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2 min read Extra Extra! Extra Data Stream Added to the Daily Minor Planet! The Daily Minor Planet citizen science project is expanding! In addition to data received nightly from the Catalina Sky Survey’s Mt. Lemmon telescope in Arizona, the project’s science team is now processing images from the Bok 2.3-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The Bok is a mighty telescope run by the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory that is used to survey for new near-Earth objects (NEOs) – asteroids that cross Earth’s orbit. Data from the Bok telescope peers deeper than the data from the Mt. Lemmon telescope–it reveals objects roughly two to three times as faint. Software often struggles with such faint objects, but humans shine at pattern recognition in this kind of data, making your contributions to this search more valuable than ever. Another important feature of the new data is that it mostly comes from the ecliptic, the band of sky where asteroids and comets preferentially travel. The project team expects this deeper, ecliptic-focused coverage to substantially increase the number of main-belt asteroids they can recover and confirm and bring fresh waves of near-Earth asteroid candidates. Keep an eye out for new Bok subject sets as they are added. They’ll be a little more challenging and a lot more rewarding! The Daily Minor Planet is a regularly updated citizen science project hosted by the Zooniverse using nightly data collected by the Catalina Sky Survey. Anyone with a laptop or smartphone can join. The Bok telescope stands tall under the Milky Way. Join The Daily Minor Planet project to view data from this telescope and hunt for near-Earth asteroids. KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/T. Slovinský Learn More and Get Involved The Daily Minor Planet Discover new asteroids every day! Facebook logo @nasascience_ @nasascience_ Instagram logo @nasascience_ Linkedin logo @nasascience_ Share Details Last Updated Mar 13, 2026 Editor NASA Science Editorial Team Related Terms Citizen Science Explore More 2 min read NASA Volunteers Study Biofilm Adaptability in Space Biofilms are communities of microorganisms that stick to one another and also adhere to a… Article 5 hours ago 1 min read Help Galaxy Zoo: Tidal Tales Open Cosmic Storybook Galaxies carry the imprints of past encounters. When they pass near one another or collide,… Article 1 day ago 2 min read New Volunteer Data from 143 Observatories Unveils the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse On April 8, 2024, volunteers participating in NASA’s Eclipse Megamovie citizen science project all around… Article 2 weeks ago View the full article

Image Credit: National Institute of Aerospace NASA has selected eight student teams as finalists in the 2026 Gateways to Blue Skies Competition, giving them the resources to help address a critical challenge for U.S. aviation: maintenance. Challenges facing the commercial aviation industry include a shortage of qualified maintenance workers and increasing demands to keep complicated aircraft running for longer. With Gateways to Blue Skies, NASA taps into student innovation to address some of the biggest topics in aviation, and the current competition, RepAir: Advancing Aircraft Maintenance, is looking for solutions that can have immediate impact. “Through this competition, students will learn about aviation maintenance and be empowered to change its future,” said Steven Holz, associate project manager for NASA’s University Innovation Project and judging panel co-chair for Gateways to Blue Skies. “By grounding innovative ideas in real operational needs and presenting them to NASA and industry experts, these teams demonstrate the kind of critical thinking, collaboration, and forward-looking problem solving that will shape a safer, more efficient aviation industry in the near future.” This competition challenged teams of postsecondary students to conceptualize innovative systems and practices that could advance current commercial aircraft maintenance and repair operations. It addresses dual goals for NASA: supporting innovative research and also stimulating the potential aviation workforce of tomorrow. The goal for RepAir: Advancing Aircraft Maintenance is to generate concepts to improve efficiency, safety, and costs for the aviation maintenance industry by 2035. That timeline differs from many NASA research competitions focused on long-term future technologies; RepAir seeks to address the maintenance issues of today. NASA made its selections based on a review of participants’ proposals and accompanying videos summarizing the RepAir concepts. The eight finalist teams will receive a $9,000 prize and will advance to Phase 2 of the competition. Phase 2 includes a review of each team’s final paper, infographic, and presentation at the 2026 Gateways to Blue Skies Forum, held May 18 at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia in May and livestreamed globally. Following the forum, members of the winning team who fulfill eligibility criteria will be offered the opportunity to intern with NASA Aeronautics. The 2026 Gateways to Blue Skies Competition finalist projects represent an array of capabilities including robotic inspections, augmented reality smart glasses, and sensor and machine learning architectures: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach with Cecil College Maryland Advancing Aircraft Maintenance, Smart Mechanic Glasses Manhattan University Aircraft Enhanced Resilience and Intelligence Systems (A.E.R.I.S) Michigan State University Surface Evaluation Network for Tethered Inspection and Nondestructive Evaluation (SENTINEL) South Dakota State University Surveying Platform and Inspection Device for Enclosed Regions (S.P.I.D.E.R.) South Dakota State University WINGMAN, augmented reality data-logging and information-display system for improved efficiency in line maintenance inspections and reporting South Dakota State University Surface Preservation and Rust Killer (S.P.A.R.K.) Crawler University of California, Irvine Aircraft Structural Health Intelligence for Evaluation and Lifecycle Detection (Air SHIELD) University of Maryland Eastern Shore A Self-Supervised Learning Framework for Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) Fuel Control Unit Health Management in Aircraft known as APU Sentinel The Gateways to Blue Skies Challenge is led through the Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program in NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. The NASA Tournament Lab, part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Program in the Space Technology Mission Directorate, manages the challenge through the National Institute of Aerospace on behalf of NASA. More on the Gateways to Blues Skies: RepAir: Advancing Aircraft Maintenance competition is available on the competition’s site. Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Aeronautics NASA Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Space Technology Mission Directorate Get Involved View the full article

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA Graphics NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, invites innovative companies, government agencies, and organizations to attend Partnership Days, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, April 15 and 16, at the center. The event offers a unique opportunity to explore collaboration with NASA on cutting-edge research and development in areas such as aerospace, autonomy, sustainability, and more. Attendees will engage with NASA experts and learn how Armstrong’s capabilities can help accelerate innovation and bring transformative technologies to life. Space is limited, and RSVP is required by Wednesday, March 25. To register, scan the QR code on the event poster or email *****@*****.tld. What: NASA Armstrong Partnership Days When: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, and 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday, April 16, 2026 Where: NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, California Who: Industry leaders, government agencies, and organizations interested in research and development partnerships with NASA For information about NASA Armstrong and other agency programs, visit: [Hidden Content] -end- Dede Dinius Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, California 661-276-5701 *****@*****.tld Explore More 10 min read ARMD Research Solicitations (Updated March 6) Article 7 days ago 5 min read NASA’s Home for Experimental Flight Advances Aeronautics Mission Article 2 weeks ago 4 min read Award-Winning NASA Camera Revolutionizes How We See the Invisible Article 3 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center Armstrong Partnerships Doing Business with Armstrong Armstrong Capabilities & Facilities View the full article

Super Therm has been applied in several places, including handrails on the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge over the Colorado River. The selection of its makeup of ceramic and polymeric materials was assisted by NASA scientists. Credit: Superior Products InternationaI II, LLC NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI) assists in the use of crowdsourcing across the federal government. CoECI’s NASA Tournament Lab offers the contract capability to run external crowdsourced challenges on behalf of NASA and other agencies. This three-phase challenge invites geophysicists, sensing specialists, nondestructive testing experts, and creative problem-solvers (including AI/ML practitioners) from any field to develop novel methods for detecting subsurface cracks in embankment dams. Through this multi-phase challenge, teams will embark on a structured journey that moves from concept to development and ultimately to real-world demonstration. In Phase 1, teams will articulate and frame their solution approach and execution vision. During Phase 2, selected teams will detail and validate their designs. Finally, in Phase 3, the selected teams will demonstrate the most promising solutions in conditions that reflect real embankment dam environments. Each phase intentionally builds on the last, increasing in technical rigor and realism while maintaining focus on practical deployment and impact. Together, the phases are designed to support teams in transforming strong ideas into credible, implementable solutions that advance the state of embankment dam crack detection. Award: $400,000 in total prizes across all three phases Open date: March 12, 2026 Phase 1 submission deadline: April 30th, 2026 For more information, visit: [Hidden Content] View the full article

2 min read NASA Volunteers Study Biofilm Adaptability in Space Biofilms are communities of microorganisms that stick to one another and also adhere to a nearby surface. They are intricately associated with life on Earth, enabling functions essential to human and plant systems. NASA’s Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) Analysis Working Groups study biofilms and many other biological phenomena in an environment that’s important to NASA: the environment of deep space. It’s not well understood how well biofilms react to the many stresses of spaceflight. Now, a new study, performed in part by NASA volunteers, describes how biofilms adapt to space environments, exploring how biofilms may benefit human and plant health in space. The volunteers, led by Dr. Katherine Baxter (University of Glasgow) and Dr. Nicholas Brereton (University College Dublin), are part of the Microbes Analysis Working Group. Their findings reframe biofilms from infection risks to essential structures supporting human gut health, immunity, and plant nutrient uptake. The group’s work synthesizes how spaceflight stressors alter biofilm architecture and host interaction. Interested in collaborating with others to help terrestrial life thrive in space? You can join the OSDR-Analysis Working Groups and help plan the future of human space exploration. Learn more about the AWGs. Submit this form to join the OSDR AWGs Biofilms support human and plant health on Earth. Spaceflight may disrupt these biofilm-host interactions, with implications for crew health and plant-based life support systems. npj biofilms and microbiomes, Baxter et al. 2026 Learn More and Get Involved Open Science Data Repository Analysis Working Groups (OSDR AWG) Help astronauts and life thrive in space using space biology and health data. Laptop required. Data science knowledge is helpful. Facebook logo @nasascience_ @nasascience_ Instagram logo @nasascience_ Linkedin logo @nasascience_ Share Details Last Updated Mar 13, 2026 Related Terms Citizen Science Biological & Physical Sciences Explore More 1 min read Help Galaxy Zoo: Tidal Tales Open Cosmic Storybook Galaxies carry the imprints of past encounters. When they pass near one another or collide,… Article 1 day ago 3 min read Collaborating Through Data: Inside the PSI Users Group Article 2 weeks ago 2 min read New Volunteer Data from 143 Observatories Unveils the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse On April 8, 2024, volunteers participating in NASA’s Eclipse Megamovie citizen science project all around… Article 2 weeks ago View the full article

A clump of sargassum – an invasive species of algae – floats along in the current off the short of La Parguera, Puerto Rico. NASA/Milan Loiacono NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI) assists in the use of crowdsourcing across the federal government. CoECI’s NASA Tournament Lab offers the contract capability to run external crowdsourced challenges on behalf of NASA and other agencies. The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is sponsoring a 3-phase prize challenge (managed by yet2) for innovative solutions to eliminate the risk of aquatic invasive species (AIS) being transported in raw water entering and exiting watercraft ballast compartments. The goal is to identify novel approaches that can kill, exclude, or inactivate AIS such as quagga, zebra, and golden mussels, thereby protecting Reclamation’s water delivery and hydropower infrastructure. Award: $550,000 in total prizes across all phases Open date: February 26, 2026 Phase 1 concept papers due: May 29, 2026 For more information, visit: [Hidden Content] View the full article

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Intuitive Machines Early morning sunlight illuminates the western wall of this unnamed crater, leaving deep shadows on the ground and in the interior. The image was taken on August 30, 2023, by LROC (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera). LROC is a system of three cameras and one of the seven instruments aboard NASA’s LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) mission, which launched in June 2009 and continues in orbit around the Moon. LRO’s primary mission was to make a 3D map of the lunar surface to help identify future landing sites and resources such as polar ice, to investigate the radiation environment, and to prove new technologies, all in anticipation of future robotic and human exploration. In 2011, LRO data led to production of the highest-resolution, near-topographical map of the Moon, and an interactive mosaic of the lunar North Pole was published in 2014. In addition, LRO has taken high-resolution photographs of myriad lunar landing sites from NASA’s Apollo missions and others. LRO also conducted the first demonstration of laser communication with a lunar satellite. This image is the NASA Science Image of the Month for March 2026. Each month, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate chooses an image to feature, offering desktop wallpaper downloads, as well as links to related topics, activities, and games. Image credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Intuitive Machines View the full article

