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NASA’s 2025 Astronaut Candidates: Shaping Artemis Exploration
When NASA’s 2025 astronaut candidates arrived at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston this fall, they stepped into history, sharing a common mission to master the skills and teamwork that define NASA’s next era of exploration.
Selected from a pool of more than 8,000 applicants, the new class represents a range of backgrounds — military test pilots, engineers, a physician, and a scientist — but all were inspired by moments in their lives that set them on a path to space.
They will spend nearly two years in training before becoming eligible for missions to low Earth orbit, the Moon, and eventually, Mars. When they graduate, they will join NASA’s active astronaut corps, advancing science aboard the International Space Station and supporting Artemis missions that will carry human exploration farther than ever before.
During the class announcement at Johnson on Sept. 22, 2025, Center Director Vanessa Wyche celebrated the moment as a milestone for exploration.
“Today is an exciting day for our nation and for all of humanity as we introduce NASA’s 2025 astronaut candidates — the next generation who will help us explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond,” Wyche said. “Each one of these candidates brings unique experiences and perspectives that reflect the diversity of America and the spirit of exploration that defines NASA.”
Behind their new blue flight suits are years of preparation and stories as multifaceted as the missions they will one day support.
Different Roads to the Same Horizon
NASA’s new astronaut candidates greet the crowd for the first time at Johnson Space Center in Houston.NASA/James BlairSome of the candidates built their careers in the air, where precision, communication, and teamwork were part of every mission. Former U.S. Navy pilot and test pilot Rebecca Lawler says that is exactly what drew her to NASA.
“All of these people are coming from different disciplines and levels of expertise, and you’re all working together to get science to fly,” she said. “That’s what excites me most — bringing those experiences together as a team.”
Imelda Muller, an anesthesiologist and former U.S. Navy undersea medical officer, said her experience supporting experimental diving teams taught her how people from different backgrounds can come together under one mission, something she sees echoed at NASA.
Muller remembers looking up at the night sky as a kid, able to see almost every star on a clear night. Her grandfather worked on the Apollo program and used to share stories with her, and she says the mix of stargazing and imagining those missions inspired her dream of becoming an astronaut.
Anna Menon, a biomedical engineer and former flight controller, has seen the human side of spaceflight from the ground and from space. She supported astronaut health aboard the space station from the Mission Control Center in Houston and served as a mission specialist and medical officer aboard SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission.
As more people venture into space, we have this incredible opportunity to learn how the human body changes in microgravity. That knowledge will help keep crews healthy as we go farther than ever before.Anna Menon
Astronaut Candidate
A Houston native, she discovered her passion for exploration in the fourth grade during a field trip to Johnson. “That experience lit a fire in me to want to be part of the space industry,” she said.
The Language of Human Spaceflight
NASA astronaut candidate Erin Overcash speaks during the class announcement ceremony at Johnson Space Center.NASA/James BlairFor the test pilots — including Adam Fuhrmann, Cameron Jones, Ben Bailey, and Erin Overcash — flight testing taught adaptability, composure, and the discipline to make quick decisions when it matters most. As Fuhrmann put it, it is about knowing when to lead and when to listen.
In flight test, nothing happens alone. We work with incredible engineers and professionals to plan and execute complex missions. That teamwork translates perfectly to human spaceflight.Adam Fuhrmann
Astronaut Candidate
Every astronaut candidate will spend nearly two years learning spacecraft systems, practicing spacewalks in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, flying T-38 jets, and studying geology, robotics, and survival training.
As U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer and helicopter test pilot Ben Bailey said, it is not one skill that matters most — it is the combination.
“Each one is exciting on its own — flying, language training, spacewalks — but getting to do them all together, as a crew, that’s the best part,” Bailey said.
During the event, current astronauts welcomed the new class and shared advice drawn from their own journeys in human spaceflight. “Thankfully, you will have some of the most talented, passionate instructors and an incredibly dedicated team here at NASA,” said NASA astronaut Chris Williams. “Some of the most special moments will come as you find how much you get to learn from each other.”
From the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman encouraged the candidates to “learn everything you can, get to know each other, and enjoy the ride.”
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim followed with a reminder every explorer carries forward: “The people sitting beside you now will become lifelong friends.”
Explorers of the Golden Age
The 2025 astronaut candidates with NASA leadership during their class announcement. NASA/James BlairFrom geologist Lauren Edgar, who worked on the Curiosity Mars Rover and the Artemis III science team, to engineers like Yuri Kubo, who completed seven NASA internships, and Katherine Spies, who designed and tested flight systems that make exploration possible, each brings a layer of expertise to the agency’s future on the Moon and beyond.
I’ve always loved figuring out how things work and finding ways to make them better. That’s what drew me to engineering, and it’s what keeps me excited about exploration.Yuri Kubo
Astronaut Candidate
A New Era Begins
NASA’s astronaut candidate class pose for a selfie during their first week at Johnson Space Center. NASAAt the announcement ceremony, NASA Flight Operations Director Norm Knight said, “Every lesson learned aboard station has paved the way for where we’re headed next – to the Moon, this time to stay, and on to Mars. We have a group of individuals who are not only exceptional, but who will be inspirational for the United States of America and for our planet.”
Together, the astronaut candidates reflect the spirit of Artemis — curiosity, courage, and continuous learning as humanity prepares for its next giant leap.
About the AuthorSumer Loggins Share Details Last Updated Nov 20, 2025 Related Terms Explore More 5 min read NASA Johnson Celebrates 25 Years of Humanity in Space Article 5 days ago 3 min read Aaisha Ali: From Marine Biology to the Artemis Control Room Article 5 months ago 4 min read Mark Cavanaugh: Integrating Safety into the Orion Spacecraft Article 4 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASAMissions
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New NASA HEAT and My NASA Data Resources Bring Space Weather Science into Classrooms
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New NASA HEAT and My NASA Data Resources Bring Space Weather Science into Classrooms Space weather is an important part of the Sun’s interaction with the space around it. Scientists called heliophysicists study these phenomena to help us better understand how and why it happens, and the effects it can have on the rest of our solar system.As the Sun enters a period of heightened activity, students now have a new way to explore its powerful effects on Earth and space. NASA’s Heliophysics Education Activation Team (NASA HEAT), in collaboration with My NASA Data, has released a new set of classroom resources that invite students and educators to engage with real NASA mission data to study space weather phenomena in real time.
Hands-On Learning with Real NASA Data
Developed as part of NASA HEAT’s mission to increase awareness and understanding of heliophysics, these new materials help learners connect directly with the science of the Sun and its influence on the solar system. The resources include:
- Lesson plans and mini-lessons for quick classroom engagement
- Interactive web-based tools that let students visualize and analyze real mission data
- StoryMaps, longer-form digital experiences that guide multi-day investigations into space weather events
These activities draw from data collected by NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), and the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter, among others, giving students a chance to explore how scientists monitor and study the Sun’s behavior.
Understanding Space Weather
Space weather is driven by the Sun’s activity – its bursts of energy, radiation, and plasma that stream through space. When these events interact with Earth’s magnetic field, they can produce stunning auroras but also cause radio disruptions, satellite interference, and power grid issues.
By engaging with these new resources, students can learn how NASA monitors and predicts these solar phenomena and why studying space weather is essential for keeping astronauts, spacecraft, and technology safe.
Learning During Solar Maximum
This launch comes at a perfect time. In late 2024, the Sun entered solar maximum, the most active part of its 11-year cycle, providing students a front-row seat to increased solar flares, sunspots, and coronal mass ejections. The new NASA HEAT and My NASA Data resources encourage educators to use this unique moment to deepen classroom discussions on magnetism, energy, and the Sun–Earth connection through observation and data-driven exploration.
