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Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom, pilot of the Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) “Liberty Bell 7” spaceflight, enjoys a meal aboard the recovery ship, USS Randolph, following his 15-minute, 37-second suborbital space mission.NASA Today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, born April 3, 1926, in Mitchell, Indiana. As one of NASA’s first seven astronauts, he became America’s second astronaut to fly in space when he launched aboard the Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft on July 21, 1961, just weeks after Alan Shepard’s historic first Project Mercury spaceflight. In this photo, Grissom is seen enjoying a meal aboard the recovery ship, USS Randolph, following his 15-minute suborbital mission. Although the flight itself was smooth, the situation turned dangerous after splashdown when the capsule’s hatch blew prematurely and the spacecraft began flooding with water. Grissom escaped, but his spacesuit also filled with water as the recovery helicopters attempted to save his sinking spacecraft. He was successfully rescued, but the Liberty Bell 7 sank to the ocean floor. Grissom made history again in March 1965 as the first NASA astronaut to fly in space twice, serving as commander of Gemini III, the first crewed Gemini mission, alongside John Young. Reflecting on this test flight, he wrote, “To our intense satisfaction we were able to carry out these maneuvers almost exactly as planned… The longer we flew, the more jubilant we felt. We had a really fine spacecraft, one we could be proud of in every respect.” One year later, in March 1966, NASA announced that Grissom had been selected to command the first Apollo mission, with crewmates Edward White and Roger Chaffee. On January 27, 1967, tragedy struck during a preflight test at Cape Kennedy when fire swept through the command module. Grissom, White, and Chaffee lost their lives in an accident that stunned the nation and shook NASA to its core. Just weeks before the tragedy, Grissom wrote: “There will be risks, as there are in any experimental program, and sooner or later, we’re going to run head-on into the law of averages and lose somebody. I hope this never happens, and… perhaps it never will, but if it does, I hope the American people won’t think it’s too high a price to pay for our space program.” View the full article

NASA/Reid Wiseman NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman took this picture of Earth from the Orion spacecraft’s window after completing the translunar injection burn. There are two auroras (top right and bottom left) and zodiacal light (bottom right) is visible as the Earth eclipses the Sun. This and another photo of Earth are the first downlinked images from the Artemis II astronauts. See and hear what the astronauts do with our 24/7 feed. Image credit: NASA/Reid Wiseman View the full article

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Barents Sea Tied to Low Arctic… Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Notes from the Field Blog Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search Thin, broken-up sea ice and areas of open water dominate the northern Barents Sea in this image acquired on March 17, 2026, by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite. At the top of the planet, the cap of sea ice across Arctic waters grows and shrinks with the seasons, usually reaching its annual maximum extent in March. In 2026, this peak occurred on March 15, when the extent reached 14.29 million square kilometers, matching the lowest maximum observed since satellite monitoring began in 1979. One of the key areas contributing to the low maximum this year was the Barents Sea. The Barents Sea lies at the periphery of the Arctic Ocean, bordered to the northwest by the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, and to the northeast and east by the Russian islands of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, respectively. It is one of more than a dozen subregions—including the Central Arctic Ocean and nearby seas, bays, and waterways—across which scientists use remote sensing to track sea ice. The region is important for fisheries, shipping routes, and scientific research. On March 17, 2026, the Terra satellite captured this image of the northern Barents Sea. Near Franz Josef Land, broken sea ice drifted near areas of open water closer to Novaya Zemlya. The region is often cloudy, as it was that day, but most clouds were thin enough to reveal the sea ice and water below. In addition to the low extent, data from NASA’s ICESat-2 satellite indicate that Barents sea ice in mid-March 2026 was also very thin, according to Nathan Kurtz, chief of the Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Previous years, such as 2021 and 2025, also saw especially thin ice around the time of the maximum. “What was striking this year, however, was that the ice was also completely melted away in more of the Barents Sea, in addition to areas of thinning spreading northward,” Kurtz said. On the opposite side of the Arctic, the Sea of Okhotsk also contributed to the low total sea ice extent across the Arctic in March 2026. But the factors driving the losses differ between the two regions. In the Barents, studies have shown that the main driver is large-scale atmospheric circulation, with winds channeling warm, humid air from the North Atlantic straight into the area, accelerating melt. These winds can be influenced by tropical weather thousands of miles away. Disturbances originating over the Maritime Continent near Indonesia can “send ripples through the atmosphere that reach the Arctic within one to two weeks,” Kurtz said. In contrast, the Sea of Okhotsk mostly has thin, seasonal ice that changes thickness from year to year. Local winds play a big role, sometimes pushing the ice together to create thicker, ridged areas, and other times spreading it out, making it thinner. Because of this, the ice loss there is mainly driven by local weather, unlike in the Barents Sea, where distant atmospheric forces have a greater impact. NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Kathryn Hansen. Downloads March 17, 2026 JPEG (3.67 MB) References & Resources NASA (2026, March 26) Arctic Winter Sea Ice Ties Record Low, NASA, NSIDC Scientists Find. Accessed April 2, 2026. National Snow and Ice Data Center (2026) MASIE-NH Daily Image Viewer. Accessed April 2, 2026. National Snow and Ice Data Center (2026, March 25) Arctic sea ice record low maximum strikes again. Accessed April 2, 2026. Nihashi, S. et al. (2018) Estimation of sea-ice thickness and volume in the Sea of Okhotsk based on ICESat data. Annals of Glaciology, 59 (76pt2), 101-111 NOAA (2025) Regional Sea Ice. Accessed April 2, 2026. Yu Feng Siew, P. et al. (2023) Physical Links from Atmospheric Circulation Patterns to Barents–Kara Sea Ice Variability from Synoptic to Seasonal Timescales in the Cold Season. Journal of Climate, 36, 8027–8040. Zheng, C. et al. (2022) Turbulent Heat Flux, Downward Longwave Radiation, and Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation Associated with Wintertime Barents–Kara Sea Extreme Sea Ice Loss Events. Journal of Climate, 35, 3747–3765. You may also be interested in: Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet. Antarctic Sea Ice Saw Its Third-Lowest Maximum 2 min read Sea ice around the southernmost continent hit one of its lowest seasonal highs since the start of the satellite record. Article Cañon Fiord’s Whirling Waters 3 min read During the 2022 summer melt season, sediment plumes and fractured sea ice traced swirling eddies in a branch of the… Article Seeing Blue During Schirmacher’s Summer Melt Season 5 min read A network of meltwater lakes and drainage channels made an Antarctic ice shelf known for its blue ice areas even… Article 1 2 3 4 Next Keep Exploring Discover More from NASA Earth Science Subscribe to Earth Observatory Newsletters Subscribe to the Earth Observatory and get the Earth in your inbox. Earth Observatory Image of the Day NASA’s Earth Observatory brings you the Earth, every day, with in-depth stories and stunning imagery. Explore Earth Science Earth Science Data Open access to NASA’s archive of Earth science data View the full article

Earth’s crescent is seen from a solar array camera on the Orion spacecraft on the first flight day of the Artemis II mission.Credit: NASA For the first time in more than 50 years, astronauts on a NASA mission are bound to fly around the Moon after successfully completing a key burn of Orion’s main engine. With the approximately six-minute firing of the spacecraft’s service module engine on Thursday, known as the translunar injection burn, Orion and its crew of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (********* Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen accelerated to break free of Earth’s orbit and began the outbound trajectory toward Earth’s nearest neighbor. “Today, for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, humans have departed Earth orbit. Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy now are on a precise trajectory toward the Moon. Orion is operating with crew for the first time in space, and we are gathering critical data, and learning from each step,” said Dr. Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Each milestone we reach marks meaningful progress on the path forward for the Artemis program. While we have eight intensive days of work ahead, this is a big moment, and we’re proud to share it with the world.” NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. EDT on April 1, sending the four astronauts on a planned 10-day test flight around the Moon and back. After reaching space, Orion deployed its four solar array wings, enabling the spacecraft to receive energy from the Sun, while the crew and engineers on the ground immediately began transitioning the spacecraft from launch to flight operations to start checking out key systems. About 49 minutes into the test flight, the SLS rocket’s upper stage fired to put Orion into an elliptical orbit around Earth. A second planned burn by the stage propelled Orion, which the crew named “Integrity,” into a high Earth orbit extending about 46,000 miles above the Earth for about 24 hours of system checkouts. After the burn, Orion separated from the stage, flying free on its own. The crew then conducted a manual piloting demonstration to test Orion’s handling qualities using the ICPS (interim cryogenic propulsion stage) as a docking target. At the conclusion of the demonstration, Orion executed an automated departure burn to safely back away from the ICPS, after which the stage performed its own disposal burn and re-entered Earth’s atmosphere over a remote region of the Pacific Ocean. Prior to its re-entry, four small CubeSats were deployed from SLS rocket’s Orion stage adapter. Other tasks completed so far include a transition to the Deep Space Network for communications, the crew becoming acclimated to the space environment, completing their first rest periods, performing the first flywheel exercise, restoring the spacecraft’s toilet to normal operations, and configuring the spacecraft for the translunar injection burn. During a planned lunar flyby on Monday, April 6, the astronauts will take high resolution photographs and provide their own observations of the lunar surface, including areas of the far side of the Moon never seen directly by humans. Although the lunar far side will only be partially illuminated during the flyby, the conditions should create shadows that stretch across the surface, enhancing relief and revealing depth, ridges, slopes, and crater rims that are often difficult to detect under full illumination. Following a successful lunar flyby, the astronauts will return to Earth and splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. As part of a Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send Artemis astronauts on increasingly challenging missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. Follow the latest mission progress, including more images from the test flight, at: [Hidden Content] -end- Cheryl Warner / Rachel Kraft Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 *****@*****.tld / rachel.h*****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated Apr 02, 2026 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsArtemis 2ArtemisExploration Systems Development Mission DirectorateHumans in SpaceMissionsOrion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle View the full article