El emblema de la misión Artemis II se observa en el hombro derecho de los trajes sistema de supervivencia de la tripulación de Orion que llevarán los astronautas de la NASA Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover y Christina Koch, así como el astronauta de la CSA (Agencia Espacial Canadiense) Jeremy Hansen, durante el vuelo de prueba de Artemis II. La imagen fue tomada el 17 de enero de 2026 en la sala de equipamiento del Edificio de Operaciones y Preparación Neil A. Armstrong, en el Centro Espacial Kennedy de la NASA, en Florida. Crédito: NASA/Joel Kowsky Read this web article in English here. Unos ocho minutos después del despegue de Artemis II, la nave espacial Orion y su tripulación —los astronautas de la NASA Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover y Christina Koch, junto **** el astronauta de la CSA (Agencia Espacial Canadiense) Jeremy Hansen— llegarán al espacio. Este vuelo de prueba de casi 10 días de duración estará lleno de actividades a medida que los astronautas emprenden un viaje alrededor de la Luna y de regreso a la Tierra, mientras el personal de la misión comprueba los sistemas de Orion durante el recorrido. Aunque los equipos de control de la misión podrían refinar los detalles del programa de actividades de la tripulación cada día en función de las actividades operativas durante el vuelo de prueba, el personal de tierra y la tripulación tienen un plan general para cada día de la misión. Día de lanzamiento/Día de vuelo 1: Cuando se apaguen los motores principales del cohete Sistema de Lanzamiento Espacial (SLS, por sus siglas en inglés), Orion y la etapa de propulsión criogénica provisional (ICPS, por su acrónimo en inglés) se separarán del resto del cohete. La ICPS todavía tendrá trabajo por hacer: unos 49 minutos después del lanzamiento, su motor se encenderá para elevar el perigeo, o el punto más bajo de la órbita de una nave espacial, hasta una altitud segura de 160 kilómetros (100 millas) sobre la Tierra. Alrededor de una hora más tarde, cuando Orion alcance ese perigeo, la ICPS volverá a encenderse para continuar elevando la nave espacial a una órbita terrestre alta. Entonces, la tripulación tendrá cerca de 23 horas para llevar a ***** una verificación exhaustiva de los sistemas de Orion mientras aún esté relativamente cerca de la Tierra. La tripulación comenzará a comprobar sistemas como el dispensador de agua potable —que proporcionará agua potable y rehidratará los alimentos que llevan—, el inodoro y el sistema que elimina el dióxido de carbono del aire. Los astronautas también podrán quitarse los trajes espaciales naranjas que vistieron para el lanzamiento y trabajar **** ropa normal. Dedicarán tiempo a reorganizar el interior de Orion para que funcione como un espacio de vivienda y trabajo para cuatro personas flotantes durante los siguientes 10 días. Unas tres horas después del inicio de la misión, la NASA llevará a ***** pruebas sobre cómo se maneja Orion. En futuras misiones, Orion se acoplará a otras naves espaciales. Para verificar que Orion haga esto de manera segura, la ICPS será reutilizada como un objetivo de acoplamiento. Se separará de Orion, y la tripulación practicará cómo pilotar su nave espacial en dirección a la ICPS y a su alrededor en una demostración de operaciones de proximidad. Después de esto, la ICPS volverá a encender sus motores para una maniobra orbital de eliminación que la enviará hacia el océano Pacífico, y Orion continuará en su órbita terrestre alta. Después de unas ocho horas y media en el espacio, los astronautas dormirán durante un corto período de tiempo. La tripulación se despertará después de unas cuatro horas para efectuar un encendido adicional de motores que pondrá a Orion en la geometría orbital correcta para su maniobra orbital de inyección translunar (TLI, por sus siglas en inglés) en el día de vuelo 2. También aprovechará esta oportunidad para ejecutar una breve comprobación de sus comunicaciones de emergencia **** la Red del Espacio Profundo, en el punto más distante de su órbita terrestre alta, lo cual es necesario antes de la TLI. Después de esto, los astronautas podrán volver a dormir durante otras cuatro horas y media, dando por concluido el día de vuelo 1. Día de vuelo 2 Wiseman y Glover comenzarán el día instalando y comprobando el dispositivo de ejercicio del volante de inercia de Orion antes de hacer sus primeros entrenamientos físicos de la misión. Koch y Hansen tienen programados sus ejercicios para la segunda mitad del día. Los entrenamientos matutinos proporcionarán otra prueba de los sistemas de soporte vital de Orion antes de abandonar la órbita terrestre. Koch pasará la mañana preparándose para el evento principal del día: la maniobra orbital para la inyección translunar. La TLI es el último gran encendido de motores de la misión Artemis II y pondrá a Orion en rumbo hacia la Luna. Y dado que Orion empleará una trayectoria de regreso libre para dar la vuelta alrededor del lado lejano de la Luna, el encendido de motores de la TLI también pondrá a Orion en rumbo para regresar a la Tierra en el día de vuelo 10. Koch configurará el sistema de Orion para ejecutar la maniobra orbital, la cual será realizada por el motor principal de Orion en el Módulo de Servicio Europeo de la nave espacial. También llamado motor del sistema de maniobra orbital, proporciona hasta 2.722 kilogramos (6.000 libras) de empuje, lo suficiente para acelerar un automóvil de cero a 96,5 km/h (60 mi/h) en unos 2,7 segundos. Después de la TLI, la tripulación tendrá un día menos atareado, **** tiempo reservado para aclimatarse al entorno espacial. Contarán **** una oportunidad de participar en una comunicación por video de espacio a tierra, la primera de varias que tendrán lugar a lo largo de la misión. **** excepción del día de vuelo 7 —que será el día libre de la tripulación— y el día de aterrizaje, se espera que tengan una o dos de estas oportunidades cada día de la misión. Los astronautas de la NASA Victor Glover y Reid Wiseman, y el astronauta de la CSA (Agencia Espacial Canadiense) Jeremy Hansen entrenan durante una simulación de Artemis II.Crédito: NASA/James Blair Día de vuelo 3 El primero de los tres encendidos más pequeños de motores, denominado corrección de la trayectoria de salida, garantizará que Orion se mantenga encaminada[VGMJ(N1] para su trayectoria alrededor de la Luna, y tendrá lugar el día de vuelo 3. Por la mañana, Hansen se preparará para esta maniobra orbital, la cual está programada para poco después de la comida del mediodía de la tripulación. El resto del día incluirá diversas comprobaciones y demostraciones. Glover, Koch y Hansen harán una demostración de los procedimientos de reanimación cardiopulmonar en el espacio; Wiseman y Glover revisarán parte del kit médico de Orion, que incluye un termómetro, un monitor de presión arterial, un estetoscopio y un otoscopio. Koch tiene tiempo reservado en la segunda mitad del día para poner a prueba el sistema de comunicaciones de emergencia de Orion **** la Red del Espacio Profundo. Toda la tripulación se reunirá para ensayar la coreografía para el trabajo de observaciones científicas que harán el día de vuelo 6, cuando Orion se acerque más a la Luna. Día de vuelo 4 Una segunda maniobra orbital de corrección de la trayectoria de salida en el día de vuelo 4 continuará refinando la trayectoria de Orion a la Luna mientras la tripulación perfecciona algunos de sus propios preparativos. Cada astronauta dedicará una hora a revisar los objetivos geográficos de los que se les pedirá que obtengan imágenes el día de vuelo 6. Dado que esos objetivos variarán según la hora y el día del lanzamiento final de la tripulación, esto sirve como una oportunidad para estudiar exactamente lo que observarán a medida que se acerquen a la superficie lunar. Aunque es probable que tomen fotografías y videos desde las ventanas de Orion a menudo, el día de vuelo 4 tiene 20 minutos en el programa dedicados específicamente a tomar fotos de cuerpos celestes desde las ventanas de la nave. Día de vuelo 5 Orion entrará en la esfera de influencia lunar el día de vuelo 5, marcando el punto en el que la atracción de la gravedad de la Luna se volverá más fuerte que la atracción de la gravedad de la Tierra. Mientras ingresan en las cercanías de la Luna, la tripulación tendrá un día completo, y dedicarán la mañana casi en su totalidad a llevar a ***** las pruebas de sus trajes espaciales. Oficialmente conocidos como sistema de supervivencia de la tripulación de Orion, los trajes naranjas protegen a la tripulación durante el lanzamiento y el reingreso, pero también podrían usarse en caso de emergencia para proporcionar a cada miembro de la tripulación que tenga puesto este traje una atmósfera respirable durante un máximo de seis días en el caso de que Orion se despresurizara. Al ser los primeros astronautas en usar estos nuevos trajes en el espacio, la tripulación de Artemis II pondrá a prueba su capacidad para ponerse rápidamente los trajes y presurizarlos; instalar sus asientos y sentarse en ellos **** los trajes puestos; comer y beber a través de un puerto situado en el casco de los trajes espaciales, y otras funciones. Durante la tarde de la tripulación, se llevará a ***** la maniobra orbital final de corrección de la trayectoria de salida, antes del sobrevuelo lunar de Orion en el día de vuelo 6. Esta foto, captada durante el quinto día de la misión Artemis I, el 20 de noviembre de 2022, muestra la nave espacial Orion **** la Luna al fondo. La imagen fue tomada por una cámara situada en la punta de uno de los paneles solares de Orion.Crédito: NASA Día de vuelo 6 La tripulación de Artemis II llegará a su punto más cercano a la Luna en el día de vuelo 6, mientras viaja hasta su punto más alejado de la Tierra. Dependiendo de cuál sea el día de lanzamiento, Artemis II podría establecer un récord de la distancia máxima que un ser humano haya viajado desde la Tierra, para romper el récord actual de 400.171 kilómetros (248.655 millas) de distancia, establecido en 1970 por la tripulación del Apolo 13. La distancia que recorrerá la tripulación de Artemis II dependerá del día y la hora exactos de su lanzamiento. A lo largo del día, la tripulación se encontrará a una distancia de entre 6.400 y 9.700 km (entre 4.000 y 6.000 millas) de la superficie lunar mientras dan la vuelta alrededor del lado lejano de la Luna. Esta debería verse para ellos del tamaño de una pelota de baloncesto sostenida **** el brazo extendido. Dedicarán la mayoría del día a tomar fotografías y videos de la Luna y a grabar sus observaciones, ya que se convertirán en los primeros seres humanos en ver **** sus propios ojos algunas partes de la Luna. Debido a que el ángulo del Sol sobre la Luna cambia casi un grado cada dos horas, la tripulación no sabrá qué condiciones de iluminación les esperan en la superficie lunar hasta el momento del lanzamiento. Si el Sol está alto en el cielo lunar durante el sobrevuelo, habrá pocas sombras y la tripulación buscará variaciones sutiles en el color y la corrección de la superficie. Si el Sol está más bajo en el horizonte, se extenderán largas sombras por la superficie, realzando el relieve y revelando las profundidades, las crestas, las pendientes, y los bordes de los cráteres que a menudo son difíciles de detectar **** una iluminación plena. Si el Sol está arriba desde la perspectiva de Orion —como al mediodía en la Tierra—, las sombras serán pocas o inexistentes, creando condiciones de iluminación ideales para obtener imágenes cercanas de características lunares específicas. La tripulación grabará sus observaciones en tiempo real, mientras toman fotografías y videos, incluso cuando pierdan la comunicación **** la Tierra durante 30 a 50 minutos mientras pasen detrás de la Luna. De esa manera, sus observaciones se podrán vincular más tarde **** las imágenes exactas que hayan obtenido. Día de vuelo 7 Orion saldrá de la esfera de influencia lunar en la mañana del día de vuelo 7. Antes de que la tripulación de Artemis II se aleje demasiado de la Luna, los científicos en tierra, ansiosos por saber de ellos mientras la experiencia aún está fresca en sus mentes, tendrán tiempo para hablar **** la tripulación. En la segunda mitad del día de la tripulación, el motor de Orion volverá a encenderse para la primera de las tres maniobras orbitales de corrección de la trayectoria de regreso que ajustarán la trayectoria de Orion hacia la Tierra. La tripulación tendrá libre gran parte del resto del día, lo que les dará la oportunidad de descansar antes de retomar sus tareas finales previas a su regreso a la Tierra. Día de vuelo 8 Las actividades principales para el día de vuelo 8 incluyen dos demostraciones de Orion. Primero, la tripulación evaluará su capacidad para protegerse de eventos de gran radiación como las erupciones solares. Utilizarán los suministros y equipamientos de Orion para construir un refugio y cubrirse si fuera necesario. La radiación será una preocupación constante conforme los seres humanos se aventuren en el espacio profundo, y se llevarán a ***** diferentes experimentos **** el fin de recopilar datos sobre los niveles de radiación dentro de Orion. Al final del día, la tripulación hará una prueba de la capacidad de pilotaje manual de Orion conduciendo la nave espacial a través de una serie de tareas. Centrarán un objetivo elegido desde las ventanas de Orion, pasarán a una posición orientada de cola al Sol y efectuarán maniobras de orientación **** relación al plano de vuelo comparando los modos de seis grados de libertad y tres grados de libertad de control de orientación de la nave. Día de vuelo 9 El último día completo de Artemis II en el espacio comenzará **** los preparativos para su regreso a la Tierra. La tripulación tendrá tiempo reservado para estudiar sus procedimientos de reingreso y amerizaje, y para hablar **** el personal de control de vuelo. Otra maniobra orbital de corrección de la trayectoria de regreso garantizará que la nave espacial permanezca encaminada para ese regreso. La tripulación completará otras demostraciones para cubrir su lista de tareas pendientes: sistemas de recolección de desechos en caso de que el inodoro de Orion no funcione correctamente y comprobaciones del ajuste de las prendas de vestir para combatir la intolerancia ortostática. La intolerancia ortostática —la cual puede causar síntomas como mareos y aturdimiento al estar de pie— es una posibilidad para los astronautas cuando regresan a la Tierra y sus cuerpos deben readaptarse a la fuerza de la gravedad sobre su suministro de sangre. Las prendas de compresión, que se usan debajo de los trajes espaciales, pueden aliviar estos síntomas. Los miembros de la tripulación se probarán las prendas, tomarán medidas de su circunferencia corporal y completarán un cuestionario sobre cómo les quedan[VGMJ(N2] y qué tan fácil es ponerse y quitarse esta ropa. Día de vuelo 10 El último día de la misión Artemis II está centrado en traer a la tripulación a salvo de regreso a la Tierra. Una última maniobra orbital de corrección de la trayectoria de regreso garantizará que Orion esté en la trayectoria correcta para el amerizaje. Además, la tripulación regresará la cabina a su configuración original —**** el equipamiento guardado y los asientos en su lugar— y volverá a ponerse sus trajes espaciales. El módulo de la tripulación se separará del módulo de servicio, cuyos motores los han conducido alrededor de la Luna y de regreso a la Tierra. Esto expondrá el escudo térmico del módulo de la tripulación, el cual protegerá a la nave espacial y a la tripulación a medida que regresan atravesando la atmósfera terrestre **** temperaturas de hasta unos 1.650 grados Celsius (3.000 grados Fahrenheit). Una vez que hayan superado **** seguridad el calor del reingreso, la cubierta que protegía la bahía delantera de la nave espacial será desechada para dar paso al despliegue de una serie de paracaídas: dos paracaídas de frenado que reducirán la velocidad de la cápsula hasta unos 494 kilómetros por hora (307 millas por hora), seguidos por tres paracaídas piloto que desplegarán los últimos tres paracaídas principales. Estos reducirán la velocidad de Orion hasta casi 27 km/h (17 mi/h) para el amerizaje en el océano Pacífico, donde estará esperando el personal de la NASA y la Marina de Estados Unidos, concluyendo así la misión Artemis II. View the full article

