. It’s estimated to be 23 million years old, compared to the Sun’s more mature 4.6 billion years. The star is slightly more massive than the Sun, and it’s hotter, which led to the formation of a slightly larger system around it. Webb’s observations confirm a significant gap between the star and its debris disk — a wide area that is free of dust. Farther out, its debris disk is similar to our solar system’s Kuiper Belt, where dwarf planets, comets, and other bits of ice and rock are found (and sometimes collide with one another). Billions of years ago, our Kuiper Belt was likely similar to this star’s debris disk. “HD 181327 is a very active system,” Chen said. “There are regular, ongoing collisions in its debris disk. When those icy bodies collide, they release tiny particles of dusty water ice that are perfectly sized for Webb to detect.” Frozen Water — Almost Everywhere Water ice isn’t spread evenly throughout this system. The majority is found where it’s coldest and farthest from the star. “The outer area of the debris disk consists of over 20% water ice,” Xie said. The closer in the researchers looked, the less water ice they found. Toward the middle of the debris disk, Webb detected about 8% water ice. Here, it’s likely that frozen water particles are produced slightly faster than they are destroyed. In the area of the debris disk closest to the star, Webb detected almost none. It’s likely that the star’s ultraviolet light vaporizes the closest specks of water ice. It’s also possible that rocks known as planetesimals have “locked up” frozen water in their interiors, which Webb can’t detect. This team and many more researchers will continue to search for — and study — water ice in debris disks and actively forming planetary systems throughout our Milky Way galaxy. “The presence of water ice helps facilitate planet formation,” Xie said. “Icy materials may also ultimately be ‘delivered’ to terrestrial planets that may form over a couple hundred million years in systems like this.” The researchers observed HD 181327 with Webb’s NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph), which is super-sensitive to extremely faint dust particles that can only be detected from space. The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (********* Space Agency). To learn more about Webb, visit: [Hidden Content] Downloads Click any image to open a larger version. View/Download all image products at all resolutions for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute. View/Download the research results from the journal Nature. Media Contacts Laura Betz – laura.e*****@*****.tld NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Claire Blome – *****@*****.tld Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Christine Pulliam – *****@*****.tld Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Related Information View Webb images of other debris disks around Vega, Fomalhaut, Beta Pictoris, and AU Microscopii Learn more about spectroscopy Read more: Webb’s Near-infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) More Webb News More Webb Images Webb Science Themes Webb Mission Page Related For Kids What is the Webb Telescope? SpacePlace for Kids En Español Ciencia de la NASA NASA en español Space Place para niños Keep Exploring Related Topics James Webb Space Telescope Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the… Stars Stars Stories Universe Share Details Last Updated May 14, 2025 Editor Marty McCoy Contact Laura Betz laura.e*****@*****.tld Related Terms James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Astrophysics Goddard Space Flight Center Science & Research Stars The Universe View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

During the Piston Powered Auto-Rama at the I-X Center in Cleveland on Monday, March 31, 2025, NASA Glenn Research Center’s Salvadore Oriti, right, discusses the technology behind free-piston Stirling cycle machines. Credit: NASA/Kristin Jansen NASA Glenn Research Center’s work in power and propulsion was on full display at the Piston Powered Auto-Rama at the I-X Center in Cleveland, March 28-30. The event is the largest indoor showcase of cars, trucks, motorcycles, tractors, and other engine-powered vehicles. Center staff introduced guests to NASA’s Stirling engine technology, a free-piston Stirling power convertor that set records for accomplishing 14 years of maintenance-free operation at NASA Glenn in 2020. Attendees also explored how NASA is using space nuclear power to reach the deepest, dustiest, darkest, and most distant regions of our solar system through radioisotope power systems. More than 57,500 people attended the event. Return to Newsletter Explore More 1 min read NASA Glenn Engineer Highlights Research for Hubble Servicing Missions Article 22 mins ago 1 min read NASA Glenn Hosts Slovenian Delegation and Ohio Governor’s Office Article 23 mins ago 1 min read Specialty NASA Glenn License Plates Available Article 23 mins ago View the full article

