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NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 12:05 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Aug. 7, for the undocking of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission from the International Space Station. Pending weather conditions, splashdown is targeted at 11:58 a.m., Friday, Aug. 8. Crew-10 will be the first mission to splash down off the California coast for NASA’s […]

From left, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 members Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos, NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi share a light moment during a group portrait inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module. Credit: NASA NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 12:05 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Aug. 7, for the undocking of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission from the International Space Station. Pending weather conditions, splashdown is targeted at 11:58 a.m., Friday, Aug. 8. Crew-10 will be the first mission to splash down off the California coast for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov are completing a five-month science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory and will return time-sensitive research to Earth. Mission managers continue monitoring weather conditions in the area, as undocking of the SpaceX Dragon depends on spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors. NASA and SpaceX will select a specific splashdown time and location closer to the Crew-10 spacecraft undocking. NASA’s live coverage of return and related activities will stream on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and more. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of platforms. NASA’s coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to changed based on real-time operations): Thursday, Aug. 7 9:45 a.m. – Hatch closure coverage begins on NASA+ and Amazon Prime. 10:20 a.m. – Hatch closing 11:45 a.m. – Undocking coverage begins on NASA+ and Amazon Prime. 12:05 p.m. – Undocking Following the conclusion of undocking coverage, NASA will distribute audio-only discussions between Crew-10, the space station, and flight controllers during Dragon’s transit away from the orbital complex. Friday, Aug. 8 10:45 a.m. – Return coverage begins on NASA+ and Amazon Prime. 11:08 a.m. – Deorbit burn 11:58 a.m. – Splashdown 1:30 p.m. – Return to Earth media teleconference will stream live on the agency’s YouTube channel, with the following participants: Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Dina Contella, deputy manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX Kazuyoshi Kawasaki, associate director general, Space Exploration Center/Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center, JAXA To participate in the teleconference, media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom by 5 p.m., Aug. 7, at: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111. To ask questions, media must dial in no later than 10 minutes before the start of the call. The agency’s media credentialing policy is available online. Find full mission coverage, NASA’s commercial crew blog, and more information about the Crew-10 mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew -end- Joshua Finch Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov Steve Siceloff / Stephanie Plucinsky Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-867-2468 steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov / stephanie.n.plucinsky@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 06, 2025 Location NASA Headquarters Related Terms International Space Station (ISS) Commercial Crew Humans in Space ISS Research Johnson Space Center Kennedy Space Center

The Snapshot Wisconsin project recently collected their 100 millionth trail camera photo! What’s more, this milestone coincides with the project’s 10-year anniversary. Congratulations to the team and everyone who’s participated!

A white-tailed deer fawn photographed on a Snapshot Wisconsin trail camera in Vernon County, WI Credit: WI DNR The Snapshot Wisconsin project recently collected their 100 millionth trail camera photo! What’s more, this milestone coincides with the project’s 10-year anniversary. Congratulations to the team and everyone who’s participated! Snapshot Wisconsin utilizes a statewide network of volunteer-managed trail cameras to monitor and better understand the state’s diverse wildlife from white-tailed deer to snowshoe hares, whooping cranes, and much more. “It’s been amazing to get a glimpse of our wild treasures via the Snapshot lens,” said one volunteer. “Satisfying to help advance wildlife research in the digital age.” Snapshot Wisconsin was launched in 2013 with help from a NASA grant, and is overseen by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. It recently won a new grant from NASA’s Citizen Science for Earth Systems Program. Volunteer classifications of the species present in trail camera photos have fueled many different scientific investigations over the years. You, too, can get involved in the merriment by visiting the project’s site on the Zooniverse crowdsourcing platform and helping classify their latest photo season today! Facebook logo @nasascience @nasascience Instagram logo @nasascience Linkedin logo @nasascience Share Details Last Updated Aug 06, 2025 Related Terms Citizen Science Earth Science Division Explore More 4 min read STEM Educators Are Bringing Hands-On NASA Science into Virginia Classrooms Article 2 days ago 2 min read Radio JOVE Volunteers Tune In to the Sun’s Low Notes Article 2 weeks ago 2 min read Bring NASA Science into Your Library! Article 2 weeks ago

As Greenland’s ice retreats, it’s fueling tiny ocean organisms. To test why, scientists turned to a computer model out of JPL and MIT that’s been called a laboratory in itself. Runoff from Greenland’s ice sheet is kicking nutrients up from the ocean depths and boosting phytoplankton growth, a new NASA-supported study has found. Reporting in […]

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Ocean currents swirl around North America (center left) and Greenland (upper right) in this data visualization created using NASA’s ECCO model. Advanced computing is helping oceanographers decipher hot spots of phytoplankton growth. NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio As Greenland’s ice retreats, it’s fueling tiny ocean organisms. To test why, scientists turned to a computer model out of JPL and MIT that’s been called a laboratory in itself. Runoff from Greenland’s ice sheet is kicking nutrients up from the ocean depths and boosting phytoplankton growth, a new NASA-supported study has found. Reporting in Nature Communications: Earth & Environment, the scientists used state-of-the art-computing to simulate marine life and physics colliding in one turbulent fjord. Oceanographers are keen to understand what drives the tiny plantlike organisms, which take up carbon dioxide and power the world’s fisheries. Greenland’s mile-thick ice sheet is shedding some 293 billion tons (266 billion metric tons) of ice per year. During peak summer melt, more than 300,000 gallons (1,200 cubic meters) of fresh water drain into the sea every second from beneath Jakobshavn Glacier, also known as Sermeq Kujalleq,the most active glacier on the ice sheet. The waters meet and tumble hundreds of feet below the surface. Teal-colored phytoplankton bloom off the Greenland coast in this satellite image captured in June 2024 by NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission. NASA The meltwater plume is fresh and more buoyant than the surrounding saltwater. As it rises, scientists have hypothesized, it may be delivering nutrients like iron and nitrate — a key ingredient in fertilizer — to phytoplankton floating at the surface. Researchers track these microscopic organisms because, though smaller by far than a pinhead, they’re titans of the ocean food web. Inhabiting every ocean from the tropics to the polar regions, they nourish krill and other grazers that, in turn, support larger animals, including fish and whales. Previous work using NASA satellite data found that the rate of phytoplankton growth in Arctic waters surged 57% between 1998 and 2018 alone. An infusion of nitrate from the depths would be especially pivotal to Greenland’s phytoplankton in summer, after most nutrients been consumed by prior spring blooms. But the hypothesis has been hard to test along the coast, where the remote terrain and icebergs as big as city blocks complicate long-term observations. “We were faced with this classic problem of trying to understand a system that is so remote and buried beneath ice,” said Dustin Carroll, an oceanographer at San José State University who is also affiliated with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “We needed a gem of a computer model to help.” Sea of Data To re-create what was happening in the waters around Greenland’s most active glacier, the team harnessed a model of the ocean developed at JPL and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. The model ingests nearly all available ocean measurements collected by sea- and satellite-based instruments over the past three decades. That amounts to billions of data points, from water temperature and salinity to pressure at the seafloor. The model is called Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean-Darwin (ECCO-Darwin for short). Simulating “biology, chemistry, and physics coming together” in even one pocket along Greenland’s 27,000 miles (43,000 kilometers) of coastline is a massive math problem, noted lead author Michael Wood, a computational oceanographer at San José State University. To break it down, he said the team built a “model within a model within a model” to zoom in on the details of the fjord at the foot of the glacier. Using supercomputers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, they calculated that deepwater nutrients buoyed upward by glacial runoff would be sufficient to boost summertime phytoplankton growth by 15 to 40% in the study area. More Changes in Store Could increased phytoplankton be a boon for Greenland’s marine animals and fisheries? Carroll said that untangling impacts to the ecosystem will take time. Melt on the Greenland ice sheet is projected to accelerate in coming decades, affecting everything from sea level and land vegetation to the saltiness of coastal waters. “We reconstructed what’s happening in one key system, but there’s more than 250 such glaciers around Greenland,” Carroll said. He noted that the team plans to extend their simulations to the whole Greenland coast and beyond. Some changes appear to be impacting the carbon cycle both positively and negatively: The team calculated how runoff from the glacier alters the temperature and chemistry of seawater in the fjord, making it less able to dissolve carbon dioxide. That loss is canceled out, however, by the bigger blooms of phytoplankton taking up more carbon dioxide from the air as they photosynthesize. Wood added: “We didn’t build these tools for one specific application. Our approach is applicable to any region, from the Texas Gulf to Alaska. Like a Swiss Army knife, we can apply it to lots of different scenarios.” News Media Contacts Jane J. Lee / Andrew Wang Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 626-379-6874 / 818-354-0307 jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov / andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov Written by Sally Younger 2025-101 Share Details Last Updated Aug 06, 2025 Related Terms Earth Carbon Cycle Earth Science Ice & Glaciers Jet Propulsion Laboratory Oceans PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem) Water on Earth Explore More 4 min read NASA’s Perseverance Rover Captures Mars Vista As Clear As Day Article 3 hours ago 1 min read NASA’s Black Marble: Stories from the Night Sky Studying the glowing patterns of Earth’s surface helps us understand human activity, respond to disasters,… Article 2 days ago 4 min read STEM Educators Are Bringing Hands-On NASA Science into Virginia Classrooms Professional learning experiences are integral to the enhancement of classroom instruction. Teachers, at the forefront… Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System

‘Float rocks,’ sand ripples, and vast distances are among the sights to see in the latest high-resolution panorama by the six-wheeled scientist. The imaging team of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took advantage of clear skies on the Red Planet to capture one of the sharpest panoramas of its mission so far. Visible in the mosaic, […]

Captured at a location called “Falbreen,” this enhanced-color mosaic features deceptively blue skies and the 43rd rock abrasion (the white patch at center-left) of the NASA Perseverance rover’s mission at Mars. The 96 images stitched together to create this 360-degree view were acquired May 26, 2025. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS In this natural-color version of the “Falbreen” panorama, colors have not been enhanced and the sky appears more reddish. Visible still is Perseverance’s 43rd rock abrasion (the white patch at center-left). The 96 images stitched together to create this 360-degree view were acquired May 26, 2025. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS ‘Float rocks,’ sand ripples, and vast distances are among the sights to see in the latest high-resolution panorama by the six-wheeled scientist. The imaging team of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took advantage of clear skies on the Red Planet to capture one of the sharpest panoramas of its mission so far. Visible in the mosaic, which was stitched together from 96 images taken at a location the science team calls “Falbreen,” are a rock that appears to lie on top of a sand ripple, a boundary line between two geologic units, and hills as distant as 40 miles (65 kilometers) away. The enhanced-color version shows the Martian sky to be remarkably clear and deceptively blue, while in the natural-color version, it’s reddish. “Our bold push for human space exploration will send astronauts back to the Moon,” said Sean Duffy, acting NASA administrator. “Stunning vistas like that of Falbreen, captured by our Perseverance rover, are just a glimpse of what we’ll soon witness with our own eyes. NASA’s groundbreaking missions, starting with Artemis, will propel our unstoppable journey to take human space exploration to the Martian surface. NASA is continuing to get bolder and stronger.” The rover’s Mastcam-Z instrument captured the images on May 26, 2025, the 1,516th Martian day, or sol, of Perseverance’s mission, which began in February 2021 on the floor of Jezero Crater. Perseverance reached the top of the crater rim late last year. “The relatively dust-free skies provide a clear view of the surrounding terrain,” said Jim Bell, Mastcam-Z’s principal investigator at Arizona State University in Tempe. “And in this particular mosaic, we have enhanced the color contrast, which accentuates the differences in the terrain and sky.” Buoyant Boulder One detail that caught the science team’s attention is a large rock that appears to sit atop a dark, crescent-shaped sand ripple to the right of the mosaic’s center, about 14 feet (4.4 meters) from the rover. Geologists call this type of rock a “float rock” because it was more than likely formed someplace else and transported to its current location. Whether this one arrived by a landslide, water, or wind is unknown, but the science team suspects it got here before the sand ripple formed. The bright white circle just left of center and near the bottom of the image is an abrasion patch. This is the 43rd rock Perseverance has abraded since it landed on Mars. Two inches (5 centimeters) wide, the shallow patch is made with the rover’s drill and enables the science team to see what’s beneath the weathered, dusty surface of a rock before deciding to drill a core sample that would be stored in one of the mission’s titanium sample tubes. The rover made this abrasion on May 22 and performed proximity science (a detailed analysis of Martian rocks and soil) with its arm-mounted instruments two days later. The science team wanted to learn about Falbreen because it’s situated within what may be some of the oldest terrain Perseverance has ever explored — perhaps even older than Jezero Crater. Tracks from the rover’s journey to the location can be seen toward the mosaic’s right edge. About 300 feet (90 meters) away, they veer to the left, disappearing from sight at a previous geologic stop the science team calls “Kenmore.” A little more than halfway up the mosaic, sweeping from one edge to the other, is the transition from lighter-toned to darker-toned rocks. This is the boundary line, or contact, between two geologic units. The flat, lighter-colored rocks nearer to the rover are rich in the mineral olivine, while the darker rocks farther away are believed to be much older clay-bearing rocks. More About Perseverance NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover on behalf of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program portfolio. Arizona State University leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras. For more about Perseverance: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance News Media Contacts DC Agle Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-393-9011 agle@jpl.nasa.gov Karen Fox / Molly Wasser NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov 2025-100 Explore More 4 min read NASA Supercomputers Take on Life Near Greenland’s Most Active Glacier Article 3 hours ago 5 min read NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer Moon Mission Ends Article 2 days ago 5 min read Marking 13 Years on Mars, NASA’s Curiosity Picks Up New Skills Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System

After 25 years at NASA, flying in four different spacecraft, accumulating 464 days in space, astronaut and test pilot Butch Wilmore has retired from NASA. The Tennessee native earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Tennessee Technological University and a master’s degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee. Wilmore […]

NASA Astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore NASA/Aubrey Gemignani After 25 years at NASA, flying in four different spacecraft, accumulating 464 days in space, astronaut and test pilot Butch Wilmore has retired from NASA. The Tennessee native earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Tennessee Technological University and a master’s degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee. Wilmore is a decorated U.S. Navy captain who has flown numerous tactical aircraft operationally while deploying aboard four aircraft carriers during peacetime and combat operations. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, he went on to serve as a test pilot before NASA selected him to become an astronaut in 2000. “Butch’s commitment to NASA’s mission and dedication to human space exploration is truly exemplary,” said Steve Koerner, acting director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “His lasting legacy of fortitude will continue to impact and inspire the Johnson workforce, future explorers, and the nation for generations. On behalf of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, we thank Butch for his service.” During his time at NASA, Wilmore completed three missions launching aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, Roscosmos Soyuz, and Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station. Wilmore also returned to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Additionally, he conducted five spacewalks, totaling 32 hours outside the orbital laboratory. “Throughout his career, Butch has exemplified the technical excellence of what is required of an astronaut. His mastery of complex systems, coupled with his adaptability and steadfast commitment to NASA’s mission, has inspired us all,” said Joe Acaba, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson. “As he steps into this new chapter, that same dedication will no doubt continue to show in whatever he decides to do next.” Most recently, Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024, for its first crewed flight test mission, arriving at the space station the following day. While aboard the station, Wilmore completed numerous tasks, including a spacewalk to help remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss and collected samples and surface material for analysis from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock. “From my earliest days, I have been captivated by the marvels of creation, looking upward with an insatiable curiosity. This curiosity propelled me into the skies, and eventually to space, where the magnificence of the cosmos mirrored the glory of its creator in ways words can scarcely convey,” said Wilmore. “Even as I ventured beyond Earth’s limits, I remained attuned to the beauty and significance of the world below, recognizing the same intricate design evident among the stars is also woven into the fabric of life at home.” Learn more about how NASA explores the unknown and innovates for the benefit of humanity at: https://www.nasa.gov/ Courtney Beasley Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-910-4989 courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov

NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a view of its tracks on July 26, 2025. The robotic scientist is now exploring a region of lower Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain. The pale peak of the mountain can be seen at top right; the rim of Gale Crater, within which the mountain sits, is on the horizon […]

This view of tracks trailing NASA’s Curiosity rover was captured July 26, 2025, as the rover simultaneously relayed data to a Mars orbiter. NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a view of its tracks on July 26, 2025. The robotic scientist is now exploring a region of lower Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain. The pale peak of the mountain can be seen at top right; the rim of Gale Crater, within which the mountain sits, is on the horizon at top left. Curiosity touched down on the crater floor 13 years ago. Recently, the rover rolled into a region filled with boxwork formations. Studying these formations could reveal whether microbial life could have survived in the Martian subsurface eons ago, extending the period of habitability farther into when the planet was drying out. Read more about the detective work Curiosity is doing on Mars. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Before Nathan Jermyn could dig into the legal frameworks at NASA, he had to answer a different call. Jermyn participated in a one-day orientation in the summer of 2023 to begin work as an attorney-advisor supporting NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the NASA Shared Services Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. However, the Biloxi, Mississippi, […]