The Artemis II mission patch is seen on the right shoulder of the Orion Crew Survival System suits that NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (********* Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will wear on the Artemis II test flight are seen, Jan. 17, 2026, in the suit-up room of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky About eight minutes after Artemis II lifts off, the Orion spacecraft and its crew, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA (********* Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will be in space. The approximately 10-day test flight will be packed with activity as the astronauts venture around the Moon and back, with teams checking out Orion’s systems along the way. While teams in mission control could refine the crew’s schedule each day based on operational activities during the test flight, ground teams and the crew have a general plan for each day of the mission. Launch Day/Flight Day 1: Once the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s main engines cutoff, Orion and the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) separate from the rest of rocket. The ICPS still has work to do – about 49 minutes after launch, its engine will fire to raise the perigee, or lowest point of a spacecraft’s orbit, to a safe altitude of 100 miles above Earth. About an hour later, when Orion reaches that perigee, the ICPS will fire again to continue raising the spacecraft into a high-Earth orbit. The crew will then have about 23 hours to do a thorough checkout of Orion’s systems while still relatively close to home. The crew will start testing systems like the potable water dispenser that will provide drinking water and rehydrate the food they brought along, the toilet, and the system that removes carbon dioxide from the air. The crewmates also can take off the orange spacesuits worn for launch and work in regular clothing. They’ll spend time rearranging Orion’s interior to function as a living and workspace for four floating people over the next 10 days. About three hours into the mission, NASA will test how Orion handles. On future missions, Orion will dock with other spacecraft. To verify Orion will do so safely, the ICPS will be repurposed as a docking target. It will separate from Orion, and the crew will practice flying their spacecraft toward and around it in a proximity operations demonstration. Afterward, the ICPS will fire its engines again for a disposal burn that will send it into the Pacific Ocean, and Orion will continue its high Earth orbit. After about eight-and-a-half hours in space, the astronauts will sleep for a short *******. The four astronauts will be awakened after about four hours to perform an additional engine firing that will put Orion into the correct orbital geometry for its translunar injection (TLI) burn on flight day 2. They’ll also take the opportunity to perform a brief check out their emergency communications on the Deep Space Network, at the most-distant point of their high Earth orbit, which is necessary before the TLI. After this, they’ll be able to go back to sleep for another four-and-a-half hours, wrapping up flight day 1. Flight Day 2 Wiseman and Glover will begin their day setting up and checking out Orion’s flywheel exercise device before getting in their first workouts of the mission. Koch and Hansen have exercise scheduled for the second half of the day. The morning workouts will provide another test of Orion’s life support systems before leaving Earth orbit. Koch will spend her morning preparing for the main event of the day – the translunar injection burn. The TLI is the last major engine firing of the Artemis II mission and will set Orion on the path to the Moon. And since Orion is using a free-return trajectory to swing around the far side of the Moon, the TLI engine firing also puts Orion on the path to return to Earth on flight day 10. Koch will set up Orion’s system to perform the burn, done by Orion’s main engine on the spacecraft’s European Service Module. Also called the orbital maneuvering system engine, it provides up to 6,000 pounds of thrust – enough to accelerate a car from 0 to 60 mph in about 2.7 seconds. Following TLI, the crew has a lighter day of activity, with time set aside to acclimate to the space environment. They’ll have an opportunity to participate in a space to ground video communication – the first of several that will take place throughout the mission. With the exception of flight day 7 – the crew’s off-duty day – and landing day, they are expected to have one or two of these opportunities each day of the mission. NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman, and CSA (********* Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen train during an Artemis II simulation.Credit: NASA/James Blair Flight Day 3 The first of three smaller engine firings, called the outbound trajectory correction, will ensure Orion is staying on target for its path around the Moon and will take place on flight day 3. Hansen will prepare for the burn in the morning, which is scheduled to happen shortly after the crew’s midday meal. The rest of the day will include a variety of checkouts and demonstrations. Glover, Koch, and Hansen will demonstrate CPR procedures in space; Wiseman and Glover will checkout some of Orion’s medical kit, including the thermometer, blood pressure monitor, stethoscope, and otoscope. Koch has time set aside in the second half of the day to test Orion’s emergency communications system on the Deep Space Network. The entire crew will come together to rehearse the choreography for the scientific observation work they’ll do on flight day 6, when Orion comes the closest to the Moon. Flight Day 4 A second outbound trajectory correction burn on flight day 4 will continue to refine Orion’s path to the Moon as the crew perfects some of their own preparations. They’ll each have an hour devoted to reviewing the geography targets they’ll be asked to get imagery of on flight day 6. Since those will vary depending on the crew’s final launch time and day, this serves as an opportunity to study exactly what they’ll be looking for as they draw close to the lunar surface. Although they will likely take photos and video out of Orion’s windows often, flight day 4 has 20 minutes on the schedule specifically dedicated to taking photos of celestial bodies from Orion’s windows. Flight Day 5 Orion will enter the lunar sphere of influence on flight day 5, marking the point at which the pull of the Moon’s gravity will become stronger than the pull of the Earth’s gravity. As they enter the Moon’s neighborhood, the crew will have a full day, with the morning almost entirely devoted to tests of their spacesuits. Officially called the Orion crew survival system, the orange suits protect the crew during launch and reentry, but also could be used in an emergency to provide the crew member wearing it with a breathable atmosphere for up to six days if Orion depressurized. As the first astronauts to wear the new suits in space, the Artemis II crew will be testing their ability to quickly put the suits on and pressurize them; install their seats and get into them while wearing the suits; eat and drink through a port on the spacesuits’ helmet; and other functions. During the crew’s afternoon, the final outbound trajectory correction burn will take place before Orion’s lunar flyby on flight day 6. Taken on the fifth day of the Artemis I mission, on Nov. 20, 2022, this photo showing the Orion spacecraft with the Moon beyond was captured by a camera on the tip of one of Orion’s solar arrays.Credit: NASA Flight Day 6 The Artemis II crew will come their closest to the Moon on flight day 6, while traveling the farthest from Earth. Artemis II could set a record for the farthest anyone has traveled from Earth depending on launch day, breaking the current record – 248,655 miles away – set in 1970 by the Apollo 13 crew. The distance the Artemis II crew will travel depends on their exact launch day and time. Over the course of the day, the crew will come within 4,000 to 6,000 miles of the lunar surface as they swing around the far side of the Moon – it should look to them about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length. They will devote the majority of their day to taking photos and videos of the Moon, and recording their observations as they become the first to see some parts of the Moon with their own eyes. Because the Sun’s angle on the Moon changes by about one degree every two hours, the crew won’t be sure what lighting conditions to expect on the lunar surface until they launch. If the Sun is high in the lunar sky during the flyby, there will be few shadows, and the crew will be looking for subtle variations in surface color and rightness. If the Sun is lower on the horizon, long shadows will stretch across the surface, enhancing relief and revealing depth, ridges, slopes, and crater rims that are often difficult to detect under full illumination. If the Sun is overhead from Orion’s perspective – like noon on Earth – shadows will be few to nonexistent, creating ideal lighting conditions for close-up imaging of specific lunar features. The crew will record their observations in real time, as they take photos and videos – including when they lose communication with Earth for 30-50 minutes as they pass behind the Moon. That way, their observations can later be linked with the exact images they took. Flight Day 7 Orion will exit the lunar sphere of influence the morning of flight day 7. Before the Artemis II crew gets too far away from the Moon, scientists on the ground, eager to hear from them while the experience is still fresh in their minds, will have time to speak with the crew. In the second half of the crew’s day, the Orion engine will fire again for the first of three return trajectory correction burns that will adjust Orion’s path home. The rest of the day will be largely off-duty for the crew, giving them a chance to rest before jumping back into their final tasks before their return to Earth. Flight Day 8 The primary activities for flight day 8 include two Orion demonstrations. First, the crew will assess their ability to protect themselves from high radiation events like solar flares. They’ll use Orion’s supplies and equipment to build a shelter for cover if needed. Radiation will be an ongoing concern as humans venture into deep space, and multiple experiments will be aimed at collecting data on the radiation levels inside Orion. At the end of the day, the crew will try out Orion’s manual piloting capability by steering the spacecraft through a variety of tasks. They’ll center a chosen target in Orion’s windows, move into a tail-to-Sun attitude, and perform attitude maneuvers comparing the craft’s six-degree-of-freedom and three-degree-of-freedom attitude control modes. Flight Day 9 Artemis II’s last full day in space will kick off with prep for their return to Earth. The crew has time set aside to study their procedures for reentry and splashdown, and talk with the flight control team. Another return trajectory correction burn will ensure the spacecraft remains on target for that return. The crew will complete more demonstrations to check off their to-do list: waste collection systems in case the Orion toilet doesn’t function properly and orthostatic intolerance garment fit checks. Orthostatic intolerance – which can cause symptoms such as dizziness and lightheadedness while standing – is a possibility for astronauts when they return to Earth and their bodies must readapt to the pull of gravity on their blood supply. Compression garments, worn under spacesuits, can help. The crew members will try their garments on, take body circumference measurements, and complete a questionnaire on how it fits, and how easy it is to put on and take off. Flight Day 10 The last day of the Artemis II mission is focused on getting the crew safely home. A final return trajectory correction burn will ensure Orion is on the right path for splashdown, and the crew will return their cabin to its original set up – with equipment stowed and seats in place – and get back into their spacesuits. The crew module will separate from the service module, whose engines have steered them around the Moon and back to Earth. This will expose the crew module’s heat shield, which will protect the spacecraft and crew as they make their way back through Earth’s atmosphere and temperatures of up about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Once safely through the heat of reentry, the cover that protected the spacecraft’s forward bay will be jettisoned to make way for a series of parachutes to deploy – two drogue parachutes that will slow the capsule down to about 307 miles per hour, followed by three pilot parachutes that will pull out the final three main parachutes. These will slow Orion down to approximately 17 mph for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, where NASA and U.S. Navy personnel will be waiting for them, concluding the Artemis II mission. View the full article