NASA/Aubrey Gemignani NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft lift off in this April 1, 2026, image. NASA’s Artemis II mission will take NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (********* Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard their Orion spacecraft. See more launch day photos. Image credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani View the full article

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Réunion Island Lava Reaches… Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Notes from the Field Blog Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search Lava flows east in this thermal image captured by the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) on Landsat 9 on March 28, 2026. NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison Located 700 kilometers (440 miles) east of Madagascar, Réunion Island is the product of a long-lived mantle hotspot on the floor of the Indian Ocean. The island first emerged above the ocean’s surface about 2 million years ago. It remains active today, with frequent eruptions from Piton de la Fournaise, a shield volcano on the island’s eastern side. Since the 17th century, the volcano has had more than 150 documented eruptions. The most recent began within the Enclos Fouqué caldera on February 13, 2026, with the opening of four fissures that fueled sustained lava fountains reaching 10 to 50 meters (30 to 160 feet). Throughout February and March, basaltic lava spilled down the volcano, advancing through forested and grassy areas toward its eastern side. This thermal satellite image shows lava flowing east toward the ocean on March 28, 2026. The signal reveals the amount of heat emanating from surfaces on Earth based on detections of thermal radiation in two wavelengths. Warmer areas are mapped in yellow and cooler surfaces in blue. The thermal data were overlaid on a digital elevation model of the island. The current activity likely marks the onset of a new cycle of frequent eruptive activity at Piton de la Fournaise Diego Coppola University of Turin “The hottest areas, shown as the brightest tones, correspond to the eruptive vent, the active lava channel, and the flow front,” said Adele Campus, a University of Turin volcanologist. From the vent, lava flows downslope for several kilometers, often through lava tubes. “The places where lava re-emerges at the surface through breakouts appear as localized hotspots,” she added. Campus and colleagues analyzed more than two decades of NASA and NOAA satellite observations in a 2025 study, identifying key trends and patterns in the volcano’s thermal activity and rate of lava effusion. On March 13, lava cut through the island’s Route Nationale 2 (RN2). By March 16, it had begun to spill into the Indian Ocean, producing acidic plumes of steam and volcanic gases, known as laze, according to the Observatoire Volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise (OVPF). Scientists on the ground measured lava temperatures of 1,100 to 1,130 degrees Celsius (2,010 to 2,070 degrees Fahrenheit) as lava neared the ocean. Thermal surveys also showed that water temperatures exceeded 36°C (97°F) up to 600 meters from the entry point, according to OVPF. As of March 24, materials entering the ocean had created a new lava delta that extended the coastline by 190 meters. “This eruption appears to be longer and to have produced a larger volume of lava than usual,” said Diego Coppola, a professor of volcanology at the University of Turin who coauthored the analysis with Campus. Such characteristics are often associated with the onset or end of an eruptive cycle. The most recent cycle began in 2014, culminated in 2015, and ended in July 2023. “The current activity,” he said, “likely marks the onset of a new cycle of frequent eruptive activity at Piton de la Fournaise.” NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey and elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). Story by Adam Voiland. Downloads March 28, 2026 JPEG (960.84 KB) References & Resources Airbus Space, via X (2026, March 25) Réunion island’s volcanic heart ignites once again. Accessed April 1, 2026. BBC (2026, March 16) Watch: Reunion resident gets close to lava from erupting volcano. Accessed April 1, 2026. Global Volcanism Program (2026) Piton de la Fournaise. Accessed April 1, 2026. Imaz Press (2026, March 13) [Photos-Vidéos] Volcan : trois coulées traversent la route nationale 2, la lave à environ 600 mètres de l’océan. Accessed April 1, 2026. MSN (2026, March 25) Reunion volcano lava reaches ocean for first time in 19 years. Accessed April 1, 2026. NASA Earth Observatory (2023, December 30) Snow Peak, Réunion Island. Accessed April 1, 2026. Observatoire volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise, via Bluesky (2026) Posts. Accessed April 1, 2026. Observatoire volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise (2026) Communiqués et bulletins. Accessed April 1, 2026. You may also be interested in: Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet. A Hot and Fiery Decade for Kīlauea 6 min read The volcano in Hawaii is one of the most active in the world, and NASA tech makes it easier for… Article Restless Kīlauea Launches Lava and Ash 3 min read Episode 43 of the Hawaiian volcano’s current eruption was marked by high lava fountains and widespread ash dispersal. Article Krasheninnikova Remains Restless 3 min read The volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula continues to erupt after centuries of quiescence. Article 1 2 3 4 Next Keep Exploring Discover More from NASA Earth Science Subscribe to Earth Observatory Newsletters Subscribe to the Earth Observatory and get the Earth in your inbox. Earth Observatory Image of the Day NASA’s Earth Observatory brings you the Earth, every day, with in-depth stories and stunning imagery. Explore Earth Science Earth Science Data Open access to NASA’s archive of Earth science data View the full article

The SLS (Space Launch System) launches with the Artemis II crew aboard the Orion spacecraft on April 1, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls Spurred by American ingenuity, astronauts on NASA’s Artemis II mission are in flight, preparing for the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years. NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. EDT Wednesday, sending four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft on a planned test flight around the Moon and back. “Today’s launch marks a defining moment for our nation and for all who believe in exploration. Artemis II builds on the vision set by President Donald J. Trump, returning humanity to the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years and opening the next chapter of lunar exploration beyond Apollo. Aboard Orion are four remarkable explorers preparing for the first crewed flight of this rocket and spacecraft, a true test mission that will carry them farther and faster than any humans in a generation,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Artemis II is the start of something ******* than any one mission. It marks our return to the Moon, not just to visit, but to eventually stay on our Moon Base, and lays the foundation for the next giant leaps ahead.” The successful launch is the beginning of an approximately 10-day mission for NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (********* Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen. As the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program, among its objectives, the flight will demonstrate life support systems for the first time with crew and lay the foundation for an enduring presence on the Moon ahead of future missions to Mars. After reaching space, Orion deployed its solar array wings, enabling the spacecraft to receive energy from the Sun, while the crew and engineers on the ground immediately began transitioning the spacecraft from launch to flight operations to start checking out key systems. “Artemis II is a test flight, and the test has just begun. The team that built this vehicle, repaired it, and prepared it for flight has given our crew the machine they need to go prove what it can do,” said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya. “Over the next 10 days, Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy will put Orion through its paces so the crews who follow them can go to the Moon’s surface with confidence. We are one mission into a long campaign, and the work ahead of us is greater than the work behind us.” About 49 minutes into the test flight, the SLS rocket’s upper stage fired to put Orion into an elliptical orbit around Earth. A second planned burn by the stage will propel Orion, which the crew named “Integrity,” into a high Earth orbit extending about 46,000 miles beyond Earth. After the burn, Orion will separate from the stage, flying free on its own. In several hours, a ring on the rocket’s upper stage, which will be a safe distance away from the spacecraft, will deploy four CubeSats – small satellites from Argentina’s Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales, ******* Aerospace Center, Korea AeroSpace Administration, and Saudi Space Agency – to perform scientific investigations and technology demonstrations. The spacecraft will remain in high Earth orbit for about a day, where the crew will conduct a manual pilot demonstration to test Orion’s handling capabilities. The astronauts, with Mission Control Center teams at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, will continue checking spacecraft systems. If all systems remain healthy, mission controllers will give Orion’s European-built service module a command to conduct the translunar injection burn on Thursday, April 2. This move is an approximately six-minute firing to send the spacecraft on a trajectory that will simultaneously carry crew around the Moon, while also harnessing lunar gravity to slingshot them back to Earth. During a planned multi-hour lunar flyby on Monday, April 6, the astronauts will take photographs and provide observations of the Moon’s surface as the first people to lay eyes on some areas of the far side. Although the lunar far side will only be partially illuminated during the flyby, the conditions should create shadows that stretch across the surface, enhancing relief and revealing depth, ridges, slopes and crater rims that are often difficult to detect under full illumination. Crew observations and other human health scientific investigations during the mission, such as AVATAR, will inform science during future Moon missions. Following a successful lunar flyby, the astronauts will return to Earth and splash down in the Pacific Ocean. As part of Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send Artemis astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. Follow the latest mission progress, including more images from the test flight, visit: [Hidden Content] -end- Bethany Stevens / Rachel Kraft Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 *****@*****.tld / rachel.h*****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated Apr 01, 2026 Related TermsArtemisArtemis 2Humans in SpaceMissionsOrion Multi-Purpose Crew VehicleSpace Launch System (SLS) View the full article