Nathan Jermyn frequented NASA Stennis on field trips when he was younger. Now, he works as an attorney-advisor supporting NASA Stennis and the NASA Shared Services Center. NASA/Danny Nowlin Before Nathan Jermyn could dig into the legal frameworks at NASA, he had to answer a different call. Jermyn participated in a one-day orientation in the summer of 2023 to begin work as an attorney-advisor supporting NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the NASA Shared Services Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. However, the Biloxi, Mississippi, native shipped out just a week later with the Mississippi Army National Guard to provide military legal counsel for nearly six months in support of Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve. The decorated military veteran returned to NASA in January 2024 to fully immerse himself as a member of the contract and procurement practice group for the NASA Office of the General Counsel. “Even though I have been working here for two years, sometimes it does not feel real,” Jermyn said. As a member of the contract and procurement law team, Jermyn assists with contract- and procurement-related topics for NASA Stennis and the NASA Shared Services Center to ensure taxpayer funds are used responsibly. He also is a member of NASA’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) team and provides legal reviews and advice for FOIA requests as the agency creates a cohesive and effective knowledge-sharing environment. The most interesting thing about his work is seeing how the big picture comes together, how each small detail and decision adds up to something more meaningful. “Our office is a small piece, and it is amazing to see how our efforts intertwine with NASA Stennis and the NASA Shared Services Center operations and NASA,” he said. “It is also amazing the lengths everyone will go to help each other accomplish the mission.” Before joining NASA, Jermyn graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a law degree from Mississippi College School of Law. The Gulfport, Mississippi, resident initially practiced criminal law. Jermyn credits the team he works with at NASA for helping him navigate the complexities of government contract law. “Having a team that supports you and teaches you every day really expedites the learning process,” he said. “Our team puts a heavy emphasis on learning, development, and teamwork.” Jermyn is most excited to see how NASA continues to explore the universe moving forward, which includes the Artemis campaign of exploring the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. Artemis II is scheduled for 2026. “I wholeheartedly believe humanity is destined for the stars and NASA is in prime position to lead that charge,” he said. Learn More About Careers at NASA Stennis Explore More 6 min read A Defining Era: NASA Stennis and Space Shuttle Main Engine Testing Article 3 months ago 4 min read NASA Stennis Releases First Open-Source Software Article 3 months ago 5 min read NASA Stennis Software is Built for Future Growth Article 3 months ago

Written by Ashley Stroupe, Mission Operations Engineer and Rover Planner at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. Now that we have reached August, our “landiversary” (anniversary of landing — Aug. 5 PDT) is less than a week away! The team is looking forward to being able to celebrate the milestone […]

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home 3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4618-4619: The Boxwork Structures Continue to Call to Us NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Left Navigation Camera on Aug. 1, 2025 — Sol 4616, or Martian day 4,616 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 03:36:56 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Written by Ashley Stroupe, Mission Operations Engineer and Rover Planner at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. Now that we have reached August, our “landiversary” (anniversary of landing — Aug. 5 PDT) is less than a week away! The team is looking forward to being able to celebrate the milestone of our rover becoming a teenager at 13. Today’s image is a beautiful back-lit late afternoon image of the nearby mountains and the distant crater rim. These views make working on Mars never get old! The first sol of today’s plan is very busy because we will only have data from the first sol down in time for planning on Monday. Today I was working as a Rover Planner, supporting both arm and drive activities. We start first thing with arm activities; we DRT brush and do APXS integration on the target “San Cristóbal,” which is a bedrock target, and the only place in the workspace smooth and flat enough for us to brush. After a brief nap, we have an extensive imaging campaign. We take Mastcam images of the AEGIS target from the previous plan and two potential vein targets “Rio Satja” and “Río Ichilo.” We then take Mastcam stereo mosaics of boxwork targets “Pontezuelo” and “Catedrales de Tara.” Additionally we have stereo mosaics of “Llanos de Challe,” a transition between the bedrock in the boxwork hollow and the boxwork ridge, a nearby light-toned exposure, and some additional troughs and ridges. ChemCam then takes a LIBS observation of “Airport Domes,” which is another hollow in the boxworks. Finally, we take a ChemCam RMI and a Mastcam of Pontezuelo. After finishing all the imaging, we continue with the rest of the arm activities. We split the arm activities to accommodate conflicting constraints — both APXS and ChemCam both need to be as early as possible. In this set of arm activities, we begin with MAHLI imaging of the two targets, San Cristóbal and “Salar de Agua Amara,” which consists of delicate branching structures likely made by groundwater. After another short nap, we do a small adjustment in our position to get another interesting piece of bedrock ridge in our workspace. In order to approach it at a good angle, we first drive parallel to the ridge to be lined up with the target, and then we turn and drive straight to it. Due to constraints on how we like to park at targets, sometimes these shorter drives can be more complicated than longer ones — but today it was simpler. After completing the drive, we unstow the arm to get a clear view of our workspace for Monday’s planning as well as our standard post-drive imaging and then Curiosity goes to sleep for the night. The second sol of the plan is a bit more leisurely. Around midday, Curiosity will be taking some atmospheric observations, including a Navcam dust-devil survey and a south-facing suprahorizon movie, followed by an AEGIS activity where the rover gets to pick targets and observe them herself. Then, early the next morning, Curiosity will wake up to take some additional atmospheric observations, including Navcam zenith and suprahorizon movies, Navcam line-of-sight toward the crater rim, and a Mastcam solar tau to measure dust in the atmosphere. Finally, she’ll get a short nap before waking up to start the next plan. Learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments For more Curiosity blog posts, visit MSL Mission Updates Share Details Last Updated Aug 05, 2025 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 4 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4616-4617: Standing Tall on the Ridge Article 1 day ago 2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4614-4615: Driving Along the Boxwork Article 7 days ago 3 min read Spheres in the Sand Article 7 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…

NASA has selected six companies to produce studies focused on lower-cost ways to launch and deliver spacecraft of various sizes and forms to multiple, difficult-to-reach orbits. The firm-fixed-price awards comprise nine studies with a maximum total value of approximately $1.4 million. The awardees are: “With the increasing maturity of commercial space delivery capabilities, we’re asking […]

Rendering of Quantum’s Ranger spacecraft engineered for rapid maneuverability and adaptability, enabling multi-destination delivery for missions from low Earth orbit to cislunar space. Credit: Arrow Science and Technology/Quantum Space Rendering of Blue Ring, a large high-mobility space platform providing full-service payload delivery, on-board edge computing, hosting, and end-to-end mission operations. Credit: Blue Origin Rendering of Firefly’s Elytra Dark orbital vehicle deploying Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander into lunar orbit. Credit: Firefly Aerospace Mira, a high-thrust, highly maneuverable spacecraft for payload hosting and deployment. Credit: Impulse Space Helios, a high-energy kick stage to rapidly deliver payloads to medium Earth orbit, geosynchronous orbit, and beyond. Credit: Impulse Space Pictured, two spacecraft for NASA and the University of California at Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission. The spacecraft are based on Rocket Lab’s Explorer spacecraft, a configurable, high delta-V interplanetary platform. Credit: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab’s reusable rocket Neutron, a medium-lift class rocket designed for reuse and launch frequency to deliver cost-effective, reliable, and responsive launch for commercial and government missions. Credit: Rocket Lab NASA has selected six companies to produce studies focused on lower-cost ways to launch and deliver spacecraft of various sizes and forms to multiple, difficult-to-reach orbits. The firm-fixed-price awards comprise nine studies with a maximum total value of approximately $1.4 million. The awardees are: Arrow Science and Technology LLC, Webster, Texas Blue Origin LLC, Merritt Island, Florida Firefly Aerospace Inc., Cedar Park, Texas Impulse Space Inc., Redondo Beach, California Rocket Lab, Long Beach, California United Launch Services LLC, Centennial, Colorado “With the increasing maturity of commercial space delivery capabilities, we’re asking companies to demonstrate how they can meet NASA’s need for multi-spacecraft and multi-orbit delivery to difficult-to-reach orbits beyond current launch service offerings,” said Joe Dant, orbital transfer vehicle strategic initiative owner for the Launch Services Program at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “This will increase unique science capability and lower the agency’s overall mission costs.” Each of the six companies will deliver studies exploring future application of orbital transfer vehicles for NASA missions: Arrow will partner with Quantum Space for its study. Quantum’s Ranger provides payload delivery service as a multi-mission spacecraft engineered for rapid maneuverability and adaptability, enabling multi-destination delivery for missions from low Earth orbit to lunar orbit. Blue Origin will produce two studies, including one for Blue Ring, a large, high-mobility space platform providing full-service payload delivery, on-board edge computing, hosting, and end-to-end mission operations. It uses hybrid solar-electric and chemical propulsion capability to reach geostationary, cislunar, Mars, and interplanetary destinations. The second is a New Glenn upper stage study. Firefly’s line of Elytra orbital vehicles offers on-demand payload delivery, imaging, long-haul communications, and domain awareness across cislunar space. Firefly’s Elytra Dark is equipped to serve as a transfer vehicle and enable ongoing operations in lunar orbit for more than five years. Impulse Space will produce two studies. The company provides in-space mobility with two vehicles, Mira and Helios. Mira is a high-thrust, highly maneuverable spacecraft for payload hosting and deployment, while Helios is a high-energy kick stage to rapidly deliver payloads from low Earth to medium Earth orbits, geostationary orbits and beyond. Rocket Lab’s two studies will feature the upper stage of the company’s Neutron rocket, as well as a long-life orbital transfer vehicle based on its Explorer spacecraft. Both vehicles are equipped with their own propulsion systems and other subsystems for missions to medium Earth and geosynchronous orbit and deep space destinations like the Moon, Mars, and near-Earth asteroids. United Launch Alliance will assess the cislunar mission capabilities of an extended-duration Centaur V upper stage. Centaur would be capable of directly delivering multiple rideshare spacecraft to two different orbital destinations in cislunar space, avoiding the need for an additional rocket stage or orbital transfer vehicle. The studies will be complete by mid-September. NASA will use the findings to inform mission design, planning, and commercial launch acquisition strategies for risk-tolerant payloads, with a possibility of expanding delivery services to larger-sized payloads and to less risk-tolerant missions in the future. NASA’s Launch Services Program selected providers through the agency’s VADR (Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare Launch Services) contract, which helps foster growth of the U.S. commercial launch market, enabling greater access to space at a lower cost for science and technology missions. For more information about NASA’s Launch Services Program, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/launch-services-program -end- Josh Finch Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov Leejay Lockhart Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-747-8310 leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 06, 2025 Location Kennedy Space Center Related Terms Partner With Us Commercial Space Kennedy Space Center Space Operations Mission Directorate

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Looks Back at Science Mission NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission with agency astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov is preparing to return to Earth in early August after a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station. During their stay, McClain, […]

7 Min Read NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Looks Back at Science Mission NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Looks Back at Science Mission NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission with agency astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov is preparing to return to Earth in early August after a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station. During their stay, McClain, Ayers, and Onishi completed dozens of experiments and technology demonstrations, helping push the boundaries of scientific discovery aboard the orbiting laboratory. Here’s a look at some scientific milestones accomplished during the Crew-10 mission: Orbital effects on plants NASA The canisters floating in the cupola of the International Space Station contain wild-type and genetically-modified thale cress plants for the Rhodium Plant LIFE experiment. The investigation studies how radiation and gravity environments at different orbital altitudes affect plant growth by comparing Crew-10 data with plants flown aboard the Polaris Dawn mission, which flew deeper into space. Studies have shown microgravity affects growth rates, and a better understanding of the mechanisms behind this could improve plant growth techniques in space and on Earth. Solar spacewalk NASA NASA astronaut Anne McClain conducts a spacewalk to upgrade the International Space Station’s power generation systems, which include main solar arrays like the one visible behind her. McClain is installing hardware to support an IROSA (International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array), a type of array that is more compact and produces more power than the station’s original ones. The IROSAs were first demonstrated aboard the orbiting laboratory in June 2017, and eight have been installed to augment the power available for scientific research and other activities. Microalgae on the menu NASA NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers uses the International Space Station’s Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory to process samples for SOPHONSTER, a study of microgravity’s effects on the protein yield of microalgae. These organisms are highly nutritious, producing amino acids, fatty acids, B vitamins, iron, and fiber. The microalgae could provide sustainable meat and dairy alternatives during long-duration space missions. It also could be used to make biofuels and bioactive compounds in medicines in space and on Earth. Looking down on lightning NASA The International Space Station orbits more than 250 miles above Earth, giving astronauts a unique view of their home planet, where they can photograph familiar places and interesting phenomena. While passing over a stormy night, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured this image of simultaneous lightning at the top of two thunderstorms. Scientists use instruments installed on the space station to study lightning and other weather conditions in Earth’s upper atmosphere. This research helps protect communication systems and aircraft while improving atmospheric models and weather predictions. Testing the tips of DNA To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video NASA In this time-lapse video, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi and NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers harvest samples for the APEX-12 investigation, which examines how space radiation affects telomere activity in thale cress plants. Telomeres, which are repetitive DNA sequences that protect the ends of chromosomes, become shorter each time a cell divides and indicate cell aging. The APEX-12 investigation could clarify the role of telomeres in aging and diseases and help scientists equip plants and other organisms for the stress of long-duration spaceflight. Microscopic motion NASA A fluorescent microscope, known as ELVIS, captures the motion of microscopic algae and bacteria in 3D, a new capability aboard the International Space Station. The technology could be helpful in various applications in space and on Earth, such as monitoring water quality and detecting potentially infectious organisms. NASA astronaut Anne McClain prepares bacterial samples for viewing with the microscope. How cells sense gravity NASA Individual cells in our bodies can respond to the effects of gravity, but how they do this is largely unknown. The Cell Gravisensing investigation is an effort to observe the mechanism that enables cells to sense gravity and could lead to therapies to treat muscle and bone conditions, like muscle atrophy during long-duration spaceflight and osteoporosis on Earth. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi processes research samples in the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module. Water works NASA NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain work on installing hardware for the International Space Station’s Exploration Potable Water Dispenser. Scientists are evaluating the device’s water sanitization and microbial growth reduction technology. The dispenser provides room temperature and hot water for crew consumption and food preparation. This technology could be adopted for future exploration missions. Free-flying camera NASA Astronaut Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) monitors the JEM Internal Ball Camera 2 as it floats through the International Space Station. The free-flying, rechargeable camera provides a visual field outside the other cameras installed aboard the space station. JAXA is testing the robot’s ability to capture video and imagery of scientific experiments and other activities, which could free up crew time for research and other duties. Two rings to pin them all NASA NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers sets up the space station’s Ring Sheared Drop device, which uses surface tension to pin a drop of liquid between two rings. The device makes it possible to study liquid proteins without a solid container, eliminating interactions between the solutions and container walls that can affect results. The Ring Sheared Drop-IBP-2 experiment studies the behavior of protein fluids in microgravity and tests predictive computer models. Better models could help advance manufacturing processes in space and on Earth for next-generation medicines to treat cancers and other diseases. Crystallization research NASA NASA astronaut Anne McClain swaps out hardware in the International Space Station’s Advanced Space Experiment Processor-4, which enables physical science and crystallization research. A current investigation uses the processor to demonstrate technology that may be able to produce medications during deep space missions and improve pharmaceutical manufacturing on Earth. Monitoring astronaut health NASA NASA astronaut Anne McClain helps JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi collect a sample of his blood. Analysis of blood samples is one tool NASA uses to continuously monitor crew health, including cardiovascular and immune system functions, bone and muscle mass changes, nutritional and metabolic status, and mental well-being. Crew members aboard the International Space Station also participate in various ongoing studies to better understand how different body systems adapt to weightlessness. Catching a corona NASA/KASI/INAF/CODEX This animated, color-coded heat map shows temperature changes in the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, over several days, with red indicating hotter regions and purple showing cooler ones. Scientists can observe these changes thanks to the International Space Station’s CODEX, which collected data during the Crew-10 mission. The instrument uses a coronagraph to block out sunlight and reveal details in the Sun’s corona. Data from this investigation could help scientists understand the energy source of the solar wind, a flow of charged particles from the Sun that constantly bombards Earth. Expanding in-space crystallization NASA Astronaut Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) services the International Space Station’s Advanced Space Experiment Processor-4 in preparation for ADSEP-Industrial Crystallization Cassette. This investigation tests new hardware that scales up research and could enable in-space production of pharmaceuticals and other materials for commercial space applications. Sowing seeds in space NASA NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers prepares mixture tubes containing samples for Nanoracks Module-9 Swiss Chard. This student-designed experiment examines whether the size, shape, color, and nutritional content of Swiss chard seeds germinated in space differ from those grown on Earth. The International Space Station hosts ongoing plant research as a source of food and other benefits, including contributing to astronaut well-being, for future long-duration missions. Protecting astronaut vision NASA Spaceflight can cause changes to eye structure and vision, so crew members monitor eye health throughout their missions. Astronaut Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), assisted by NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, conducts an eye exam aboard the International Space Station using optical coherence tomography. This technology uses reflected light to produce 3D images of the retina, nerve fibers, and other eye structures and layers. Share Details Last Updated Aug 05, 2025 Related Terms ISS Research Humans in Space International Space Station (ISS) Explore More 7 min read NICER Status Updates Article 1 day ago 4 min read NASA’s Artemis Crew Trains in Moonbound Orion Ahead of Mission Article 2 days ago 1 min read NASA Invites Virtual Guests to SpaceX Crew-11 Mission Launch Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Latest News from Space Station Research Space Station Research and Technology Humans In Space International Space Station

Official National Aeronautics and Space Administration Website

NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 12:05 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Aug. 7, for the undocking of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission from the International Space Station. Pending weather conditions, splashdown is targeted at 11:58 a.m., Friday, Aug. 8. Crew-10 will be the first mission to splash down off the California coast for NASA’s […]

From left, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 members Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos, NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi share a light moment during a group portrait inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module. Credit: NASA NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 12:05 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Aug. 7, for the undocking of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission from the International Space Station. Pending weather conditions, splashdown is targeted at 11:58 a.m., Friday, Aug. 8. Crew-10 will be the first mission to splash down off the California coast for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov are completing a five-month science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory and will return time-sensitive research to Earth. Mission managers continue monitoring weather conditions in the area, as undocking of the SpaceX Dragon depends on spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors. NASA and SpaceX will select a specific splashdown time and location closer to the Crew-10 spacecraft undocking. NASA’s live coverage of return and related activities will stream on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and more. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of platforms. NASA’s coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to changed based on real-time operations): Thursday, Aug. 7 9:45 a.m. – Hatch closure coverage begins on NASA+ and Amazon Prime. 10:20 a.m. – Hatch closing 11:45 a.m. – Undocking coverage begins on NASA+ and Amazon Prime. 12:05 p.m. – Undocking Following the conclusion of undocking coverage, NASA will distribute audio-only discussions between Crew-10, the space station, and flight controllers during Dragon’s transit away from the orbital complex. Friday, Aug. 8 10:45 a.m. – Return coverage begins on NASA+ and Amazon Prime. 11:08 a.m. – Deorbit burn 11:58 a.m. – Splashdown 1:30 p.m. – Return to Earth media teleconference will stream live on the agency’s YouTube channel, with the following participants: Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Dina Contella, deputy manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX Kazuyoshi Kawasaki, associate director general, Space Exploration Center/Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center, JAXA To participate in the teleconference, media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom by 5 p.m., Aug. 7, at: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111. To ask questions, media must dial in no later than 10 minutes before the start of the call. The agency’s media credentialing policy is available online. Find full mission coverage, NASA’s commercial crew blog, and more information about the Crew-10 mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew -end- Joshua Finch Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov Steve Siceloff / Stephanie Plucinsky Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-867-2468 steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov / stephanie.n.plucinsky@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 06, 2025 Location NASA Headquarters Related Terms International Space Station (ISS) Commercial Crew Humans in Space ISS Research Johnson Space Center Kennedy Space Center

The Snapshot Wisconsin project recently collected their 100 millionth trail camera photo! What’s more, this milestone coincides with the project’s 10-year anniversary. Congratulations to the team and everyone who’s participated!