Inspiring Future Scientists
Both NASA HEAT and My NASA Data, part of GLOBE Mission Earth (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment), are part of the NASA Science Activation (SciAct) program, which connects learners of all ages with authentic NASA science content, experts, and experiences. By bringing real-world data and current scientific phenomena into the classroom, these new tools empower students to think like scientists and see themselves as contributors to ongoing discovery.
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NASA, NOAA Rank 2025 Ozone Hole as 5th Smallest Since 1992
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NASA, NOAA Rank 2025 Ozone Hole as 5th Smallest Since 1992 Earth (ESD)- Earth
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While continental in scale, the ozone hole over the Antarctic was small in 2025 compared to previous years and remains on track to recover later this century, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported. The hole this year was the fifth smallest since 1992, the year a landmark international agreement to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals began to take effect.
At the height of this year’s depletion season from Sept. 7 through Oct. 13, the average extent of the ozone hole was about 7.23 million square miles (18.71 million square kilometers) — that’s twice the area of the contiguous United States. The 2025 ozone hole is already breaking up, nearly three weeks earlier than usual during the past decade.
This map shows the size and shape of the ozone hole over the South Pole on the day of its 2025 maximum extent. Moderate ozone losses (orange) are visible amid areas of more potent ozone losses (red). Scientists describe the ozone “hole” as the area in which ozone concentrations drop below the historical threshold of 220 Dobson units. NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using data courtesy of NASA Ozone Watch and GEOS-5 data from the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office at NASA GSFCThe hole reached its greatest one-day extent for the year on Sept. 9 at 8.83 million square miles (22.86 million square kilometers). It was about 30% smaller than the largest hole ever observed, which occurred in 2006, and had an average area of 10.27 million square miles (26.60 million square kilometers).
“As predicted, we’re seeing ozone holes trending smaller in area than they were in the early 2000s,” said Paul Newman, a senior scientist with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and leader of the ozone research team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “They’re forming later in the season and breaking up earlier. But we still have a long way to go before it recovers to 1980s levels.”
NASA and NOAA scientists say this year’s monitoring showed that controls on ozone-depleting chemical compounds established by the Montreal Protocol and subsequent amendments are driving the gradual recovery of the ozone layer in the stratosphere, which remains on track to recover fully later this century.
The ozone-rich layer acts as a planetary sunscreen that helps shield life from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun. It is located in the stratosphere, which is found between 7 and 31 miles above the Earth’s surface. Reduced ozone allows more UV rays to reach the surface, resulting in crop damage as well as increased cases of skin cancer and cataracts, among other adverse health impacts.
The ozone depletion process starts when human-made compounds containing chlorine and bromine rise high into the stratosphere miles above Earth’s surface. Freed from their molecular bonds by the more intense UV radiation, the chlorine and bromine-containing molecules then participate in reactions that destroy ozone molecules. Chlorofluorocarbons and other ozone-depleting compounds were once widely used in aerosol sprays, foams, air conditioners, and refrigerators. The chlorine and bromine from these compounds can linger in the atmosphere for decades to centuries.
“Since peaking around the year 2000, levels of ozone-depleting substances in the Antarctic stratosphere have declined by about a third, relative to pre-ozone-hole levels,” said Stephen Montzka, a senior scientist with NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory.
As part of the 1987 Montreal Protocol, countries agreed to replace ozone-depleting substances with less harmful alternatives.
“This year’s hole would have been more than one million square miles larger if there was still as much chlorine in the stratosphere as there was 25 years ago,” Newman said.
Still, the now-banned chemicals persist in old products like building insulation and in landfills. As emissions from those legacy uses taper off over time, projections show the ozone hole over the Antarctic recovering around the late 2060s.
NASA and NOAA previously ranked ozone hole severity using a time frame dating back to 1979, when scientists began tracking Antarctic ozone levels with satellites. Using that longer record, this year’s hole area ranked 14th smallest over 46 years of observations.
Factors like temperature, weather, and the strength of the wind encircling Antarctica known as the polar vortex also influence ozone levels from year to year. A weaker-than-normal polar vortex this August helped keep temperatures above average and likely contributed to a smaller ozone hole, said Laura Ciasto, a meteorologist with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.
Researchers monitor the ozone layer around the world using instruments on NASA’s Aura satellite, the NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 satellites, and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite, jointly operated by NASA and NOAA.
NOAA scientists also use instruments carried on weather balloons and upward-looking surface-based instruments to measure stratospheric ozone directly above the South Pole Atmospheric Baseline Observatory. Balloon data showed that the ozone concentration reached its lowest value of 147 Dobson Units this year on Oct. 6. The lowest value ever recorded over the South Pole was 92 Dobson Units in October 2006.
NOAA scientists launch a weather balloon carrying an ozonesonde near the South Pole in September 2025. Simeon Bash/IceCube – courtesy of NOAAThe Dobson Unit is a measurement that indicates the total number of ozone molecules present throughout the atmosphere above a certain location. A measurement of 100 Dobson Units corresponds to a layer of pure ozone 1 millimeter thick — about as thick as a dime — at standard temperature and pressure conditions.
View the latest status of the ozone layer over the Antarctic with NASA’s ozone watch.
By Sally Younger
NASA’s Earth Science News Team
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Your home. Our Mission. And the one planet that NASA studies more than any other.
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NASA Citizen Science Toolkit for Librarians
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NASA Citizen Science Toolkit for Librarians Librarians: NASA Citizen Science has something for you!Our new Toolkit for Librarians can help you share NASA citizen science opportunities with your patrons and community members. Rural and urban libraries, informal educators, youth group leaders, and retirement community coordinators can all benefit from this resource. Together, we can open the door for more people to join the fun, learning, and thrill of doing NASA science.
The toolkit prepares a program leader to lead a NASA Science event for people ages 8 and up. The toolkit includes:
- A guide to help you prepare for the event, from choosing and equipping the space, to becoming familiar with the citizen science project that will be the focus of the event
- An editable 8.5” by 11” poster to advertise your event
- A model agenda to follow during your event
- A handout for you and your participants to help you explore NASA-sponsored citizen science project opportunities
The toolkit creators, Sarah Kirn (Participatory Science Strategist, NASA, from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute) and Kara Reiman (librarian), together with NASA’s Citizen Science Officer Marc Kuchner, also recorded a video walk-through of this Toolkit.
“I appreciate this so much!” said one participant. “I have started Citizen Science Kits for circulation over this past year and am excited to share new opportunities with our patrons!”
“Living in a very rural and primarily native community, the kids here are limited with their nearby opportunities, so sharing this with them is a huge win…” said another.
Which NASA citizen project is best for you? You’ll find all these projects at science.nasa.gov/citizen-science, and you’ll find more resources like this in our Toolkit for Librarians! Sarah Kirn, GMRI + Marc Kuchner, NASA Learn More and Get Involved NASA Citizen Science Toolkit for LibrariansPlease share this toolkit – or use it yourself – to invite more people to do NASA science with us – who knows what they will discover?!
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City Lights and Atmospheric Glow
JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui captured this photo of southern Europe and the northwestern Mediterranean coast from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above Earth on Aug. 30, 2025. At left, the Po Valley urban corridor in Italy shines with the metropolitan areas of Milan and Turin and their surrounding suburbs.
Crew members aboard the orbital lab have produced hundreds of thousands of images of the land, oceans, and atmosphere of Earth, and even of the Moon through Crew Earth Observations. Their photographs of Earth record how the planet changes over time due to human activity and natural events. This allows scientists to monitor disasters and direct response on the ground and study a number of phenomena, from the movement of glaciers to urban wildlife.
Image credit: JAXA/Kimiya Yui
The Overview Effect: Astronaut Perspectives from 25 Years in Low Earth Orbit
To see Earth from space is to be forever changed by the view. Since Alan Shepard became the first American to lay eyes on our home planet from above, countless NASA astronauts have described feeling awed by the astonishing sight and a profound shift in perspective that followed.