4 min read Artifacts From NASA’s Webb, Parker Solar Probe on View at Smithsonian NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Optical Telescope Element Pathfinder testing hardware, and a full-scale model of Parker Solar Probe are now on display inside the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. Credit: Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum A testing replica of the “backbone” of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and a full-scale model of the agency’s Parker Solar Probe are now on permanent display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. “From touching the Sun with Parker Solar Probe to creating humanity’s most powerful window into the cosmos with the James Webb Space Telescope, these missions show what humanity can achieve as we continue to push the boundaries of human knowledge through visionary science,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “It’s not just the iconic hardware from these NASA missions on display — it’s the courage, skill, and ingenuity of the scientists, engineers, and teams who dared to turn the nearly impossible into reality.” Webb’s Optical Telescope Element Pathfinder is the largest intact mirror support structure of its kind, standing over 21 feet tall, with a secondary mirror that when fully deployed reaches more than 26 feet. This pathfinder was constructed as a high-fidelity telescope nearly identical to Webb, the largest and most powerful space telescope ever built. Webb’s science goals required an exceptionally precise mirror, too large to fit fully deployed in any available rocket. The mission’s enormous size, complexity, and extreme temperature requirements demanded a comprehensive rethinking of how to test a spacecraft for the rigors of spaceflight. The pathfinder served a key role in surmounting these challenges. NASA’s James Webb Telescope Optical Telescope Element pathfinder backdropped by the Discovery Space Shuttle inside the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. Credit: Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum “NASA is proud to see the James Webb Space Telescope Optical Telescope Element Pathfinder on display at the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center,” said Mike Davis, NASA’s project manager for the Webb telescope at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “This remarkable test structure helped engineers prepare the largest space telescope ever built. Standing before it, visitors can glimpse not only the immense scale of Webb, but also the human curiosity and ingenuity that drive us to reach beyond our world and explore the universe.” Joining the Webb pathfinder on display is a replica of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe. Built and operated at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, Parker is more than seven years into its daring mission, with numerous successful encounters bringing the spacecraft just 3.8 million miles from the solar surface at a blazing 430,000 mph — faster and closer than any spacecraft in history. Despite brutal temperatures and radiation conditions, Parker Solar Probe has completed 27 of these close approaches to collect unprecedented data from the only star we can study up close. The replica allows visitors insight into the innovative technology behind the spacecraft’s ability to survive and successfully sample the Sun’s super-heated outer atmosphere. Also built at APL, the Parker replica stands 10 feet high, 21.5 feet long, and 8.5 feet wide and includes several of the mission’s spare parts. Several of the components are exact duplicates of the hardware now in space, built to be swapped if flight hardware failed in prelaunch testing. These components include the heat shield that protects the probe from temperatures nearing 2,000 Fahrenheit and a camera called WISPR (the Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe) that views and records the Sun’s activity just off the surface. The model also includes a copy of the solar array cooling system that circulates water through solar panels to survive the Sun in close approaches. A full-scale model of Parker Solar Probe now hangs from the ceiling at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Credit: Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum “Parker Solar Probe has been vital for giving us an up-close look at one of the most extreme environments in our solar system, showing us where space weather is born,” said Adam Szabo, Parker Solar Probe mission scientist at NASA Goddard. “This information is key to understanding the Sun’s upper atmosphere and how it affects us.” The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (********* Space Agency). Parker Solar Probe was developed as a part of NASA’s Living With a Star (LWS) program to explore aspects of the Sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society. The LWS program is managed by the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Johns Hopkins APL manages Parker Solar Probe for NASA and designed, built, and operates the mission. To learn more about NASA’s science missions, visit: [Hidden Content] By Thaddeus Cesari, Desiree Apodaca NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Related Links Webb Observatory Optical Telescope Element (OTE) Backplane Mirrors Story of Webb’s Build in Images Share Details Last Updated Mar 13, 2026 Contact Laura Betz laura.e*****@*****.tld Related Terms James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Goddard Space Flight Center Parker Solar Probe (PSP) Technology Keep Exploring Related Topics James Webb Space Telescope Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the… Optical Telescope Element (OTE) Parker Solar Probe On a mission to “touch the Sun,” NASA’s Parker Solar Probe became the first spacecraft to fly through the corona… Parker Solar Probe Instruments View the full article

4 Min Read GVIS Virtual Systems Simulations High-Efficiency Megawatt Motor (HEMM) Visualization Credits: NASA GVIS The Graphics and Visualization Lab (GVIS) at NASA Glenn Research Center creates a variety of immersive visualizations and simulations in support of NASA’s missions, projects, and future innovations. These visual tools help scientists, engineers, and researchers develop new solutions that bring their projects to life. Virtual System Simulations The GVIS Lab prides itself on creating engaging and informational virtual system simulations for NASA missions. These simulations transform complex engineering concepts into digestible visualizations and immersive experiences, bridging the gap between concept and reality. These simulations bring greater understanding of systems typically hidden from view, such as the inside of an engine or how elements behave inside of a fuel cell. The GVIS Lab is able to create system simulations in a variety of formats depending on the desires of the customer and the purpose of the simulation. These formats can be take the form of an interactive demo or video and can be in augmented reality, virtual reality, or a 3D model. System simulations empower us to see and experience capabilities before they’re built, reducing risk, accelerating decision making, and ensuring mission requirements are met with confidence. Marc frances Extended Reality Developer “Virtual system simulations empower customers to see and experience capabilities before they’re built, reducing risk, accelerating decision making, and ensuring mission requirements are met with confidence,” says Extended Reality developer Marc Frances. “By translating complex data and concepts into immersive, intuitive experiences using augmented reality, they help customers validate performance, improve training outcomes, and maximize return on investment.” Exploded view of the High-Efficiency Megawatt Motor (HEMM)NASA GVIS The above visual system simulation is an exploded view of the High-Efficiency Megawatt Motor (HEMM). The HEMM is a 1.4 megawatt electric machine being developed at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland to improve efficiency in future aircraft with electrified propulsion systems. This virtual reality simulation shows an exploded view of HEMM, allowing for an intricate view of the beautifully designed motor. The simulation showcases how the GVIS Lab takes complex systems and creates comprehendible visual ones. Simulations like these are especially vital for projects in development, such as HEMM. These simulations allow for customers to see their completed projects in ways they could never imagine, years before project completion. Interactive Experiences Virtual reality game of super-alloy GRX-810NASA GVIS The above visualization is a virtual reality interactive experience of GRX-810, a NASA created super-alloy. This super-alloy dramatically improves the strength and durability of the components and parts used in aviation and space exploration, resulting in better and longer-lasting performance. The magic of GRX-810 lies within its unique chemical composition, a feature which is invisible to the human eye. Comprehending elemental processes can be unintuitive for people outside of chemical and material engineering. But, with the power of virtual reality users are able to come to a deeper understanding of how GRX-810 works along with its benefits. The game-like structure of the visualization leads to an interactive, engaging, and exciting learning experience. Public Outreach Simulation of a fuel cell at Great Lakes Science CenterNASA GVIS The GVIS Lab sometimes creates system simulations specifically for public outreach and museum displays. The above simulation is of a non-flow-through fuel cell. The simulation begins with a model of the fuel cell, then zooms into a molecular view of the fuel cell. A fuel cell converts hydrogen into oxygen to create electricity. In the molecular model, users can interact with power, display speed, and change the amount of impurities in the system to see how these variables change the system. This simulation was created for the Great Lakes Science Center, the premier science technology museum in Cleveland, Ohio which hosts over 300,000 visitors annually. Because of this simulation created by the GVIS Lab, thousands of curious minds now have a better understanding of fuel cells and how they create electricity. Contact Us Need to reach us? In need of a virtual systems simulation? You can send an email directly to the GVIS Team (GRC-DL*****@*****.tld). About the AuthorAmanda Fanale Share Details Last Updated Mar 13, 2026 Related TermsGlenn Research Center Explore More 4 min read GVIS Conceptual Visual Designs Article 16 minutes ago 3 min read GVIS Scientific Visualizations Article 16 minutes ago 3 min read GVIS Test Facilities Visualizations Article 17 minutes ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