A white-tailed deer fawn photographed on a Snapshot Wisconsin trail camera in Vernon County, WI Credit: WI DNR The Snapshot Wisconsin project recently collected their 100 millionth trail camera photo! What’s more, this milestone coincides with the project’s 10-year anniversary. Congratulations to the team and everyone who’s participated! Snapshot Wisconsin utilizes a statewide network of volunteer-managed trail cameras to monitor and better understand the state’s diverse wildlife from white-tailed deer to snowshoe hares, whooping cranes, and much more. “It’s been amazing to get a glimpse of our wild treasures via the Snapshot lens,” said one volunteer. “Satisfying to help advance wildlife research in the digital age.” Snapshot Wisconsin was launched in 2013 with help from a NASA grant, and is overseen by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. It recently won a new grant from NASA’s Citizen Science for Earth Systems Program. Volunteer classifications of the species present in trail camera photos have fueled many different scientific investigations over the years. You, too, can get involved in the merriment by visiting the project’s site on the Zooniverse crowdsourcing platform and helping classify their latest photo season today! Facebook logo @nasascience @nasascience Instagram logo @nasascience Linkedin logo @nasascience Share Details Last Updated Aug 06, 2025 Related Terms Citizen Science Earth Science Division Explore More 4 min read STEM Educators Are Bringing Hands-On NASA Science into Virginia Classrooms Article 2 days ago 2 min read Radio JOVE Volunteers Tune In to the Sun’s Low Notes Article 2 weeks ago 2 min read Bring NASA Science into Your Library! Article 2 weeks ago

As Greenland’s ice retreats, it’s fueling tiny ocean organisms. To test why, scientists turned to a computer model out of JPL and MIT that’s been called a laboratory in itself. Runoff from Greenland’s ice sheet is kicking nutrients up from the ocean depths and boosting phytoplankton growth, a new NASA-supported study has found. Reporting in […]

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Ocean currents swirl around North America (center left) and Greenland (upper right) in this data visualization created using NASA’s ECCO model. Advanced computing is helping oceanographers decipher hot spots of phytoplankton growth. NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio As Greenland’s ice retreats, it’s fueling tiny ocean organisms. To test why, scientists turned to a computer model out of JPL and MIT that’s been called a laboratory in itself. Runoff from Greenland’s ice sheet is kicking nutrients up from the ocean depths and boosting phytoplankton growth, a new NASA-supported study has found. Reporting in Nature Communications: Earth & Environment, the scientists used state-of-the art-computing to simulate marine life and physics colliding in one turbulent fjord. Oceanographers are keen to understand what drives the tiny plantlike organisms, which take up carbon dioxide and power the world’s fisheries. Greenland’s mile-thick ice sheet is shedding some 293 billion tons (266 billion metric tons) of ice per year. During peak summer melt, more than 300,000 gallons (1,200 cubic meters) of fresh water drain into the sea every second from beneath Jakobshavn Glacier, also known as Sermeq Kujalleq,the most active glacier on the ice sheet. The waters meet and tumble hundreds of feet below the surface. Teal-colored phytoplankton bloom off the Greenland coast in this satellite image captured in June 2024 by NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission. NASA The meltwater plume is fresh and more buoyant than the surrounding saltwater. As it rises, scientists have hypothesized, it may be delivering nutrients like iron and nitrate — a key ingredient in fertilizer — to phytoplankton floating at the surface. Researchers track these microscopic organisms because, though smaller by far than a pinhead, they’re titans of the ocean food web. Inhabiting every ocean from the tropics to the polar regions, they nourish krill and other grazers that, in turn, support larger animals, including fish and whales. Previous work using NASA satellite data found that the rate of phytoplankton growth in Arctic waters surged 57% between 1998 and 2018 alone. An infusion of nitrate from the depths would be especially pivotal to Greenland’s phytoplankton in summer, after most nutrients been consumed by prior spring blooms. But the hypothesis has been hard to test along the coast, where the remote terrain and icebergs as big as city blocks complicate long-term observations. “We were faced with this classic problem of trying to understand a system that is so remote and buried beneath ice,” said Dustin Carroll, an oceanographer at San José State University who is also affiliated with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “We needed a gem of a computer model to help.” Sea of Data To re-create what was happening in the waters around Greenland’s most active glacier, the team harnessed a model of the ocean developed at JPL and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. The model ingests nearly all available ocean measurements collected by sea- and satellite-based instruments over the past three decades. That amounts to billions of data points, from water temperature and salinity to pressure at the seafloor. The model is called Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean-Darwin (ECCO-Darwin for short). Simulating “biology, chemistry, and physics coming together” in even one pocket along Greenland’s 27,000 miles (43,000 kilometers) of coastline is a massive math problem, noted lead author Michael Wood, a computational oceanographer at San José State University. To break it down, he said the team built a “model within a model within a model” to zoom in on the details of the fjord at the foot of the glacier. Using supercomputers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, they calculated that deepwater nutrients buoyed upward by glacial runoff would be sufficient to boost summertime phytoplankton growth by 15 to 40% in the study area. More Changes in Store Could increased phytoplankton be a boon for Greenland’s marine animals and fisheries? Carroll said that untangling impacts to the ecosystem will take time. Melt on the Greenland ice sheet is projected to accelerate in coming decades, affecting everything from sea level and land vegetation to the saltiness of coastal waters. “We reconstructed what’s happening in one key system, but there’s more than 250 such glaciers around Greenland,” Carroll said. He noted that the team plans to extend their simulations to the whole Greenland coast and beyond. Some changes appear to be impacting the carbon cycle both positively and negatively: The team calculated how runoff from the glacier alters the temperature and chemistry of seawater in the fjord, making it less able to dissolve carbon dioxide. That loss is canceled out, however, by the bigger blooms of phytoplankton taking up more carbon dioxide from the air as they photosynthesize. Wood added: “We didn’t build these tools for one specific application. Our approach is applicable to any region, from the Texas Gulf to Alaska. Like a Swiss Army knife, we can apply it to lots of different scenarios.” News Media Contacts Jane J. Lee / Andrew Wang Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 626-379-6874 / 818-354-0307 jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov / andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov Written by Sally Younger 2025-101 Share Details Last Updated Aug 06, 2025 Related Terms Earth Carbon Cycle Earth Science Ice & Glaciers Jet Propulsion Laboratory Oceans PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem) Water on Earth Explore More 4 min read NASA’s Perseverance Rover Captures Mars Vista As Clear As Day Article 3 hours ago 1 min read NASA’s Black Marble: Stories from the Night Sky Studying the glowing patterns of Earth’s surface helps us understand human activity, respond to disasters,… Article 2 days ago 4 min read STEM Educators Are Bringing Hands-On NASA Science into Virginia Classrooms Professional learning experiences are integral to the enhancement of classroom instruction. Teachers, at the forefront… Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System

‘Float rocks,’ sand ripples, and vast distances are among the sights to see in the latest high-resolution panorama by the six-wheeled scientist. The imaging team of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took advantage of clear skies on the Red Planet to capture one of the sharpest panoramas of its mission so far. Visible in the mosaic, […]

Captured at a location called “Falbreen,” this enhanced-color mosaic features deceptively blue skies and the 43rd rock abrasion (the white patch at center-left) of the NASA Perseverance rover’s mission at Mars. The 96 images stitched together to create this 360-degree view were acquired May 26, 2025. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS In this natural-color version of the “Falbreen” panorama, colors have not been enhanced and the sky appears more reddish. Visible still is Perseverance’s 43rd rock abrasion (the white patch at center-left). The 96 images stitched together to create this 360-degree view were acquired May 26, 2025. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS ‘Float rocks,’ sand ripples, and vast distances are among the sights to see in the latest high-resolution panorama by the six-wheeled scientist. The imaging team of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took advantage of clear skies on the Red Planet to capture one of the sharpest panoramas of its mission so far. Visible in the mosaic, which was stitched together from 96 images taken at a location the science team calls “Falbreen,” are a rock that appears to lie on top of a sand ripple, a boundary line between two geologic units, and hills as distant as 40 miles (65 kilometers) away. The enhanced-color version shows the Martian sky to be remarkably clear and deceptively blue, while in the natural-color version, it’s reddish. “Our bold push for human space exploration will send astronauts back to the Moon,” said Sean Duffy, acting NASA administrator. “Stunning vistas like that of Falbreen, captured by our Perseverance rover, are just a glimpse of what we’ll soon witness with our own eyes. NASA’s groundbreaking missions, starting with Artemis, will propel our unstoppable journey to take human space exploration to the Martian surface. NASA is continuing to get bolder and stronger.” The rover’s Mastcam-Z instrument captured the images on May 26, 2025, the 1,516th Martian day, or sol, of Perseverance’s mission, which began in February 2021 on the floor of Jezero Crater. Perseverance reached the top of the crater rim late last year. “The relatively dust-free skies provide a clear view of the surrounding terrain,” said Jim Bell, Mastcam-Z’s principal investigator at Arizona State University in Tempe. “And in this particular mosaic, we have enhanced the color contrast, which accentuates the differences in the terrain and sky.” Buoyant Boulder One detail that caught the science team’s attention is a large rock that appears to sit atop a dark, crescent-shaped sand ripple to the right of the mosaic’s center, about 14 feet (4.4 meters) from the rover. Geologists call this type of rock a “float rock” because it was more than likely formed someplace else and transported to its current location. Whether this one arrived by a landslide, water, or wind is unknown, but the science team suspects it got here before the sand ripple formed. The bright white circle just left of center and near the bottom of the image is an abrasion patch. This is the 43rd rock Perseverance has abraded since it landed on Mars. Two inches (5 centimeters) wide, the shallow patch is made with the rover’s drill and enables the science team to see what’s beneath the weathered, dusty surface of a rock before deciding to drill a core sample that would be stored in one of the mission’s titanium sample tubes. The rover made this abrasion on May 22 and performed proximity science (a detailed analysis of Martian rocks and soil) with its arm-mounted instruments two days later. The science team wanted to learn about Falbreen because it’s situated within what may be some of the oldest terrain Perseverance has ever explored — perhaps even older than Jezero Crater. Tracks from the rover’s journey to the location can be seen toward the mosaic’s right edge. About 300 feet (90 meters) away, they veer to the left, disappearing from sight at a previous geologic stop the science team calls “Kenmore.” A little more than halfway up the mosaic, sweeping from one edge to the other, is the transition from lighter-toned to darker-toned rocks. This is the boundary line, or contact, between two geologic units. The flat, lighter-colored rocks nearer to the rover are rich in the mineral olivine, while the darker rocks farther away are believed to be much older clay-bearing rocks. More About Perseverance NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover on behalf of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program portfolio. Arizona State University leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras. For more about Perseverance: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance News Media Contacts DC Agle Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-393-9011 agle@jpl.nasa.gov Karen Fox / Molly Wasser NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov 2025-100 Explore More 4 min read NASA Supercomputers Take on Life Near Greenland’s Most Active Glacier Article 3 hours ago 5 min read NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer Moon Mission Ends Article 2 days ago 5 min read Marking 13 Years on Mars, NASA’s Curiosity Picks Up New Skills Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System

After 25 years at NASA, flying in four different spacecraft, accumulating 464 days in space, astronaut and test pilot Butch Wilmore has retired from NASA. The Tennessee native earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Tennessee Technological University and a master’s degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee. Wilmore […]

NASA Astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore NASA/Aubrey Gemignani After 25 years at NASA, flying in four different spacecraft, accumulating 464 days in space, astronaut and test pilot Butch Wilmore has retired from NASA. The Tennessee native earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Tennessee Technological University and a master’s degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee. Wilmore is a decorated U.S. Navy captain who has flown numerous tactical aircraft operationally while deploying aboard four aircraft carriers during peacetime and combat operations. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, he went on to serve as a test pilot before NASA selected him to become an astronaut in 2000. “Butch’s commitment to NASA’s mission and dedication to human space exploration is truly exemplary,” said Steve Koerner, acting director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “His lasting legacy of fortitude will continue to impact and inspire the Johnson workforce, future explorers, and the nation for generations. On behalf of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, we thank Butch for his service.” During his time at NASA, Wilmore completed three missions launching aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, Roscosmos Soyuz, and Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station. Wilmore also returned to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Additionally, he conducted five spacewalks, totaling 32 hours outside the orbital laboratory. “Throughout his career, Butch has exemplified the technical excellence of what is required of an astronaut. His mastery of complex systems, coupled with his adaptability and steadfast commitment to NASA’s mission, has inspired us all,” said Joe Acaba, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson. “As he steps into this new chapter, that same dedication will no doubt continue to show in whatever he decides to do next.” Most recently, Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024, for its first crewed flight test mission, arriving at the space station the following day. While aboard the station, Wilmore completed numerous tasks, including a spacewalk to help remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss and collected samples and surface material for analysis from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock. “From my earliest days, I have been captivated by the marvels of creation, looking upward with an insatiable curiosity. This curiosity propelled me into the skies, and eventually to space, where the magnificence of the cosmos mirrored the glory of its creator in ways words can scarcely convey,” said Wilmore. “Even as I ventured beyond Earth’s limits, I remained attuned to the beauty and significance of the world below, recognizing the same intricate design evident among the stars is also woven into the fabric of life at home.” Learn more about how NASA explores the unknown and innovates for the benefit of humanity at: https://www.nasa.gov/ Courtney Beasley Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-910-4989 courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov

NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a view of its tracks on July 26, 2025. The robotic scientist is now exploring a region of lower Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain. The pale peak of the mountain can be seen at top right; the rim of Gale Crater, within which the mountain sits, is on the horizon […]

This view of tracks trailing NASA’s Curiosity rover was captured July 26, 2025, as the rover simultaneously relayed data to a Mars orbiter. NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a view of its tracks on July 26, 2025. The robotic scientist is now exploring a region of lower Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain. The pale peak of the mountain can be seen at top right; the rim of Gale Crater, within which the mountain sits, is on the horizon at top left. Curiosity touched down on the crater floor 13 years ago. Recently, the rover rolled into a region filled with boxwork formations. Studying these formations could reveal whether microbial life could have survived in the Martian subsurface eons ago, extending the period of habitability farther into when the planet was drying out. Read more about the detective work Curiosity is doing on Mars. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Before Nathan Jermyn could dig into the legal frameworks at NASA, he had to answer a different call. Jermyn participated in a one-day orientation in the summer of 2023 to begin work as an attorney-advisor supporting NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the NASA Shared Services Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. However, the Biloxi, Mississippi, […]

Nathan Jermyn frequented NASA Stennis on field trips when he was younger. Now, he works as an attorney-advisor supporting NASA Stennis and the NASA Shared Services Center. NASA/Danny Nowlin Before Nathan Jermyn could dig into the legal frameworks at NASA, he had to answer a different call. Jermyn participated in a one-day orientation in the summer of 2023 to begin work as an attorney-advisor supporting NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the NASA Shared Services Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. However, the Biloxi, Mississippi, native shipped out just a week later with the Mississippi Army National Guard to provide military legal counsel for nearly six months in support of Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve. The decorated military veteran returned to NASA in January 2024 to fully immerse himself as a member of the contract and procurement practice group for the NASA Office of the General Counsel. “Even though I have been working here for two years, sometimes it does not feel real,” Jermyn said. As a member of the contract and procurement law team, Jermyn assists with contract- and procurement-related topics for NASA Stennis and the NASA Shared Services Center to ensure taxpayer funds are used responsibly. He also is a member of NASA’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) team and provides legal reviews and advice for FOIA requests as the agency creates a cohesive and effective knowledge-sharing environment. The most interesting thing about his work is seeing how the big picture comes together, how each small detail and decision adds up to something more meaningful. “Our office is a small piece, and it is amazing to see how our efforts intertwine with NASA Stennis and the NASA Shared Services Center operations and NASA,” he said. “It is also amazing the lengths everyone will go to help each other accomplish the mission.” Before joining NASA, Jermyn graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a law degree from Mississippi College School of Law. The Gulfport, Mississippi, resident initially practiced criminal law. Jermyn credits the team he works with at NASA for helping him navigate the complexities of government contract law. “Having a team that supports you and teaches you every day really expedites the learning process,” he said. “Our team puts a heavy emphasis on learning, development, and teamwork.” Jermyn is most excited to see how NASA continues to explore the universe moving forward, which includes the Artemis campaign of exploring the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. Artemis II is scheduled for 2026. “I wholeheartedly believe humanity is destined for the stars and NASA is in prime position to lead that charge,” he said. Learn More About Careers at NASA Stennis Explore More 6 min read A Defining Era: NASA Stennis and Space Shuttle Main Engine Testing Article 3 months ago 4 min read NASA Stennis Releases First Open-Source Software Article 3 months ago 5 min read NASA Stennis Software is Built for Future Growth Article 3 months ago