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory March of the Harmattan Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Notes from the Field Blog Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search Morning Afternoon A light-brown dust plume with a defined front spreads over northwestern Africa in the late morning. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin By afternoon, the plume has shifted southwest, partly extending over the Atlantic Ocean. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin MorningAfternoon A light-brown dust plume with a defined front spreads over northwestern Africa in the late morning. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin By afternoon, the plume has shifted southwest, partly extending over the Atlantic Ocean. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin Morning Afternoon March 30, 2026 CurtainToggle2-Up Image Details Saharan dust spreads across northwestern Africa on March 30, 2026, in these images acquired in the morning (left) by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite and in the afternoon (right) by the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on NOAA-21. In early spring 2026, a dry, dust-laden wind known as the harmattan swept across northwestern Africa. Cold temperatures, high winds, and blowing dust prompted officials to issue an alert for several regions of Morocco due to the low visibility and harsh conditions. Satellites tracked the wall of dust over the course of the day on March 30 as it moved southwest from the Sahara Desert and toward the Atlantic Ocean. The left image, captured by NASA’s Terra satellite, shows the dust at about 10:00 Universal Time (11 a.m. local time in Morocco). The NOAA-21 satellite captured the right image about four hours later. Meteosat-12, a satellite operated by the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), captured another view of the dust storm. The geostationary weather satellite showed the dust’s movement as it moved closer to the Canary Islands. According to Spain’s state meteorological agency (AEMET), the harmattan winds blow from the northeast between November and April, often producing dust storms as winds lift dust particles from the Sahara. During the March 30 event, AEMET noted that conditions were right for a harmattan surge, which happens when winds get stronger near the ground with the passing of a cold front. That day, winds converged perpendicular to the High Atlas mountain range before shifting southwest. Forecasts called for the Saharan dust to ultimately engulf the Canary Islands, triggering what islanders know as calima. The dust episode was expected to worsen air quality and visibility across the islands through April 1. A separate storm earlier in March also sent dust toward the Canaries, along with another plume that dispersed widely across Europe. Researchers using NASA data have previously reported that the most intense Saharan dust storms occur in the spring, when dust is typically lifted from the sand seas, or ergs, of central North Africa and areas along the Mediterranean coast. In the warmer months, another peak occurs in the central Sahara. NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS and VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Story by Kathryn Hansen. Downloads March 30, 2026: Terra MODIS JPEG (2.42 MB) March 30, 2026: NOAA-21 VIIRS JPEG (2.01 MB) References & Resources AEMET Divulga via X (2026, March 31) These satellite images show a surge of harmattan, a dust storm (haboob) generated by the harmattan wind from the region. Accessed March 31, 2026. CIRA Satellite Library (2026, March 30) Daily loop from: Meteosat-12. Accessed March 31, 2026. Fiedler, S. et al. (2015) The importance of Harmattan surges for the emission of North African dust aerosol. Geophysical Research Letters, 42 (21), 9495-9504. HESPRESS (2026, March 30) Morocco issues orange alert for cold weather, strong winds, and dust storms. Accessed March 31, 2026. NASA Earth Observatory (2026, March 12) Dust Outbreak Reaches Europe. Accessed March 31, 2026. Saleh, S.A. et al. (2025) A preliminary assessment of the spatial and temporal patterns of sand and dust storms over the Sahara. Scientific African, 28 (e02729). You may also be interested in: Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet. Dust Outbreak Reaches Europe 3 min read Clouds of dust lofted from the Sahara Desert brought hazy skies and muddy rain to Western Europe. Article Wave of Dust Rolls Through Texas 3 min read An advancing cold front kicked up a sharp line of sand and other small particles that swept over the high… Article Finding Freshwater in Great Salt Lake 4 min read Reed-covered mounds exposed by declining water levels reveal an unexpected network of freshwater springs that feed directly into the lake… Article 1 2 3 4 Next Keep Exploring Discover More from NASA Earth Science Subscribe to Earth Observatory Newsletters Subscribe to the Earth Observatory and get the Earth in your inbox. Earth Observatory Image of the Day NASA’s Earth Observatory brings you the Earth, every day, with in-depth stories and stunning imagery. Explore Earth Science Earth Science Data Open access to NASA’s archive of Earth science data View the full article

NASA/Jessica Meir NASA astronaut Jessica Meir took this photo of an Artemis program patch floating in the International Space Station’s cupola. She posted it on X on March 30, 2026, with the following caption: “Our work on the @Space_Station has provided the foundation to explore further, preparing us to return humans to the Moon this week. Stay tuned as we enter the @NASAArtemis era! Expedition 74 will certainly be keeping a close watch. Godspeed, Artemis II!” Image credit: NASA/Jessica Meir View the full article

Landsat Navigation Landsat Home Missions Landsat Next Landsat 9 Landsat 8 Landsat 7 Landsat 6 Landsat 5 Landsat 4 Landsat 3 Landsat 2 Landsat 1 News Latest News People of Landsat Q&As Newsletter Publications Data Overview Cal/Val Open Data Benefits Overview Agriculture & Food Security Disaster Management Ecosystems & Biodiversity Energy Resources Forest Management Human Health Urban Development Water Resources Wildfires Case Studies Outreach Multimedia About Search Communities worldwide rely on reservoirs for drinking water, hydroelectric power, irrigation, and more. These critical freshwater resources are affected by seasonal and long-term changes; water levels in reservoirs can dip during hot summer months or due to prolonged drought, or can flood after a particularly strong storm. Despite their importance, there are key gaps in our knowledge of reservoir structure and dynamics. Two recent papers use Landsat data to help fill in those gaps. Researchers from the University of Southampton used Landsat data to identify where water advanced or retreated from 1984 to 2022, creating the first global dataset pinpointing the exact year of permanent surface water changes—such as when a reservoir formed or a stream dried up. The study can track changes in streams as narrow as 30m and lakes as small as 900m2. In a separate study, Texas A&M University researchers used Landsat data to build a global bathymetry dataset called ‘3D-LAKES’ that enables water managers to estimate reservoir storage capacity. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In this output from the 3D-LAKES dataset, green represents shallow waters while purple represents deeper waters. The data is overlaid on an image collected by the Thematic Mapper (TM) on Landsat 5 on July 31, 1985 and a Copernicus Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and bathymetric data from the 3D-LAKES dataset. Ross Walter/NASA The above animation shows the Amistad Reservoir on the border of Texas and Mexico. It uses a natural-color Landsat image from 1985 overlaid onto a Copernicus Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and bathymetric data from the 3D-LAKES dataset. Vertical relief is exaggerated by a factor of four to emphasize topographic features and landforms. The reservoir is jointly managed by the U.S. and Mexico through the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) for flood control, recreation, and hydroelectric power. Despite its importance to the two countries, the reservoir is slowly shrinking. The surface water transitions dataset shows the water levels retreating in recent decades, with significant recessions between 2012 and 2016. The 3D-LAKES dataset reveals the underwater shape of the reservoir. Together, these datasets complement the in situ water level and conditions data collected throughout the year. Tracking Surface Water Transitions Human communities both shape and are shaped by water. We divert rivers, build reservoirs, and construct artificial islands, while natural forces—storms, meandering rivers, and rising seas—reshape our waterways and coastlines. With satellite data as an important tool to study ecosystem dynamics, researchers have begun to build a more comprehensive global understanding of where water is and how it shifts over time. In their water transitions study, the University of Southampton team focused specifically on permanent changes in lakes, rivers, coastlines, and other water bodies worldwide. Looking at long-term changes in surface water can help scientists understand drivers of change, said Gustavo ****** Nagel, lead researcher on the paper. Knowing when a lake began receding helps water managers investigate whether drought, irrigation, or other forces caused the decline. Running from July 31, 1985 to November 10, 2025, this animation shows the Amistad Reservoir levels fluctuate with the seasons but slowly decline. The time series is composed of images from Landsats 5, 7, 8, and 9. Ross Walter/NASA Scientists, policymakers, and water managers can explore the interactive dataset that Nagel and his team created to visualize changes close to home as well as stark global impacts such as the drying of the Aral Sea, the lakes created by melting glaciers in Tibet, and the building of the Palm Islands in Dubai. Assessing long-term changes in surface water presents a key challenge, as surface water is extremely dynamic. Seasonal fluctuations and climatic forces mean that rivers, lakes, and coastlines are changing all the time. To identify permanent water changes while excluding seasonal fluctuations, the researchers ran two algorithms. The first detected whether the water body was advancing or retreating over the study ******* using the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (mNDWI), which uses the shortwave-infrared (SWIR) instead of the near-infrared (NIR) band. The second algorithm used the Green_Red Normalized Difference Water Index (grNDWI)—an index proposed by the research team—to identify the precise year that the water body transitioned. A change was considered “permanent” if it did not revert to its previous condition during the study ******* of 1984 to 2022. “The dataset is showing, for every location on the planet, areas where water advanced or retracted and the year of that change,” said Nagel. In this screenshot from the Water Change Time Detection tool on Google Earth Engine, red and orange represent areas where water receded, whereas blue represents areas where water advanced. Overall water levels have receded, including major recessions between 2012 and 2016. Visualizing Lakes in 3D Landsat can help us monitor surface water. But what about what’s under the surface? In a study published in Scientific Data in October 2025, researchers from Texas A&M University fused Landsat and ICESat-2 data to create bathymetry maps for half a million global lakes and reservoirs. The research team, led by Huilin Gao, used Landsat imagery to calculate the surface area of water bodies, delineate where water meets land, and track how water extent changes over time. Then, they combined laser altimetry from the ICESat-2 satellite to infer the underwater bathymetry of water bodies. With these measurements, the scientists refined area-elevation relationships, a key metric for understanding how water storage changes with water level. In this screenshot from the 3D-LAKES dataset, green represents shallow waters while purple represents deeper waters. Comparing this screenshot to the results from the water change detection tool, it appears that the areas where water receded align with the shallower portions of the reservoir. The resultant dataset, dubbed 3D-LAKES, is static, as bathymetry does not tend to change significantly year to year. “This dataset can support many applications, from monitoring water storage to refining hydrological models,” said Chi-Hsiang Huang, the study’s lead author. 3D-LAKES can be used in combination with Landsat-based maps—like the surface transition research or the popular Global Surface Water dataset—to help water resource managers assess the volume of water held in a reservoir or lake. This allows them to evaluate flood risk, map habitat, or calculate how much water is available during a particularly dry season. Researchers can also track changing water volume over time, helping understand long-term trends in water storage. Measuring underwater topography has historically been expensive and impractical at global scales. The 3D-LAKES dataset now provides researchers and managers with crucial bathymetric data for lakes and reservoirs worldwide. “With this new dataset, we can achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the impacts of lakes and reservoirs on regional climatology, water security, and ecosystem services,” said Gao. Both studies provide water and land managers with unprecedented tools for resource management and planning—from the Amistad Reservoir to the *********** Outback to the Brazilian Amazon. Explore More Landsat Reveals Reservoir Changes and Bathymetry 5 min read In two recent studies, researchers used Landsat data to fill key gaps in our knowledge of reservoir structure and dynamics. Mar 31, 2026 Article Seeing Blue During Schirmacher’s Summer Melt Season 5 min read A network of meltwater lakes and drainage channels made an Antarctic ice shelf known for its blue ice areas even… Mar 30, 2026 Article Satellite Spots a Spawn 3 min read The activity of herring around Vancouver Island in British Columbia brightened coastal waters enough to be detectable from space. Mar 27, 2026 Article 1 2 3 … 301 Next View the full article