4 Min Read GVIS Conceptual Visual Designs Cutaway diagram of the HyTEC Engine Credits: NASA GVIS The Graphics and Visualization Lab (GVIS) at NASA Glenn Research Center creates a variety of immersive visualizations and simulations in support of NASA’s missions, projects, and future innovations. These visual tools help scientists, engineers, and researchers develop new solutions that bring their projects to life. Conceptual Visual Designs GVIS creates conceptual visual designs for proposed NASA missions and missions currently in development or being researched. These designs are used to communicate desired project outcomes, demonstrate upcoming engineering developments, showcase projects under construction, and serve as accessible education tools for the general public. GVIS has created conceptual designs for a wide variety of NASA projects: from spacecraft, aircraft, power and propulsion, to missions support systems. Cutaway visualization of the HyTEC Aero engine Rendered by GVIS The above image is a cutaway of the inside of the Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core (HyTEC) design. The HyTEC project is developing small core turbofan engine technologies to enable fuel burn reduction and increased electrical power extraction from the engine. Visualizations such as HyTEC allow for a “look inside” engines, aircraft, and facilities that would typically be hidden from view. These kinds visualization brings NASA innovations to life in easy to understand formats and visuals. Proposed Missions The GVIS Lab creates visualization support for a variety of missions, from aeronautics to space exploration. Visualizations for missions in the proposal phase or in early development are critical for showcasing the desired outcome of the mission. These visualizations are also critical for technical engagement, as mission development can last months or years. It is useful to have a visual aid to explain the future endeavors of the Agency. Visualization of the SUbsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) Electrofan conceptual aircraftNASA GVIS The GVIS Lab helps NASA visualize technology which will shape future. The SUbsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) Electrofan is a concept for sustainable airtravel. It is an advanced hybrid electric concept aircraft, seeking to reduce emission levels by 50% within the next few decades. The GVIS Lab is proud to partner with the SUSAN team at NASA Glenn in creating conceptual visualizations to convey state-of-the-art designs. Augmented reality demonstration of the Lunar Gateway Power and Propulsion Element (PPE). NASA GVIS The GVIS Lab is known for creating virtual and augmented reality designs. The upcoming Lunar Gateway project features the Power & Propulsion Element (PPE), seen here as a dark gray box with thrusters and solar panels attached. To see this visualization, users wear an augmented reality headset and can see Lunar Gateway in their environment. With augmented reality, users are able to experience the true life size and detail of Gateway like never before. I’ve seen a lot of PPE assembly progress photos in the past year but have never seen it in person to fully appreciate the scale. This augmented reality view truly helped bridge that experience gap. Phuong Marangoni PPE Deputy Project Planning and Control Lead Demonstrations such as these are not only designed to educate the public on NASA’s upcoming missions, but are also impactful to the mission developers themselves. “This model resonated so deeply for me after seeing a full scale PPE for the first time (ever),” said PPE Deputy Project Planning and Control Lead Phuong Marangoni. “I’ve seen a lot of PPE assembly progress photos in the past year but have never seen it in person to fully appreciate the scale. This augmented reality view truly helped bridge that experience gap, and I didn’t have to leave Cleveland for it!” Out of this World Visualizations Visualization for a proposed submarine to explore Saturn’s moon, Titan. NASA GVIS Conceptual visualizations are fundamental for conveying future space initiatives. Sometimes, space missions are visiting places in the Solar System which have never been explored before. The above visualization is of a proposed submarine exploring the seas of Titan, a moon of Saturn. Titan’s atmosphere, seas, and environment are all extremely different from Earth, making a visualization vital for understanding the purpose and design of the mission. These visuals make otherworldly scenarios a reality and are crucial for mission development. Contact Us Need to reach us? In need of a conceptual visualization? You can send an email directly to the GVIS Team (GRC-DL*****@*****.tld). About the AuthorAmanda Fanale Share Details Last Updated Mar 13, 2026 Related TermsGlenn Research Center Explore More 4 min read GVIS Virtual Systems Simulations Article 16 minutes ago 3 min read GVIS Scientific Visualizations Article 16 minutes ago 3 min read GVIS Test Facilities Visualizations Article 17 minutes ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

3 Min Read GVIS Scientific Visualizations Ray traced image of combustor swirlers Credits: NASA GVIS The Graphics and Visualization Lab (GVIS) at NASA Glenn Research Center creates a variety of immersive visualizations and simulations in support of NASA’s missions, projects, and future innovations. These visual tools help scientists, engineers, and researchers develop new solutions that bring their projects to life. Scientific Visualizations GVIS creates scientific visualizations to explain complex scientific systems which are typically impossible to see with the naked eye. These visualizations can be for large systems such as engines and storage tanks and add useful supplementary information as to how the system functions. Scientific visualizations can display information on large and microscopic scales, providing powerful insight to the inner workings of mechanical systems. Visualization of the Zero Boil-Off Tank Experiment NASA GVIS Above is a visualization of the Zero Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT), a long term propellant storage tank developed by NASA. Spacecraft fuels are volitaile cryogenic liquid propellants which must be maintained at extremely low temperatures and also must be guarded from environmental heat leaks into the spacecraft’s propellant tank. The featured visualization is an example of many experiments done on the ZBOT to investigate the best storage method for cryogenic liquid propellants. This visualizations shows the viewer the inner workings of the propellants inside the tank, bringing the experiment to life. Our goal when developing visualizations is to engage the imagination, to provide insight and understanding. We aim to make the intangible tangible and turn the hypothetical into reality. paul Catalano Senior Extened Reality Developer Ray traced image of combustor swirlers NASA GVIS Visualization of turbo machinery within an engine. NASA GVIS Turbomachinery visualizations, such as those seen above, offer a visual representation of energy transfer. These representations of engines are vital tools in reducing the time and expense required to test and manufacture aircraft. Scientific visualizations are indispensable educational tools. Visual forms of scientific concepts are easy to share, eliminate scientific jargon, used as supplements in lessons, and can be modified for different audiences. The barrier between scientific concepts and understanding are broke through the artistry of scientific visualizations. Scientific Immersion Magnetic flux demonstration of the HEMM motor. NASA GVIS The above visualization is of the High-Efficiency Megawatt Motor (HEMM). HEMM is a 1.4 megawatt electric machine being developed at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland to improve efficiency in future aircraft with electrified propulsion systems. Many scientific visualizations, such as the magnetic flux demonstration of the HEMM motor, are created for the GRUVE Lab. GRUVE, or the Glenn Reconfigurable User-Interface and Virtual Reality Exploration Lab, hosts the CAVE, a fully immersive, virtual, 3D environment. When in the CAVE users wear tracking active-shutter glasses, which ensures that models and simulations remain proportional and in-line with the user. This personalized experience allows for greater understanding and implementation of scientific systems. You can learn more about GRUVE Lab by clicking here. Contact Us Need to reach us? In need of a scientific visualization? You can send an email directly to the GVIS Team (GRC-DL*****@*****.tld). About the AuthorAmanda Fanale Share Details Last Updated Mar 13, 2026 Related TermsGlenn Research Center Explore More 4 min read GVIS Virtual Systems Simulations Article 16 minutes ago 4 min read GVIS Conceptual Visual Designs Article 16 minutes ago 3 min read GVIS Test Facilities Visualizations Article 17 minutes ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

3 Min Read GVIS Test Facilities Visualizations Visualization of the interior of the W-7 Facility. Credits: NASA GVIS The Graphics and Visualization Lab (GVIS) at NASA Glenn Research Center creates a variety of immersive visualizations and simulations in support for NASA’s missions, projects, and future innovations. These visual tools help scientists, engineers, and researchers develop solutions to bring their projects to life. Test Facility Models GVIS creates visualizations of various NASA test facilities. These visualizations include interactive tours, digital replications of facilities, 3D models, and demonstrations of facility tests. Test facility visualizations are useful tools for customers, developers, and curious minds. They give researchers the ability to visit and explore test facilities from afar, reducing travel costs and allow developers to experience a facility in its entirety before construction has been completed. “We have had senior management see our visualizations after seeing the actual test facility and say that the visualization helped them understand the facility better than seeing the facility itself.” says GVIS Lab manager Herb Schilling. Tours of test facilities are typically given outside of actual testing operations. Those unaffiliated with the testing facility aren’t able to experience the facility in full, which makes creating test facility visualizations so vital. With these visualizations, visitors are able to see every corner of the facility as well as experience a test demonstration. Visualizations can also create experiences that would not typically be possible to see in person. Walkthrough of the High Speed Multistage Compressor Facility (W-7) at NASA Glenn Research CenterNASA GVIS The visualization helped them understand the facility better than seeing the facility itself. Herb schilling GVIS Lab Manager GVIS creates to-scale visualizations of various NASA facilities. Shown above and below are fly-throughs of two facilities: The High Speed Multistage Compressor Facility (W-7) and the NASA Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) Facility. These visualizations can be interacted with in a multitude of ways, including in virtual reality. These visualizations are immersive, detailed, and offer “to-scale” experiences where users can feel as if they were actually visiting the facility. With a simple headset, users are transported to NASA facilities across the country. without ever needing to leave their center. Walkthrough of the NASA Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) Facility at Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, OhioNASA GVIS GVIS also creates 3D printed models of facilities, such as the altitude chamber of NEAT facility. 3D printed facility models allow for innovation and collaboration, and can offer new perspectives. These prints are life-like, to-scale, contain movable parts, and are easily transportable. Test Facility Demonstrations In addition to creating virtual models of test facilities, the GVIS Lab creates demonstrations of tests and facility functions. Tests are seldom performed for visitors and guests, and offering demonstrations of facility functions privides an unique perspective. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video DGEN-XR: An audio test facility demonstration. NASA GVIS The GVIS Lab is developing an extended reality (XR) demonstration of a small engine test in the Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory (AAPL), a world-class facility for conducting aero-propulsion noise-reduction research. The demo is of the DGEN AeroPropulsion Research Turbofan, or DART, an experimental aeroacoustic and aero-performance test bed. This video showcases an interactive demonstration of the testbed, allowing users to manipulate microphones and the engine in order to achieve various audio outputs. Test demonstrations like these allow users to experience a facility without having to step foot into it. Visualization of the Adaptive Icing TunnelNASA GVIS The above visualization is of the Adaptive Icing Tunnel (AIT), a vertical icing wind tunnel currently in development. This visualization demonstrates the future capabilities of the facility, which can produce air speeds up to 110 meters per second and can reach temperature as low as -20º C. As the facility is still in development, a visualization is useful for its engineers, future customers, and public for a greater understanding of the potential usefulness of the AIT. Contact Us Need to reach us? In need of a visualization? You can send an email directly to the GVIS Team (GRC-DL*****@*****.tld). About the AuthorAmanda Fanale Share Details Last Updated Mar 13, 2026 Related TermsGlenn Research Center Explore More 4 min read GVIS Virtual Systems Simulations Article 16 minutes ago 4 min read GVIS Conceptual Visual Designs Article 16 minutes ago 3 min read GVIS Scientific Visualizations Article 16 minutes ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