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick points his camera through a cupola window as the International Space Station orbits 262 miles above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa.NASAThis unique experience is known as the overview effect – a term coined in 1987 by space philosopher and author Frank White in a book of the same name. The phenomenon creates powerful changes in the way astronauts think about Earth and life and can be particularly strong for those who lived and worked aboard the International Space Station during its 25 years of continuous human presence. The orbiting laboratory’s cupola module, equipped with seven windows looking down on Earth, provides the perfect place for observation and reflection.
NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins is pictured looking out from the International Space Station’s “window to the world” – the cupola. Astronauts use the seven-windowed observation module to monitor the arrival of spacecrafts at the orbiting laboratory and view the Earth below. NASAAs Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch explained:
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“The overview effect is when you’re looking through the cupola and you see the Earth as it exists with the whole universe in the background. You see the thin blue line of the atmosphere, and then when you’re on the dark side of the Earth, you actually see this very thin green line that shows you where the atmosphere is. What you realize is every single person that you know is sustained and inside of that green line and everything else outside of it is completely inhospitable. You don’t see borders, you don’t see religious lines, you don’t see political boundaries. All you see is Earth and you see that we are way more alike than we are different.”
Koch’s Artemis II crewmate, NASA astronaut Victor Glover, said the overview effect’s potency is closely tied to the “sea level effect” – humanity’s shared experience on Earth. “You come back to sea level, and then you have a choice,” he explained. “Are you going to try to live your life a little differently? Are you going to really choose to be a member of this community of Earth?”
NASA astronaut Don Pettit, Expedition 30 flight engineer, is pictured in a window of the cupola of the International Space Station, backdropped by Earth’s horizon and the blackness of space. NASAMany astronauts emphasize the importance of unity after experiencing the overview effect. “You see that it’s a single planet with a shared atmosphere. It’s our shared place in this universe,” said former NASA astronaut Bob Behnken. “I think that perspective, as we go through things like the pandemic or we see the challenges across our nation or across the world, we recognize that we all face them together.”
Seeing the Earth from space can also change their concept of home. Former NASA astronaut Nicole Stott recalls wanting to see her home state of Florida during her first mission to the International Space Station. “Finally, we were flying over Florida. I wanted to go to the window and see it, and then realized somewhere down the line that I wasn’t looking at Florida that same way anymore,” she said. “I still wanted to see Florida, but Florida had just become this special part of home, which is Earth. We’re all earthlings.”
The sun shines above Earth’s horizon as the space station orbits 264 miles above the Canadian province of Quebec. NASAFor some astronauts, their perspective shift inspired them to make changes on the ground. “I think if you’re not a conservationist before you go to space, you’re at least partly a conservationist when you come back. Because when you see how thin that atmosphere is, that protective layer that we have here, you think, wow, we really have to take care of this because it does look so fragile from space,” said retired NASA astronaut Mike Foreman.
Others hope to share the overview effect with more people. “That perspective helps you grow. It has really inspired me to try to get more people this experience and to get a permanent foothold in the stars for our species,” said former NASA astronaut Jack Fischer. “I want to do everything I possibly can to help the human species, humanity as a whole, go further and grow and evolve like I know they’re capable of.”
An Earth observation taken through cupola windows by the Expedition 39 crew. Portions of the International Space Station are in view. NASAFuture crews to the orbiting laboratory can look forward to a similar experience. “In that instant, when you’re overwhelmed with that vista, when your eyes see nothing but the beauty of the Earth – every single crew member that I brought in [the cupola] for that exposure, cried,” said retired NASA astronaut T.J. Creamer. “It is heart stopping. It is soul pounding. It is breathtaking.”
For more astronaut perspectives from the International Space Station, watch “Down to Earth” on NASA+.
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NASA has selected Plug Power, Inc., of Slingerlands, New York, and Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., of Allentown, Pennsylvania, to supply up to approximately 36,952,000 pounds of liquid hydrogen for use at facilities across the agency.
The NASA Agency-wide Supply of Liquid Hydrogen awards are firm-fixed-price requirements contracts that include multiple firm-fixed-price delivery orders critical for the agency’s centers as they use liquid hydrogen, combined with liquid oxygen, as fuel in cryogenic rocket engines, and the commodity’s unique properties support the development of aeronautics. The total value for the combined awards is about $147.2 million.
The contracts begin Monday, Dec. 1, and each consists of a two-year base period followed by three one-year option periods that, if exercised, would extend the contracts to Nov. 30, 2030.
Air Products and Chemicals Inc. will supply up to about 36.5 million pounds of liquid hydrogen to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida; NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama; and NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, for a maximum contract value of approximately $144.4 million.
Plug Power, Inc. will deliver up to approximately 480,000 pounds of the commodity to NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and at Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, for a maximum contract value of about $2.8 million.
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10 Years of Students Helping NASA Grow Space Food with Growing Beyond Earth
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10 Years of Students Helping NASA Grow Space Food with Growing Beyond Earth Students from 71 Classrooms engaged with NASA scientists to learn about how their Growing Beyond Earth research is contributing to feeding astronauts for long distance space travel.Nearly 1,250 middle and high school students from 71 schools around the world joined Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden for the Growing Beyond Earth (GBE) Student Launch Chat with the Scientists, marking an inspiring milestone in the program’s 10th anniversary year.
The live session, held in collaboration with NASA, connected classrooms directly with Dr. Gioia Massa and Trent M. Smith, senior leaders of NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Space Crop Production team. Students heard firsthand how their classroom experiments are helping NASA identify and grow the best crops for future astronauts on long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars.
“Our students are contributing to real NASA science,” said one participating teacher. “It’s incredibly motivating for them to know their data could influence what astronauts eat in space someday.”
Connecting Classrooms with NASA ScienceGrowing Beyond Earth, led by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami, Florida, brings authentic NASA research into classrooms in a way that few science programs can. For more than a decade, the 83-acre botanic garden – renowned for its conservation, education, and research programs – has worked hand-in-hand with NASA to advance understanding of food production in space.
Students use specially designed plant growth chambers to test how different crops perform under conditions that mimic spacecraft environments. The data they collect are shared with NASA scientists, who use the findings to refine ongoing space crop production research.
Since the program’s inception, more than 120,000 students across 800+ classrooms have tested over 250 plant cultivars, with five student-tested crops already grown aboard the International Space Station.
Cultivating the Future STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) WorkforceThe Growing Beyond Earth project exemplifies the mission of NASA’s Science Activation (SciAct) program, which connects NASA Science with people of all ages and backgrounds in ways that activate minds and promote a deeper understanding of our world and beyond, with the ultimate Vision: To increase learners’ active participation in the advancement of human knowledge. By engaging students as active participants in cutting-edge research, projects like GBE not only advance NASA’s goals but also cultivate curiosity, creativity, and confidence in the next generation of scientists and explorers. This year’s GBE Student Launch Chat celebrated that impact, showing how student research from classrooms around the globe contributes to the future of space exploration.
“When students see themselves as part of NASA’s mission, they realize science isn’t something distant, it’s something they can do,” said Dr. Massa. Teacher Espy Rodriguez from Hialeah Senior High School said, “It made their [her students] projects matter. I think it gave the kids a real sense of community. We are far, but we are one.” By growing plants, analyzing data, and sharing results with NASA, these students are helping humanity prepare for life beyond Earth, proving that the seeds of tomorrow’s discoveries are being planted in today’s classrooms.
GBE is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number 80NCCS2M0125 and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/.
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Hubble Captures Puzzling Galaxy
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a galaxy that’s hard to categorize. The galaxy in question is NGC 2775, which lies 67 million light-years away in the constellation Cancer (the Crab). NGC 2775 sports a smooth, featureless center that is devoid of gas, resembling an elliptical galaxy. It also has a dusty ring with patchy star clusters, like a spiral galaxy. Which is it: spiral or elliptical — or neither?