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Fires Tear Through Nebraska… Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Notes from the Field Blog Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search February 28, 2026 March 29, 2026 Plains in western Nebraska, divided by the North Platte River, appear in light shades of green and brown in a false-color satellite image. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin A burned area on the plains of western Nebraska appears as a large tan area in a false-color satellite image. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin February 28, 2026March 29, 2026 Plains in western Nebraska, divided by the North Platte River, appear in light shades of green and brown in a false-color satellite image. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin A burned area on the plains of western Nebraska appears as a large tan area in a false-color satellite image. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin February 28, 2026 March 29, 2026 CurtainToggle2-Up Image Details Acquired with the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the NOAA-21 satellite on February 28 and March 29, 2026, these false-color images (bands M11-I2-I1) show grasslands in western Nebraska before and after several wildland fires spread through the area. NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin. On the afternoon of March 12, 2026, a wildland fire ignited in Morrill County, Nebraska. Within 12 hours, high winds had propelled flames approximately 70 miles (110 kilometers) east-southeast across the prairie. The Morrill fire would burn over 640,000 acres (260,000 hectares) within a week, becoming the largest wildfire in the state’s history. This image (right) shows the extent of recently burned areas near the North Platte River in western Nebraska on March 29. By this time, authorities reported the Morrill fire was 100 percent contained. However, crews were working to contain two smaller blazes immediately to the northeast, the Ashby and Minor fires, which ignited early on March 26. For comparison, the left image was acquired on February 28, before the fires. Both are false-color to better distinguish the burned areas. The fires occurred amid an active start for wildfires in the U.S. in 2026. The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported that 15,436 fires had burned 1,510,973 acres nationwide as of March 27. That’s far higher than the 10-year average—9,195 fires burning 664,792 acres—for the same *******. The Great Plains have been particularly prone to fire in early 2026. Exceptionally dry fuels contributed to rapid fire growth and other unusual fire behavior for the time of year, according to the NIFC. Throughout the winter, much of the region saw warmer and windier-than-average conditions, as well as less than 50 percent of average precipitation over a 90-day *******, leading to low soil moisture and grass fuels that were primed to burn. The fires in western Nebraska affected large areas of ranch and pasture lands, destroyed homes, barns, and fences, and injured or killed livestock, according to news reports. The Morrill fire also burned much of the Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge in the Nebraska Sandhills, an area of grasslands, wetlands, and dunes used by migratory birds. Despite the fires, reports indicate that hundreds of thousands of sandhill cranes are still making their annual migration through the Platte River valley. NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Story by Lindsey Doermann. Downloads February 28, 2026 JPEG (1.94 MB) March 29, 2026 JPEG (1.93 MB) References & Resources InciWeb (2026) Morrill Fire. Accessed March 30, 2026. National Interagency Fire Center (2026, March 27) National Fire News. Accessed March 30, 2026. National Interagency Fire Center (2026, March 20) Fuels and Fire Behavior Advisory: Northern and Central Great Plains. Accessed March 30, 2026. Nebraska Public Media (2026, March 30) ‘It’s like a death’: Grief, hope and resilience after fire ravages Nebraska Sandhills. Accessed March 30, 2026. The Washington Post (2026, March 24) Wildfires rip through unusual parts of U.S., raising fears of a brutal season. Accessed March 30, 2026. You may also be interested in: Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet. Smoke Rises Over Big Cypress National Preserve 2 min read The National fire has burned tens of thousands of acres within the Florida preserve, fueled by vegetation dried by prolonged… Article Fires on the Rise in the Far North 3 min read Satellite-based maps show northern wildland fires becoming more frequent and widespread as temperatures rise and lightning reaches higher latitudes. Article Winds Whip Up Fires and Dust on the Southern Plains 3 min read Dry, gusty conditions spurred fast-growing fires in Oklahoma and Kansas, along with dangerous dust storms across the region. Article 1 2 3 4 Next Keep Exploring Discover More from NASA Earth Science Subscribe to Earth Observatory Newsletters Subscribe to the Earth Observatory and get the Earth in your inbox. Earth Observatory Image of the Day NASA’s Earth Observatory brings you the Earth, every day, with in-depth stories and stunning imagery. Explore Earth Science Earth Science Data Open access to NASA’s archive of Earth science data View the full article

NASA/Josh Valcarcel From left to right, NASA astronauts Andre Douglas, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, CSA (********* Space Agency) astronauts Jenni Gibbons, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen pose for a photo before the Artemis II crew proceed to a media event on March 27, 2026. Douglas and Gibbons are the backup crew members for the mission; they would join the crew if a NASA or CSA astronaut, respectively, is unable to take part in the flight. Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed mission under the Artemis program and will launch from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will send Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon. Among other objectives, the agency will test the Orion spacecraft’s life support systems for the first time with people and lay the groundwork for future crewed Artemis missions. Image credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel View the full article

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Seeing Blue During… Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Notes from the Field Blog Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search Cerulean blue meltwater flows through drainage channels on the Nivlisen Ice Shelf, Antarctica, in this image acquired on January 6, 2026, by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 9. NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison Summer is a busy season at Schirmacher Oasis, a rocky, ice-free plateau in Queen Maud Land, East Antarctica. Located near the grounding line of Nivlisen Ice Shelf and about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the open waters of the Lazarev Sea, the “oasis” of land amid an otherwise continuous expanse of ice is home to dozens of small ice-covered freshwater lakes and two research stations. It’s the season when all-white snow petrels are sometimes spotted soaring over the oasis, and fuzzy south polar skua and Wilson’s storm petrel chicks grow up in sheltered crevices on its cliffs and ridges. Under constant sunlight, the plateau’s freshwater lakes come to life, supporting cyanobacterial growth and teeming with microscopic tardigrades, rotifers, and nematodes. At times, groups of Adélie penguins toddle through the oasis and attempt to breed. The summer months are also when temperatures creep just above freezing long enough for expansive networks of seasonal melt ponds and drainage channels on and within the surrounding ice to fill with bright blue meltwater that flows north onto and across the Nivlisen Ice Shelf. The satellite image above shows seasonal melt on January 6, 2026, during the peak of the 2026 melt season. Lakes dot the rocky surface of Schirmacher Oasis in this image acquired on January 6, 2026, by the OLI on Landsat 9. NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison The Nivlisen Ice Shelf is a floating tongue that forms as glacial ice flows off Antarctica and into the waters of the Lazarev Sea. The many blue ice areas found around the oasis are snow-free areas where old, compressed glacial ice with few air bubbles has been exposed by powerful katabatic winds and sublimation. This dense ice absorbs red wavelengths of light and reflects blue wavelengths, making it appear blue. Blue ice areas are rare in Antarctica, covering about 1 percent of the continent’s surface. “The image captures the Nivlisen Ice Shelf during a phase of strong, system-wide hydrological connectivity,” said Geetha Priya Murugesan, a remote sensing scientist with the Jyothy Institute of Technology in Bengaluru, India. Such features aren’t always visible in optical satellite imagery, she added, noting that they are often frozen, buried under snow, or drained. “This image is notable because the ‘cerulean veins’ we see on the surface align with a deeper, persistent plumbing system that we monitor with radar.” Surface drainage channels filled with meltwater flow across the Nivlisen Ice Shelf in this image acquired on January 6, 2026, by the OLI on Landsat 9. NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison Murugesan and colleagues have analyzed decades of satellite data and conducted several years of field research in the area, including in 2026. Their work shows that since 2000, the surface melting caused by seasonal melt ponds and channels on the ice shelf has grown in depth, area, and volume. The depth and volume of melt features grew by a factor of 1.5, while their surface area increased by a factor of 1.2. Murugesan thinks that the visibility of the drainage network in images like these hints at a deeper vulnerability of the ice shelf. The drainage channels trace preexisting structural weaknesses, including crevasses, that act as “hydraulic pathways” that concentrate meltwater in vulnerable zones near the grounding line, where it can weaken the ice shelf, Murugesan said. The researchers have also linked peak melting periods like this one to atmospheric rivers and foehn winds that enhance surface melting and help route meltwater through the drainage networks. The dark color—low albedo—of the many blue ice areas surrounding the oasis contributes to drainage events by making ice surfaces less reflective, warmer, and thus more prone to summer melting, Murugesan added. While Murugesan and colleagues are currently conducting a detailed analysis of the 2026 melt season to determine how it compares to past years, she said it appears to be a “strong melt event consistent with elevated melt conditions.” NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Adam Voiland. Downloads January 6, 2026 JPEG (11.75 MB) References & Resources Chen, J., et al. (2026) Interannual and Seasonal Evolution of Supraglacial Channel Networks on Nivlisen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica. Egusphere, preprint. Chouksey, A., et al. (2021) Mapping and identification of ice-sheet and glacier features using optical and SAR data in parts of central Dronning Maud Land (cDML), East Antarctica. Polar Science, 30, 100740. EGU Blogs (2024, June 21) Blue ice in Antarctica: small extent, big science. Accessed March 26, 2026. Murugesan, G.P., et al. (2026) Decadal Evolution of Supraglacial Hydrology on the Nivlisen Ice Shelf: From Localized Ponding to Spatially Synchronized Hydrofracture Forcing (2015-2026). Earth ArXiv, preprint. Murugesan, G.P., et al. (2025) Surface Melt Assessment of Nivlisen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica via SAR Satellite Data Analysis During Austral Summer 2022-2023. In: Shukla, P.K., et al. Computer Vision and Robotics. CVR 2024. Algorithms for Intelligent Systems. (Springer, Singapore.) Murugesan, G.P., et al. (2024) Monitoring of Melt Ponds and Supra-Glacial Lakes over Nivlisen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, Using Satellite-Based Multispectral Data. Civil Engineering Innovations for Sustainable Communities with Net Zero Targets. Murugesan, G.P., et al. (2023) Decoding the Dynamics of Climate Change Impact: Temporal Patterns of Surface Warming and Melting on the Nivlisen Ice Shelf, Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. Remote Sensing, 15(24), 5676. Pande, A., et al. (2020) Past records and current distribution of seabirds at Larsemann Hills and Schirmacher Oasis, east Antarctica. Polar Record, 56, e40 Ryan, P.G. (2024) Notes on the birds of Schirmacher Oasis. Marine Ornithology, 52(2). Tollenaar, V., et al. (2024) Where the White Continent Is Blue: Deep Learning Locates Bare Ice in Antarctica. Geophysical Research Letters, 51(3), e2023GL106285. You may also be interested in: Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet. Antarctic Sea Ice Saw Its Third-Lowest Maximum 2 min read Sea ice around the southernmost continent hit one of its lowest seasonal highs since the start of the satellite record. Article Chesapeake Bay Locked in Ice 3 min read Nearly 50 years ago, the first Landsat satellite captured the rare sight of Mid-Atlantic waterways frozen over. Article Stonebreen’s Beating Heart 3 min read The glacier in southeastern Svalbard pulses with the changing seasons, speeding up and slowing its flow toward the sea. Article 1 2 3 4 Next Keep Exploring Discover More from NASA Earth Science Subscribe to Earth Observatory Newsletters Subscribe to the Earth Observatory and get the Earth in your inbox. Earth Observatory Image of the Day NASA’s Earth Observatory brings you the Earth, every day, with in-depth stories and stunning imagery. Explore Earth Science Earth Science Data Open access to NASA’s archive of Earth science data View the full article