Mark Vande Hei outside of ISS (October 10, 2017). This article is from the 2025 Technical Update. The exact date when the crew of Space Shuttle Columbia was lost is readily recalled by Patrick Forrester, as it likely would be for any NASA employee in service that Saturday morning when the Shuttle broke up during reentry. Forrester had flown to ISS for the first time in 2001 aboard Discovery in support of the STS-105 mission. He was scheduled to fly again shortly after Columbia’s February 1, 2003 return. That date is now a somber anniversary etched in his memory. “I had three classmates on Columbia,” Forrester said. “As an astronaut class, you are even closer because you are selected together and go through that initial training together.” That was the reason he said yes when asked to join the NESC in 2009 as the NESC Chief Astronaut—the liaison between the NESC and the Astronaut Office. “The NESC was started after the Columbia accident, and it was really just an honor to be part of that organization where the focus was to make sure that didn’t happen again.” The NESC has had an astronaut liaison for most of its 22-year history. “It stands to reason that the individuals the NESC works so hard to protect should have a seat at the table,” said NESC Director Tim Wilson. “The Chief Astronaut gives them direct access to the NESC for insight into technical activities that might affect them and a forum for voicing concerns that otherwise might not have surfaced. The interface gives us access to them as well; astronauts have lent their expertise and unique perspectives to many NESC assessments over the years. As the agency’s front-line risk takers, they are by definition our primary stakeholders, and much of what we do revolves around ensuring the risks they take are well-understood and mitigated.” The current and some of the former Chief Astronauts shared their perspectives on how they feel about the NESC and whether this organization—designed to increase the overall safety of their jobs—was accomplishing that mission. Patrick Forrester NESC Chief Astronaut 2009-2016 It would be four years after Columbia that Forrester would fly again. That was June 2007 aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis as part of STS-117, where he helped deliver the second starboard truss and third set of solar arrays to ISS. During his years with the NESC, Forrester assisted in NESC assessments or arranged for others from the Astronaut Office to participate. He recalled being a part of an NESC review of the astronaut pre-breathe protocol used before extravehicular activities, and he also worked with fellow astronaut Dr. Nancy Currie, who at that time was a principal engineer for the NESC, to assess the procedures and plans to ensure alternative means of return for STS-135 in the event Atlantis could not provide it. Since the other Space Shuttle orbiters had retired, rescue capability via Space Shuttle was not an option for this mission, he said. “We came up with the plan of how they could stay on the space station and use a Russian Soyuz to get them back.” Patrick Forrester, STS-128 mission specialist, watches his spacewalking crewmates through an overhead window on the aft flight deck of Space Shuttle Discovery while docked with the ISS (September 3, 2009) Forrester always felt, however, that his primary mission was to educate others about the NESC, which was a relatively new organization at that time. “I tried to help them understand that the NESC was engineering. This is what we do. This is what we need. It was one of my goals when I served: to help people understand what the NESC did.” After leaving his NESC post to become chief of the Astronaut Office, he continued to call on the NESC during the lead-up to the launch of SpaceX Crew Dragon Demonstration Mission-2, the first SpaceX flight with crew aboard. “I was feeling the weight and the responsibility as the chief of putting Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on that rocket for the first time. I took a lot of comfort in knowing how involved the NESC was in those decisions.” Barry “Butch” Wilmore NESC Chief Astronaut 2018-2020 Following Forrester’s tenure, Butch Wilmore served as the NESC Chief Astronaut for two years. A former Navy test pilot, Wilmore joined NASA in 2000, flying three missions to the ISS, including his most recent as commander of the Boeing Starliner’s first crewed flight. He took on the NESC liaison role already well acquainted with the NESC’s mission. Boeing Crew Flight Test Commander Butch Wilmore performs spacesuit maintenance inside ISS’s Quest airlock (July 11, 2024). “I’m very familiar with the certification, flight readiness, the flight readiness reviews, and how the NESC is used to validate some of the assumptions and the engineering that takes place. And I wasn’t just aware of the organization, but knew exactly what it did and what benefit it was,” Wilmore said. “When I worked with the NESC, it gave me knowledge to understand more of what and how they went about doing things—that deep engineering analysis. And as an operator, I don’t dig into the engineering analysis. I just see big picture. So, when I would see something that wasn’t right, I knew the NESC could work on it and figure out why it didn’t look right to me.” Wilmore ended his NESC tenure when he was chosen as the Starliner commander, but continued to reach back whenever he needed answers to the multitude of questions that arise in flying a spacecraft for the first time. “Certainly when I became the commander of Starliner, there were things that I knew I wanted the NESC to have purview over.” In its support of the Commercial Crew Program, the NESC not only assisted in the lead-up to the flight, but helped troubleshoot propulsion issues it experienced on its way to ISS and with the plans to bring the crew home. “The NESC obviously has been a big help in all organizations,” Wilmore added. “I think that the role it plays is vital, and I wish it was larger.” Scott Tingle NESC Chief Astronaut 2020-2022 Scott Tingle was selected in June 2009 to the astronaut corps, serving as a flight engineer and U.S. Operational Segment Lead for Expedition 54/55, where he spent 168 days aboard the ISS. His training for spaceflight involved many discussions about the Columbia accident. “We debriefed it 100 times,” he said. “When we’re talking safety issues—Apollo, Challenger, Columbia—they always come up, and there are always really good lessons learned.” With his naval aviation and engineering background, Tingle said it didn’t take him long to get a feel for how the NESC worked. “They really get their fingers on the pulse of operations, which is what I think is one of the high value things they do.” When it came to filling in engineering gaps, Tingle liked having the NESC to lean on, “not only because of their engineering perspective, but because it’s independent. They’re not involved in the politics and everything that goes with it. And they have the end user and the operators in their heart and soul,” said Tingle. “This is the product that you get out of the NESC. It’s just a huge value because of that.” “Having folks able to dive into the technicals, it really helps us. And it doesn’t just help us, it helps the crew, it helps the program, it helps the contractors, it helps our technical authorities. It helps everybody just to have people with that capability.” Scott Tingle wears a U.S. spacesuit inside the Quest Airlock preparing for his first spacewalk (January 18, 2018). He remembers when the NESC ramped up material testing to address an issue the astronaut corps was working. “They were able to get results very quickly. They really do fill the gap when it needs to be filled. They help us catch the things that we can’t catch.” Being an astronaut was always on Tingle’s career agenda, and that obsession was deeply rooted at an early age. “I remember watching on TV Neil Armstrong stepping out onto the moon. I was four years old at the time, and me and my mom were watching in our living room.” In a way, that is part of what he thinks makes the NESC so valuable. “They have not forgotten their roots. They haven’t forgotten the users who actually use this equipment and the value of the overall human spaceflight community.” Sometimes that value is only seen in hindsight. “When we finally get up and running with all of these vehicles, I think you’re going to be able to go back and list all of these actions the NESC supported and how they helped provide critical information. You’re going to end up seeing that, ‘Wow, this was really transformational. This really helped us with our overall direction. It helped us be successful,’ ” Tingle said. “I’m honored to have been a part of it.” Mark Vande Hei NESC Chief Astronaut 2023-present “I think the fact that NASA’s been willing to invest the talent and the resources to have an organization that can do a really deep dive with a second, third, fifth set of eyes, with the best technical experts and the perspective of knowing what’s going on across NASA, is a hugely beneficial thing,” said Mark Vande Hei, the current NESC Chief Astronaut. Expedition 65 Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei works inside the U.S. Destiny laboratory module’s Microgravity Science Glovebox for the Ring Sheared Drop fluid physics study (August 16, 2021) Relatively new to the organization, he’s been getting up to speed. “I’ve already seen programs like the ISS repeatedly pull in NESC expertise to help out.” In his own experience, he sought NESC advice to help understand the risk posture associated with batteries. “I knew it was something we could fix, but it was going to cost money. And so the emphasis was on ‘how risky is this? Can we accept this risk?’ ” Help from the NASA Technical Fellow for Electrical Power helped him make decisions on what avenues to pursue. He also asked the NESC to convey the risks associated with leaks in the Russian PrK module. “I wanted to have both sides hear directly what the other’s perspective was. I was impressed with the NESC’s professionalism,” said Vande Hei, in discussing a topic that has been controversial at times. “In addition to their technical skills, there’s an impressive interpersonal skill set that comes along with the folks on the NESC, too.” Having already spent more than 500 days in space, Vande Hei is focused on the next generation. “There are a lot of other people who haven’t flown yet, and we need to get them to space because they’ll still be around when we’re doing much more challenging missions to the Moon and Mars. And they need to get the experience to be ready for those things much more than I do.” Even today, Vande Hei said the emotions he goes through when he watches astronauts launch, “I’m a mess. It’s rough, but it’s great. I call it ‘horribly amazing.’” ____________________ Today, 22 years in and with nearly 1,400 assessments behind it, the NESC has won the respect of the programs and projects it supports, and some of it was earned with the help of its astronaut liaisons. “They helped us prove we could add value to NASA missions and bring new perspectives to their technical problems,” said Wilson. “We keep a photograph of the Columbia crew in the NESC office, but our astronaut liaisons are living, breathing reminders of why we do this work.” Pat Forrester, now retired from NASA, considers his time with the NESC well spent. “You always want to be able, if there is an accident, to look at the remaining family and let them know you did everything that could be done. The amount of involvement the NESC has is limited only by funds and people, so I know how hard everyone works on those assessments,” he said. “I appreciated it so much when I was in that role where I felt like I was carrying a lot of the burden.” View the full article

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Eruption at Mayon 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 26, 2026 At any given moment, about 20 volcanoes on Earth are actively erupting. Often among them is Mayon—the most active volcano in the Philippines. The nearly symmetrical stratovolcano, on Luzon Island near the Albay and Lagonoy gulfs, rises more than 2,400 meters (8,000 feet) above sea level. Historical records indicate Mayon has erupted 65 times in the past 5,000 years, with the latest episode beginning in January 2026. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) first reported increased rockfalls near the volcano’s summit and inflation of the mountain’s upper slopes. On January 6, the alert level was increased to three on a five-level scale after lava began flowing from the crater and hot clouds of ash and debris called pyroclastic flows (also called pyroclastic density currents) moved down one side of the mountain. The volcano was still puffing and lava flowing on February 26, when the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 acquired this rare, relatively clear image. The natural-color scene is overlaid with infrared observations to highlight the lava’s heat signature. On that day, PHIVOLCS reported volcanic earthquakes, rockfalls, and pyroclastic flows. The longest pyroclastic flow had traveled about 4 kilometers (3 miles) through the Mi-isi Gully on the southeast flank. The level-three alert, which remained in place in March, prompted evacuations within a 6-kilometer (4-mile) radius of the crater, displacing hundreds of families from communities including Tabaco City, Malilpot, and Camalig. Past pyroclastic flows have proven extremely destructive, leading to more than 1,000 deaths in 1814, at least 400 deaths in 1897, and 77 deaths in 1993. More than 73,000 people were evacuated during an eruption in 1984. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions during the current eruption have averaged 2,466 tons per day, with a peak of 6,569 metric tons measured on February 4, 2026. That is the highest SO2 emission level for one day in 15 years, the PHIVOLCS announced in early February. That was later exceeded on March 6, when SO2 emissions reached as high as 7,633 metric tons. Multiple NASA satellites have also monitored the volcano’s sulfur dioxide emissions, showing sizable plumes of the gas drifting southwest on February 4 and March 6. The Philippine volcanology institute reported a peak in other activity on February 8 and 9, with 469 rockfalls, 12 major pyroclastic flows, and ashfall in the municipalities of Camalig and Guinobatan. NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Adam Voiland. Downloads February 26, 2026 JPEG (3.86 MB) References & Resources Chan, H. & Konstantinou, K. (2020) Multiscale and multitemporal surface temperature monitoring by satellite thermal infrared imagery at Mayon Volcano, Philippines. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 401, 106976. Global Volcanism Program (2026) Mayon. Accessed March 12, 2026. GMA News Online (2026, January 6) Six Albay towns evacuate residents amid Mayon Volcano Alert Level 3 status. Accessed March 12, 2026. NASA Earthdata (2023, January 25) Monitoring Volcanic Sulfur Dioxide Emissions. Accessed March 12, 2026. NASA Earth Observatory (2009, December 15) Mayon Volcano Threatens Major Eruption. Accessed March 12, 2026. PHIVOLCS (2026, March 12) Latest volcano bulletins, advisories, updates & other issuances, or archived issuances. Accessed March 12, 2026. PHIVOLCS (2026, February 10) Mayon Volcano Eruption Update. Accessed March 12, 2026. Ruth, D.C.S. & Costa, F. (2021) A petrological and conceptual model of Mayon volcano (Philippines) as an example of an open-vent volcano. Bulletin of Volcanology, 83(62). 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. Hayli Gubbi’s Explosive First Impression 4 min read In its first documented eruption, the Ethiopian volcano sent a plume of gas and ash drifting across continents. Article Krasheninnikova Remains Restless 3 min read The volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula continues to erupt after centuries of quiescence. Article 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 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

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft cruises above Palmdale and Edwards, California, during its first flight, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. The aircraft traveled to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.NASA/Lori Losey The Low ***** Flight Demonstrator project (LBFD) is part of NASA’s effort to help enable new aircraft noise standards that are required to open the market to commercial supersonic flight over land. The federal government banned all civilian supersonic flights over land more than fifty years ago due to sonic ***** noise. If new standards are established, the U.S. aviation industry can position itself to lead the commercial supersonic market, and passengers will benefit from significantly shorter travel times. Over the past decade, fundamental research and experimentation have demonstrated the possibility of supersonic flight with greatly reduced sonic ***** noise – one of several key areas needed to transform commercial supersonic flight. NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on a ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, during sunset. The one-of-a-kind aircraft is powered by a General Electric F414 engine, a variant of the engines used on F/A-18 fighter jets. The engine is mounted above the fuselage to reduce the number of shockwaves that reach the ground. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight and enable future commercial travel over land – faster than the speed of sound.Lockheed Martin Corporation/Garr The LBFD project will demonstrate a reduced sonic ***** by utilizing a purpose-built experimental aircraft designated the X-59. The LBFD project supports a multi-phase effort aimed at demonstrating the X-59’s ability to fly supersonic without generating loud sonic booms. The LBFD project leads Phase 1 of the Quesst mission, involving the design, fabrication, ground tests, and checkout flights of the X-59. After ensuring the aircraft is safe and performing as expected, the LBFD project will support the rest of the mission team during Phase 2 to prove the aircraft is producing a quiet sound to people on the ground and is safe for operations in the National Airspace System. At the conclusion of Phase 2, the X-59 aircraft will transfer to the Integrated Aviation Systems Program’s Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities project. Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASAes @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Linkedin logo @NASA Explore More 5 min read NASA Chase Aircraft Ensures X-59’s Safety in Flight Article 2 months ago 12 min read NASA Armstrong Advances Flight Research and Innovation in 2025 Article 3 months ago 5 min read NASA’s X-59 Completes First Flight, Prepares for More Flight Testing Article 4 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Artemis Aeronautics STEM Explore NASA’s History Share Details Last Updated Mar 12, 2026 EditorJim BankeContactSasha Ellis*****@*****.tld Related TermsLow ***** Flight Demonstrator View the full article