Because we can only view NGC 2775 from one angle, it’s difficult to say for sure. Some researchers classify NGC 2775 as a spiral galaxy because of its feathery ring of stars and dust, while others classify it as a lenticular galaxy. Lenticular galaxies have features common to both spiral and elliptical galaxies.
Astronomers aren’t certain of exactly how lenticular galaxies come to be, and they might form in a variety of ways. Lenticular galaxies might be spiral galaxies that merged with other galaxies, or that have mostly run out of star-forming gas and lost their prominent spiral arms. They also might have started out more like elliptical galaxies, then collected gas into a disk around them.
Some evidence suggests that NGC 2775 merged with other galaxies in the past. Invisible in this Hubble image, NGC 2775 has a tail of hydrogen gas that stretches almost 100,000 light-years around the galaxy. This faint tail could be the remnant of one or more galaxies that wandered too close to NGC 2775 before being stretched apart and absorbed. If NGC 2775 merged with other galaxies in the past, it could explain the galaxy’s strange appearance today.
Most astronomers classify NGC 2775 as a flocculent spiral galaxy. Flocculent spirals have poorly defined, discontinuous arms that are often described as “feathery” or as “tufts” of stars that loosely form spiral arms.
Hubble previously released an image of NGC 2775 in 2020. This new version adds observations of a specific wavelength of red light emitted by clouds of hydrogen gas surrounding massive young stars, visible as bright, pinkish clumps in the image. This additional wavelength of light helps astronomers better define where new stars are forming in the galaxy.
What is BioSentinel?
Editor’s Note: This article was updated Nov. 21, 2025 shortly after BioSentinel’s mission marked three years of operation in deep space.
Astronauts live in a pretty extreme environment aboard the International Space Station. Orbiting about 250 miles above the Earth in the weightlessness of microgravity, they rely on commercial cargo missions about every two months to deliver new supplies and experiments. And yet, this place is relatively protected in terms of space radiation. The Earth’s magnetic field shields space station crew from much of the radiation that can damage the DNA in our cells and lead to serious health problems. When future astronauts set off on long journeys deeper into space, they will be venturing into more perilous radiation environments and will need substantial protection. With the help of a biology experiment within a small satellite called BioSentinel, scientists at NASA’s Ames Research Center, in California’s Silicon Valley, are taking an early step toward finding solutions.
To learn the basics of what happens to life in space, researchers often use “model organisms” that we understand relatively well. This helps show the differences between what happens in space and on Earth more clearly. For BioSentinel, NASA is using yeast – the very same yeast that makes bread rise and beer brew. In both our cells and yeast cells, the type of high-energy radiation encountered in deep space can cause breaks in the two entwined strands of DNA that carry genetic information. Often, DNA damage can be repaired by cells in a process that is very similar between yeast and humans.
Conceptual graphic of a radiation particle causing a double-stranded DNA break.BioSentinel set out to be the first long-duration biology experiment to take place beyond where the space station orbits near Earth. BioSentinel’s spacecraft is one of 10 CubeSats that launched aboard Artemis I, the first flight of the Artemis program’s Space Launch System, NASA’s powerful new rocket. The cereal box-sized satellite traveled to deep space on the rocket then flew past the Moon in a direction to orbit the Sun. Once the satellite was in position beyond our planet’s protective magnetic field, the BioSentinel team triggered a series of experiments remotely, activating two strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to grow in the presence of space radiation. Samples of yeast were activated at different time points throughout the six- to twelve-month mission.
One strain is the yeast commonly found in nature, while the other was selected because it has trouble repairing its DNA. By comparing how the two strains respond to the deep space radiation environment, researchers will learn more about the health risks posed to humans during long-term exploration and be able to develop informed strategies for reducing potential damage.
During the initial phase of the mission, which began in December 2022 and completed in April 2023, the BioSentinel team successfully operated BioSentinel’s BioSensor hardware – a miniature biotechnology laboratory designed to measure how living yeast cells respond to long-term exposure to space radiation – in deep space. The team completed four experiments lasting two-weeks each but did not observe any yeast cell growth. They determined that deep space radiation was not the cause of the inactive yeast cells, but that their lack of growth was likely due to the yeast expiring after extended storage time of the spacecraft ahead of launch.
Although the yeast did not activate as intended to gather observations on the impact of radiation on living yeast cells, BioSentinel’s onboard radiation detector – that measures the type and dose of radiation hitting the spacecraft – continues to collect data in deep space.
Jesse Fusco, left, and James Milsk, right, at the BioSentinel command console at the Multi-Mission Operations Center at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. The team is receiving spacecraft telemetry at the three-year timepoint since the mission launched on Artemis I. BioSentinel continues to fly in its heliocentric orbit, now more than 48 million miles from Earth. NASA/Don RicheyNASA has extended BioSentinel’s mission to continue collecting valuable deep space radiation data in the unique, high-radiation environment beyond low Earth orbit.
The Sun has an 11-year cycle, in which solar activity rises and falls in the form of powerful solar flares and giant eruptions called coronal mass ejections. As the solar cycle progresses from maximum to a declining phase, scientists expect strong solar activity to continue through 2026, with some of the strongest storms seen during this declining phase. These events send powerful bursts of energy, magnetic fields, and plasma into space which causes the aurora and can interfere with satellite signals. Solar radiation events from particles accelerated to high speeds can also pose a threat to astronauts in space.
Built on a history of small-satellite biologyThe BioSentinel project builds on Ames’ history of carrying out biology studies in space using CubeSats – small satellites built from individual units each about four inches cubed. BioSentinel is a six-unit spacecraft weighing about 30 pounds. It houses the yeast cells in tiny compartments inside microfluidic cards – custom hardware that allows for the controlled flow of extremely small volumes of liquids that will activate and sustain the yeast. Data about radiation levels and the yeast’s growth and metabolism will be collected and stored aboard the spacecraft and then transmitted to the science team back on Earth.
A reserve set of microfluidic cards containing yeast samples will be activated if the satellite encounters a solar particle event, a radiation storm coming from the Sun that is a particularly severe health risk for future deep space explorers.
BioSentinel’s microfluidics card, designed at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California, will be used to study the impact of interplanetary space radiation on yeast. Once in orbit, the growth and metabolic activity of the yeast will be measured using a three-color LED detection system and a dye that provides a readout of yeast cell activity. Here, pink wells contain actively growing yeast cells that have turned the dye from blue to pink color.NASA/Dominic Hart Multiple BioSentinels will compare various gravity and radiation environmentsIn addition to the pioneering BioSentinel mission that will traverse the deep space environment, identical experiments take place under different radiation and gravity conditions. One ran on the space station, in microgravity that is similar to deep space, but with comparatively less radiation. Other experiments took place on the ground, for comparison with Earth’s gravity and radiation levels. These additional versions show scientists how to compare Earth and space station-based science experiments – which can be conducted much more readily – to the fierce radiation that future astronauts will encounter in space.
Taken together, the BioSentinel data will be critical for interpreting the effects of space radiation exposure, reducing the risks associated with long-term human exploration, and confirming existing models of the effects of space radiation on living organisms.
Milestones- December 2021: The BioSentinel ISS Control experiment launched to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s 24th commercial resupply services mission.
- January 2022: The BioSentinel ISS Control experiment began science operations aboard the International Space Station.
- February 2022: The BioSentinel ISS Control experiment began ground control science operations at NASA Ames.
- June 2022: The BioSentinel ISS Control experiment completed science operations. The hardware was returned to Earth in August aboard SpaceX’s CRS-25 Dragon.
- October 2022: The BioSentinel ISS Control experiment completed ground control science operations at NASA Ames.
- Nov. 16, 2022: BioSentinel launched to deep space aboard Artemis I.