Written by Ashley Stroupe, Mission Operations Engineer and Rover Planner at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. Now that we have reached August, our “landiversary” (anniversary of landing — Aug. 5 PDT) is less than a week away! The team is looking forward to being able to celebrate the milestone […]

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home 3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4618-4619: The Boxwork Structures Continue to Call to Us NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Left Navigation Camera on Aug. 1, 2025 — Sol 4616, or Martian day 4,616 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 03:36:56 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Written by Ashley Stroupe, Mission Operations Engineer and Rover Planner at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. Now that we have reached August, our “landiversary” (anniversary of landing — Aug. 5 PDT) is less than a week away! The team is looking forward to being able to celebrate the milestone of our rover becoming a teenager at 13. Today’s image is a beautiful back-lit late afternoon image of the nearby mountains and the distant crater rim. These views make working on Mars never get old! The first sol of today’s plan is very busy because we will only have data from the first sol down in time for planning on Monday. Today I was working as a Rover Planner, supporting both arm and drive activities. We start first thing with arm activities; we DRT brush and do APXS integration on the target “San Cristóbal,” which is a bedrock target, and the only place in the workspace smooth and flat enough for us to brush. After a brief nap, we have an extensive imaging campaign. We take Mastcam images of the AEGIS target from the previous plan and two potential vein targets “Rio Satja” and “Río Ichilo.” We then take Mastcam stereo mosaics of boxwork targets “Pontezuelo” and “Catedrales de Tara.” Additionally we have stereo mosaics of “Llanos de Challe,” a transition between the bedrock in the boxwork hollow and the boxwork ridge, a nearby light-toned exposure, and some additional troughs and ridges. ChemCam then takes a LIBS observation of “Airport Domes,” which is another hollow in the boxworks. Finally, we take a ChemCam RMI and a Mastcam of Pontezuelo. After finishing all the imaging, we continue with the rest of the arm activities. We split the arm activities to accommodate conflicting constraints — both APXS and ChemCam both need to be as early as possible. In this set of arm activities, we begin with MAHLI imaging of the two targets, San Cristóbal and “Salar de Agua Amara,” which consists of delicate branching structures likely made by groundwater. After another short nap, we do a small adjustment in our position to get another interesting piece of bedrock ridge in our workspace. In order to approach it at a good angle, we first drive parallel to the ridge to be lined up with the target, and then we turn and drive straight to it. Due to constraints on how we like to park at targets, sometimes these shorter drives can be more complicated than longer ones — but today it was simpler. After completing the drive, we unstow the arm to get a clear view of our workspace for Monday’s planning as well as our standard post-drive imaging and then Curiosity goes to sleep for the night. The second sol of the plan is a bit more leisurely. Around midday, Curiosity will be taking some atmospheric observations, including a Navcam dust-devil survey and a south-facing suprahorizon movie, followed by an AEGIS activity where the rover gets to pick targets and observe them herself. Then, early the next morning, Curiosity will wake up to take some additional atmospheric observations, including Navcam zenith and suprahorizon movies, Navcam line-of-sight toward the crater rim, and a Mastcam solar tau to measure dust in the atmosphere. Finally, she’ll get a short nap before waking up to start the next plan. Learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments For more Curiosity blog posts, visit MSL Mission Updates Share Details Last Updated Aug 05, 2025 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 4 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4616-4617: Standing Tall on the Ridge Article 1 day ago 2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4614-4615: Driving Along the Boxwork Article 7 days ago 3 min read Spheres in the Sand Article 7 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…

NASA has selected six companies to produce studies focused on lower-cost ways to launch and deliver spacecraft of various sizes and forms to multiple, difficult-to-reach orbits. The firm-fixed-price awards comprise nine studies with a maximum total value of approximately $1.4 million. The awardees are: “With the increasing maturity of commercial space delivery capabilities, we’re asking […]

Rendering of Quantum’s Ranger spacecraft engineered for rapid maneuverability and adaptability, enabling multi-destination delivery for missions from low Earth orbit to cislunar space. Credit: Arrow Science and Technology/Quantum Space Rendering of Blue Ring, a large high-mobility space platform providing full-service payload delivery, on-board edge computing, hosting, and end-to-end mission operations. Credit: Blue Origin Rendering of Firefly’s Elytra Dark orbital vehicle deploying Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander into lunar orbit. Credit: Firefly Aerospace Mira, a high-thrust, highly maneuverable spacecraft for payload hosting and deployment. Credit: Impulse Space Helios, a high-energy kick stage to rapidly deliver payloads to medium Earth orbit, geosynchronous orbit, and beyond. Credit: Impulse Space Pictured, two spacecraft for NASA and the University of California at Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission. The spacecraft are based on Rocket Lab’s Explorer spacecraft, a configurable, high delta-V interplanetary platform. Credit: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab’s reusable rocket Neutron, a medium-lift class rocket designed for reuse and launch frequency to deliver cost-effective, reliable, and responsive launch for commercial and government missions. Credit: Rocket Lab NASA has selected six companies to produce studies focused on lower-cost ways to launch and deliver spacecraft of various sizes and forms to multiple, difficult-to-reach orbits. The firm-fixed-price awards comprise nine studies with a maximum total value of approximately $1.4 million. The awardees are: Arrow Science and Technology LLC, Webster, Texas Blue Origin LLC, Merritt Island, Florida Firefly Aerospace Inc., Cedar Park, Texas Impulse Space Inc., Redondo Beach, California Rocket Lab, Long Beach, California United Launch Services LLC, Centennial, Colorado “With the increasing maturity of commercial space delivery capabilities, we’re asking companies to demonstrate how they can meet NASA’s need for multi-spacecraft and multi-orbit delivery to difficult-to-reach orbits beyond current launch service offerings,” said Joe Dant, orbital transfer vehicle strategic initiative owner for the Launch Services Program at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “This will increase unique science capability and lower the agency’s overall mission costs.” Each of the six companies will deliver studies exploring future application of orbital transfer vehicles for NASA missions: Arrow will partner with Quantum Space for its study. Quantum’s Ranger provides payload delivery service as a multi-mission spacecraft engineered for rapid maneuverability and adaptability, enabling multi-destination delivery for missions from low Earth orbit to lunar orbit. Blue Origin will produce two studies, including one for Blue Ring, a large, high-mobility space platform providing full-service payload delivery, on-board edge computing, hosting, and end-to-end mission operations. It uses hybrid solar-electric and chemical propulsion capability to reach geostationary, cislunar, Mars, and interplanetary destinations. The second is a New Glenn upper stage study. Firefly’s line of Elytra orbital vehicles offers on-demand payload delivery, imaging, long-haul communications, and domain awareness across cislunar space. Firefly’s Elytra Dark is equipped to serve as a transfer vehicle and enable ongoing operations in lunar orbit for more than five years. Impulse Space will produce two studies. The company provides in-space mobility with two vehicles, Mira and Helios. Mira is a high-thrust, highly maneuverable spacecraft for payload hosting and deployment, while Helios is a high-energy kick stage to rapidly deliver payloads from low Earth to medium Earth orbits, geostationary orbits and beyond. Rocket Lab’s two studies will feature the upper stage of the company’s Neutron rocket, as well as a long-life orbital transfer vehicle based on its Explorer spacecraft. Both vehicles are equipped with their own propulsion systems and other subsystems for missions to medium Earth and geosynchronous orbit and deep space destinations like the Moon, Mars, and near-Earth asteroids. United Launch Alliance will assess the cislunar mission capabilities of an extended-duration Centaur V upper stage. Centaur would be capable of directly delivering multiple rideshare spacecraft to two different orbital destinations in cislunar space, avoiding the need for an additional rocket stage or orbital transfer vehicle. The studies will be complete by mid-September. NASA will use the findings to inform mission design, planning, and commercial launch acquisition strategies for risk-tolerant payloads, with a possibility of expanding delivery services to larger-sized payloads and to less risk-tolerant missions in the future. NASA’s Launch Services Program selected providers through the agency’s VADR (Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare Launch Services) contract, which helps foster growth of the U.S. commercial launch market, enabling greater access to space at a lower cost for science and technology missions. For more information about NASA’s Launch Services Program, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/launch-services-program -end- Josh Finch Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov Leejay Lockhart Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-747-8310 leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 06, 2025 Location Kennedy Space Center Related Terms Partner With Us Commercial Space Kennedy Space Center Space Operations Mission Directorate

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Looks Back at Science Mission NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission with agency astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov is preparing to return to Earth in early August after a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station. During their stay, McClain, […]

7 Min Read NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Looks Back at Science Mission NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Looks Back at Science Mission NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission with agency astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov is preparing to return to Earth in early August after a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station. During their stay, McClain, Ayers, and Onishi completed dozens of experiments and technology demonstrations, helping push the boundaries of scientific discovery aboard the orbiting laboratory. Here’s a look at some scientific milestones accomplished during the Crew-10 mission: Orbital effects on plants NASA The canisters floating in the cupola of the International Space Station contain wild-type and genetically-modified thale cress plants for the Rhodium Plant LIFE experiment. The investigation studies how radiation and gravity environments at different orbital altitudes affect plant growth by comparing Crew-10 data with plants flown aboard the Polaris Dawn mission, which flew deeper into space. Studies have shown microgravity affects growth rates, and a better understanding of the mechanisms behind this could improve plant growth techniques in space and on Earth. Solar spacewalk NASA NASA astronaut Anne McClain conducts a spacewalk to upgrade the International Space Station’s power generation systems, which include main solar arrays like the one visible behind her. McClain is installing hardware to support an IROSA (International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array), a type of array that is more compact and produces more power than the station’s original ones. The IROSAs were first demonstrated aboard the orbiting laboratory in June 2017, and eight have been installed to augment the power available for scientific research and other activities. Microalgae on the menu NASA NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers uses the International Space Station’s Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory to process samples for SOPHONSTER, a study of microgravity’s effects on the protein yield of microalgae. These organisms are highly nutritious, producing amino acids, fatty acids, B vitamins, iron, and fiber. The microalgae could provide sustainable meat and dairy alternatives during long-duration space missions. It also could be used to make biofuels and bioactive compounds in medicines in space and on Earth. Looking down on lightning NASA The International Space Station orbits more than 250 miles above Earth, giving astronauts a unique view of their home planet, where they can photograph familiar places and interesting phenomena. While passing over a stormy night, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured this image of simultaneous lightning at the top of two thunderstorms. Scientists use instruments installed on the space station to study lightning and other weather conditions in Earth’s upper atmosphere. This research helps protect communication systems and aircraft while improving atmospheric models and weather predictions. Testing the tips of DNA To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video NASA In this time-lapse video, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi and NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers harvest samples for the APEX-12 investigation, which examines how space radiation affects telomere activity in thale cress plants. Telomeres, which are repetitive DNA sequences that protect the ends of chromosomes, become shorter each time a cell divides and indicate cell aging. The APEX-12 investigation could clarify the role of telomeres in aging and diseases and help scientists equip plants and other organisms for the stress of long-duration spaceflight. Microscopic motion NASA A fluorescent microscope, known as ELVIS, captures the motion of microscopic algae and bacteria in 3D, a new capability aboard the International Space Station. The technology could be helpful in various applications in space and on Earth, such as monitoring water quality and detecting potentially infectious organisms. NASA astronaut Anne McClain prepares bacterial samples for viewing with the microscope. How cells sense gravity NASA Individual cells in our bodies can respond to the effects of gravity, but how they do this is largely unknown. The Cell Gravisensing investigation is an effort to observe the mechanism that enables cells to sense gravity and could lead to therapies to treat muscle and bone conditions, like muscle atrophy during long-duration spaceflight and osteoporosis on Earth. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi processes research samples in the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module. Water works NASA NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain work on installing hardware for the International Space Station’s Exploration Potable Water Dispenser. Scientists are evaluating the device’s water sanitization and microbial growth reduction technology. The dispenser provides room temperature and hot water for crew consumption and food preparation. This technology could be adopted for future exploration missions. Free-flying camera NASA Astronaut Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) monitors the JEM Internal Ball Camera 2 as it floats through the International Space Station. The free-flying, rechargeable camera provides a visual field outside the other cameras installed aboard the space station. JAXA is testing the robot’s ability to capture video and imagery of scientific experiments and other activities, which could free up crew time for research and other duties. Two rings to pin them all NASA NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers sets up the space station’s Ring Sheared Drop device, which uses surface tension to pin a drop of liquid between two rings. The device makes it possible to study liquid proteins without a solid container, eliminating interactions between the solutions and container walls that can affect results. The Ring Sheared Drop-IBP-2 experiment studies the behavior of protein fluids in microgravity and tests predictive computer models. Better models could help advance manufacturing processes in space and on Earth for next-generation medicines to treat cancers and other diseases. Crystallization research NASA NASA astronaut Anne McClain swaps out hardware in the International Space Station’s Advanced Space Experiment Processor-4, which enables physical science and crystallization research. A current investigation uses the processor to demonstrate technology that may be able to produce medications during deep space missions and improve pharmaceutical manufacturing on Earth. Monitoring astronaut health NASA NASA astronaut Anne McClain helps JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi collect a sample of his blood. Analysis of blood samples is one tool NASA uses to continuously monitor crew health, including cardiovascular and immune system functions, bone and muscle mass changes, nutritional and metabolic status, and mental well-being. Crew members aboard the International Space Station also participate in various ongoing studies to better understand how different body systems adapt to weightlessness. Catching a corona NASA/KASI/INAF/CODEX This animated, color-coded heat map shows temperature changes in the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, over several days, with red indicating hotter regions and purple showing cooler ones. Scientists can observe these changes thanks to the International Space Station’s CODEX, which collected data during the Crew-10 mission. The instrument uses a coronagraph to block out sunlight and reveal details in the Sun’s corona. Data from this investigation could help scientists understand the energy source of the solar wind, a flow of charged particles from the Sun that constantly bombards Earth. Expanding in-space crystallization NASA Astronaut Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) services the International Space Station’s Advanced Space Experiment Processor-4 in preparation for ADSEP-Industrial Crystallization Cassette. This investigation tests new hardware that scales up research and could enable in-space production of pharmaceuticals and other materials for commercial space applications. Sowing seeds in space NASA NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers prepares mixture tubes containing samples for Nanoracks Module-9 Swiss Chard. This student-designed experiment examines whether the size, shape, color, and nutritional content of Swiss chard seeds germinated in space differ from those grown on Earth. The International Space Station hosts ongoing plant research as a source of food and other benefits, including contributing to astronaut well-being, for future long-duration missions. Protecting astronaut vision NASA Spaceflight can cause changes to eye structure and vision, so crew members monitor eye health throughout their missions. Astronaut Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), assisted by NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, conducts an eye exam aboard the International Space Station using optical coherence tomography. This technology uses reflected light to produce 3D images of the retina, nerve fibers, and other eye structures and layers. Share Details Last Updated Aug 05, 2025 Related Terms ISS Research Humans in Space International Space Station (ISS) Explore More 7 min read NICER Status Updates Article 1 day ago 4 min read NASA’s Artemis Crew Trains in Moonbound Orion Ahead of Mission Article 2 days ago 1 min read NASA Invites Virtual Guests to SpaceX Crew-11 Mission Launch Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Latest News from Space Station Research Space Station Research and Technology Humans In Space International Space Station

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NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 12:05 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Aug. 7, for the undocking of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission from the International Space Station. Pending weather conditions, splashdown is targeted at 11:58 a.m., Friday, Aug. 8. Crew-10 will be the first mission to splash down off the California coast for NASA’s […]

From left, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 members Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos, NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi share a light moment during a group portrait inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module. Credit: NASA NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 12:05 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Aug. 7, for the undocking of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission from the International Space Station. Pending weather conditions, splashdown is targeted at 11:58 a.m., Friday, Aug. 8. Crew-10 will be the first mission to splash down off the California coast for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov are completing a five-month science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory and will return time-sensitive research to Earth. Mission managers continue monitoring weather conditions in the area, as undocking of the SpaceX Dragon depends on spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors. NASA and SpaceX will select a specific splashdown time and location closer to the Crew-10 spacecraft undocking. NASA’s live coverage of return and related activities will stream on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and more. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of platforms. NASA’s coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to changed based on real-time operations): Thursday, Aug. 7 9:45 a.m. – Hatch closure coverage begins on NASA+ and Amazon Prime. 10:20 a.m. – Hatch closing 11:45 a.m. – Undocking coverage begins on NASA+ and Amazon Prime. 12:05 p.m. – Undocking Following the conclusion of undocking coverage, NASA will distribute audio-only discussions between Crew-10, the space station, and flight controllers during Dragon’s transit away from the orbital complex. Friday, Aug. 8 10:45 a.m. – Return coverage begins on NASA+ and Amazon Prime. 11:08 a.m. – Deorbit burn 11:58 a.m. – Splashdown 1:30 p.m. – Return to Earth media teleconference will stream live on the agency’s YouTube channel, with the following participants: Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Dina Contella, deputy manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX Kazuyoshi Kawasaki, associate director general, Space Exploration Center/Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center, JAXA To participate in the teleconference, media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom by 5 p.m., Aug. 7, at: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111. To ask questions, media must dial in no later than 10 minutes before the start of the call. The agency’s media credentialing policy is available online. Find full mission coverage, NASA’s commercial crew blog, and more information about the Crew-10 mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew -end- Joshua Finch Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov Steve Siceloff / Stephanie Plucinsky Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-867-2468 steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov / stephanie.n.plucinsky@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 06, 2025 Location NASA Headquarters Related Terms International Space Station (ISS) Commercial Crew Humans in Space ISS Research Johnson Space Center Kennedy Space Center

The Snapshot Wisconsin project recently collected their 100 millionth trail camera photo! What’s more, this milestone coincides with the project’s 10-year anniversary. Congratulations to the team and everyone who’s participated!