NASA Glenn Research Center senior materials research engineer Kim de Groh, who conducted research for Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions, shared her experiences during a presentation at Great Lakes Science Center, home of the NASA Glenn Visitor Center, in Cleveland on Thursday, May 8, 2025. Credit: NASA/Dennis Brown April 24 marked the 35th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The iconic space observatory remains a household name —the most well-recognized and scientifically productive telescope in history. Engineers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland played a significant role in how the telescope functions today. NASA’s Glenn Research Center researchers Kim de Groh, left, and Joyce Dever conducted research for Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions. De Groh shared her experiences during a presentation at Great Lakes Science Center, home of the NASA Glenn Visitor Center, in Cleveland on Thursday, May 8, 2025. Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna NASA Glenn researchers assisted in all five Hubble servicing missions by testing damaged insulation, determining why it degraded in space, and recommending replacement materials. One of those researchers, Kim de Groh, senior materials research engineer, shared some of that research in a special presentation at Great Lakes Science Center, home of the NASA Glenn Visitor Center, in Cleveland on May 8. She chronicled her Hubble experience with a presentation, a show-and-tell with samples directly from the telescope, and a Q&A addressing the audience’s Hubble-related questions. Return to Newsletter Explore More 1 min read NASA Glenn Showcases Stirling Engine Technology at Piston Powered Auto-Rama Article 22 mins ago 1 min read NASA Glenn Hosts Slovenian Delegation and Ohio Governor’s Office Article 23 mins ago 1 min read Specialty NASA Glenn License Plates Available Article 23 mins ago View the full article

NASA Glenn Research Center’s Associate Director Larry Sivic, front row, third from left, joins in a group photo with Slovenian government officials and representatives from the Ohio Governor’s Office during a visit to the center on Friday, April 11, 2025. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland hosted a delegation of Slovenian government officials and representatives from the Ohio Governor’s Office on April 11. NASA Glenn leadership provided the group with an overview of the center’s vital role within the agency. The delegation also visited key space-related and aeronautics facilities, including tours of the Zero Gravity Research Facility, Simulated Lunar Operations Laboratory, and Icing Research Tunnel. Republic of Slovenia Minister of Defense Borut Sajovic and Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the United States Iztok Mirosic headed the delegation. Joe Zeis, who is the senior advisor for Aerospace and Defense for the Office of the Governor, and Tobias Engel, who is with the Ohio Department of Development International Affairs, also attended. Facility Manager Dennis Eck, second from left, points out features of NASA Glenn Research Center’s Icing Research Tunnel to a delegation of Slovenian government officials and representatives from the Ohio Governor’s Office during a tour to the center on Friday, April 11, 2025. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis The Slovenia Space Office — under the Ministry of the Economy, Industry, and Sport — coordinates Slovenia’s space activities within ESA (European Space Agency). Slovenia recently became a member state of ESA, enabling more international opportunities for Slovenian scientists and engineers. Last year, Slovenia joined the Artemis Accords, which provides a common set of principles to enhance the governance of the civil exploration and use of outer space, as the 39th participant. Return to Newsletter Explore More 1 min read NASA Glenn Showcases Stirling Engine Technology at Piston Powered Auto-Rama Article 22 mins ago 1 min read NASA Glenn Engineer Highlights Research for Hubble Servicing Missions Article 22 mins ago 1 min read Specialty NASA Glenn License Plates Available Article 23 mins ago View the full article

A specialty license plate showcasing NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is now available on the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles website. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles Ohio residents can now take their vehicle to new heights with a specialty license plate showcasing NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. It is available on the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) website under the “Special Interest Plates” section. Click the “Organizational Plates” drop-down tab for details on NASA Glenn’s plate. The Ohio BMV will collect an additional $10 above the regular license plate fee. NASA will not receive any money from the *****. NASA Glenn makes space exploration and aviation possible. This incredible work is happening right here in Northeast Ohio. The specialty license plate allows fans to show support for their community and Ohio’s NASA center. Back to Newsletter Explore More 1 min read NASA Glenn Showcases Stirling Engine Technology at Piston Powered Auto-Rama Article 22 mins ago 1 min read NASA Glenn Engineer Highlights Research for Hubble Servicing Missions Article 22 mins ago 1 min read NASA Glenn Hosts Slovenian Delegation and Ohio Governor’s Office Article 23 mins ago View the full article