NASA astronaut Anne McClain works near one of the International Space Station’s main solar arrays during a May 1, 2025, spacewalk to upgrade the station’s power system and relocate a communications antenna.Credit: NASA NASA astronauts will conduct a pair of spacewalks beginning Wednesday, March 18, outside of the International Space Station to prepare for the installation of two roll-out solar arrays. Experts from NASA will preview the spacewalks during a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT, Monday, March 16, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Watch NASA’s live coverage of the news conference on the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media. NASA participants include: Bill Spetch, operations integration manager, International Space Station Program Diana Trujillo, spacewalk flight director, Flight Operations Directorate Ronak Dave, spacewalk flight director, Flight Operations Directorate Media interested in participating in person or by phone must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom no later than 10 a.m. on March 16 by calling 281-483-5111 or emailing *****@*****.tld. To ask questions by phone, reporters must dial into the news conference no later than 15 minutes prior to the start of the call. Questions also may be submitted on social media using #AskNASA. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. On March 18, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williams will conduct U.S. spacewalk 94, exiting the orbiting laboratory’s Quest airlock to prepare the 2A power channel for the future International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (IROSA) installation. It will be Meir’s fourth spacewalk and Williams’ first. Watch NASA’s live coverage beginning at 6:30 a.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. U.S. spacewalk 94 will begin at approximately 8 a.m. and is expected to last about six and a half hours. For U.S. spacewalk 95, two NASA astronauts will prepare the station’s 3B power channel for a future IROSA installation. NASA will provide more information on the date and time of the spacewalk, the crew members assigned to the activity, and coverage details closer to the operation. The spacewalks will be the 278th and 279th supporting space station assembly, maintenance and upgrades. They also are the first two station spacewalks of 2026 and the first for Expedition 74. Spacewalks 94 and 95 originally were scheduled for January, but the target dates were adjusted after the early departure of NASA’s SpaceX Crew‑11 mission. Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at: [Hidden Content] -end- Josh Finch / Jimi Russell Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld Sandra Jones Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 sandra.p*****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated Mar 12, 2026 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsHumans in SpaceAstronautsInternational Space Station (ISS)Johnson Space CenterSpace Operations Mission Directorate View the full article

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA / Lillian Gipson The Integrated Aviation Systems Program (IASP) conducts research and integrated, systems-level demonstrations in a flight environment to prove, mature and transition them into future aircraft and systems. The program aims to determine feasibility and accelerate development of less mature technologies, and for more mature technologies, execute highly complex flight demonstrations to prove and accelerate technology transition to industry. IASP Projects The program’s portfolio currently consists of these projects: Subsonic Flight Demonstrator, Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration, Low ***** Flight Demonstrator, and Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities. NASA’s Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) scale-model wing flies for the first time on a NASA F-15 research jet during a test flight from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The 75-minute flight confirmed the aircraft could maneuver safely with the approximately 3-foot-tall test article mounted beneath it. NASA will continue flight tests to collect data that validates the CATNLF design and its potential to improve laminar flow, reducing drag and lowering fuel costs for future commercial aircraft.NASA/Carla Thomas Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASAes @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Linkedin logo @NASA@NASAaero Explore More 2 min read About Subsonic Flight Demonstrator (SFD) Project Article 3 days ago 2 min read About Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities (FDC) Project Article 3 days ago 4 min read NASA Tests Technology Offering Potential Fuel Savings for Commercial Aviation Article 2 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Artemis Aeronautics STEM Explore NASA’s History Share Details Last Updated Mar 12, 2026 EditorJim BankeContactSasha Ellis*****@*****.tld Related TermsIntegrated Aviation Systems Program View the full article

This pair of images shows stars observed Feb. 6, 2026, by the SPARCS space telescope simultaneously in the near-ultraviolet, left, and far-ultraviolet, right. The fact that one star is seen in the far-UV while multiple are seen in near-UV offers insights into the temperatures of these stars, with the one visible in both colors being the hottest.NASA/JPL-Caltech/**** With the first images from the spacecraft now in hand, the team behind NASA’s Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat, or SPARCS, is ready to begin charting the energetic lives of the galaxy’s most common stars to help answer one of humanity’s most profound questions: Which distant worlds beyond our solar system might be habitable? Initial, or “first light,” images mark the moment a mission proves its instruments are functioning in space and ready to transition to full science operations. This milestone is especially important for SPARCS, whose observations depend on highly precise ultraviolet (UV) measurements, making the demonstration of the camera’s performance critical to achieving its science goals. The spacecraft launched Jan. 11; the images came down Feb. 6 and were subsequently processed. Roughly the size of a large cereal box, SPARCS will monitor flares and sunspot activity on low-mass stars — objects only 30% to 70% the mass of the Sun. These stars are among the most common in the Milky Way and host the majority of the galaxy’s roughly 50 billion habitable-zone terrestrial planets, which are rocky worlds close enough to their stars for temperatures that could allow liquid water and potentially support life. “Seeing SPARCS’ first ultraviolet images from orbit is incredibly exciting. They tell us the spacecraft, the telescope, and the detectors are performing as tested on the ground and we are ready to begin the science we built this mission to do,” says SPARCS Principal Investigator Evgenya Shkolnik, professor of Astrophysics at the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, which leads the mission. The SPARCS spacecraft is the first dedicated to continuously and simultaneously monitoring the far-ultraviolet and near-ultraviolet radiation from low-mass stars for extended periods. Over its one-year mission, SPARCS will target approximately 20 low-mass stars and observe them over durations of five to 45 days. Although such stars are small, dim, and cool compared to the Sun, they are also known to flare far more frequently than our solar system’s star. The flares can dramatically affect the atmospheres of the planets they host. Understanding the host star is key to understanding a planet’s habitability. Future focused “I am so excited that we are on the brink of learning about exoplanets’ host stars and the effect of their activities on the planets’ potential habitability,” said Shouleh Nikzad, the lead developer of the SPARCS camera (dubbed SPARCam) and the chief technologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “I’m doubly excited that we are contributing to this mission with detector and filter technologies we developed at JPL’s Microdevices Laboratory.” Created in 1989, the facility is where inventors harness physics, chemistry, and material science, including quantum, to deliver first-of-their-kind devices and capabilities for the nation. The filters were made using a technique that improves sensitivity and performance by enabling them to be directly deposited onto the specially developed UV-sensitive “delta-doped” detectors. The approach of detector-integrated filters eliminated the need for a separate filter element, resulting in a system that is among the most sensitive of its kind ever flown in space. “We took silicon-based detectors — the same technology as in your smartphone camera — and we created a high-sensitivity UV imager. Then we integrated filters into the detector to reject the unwanted light. That is a huge leap forward to doing big science in small packages,” Nikzad said, “and SPARCS serves to demonstrate their long-term performance in space.” This technology paves the way for future missions like NASA’s next potential UV-capable flagship mission, the Habitable Worlds Observatory mission concept, as well as smaller interim missions, such as the agency’s forthcoming UVEX (UltraViolet EXplorer), which is led by Caltech in Pasadena. The mission takes advantage of advances in computational processing as well, with an onboard computer that can perform data processing and intelligently adjust the observation parameters to better sample the development of flares as they happen. “The SPARCS mission brings all of these pieces together — focused science, cutting-edge detectors, and intelligent onboard processing — to deepen our understanding of the stars that most planets in the galaxy call home,” said David Ardila, SPARCS instrument scientist at JPL. “By watching these stars in ultraviolet light in a way we’ve never done before, we’re not just studying flares. These observations will sharpen our picture of stellar environments and help future missions interpret the habitability of distant worlds.” More about SPARCS Funded by NASA and led by Arizona State University, SPARCS is managed under the agency’s Astrophysics Research and Analysis program. The agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) selected SPARCS in 2022 for a ride to orbit. The initiative is a low-cost pathway for conducting scientific investigations and technology demonstrations in space, enabling students and faculty to gain hands-on experience with flight hardware design, development, and building. Blue Canyon Technologies fabricated the spacecraft bus. News Media Contact Matthew Segal Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-8307 *****@*****.tld Alise Fisher / Karen Fox NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-2546 / 202-385-1287 *****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld Kim Baptista  Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration  480-727-4662 Kim.Baptista@****.edu 2026-016 Explore More 4 min read A Most Unusual Lake Lake Unter-See in Antarctica, sealed beneath thick ice, contains unusually high levels of dissolved oxygen… Article 2 days ago 5 min read US-French Satellite Takes Stock of World’s River Water Article 1 week ago 4 min read Landslide and Avalanche Debris Litter Hubbard Glacier Satellite-based radar images show where a powerful earthquake in the Yukon, Canada, sent rock, snow,… Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Exoplanets Most of the exoplanets detected so far seem wild and exotic compared to the worlds in our solar system. Astronomers… SmallSats and CubeSats These miniaturized spacecrafts are used to deliver small payloads into space. LTB (Lunar Trailblazer) is an example of a SmallSat… Habitable Worlds The goal of the Habitable Worlds program is to use knowledge of the history of the Earth and the life… 30 Years of Exoplanets Compilation View the full article

Two powerful instruments of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope joined forces to create this scenic galaxy view. This spiral galaxy is named NGC 5134, and it’s located 65 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo.ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Leroy Stars peek through the dusty, winding arms of NGC 5134, a spiral galaxy located 65 million light-years away, in this Feb. 20, 2026, image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument collects the mid-infrared light emitted by the warm dust speckled through the galaxy’s clouds, tracing the clumps and strands of dusty gas. The telescope’s Near Infrared Camera records shorter-wavelength near-infrared light, mostly from the stars and star clusters that dot the galaxy’s spiral arms. By using Webb to study the infrared light nearby galaxies like NGC 5134 whose stars and gas can be seen in detail, astronomers can apply their knowledge to galaxies too distant to be observed so closely — like those that are scattered in the background of this image, barely more than points of light. Read more about this galaxy. Text credit: ESA (European Space Agency) Image credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Leroy View the full article