A white-tailed deer fawn photographed on a Snapshot Wisconsin trail camera in Vernon County, WI Credit: WI DNR The Snapshot Wisconsin project recently collected their 100 millionth trail camera photo! What’s more, this milestone coincides with the project’s 10-year anniversary. Congratulations to the team and everyone who’s participated! Snapshot Wisconsin utilizes a statewide network of volunteer-managed trail cameras to monitor and better understand the state’s diverse wildlife from white-tailed deer to snowshoe hares, whooping cranes, and much more. “It’s been amazing to get a glimpse of our wild treasures via the Snapshot lens,” said one volunteer. “Satisfying to help advance wildlife research in the digital age.” Snapshot Wisconsin was launched in 2013 with help from a NASA grant, and is overseen by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. It recently won a new grant from NASA’s Citizen Science for Earth Systems Program. Volunteer classifications of the species present in trail camera photos have fueled many different scientific investigations over the years. You, too, can get involved in the merriment by visiting the project’s site on the Zooniverse crowdsourcing platform and helping classify their latest photo season today! Facebook logo @nasascience @nasascience Instagram logo @nasascience Linkedin logo @nasascience Share Details Last Updated Aug 06, 2025 Related Terms Citizen Science Earth Science Division Explore More 4 min read STEM Educators Are Bringing Hands-On NASA Science into Virginia Classrooms Article 2 days ago 2 min read Radio JOVE Volunteers Tune In to the Sun’s Low Notes Article 2 weeks ago 2 min read Bring NASA Science into Your Library! Article 2 weeks ago

As Greenland’s ice retreats, it’s fueling tiny ocean organisms. To test why, scientists turned to a computer model out of JPL and MIT that’s been called a laboratory in itself. Runoff from Greenland’s ice sheet is kicking nutrients up from the ocean depths and boosting phytoplankton growth, a new NASA-supported study has found. Reporting in […]

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Ocean currents swirl around North America (center left) and Greenland (upper right) in this data visualization created using NASA’s ECCO model. Advanced computing is helping oceanographers decipher hot spots of phytoplankton growth. NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio As Greenland’s ice retreats, it’s fueling tiny ocean organisms. To test why, scientists turned to a computer model out of JPL and MIT that’s been called a laboratory in itself. Runoff from Greenland’s ice sheet is kicking nutrients up from the ocean depths and boosting phytoplankton growth, a new NASA-supported study has found. Reporting in Nature Communications: Earth & Environment, the scientists used state-of-the art-computing to simulate marine life and physics colliding in one turbulent fjord. Oceanographers are keen to understand what drives the tiny plantlike organisms, which take up carbon dioxide and power the world’s fisheries. Greenland’s mile-thick ice sheet is shedding some 293 billion tons (266 billion metric tons) of ice per year. During peak summer melt, more than 300,000 gallons (1,200 cubic meters) of fresh water drain into the sea every second from beneath Jakobshavn Glacier, also known as Sermeq Kujalleq,the most active glacier on the ice sheet. The waters meet and tumble hundreds of feet below the surface. Teal-colored phytoplankton bloom off the Greenland coast in this satellite image captured in June 2024 by NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission. NASA The meltwater plume is fresh and more buoyant than the surrounding saltwater. As it rises, scientists have hypothesized, it may be delivering nutrients like iron and nitrate — a key ingredient in fertilizer — to phytoplankton floating at the surface. Researchers track these microscopic organisms because, though smaller by far than a pinhead, they’re titans of the ocean food web. Inhabiting every ocean from the tropics to the polar regions, they nourish krill and other grazers that, in turn, support larger animals, including fish and whales. Previous work using NASA satellite data found that the rate of phytoplankton growth in Arctic waters surged 57% between 1998 and 2018 alone. An infusion of nitrate from the depths would be especially pivotal to Greenland’s phytoplankton in summer, after most nutrients been consumed by prior spring blooms. But the hypothesis has been hard to test along the coast, where the remote terrain and icebergs as big as city blocks complicate long-term observations. “We were faced with this classic problem of trying to understand a system that is so remote and buried beneath ice,” said Dustin Carroll, an oceanographer at San José State University who is also affiliated with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “We needed a gem of a computer model to help.” Sea of Data To re-create what was happening in the waters around Greenland’s most active glacier, the team harnessed a model of the ocean developed at JPL and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. The model ingests nearly all available ocean measurements collected by sea- and satellite-based instruments over the past three decades. That amounts to billions of data points, from water temperature and salinity to pressure at the seafloor. The model is called Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean-Darwin (ECCO-Darwin for short). Simulating “biology, chemistry, and physics coming together” in even one pocket along Greenland’s 27,000 miles (43,000 kilometers) of coastline is a massive math problem, noted lead author Michael Wood, a computational oceanographer at San José State University. To break it down, he said the team built a “model within a model within a model” to zoom in on the details of the fjord at the foot of the glacier. Using supercomputers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, they calculated that deepwater nutrients buoyed upward by glacial runoff would be sufficient to boost summertime phytoplankton growth by 15 to 40% in the study area. More Changes in Store Could increased phytoplankton be a boon for Greenland’s marine animals and fisheries? Carroll said that untangling impacts to the ecosystem will take time. Melt on the Greenland ice sheet is projected to accelerate in coming decades, affecting everything from sea level and land vegetation to the saltiness of coastal waters. “We reconstructed what’s happening in one key system, but there’s more than 250 such glaciers around Greenland,” Carroll said. He noted that the team plans to extend their simulations to the whole Greenland coast and beyond. Some changes appear to be impacting the carbon cycle both positively and negatively: The team calculated how runoff from the glacier alters the temperature and chemistry of seawater in the fjord, making it less able to dissolve carbon dioxide. That loss is canceled out, however, by the bigger blooms of phytoplankton taking up more carbon dioxide from the air as they photosynthesize. Wood added: “We didn’t build these tools for one specific application. Our approach is applicable to any region, from the Texas Gulf to Alaska. Like a Swiss Army knife, we can apply it to lots of different scenarios.” News Media Contacts Jane J. Lee / Andrew Wang Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 626-379-6874 / 818-354-0307 jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov / andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov Written by Sally Younger 2025-101 Share Details Last Updated Aug 06, 2025 Related Terms Earth Carbon Cycle Earth Science Ice & Glaciers Jet Propulsion Laboratory Oceans PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem) Water on Earth Explore More 4 min read NASA’s Perseverance Rover Captures Mars Vista As Clear As Day Article 3 hours ago 1 min read NASA’s Black Marble: Stories from the Night Sky Studying the glowing patterns of Earth’s surface helps us understand human activity, respond to disasters,… Article 2 days ago 4 min read STEM Educators Are Bringing Hands-On NASA Science into Virginia Classrooms Professional learning experiences are integral to the enhancement of classroom instruction. Teachers, at the forefront… Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System

‘Float rocks,’ sand ripples, and vast distances are among the sights to see in the latest high-resolution panorama by the six-wheeled scientist. The imaging team of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took advantage of clear skies on the Red Planet to capture one of the sharpest panoramas of its mission so far. Visible in the mosaic, […]

Captured at a location called “Falbreen,” this enhanced-color mosaic features deceptively blue skies and the 43rd rock abrasion (the white patch at center-left) of the NASA Perseverance rover’s mission at Mars. The 96 images stitched together to create this 360-degree view were acquired May 26, 2025. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS In this natural-color version of the “Falbreen” panorama, colors have not been enhanced and the sky appears more reddish. Visible still is Perseverance’s 43rd rock abrasion (the white patch at center-left). The 96 images stitched together to create this 360-degree view were acquired May 26, 2025. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS ‘Float rocks,’ sand ripples, and vast distances are among the sights to see in the latest high-resolution panorama by the six-wheeled scientist. The imaging team of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took advantage of clear skies on the Red Planet to capture one of the sharpest panoramas of its mission so far. Visible in the mosaic, which was stitched together from 96 images taken at a location the science team calls “Falbreen,” are a rock that appears to lie on top of a sand ripple, a boundary line between two geologic units, and hills as distant as 40 miles (65 kilometers) away. The enhanced-color version shows the Martian sky to be remarkably clear and deceptively blue, while in the natural-color version, it’s reddish. “Our bold push for human space exploration will send astronauts back to the Moon,” said Sean Duffy, acting NASA administrator. “Stunning vistas like that of Falbreen, captured by our Perseverance rover, are just a glimpse of what we’ll soon witness with our own eyes. NASA’s groundbreaking missions, starting with Artemis, will propel our unstoppable journey to take human space exploration to the Martian surface. NASA is continuing to get bolder and stronger.” The rover’s Mastcam-Z instrument captured the images on May 26, 2025, the 1,516th Martian day, or sol, of Perseverance’s mission, which began in February 2021 on the floor of Jezero Crater. Perseverance reached the top of the crater rim late last year. “The relatively dust-free skies provide a clear view of the surrounding terrain,” said Jim Bell, Mastcam-Z’s principal investigator at Arizona State University in Tempe. “And in this particular mosaic, we have enhanced the color contrast, which accentuates the differences in the terrain and sky.” Buoyant Boulder One detail that caught the science team’s attention is a large rock that appears to sit atop a dark, crescent-shaped sand ripple to the right of the mosaic’s center, about 14 feet (4.4 meters) from the rover. Geologists call this type of rock a “float rock” because it was more than likely formed someplace else and transported to its current location. Whether this one arrived by a landslide, water, or wind is unknown, but the science team suspects it got here before the sand ripple formed. The bright white circle just left of center and near the bottom of the image is an abrasion patch. This is the 43rd rock Perseverance has abraded since it landed on Mars. Two inches (5 centimeters) wide, the shallow patch is made with the rover’s drill and enables the science team to see what’s beneath the weathered, dusty surface of a rock before deciding to drill a core sample that would be stored in one of the mission’s titanium sample tubes. The rover made this abrasion on May 22 and performed proximity science (a detailed analysis of Martian rocks and soil) with its arm-mounted instruments two days later. The science team wanted to learn about Falbreen because it’s situated within what may be some of the oldest terrain Perseverance has ever explored — perhaps even older than Jezero Crater. Tracks from the rover’s journey to the location can be seen toward the mosaic’s right edge. About 300 feet (90 meters) away, they veer to the left, disappearing from sight at a previous geologic stop the science team calls “Kenmore.” A little more than halfway up the mosaic, sweeping from one edge to the other, is the transition from lighter-toned to darker-toned rocks. This is the boundary line, or contact, between two geologic units. The flat, lighter-colored rocks nearer to the rover are rich in the mineral olivine, while the darker rocks farther away are believed to be much older clay-bearing rocks. More About Perseverance NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover on behalf of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program portfolio. Arizona State University leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras. For more about Perseverance: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance News Media Contacts DC Agle Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-393-9011 agle@jpl.nasa.gov Karen Fox / Molly Wasser NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov 2025-100 Explore More 4 min read NASA Supercomputers Take on Life Near Greenland’s Most Active Glacier Article 3 hours ago 5 min read NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer Moon Mission Ends Article 2 days ago 5 min read Marking 13 Years on Mars, NASA’s Curiosity Picks Up New Skills Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System

After 25 years at NASA, flying in four different spacecraft, accumulating 464 days in space, astronaut and test pilot Butch Wilmore has retired from NASA. The Tennessee native earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Tennessee Technological University and a master’s degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee. Wilmore […]

NASA Astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore NASA/Aubrey Gemignani After 25 years at NASA, flying in four different spacecraft, accumulating 464 days in space, astronaut and test pilot Butch Wilmore has retired from NASA. The Tennessee native earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Tennessee Technological University and a master’s degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee. Wilmore is a decorated U.S. Navy captain who has flown numerous tactical aircraft operationally while deploying aboard four aircraft carriers during peacetime and combat operations. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, he went on to serve as a test pilot before NASA selected him to become an astronaut in 2000. “Butch’s commitment to NASA’s mission and dedication to human space exploration is truly exemplary,” said Steve Koerner, acting director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “His lasting legacy of fortitude will continue to impact and inspire the Johnson workforce, future explorers, and the nation for generations. On behalf of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, we thank Butch for his service.” During his time at NASA, Wilmore completed three missions launching aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, Roscosmos Soyuz, and Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station. Wilmore also returned to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Additionally, he conducted five spacewalks, totaling 32 hours outside the orbital laboratory. “Throughout his career, Butch has exemplified the technical excellence of what is required of an astronaut. His mastery of complex systems, coupled with his adaptability and steadfast commitment to NASA’s mission, has inspired us all,” said Joe Acaba, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson. “As he steps into this new chapter, that same dedication will no doubt continue to show in whatever he decides to do next.” Most recently, Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024, for its first crewed flight test mission, arriving at the space station the following day. While aboard the station, Wilmore completed numerous tasks, including a spacewalk to help remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss and collected samples and surface material for analysis from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock. “From my earliest days, I have been captivated by the marvels of creation, looking upward with an insatiable curiosity. This curiosity propelled me into the skies, and eventually to space, where the magnificence of the cosmos mirrored the glory of its creator in ways words can scarcely convey,” said Wilmore. “Even as I ventured beyond Earth’s limits, I remained attuned to the beauty and significance of the world below, recognizing the same intricate design evident among the stars is also woven into the fabric of life at home.” Learn more about how NASA explores the unknown and innovates for the benefit of humanity at: https://www.nasa.gov/ Courtney Beasley Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-910-4989 courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov

NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a view of its tracks on July 26, 2025. The robotic scientist is now exploring a region of lower Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain. The pale peak of the mountain can be seen at top right; the rim of Gale Crater, within which the mountain sits, is on the horizon […]

This view of tracks trailing NASA’s Curiosity rover was captured July 26, 2025, as the rover simultaneously relayed data to a Mars orbiter. NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a view of its tracks on July 26, 2025. The robotic scientist is now exploring a region of lower Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain. The pale peak of the mountain can be seen at top right; the rim of Gale Crater, within which the mountain sits, is on the horizon at top left. Curiosity touched down on the crater floor 13 years ago. Recently, the rover rolled into a region filled with boxwork formations. Studying these formations could reveal whether microbial life could have survived in the Martian subsurface eons ago, extending the period of habitability farther into when the planet was drying out. Read more about the detective work Curiosity is doing on Mars. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Before Nathan Jermyn could dig into the legal frameworks at NASA, he had to answer a different call. Jermyn participated in a one-day orientation in the summer of 2023 to begin work as an attorney-advisor supporting NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the NASA Shared Services Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. However, the Biloxi, Mississippi, […]

Nathan Jermyn frequented NASA Stennis on field trips when he was younger. Now, he works as an attorney-advisor supporting NASA Stennis and the NASA Shared Services Center. NASA/Danny Nowlin Before Nathan Jermyn could dig into the legal frameworks at NASA, he had to answer a different call. Jermyn participated in a one-day orientation in the summer of 2023 to begin work as an attorney-advisor supporting NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the NASA Shared Services Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. However, the Biloxi, Mississippi, native shipped out just a week later with the Mississippi Army National Guard to provide military legal counsel for nearly six months in support of Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve. The decorated military veteran returned to NASA in January 2024 to fully immerse himself as a member of the contract and procurement practice group for the NASA Office of the General Counsel. “Even though I have been working here for two years, sometimes it does not feel real,” Jermyn said. As a member of the contract and procurement law team, Jermyn assists with contract- and procurement-related topics for NASA Stennis and the NASA Shared Services Center to ensure taxpayer funds are used responsibly. He also is a member of NASA’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) team and provides legal reviews and advice for FOIA requests as the agency creates a cohesive and effective knowledge-sharing environment. The most interesting thing about his work is seeing how the big picture comes together, how each small detail and decision adds up to something more meaningful. “Our office is a small piece, and it is amazing to see how our efforts intertwine with NASA Stennis and the NASA Shared Services Center operations and NASA,” he said. “It is also amazing the lengths everyone will go to help each other accomplish the mission.” Before joining NASA, Jermyn graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a law degree from Mississippi College School of Law. The Gulfport, Mississippi, resident initially practiced criminal law. Jermyn credits the team he works with at NASA for helping him navigate the complexities of government contract law. “Having a team that supports you and teaches you every day really expedites the learning process,” he said. “Our team puts a heavy emphasis on learning, development, and teamwork.” Jermyn is most excited to see how NASA continues to explore the universe moving forward, which includes the Artemis campaign of exploring the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. Artemis II is scheduled for 2026. “I wholeheartedly believe humanity is destined for the stars and NASA is in prime position to lead that charge,” he said. Learn More About Careers at NASA Stennis Explore More 6 min read A Defining Era: NASA Stennis and Space Shuttle Main Engine Testing Article 3 months ago 4 min read NASA Stennis Releases First Open-Source Software Article 3 months ago 5 min read NASA Stennis Software is Built for Future Growth Article 3 months ago

Written by Ashley Stroupe, Mission Operations Engineer and Rover Planner at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. Now that we have reached August, our “landiversary” (anniversary of landing — Aug. 5 PDT) is less than a week away! The team is looking forward to being able to celebrate the milestone […]