3 Min Read I Am Artemis: Erik Richards Erik Richards, mission manager for NASA’s Near Space Network, stands in front of the large antennas at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. Credits: NASA Listen to this audio excerpt from Erik Richards, Near Space Network Mission Manager: 0:00 / 0:00 Your browser does not support the audio element. For Erik Richards, supporting NASA’s first crewed Artemis mission to the Moon and back is the culmination of a career spent helping spacecraft communicate with Earth. Like many kids who grew up at the height of the Space Shuttle Program, Richards dreamed of spaceflight — a dream that eventually took him from the remote McMurdo Station in Antarctica to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. I’ve spent my entire career moving across NASA’s network. At its core, it's an organization of people and interactions. I always say it’s not what you know, but who you know that makes the network go. There are so many opportunities to learn. Erik Richards NASA Near Space Network Mission Manager Most recently, his work has taken him to the agency’s White Sands Complex in New Mexico — and into a key role in America’s return to the Moon. As mission manager for NASA’s Near Space Network, Richards ensures the Artemis II crew and Orion spacecraft can communicate with Earth during liftoff and early orbit, through re-entry and splashdown. Erik Richards at the White Sands Complex. The largest White Sands antennas are 18 meters (59 feet) in diameter. The Near Space Network consists of an interconnected web of relay satellites and more than 40 government and commercial ground stations stretching from Bermuda to South Africa. Together with NASA’s Deep Space Network, this global infrastructure is critical to keeping the Orion spacecraft and its four astronauts connected to mission control throughout their roughly 10-day mission. It’s Richards’ job to keep the many pieces of the Near Space Network operating in sync across multiple missions. He compares the system to a telephone network on Earth: invisible when everything works, critical when it doesn’t. Without communications, there’s no contact with home. A Near Space Network antenna at the White Sands Ground Terminal. The Near Space Network is supporting the Artemis II mission during liftoff, early orbit, re-entry, and splashdown.NASA Working with the Deep Space Network, Artemis II will rely on the Near Space Network for navigation, real-time voice communications, data transfer, and situational awareness. For Richards and the teams supporting NASA’s networks, having crew aboard makes their work more essential than ever. Richards’ professional journey across the Near Space Network has been key to coordinating communications across the Artemis’ three flight segments, dozens of ground stations, and hundreds of people supporting humanity’s return to the Moon. Artemis isn’t just one spacecraft. It’s multiple elements working together across every mission phase, each with its own communications demands. My role is making sure communications succeed for the rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and ultimately the crew. Erik Richards NASA Near Space Network Mission Manager In the months leading up to launch, Richards has supported extensive testing, requirements development, and readiness operations to prepare the network. During the mission, he will be on console, monitoring data flow and coordinating support across NASA and its partner sites worldwide. The support Richards and his team provide Artemis II will carry forward to Artemis III and NASA’s goal of a sustained human presence on the lunar surface. For Richards, being part of that progression — from shuttle to the Moon and eventually Mars — connects him to his childhood love of spaceflight. “The most exciting part about the Artemis campaign is being part of something greater,” said Richards. “You don’t have to be an astronaut to contribute to the future of human exploration.” About the AuthorKorine PowersLead Writer and Communications StrategistKorine Powers, Ph.D. is a writer for NASA's SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) Program office and covers emerging technologies, commercialization efforts, exploration activities, and more. Share Details Last Updated Mar 27, 2026 EditorJimi RussellContactKorine Powers*****@*****.tldLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related TermsI Am ArtemisArtemis 2Communicating and Navigating with MissionsGoddard Space Flight CenterSpace Communications & Navigation Program Explore More 4 min read NASA Selects Participants to Track Artemis II Mission Article 2 months ago 5 min read Networks Keeping NASA’s Artemis II Mission Connected Article 2 months ago 4 min read NASA’s Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System (O2O) Article 3 years ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Artemis Near Space Network Communicating with Missions Laser Communications View the full article

6 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) A rendering of the Intuitive Machines larger cargo class lunar lander is pictured above with the Honeybee Robotics lunar rover (lower right) and the *********** Space Agency’s Roo-Ver lunar rover (lower left).Intuitive Machines NASA has awarded Intuitive Machines of Houston, $180.4 million to deliver NASA-funded science and technology to the lunar surface as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis program. This lunar delivery, which includes seven payloads — five of them NASA’s — is expected to increase understanding of the chemical composition and structure of regolith, as well as the radiation environment in and around the South Pole region. This science will continue to build a sustainable human presence by future Artemis missions. “NASA continues to progress lunar science and exploration by enabling commercial lunar landings,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “These science and technology investigations aim to support long-term sustainability and contribute to a deeper understanding of the lunar surface, test technologies, and prepare for future human missions at the South Pole.” Intuitive Machines is responsible for delivering end-to-end payload services to the lunar surface, targeted to land at the Moon’s South Pole region in 2030. This is the fifth CLPS contract for the company, which has delivered payloads to the Moon twice with their IM-1 and IM-2 missions. “As NASA prepares to send humans and more robotic missions to the Moon, regular CLPS deliveries will provide a better understanding of the exploration environment, accelerating progress toward establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon, setting the stage for eventual human missions to Mars,” said Adam Schlesinger, manager of the CLPS initiative at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The rovers and instruments, totaling 165 pounds (75 kilograms) in collective mass include: Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS) will use enhanced stereo imaging photogrammetry, active illumination, and ejecta impact detection sensors to capture the impact of the engine exhaust plume on lunar regolith as the lander descends on the Moon’s surface. This payload flew on both Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 and Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 and captured first of its kind imagery. The high-resolution stereo images will aid in creating models to predict lunar regolith erosion and ejecta characteristics, which is important as *******, heavier spacecraft and hardware are delivered to the Moon near each other. Lead organization: NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia Near-Infrared Volatiles Spectrometer System (NIRVSS) will observe light emitted or reflected by the lunar soil to help identify its composition. NIRVSS is designed to detect minerals and various types of ices that may be present. NIRVSS will also take high resolution images of the lunar soil and composition variability, which could help inform how ices interact with the lunar soil. The instrument successfully powered on and collected data while in flight on Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission One in 2024. NIRVSS aims to measure the surface temperature at fine scales, which may help determine where ice can exist or remain stable. Lead organization: NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley Mass Spectrometer for Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) will characterize the makeup of volatiles (things that easily evaporate) in the environment around the lander following touchdown. The mass spectrometer demonstrated its gas analysis capabilities in lunar conditions during Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission in 2025. MSolo measures low molecular weight volatiles, which can be used as resources on the lunar surface. Lead organization: NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Lunar Vehicle Radiation Dosimeter system (LVRaD), a suite of four radiation detectors, is designed to quantify the radiation environment on the lunar surface and assess its potential impacts of radiation on biology and the human body in preparation for future human-related activities on the Moon. Additional sensors will investigate volatiles and geological resources that will help us plan for long-term exploration, as well as gain insights into the Moon’s formation and solar system evolution. Lead organization: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute Multifunctional Nanosensor Platform (MNP) is a highly compact and sensitive chemical analysis instrument designed to advance understanding of the lunar environment. It will investigate how exhaust plumes from a lander’s engines interact with the lunar regolith by measuring volatile compounds over time and at varying distances from the landing site. These measurements will provide critical data to better understand plume-surface interactions and their effects, informing the design of safer, more sustainable landing systems and surface operations, directly supporting NASA’s broader lunar exploration objectives. To enable these measurements, the MNP instrument will be integrated into the *********** Space Agency’s rover (“Roo-ver”), a foundation services technology demonstration. The rover will showcase Australia’s robotics capabilities, with the ability to traverse complex terrain and operate with limited human intervention. In doing so, Roo-ver will validate key mobility and autonomy technologies in the lunar environment while serving as the enabling platform for MNP’s scientific objectives. Lead organization for MNP: NASA’ Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland Lead organization for Roover: *********** Space Agency NASA’s Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA) is a small device that reflects laser beams transmitted by Moon orbiters or landing spacecraft to help them determine their orbit position or navigate to the surface. Made of eight quartz corner-cube prisms set into a dome-shaped aluminum frame, the array is passive, meaning it requires no power or maintenance. One LRA payload has already been delivered through CLPS to the surface of the Moon. These arrays will continue to be used to build a network of permanent location markers on the Moon for future exploration. Lead development organization: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center “Sanctuary on the Moon” is a lunar time capsule of 24 synthetic sapphire discs containing a curated archive of human civilization. The discs highlight over 100 billion micropixels of data including the history of science, technology, mathematics, architecture, culture, paleontology, art, literature, music, and the human genome. Sanctuary was developed in France. Lead organization: Grapevine Productions Through NASA’s CLPS initiative, lunar landing and surface operations services are purchased from American companies. By sending science and technology to the Moon, we continue to learn how to prepare for human exploration that could eventually take us to Mars. For more information about CLPS and Artemis: [Hidden Content] -end- Tiffany Blake Headquarters, Washington 202-358-2546 *****@*****.tld Kenna Pell / Ivry Artis Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld View the full article