- Dec. 5, 2022: BioSentinel began science operations in deep space.
- Dec. 19, 2022: BioSentinel began ground control science operations at NASA Ames.
- Nov. 16, 2024: BioSentinel marks two years of continuous radiation observations in deep space, now more than 30 million miles from Earth.
- Nov. 16, 2025: BioSentinel marks three years of continuous radiation observations in deep space, now more than 48 million miles from Earth.
Partners:
- NASA Ames leads the science, hardware design and development of the BioSentinel mission.
- Partner organizations include NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
- BioSentinel is funded by the Mars Campaign Development (MCO) Division within the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington.
- BioSentinel’s extended mission is supported by the Heliophysics Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington, the MCO, and the NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging Program within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
Learn more:
- NASA story: NASA’s BioSentinel Studies Solar Radiation as Earth Watches Aurora (Sept. 2024)
- NASA story: NASA Extends BioSentinel’s Mission to Measure Deep Space Radiation, Aug. 2023
- NASA story: First Deep Space Biology Experiment Begins, Follow Along in Real-Time, Dec. 2022
- NASA story: BioSentinel Underway After Successful Lunar Flyby, Nov. 2022
- NASA story: Artemis I to Launch First-of-a-Kind Deep Space Biology Mission, Aug. 2022
- NASA video: Why NASA is Sending Yeast to Deep Space, Feb. 2022
- NASA podcast: “Houston We Have a Podcast,” Deep Space Biology, Jan. 2022
- NASA blog: All Artemis I Secondary Payloads Installed in Rocket’s Orion Stage Adapter, Oct. 2021
- NASA blog; NASA Prepares Three More CubeSat Payloads for Artemis I Mission. Jul. 2021
- NASA story: NASA’s BioSentinel Team Prepares CubeSat For Deep Space Flight, Apr. 2021
- NASA in Silicon Valley podcast episode: Sharmila Bhattacharya on Studying How Biology Changes in Space, Mar. 2018
- NASA story: For Holiday Celebrations and Space Radiation, Yeast is the Key, Dec. 2018
For researchers:
- NASA Space Station Research Explorer: BioSentinel ISS Control Experiment
- NASA technical webpage: BioSentinel
For news media:
- Members of the news media interested in covering this topic should reach out to the NASA Ames newsroom.
25 Years of Scientific Discovery Aboard the International Space Station
November marks 25 years of human presence aboard the International Space Station, a testament to international collaboration and human ingenuity. Since the first crew arrived on Nov. 2, 2000, NASA and its partners have conducted thousands of research investigations and technology demonstrations to advance exploration of the Moon and Mars and benefit life on Earth.
Researchers have taken advantage of the unique microgravity environment to conduct experiments impossible to replicate on Earth, transforming research across disciplines. More than 4,000 experiments have pushed the boundaries of science, sparked discoveries, and driven scientific breakthroughs.
“25 years ago, Expedition 1 became the first crew to call the International Space Station home, beginning a period of continuous human presence in space that still continues to this day,” said NASA acting administrator Sean Duffy. “This historic milestone would not have been possible without NASA and its partners, as well as every astronaut and engineer who works to keep the lights on in low Earth orbit.”
To celebrate a quarter century of innovation in microgravity, NASA is highlighting 25 scientific breakthroughs that exemplify the station’s enduring impact on science, technology, and exploration.
Building the road to the Moon and Mars The waxing crescent moon appears just above the Earth’s atmosphere as the International Space Station orbits the Earth.NASANASA uses the space station as a proving ground to develop new systems and technologies for missions beyond low Earth orbit.
- Navigation, communication, and radiation shielding technologies proven aboard the space station are being integrated into spacecraft and missions to reach the Moon and Mars.
- Robotic systems, for example a robotic surgeon and autonomous assistants, will expand available medical procedures and allow astronauts to dedicate time to more crucial tasks during missions far from Earth.
- Astronauts have used recycled plastic and stainless steel to 3D print tools and parts. The ability to 3D print in space lays the groundwork for on-demand repair and fabrication during future deep space missions where resupply isn’t readily available.
- From the deployment of the first wooden satellite to laser communications and self-healing quantum communications, the space station is a proving ground for cutting-edge space technologies.
Why this matters:
Humanity’s push to the Moon and Mars begins with discoveries in low Earth orbit. From demonstrating how astronauts can live, work, and repair equipment off Earth to testing life-support systems and advanced materials, every innovation aboard the station helps to advance NASA’s Artemis and other exploration initiatives and brings humanity closer to thriving beyond our planet.
Sustaining life beyond Earth NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins, front, and Bob Hines, back, work on XROOTS aboard the International Space Station. This experiment used the station’s Veggie facility to test soilless hydroponic and aeroponic plant growth.NASAAs NASA prepares to return humans to the Moon through the Artemis program and push onward to Mars, sustaining life beyond Earth is more critical than ever.
- Astronauts have grown more than 50 species of plants in space, including tomatoes, bok choi, romaine lettuce, and chili peppers.
- Advanced life support systems are capable of recycling up to 98% of water in the U.S. segment aboard the space station, the ideal level needed for exploration missions.
- Crew health data shows how space affects the brain, vision, balance and control, and muscle and bone density, guiding strategies to maintain astronaut performance during extended missions and improve health on Earth.
- Researchers have sequenced DNA in orbit and are advancing techniques to enable real-time assessment of microbial life in space, which is essential to maintaining astronaut health.
Why this matters:
By growing food, recycling water, and improving medical care in space, NASA is paving the way for future long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars while revolutionizing agriculture and medicine back home.
Helping humanity on Earth Pharmaceutical crystals grown aboard the International Space Station are shown after returning to Earth.RedwireResearch aboard the orbiting laboratory not only pushes humanity farther into the cosmos but can help address complex human health issues on the ground. By providing a platform for long-term microgravity research, the space station fosters breakthroughs that yield direct benefits to people on Earth.
- Research aboard the space station provides new insights to develop treatments for diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and heart disease by revealing how microgravity alters cellular functions.
- New developments in medicine for cancer, muscular dystrophy, and neurodegenerative diseases have come from growing protein crystals in microgravity with larger, more organized structures.
- High quality stem cells can be grown in greater quantities in space, helping to develop new regenerative therapies for neurological, cardiovascular, and immunological conditions.
- Pioneering efforts in 3D bioprinting, which uses cells, proteins, and nutrients as source material, have produced human tissue structures such as a knee meniscus and heart tissue, a major step toward manufacturing organs in space for transplant patients on Earth.
- Researchers are using miniaturized tissue models to observe how space affects tissues and organ systems, offering new ways to develop and test medicines to protect astronauts on future missions and improve treatments on Earth.
- Photos taken by astronauts have supported emergency response to natural disasters, such as hurricanes, with targeted views from space.
- Instruments mounted on the space station protect critical space infrastructure and provide data on the planet’s natural patterns by measuring Earth’s resources and space weather.
Why this matters:
Microgravity research is moving us closer to manufacturing human organs in space for transplant and revealing new ways to fight cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, neurodegenerative disease, and other serious illnesses that affect millions of people worldwide. The station also serves as an observation platform to monitor natural disasters, weather patterns, and Earth’s resources.
Understanding our universe Artist concept of operations inside NASA’s Cold Atom Laboratory aboard the International Space Station.NASAThe space station offers scientists an unparalleled vantage point to learn about the fundamental behavior of the universe. By studying cosmic phenomena typically blocked or absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere and observing physics at an atomic level, researchers can probe mysteries impossible to study from Earth.
- Data from X-ray telescopes on the space station’s exterior have been featured in more than 700 research publications, helping to improve our understanding of collapsing stars, black holes, and ripples in the fabric of space-time.
- Researchers have recorded billions of cosmic events, helping scientists search for antimatter and dark matter signatures in space.