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home 3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4618-4619: The Boxwork Structures Continue to Call to Us NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Left Navigation Camera on Aug. 1, 2025 — Sol 4616, or Martian day 4,616 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 03:36:56 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Written by Ashley Stroupe, Mission Operations Engineer and Rover Planner at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. Now that we have reached August, our “landiversary” (anniversary of landing — Aug. 5 PDT) is less than a week away! The team is looking forward to being able to celebrate the milestone of our rover becoming a teenager at 13. Today’s image is a beautiful back-lit late afternoon image of the nearby mountains and the distant crater rim. These views make working on Mars never get old! The first sol of today’s plan is very busy because we will only have data from the first sol down in time for planning on Monday. Today I was working as a Rover Planner, supporting both arm and drive activities. We start first thing with arm activities; we DRT brush and do APXS integration on the target “San Cristóbal,” which is a bedrock target, and the only place in the workspace smooth and flat enough for us to brush. After a brief nap, we have an extensive imaging campaign. We take Mastcam images of the AEGIS target from the previous plan and two potential vein targets “Rio Satja” and “Río Ichilo.” We then take Mastcam stereo mosaics of boxwork targets “Pontezuelo” and “Catedrales de Tara.” Additionally we have stereo mosaics of “Llanos de Challe,” a transition between the bedrock in the boxwork hollow and the boxwork ridge, a nearby light-toned exposure, and some additional troughs and ridges. ChemCam then takes a LIBS observation of “Airport Domes,” which is another hollow in the boxworks. Finally, we take a ChemCam RMI and a Mastcam of Pontezuelo. After finishing all the imaging, we continue with the rest of the arm activities. We split the arm activities to accommodate conflicting constraints — both APXS and ChemCam both need to be as early as possible. In this set of arm activities, we begin with MAHLI imaging of the two targets, San Cristóbal and “Salar de Agua Amara,” which consists of delicate branching structures likely made by groundwater. After another short nap, we do a small adjustment in our position to get another interesting piece of bedrock ridge in our workspace. In order to approach it at a good angle, we first drive parallel to the ridge to be lined up with the target, and then we turn and drive straight to it. Due to constraints on how we like to park at targets, sometimes these shorter drives can be more complicated than longer ones — but today it was simpler. After completing the drive, we unstow the arm to get a clear view of our workspace for Monday’s planning as well as our standard post-drive imaging and then Curiosity goes to sleep for the night. The second sol of the plan is a bit more leisurely. Around midday, Curiosity will be taking some atmospheric observations, including a Navcam dust-devil survey and a south-facing suprahorizon movie, followed by an AEGIS activity where the rover gets to pick targets and observe them herself. Then, early the next morning, Curiosity will wake up to take some additional atmospheric observations, including Navcam zenith and suprahorizon movies, Navcam line-of-sight toward the crater rim, and a Mastcam solar tau to measure dust in the atmosphere. Finally, she’ll get a short nap before waking up to start the next plan. Learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments For more Curiosity blog posts, visit MSL Mission Updates Share Details Last Updated Aug 05, 2025 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 4 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4616-4617: Standing Tall on the Ridge Article 1 day ago 2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4614-4615: Driving Along the Boxwork Article 7 days ago 3 min read Spheres in the Sand Article 7 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…

NASA has selected six companies to produce studies focused on lower-cost ways to launch and deliver spacecraft of various sizes and forms to multiple, difficult-to-reach orbits. The firm-fixed-price awards comprise nine studies with a maximum total value of approximately $1.4 million. The awardees are: “With the increasing maturity of commercial space delivery capabilities, we’re asking […]

Rendering of Quantum’s Ranger spacecraft engineered for rapid maneuverability and adaptability, enabling multi-destination delivery for missions from low Earth orbit to cislunar space. Credit: Arrow Science and Technology/Quantum Space Rendering of Blue Ring, a large high-mobility space platform providing full-service payload delivery, on-board edge computing, hosting, and end-to-end mission operations. Credit: Blue Origin Rendering of Firefly’s Elytra Dark orbital vehicle deploying Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander into lunar orbit. Credit: Firefly Aerospace Mira, a high-thrust, highly maneuverable spacecraft for payload hosting and deployment. Credit: Impulse Space Helios, a high-energy kick stage to rapidly deliver payloads to medium Earth orbit, geosynchronous orbit, and beyond. Credit: Impulse Space Pictured, two spacecraft for NASA and the University of California at Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission. The spacecraft are based on Rocket Lab’s Explorer spacecraft, a configurable, high delta-V interplanetary platform. Credit: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab’s reusable rocket Neutron, a medium-lift class rocket designed for reuse and launch frequency to deliver cost-effective, reliable, and responsive launch for commercial and government missions. Credit: Rocket Lab NASA has selected six companies to produce studies focused on lower-cost ways to launch and deliver spacecraft of various sizes and forms to multiple, difficult-to-reach orbits. The firm-fixed-price awards comprise nine studies with a maximum total value of approximately $1.4 million. The awardees are: Arrow Science and Technology LLC, Webster, Texas Blue Origin LLC, Merritt Island, Florida Firefly Aerospace Inc., Cedar Park, Texas Impulse Space Inc., Redondo Beach, California Rocket Lab, Long Beach, California United Launch Services LLC, Centennial, Colorado “With the increasing maturity of commercial space delivery capabilities, we’re asking companies to demonstrate how they can meet NASA’s need for multi-spacecraft and multi-orbit delivery to difficult-to-reach orbits beyond current launch service offerings,” said Joe Dant, orbital transfer vehicle strategic initiative owner for the Launch Services Program at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “This will increase unique science capability and lower the agency’s overall mission costs.” Each of the six companies will deliver studies exploring future application of orbital transfer vehicles for NASA missions: Arrow will partner with Quantum Space for its study. Quantum’s Ranger provides payload delivery service as a multi-mission spacecraft engineered for rapid maneuverability and adaptability, enabling multi-destination delivery for missions from low Earth orbit to lunar orbit. Blue Origin will produce two studies, including one for Blue Ring, a large, high-mobility space platform providing full-service payload delivery, on-board edge computing, hosting, and end-to-end mission operations. It uses hybrid solar-electric and chemical propulsion capability to reach geostationary, cislunar, Mars, and interplanetary destinations. The second is a New Glenn upper stage study. Firefly’s line of Elytra orbital vehicles offers on-demand payload delivery, imaging, long-haul communications, and domain awareness across cislunar space. Firefly’s Elytra Dark is equipped to serve as a transfer vehicle and enable ongoing operations in lunar orbit for more than five years. Impulse Space will produce two studies. The company provides in-space mobility with two vehicles, Mira and Helios. Mira is a high-thrust, highly maneuverable spacecraft for payload hosting and deployment, while Helios is a high-energy kick stage to rapidly deliver payloads from low Earth to medium Earth orbits, geostationary orbits and beyond. Rocket Lab’s two studies will feature the upper stage of the company’s Neutron rocket, as well as a long-life orbital transfer vehicle based on its Explorer spacecraft. Both vehicles are equipped with their own propulsion systems and other subsystems for missions to medium Earth and geosynchronous orbit and deep space destinations like the Moon, Mars, and near-Earth asteroids. United Launch Alliance will assess the cislunar mission capabilities of an extended-duration Centaur V upper stage. Centaur would be capable of directly delivering multiple rideshare spacecraft to two different orbital destinations in cislunar space, avoiding the need for an additional rocket stage or orbital transfer vehicle. The studies will be complete by mid-September. NASA will use the findings to inform mission design, planning, and commercial launch acquisition strategies for risk-tolerant payloads, with a possibility of expanding delivery services to larger-sized payloads and to less risk-tolerant missions in the future. NASA’s Launch Services Program selected providers through the agency’s VADR (Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare Launch Services) contract, which helps foster growth of the U.S. commercial launch market, enabling greater access to space at a lower cost for science and technology missions. For more information about NASA’s Launch Services Program, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/launch-services-program -end- Josh Finch Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov Leejay Lockhart Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-747-8310 leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 06, 2025 Location Kennedy Space Center Related Terms Partner With Us Commercial Space Kennedy Space Center Space Operations Mission Directorate

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Looks Back at Science Mission NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission with agency astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov is preparing to return to Earth in early August after a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station. During their stay, McClain, […]

7 Min Read NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Looks Back at Science Mission NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Looks Back at Science Mission NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission with agency astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov is preparing to return to Earth in early August after a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station. During their stay, McClain, Ayers, and Onishi completed dozens of experiments and technology demonstrations, helping push the boundaries of scientific discovery aboard the orbiting laboratory. Here’s a look at some scientific milestones accomplished during the Crew-10 mission: Orbital effects on plants NASA The canisters floating in the cupola of the International Space Station contain wild-type and genetically-modified thale cress plants for the Rhodium Plant LIFE experiment. The investigation studies how radiation and gravity environments at different orbital altitudes affect plant growth by comparing Crew-10 data with plants flown aboard the Polaris Dawn mission, which flew deeper into space. Studies have shown microgravity affects growth rates, and a better understanding of the mechanisms behind this could improve plant growth techniques in space and on Earth. Solar spacewalk NASA NASA astronaut Anne McClain conducts a spacewalk to upgrade the International Space Station’s power generation systems, which include main solar arrays like the one visible behind her. McClain is installing hardware to support an IROSA (International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array), a type of array that is more compact and produces more power than the station’s original ones. The IROSAs were first demonstrated aboard the orbiting laboratory in June 2017, and eight have been installed to augment the power available for scientific research and other activities. Microalgae on the menu NASA NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers uses the International Space Station’s Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory to process samples for SOPHONSTER, a study of microgravity’s effects on the protein yield of microalgae. These organisms are highly nutritious, producing amino acids, fatty acids, B vitamins, iron, and fiber. The microalgae could provide sustainable meat and dairy alternatives during long-duration space missions. It also could be used to make biofuels and bioactive compounds in medicines in space and on Earth. Looking down on lightning NASA The International Space Station orbits more than 250 miles above Earth, giving astronauts a unique view of their home planet, where they can photograph familiar places and interesting phenomena. While passing over a stormy night, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured this image of simultaneous lightning at the top of two thunderstorms. Scientists use instruments installed on the space station to study lightning and other weather conditions in Earth’s upper atmosphere. This research helps protect communication systems and aircraft while improving atmospheric models and weather predictions. Testing the tips of DNA To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video NASA In this time-lapse video, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi and NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers harvest samples for the APEX-12 investigation, which examines how space radiation affects telomere activity in thale cress plants. Telomeres, which are repetitive DNA sequences that protect the ends of chromosomes, become shorter each time a cell divides and indicate cell aging. The APEX-12 investigation could clarify the role of telomeres in aging and diseases and help scientists equip plants and other organisms for the stress of long-duration spaceflight. Microscopic motion NASA A fluorescent microscope, known as ELVIS, captures the motion of microscopic algae and bacteria in 3D, a new capability aboard the International Space Station. The technology could be helpful in various applications in space and on Earth, such as monitoring water quality and detecting potentially infectious organisms. NASA astronaut Anne McClain prepares bacterial samples for viewing with the microscope. How cells sense gravity NASA Individual cells in our bodies can respond to the effects of gravity, but how they do this is largely unknown. The Cell Gravisensing investigation is an effort to observe the mechanism that enables cells to sense gravity and could lead to therapies to treat muscle and bone conditions, like muscle atrophy during long-duration spaceflight and osteoporosis on Earth. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi processes research samples in the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module. Water works NASA NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain work on installing hardware for the International Space Station’s Exploration Potable Water Dispenser. Scientists are evaluating the device’s water sanitization and microbial growth reduction technology. The dispenser provides room temperature and hot water for crew consumption and food preparation. This technology could be adopted for future exploration missions. Free-flying camera NASA Astronaut Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) monitors the JEM Internal Ball Camera 2 as it floats through the International Space Station. The free-flying, rechargeable camera provides a visual field outside the other cameras installed aboard the space station. JAXA is testing the robot’s ability to capture video and imagery of scientific experiments and other activities, which could free up crew time for research and other duties. Two rings to pin them all NASA NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers sets up the space station’s Ring Sheared Drop device, which uses surface tension to pin a drop of liquid between two rings. The device makes it possible to study liquid proteins without a solid container, eliminating interactions between the solutions and container walls that can affect results. The Ring Sheared Drop-IBP-2 experiment studies the behavior of protein fluids in microgravity and tests predictive computer models. Better models could help advance manufacturing processes in space and on Earth for next-generation medicines to treat cancers and other diseases. Crystallization research NASA NASA astronaut Anne McClain swaps out hardware in the International Space Station’s Advanced Space Experiment Processor-4, which enables physical science and crystallization research. A current investigation uses the processor to demonstrate technology that may be able to produce medications during deep space missions and improve pharmaceutical manufacturing on Earth. Monitoring astronaut health NASA NASA astronaut Anne McClain helps JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi collect a sample of his blood. Analysis of blood samples is one tool NASA uses to continuously monitor crew health, including cardiovascular and immune system functions, bone and muscle mass changes, nutritional and metabolic status, and mental well-being. Crew members aboard the International Space Station also participate in various ongoing studies to better understand how different body systems adapt to weightlessness. Catching a corona NASA/KASI/INAF/CODEX This animated, color-coded heat map shows temperature changes in the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, over several days, with red indicating hotter regions and purple showing cooler ones. Scientists can observe these changes thanks to the International Space Station’s CODEX, which collected data during the Crew-10 mission. The instrument uses a coronagraph to block out sunlight and reveal details in the Sun’s corona. Data from this investigation could help scientists understand the energy source of the solar wind, a flow of charged particles from the Sun that constantly bombards Earth. Expanding in-space crystallization NASA Astronaut Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) services the International Space Station’s Advanced Space Experiment Processor-4 in preparation for ADSEP-Industrial Crystallization Cassette. This investigation tests new hardware that scales up research and could enable in-space production of pharmaceuticals and other materials for commercial space applications. Sowing seeds in space NASA NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers prepares mixture tubes containing samples for Nanoracks Module-9 Swiss Chard. This student-designed experiment examines whether the size, shape, color, and nutritional content of Swiss chard seeds germinated in space differ from those grown on Earth. The International Space Station hosts ongoing plant research as a source of food and other benefits, including contributing to astronaut well-being, for future long-duration missions. Protecting astronaut vision NASA Spaceflight can cause changes to eye structure and vision, so crew members monitor eye health throughout their missions. Astronaut Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), assisted by NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, conducts an eye exam aboard the International Space Station using optical coherence tomography. This technology uses reflected light to produce 3D images of the retina, nerve fibers, and other eye structures and layers. Share Details Last Updated Aug 05, 2025 Related Terms ISS Research Humans in Space International Space Station (ISS) Explore More 7 min read NICER Status Updates Article 1 day ago 4 min read NASA’s Artemis Crew Trains in Moonbound Orion Ahead of Mission Article 2 days ago 1 min read NASA Invites Virtual Guests to SpaceX Crew-11 Mission Launch Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Latest News from Space Station Research Space Station Research and Technology Humans In Space International Space Station

New Scientist - Space

The acting administrator of NASA, Sean Duffy, announced a directive to build a powerful nuclear reactor on the moon, but it is unclear what it would power – or even if his plan is legal

Scientists are exploring various proposals to repurpose existing spacecraft in order to chase after the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS and take a closer look – but time is against them

Neuromorphic cameras, which only record data when a pixel's brightness changes, may be advantageous for capturing extremely bright and dim objects in the same image and tracking fast-moving objects

Earlier this year, astronomers reported possible evidence of life on another planet – but new observations from JWST suggest the apparent biosignature isn’t there after all

A red supergiant star is surrounded by a sphere of dust and gas so large there is no known explanation for what produced it

A new moon in late July will give us dark skies – perfect for spotting this beautiful meteor shower, says Abigail Beall

Stars uncontaminated by heavier elements are thought to have formed very early in the universe, but a galaxy much later in cosmic history might let us see them for the first time

A computer simulation of stars near the centre of our galaxy offers an explanation for their mysteriously young appearance – they may be capturing dark matter for extra fuel

Small, compact galaxies seen in the early universe have puzzled astronomers – finding these unusual objects closer to home could provide hints about how they form

In his sci-fi novel Lake of Darkness , Adam Roberts set out to write a utopia, a genre predating science fiction that imagines a better or perfect world. "I wanted to investigate the logic of utopia itself. Is utopia possible?" he says. Despite this, he admits that utopia novels are hard: "There can be, by …

From a silhouetted space station to glowing comet tails and swirling stars, this year's ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest inspires us to see the cosmos in a new light

Using samples collected by the Chinese Chang’e 5 mission, researchers have discovered a new way to release water from lunar regolith and process the carbon dioxide breathed out by astronauts

Without enough liquid water on the surface, a planet's atmosphere can become choked with carbon dioxide, raising temperatures to a level beyond what is survivable for all known life

A puzzling gravitational wave was detected, and astronomers have determined that it comes from a record-breaking black hole merger

The IceCube neutrino detector has allowed researchers to resolve a debate about what types of particles make up ultra-high-energy cosmic rays – but much remains unknown about these rare events

Observations from NASA’s Juno spacecraft reveal that Jupiter’s strong magnetic field and the unique properties of its plasma can produce a truly novel kind of extraterrestrial wave near its poles

The awe-inspiring distances of the cosmos are hard to visualise, so how can we be certain we are measuring them correctly? Chanda Prescod-Weinstein explains

Astronomers tracking an interstellar object flying through the solar system think it comes from a star at least 8 billion years old, almost twice the age of our sun

Around seven asteroids or comets are thought to hit Saturn every year, but we have never spotted one in the act. Now, it seems one astronomer may have caught the moment of impact and the hunt is on for other images to verify the discovery

Rocky bodies called protoplanets were thought to have formed slightly earlier in the inner solar system than those beyond the asteroid belt, but now a meteorite from the outer solar system is rewriting that view

A lab experiment that simulated Mars conditions showed that green algae can grow in plastic containers made from the same algae, setting the stage for a self-sustaining system to build habitats on the planet