During World Water Day at Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland on Friday, March 21, 2025, NASA’s Glenn Research Center staff, left to right, Heather Roe, Debbie Welch, and Jacqueline Minerd show how NASA’s Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment uses water to regulate the body temperatures of astronauts during spacewalks.  Credit: NASA/Lillianne Hammel Water is essential for life, and it is an important engineering tool as well. On March 21, NASA’s Glenn Research Center staff joined Great Lakes Science Center in celebrating World Water Day at the science center, home of the NASA Glenn Visitor Center, in downtown Cleveland. Staff conducted hands-on demonstrations highlighting NASA’s Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment during the free day for students. A NASA Glenn Research Center staff member demonstrates how NASA’s Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment cools down the body using water during World Water Day at Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland on Friday, March 21, 2025. Credit: NASA/Lillianne Hammel This interactive activity helped students discover how NASA uses water to regulate the body temperatures of astronauts during spacewalks.  Approximately 450 students and educators attended the event. Return to Newsletter Explore More 1 min read NASA Glenn Showcases Stirling Engine Technology at Piston Powered Auto-Rama Article 22 mins ago 1 min read NASA Glenn Engineer Highlights Research for Hubble Servicing Missions Article 22 mins ago 1 min read NASA Glenn Hosts Slovenian Delegation and Ohio Governor’s Office Article 23 mins ago View the full article

NASA Glenn Research Center’s Director Dr. Jimmy Kenyon, left, talks with a Youth Tech Academy Red Dragon participant at the FIRST Robotics Competition Buckeye Regional in Cleveland on Friday, April 4, 2025. Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland supported the 26th annual FIRST Robotics Competition Buckeye Regional, April 3-6, at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center. This international engineering design challenge combines the excitement of sports with the rigors of STEM. Mavericks Team participants adjust their robot prior to their turn to compete at the FIRST Robotics Competition Buckeye Regional in Cleveland on Friday, April 4, 2025. Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna NASA Glenn Center Director Dr. Jimmy Kenyon helped kick off this year’s event by addressing the student participants. He shared that NASA Glenn specializes in propulsion and communications, that the center is vital to the region and country, and that “the road to Moon and Mars goes through Ohio” thanks to the center’s contributions to the agency’s missions. He also highlighted several aerospace projects underway at the center and explained how engineering and math skills used in robotics apply to real-life engineering challenges. Fifty-six teams of high school students competed in the robotics competition, which aims to inspire young people to be STEM leaders and innovators by engaging them in mentor-based engineering. Members from the Argonauts Team cheer as their robot competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition Buckeye Regional at Cleveland State University in Cleveland on Friday, April 4, 2025. Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna NASA Glenn employees offered their time and expertise as mentors, machinists, or volunteers supporting FIRST Robotics teams leading up to the event as well as on competition day. Return to Newsletter Explore More 1 min read NASA Glenn Showcases Stirling Engine Technology at Piston Powered Auto-Rama Article 22 mins ago 1 min read NASA Glenn Engineer Highlights Research for Hubble Servicing Missions Article 22 mins ago 1 min read NASA Glenn Hosts Slovenian Delegation and Ohio Governor’s Office Article 23 mins ago View the full article

Explore Webb Webb News Latest News Latest Images Webb’s Blog Awards X (offsite – login reqd) Instagram (offsite – login reqd) Facebook (offsite- login reqd) Youtube (offsite) Overview About Who is James Webb? Fact Sheet Impacts+Benefits FAQ Science Overview and Goals Early Universe Galaxies Over Time Star Lifecycle Other Worlds Observatory Overview Launch Deployment Orbit Mirrors Sunshield Instrument: NIRCam Instrument: MIRI Instrument: NIRSpec Instrument: FGS/NIRISS Optical Telescope Element Backplane Spacecraft Bus Instrument Module Multimedia About Webb Images Images Videos What is Webb Observing? 3d Webb in 3d Solar System Podcasts Webb Image Sonifications Team International Team People Of Webb More For the Media For Scientists For Educators For Fun/Learning 7 Min Read Webb’s Titan Forecast: Partly Cloudy With Occasional Methane Showers These images of Titan were taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope on July 11, 2023 (top row) and the ground-based W.M. Keck Observatories on July 14, 2023 (bottom row). They show methane clouds appearing at different altitudes in Titan’s northern hemisphere. Full image and description below. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, and W.M. Keck Observatories Saturn’s moon Titan is an intriguing world cloaked in a yellowish, smoggy haze. Similar to Earth, the atmosphere is mostly nitrogen and has weather, including clouds and rain. Unlike Earth, whose weather is driven by evaporating and condensing water, frigid Titan has a methane cycle. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, supplemented with images from the Keck II telescope, has for the first time found evidence for cloud convection in Titan’s northern hemisphere, over a region of lakes and seas. Webb also has detected a key carbon-containing molecule that gives insight into the chemical processes in Titan’s complex atmosphere. Titan’s Weather On Titan, methane plays a similar role to water on Earth when it comes to weather. It evaporates from the surface and rises into the atmosphere, where it condenses to form methane clouds. Occasionally it falls as a chilly, oily rain onto a solid surface where water ice is hard as rocks. “Titan is the only other place in our solar system that has weather like Earth, in the sense that it has clouds and rainfall onto a surface,” explained lead author Conor Nixon of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The team observed Titan in November 2022 and July 2023 using both Webb and one of the twin ground-based W.M. Keck Observatories telescopes. Those observations not only showed clouds in the mid and high northern latitudes on Titan – the hemisphere where it is currently summer – but also showed those clouds apparently rising to higher altitudes over time. While previous studies have observed cloud convection at southern latitudes, this is the first time evidence for such convection has been seen in the north. This is significant because most of Titan’s lakes and seas are located in its northern hemisphere and evaporation from lakes is a major potential methane source. Their total area is similar to that of the Great Lakes in North America. On Earth the lowest layer of the atmosphere, or troposphere, extends up to an altitude of about 7 miles (12 kilometers). However, on Titan, whose lower gravity allows the atmospheric layers to expand, the troposphere extends up to about 27 miles (45 kilometers). Webb and Keck used different infrared filters to probe to different depths in Titan’s atmosphere, allowing astronomers to estimate the altitudes of the clouds. The science team observed clouds that appeared to move to higher altitudes over a ******* of days, although they were not able to directly see any precipitation occurring. Image A: Titan (Webb and Keck Image) These images of Titan were taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope on July 11, 2023 (top row) and the ground-based W.M. Keck Observatories on July 14, 2023 (bottom row). They show methane clouds (denoted by the white arrows) appearing at different altitudes in Titan’s northern hemisphere. On the left side are representative-color images from both telescopes. In the Webb image light at 1.4 microns is colored blue, 1.5 microns is green, and 2.0 microns is red (filters F140M, F150W, and F200W, respectively). In the Keck image light at 2.13 microns is colored blue, 2.12 microns is green, and 2.06 microns is red (H2 1-0, Kp, and He1b, respectively). In the middle column are single-wavelength images taken by Webb and Keck at 2.12 microns. This wavelength is sensitive to emission from Titan’s lower troposphere. The rightmost images show emission at 1.64 microns (Webb) and 2.17 microns (Keck), which favor higher altitudes, in Titan’s upper troposphere and stratosphere (an atmospheric layer above the troposphere). It demonstrates that the clouds are seen at higher altitudes on July 14 than earlier on July 11, indicative of upward motion. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, and W.M. Keck Observatories Titan’s Chemistry Titan is an object of high astrobiological interest due to its complex organic (carbon-containing) chemistry. Organic molecules form the basis of all life on Earth, and studying them on a world like Titan may help scientists understand the processes that led to the origin of life on Earth. The basic ingredient that drives much of Titan’s chemistry is methane, or CH4. Methane in Titan’s atmosphere gets split apart by sunlight or energetic electrons from Saturn’s magnetosphere, and then recombines with other molecules to make substances like ethane (C2H6) along with more complex carbon-bearing molecules. Webb’s data provided a key missing piece for our understanding of the chemical processes: a definitive detection of the methyl radical CH3. This molecule (called “radical” because it has a “free” electron that is not in a chemical bond) forms when methane is broken apart. Detecting this substance means that scientists can see chemistry in action on Titan for the first time, rather than just the starting ingredients and the end products. “For the first time we can see the chemical cake while it’s rising in the oven, instead of just the starting ingredients of flour and sugar, and then the final, iced cake,” said co-author Stefanie Milam of the Goddard Space Flight Center. Image B: Chemistry in Titan’s Atmosphere This four-panel infographic demonstrates a key chemical process believed to occur in the atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan. 1. Titan has a thick, nitrogen (N2) atmosphere that also contains methane (CH4). 2. Molecules known as methyl radicals (CH3) form when methane is broken apart by sunlight or energetic electrons from Saturn’s magnetosphere. 3. It then recombines with other molecules or with itself to make substances like ethane (C2H6). 4. Methane, ethane, and other molecules condense and rain out of the atmosphere, forming lakes and seas on Titan’s surface. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope detected the methyl radical on Titan for the first time, providing a key missing piece for our understanding of Titan’s chemical processes. NASA, ESA, CSA, and Elizabeth Wheatley (STScI) The Future of Titan’s Atmosphere This hydrocarbon chemistry has long-term implications for the future of Titan. When methane is broken apart in the upper atmosphere, some of it recombines to make other molecules that eventually end up on Titan’s surface in one chemical form or another, while some hydrogen escapes from the atmosphere. As a result, methane will be depleted over time, unless there is some source to replenish it. A similar process occurred on Mars, where water molecules were broken up and the resulting hydrogen lost to space. The result was the dry, desert planet we see today. “On Titan, methane is a consumable. It’s possible that it is being constantly resupplied and fizzing out of the crust and interior over billions of years. If not, eventually it will all be gone and Titan will become a mostly airless world of dust and dunes,” said Nixon. Video: Webb Spies Rain Clouds, New Molecule on Titan Of all the alien worlds in our solar system, one in particular resembles our home planet. Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, is the only other place we know of where you could walk along the seashore or stand in the rain. However, Titan’s exotic seas and its oily raindrops are not made of water, but of the natural gases methane and ethane, super-chilled into liquid form. Now, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has revealed a crucial, missing step in how ethane is formed, and its discovery could tell us about the future of Titan’s atmosphere. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Producer/Editor: Dan Gallagher. Lead Scientist/Narrator: Conor Nixon. Lead Animator: Jenny McElligott. Lead Visualizer: Andrew J Christensen. Scientist: Nicholas Lombardo. Animator/Art Director: Michael Lentz. Animation Lead: Walt Feimer. Animators: Jonathan North, Wes Buchanan, Kim Dongjae, Chris Meaney, Adriana Manrique Gutierrez. Data Visualizers: Mark SubbaRao, Kel Elkins, Ernie Wright. Data Provider: Juan Lora. Executive Producer: Wade Sisler. Social Media Support: Kathryn Mersmann. Public Affairs: Laura Betz. Complementing the Dragonfly Mission More of Titan’s mysteries will be probed by NASA’s Dragonfly mission, a robotic rotorcraft scheduled to land on Saturn’s moon in 2034. Making multiple flights, Dragonfly will explore a variety of locations. Its in-depth investigations will complement Webb’s global perspective. “By combining all of these resources, including Webb, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, and ground-based observatories, we maintain continuity between the former Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn and the upcoming Dragonfly mission,” added Heidi Hammel, vice president of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy and a Webb Interdisciplinary Scientist. This data was taken as part of Hammel’s Guaranteed Time Observations program to study the Solar System. The results were published in the journal Nature Astronomy. The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (********* Space Agency). To learn more about Webb, visit: [Hidden Content] Downloads Click any image to open a larger version. View/Download all image products at all resolutions for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute. View/Download the research results from the journal Nature Astronomy. Media Contacts Laura Betz – laura.e*****@*****.tld NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Christine Pulliam – *****@*****.tld Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Science Conor Nixon (NASA-GSFC), Heidi Hammel (AURA) Related Information Learn more about Titan Read more: Webb’s Near-infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) Webb Blog: Webb, Keck Telescopes Team Up to Track Clouds on Saturn’s Moon Titan More Webb News More Webb Images Webb Science Themes Webb Mission Page Related For Kids What is the Webb Telescope? SpacePlace for Kids En Español Ciencia de la NASA NASA en español Space Place para niños Keep Exploring Related Topics James Webb Space Telescope Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the… Titan Saturn and Titan Resources This page showcases our resources for those interested in learning more about Saturn and Titan. Dragonfly Share Details Last Updated May 14, 2025 Editor Marty McCoy Contact Laura Betz laura.e*****@*****.tld Related Terms James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Astrophysics Goddard Space Flight Center Planets Saturn Saturn Moons Science & Research The Solar System Titan View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

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 1 min read Sols 4539-4540: Back After a Productive Weekend Plan NASA’’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Left Navigation Camera on May 11, 2025 — Sol 4537, or Martian day 4,537 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 22:26:23 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Written by Scott VanBommel, Planetary Scientist at Washington University Earth planning date: Monday, May 12, 2025 Curiosity was back to work Monday, picking up where it left off from Friday’s plan. Tosol’s plan started with an APXS analysis on the target “Jeffrey Pine,” though the DRT was kept on the sidelines this time. Curiosity then proceeded to image Jeffrey Pine and “Canyon Oak” with MAHLI while simultaneously executing a DAN passive analysis. Mastcam documented “Santiago Peak” as well as Canyon Oak, prior to a ChemCam 5-spot analysis on the latter. Following a drive of about 30 meters (about 98 feet), Curiosity rounded out the two-sol plan with untargeted and environmental monitoring activities, including Navcam dust-****** and cloud-shadow movies. Share Details Last Updated May 13, 2025 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 2 min read Sols 4536-4538: Dusty Martian Magnets Article 1 hour ago 2 min read Sols 4534-4535: Last Call for the Layered Sulfates? (West of Texoli Butte, Headed West) Article 4 days ago 2 min read Sols 4532-4533: Polygon Heaven Article 5 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four… View the full article