- Scientists have created and studied the fifth state of matter on the space station, allowing researchers to use quantum science to advance technology like space navigation, satellite operations, and GPS systems on Earth.
Why this matters:
Research aboard the space station is helping us unravel the deepest mysteries of our universe, from the smallest quantum particles to the most powerful cosmic explosions. Observations of collapsing stars and black holes could inspire new navigation tools using cosmic signals and expand our grasp of space-time. Studies of antimatter and dark matter bring us closer to understanding the 95% of the universe invisible to the human eye. Creating the fifth state of matter in space unlocks new quantum pathways that could transform technology on Earth and in space.
Learning new physics This image shows a flame ignited as part of the Flame Design investigation on the International Space Station.NASAPhysical processes behave differently in microgravity, offering scientists a new lens for discovery.
- Engineers can design more efficient fuel and life support systems for future spacecraft thanks to studies of fluid boiling, containment, and flow.
- Analyzing gels and liquids mixed with tiny particles in space helps researchers fine-tune material compositions and has led to new patents for consumer products.
- The discovery of cool flames in space, a phenomenon difficult to study on Earth, has opened new frontiers in combustion science and engine design.
Why this matters:
Breakthroughs in fundamental physics aboard the space station drive innovation on Earth and advance spacecraft fuel, thermal control, plant watering, and water purification systems. Research in soft materials is improving products in medicine, household products, and renewable energy, while cool flames studies may lead to cleaner, more efficient engines.
Enabling global access to space NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers talks on a ham radio with students from Lakeside Junior High School in Springdale, Arkansas. Ayers answered questions from the students about her experience living and working aboard the International Space Station.NASASince 2000, the space station has opened doors for private companies, researchers, students, and astronauts around the world to participate in exploration and help propel humanity forward to the Moon and Mars.
- The space station is a launchpad for the commercial space economy, enabling private astronaut missions and hosting hundreds of experiments from commercial companies, giving them the chance to strengthen their technologies through in-orbit research, manufacturing demonstrations, and innovation.
- CubeSats deployed from the space station enable students and innovators around the world to test radio antennas, small telescopes, and other scientific demonstrations in space.
- More than one million students have engaged with astronauts via ham radio events, inspiring the next generation to participate in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
- More than 285 crew members from more than 25 countries have visited humanity’s longest-operating outpost in space, making it a symbol of global collaboration.
Why this matters:
The space station has enabled the space economy, where commercial research, manufacturing, and technology demonstrations are shaping a new global marketplace. NASA and its international partners have established a leadership position in low Earth orbit, creating new opportunities for industry and paving the way for exploration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Learn more about the research aboard the International Space Station at:
Revisit the 20th anniversary for more information.
Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA International Space Station: 25 YearsNovember 2, 2025, marked a historic milestone: 25 years of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station.
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Hubble Seeks Clusters in ‘Lost Galaxy’
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Hubble Seeks Clusters in ‘Lost Galaxy’ This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the spiral galaxy NGC 4535. ESA/Hubble & NASA, F. Belfiore, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST TeamToday’s NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the spiral galaxy NGC 4535, which is situated about 50 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo (the Maiden). Through a small telescope, this galaxy appears extremely faint, giving it the nickname ‘Lost Galaxy’. With a mirror spanning nearly eight feet (2.4 meters) across and its location above Earth’s light-obscuring atmosphere, Hubble can easily observe dim galaxies like NGC 4535 and pick out features like its massive spiral arms and central bar of stars.
This image features NGC 4535’s young star clusters, which dot the galaxy’s spiral arms. Glowing-pink clouds surround many of these bright-blue star groupings. These clouds, called H II (‘H-two’) regions, are a sign that the galaxy is home to especially young, hot, and massive stars that blaze with high-energy radiation. Such massive stars shake up their surroundings by heating their birth clouds with powerful stellar winds, eventually exploding as supernovae.
The image incorporates data from an observing program designed to catalog roughly 50,000 H II regions in nearby star-forming galaxies like NGC 4535. Hubble released a previous image of NGC 4535 in 2021. Both the 2021 image and this new image incorporate observations from the PHANGS observing program, which seeks to understand the connections between young stars and cold gas. Today’s image adds a new dimension to our understanding of NGC 4535 by capturing the brilliant red glow of the nebulae that encircle massive stars in their first few million years of life.
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Claire Andreoli (claire.andreoli@nasa.gov)
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.
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Europa Clipper Captures Uranus With Star Tracker Camera
NASA/JPL-Caltech Photojournal Navigation Downloads Europa Clipper Captures Uranus With Star Tracker Camera
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NASA’s Europa Clipper captured this image of a starfield — and the planet Uranus — on Nov. 5, 2025, while experimenting with one of its two stellar reference units. These star-tracking cameras are used for maintaining spacecraft orientation. Within the camera’s field of view — representing 0.1% of the full sky around the spacecraft — Uranus is visible as a larger dot near the left side of the image.
Figure A is an annotated version of the image with Uranus and several background stars labeled. NASA/JPL-Caltech Figure B is an animated GIF made of a pair of images taken 10 hours apart. In this version, Uranus can be seen moving very slightly, relative to the background stars. NASA/JPL-CaltechAt the time the images were taken, Europa Clipper was about 2 billion miles (3.2 billion kilometers) from Uranus. The spacecraft is currently en route to the Jupiter system to study the icy moon Europa.
Europa Clipper launched in October 2024 and will arrive at the Jupiter system in 2030 to conduct about 50 flybys of Europa. The mission’s main science goal is to determine whether there are places below Europa’s surface that could support life. The mission’s three main science objectives are to determine the thickness of the moon’s icy shell and its surface interactions with the ocean below, to investigate its composition, and to characterize its geology. The mission’s detailed exploration of Europa will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet.
For more information about Europa and Europa Clipper, go to: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/europa-clipper/
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NASA’s Quesst Mission Marks X-59’s Historic First Flight
NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft took off for its historic first flight on Oct. 28, 2025, at 11:14 a.m. EDT from Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The one-of-a-kind aircraft flew for 67 minutes before landing and taxiing to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.
NASA test pilot Nils Larson flew the X-59 up to an altitude of about 12,000 feet and an approximate top speed of 230 mph, precisely as planned. The plane’s landing gear remained down during the entire flight, a common practice for experimental aircraft flying for the first time.
Now that the X-59’s first flight is in the books, the team is focused on preparing for a series of test flights where the aircraft will operate at higher altitudes and supersonic speeds. This test flight phase of NASA’s Quesst mission will ensure the X-59 meets performance and safety expectations.
Through the Quesst mission, NASA aims to usher in a new age of quiet supersonic flight, achieved through the unique design and technology of the X-59 in future supersonic transport aircraft.
Image Credit: NASA/Lori Losey
NASA’s Scott Tingle to Serve as Agency’s Chief Astronaut
NASA named astronaut Scott Tingle as chief of the Astronaut Office at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, effective Nov. 10. A decorated spaceflight veteran and former captain in the United States Navy, Tingle has logged more than 4,500 flight hours in 51 different aircraft and served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station.
As chief astronaut, Tingle is responsible for managing astronaut resources and operations. He also will help develop astronaut flight crew operations and make crew assignments for future human spaceflight missions, including Artemis missions to the Moon.
“Our Johnson Space Center team congratulates Scott on his selection as chief of the Astronaut Office. We wish him well as he takes on this new and exciting leadership role,” said Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche. “I extend my sincerest thanks to Joe Acaba, for his dedicated service to the Astronaut Office, as he completed the tremendous task of preparing our astronaut corps for daring missions to and from the International Space Station and integrated their expertise and space knowledge to develop and test future technologies, software, and procedures making space travel safer and more attainable for our nation’s explorers.”