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The famous Blue Marble image taken by Apollo 17 astronauts on their way to the Moon in 1972 Category I: NASA Environmental Quality Award Recognizes excellence in environmental management and planning, including stewardship of natural and cultural resources. This category highlights achievements in compliance, conservation, remediation, communication, and environmental information management, and the development of strong stakeholder partnerships. Category II: NASA Award for Excellence in Project or Program Execution Honors efforts that reduce cost, time, or level of effort while achieving and maintaining compliance for projects or programs that directly support NASA’s mission. This category emphasizes operational efficiency, innovation, performance, and sustained compliance. Category III: NASA Excellence in Energy and Water Management Award Acknowledges significant achievements in energy efficiency, water conservation, and renewable energy integration. This award highlights projects that demonstrate measurable improvements in resource management and sustainable practices across NASA facilities and operations. Category IV: NASA Excellence in Site Remediation Award Recognizes innovation in site remediation technologies, stakeholder engagement, exposure risk reduction, beneficial reuse, and expedited remediation efforts. This category celebrates projects that successfully address environmental challenges while maintaining safety and compliance. Category V: NASA Environmental Management Division Director’s Environment and Energy Award Selected by the director of the Environmental Management Divsion, this award honors exceptional leadership in advancing environmentally responsible mission success. It is reserved for individuals or teams demonstrating outstanding vision and commitment to environmental stewardship across NASA’s programs. Share Details Last Updated Mar 27, 2026 Related TermsGeneralEnvironmental Management Division (EMD)Office of Strategic Infrastructure (OSI) Explore More 2 min read NextSTEP-3 E: Network Extension for User Continuity and Sustainability (NEXUS) Ka-Band Backward-Compatible Relay Broad Article 3 hours ago 7 min read NASA Releases Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Countdown Article 24 hours ago 3 min read NASA Ames Experts Available for Artemis II Flight Test Interviews Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

2 Min Read NISAR’s View of Mount Rainier PIA26672 Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech Photojournal Navigation Science Photojournal NISAR’s View of Mount Rainier Photojournal Home Photojournal Search Latest Content Galleries Feedback RSS About Downloads PIA26672-NISAR’s View of Mount Rainier JPEG (2.05 MB) Description This image captured by U.S.-Indian Earth satellite NISAR on Nov. 10, 2025, shows Washington’s Mount Rainier. The image is cropped from a much larger swath spanning the Pacific Northwest on a cloudy day; NISAR’s L-band SAR instrument is able to peer through the clouds at the surface below. In Pacific Northwest imagery from the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission, some areas are dotted in magenta due to radar signals strongly reflecting off flat surfaces like roads and buildings, combined with the orientation of those surfaces relative to the satellite’s ground track. The yellow can be produced by a range of different factors, including land cover, moisture, and surface geometry. Yellow-green in the imagery generally indicates vegetation, such as the forests and wetlands covering the region. Relatively smooth surfaces, including water and — as is most likely the case in this image — vegetation-free clearings on the mountaintop, appear dark blue. Near the foot of the mountain are patches of purple squares cut into the lighter green vegetation. Their precise right angles show that they’re clearly man-made; they’re likely the effect of forests being thinned or possibly vegetation growing back after having been thinned in the past. A joint mission developed by NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), NISAR launched in July 2025 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India’s southeastern coast. Managed by Caltech, JPL leads the U.S. component of the project and provided the satellite’s L-band SAR and antenna reflector. ISRO provided NISAR’s spacecraft bus and its S-band SAR..) The NISAR satellite is the first to carry two SAR instruments at different wavelengths and will monitor Earth’s land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days, collecting data using the spacecraft’s giant drum-shaped reflector, which measures 39 feet (12 meters) wide — the largest radar antenna reflector NASA has ever sent into space. To learn more about NISAR, visit: [Hidden Content] Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Photojournal Photojournal Search Photojournal Photojournal’s Latest Content Feedback Downloads PIA26672-NISAR’s View of Mount Rainier JPEG (2.05 MB) View the full article

2 Min Read NISAR Views Mount St. Helens PIA26692 Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech Photojournal Navigation Science Photojournal NISAR Views Mount St. Helens Photojournal Home Photojournal Search Latest Content Galleries Feedback RSS About Downloads NISAR Views Mount St. Helens JPEG (13.62 MB) Description This image captured by U.S.-Indian Earth satellite NISAR on Nov. 10, 2025, shows Washington’s Mount St. Helens. The image is cropped from a much larger swath spanning the Pacific Northwest on a cloudy day; NISAR’s L-band SAR instrument is able to peer through the clouds at the surface below. In Pacific Northwest imagery from the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission, some areas are dotted in magenta due to radar signals strongly reflecting off flat surfaces like roads and buildings, combined with the orientation of those surfaces relative to the satellite’s ground track. The yellow can be produced by a range of different factors, including land cover, moisture, and surface geometry. Yellow-green in the imagery generally indicates vegetation, such as the forests and wetlands covering the region. Relatively smooth surfaces, including water and — as is most likely the case in this image — vegetation-free clearings on the mountaintop, appear dark blue. Near the foot of the mountain are patches of purple squares cut into the lighter green vegetation. Their precise right angles show that they’re clearly man-made; they’re likely the effect of forests being thinned or possibly vegetation growing back after having been thinned in the past. A joint mission developed by NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), NISAR launched in July 2025 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India’s southeastern coast. Managed by Caltech, JPL leads the U.S. component of the project and provided the satellite’s L-band SAR and antenna reflector. ISRO provided NISAR’s spacecraft bus and its S-band SAR. The NISAR satellite is the first to carry two SAR instruments at different wavelengths and will monitor Earth’s land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days, collecting data using the spacecraft’s giant drum-shaped reflector, which measures 39 feet (12 meters) wide — the largest radar antenna reflector NASA has ever sent into space. To learn more about NISAR, visit: To learn more about NISAR, visit: [Hidden Content] Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Photojournal Photojournal Search Photojournal Photojournal’s Latest Content Feedback Downloads NISAR Views Mount St. Helens JPEG (13.62 MB) View the full article