By looking at the shifting of stars in photos from the New Horizons probe, astronomers have calculated its position in the galaxy – a technique that could be useful for interstellar missions

An object from another star has been seen entering the solar system at high speed, and is expected to whip around the sun in the coming months

Pictures of a distant supernova remnant show two concentric rings, providing clear evidence that exploding white dwarf stars go boom twice in the blink of an eye

Conditions in our little pocket of the universe seem to be just right for life - and the much-debated anthropic principle forces us to wonder why

In this passage from near the opening of Lake of Darkness, the latest read for the New Scientist Book Club, we are given an insight into how deep-space travel works in Adam Roberts’s universe

There have been hundreds of reports of sightings of a “fireball” in the skies over the southern US – it may have been a meteor breaking up as it falls through Earth’s atmosphere

After decades of planning and construction, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is about to begin a 10-year survey of the southern sky . This enormous telescope has already produced stunning new images of the heavens and discovered thousands of new asteroids . New Scientist got a behind-the-scenes look at the telescope during the first few …

A high-speed crash between two dwarf galaxies might explain a unique feature in space – and provide useful information on dark matter

In just 10 hours of observing the night sky, the powerful new telescope detected more than 2000 new asteroids, including a few that will pass near Earth

Astronomers have been trying to detect atmospheres on planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1, but bursts of radiation from the star make this challenging

A powerful new telescope in Chile is set to transform astronomy, and its first pictures of stellar nurseries and galaxies have just been unveiled

Milky Way viewing is at its best right now, especially if you’re in the southern hemisphere. Here's what to look out for, says Abigail Beall

Astronomers are puzzled by a strong burst of radio waves traced back to a NASA satellite that had been inactive since the 1960s

The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week

Earth is no longer at risk of a direct collision with the asteroid 2024 YR4, but an impact on the moon in 2032 could send debris hurtling towards our planet that could take out orbiting satellites

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is releasing its first images on 23 June, showing us galaxies as we’ve never seen them before. Here’s how you can join a party to see those shots in full definition

Using machine learning to analyse data from the Event Horizon Telescope, researchers found the black hole at the centre of our galaxy is spinning almost as fast as possible

The Proba-3 mission, consisting of two spacecraft that fly in close formation to study the sun, has returned images of the first ever artificial solar eclipse

There appears to be a volcano near Jezero crater on Mars and the Perseverance rover might already have samples from it that we could use to precisely date the activity of another planet's volcano for the first time

With the ability to scan the entire southern night sky every three days, the huge Vera C. Rubin Observatory could be about to start solving the mysteries of the universe, from dark matter to Planet Nine

The universe will still be there to marvel at, despite brutal cuts set to hit NASA and the National Science Foundation's budgets. But the damage to future research will be long-lasting, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

The Solar Orbiter spacecraft, a joint mission between the European Space Agency and NASA, is the first to venture into a tilted orbit around the sun, letting it take some unusual pictures

We may already have had our first-ever encounter with dark matter, according to researchers who say a mysteriously high-energy particle detected in 2023 is not a neutrino after all, but something far stranger

Our ability to study faint radio signals from when the first stars began to form is being threatened by SpaceX's Starlink satellites, which seem to be unintentionally leaking radio signals that overpower astronomers' telescopes

A new documentary sheds light on the extraordinary story of the US's first woman astronaut, Sally Ride, who defied all expectations in both her career and personal life

An attempt to become the third successful private landing on the moon has ended in failure, as ispace's Resilience probe crashed due to a malfunctioning laser sensor

Dark stars were first suggested in 2007, but now observations with the James Webb Space Telescope hint that we may have actually found some of these unusual cosmic objects

The Hubble constant, a set number that connects a galaxy’s speed to its distance from Earth and tells us how fast the universe is expanding, was first described more than a hundred years ago – but astronomers have debated it ever since

If successful, Resilience will be only the third private spacecraft to complete a landing on the moon, and the first operated by a non-US company

Mining craters on the moon could be more practical than extracting precious metals from asteroids, but it might also introduce new legal difficulties

The failure of SpaceX’s ninth Starship launch has raised fresh concerns about the future of the rocket, but is there any alternative to Elon Musk’s approach to space?

City-sized droplets and twisting streams of plasma have been picked up by incredibly detailed images of the sun’s corona, showing our star as we’ve never seen it before

There have never been so many satellites orbiting Earth as there are today, thanks in part to the launch of mega constellations like SpaceX's Starlink internet service - and now we are learning just how the sun's activity can affect them

The chance of a planet forming in the outer reaches of the solar system – a hypothetical Planet Nine – could be as high as 40 per cent, but it would have been a rough start

Results from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) suggest that dark energy, a mysterious force in the universe, is changing over time. This would completely re-write our understanding of the cosmos - but now other physicists are challenging this view

The unusual orbit of a possible dwarf planet, known as 2017 OF201, makes it less likely that our solar system contains a hidden ninth “Planet X”

After two decades of debate, research confirms that an odd binary star system has an equally odd planetary companion

China's ambitious Tianwen-2 mission will soon be heading to two extremely different space rocks, and should provide vital data to help us understand the nature of asteroids and comets

The galaxy MoM-z14 dates back to 280 million years after the big bang, and the prevalence of such early galaxies is puzzling astronomers

Are there aliens living on the exoplanet K2-18b? Some astronomers believe they have evidence for molecules on the planet that must have a biological origin, but others disagree

Dark matter is thought to only interact through gravity, which is why it is so difficult to spot, but now evidence is growing for a type of dark matter that can also stick to itself

Most of us can spot the group of stars known as the Plough or the Big Dipper. But there’s more to explore here, says Abigail Beall

Stars that pass close to the solar system could pull planets out of alignment, sending them hurtling into the sun or out into space

In highly politicised times, is living off-world something we should entertain, let alone do? Adriana Marais's futurist dream Out of This World and Into the Next feels tone deaf

Anomalies in the moon’s gravitational field suggest our satellite’s insides are warmer on one side than the other – which means that its interior is asymmetric

Dyson spheres, a type of huge megastructure designed to capture the energy output of a star, would be a sign of an alien civilisation – if we can find one before they disappear

Kepler's Supernova, seen in 1604, is one of the most famous exploding stars ever seen, and now astronomers think it may have been an interloper from another galaxy

Kosmos 482, a Soviet spacecraft that never made it beyond Earth’s orbit on its way to Venus, is due to come crashing down on 9 or 10 May

‘Shocking’ results from a major astronomical study have raised doubts about the standard model of cosmology, forcing scientists to consider new ways of understanding dark energy and gravity

As humanity prepares to return to the moon, scientists also have ideas for huge lunar experiments that could revolutionise astrophysics

Last week astronomers reported hints of biological activity on a distant planet, but a re-analysis of their data suggests the claimed molecules may not be there at all

Unusual signals called quasi periodic eruptions appear to come from black holes, but we don't know what creates them. Now astronomers have seen the most powerful one of these signals ever, and have a new idea about their cause

Whenever there’s even a slight chance that an exoplanet shows signs of biological activity, people understandably get excited – but it’s never been aliens, and we shouldn’t jump to conclusions, not this time or the next, says Chris Lintott

A network of Earth's best clocks will be synchronised with the most accurate one ever sent into space. But the device has a short shelf life: it will burn up in the atmosphere at the end of the decade as the ISS deorbits

The report of possible biosignatures on the exoplanet K2-18b is exciting, but we are a long way from establishing beyond doubt that there is life on such a distant world

On a faraway planet, the James Webb Space Telescope has picked up signs of molecules that, on Earth, are produced only by living organisms – but researchers say we must interpret the results cautiously

It is rare to find brown dwarf stars orbiting in pairs, and this pair has an even more unusual exoplanet companion

Space agencies from the US, Europe and Japan are all making plans to visit the asteroid Apophis when it makes an extremely close flyby in 2029 to learn how to deflect others like it

The Lyrids and Eta Aquarids meteor showers can both be seen starting in late April, with viewing opportunities in both the northern and southern hemispheres

Pluto isn’t the only dwarf planet in our solar system's outer reaches. Now is an ideal time to look for the egg-shaped Haumea, says Abigail Beall

In this extract from the classic science fiction novel, the latest read for the New Scientist Book Club, we meet Ringworld’s protagonist Louis Wu, as he travels a future Earth

Amazon is aiming to launch its first operational satellites today to provide speedy internet connections in remote regions, but it will still take some time to catch up with its main competitor, SpaceX's Starlink  

Thanks to the Hubble Space Telescope, we now know that a day on Uranus lasts for 28 seconds longer than previously thought – a difference that could be crucial in planning future missions to the gas giant

Space is a favourite setting for many Hollywood films, but just how accurate are their portrayals? Patricia Skelton, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, sheds some light on the scientific rigour of her favourite movies. For example, during an explosive space battle scene in Star Trek, a crew member is tossed out into space …

An eavesdropper hiding inside a black hole could still obtain information about quantum objects on its outside, a finding that reveals how effectively black holes destroy the quantum states near their event horizons

Researchers used a synthetic version of moon dust to build working solar panels, which could eventually be created within – and used to power – a moon base of the future

Under pressure from Elon Musk’s DOGE task force, NASA is cancelling grants and contracts for everything from lunar dust research to educational programmes

Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to observe asteroid 2024 YR4, which earlier this year seemed to be at risk of hitting Earth in 2032. Earth is now safe, but astronomers are cheering on a possible collision with the moon

On 29 March, a partial solar eclipse will pass over Canada and parts of northern Europe, including London.  Thanks to our friends at the Royal Observatory in London, we can experience this celestial event guided by their astronomers. Want to see a total eclipse? Why not join one of our Discover eclipse tours

Red specks in the early universe are puzzling astronomers, but a proposed explanation suggests they are the progenitors of supermassive black holes

After nearly 36 years of searching, astronomers have finally confirmed Neptune has auroras, thanks to data from the James Webb Space Telescope

A galaxy inside a bubble may be evidence that the universe was starting to become transparent 330 million years after the big bang

String theory may be our best attempt at a theory of everything, except that it can't describe an expanding universe like ours. Now a radical new twist on the idea could finally fix that – but it requires us to completely reimagine reality

The Odysseus spacecraft made a rough landing on the moon last year, toppling over and rendering much of its equipment unusable, but an onboard NASA radio telescope called ROLSES-1  was able to make some observations

Isar Aerospace is preparing to launch its Spectrum rocket from a base in Norway, which would make it the first orbital launch from continental Europe outside Russia

Our current best theories of the universe suggest that dark energy is making it expand faster and faster, but new observations from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument suggest this mysterious force is actually growing weaker

The European Space Agency has released the first batch of large-scale images from the Euclid space telescope, which astronomers have already used to find hundreds of strong gravitational lenses

A meteorite discovered in north-west Africa in 2023 didn’t come from a large asteroid or any of the known planets of the solar system – but it might have formed on a planet that was destroyed long ago

The finest ever map of the cosmic microwave background - the faint evidence of the universe's early form - has yielded precise confirmation of the age of the cosmos and its rate of expansion. But for some scientists, the findings offer a frustrating lack of clues to major cosmological mysteries

Share & discuss informative content on: * Astrophysics * Cosmology * Space Exploration * Planetary Science * Astrobiology

Please sort comments by 'new' to find questions that would otherwise be buried. In this thread you can ask any space related question that you may have. Two examples of potential questions could be; "How do rockets work?", or "How do the phases of the Moon work?" If you see a space related question posted in another subreddit or in this subreddit, then please politely link them to this thread. Ask away! submitted by /u/AutoModerator [link] [comments]

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Hey everyone! I just released an app that shows the live positions of the Solar System's planets up to Jupiter, as well as the Moon and the Galilean Moons, and shows them as your lock or home wallpaper. It also shows the updated positions of Juice and Europa Clipper among other spacecrafts. You can download the app from the Play Store here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dev.matiasgrassi.solarsystemwallpaper. It is for free and with no ads, as it is just a little project I made in my spare time. Thanks for the feedback you provided some weeks ago. If you have any question about the app, you want to collaborate and help to develop it, or you have some feedback, you can just leave a comment here or dm me. Edit: I forgot to mention that the app shows the Solar System as your lock or home wallpaper. submitted by /u/iakche_alenk [link] [comments]

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I've been reading up on our currently known exoplanets, and I've been struck by just how sparse a lot of the info on them is. It got me thinking, if there was a solar system that was a near-identical copy of our own, how close would it need to be before we could identify critical info about it, like it's Earth analogue being highly likely to be habitable? submitted by /u/Willops2 [link] [comments]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/white-house-orders-nasa-destroy-171440771.html submitted by /u/tokidokitiger [link] [comments]

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Honestly I see this series is very well on its documentary and music and accuracy. Although a lot has changed because of time submitted by /u/greencoffee22 [link] [comments]

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Does anybody have any tips for settings on the iPhone 16 default camera when taking photos to make them look better so they look even better when I edit them in lightroom submitted by /u/B0lt_the_wolf [link] [comments]

All the latest content from the Space.com team

Astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore is leaving NASA after a quarter-century of service. Wilmore spent a total of 464 days off Earth during his three spaceflights.

Today's encryption works well, until tomorrow's quantum computers arrive.

A picturesque Scottish peninsula immortalized in a hit Paul McCartney song from the 1970s will host a new U.K. rocket development hub.

United Launch Alliance's new Vulcan Centaur rocket will launch its first-ever national security mission on Aug. 12, if all goes according to plan.

Interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy says his plan to put a nuclear reactor on the moon is part of his plain to "get there first and claim that for America."

The only Crypto we care about is the mischievous extraterrestrial seeking world domination.

The four crewmembers of NASA's Artemis 2 mission donned their launch suits to conduct their first suited crew test together at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on July 31.

Thanks to groundbreaking models and the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists are poised to explore their mysterious evolution and reveal clues about planetary formation across the galaxy.

The incredibly detailed and stunning-looking Lego Marvel Infinity Gauntlet set has a massive 42% off at Amazon.

International oversight would reduce risks, but could be "a politically sensitive and contentious matter."

Thirteen years into its mission, NASA's Curiosity rover is still uncovering Martian mysteries while learning to do more with less.

The shooting star was part of the Perseid and Alpha Capricornids meteor showers.

The M4.4 solar flare unleashed a coronal mass ejection (CME) into space — and Earth might just receive a glancing blow.

Apple TV+'s absorbing sci-fi series intensifies as our heroes enter the alien mothership starting Aug. 22.

The caldera may have blasted out its cryomagma in a single explosive event, or it may have spread its eruptions over time.

Unravelling Earth’s 4.5-billion-year history with rocks is tricky business.

NASA has awarded Firefly Aerospace a $176.7 million contract to deliver a pair of rovers and three scientific instruments to the moon's south pole.

NASA is accelerating its plans for a nuclear reactor on the moon, aiming to establish such a power outpost by 2030, according to Politico.

NASA has stopped trying to revive its Lunar Trailblazer moon orbiter, which went dark a day after its Feb. 26 launch.

The Japanese space-sustainability company Astroscale has unveiled a patent for what it describes as a new method for space debris removal.

The dashing 'Trek' veteran talks Anson's wild wig, colorful kisses, and meditating on set while directing 'the latest Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' episode.

Venus and Jupiter meet in the morning sky on Aug. 12. Catch their dazzling conjunction just before sunrise with the crescent moon joining later!

Electrons released when cosmic rays strike water-ice can provide energy for microbes and facilitate the formation of complex organic molecules.

From movie stars to moguls, test your knowledge of which celebrities have gone to the final frontier.

The Perseids are one of the most visually spectacular meteor showers of the year and are known for spawning impressive fireballs that light up the night sky.

Noah Hawley's daring exploration of the Alien universe makes for a great sci-fi TV show that asks big questions without neglecting the fun factor.

The world's largest optical telescope is still under construction but is raising the roof on its progress.

By transforming idle heliostats into asteroid detectors, scientists aim to develop a cost-effective method for spotting faint, fast-moving space rocks.

You can save 20% on the Hommkiety Galaxy Projector on Amazon, which we praised for its build quality and high-end projections.

The image reveals over 2,500 galaxies, many of which are seen as they were during the first billion years of cosmic history.

A brutal alien planet isn't quite the same as future Earth, but Predator: Concrete Jungle has more than a few things in common with Predator: Badlands.

NASA is calling on the public to help shape the future of lunar exploration by designing the next generation of wheels capable of navigating the moon's harsh terrain.

NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft successfully tested its ice-penetrating radar system during a close flyby of Mars earlier this year.

New research suggests moonquakes rooted in ancient fault systems could threaten modern moon missions.

Space weather forecasters are watching for faint CMEs that could reach Earth later this week.

Explore the space between the stars from the safety of a virtual cockpit with the best space flight simulation games.

Measuring binary star systems' basic properties has proved exceedingly difficult.

The day seemed particularly promising on July 31, 2025.

Space hurricanes can shake Earth's magnetic field and scramble satellites without a solar storm in sight.

Rocket Lab launched its fifth mission for the Japanese Earth-imaging company iQPS early Tuesday morning (Aug. 5), sending a synthetic aperture radar satellite to orbit.

A strange shift in Earth's rotation is making our days milliseconds shorter — and scientists are racing to understand why.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 28 Starlink satellites from Florida's Space Coast early Monday morning (Aug. 4), then came back to Earth for a landing on a ship at sea.

Space weather imposes threats on everything from electrical grids to GPS navigation.

With more countries looking to explore space, there is a rising hope that space is now more accessible for diverse participants.

The red supergiant star Antares will appear close to the waxing gibbous moon tonight.

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launched Justin Sun, the billionaire founder of the blockchain platform Tron, and five other people to space on Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025.

A large lunar crater featured in the iconic 'Earthrise' photo has just helped the European JUICE spacecraft hone its alien-hunting instruments during a once-in-a-lifetime flyby.