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home 2 min read Sols 4536-4538: Dusty Martian Magnets NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image, used to inspect the magnet on its MAHLI (Mars Hand Lens Imager), a camera on the turret of tools at the end of the rover’s robotic arm. The main purpose of Curiosity’s MAHLI camera is to acquire close-up, high-resolution views of rocks and regolith in the field; it can focus on any target from about 0.8 inches (2.1 centimeters) to infinity. Curiosity used its Mast Camera (Mastcam) on Sept. 1, 2024 — Sol 4291, or Martian day 4,291 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 05:48:14 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Written by Remington Free, Operations Systems Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Earth planning date: Friday, May 9, 2025 I was on downlink today for SA-SPaH, our robotic arm team. We successfully completed a number of fun arm activities, including a DRT brushing and APXS observations of a bedrock target, and also completed a traverse of about 25 meters (about 82 feet). Exciting! Today, our uplink team planned three sols of activities. On Sol 4536, we are using the arm to do some inspection imaging of the MAHLI magnet using Mastcam. This magnet allows us to determine whether or not the MAHLI cover has successfully opened or closed. These magnets accumulate a lot of Martian dust particles, so we periodically take imaging to inspect the quantity of dust and get a better understanding of the state of the hardware. I’ve included above an image of the MAHLI instrument, from our last inspection on Sol 4291. After the magnet inspection, we’ll do some more typical arm activities, which include some APXS placements, DRT brushing, and MAHLI imaging on targets of interest. In this workspace, we are interested in targets characterizing the pale layered sulfate unit we’ve been driving on, as well as a target in the new ridge-forming unit. Beyond our arm activities, we’ll do additional science observations of the surface using Mastcam and ChemCam. On Sol 4537, we’ll focus on driving! Prior to our drive, we’ll take some more scientific observations, including a Navcam cloud movie, Mastcam documentation of some geological units, and ChemCam LIBS on a ridge-forming unit. We have then planned a 21-meter drive (about 69 feet) to take us to a bedrock area of scientific interest. We’re excited because the terrain looks pretty benign, so we’re hoping it all goes smoothly! Post-drive, we’ll take some Mastcam survey imaging of clasts and soils along the traverse. Finally on Sol 4538, we’ll aim our focus upwards and take a number of observations of the sky. We’ll start with a Navcam large dust-****** survey, a Mastcam tau measurement of the atmospheric optical depth, and a ChemCam passive sky observation to study atmospheric composition. Early the following morning, we’ll take some additional Navcam observations of clouds, and complete another Mastcam tau measurement of optical depth. Share Details Last Updated May 13, 2025 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 2 min read Sols 4534-4535: Last Call for the Layered Sulfates? (West of Texoli Butte, Headed West) Article 4 days ago 2 min read Sols 4532-4533: Polygon Heaven Article 5 days ago 4 min read Sols 4529-4531: Honeycombs and Waffles… on Mars! Article 1 week 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

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Advanced Composites Consortium team members gathered during May 2025 at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia for a technical review of activities in the Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing project.NASA NASA and its partners in the Advanced Composites Consortium gathered at the agency’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, on April 29-May 1, 2025. Team members from 22 organizations in the public-private partnership are collaborating to increase the production rate of composite aircraft, reduce costs, and improve performance. The team discussed results from the Technology Development Phase of NASA’s Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing (HiCAM) project. The project is evaluating concepts and competing approaches at the subcomponent scale to determine technologies with the greatest impact on manufacturing rate and cost. The most promising concepts will be demonstrated on full-scale wing and fuselage components during the next four years. Through collaboration and shared investment, the team is increasing the likelihood of technologies being adopted for next-generation transports, ultimately lowering costs for operators and improving the U.S. competitive advantage in the commercial aircraft industry. Want to Learn More About Composite Aircraft Research? Go to the HiCAM project page here Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Linkedin logo @NASA Explore More 2 min read NASA Composite Manufacturing Initiative Gains Two New Members Article 9 months ago 1 min read HiCAM 2023 Spring Review Article 2 years ago 1 min read HiCAM Research Team at Electroimpact HiCAM Research Team at Electroimpact Article 2 years ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Artemis Aeronautics STEM Explore NASA’s History Share Details Last Updated May 13, 2025 EditorJim BankeContactShannon Eichorn*****@*****.tld Related TermsHi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing View the full article