6 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Official insignia of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA Technology and science demonstrations, supported by various NASA industry collaborations and agency developments, are set to launch to low Earth orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the company’s Transporter-16 commercial rideshare mission. These demonstrations will test thermal protection systems, advance in-space communications, deepen our understanding of Earth’s atmosphere, and foster capabilities for NASA’s exploration, innovation, and research goals. The 57-minute launch window opens at 6:20 a.m. EDT (3:20 a.m. PDT) on Monday, March 30, from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX will provide live coverage of the launch on its website and at @SpaceX on X, beginning about 15 minutes prior to liftoff. Making big impacts with small satellites Several demonstrations aboard this mission leverage small spacecraft technology to maximize flexibility, delivering greater value to the agency and its partners at a lower cost. The AEPEX (Atmosphere Effects of Precipitation through Energetic X-rays) CubeSat will study how high-energy particles from Earth’s radiation belts transfer energy into the upper atmosphere through a process known as energetic particle precipitation. Currently, limited monitoring capabilities make it difficult to observe this phenomenon across large regions of Earth. The AEPEX CubeSat, supported by NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and integrated on the mission via Exotrail, aims to address this by imaging the X-rays produced during precipitation events, enabling scientists to study and map the process. A better understanding of this activity could improve space weather forecasting, which has direct implications for radio communications, satellites, and other critical technologies. As part of the MagQuest challenge, CubeSats will demonstrate novel solutions for measuring Earth’s magnetic field to inform the World Magnetic Model, which supports national security, commercial aviation, and everyday mobile devices. Launched in 2019 through NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation, the agency supported the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in releasing the MagQuest challenge, which culminated in the development of three CubeSats built by three teams that advanced to the final phase of the competition. With testing done at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and additional support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this competition exemplifies successful cross-cutting agency collaboration. Aboard the TechEdSat23 CubeSat, integrated via Maverick Space Systems, NASA will test three key technologies: a radiation sensor called Radiation Shielding Efficacy Testbed funded by NASA’s Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems (SSDS) office, a miniaturized NOAA Data Collection System radio, and a device called an exo-brake for rapid deorbiting of spacecraft. These technologies will advance critical capabilities for radiation shielding, satellite communications, and space weather monitoring to better equip small spacecraft for operations in low Earth orbit and deep space while acting as a test bed for potential larger scale applications. The R5-S10 (Realizing Rapid, Reduced-cost high-Risk Research project Spacecraft 10) CubeSat, also supported by the SSDS office, will demonstrate technologies designed to expand the capabilities of small spacecraft in low Earth orbit. Deploying from the Vigoride orbital service vehicle operated by Momentus Space, the R5-S10 CubeSat will test proximity operations and formation flying techniques that allow spacecraft to safely operate at close distances, capabilities that could support future in-space inspection and servicing missions. The R5-S10 CubeSat will also carry a co-aligned event camera and star tracker proving a novel, high dynamic range, and high-rate tolerant star tracker, advancing technology to help spacecraft determine their orientation in space. Enabling Wi-Fi in space After deployment from the Vigoride orbital service vehicle, the R5-S10 CubeSat will transfer data from its various demonstrations via Wi-Fi to an in-space router developed by the Solstar Space Company. In partnership with Momentus, Solstar’s in-space Wi-Fi router enables the R5-S10 CubeSat data to be downlinked through the Vigoride orbital service vehicle and eventually transferred to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Solstar advanced its Wi-Fi technology for in-space use through suborbital testing with NASA’s Flight Opportunities program which is managed at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Powering in-space logistics Also hosted aboard the Vigoride orbital service vehicle is a power processing system from CisLunar Industries. The company’s Electric Power Intelligent Conversion technology is designed to transform power ranging from 1 to 100 kilowatts with greater than 95% efficiency in smaller, lighter designs than the current state-of-the-art. This holds the potential to advance technology for in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing while serving government and commercial markets for dynamic space operations, including electric, dual-mode, and other forms of electric propulsion. The demo also is the first hosted orbital flight test for NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. Advancing thermal protection technology NASA also will launch technology on this flight to gather data about hypersonic atmospheric entry using sensors on a capsule from Varda Space Industries. As the latest in a series of flight tests, Varda’s W-6 capsule heat shield is equipped with a pair of instrumented tiles, made at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, that will collect data about the heat and pressure experienced as the capsule returns to Earth. The sensors also will capture performance data about the heat shield, which is made of C-PICA (Conformal Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator), a material originally developed at NASA Ames that provides stronger, more efficient, and less expensive thermal protection, maximizing the safety and affordability of capsules returning to Earth. By flying alongside commercial innovations, NASA continues leveraging cost-effective rideshare opportunities to accelerate technology development, innovations, and scientific discovery. NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate manages the agency’s Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems office, Flight Opportunities program, and the Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation. NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative is managed by the agency’s Launch Services program based at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Facebook logo @NASATechnology @NASA_Technology Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate Flight Opportunities Get Involved Centers and Facilities Share Details Last Updated Mar 27, 2026 EditorLoura Hall Related TermsSpace Technology Mission DirectorateArmstrong Flight Research CenterCenter of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI)Flight Opportunities ProgramKennedy Space CenterSmall Spacecraft Technology ProgramTechnology View the full article

NASA has selected 10 participating scientists to help shape a science plan for astronauts to complete on the lunar surface under the Artemis program – including deploying scientific instruments, making critical observations of the landing site, and collecting Moon rocks. “Congratulations to the scientists selected to participate in this important Artemis lunar surface science team,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “The selected scientists will bring a wealth of expertise to this team to ensure we are supporting crews on the Moon to achieve the missions’ science objectives. Exploring the lunar surface and executing the U.S.’s science objectives is a major step toward sustained operations at the Moon and preparation for human exploration of Mars.” The selected scientists are: Kristen Bennett, Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff Aleksandra Gawronska, The Catholic University of America in Washington Timothy Glotch, State University of New York, Stony Brook Paul Hayne, University of Colorado, Boulder Erica Jawin, Smithsonian Institution in Washington Jeannette Luna, Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville Sabrina Martinez, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston Jamie Molaro, Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona Hanna Sizemore, Planetary Science Institute Catherine Weitz, Planetary Science Institute The participating scientists will join the first Artemis lunar surface science team, led by Noah Petro, project scientist, at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Padi Boyd, deputy project scientist, at NASA Headquarters. In this role, they will support the inaugural Artemis geology team, led by Brett Denevi of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. The larger team also includes deployed instrument teams and the Artemis internal science team. Members of NASA’s Artemis geology team discuss science objectives during a mission simulation at NASA’s Johnson Space Center on Oct. 22, 2025. Credits: NASA/Robert Markowitz “Artemis is enabling the kind of scientific work that will reshape our understanding of the Moon and open the door to discoveries we’ve only imagined,” said Lakiesha Hawkins, acting deputy associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. “The work these scientists will contribute before, during, and after the mission will help us make the most of every step astronauts take on the lunar surface and ensure we’re learning as much as possible from this new era of human exploration.” During the mission, astronauts will land near the Moon’s South Pole, a landscape of extremes with dark craters that contain may contain ice and mountain peaks in near-constant illumination. The scientific research during the first crewed Artemis lunar landing mission will provide critical data to support further exploration while digging deeper into questions that have intrigued scientists since the Apollo era – such as the impact history of the Moon or the locations of shallow ice deposits. In addition, the processes that the science team develops and tests during the first Artemis landed lunar mission will provide the framework for science operations during increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon’s surface and subsurface. The selected participants will engage in pre-mission planning, science mission operations, and work preparing the post-mission reports to address these questions. Through Artemis, NASA will address high priority science questions in a Golden Age of exploration and discovery, focusing on those best accomplished by human explorers on and around the Moon and by using the unique attributes of the lunar environment. The Artemis missions 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 Artemis, visit: [Hidden Content] Alise Fisher / Molly Wasser Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld View the full article

3 Min Read I Am Artemis: Michael Guzman Listen to this audio excerpt from Michael Guzman, Artemis II main propulsion systems engineer: 0:00 / 0:00 Your browser does not support the audio element. A clue to what Mike Guzman, main propulsion systems engineer at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, loves most can be found in the signature of his work email: a complex string of equations for rocket thrust, specific impulse, and the physics behind cooling liquid oxygen with helium bubbles. I'm a huge nerd. I love math, science, and physics. Even in my free time, I'll find myself watching physics lectures. MiKE Guzman Artemis II main propulsion systems engineer Born in New York to a family from the Dominican Republic, Guzman moved to Florida where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Florida International University and a master’s degree in space systems from the Florida Institute of Technology. His path to NASA Kennedy began after being handpicked for a summer internship in 2013, an opportunity that would ultimately change the course of his career. During his internship, Guzman was inspired to build his own rocket. He purchased a textbook and began building a model rocket in his free time. The drive and passion he put into the project did not go unnoticed. Just three days after the model rocket launched, he was offered a job and has worked for America’s space agency ever since. Mike Guzman, main propulsion systems engineer, participates in a wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, inside Firing Room 1 at the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The wet dress rehearsal allows the Artemis II launch team to run through operations to load propellant, conduct a full launch countdown, demonstrate the ability to recycle the countdown clock, and drain the tanks to practice timelines and procedures for launch. NASA/Kim Shiflett Guzman began his work with a model rocket, and now, as part of Exploration Ground Systems, is part of the team launching the rocket that will carry astronauts around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years: the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for Artemis II. Guzman joined the propulsion team in 2019. Early in his role, he focused on hydrogen systems at Launch Pad 39B, including the large liquid hydrogen sphere at the pad and the piping that delivers propellant to the rocket. Today, he works on the main propulsion system inside the rocket itself, a role that will put him in the firing room for the Artemis II test flight, at the center of launch operations. From left, NASA astronauts Bob Hines and Stan Love talk with Mike Guzman, Artemis launch team member, inside Firing Room 1 of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center during the Artemis II rollout of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, March, 20, 2026. NASA/Amber Jean Notvest At the heart of Guzman’s work is the “brain book,” a comprehensive binder that contains every drawing, requirement, procedure, and launch commit criteria an engineer might need. It’s a roadmap for efficiency. By studying it in advance, Guzman and his colleagues know exactly where to find what they need and how to respond to unexpected issues. The key to a successful launch relies on teamwork. On launch day, hundreds of engineers come together in the firing room to monitor every system on the spacecraft. Each console operator’s actions influence the others’, creating a constant interplay where observation, communication, and anticipation are key to mission success. It has to be a team sport. We’re all sitting in different parts of a whole, that ‘one whole’ being the spacecraft. We all have to work together. We all must have a sense of what the other individuals are doing and what their roles are, because at the end of the day, it’s all interconnected. MiKE Guzman Artemis II main propulsion systems engineer For Guzman, Artemis II represents the culmination of years of preparation, study, and collaboration. “It’s not something that happens every day, and it’s not something that you get to be a part of every day,” Guzman said. “To see it finally happen, it’s going to be incredible.” About the AuthorGabriella BattenfieldStrategic Communications Intern Share Details Last Updated Mar 27, 2026 Related TermsArtemis 2ArtemisExploration Ground SystemsKennedy Space CenterSpace Launch System (SLS) Explore More 7 min read NASA Releases Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Countdown Article 22 hours ago 3 min read NASA Ames Experts Available for Artemis II Flight Test Interviews Article 2 days ago 7 min read NASA Sets Coverage for Artemis II Moon Mission Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