Join us on a guided telescope tour of August's moon, featuring distinct targets for each of the four major lunar phases.

The Bosumtwi impact crater in Ghana is well preserved, making it a hotspot for space research.

A band of misfits aboard a stolen planet-killing starship, the wild, weird Lexx is the best 90s sci-fi show you've never seen.

Views from the Dragon spacecraft during Fram2, the first polar-orbit human spaceflight mission to explore Earth with the @framonauts. Watch the extended, ~4-hour cut with additional views @SpaceX on X → https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1919172303709184350

The first Starship flight test of 2025 flew with ambitious goals: seeking to repeat our previous success of launching and catching the world’s most powerful launch vehicle while putting a redesigned and upgraded Starship through a rigorous set of flight demonstrations. It served as a reminder that development testing, by definition, can be unpredictable. On its seventh flight test, Starship successfully lifted off from Starbase in Texas at 4:37 p.m. CT on Thursday, January 16. For the second time ever, the Super Heavy booster returned to the launch site and was caught by the tower. But before Starship could reach space, a fire developed in the aft section leading to a rapid unscheduled disassembly. As always, success comes from what we learned, and this flight test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multiplanetary.

The sixth flight test of Starship launched from Starbase on November 19, 2024, seeking to expand the envelope on ship and booster capabilities and get closer to bringing reuse of the entire system online. The Super Heavy booster successfully lifted off at the start of the launch window, with all 33 Raptor engines powering it and Starship off the pad from Starbase. Following a nominal ascent and stage separation, the booster successfully transitioned to its boostback burn to begin the return to launch site. During this phase, automated health checks of critical hardware on the launch and catch tower triggered an abort of the catch attempt. The booster then executed a pre-planned divert maneuver, performing a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Starship completed another successful ascent, placing it on the expected trajectory. The ship successfully reignited a single Raptor engine while in space, demonstrating the capabilities required to conduct a ship deorbit burn before starting fully orbital missions. With live views and telemetry being relayed by Starlink, the ship successfully made it through reentry and executed a flip, landing burn, and soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Data gathered from the multiple thermal protection experiments, as well as the successful flight through subsonic speeds at a more aggressive angle of attack, provides invaluable feedback on flight hardware performing in a flight environment as we aim for eventual ship return and catch. With data and flight learnings as our primary payload, Starship’s sixth flight test once again delivered. Lessons learned will directly make the entire Starship system more reliable as we close in on full and rapid reusability.

SpaceX was founded to increase access to space and help make life multiplanetary. In just this year, we’ve launched 114 successful Falcon missions and counting for our commercial and government customers, deployed ~1,700 @Starlink satellites to provide high-speed internet for millions of people all around the world, and made extraordinary strides developing Starship’s capability to return humanity to the Moon and ultimately send people to Mars. If you want to join the team and help build a more exciting future, check out the latest job openings across the company → https://www.spacex.com/careers

Starship’s fifth flight test lifted off on October 13, 2024, with our most ambitious test objectives yet as we work to demonstrate techniques fundamental to Starship and Super Heavy’s fully and rapidly reusable design. And on our first try, Mechazilla caught the booster. Following a successful liftoff, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn, and coast, the Super Heavy booster performed its landing burn and was caught by the chopstick arms of the launch and catch tower at Starbase. Thousands of distinct vehicle and pad criteria had to be met prior to the catch attempt, and thanks to the tireless work of SpaceX engineers, we succeeded with catch on our first attempt. Prior to catch, Starship executed another successful hot-staging separation, igniting its six Raptor engines and completing ascent into outer space. It coasted along its planned trajectory to the other side of the planet before executing a controlled reentry, passing through the phases of peak heating and maximum aerodynamic pressure, before executing a flip, landing burn, and splashdown at its target area in the Indian Ocean. The flight test concluded at splashdown 1 hour, 5 minutes and 40 seconds after launch.

On Tuesday, September 10, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launched the Polaris Dawn mission to orbit from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Polaris Dawn became the first crew to perform the first-ever spacewalk from Dragon, travel the farthest (1,408 km) within Earth’s orbit since the completion of the Apollo program in 1972, and test Starlink laser-based communications aboard Dragon. Additionally, the crew conducted approximately 36 experiments designed to better life on Earth and on future long-duration spaceflights, shared special moments with mission partners including reading Kisses from Space to patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, and inspired the world with a global music moment before safely returning to Earth on Sunday, September 15.

During its five day mission, Dragon and the Polaris Dawn crew completed 75 orbits around Earth.

A live webcast of the Polaris Dawn EVA will begin about one hour prior to the beginning of the spacewalk on Thursday, September 12, which you can watch on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app. The four-hour window opens at 3:23 a.m. ET. If needed, a backup opportunity is available on Friday, September 13 at the same time.

A live webcast of the Polaris Dawn EVA will begin about one hour prior to the beginning of the spacewalk on Thursday, September 12, which you can watch on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app. The four-hour window opens at 3:23 a.m. ET. If needed, a backup opportunity is available on Friday, September 13 at the same time.

Starship’s fourth flight test launched with ambitious goals, attempting to go farther than any previous test before and begin demonstrating capabilities central to return and reuse of Starship and Super Heavy. The payload for this test was the data. Starship delivered. On June 6, 2024, Starship successfully lifted off at 7:50 a.m. CT from Starbase in Texas and went on to deliver maximum excitement. The fourth flight of Starship made major strides to bring us closer to a rapidly reusable future. Its accomplishments will provide data to drive improvements as we continue rapidly developing Starship into a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond.

At ~700 km above Earth, the EVA suit will support the Polaris Dawn crew in the vacuum of space during the first-ever commercial astronaut spacewalk. Evolved from the Intravehicular Activity (IVA) suit, the EVA suit provides greater mobility, a state-of-the-art helmet Heads-Up Display (HUD) and camera, new thermal management textiles, and materials borrowed from Falcon’s interstage and Dragon’s trunk. Building a base on the Moon and a city on Mars will require millions of spacesuits. The development of this suit and the execution of the spacewalk will be important steps toward a scalable design for spacesuits on future long-duration missions as life becomes multiplanetary.

The goal of SpaceX is to build the technologies necessary to make life multiplanetary. This is the first time in the 4-billion-year history of Earth that it’s possible to realize that goal and protect the light of consciousness. At Starbase on Thursday, April 4, SpaceX Chief Engineer Elon Musk provided an update on the company’s plans to send humanity to Mars, the best destination to begin making life multiplanetary. Go to (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1776669097490776563) for the full talk, which also includes the mechanics and challenges of traveling to Mars, along with what we’re building today to enable sending around a million people and several million tonnes to the Martian surface in the years to come.

On March 14, 2024, Starship successfully lifted off at 8:25 a.m. CT from Starbase in Texas and went on to accomplish several major milestones and firsts. Starship's six second stage Raptor engines all started successfully and powered the vehicle to its expected orbit, becoming the first Starship to complete its full-duration ascent burn. Starship went on to experience its first ever entry from space, providing valuable data on heating and vehicle control during hypersonic reentry. Live views of entry were made possible by Starlink terminals operating on Starship. This rapid iterative development approach has been the basis for all of SpaceX’s major innovative advancements, including Falcon, Dragon, and Starlink. Recursive improvement is essential as we work to build a fully reusable transportation system capable of carrying both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, help humanity return to the Moon, and ultimately travel to Mars and beyond.

The world's most powerful launch vehicle is ready for flight. The third flight test aims to build on what we’ve learned from previous flights while attempting a number of ambitious objectives. Recursive improvement is essential as we work to build a fully reusable transportation system capable of carrying both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, help humanity return to the Moon, and ultimately travel to Mars and beyond. Follow us on X.com/SpaceX for updates on the upcoming flight test.

On November 18, 2023, Starship successfully lifted off at 7:02 a.m. CT from Starbase on its second integrated flight test. While it didn’t happen in a lab or on a test stand, it was absolutely a test. What we did with this second flight will provide invaluable data to continue rapidly developing Starship. The test achieved a number of major milestones, helping us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multiplanetary. The team at Starbase is already working final preparations on the vehicles slated for use in Starship’s third flight test. Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting second flight test of Starship! Follow us on X.com/SpaceX for continued updates on Starship's progress

The latest NASA "Image of the Day" image.

This view of tracks trailing NASA's Curiosity rover was captured July 26, 2025, as the rover simultaneously relayed data to a Mars orbiter.

Second Lady Usha Vance hosted a special Summer Reading Challenge event at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Aug. 4, 2025. She was joined by NASA astronaut Suni Williams to read a space-themed book to children in grades K-8 as part of her initiative to promote literacy.

In this 30 second exposure photograph, a meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid and Alpha Capricornids meteor showers, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, in Spruce Knob, West Virginia.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov aboard, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A NASA photographer captured the sunrise on July 31, 2025, ahead of NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 launch attempt. The Crew-11 mission will send NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9.

NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems’ Program Manager Shawn Quinn captured this image of the Hadley–Apennine region of the moon including the Apollo 15 landing site (very near the edge of the shadow of one of the lunar mountains in the area).

An aircraft body modeled after an air taxi with weighted test dummies inside is being prepared for a drop test by researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The test was completed June 26 at Langley’s Landing and Impact Research Facility. The aircraft was dropped from a tall steel structure, known as a gantry, after being hoisted about 35 feet in the air by cables. NASA researchers are investigating aircraft materials that best absorb impact forces in a crash.

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the spiral galaxy NGC 3285B, a member of the Hydra I cluster of galaxies.

The 25th anniversary logo is visible in the cupola of the space station in this July 17, 2025, image. The central astronaut figure is representative of all those who have lived and worked aboard the station during the 25 years of continuous human presence. In the dark sky of space surrounding the astronaut are 15 stars, which symbolize the 15 partner nations that support the orbiting laboratory.

The Bumper V-2 launches from Cape Canaveral in this July 24, 1950, photo.

Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Jonny Kim from NASA and Axiom Mission 4 Commander Peggy Whitson work together inside the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module setting up research hardware to culture patient-derived cancer cells, model their growth in microgravity, and test a state-of-the-art fluorescence microscope.

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft taxis across the runway during a low-speed taxi test at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, on July 10, 2025. The test marks the start of taxi tests and the last series of ground tests before first flight.

On July 19, 2013, in an event celebrated the world over, NASA's Cassini spacecraft slipped into Saturn's shadow and turned to image the planet, seven of its moons, its inner rings, and, in the background, our home planet, Earth.

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the galaxy cluster Abell 209.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Anne McClain shows off a hamburger-shaped cake to celebrate 200 cumulative days in space for JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi (out of frame) since his first spaceflight as an Expedition 48-49 Flight Engineer in 2016.

The aurora australis arcs above a partly cloudy Indian Ocean in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 269 miles above in between Australia and Antarctica on June 12, 2025.

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image features a dense and dazzling array of blazing stars that form globular cluster ESO 591-12.

This is the most accurate natural color image of Pluto taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft in 2015.

Researchers from NASA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) recently tested a scale model of the X-59 experimental aircraft in a supersonic wind tunnel located in Chofu, Japan, to assess the noise audible underneath the aircraft. The test was an important milestone for NASA’s one-of-a-kind X-59, which is designed to fly faster than the speed of sound without causing a loud sonic boom.

To celebrate its third year of revealing stunning scenes of the cosmos in infrared light, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has “clawed” back the thick, dusty layers of a section within the Cat’s Paw Nebula (NGC 6334).

This illustration shows the parts of a space shuttle orbiter. About the same size and weight as a DC-9 aircraft, the orbiter contains the pressurized crew compartment (which can normally carry up to seven crew members), the cargo bay, and the three main engines mounted on its aft end.

The bright variable star V 372 Orionis takes center stage in this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, which has also captured a smaller companion star in the upper left of this image. Both stars lie in the Orion Nebula, a colossal region of star formation roughly 1450 light years from Earth.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Jonny Kim works inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft completing cargo operations before it undocked from the International Space Station's Harmony module several hours later.

This close-up view of the United States flag plate on NASA's Perseverance was acquired on June 28, 2025 (the 1,548th day, or sol, of its mission to Mars), by the WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) imager on the turret at the end of the rover's Mars robotic arm.

Three members of NASA's Lewis Research Center’s (now NASA’s Glenn Research Center) Educational Services Office pose with one of the center’s Spacemobile space science demonstration units on Nov. 1, 1964.

This Hubble image shows the spiral galaxy UGC 11397, which resides in the constellation Lyra (The Lyre).

In 1963, Captain Engle was assigned as one of two Air Force test pilots to fly the X-15 Research Rocket aircraft. In 1965, he flew the X-15 to an altitude of 280,600 feet, and became the youngest pilot ever to qualify as an astronaut. Three of his sixteen flights in the X-15 exceeded the 50-mile (264,000 feet) altitude required for astronaut rating.

The Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31 (M31), is the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way at a distance of about 2.5 million light-years. This new composite image contains data of M31 taken by some of the world’s most powerful telescopes in different kinds of light. This image is released in tribute to the groundbreaking legacy of Dr. Vera Rubin, whose observations transformed our understanding of the universe.

NASA astronaut Bob Hines took this picture of the waning crescent moon on May 8, 2022, as the International Space Station flew into an orbital sunrise 260 miles above the Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of the United States.

NASA astronaut Zena Cardman inspects her spacesuit’s wrist mirror at the NASA Johnson Space Center photo studio on March 22, 2024.

Arsia Mons, one of the Red Planet’s largest volcanoes, peeks through a blanket of water ice clouds in this image captured by NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter on May 2, 2025.

This full-disk image from NOAA’s GOES-13 satellite shows the Americas at the start of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere on June 21, 2012.

More than 500 students with 75 teams from around the world participated in the 31st year of NASA’s Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) on April 11 and April 12, 2025, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Participating teams represented 35 colleges and universities, 38 high schools, and two middle schools from 20 states, Puerto Rico, and 16 other nations.

A curious cow watches as NASA astronauts Andre Douglas and Kate Rubins perform a simulated moonwalk in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona on May 14, 2024.

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the barred spiral galaxy IC 758.

Attendees line up to enter the theater for a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.

The star cluster Pismis 24 lies within the much larger emission nebula called NGC 6357, located about 8,000 light-years from Earth. The gas below the stars glows through ionization caused by intense ultraviolet radiation from the massive young stars within the cluster.

At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a bobcat wades through one of the waterways near Launch Pad 39B.

Astronaut Franklin R. Chang-Diaz works with a grapple fixture during a June 2002 spacewalk – the first spacewalk of the STS-111 mission.

Amid a patchwork of fields, towns, and winding rivers and roads in central Brazil stands a monolithic oval-shaped plateau. This conspicuous feature, the Serra de Caldas (also known as the Caldas Novas dome and Caldas Ridge), is perched about 300 meters (1,000 feet) above the surrounding landscape in the state of Goiás.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope recently imaged the Sombrero Galaxy with its NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera), which shows dust from the galaxy’s outer ring blocking stellar light from stars within the galaxy. In the central region of the galaxy, the roughly 2,000 globular clusters, or collections of hundreds of thousands of old stars held together by gravity, glow in the near-infrared. The Sombrero Galaxy is around 30 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo. From Earth, we see this galaxy nearly “edge-on,” or from the side.

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a cloudscape in the Large Magellanic Cloud., a dwarf satellite galaxy of the Milky Way.

Astronaut Edward H. White II, pilot of the Gemini IV four-day Earth-orbital mission, floats in the zero gravity of space outside the Gemini IV spacecraft.

Scientists have discovered a star behaving like no other seen before, giving fresh clues about the origin of a new class of mysterious objects.

President Donald Trump steps onstage to speak following the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley aboard, Saturday, May 30, 2020, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Sixteen of 19 astronaut candidates named on May 29, 1980, and two European trainees as payload specialists pose for photographers in the briefing room in the public affairs facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the remote galaxy HerS 020941.1+001557, which appears as a red arc that partially encircles a foreground elliptical galaxy.

The waning gibbous moon sets behind a flag at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans just after sunrise on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.

A flower is seen in the foreground with a Soyuz rocket on the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 7, 2025. Expedition 73 crewmembers including NASA astronaut Jonny Kim launched aboard their Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft on April 8.

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft is seen during its “aluminum bird” systems testing at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. The test verified how the aircraft’s hardware and software work together, responding to pilot inputs and handling injected system failures.

On May 19th, 2005, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured this stunning view as the Sun sank below the rim of Gusev crater on Mars. This panoramic camera mosaic was taken around 6:07 in the evening of the rover's 489th Martian day, or sol.

Webb has found crystalline water ice in a debris disk around a young, Sun-like star called HD 181327. Based on its presence in our own solar system, scientists have expected to see it in other star systems — but haven't had sensitive enough instruments to provide definitive proof until now.

Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, NASA's first Chief of Astronomy, briefs Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin on celestial objects in 1965 in Washington, D.C.

NASA's Perseverance rover captured this view of Deimos, the smaller of Mars' two moons, shining in the sky at 4:27 a.m. local time on March 1, 2025, the 1,433rd Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

The perfectly picturesque spiral galaxy known as Messier 81, or M81, looks sharp in this composite from NASA's Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer.

Astronaut Don Pettit took this nighttime photo while the International Space Station orbited near the Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia.

JunoCam, the visible light imager aboard NASA's Juno, captured this view of Jupiter's northern high latitudes during the spacecraft's 69th flyby of the giant planet on Jan. 28, 2025. Jupiter's belts and zones stand out in this enhanced color rendition, along with the turbulence along their edges caused by winds going in different directions.

Students from the University of Massachusetts Amherst team carry their high-powered rocket toward the launch pad at NASA’s 2025 Student Launch launch day competition in Toney, Alabama, on April 4, 2025.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 flight engineer Anne McClain is pictured near one of the International Space Station's main solar arrays during a spacewalk to upgrade the orbital outpost's power generation system and relocate a communications antenna.