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) El piloto de pruebas de la NASA Nils Larson inspecciona el avión de investigación F-15D de la agencia en el Centro de Investigación de Vuelo Armstrong de la NASA en Edwards, California, antes de un vuelo de calibración para una sonda de detección de impactos de campo cercano recién instalada. Montada en el F-15D, la sonda está diseñada para medir las ondas de choque generadas por el silencioso avión supersónico X-59 durante el vuelo. Los datos ayudarán a los investigadores a comprender mejor cómo se comportan las ondas de choque en las proximidades de la aeronave, apoyando la misión Quesst de la NASA para permitir vuelos supersónicos silenciosos sobre tierra.NASA/Steve Freeman El piloto de pruebas de la NASA Nils Larson inspecciona el avión de investigación F-15D de la agencia en el Centro de Investigación de Vuelo Armstrong de la NASA en Edwards, California, antes de un vuelo de calibración para una sonda de detección de impactos de campo cercano recién instalada. Montada en el F-15D, la sonda está diseñada para medir las ondas de choque generadas por el silencioso avión supersónico X-59 durante el vuelo. Los datos ayudarán a los investigadores a comprender mejor cómo se comportan las ondas de choque en las proximidades de la aeronave, apoyando la misión Quesst de la NASA para permitir vuelos supersónicos silenciosos sobre tierra.NASA/Steve Freeman El avión de investigación F-15D de la NASA realiza un vuelo de prueba cerca de Edwards, California, **** una sonda de detección de impactos de campo cercano. Idéntica a una versión previamente volada que estaba prevista como reserva, esta nueva sonda captará datos de ondas de choque cerca del X-59 mientras vuela a velocidad más rápida que la del sonido apoyando la misión Quesst de la NASA.NASA/Jim Ross El avión de investigación F-15D de la NASA realiza un vuelo de prueba cerca de Edwards, California, **** una sonda de detección de impactos de campo cercano. Idéntica a una versión previamente volada que estaba prevista como reserva, esta nueva sonda captará datos de ondas de choque cerca del X-59 mientras vuela a velocidad más rápida que la del sonido apoyando la misión Quesst de la NASA.NASA/Jim Ross Read this story in English here. Cuando se prueba un avión de última generación de la NASA, se necesitan herramientas especializadas para realizar pruebas y capturar datos, pero si esas herramientas necesitan mantenimiento, hay que esperar hasta que se reparen. A menos que tengas un respaldo. Por eso, recientemente la NASA ha calibró una nueva sonda de deteccíon de impactos para capturar datos de ondas de choque cuando el silencioso avión de investigación supersónico X-59 de la agencia inicie sus vuelos de prueba. Cuando un avión vuela más rápido que la velocidad del sonido, produce ondas de choque que viajan a través del aire, creando fuertes estampidos sónicos. El X-59 desviará esas ondas de choque, produciendo sólo un silencioso golpe supersónico. En las últimas semanas, la NASA ha completado los vuelos de calibración de una nueva sonda de detección de impactos de campo cercano, un aparato en forma de cono que captará datos sobre las ondas de choque que generará el X-59. Esta sonda está montada en un avión de investigación F-15D que volará muy cerca del X-59 para recopilar los datos que necesita la NASA. La nueva unidad servirá como la sonda de campo cercano principal de la NASA, **** un modelo idéntico desarrollado por la NASA el año pasado actuará como reserva montada en otro F-15B. Las dos unidades significan que el equipo del X-59 tiene una alternativa lista en caso de que la sonda principal necesite mantenimiento o reparaciones. Para pruebas de vuelo como las del X-59, donde la recopilación de datos es crucial y las operaciones giran en torno a plazos ajustados, condiciones meteorológicas y otras variables, las copias de respaldo de los equipos críticos ayudan a garantizar la continuidad, mantener los plazos y preservar la eficiencia de las operaciones. “Si le ocurre algo a la sonda, como una falla en unsensor, no hay una solución fácil,” explica Mike Frederick, investigador principal de la sonda en el Centro de Investigación de Vuelos Armstrong de la NASA en Edwards, California. “El otro factor es el propio avión. Si uno necesita mantenimiento, no queremos retrasar los vuelos del X-59.” Para calibrar la nueva sonda, el equipo midió las ondas de choque de un avión de investigación F/A-18 de la NASA. Los resultados preliminares indicaron que la sonda captó **** éxito los cambios de presión asociados a las ondas de choque, de acuerdo **** las expectativas del equipo. Frederick y su equipo ahora están revisando los datos para confirmar que se alinean **** los modelos matemáticos en tierra y cumplen las normas de precisión requeridas para los vuelos X-59. Los investigadores de la NASA en Armstrong se están preparando para vuelos adicionales **** las sondas principal y de respaldo en sus aviones F-15. Cada avión volará a velocidad supersónico y recopilará datos de las ondas de choque del otro. El equipo está trabajando para validar tanto la sonda principal como la de respaldo para confirmar la redundancia total;en otras palabras, asegurarse de que tengan un respaldo fiable y listo para usar. Artículo Traducido por: Priscila Valdez Share Details Last Updated May 13, 2025 EditorDede DiniusContactNicolas Cholulanicolas.h*****@*****.tld Related TermsAeronáuticaNASA en español Explore More 5 min read Las carreras en la NASA despegan **** las pasantías Article 1 day ago 4 min read El X-59 de la NASA completa las pruebas electromagnéticas Article 2 months ago 11 min read La NASA identifica causa de pérdida de material del escudo térmico de Orion de Artemis I Article 5 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid hydrogen tank for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket into the factory’s final assembly area on April 22, 2025. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall rocket stage. NASA/Steven Seipel NASA completed another step to ready its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for the Artemis III mission as crews at the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans recently applied a thermal protection system to the core stage’s liquid hydrogen tank. Building on the crewed Artemis II flight test, Artemis III will add new capabilities with the human landing system and advanced spacesuits to send the first astronauts to explore the lunar South Pole region and prepare humanity to go to Mars. Thermal protection systems are a cornerstone of successful spaceflight endeavors, safeguarding human life, and enabling the launch and controlled return of spacecraft. The tank is the largest piece of SLS flight hardware insulated at Michoud. The hardware requires thermal protection due to the extreme temperatures during launch and ascent to space – and to keep the liquid hydrogen at minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit on the pad prior to launch. “The thermal protection system protects the SLS rocket from the heat of launch while also keeping the thousands of gallons of liquid propellant within the core stage’s tanks cold enough. Without the protection, the propellant would boil off too rapidly to replenish before launch,” said Jay Bourgeois, thermal protection system, test, and integration lead at NASA Michoud. “Thermal protection systems are crucial in protecting all the structural components of SLS during launch and flight.” In February, Michoud crews with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage prime contractor, completed the thermal protection system on the external structure of the rocket’s liquid hydrogen propellant fuel tank, using a robotic tool in what is now the largest single application in spaceflight history. The robotically controlled operation coated the tank with spray-on foam insulation, distributing 107 feet of the foam to the tank in 102 minutes. When the foam is applied to the core stage, it gives the rocket a canary yellow color. The Sun’s ultraviolet rays naturally “tan” the thermal protection, giving the SLS core stage its signature orange color, like the space shuttle external tank. Having recently completed application of the thermal protection system, teams will now continue outfitting the 130-foot-tall liquid hydrogen tank with critical systems to ready it for its designated Artemis III mission. The core stage of SLS is the largest ever built by length and volume, and was manufactured at Michoud using state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment. (NASA/Steven Seipel) While it might sound like a task similar to applying paint to a house or spraying insulation in an attic, it is a much more complex process. The flexible polyurethane foam had to withstand harsh conditions for application and testing. Additionally, there was a new challenge: spraying the stage horizontally, something never done previously during large foam applications on space shuttle external tanks at Michoud. All large components of space shuttle tanks were in a vertical position when sprayed with automated processes. Overall, the rocket’s core stage is 212 feet with a diameter of 27.6 feet, the same diameter as the space shuttle’s external tank. The liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks feed four RS-25 engines for approximately 500 seconds before SLS reaches low Earth orbit and the core stage separates from the upper stage and NASA’s Orion spacecraft. “Even though it only takes 102 minutes to apply the spray, a lot of careful preparation and planning is put into this process before the actual application of the foam,” said Boeing’s Brian Jeansonne, the integrated product team senior leader for the thermal protection system at NASA Michoud. “There are better process controls in place than we’ve ever had before, and there are specialized production technicians who must have certifications to operate the system. It’s quite an accomplishment and a lot of pride in knowing that we’ve completed this step of the build process.” The core stage of SLS is the largest NASA has ever built by length and volume, and it was manufactured at Michoud using state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment. Michoud is a unique, advanced manufacturing facility where the agency has built spacecraft components for decades, including the space shuttle’s external tanks and Saturn V rockets for the Apollo program. Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. For more information on the Artemis Campaign, visit: [Hidden Content] News Media Contact Jonathan Deal Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256-544-0034 jonathan.e*****@*****.tld View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]