1 min read Help Galaxy Zoo: Tidal Tales Open Cosmic Storybook Galaxies carry the imprints of past encounters. When they pass near one another or collide, gravity pulls their stars into long tails, thin streams, and faint shells – features that preserve the history of these dramatic events. Thanks to deep, high-resolution images from the Euclid space telescope, an ESA (European Space Agency) mission with critical contributions from NASA, we can now see these delicate structures more clearly than ever before in unprecedented numbers. As a volunteer for the Galaxy Zoo: Tidal Tales project, you’ll help identify these signs of galaxy interactions. By classifying galaxy images, you’ll help build the first large catalog of galaxy mergers seen by the Euclid space telescope. Your input will also train computer models to better recognize these features and describe how collisions shape star formation, galaxy growth, and the evolution of the universe. Want to help astronomers trace how galaxy collisions reshape the universe over time? Join Galaxy Zoo: Tidal Tales on Zooniverse today! Euclid’s view of the Dorado group of galaxies shows signs of galaxies interacting and merging. The shells of hazy white and yellow material, as well as curving “tails” extending into space, are evidence of gravitational interaction between the galaxies. Join Galaxy Zoo: Tidal Tales and help identify structures like these in images from ESA’s Euclid space telescope! ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO or ESA Standard License Learn More and Get Involved Galaxy Zoo: Tidal Tales Help read the story of galactic encounters in galaxy shapes. For anyone with a smartphone or laptop. Facebook logo @nasascience_ @nasascience_ Instagram logo @nasascience_ Linkedin logo @nasascience_ Share Details Last Updated Mar 12, 2026 Related Terms Citizen Science Explore More 2 min read New Volunteer Data from 143 Observatories Unveils the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse On April 8, 2024, volunteers participating in NASA’s Eclipse Megamovie citizen science project all around… Article 2 weeks ago 2 min read Map the Earth’s Magnetic Shield with the Space Umbrella Project Use data from NASA’s Magnetosphere Multiscale Mission to shed light on solar storms. For anyone… Article 3 weeks ago 2 min read How Small Is Too Small? Volunteers Help NASA Test Lake Monitoring From Space Volunteers participating in the Lake Observations by Citizen Scientists and Satellites (LOCSS) project have been… Article 3 months ago View the full article

Download PDF: Efficient Large Displacement/Large Rotation Dynamic Simulations Using Nonlinear Dynamic Substructures Utilizing reduced-order dynamic math models (DMM) in linear system-level dynamic analyses is a well-known practice that enables extreme computational efficiencies. But what about nonlinear system dynamics? Reduced-order DMMs have found their way into contact dynamics. The engineer must look no further than the Henkel-Mar pad separation analysis methodology to verify this fact. More sophisticated applications of DMMs in contact dynamics are possible when certain repetitive geometry pattens are present. For example, Figure 1 shows a type of pipe known as a “flexible” pipe used by the subsea industry. This design features four layers of helically wound steel wires that provide the pipe with its stick/slip behavior during bending, thereby enabling a longer fatigue life in harsh ocean environments. With these helically wound armor layers presenting a repetitive contact topology, contact surfaces can be constructed and tracked enabling the friction logic to operate resulting in the friction hysteretic moment-curvature plot provided in Figure 1 (top). Flexible pipe used in subsea industry; moment-curvature of the flexible pipe using reduced-order dynamic math models for surface contact As seen from Figure 1, the pipe was subjected to many bending cycles and executed in essentially a real-time computation. A single bending cycle of the same pipe in full finite element model (FEM) resolution (i.e., no use of DMMs) would require 48 hours of computation on 36 central processing units (CPUs) running in parallel given the very large order of the FEM. What about utilizing DMMs for computationally efficient nonlinear dynamics involving large displacements and rotations? Before addressing this question, the residual flexibility mixed boundary transformation (RFMB1) must be defined. The RFMB coordinate transformation is given as follows: The transformation is a mix of the following submatrices: constraint modes (ψ) due to unit displacements on the b-set boundary degrees of freedom (DoFs) that remain fixed during the eigenvalue problem, residual flexibility (g) due to unit forces at the c-set boundary DoFs that remain free during the eigenvalue problem, and a truncated set of normal modes (φ) computed with the b-set DoFs constrained. It can be shown that the transformation retains full flexibility at the DMM physical DoFs and retains the full dynamics of the FEM up to the user-selected truncation frequency for the normal modes. The reduction of DoFs, and hence the computational efficiency, arises from the number of kept modes (k) being significantly less than the number of interior FEM DoFs. Cantilever beam model composed of 20 DMMs Cantilever beam rolled up using the 20 NDS DMMs Same beam bent into “catenary-like” configuration by turning on gravity To enable DMM large displacements/rotations, four coordinates are added to the above RFMB to track large rotations. These quaternions replace the rigid-body modes that are only valid for infinitesimal rotations. With this process, the RFMB is transformed into a nonlinear dynamic substructure (NDS). Solution algorithms need to be modified accordingly as well to allow for equilibrium iterations since the problem now is highly nonlinear. As an example, consider the undeformed cantilever beam model (Figure 2) composed of 20 DMMs (single DMM of a beam composed of 5 CBAR elements repeated 20x). A moment is applied at the free end (right end) of Figure 2. While small displacement theory is limited and breaks down after a few degrees of rotation, the cantilever beam can be completely rolled up using NDS (see Figure 3) in a highly nonlinear dynamic simulation. Also note that the entire nonlinear dynamic simulation was executed in seconds on a laptop and included all dynamic effects. Similarly, the beam can be bent into a “catenary-like2” shape by turning on gravity and enforcing displacements at each end to the required coupling location (see Figure 4). One application for this large displacement/rotation NDS capability has been to include umbilical models in the coupled loads analysis (CLA) framework. Figure 5 shows the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) umbilical that was integrated into the Space Launch System (SLS) CLA. The SLS CLA is an integrated assembly of various component DMMs (boosters, core stage, mobile launcher (ML), upper stage, etc.) to which the ICPS umbilical (ICPSU) and its hoses as NDS DMMs can now be added. For each hose, one end connects to the SLS vehicle and the other end to the ML structure. As an example, Figure 6 shows the evolution of the deformations of the forward vent hose (modeled with 20 NDS DMMs) as it goes from the undeformed geometry (straight line) into its prelaunch geometry during the initial condition setup in the CLA. As the timed command for umbilical separation is given, the vehicle-side ground plate separates (using the Henkel-Mar contact/separation algorithm) and the ML gantry rotates the separating umbilical away from the already lifting vehicle (the gantry was brought into the CLA as a NDS capable of large rotations). Figure 7 captures the post-separation forward vent hose dynamics (extracted from the CLA). From this, 100 ICPSU hose clearances to the lifting vehicle can be computed. The power of the reduced-order models does not end with linear dynamics. It is possible to introduce large displacements and rotations into reduced-order models to enable seamless integration into large substructured integrated system dynamic analyses such as a CLA. For the specific case of the SLS, this capability allowed us to integrate umbilicals into the CLA to more accurately capture the impact of system flexibilities, dynamic response to forcing functions, pad separation “twang” effects, ML dynamics, and gantry/umbilical timings on clearances. For information, contact Dr. Dexter Johnson. *****@*****.tld ICPSU model integratedinto the SLS CLA ICPSU forward vent hose evolution of deformations from undeformed (straight line) to prelaunch configuration (locking in preloads) during the CLA initial conditions setup (extracted from the CLA) Forward vent hose post-separation dynamics (extracted from the CLA) View the full article

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Dust Outbreak Reaches Europe 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 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video March 1–9, 2026 Winter winds lofted clouds of dust from the Sahara Desert, carrying it north toward the Mediterranean and dispersing it widely across Europe in March 2026. When the dust combined with moisture-laden weather systems, a dirty rain fell in parts of Spain, France, and the United Kingdom. This animation highlights the concentration and movement of dust throughout the region from March 1 to March 9. It depicts dust column mass density—a measure of the amount of dust contained in a column of air—produced with a version of the GEOS (Goddard Earth Observing System) model. The model integrates satellite data with mathematical equations that represent physical processes in the atmosphere. The animation shows dust plumes originating in northwestern Africa being blown both to the west across the Atlantic Ocean and north toward the Mediterranean. As plumes spread throughout Western Europe over several days, people observed hazy skies from southern England, where sunrises and sunsets took on an eerie glow, to the Alps in Switzerland and Italy, where a dust layer encroached on the Matterhorn. Not all of the dust remained aloft. Storms encountered some of the dust, causing particles to fall to the ground with rain and coat surfaces with a brownish residue. A low-pressure system, named Storm ******* by Portugal’s weather service, moved across the Iberian Peninsula and brought so-called blood rain to southern and eastern Spain, along with parts of France and the southern *** in early March, according to news reports. Over the Mediterranean, areas of “dusty cirrus” clouds developed higher in the atmosphere, where dust particles can act as condensation nuclei for ice crystals, according to MeteoSwiss, Switzerland’s Federal Office for Meteorology and Climatology. Scientists are studying these clouds to better understand their formation and how they affect weather, climate, and even solar power generation. In a new analysis, researchers used NASA’s MERRA-2 (Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2), observations from MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer), and other satellite products to parse the effect of airborne Saharan dust on solar power in Hungary. They found that photovoltaic performance dropped to 46 percent on high-dust days, compared with 75 percent or more on low-dust days. They determined the greatest losses occurred because dust enhanced the presence and reflectance of cirrus clouds and reduced the amount of radiation that reached solar panels. Some research suggests more frequent and intense wintertime dust events have affected Europe in recent years. Researchers have proposed several factors contributing to these outbreaks, including drier-than-normal conditions in northwestern Africa and weather patterns more often driving winds north from the Sahara. NASA Earth Observatory animation by Lauren Dauphin, using GEOS-FP data from the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office at NASA GSFC. Story by Lindsey Doermann. References & Resources Barcelona Dust Regional Center (2026, March) Daily Dust Products. Accessed March 11, 2026. FOX Weather (2026, March 9) Blood rain, a rare weather phenomenon, falls across southern Europe. Accessed March 11, 2026. IQAir (2026, March 6) Southwest Europe Air Quality Alert: Southwest Europe Dust. Accessed March 11, 2026. Met Office (2026, March 4) What is ‘blood rain’ and will we see it this week? Accessed March 11, 2026. MeteoSwiss (2026, March 4) He’s here again, the visitor from North Africa. Accessed March 11, 2026. NASA Earth Observatory (2022, March 31) Dusty Storm Clouds Over Europe. Accessed March 11, 2026. NASA Earthdata (2026) Dust/Ash/Smoke. Accessed March 11, 2026. Seifert, A., et al. (2023) Aerosol–cloud–radiation interaction during Saharan dust episodes: the dusty cirrus puzzle. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 23, 6409–6430. Varga, G., et al. (2026) Saharan dust and cirrus clouds: Dominating indirect impact of dust events on photovoltaic energy generation in Hungary (2019–2024). Solar Energy, 307. 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 in the “Eye” of the Tarim Basin 3 min read Satellites have observed episodes of dust swirling across the basin in western China for decades. 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 The Galaxy Next Door 3 min read The Large Magellanic Cloud—one of our closest neighboring galaxies—is a hotbed of star formation that is visible to both astronauts… 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

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 William T. Pecora was Director of the USGS from 1965 to 1971 and Under Secretary of the Interior from 1971 to 1972. By USGS Landsat Missions The William T. Pecora Award is presented annually to individuals or teams using satellite or aerial remote sensing that make outstanding contributions toward understanding the Earth (land, oceans, and air), educating the next generation of scientists, informing decision-makers, or supporting natural or human-induced disaster response. Both national and international nominations are welcome. The award is sponsored jointly by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and was established in 1974 to honor the memory of Dr. William T. Pecora, former Director of the U.S. Geological Survey and Under Secretary, Department of the Interior. Dr. Pecora was a motivating force behind the establishment of a program for civil remote sensing of the Earth from space. His early vision and support helped establish what we know today as the Landsat satellite program. Nominations for the 2026 award will be accepted until May 29, 2026. Visit the William T. Pecora Awards webpage for eligibility requirements and the nomination process. Explore More 2026 William T. Pecora Award Nominations Now Being Accepted 1 min read The William T. Pecora Award is presented annually to individuals or teams using satellite or aerial remote sensing that make… Mar 11, 2026 Article A Most Unusual Lake 4 min read Lake Unter-See in Antarctica, sealed beneath thick ice, contains unusually high levels of dissolved oxygen and cone-shaped microbial reefs resembling… Mar 11, 2026 Article A Little Town with a Long Name 3 min read A NASA luminary from the Apollo era grew up in Wales near Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Mar 5, 2026 Article 1 2 3 … 298 Next View the full article