Synopsis | 03/23/26 [Hidden Content] NASA intends to release a BAA under Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP-3), Appendix E, for Project NEXUS, Ka-band Backward- Compatible Relay. As the aging Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRS) declines, NASA’s objective is to acquire an end-to-end Ka-band relay service, including space, ground, launch, integration, and operations elements, that is backward compatible with legacy TDRS users for a minimum of fifteen years. This capability is needed to support select on-orbit missions that cannot feasibly modify flight hardware or transition to non-compatible commercial services. To reduce growing continuity risk in the 2029- 2031 timeframe, industry is asked to develop and demonstrate this end-to-end capability. The BAA will be a phased competitive Research and Development (R&D) acquisition. NASA anticipates multiple initial Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) awards with progressive downselects based on demonstrated performance, technical credibility, and commercial viability. NASA does not anticipate being the sole commercial customer and anticipates proposed solutions to be supported by a broader commercial business case beyond NASA. NASA seeks to accelerate maturation of commercially viable capabilities through competitive research demonstrations to support transition to future operational services, while preserving full and open competition for those services. All proposed satellite orbit solutions are acceptable notwithstanding that the proposed solutions will be expected to include all elements necessary for industry to develop, deliver and sustain the end-to-end relay service capability, including, but not limited to: Space segment, associated launch services, as applicable, ground and network infrastructure, and service operations and maintenance. Accordingly, NASA may use knowledge gained through this BAA, including demonstration results, technical data, and operational insight, to inform future acquisition strategies for operational services. View the full article

NASA/Joel Kowsky The Orion Crew Survival System suits that Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (********* Space Agency) will wear on the Artemis II test flight are seen in the suit-up room of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis II test flight will be NASA’s first mission with crew aboard the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft. Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky View the full article

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Satellite Spots a Spawn Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Notes from the Field Blog Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search Water along the coast of Vancouver Island is brightened by a herring spawn in this image acquired on February 19, 2026, by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 9. NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin Spawning season has sprung for Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) in the waters off British Columbia, Canada. From mid-February through early May each year, thousands of the small, silvery fish congregate in shallow coastal areas around Vancouver Island and create a spectacle sometimes visible to satellites. Sheltered waters in Barkley Sound, on the southwestern side of Vancouver Island, are regular sites for spawn events. On February 19, 2026, the Landsat 9 satellite caught a glimpse of early-season activity underway along the shore near Forbes Island. In these events, female herring produce eggs that stick to a variety of materials, from kelp and seagrass to rock surfaces. Males release a ******-containing fluid called milt into the water, giving it a cloudy green or turquoise look. A herring spawn clouds the water along the coast of Vancouver Island near the village of Salmon Beach on February 19, 2026. Photo by Ryan Cutler Spawns near Forbes Island have been observed most years since the 1970s, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) records. “Herrings prefer spawning locations that are more protected, have rocky substrate, and allow them to select areas with reduced salinity,” said Jessica Moffatt, biologist with the Island Marine Aquatic Working Group (IMAWG), which works to strengthen First Nations fisheries through traditional knowledge, modern science, and management guidance. “Barkley Sound hits the sweet spot” in many of these regards, she said, adding that collective memory, predation pressure, and other factors also play a role in spawn size and location. Spawning events last from several hours to several days. At Forbes Island in 2026, local observers saw that fish were staging in the area by February 13 (schools can arrive up to two weeks before spawning, Moffatt noted), and activity was reported to IMAWG from February 19 to February 21. Along with changes in water color, spawns often come with increased wildlife presence, which can include whales and sea lions swimming nearby and eagles, wolves, and bears lurking on shore. After spawning, the fish will migrate back to summer feeding areas in deeper, more nutrient-rich waters, sometimes sticking with their same large school for several years. A herring spawn event near Forbes Island in Barkley Sound brightens nearshore waters on February 19, 2026. Photo by Ryan Cutler Records of spawn activity have historically been constrained by the timing of aerial and dive surveys, the availability of reports from remote locations, and fisheries priorities. But observations by satellites, including Landsat, can help monitor herring activity over larger areas and longer periods of time. Researchers at the University of Victoria in Canada have used decades of satellite observations to augment historical spawn records and develop methods to streamline future detections. Herring and their roe are valuable both as a cultural food source and harvest practice by First Nations and for British Columbia’s commercial fisheries. As a forage fish species, Pacific herring are vital to salmon and other marine life, and a fuller picture of the locations of spawning areas could provide clues about changes in the marine ecosystem. NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Photos by Ryan Cutler. Story by Lindsey Doermann. Downloads February 19, 2026 JPEG (6.60 MB) References & Resources California Marine Species Portal (2024) Pacific Herring Enhanced Status Report. Accessed March 26, 2026. CBC (2026, February 25) First signs of herring spawn spark excitement on Vancouver Island. Accessed March 26, 2026. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (2026, January 20) Pacific herring fisheries. Accessed March 26, 2026. Ha-Shilth-Sa (2024, November 29) No commercial catch in 2025, despite herring population growth, say Ha’wiih – but spawn-on-kelp being explored. Accessed March 26, 2026. IMAWG (2026) Island Marine Aquatic Working Group. Accessed March 26, 2026. Island Marine Aquatic Working Group, via Facebook (2026) Pacific Herring Spawn Reporting – IMAWG. Accessed March 26, 2026. NASA Earth Observatory (2025, May 5) Spawning Spectacle. Accessed March 26, 2026. Spectral and Remote Sensing Laboratory, University of Victoria, Herring Spawn Habitat: Spatiotemporal analysis of historical spawning sites using satellite remote sensing. Accessed March 26, 2026. You may also be interested in: Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet. Showy Swirls Around Jeju Island 2 min read Winds blowing past the volcanic landmass near the Korean Peninsula created a trail of spiraling clouds, while murky water churned… Article Puerto Rico From Above 4 min read An astronaut photographed the island’s striking mix of mountains, forests, and expanding urban areas. Article Blooming Seas Around the Chatham Islands 2 min read A vibrant display of phytoplankton encircled the remote New Zealand islands. Article 1 2 3 4 Next Keep Exploring Discover More from NASA Earth Science Subscribe to Earth Observatory Newsletters Subscribe to the Earth Observatory and get the Earth in your inbox. Earth Observatory Image of the Day NASA’s Earth Observatory brings you the Earth, every day, with in-depth stories and stunning imagery. Explore Earth Science Earth Science Data Open access to NASA’s archive of Earth science data View the full article

Skywatching Skywatching Home What’s Up Meteor Showers Eclipses Daily Moon Guide More Tips & Guides Skywatching FAQ Night Sky Network Mercury shines extra bright, the Lyrid meteor shower peaks, and a comet soars into view Mercury shines at its brightest for the year, the Lyrid meteor shower peaks, and a bright new comet makes an appearance in April’s night sky. Skywatching Highlights April 3: Mercury at greatest elongation April 17: Best chance to see Comet C/2025 R3 April 21 to 22: Lyrid meteor shower peak April 27: Comet C/2025 R3 makes closest approach to Earth Transcript Mercury shines extra bright, the Lyrid meteor shower peaks, and a comet soars into view. That’s What’s Up this April. On April 3rd, Mercury will be at its most visible all year. On this date, the planet will be at its greatest elongation, or its furthest distance from the Sun, as we see it from Earth, making it easier to see the often hard-to spot-planet. To find Mercury, look east before the Sun begins to rise. The planet will be very low on the horizon, just above Mars. The Lyrid meteor shower peaks April 21st to 22nd. This meteor shower comes from debris left behind by Comet Thatcher. When this debris hits and then burns up in our atmosphere, we see the “shooting stars” of a meteor shower. To experience the peak of the April Lyrids, look to the east starting at around 10 p.m. on April 21st and through the night into April 22nd. The meteor shower takes place nearby the star Vega, the fifth brightest star in the night sky, which can be found in the constellation Lyra, the Harp. April 17th might be your best chance to see the Comet C/2025 R3, which some think could be the brightest comet of the year. This comet will make its closest approach to Earth on April 27th, coming within 44 million miles of our planet. Experts estimate that the comet will likely reach magnitude eight, which means you would need access to a telescope or binoculars to see it. The comet will be visible in the eastern sky in the constellations Pegasus and above Pisces. You’ll be able to spot the comet in the predawn hours from mid-April through the end of April in the Northern Hemisphere, and in the evenings in early May for viewers in the Southern Hemisphere. Here are the phases of the Moon for April. You can stay up to date on all of NASA’s missions exploring the solar system and beyond, at science.nasa.gov. I’m Chelsea Gohd from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and that’s What’s Up for this month. Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA What’s Up Skywatching Galaxies Stars View the full article