A native of Randolph, Massachusetts, Tingle was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2009. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Southeastern Massachusetts University and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Tingle most recently served as a flight engineer aboard the space station, spending more than six months in orbit during Expedition 54/55. He was the flight engineer and United States Operational Segment lead for the mission, which launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Soyuz spacecraft on Dec. 17, 2017, and concluded with landing on June 3, 2018. Since returning to Earth, he has supported the Astronaut Office in various roles, including mission support, technical leadership, and crew readiness activities.
Before coming to NASA, Tingle worked for The Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, California, where he served as a technical staff member supporting the company’s propulsion department. He was commissioned as a naval officer in 1991 and went on to complete a distinguished career, earning the rank of captain before retiring. Follow Tingle on X.
Tingle succeeds NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, who had served as chief of the Astronaut Office since February 2023. Acaba has transitioned to the center director’s staff, where he provides technical advice on mission planning and strategy at NASA Johnson. In this new role, he leads the center’s alignment with NASA’s strategic plan and human spaceflight priorities, supports the agency’s STEM workforce goals, and advances collaboration with commercial space, academia, and other government partners as NASA continues its exploration beyond low Earth orbit.
Learn more about the International Space Station:
https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station
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Shaneequa Vereen
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
shaneequa.y.vereen@nasa.gov
NASA Celebrates Five Years of Artemis Accords, Welcomes 3 New Nations
October marked the fifth anniversary of NASA and the original founders signing the Artemis Accords, as well as the recognition of Hungary, Malaysia and the Philippines joining the expanding coalition dedicated to the peaceful exploration of space. The number of countries involved now totals 59.
“NASA welcomes the newest signatories, whose participation strengthens the global commitment to responsible exploration,” said acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy. “Their decision to sign the Artemis Accords affirms a shared commitment to safe, transparent, and peaceful exploration — at a time when others seek to weaponize the final frontier. Together we are building the foundation for the Golden Age of space exploration.”
Both Malaysia and the Philippines signed the Artemis Accords as part of President Trump’s visit to Kuala Lumpur for the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit. The separate signings were announced by the White House on Oct. 26.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó of Hungary signed the Artemis Accords on Oct. 22 while in Washington during an official visit, in the lead up to President Trump’s meeting with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Hungary’s signing came three months after Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) astronaut Tibor Kapu launched to space in a mission aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. The private astronauts, part of the NASA-supported Axiom Mission 4 crew, spent about two weeks conducting science, outreach, and commercial activities, alongside NASA astronauts.
Five years of progress
On Oct. 13, 2020, during the first Trump Administration, the United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, joined with seven other founding nations to establish the Artemis Accords, responding to the growing interest in lunar activities by both governments and private companies.
Since then, the Artemis Accords have grown into an international coalition. What began with a handful of founding nations has multiplied with seven countries signing in 2025 alone. The surge in participation highlights an increased global commitment to shaping a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future in space.
In September, NASA co-chaired the Artemis Accords Principals’ Meeting in Sydney alongside the space agencies of Australia and the United Arab Emirates. The gathering brought together dozens of signatory nations to deepen dialogue and strengthen shared commitments to the sustainable and responsible use of space. Global space leaders discussed the following topics:
- Non-interference in each other’s space activities, including transparency on expected launch dates, general nature of activities, and landing location
- Orbital debris mitigation
- Interoperability of systems for safer and more efficient operations
- Release of scientific data
At the meeting, NASA committed to hosting an Artemis Accords workshop in 2026 for signatories focused on transparency and the sharing of data. The agency has taken additional steps since the accords were established to release more information about lunar missions, promoting openness and preventing harmful interference.
The progress made by signatories, and their continued commitment to implementing the accords’ principles, is essential to advancing sustainable exploration of the Moon under the Artemis campaign, Mars, and beyond. Following a call to Artemis Accords signatories, four CubeSats from South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, and Germany, will fly on Artemis II.
More nations are expected to sign the accords in the months and years ahead, as NASA and its partners continue to advance the principles of the accords.
Learn more about the Artemis Accords at:
https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords
Share Details Last Updated Nov 20, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsNASA Sets Coverage for Crew Launch to Join Station Expedition
NASA astronaut Chris Williams will launch aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft to the International Space Station on Thursday, Nov. 27, accompanied by cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, where they will join the Expedition 73 crew advancing scientific research.
Williams, Kud-Sverchkov, and Mikaev will lift off at 4:27 a.m. EST (2:27 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Live launch and docking coverage will be available on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
After a two-orbit, three-hour trip to the orbital complex, the spacecraft will automatically dock to the station’s Rassvet module at approximately 7:38 a.m. Shortly after, hatches will open between Soyuz and the space station.
Once aboard, the trio will join NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, and Jonny Kim, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritsky, and Oleg Platonov.
NASA’s coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
Thursday, Nov. 27
3:30 a.m. – Launch coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.
4:27 a.m. – Launch
6:45 a.m. – Rendezvous and docking coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.
7:38 a.m. – Docking to the space station
9:50 a.m. – Hatch opening and welcome remarks coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.
10:10 a.m. – Hatch opening
Williams, Kud-Sverchkov, and Mikaev will spend approximately eight months aboard the space station as Expedition 73/74 crew members, before returning to Earth in summer 2026. This will be the first spaceflight for Williams and Mikaev, and the second for Kud-Sverchkov.
During his stay aboard station, Williams will conduct scientific research and technology demonstrations aimed at advancing human space exploration and benefiting life on Earth. He will help install and test a new modular workout system for long-duration missions, support experiments to improve cryogenic fuel efficiency and grow semiconductor crystals in space, and assist NASA in designing new re-entry safety protocols to protect crews during future missions.
For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs that are not possible on Earth. The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. As commercial companies concentrate on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust low Earth orbit economy, NASA is focusing its resources on deep space missions to the Moon as part of the Artemis campaign in preparation for future human missions to Mars.
Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:
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Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov
Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov
What’s Up: November 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA
Mars and Mercury get close for a conjunction, the Leonid meteor shower delights, and Saturn’s rings are…disappearing?
Skywatching Highlights- Nov. 12: A conjunction between Mars and Mercury
- Nov. 16-18: Leonid meteor shower peak viewing
- Nov. 23: Saturn’s rings disappear
Mars and Mercury have a cozy conjunction, the Leonid meteor shower delights, and Saturn’s rings are…disappearing?
That’s What’s Up for November.
Conjunction:Mars and Mercury will cozy up together in the night sky just after sunset on November 12th.
The planets will experience what is known as a conjunction, meaning they appear close together in the sky from our view (even though in real life, Mars and Mercury are well over 100 million miles apart).
But you can see these two long distance pals close together if you look slightly southwest just after sunset in the early evening sky on November 12th.
NASA/JPL-CaltechMars will be just to the right above Mercury, and you’ll know it’s Mars by its distinctive reddish-orange color.
Leonid Meteor Shower:The Leonid meteor shower will sparkle across the skies this month, peaking on November 17th.
NASA/JPL-CaltechWhile the meteor shower stretches from November 3rd through December 2nd, it will be at its most visible late on the night of November 16th into the dawn of November 17th, even into the early morning of November 18th.
Look for meteors coming from the shower’s radiant point within the constellation Leo in the eastern sky.
With dark skies, you might see 10-15 meteors per hour with this shower which happens when we travel through the debris trailing the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.
Saturn’s rings disappearSaturn’s rings will disappear from view this November!
Saturn orbits the sun leaning at an angle of 26.7 degrees. This means that from our view, its rings shift up and down over time.
On November 23, Saturn will be angled in such a way that its rings face us, and since they are so thin they’ll just disappear from view.
Alan Friedman/avertedimagination.comBut don’t worry, the rings aren’t gone from view forever. As the planet continues to orbit, its rings will gradually become more visible again.
Conclusion + Moon PhasesHere are the phases of the Moon for November.
NASA/JPL-CaltechYou can stay up to date on all of NASA’s missions exploring the solar system and beyond at science.nasa.gov.
I’m Chelsea Gohd from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that’s What’s Up for this month.
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NASA Fuels Discovery from Earth to Sky: One Crayon at a Time
6 min read
NASA Fuels Discovery from Earth to Sky: One Crayon at a Time Student interns help kids color in data to learn more about the far side of the Moon while visiting the Goddard Space Flight Center Visitor Center. Photo Credit: NASA Earth to SkyA collaboration between the NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative (NESEC) and Earth to Sky (ETS) – an exciting, growing partnership between NASA, the National Park Service, and other federal, state, and local organizations – is facilitating the implementation of a simple, yet incredibly effective activity that will help millions of national park visitors connect with NASA Earth and space science.
The Color-a-Pixel activity, developed by NESEC, transforms complex satellite imagery into accessible, collaborative art projects. Incorporating this simple technique into ETS science communication training programs demonstrates to park interpreters and outdoor educators how NASA’s view from space can enhance millions of visitor experiences at parks, refuges, and nature centers.
“This low-tech activity is powerful because of its simplicity,” explains ETS Space Science Coordinator Brandi Stewart, “All you have to do is pick up a crayon, follow the easy number guides, and discover the stories that NASA satellites are telling us about our world and beyond.”
The Color-a-Pixel activity begins with selecting satellite imagery from NASA missions like Landsat, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), or the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). Using technology developed by NESEC’s lead organization, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, these images are converted into a 3’ by 2’ poster of numbered squares, each corresponding to one of 120 standard Crayola crayon colors.
Earth to Sky demonstrates the magnetic appeal of this activity by setting it up for the rangers and educators during workshops. With a bit of explanation, participants immediately jump in, eager to reveal the imagery and data shown through the pixels.
“It becomes a group mission that, by the end of the training, the image will be fully colored in and complete. It’s been a great teambuilding and stress-relieving activity for our participants,” states Geneviève de Messières, Earth to Sky Program Lead.
When applied to public lands communication efforts, this activity becomes a tool for interpretive messaging. While visitors work on completing the image, park rangers can weave in scientific concepts, environmental change stories, and space exploration connections. This activity also drives home that satellite imagery is more than just a pretty picture – each pixel is also data that scientists use to better understand Earth and other worlds throughout our solar system.
Bringing Space Down to EarthSome ways that Earth to Sky has implemented the activity at special events on public lands include:
- Death Valley Dark Sky Festival, California: Visitors were invited to color Landsat imagery of Earth’s Badwater Basin and MRO imagery of Mars’ Belva Crater. As they colored, Earth to Sky outreach specialists made connections between finding signs of water on the dry landscapes in both locations.
- Park After Dark, Minnesota: During this urban event hosted by Mississippi River & National Recreation Area in Minneapolis St. Paul, attendees worked together to color topographical maps of both the Moon’s familiar near side and its mysterious far side, using data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The striking differences that emerged through their coloring sparked questions about why the Moon’s two hemispheres appear so dramatically different, leading to rich discussions about lunar formation and geological change.
- Patuxent Wildlife Refuge Open House, Maryland: Just miles from the urban centers of Baltimore and Washington DC, the Color-a-Pixel activity helped local community members visualize something they could feel but not easily see: the refuge’s role as a “cool island” in an urban heat landscape. Visitors colored Landsat imagery of the refuge and surrounding neighborhoods while examining heat maps showing temperature differences between developed areas and the protected green space. The activity helped residents understand the refuge’s importance beyond wildlife habitat.
All of these activities are available on the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) website in a pre-generated format ready for printing.
A Colorful CollaborationThe collaboration between NESEC and Earth to Sky brings complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences in engaging and relevant ways. Earth to Sky’s community of practice –now including more than 2,000 interpreters and environmental educators – reaches millions of visitors annually across the country’s parks, refuges, and nature centers.
Theresa Schwerin, who leads NESEC, noted that Color-a-Pixel originally started as a simple idea for a tabletop activity to use at conferences and public events. “I wanted something hands-on that could draw people in and start conversations as simple as ‘these beautiful NASA images from space are data’ and talk about different NASA missions and how they are relevant to people’s lives. There’s also an opportunity to invite the public to contribute to NASA science by participating in citizen science projects … [some of which] can fill in the details of the pixels with information that complements NASA’s view from space.”
Andrew Clark, a data scientist and engineer at IGES, created the Color-a-Pixel poster generator, which has gone through several iterations to make it more effective. Schwerin noted, “I’ve used this at several public events. Kids will jump right in, with parents watching over their shoulders. Soon enough, the entire family is coloring together and asking questions about the image and NASA. I am thrilled about our collaboration with Earth to Sky that is taking this even further.”
As environmental challenges increasingly affect public lands, this collaboration helps visitors understand these issues through NASA’s unique perspective from above. The activity also introduces learners of all ages to the broader value of NASA’s Earth science missions alongside its more well-known space exploration endeavors.
Continuing to Color Outside the LinesLooking ahead, the Earth to Sky partnership plans to continue using this activity in each new place they host a training. Most recently, Earth to Sky shared the activity with 417 visitors to the Goddard Space Flight Center Visitor Center, where local families colored in topographical Moon maps to prepare for International Observe the Moon Night. Additionally, a recording of a recent Color-a-Pixel webinar with NESEC’s Theresa Schwerin is available on the Earth to Sky website for interpreters and informal educators interested in implementing this place-based activity. Free registration is required to access this (and dozens of other) webinar recordings.
The success of this collaboration demonstrates how seemingly simple activities – enhanced with NASA science – can create meaningful learning experiences that resonate with visitors long after they leave a park or refuge.
For interpreters, educators, or NASA enthusiasts interested in bringing the Color-a-Pixel activity to their own sites or events, pre-generated activities are available in the gallery at: https://strategies.org/color-a-pixel-pregenerated.
NASA science is helping humanity discover new perspectives on both our home planet and the universe beyond, one crayon at a time. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/.
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NASA Progresses Toward Artemis II Moon Mission
As 2026 nears, NASA continues moving forward to launching and flying Artemis II, the first crewed mission under the Artemis campaign, no later than April next year.
NASA’s Orion spacecraft, complete with its launch abort system escape tower, is now integrated with the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Following Orion stacking, teams completed testing critical communications systems between SLS and Orion, and confirmed the interfaces function properly between the rocket, Orion, and the ground systems, including end-to-end testing with the Near Space Network and Deep Space Network, which aid in communications and navigation.
“NASA remains focused on getting ready to safely fly four astronauts around the Moon and back,” said acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy. “Our mission will lay the groundwork for future missions to the lunar surface and to Mars.”
In the coming weeks, engineers and the Artemis II crew will conduct the first part of a Countdown Demonstration Test at Kennedy, a dress rehearsal for launch day. The crew will don their Orion crew survival system spacesuits and venture to their rocket before being secured inside Orion, which the crew recently named Integrity, simulating the final moments of the countdown. Because the rocket and spacecraft are not yet at the launch pad, the crew will board Orion inside the VAB. The test will serve as a final verification of the timeline for the crew and supporting teams on the ground. A second part of the test, preparing for an emergency at the launch pad, will occur after the rocket and spacecraft roll out to Launch Pad 39B.
NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, and the remaining Artemis II crew members walk on the crew access arm of the mobile launcher in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. NASA/Kim ShiflettThe Artemis II crew and ground personnel responsible for launching and flying the mission are preparing to conduct additional integrated simulations across teams and facilities to prepare for any scenario that could arise as the crew of four launches from Florida and flies their approximately 10-day mission.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, have a busy schedule over the next several months reviewing procedures for all phases of flight until their preparations are second nature, practicing for different mission scenarios, and maintaining their familiarity with every element of their spacecraft.
Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.
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