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How Small Is Too Small? Volunteers Help NASA Test Lake Monitoring From Space Jen Oden, Snohomish County Water Quality Specialist, and Megan Lane, LOCSS team member, report a lake height measurement at Flowing Lake, Snohomish County, Washington. Visit locss.org to contact the team or to get involved!Grant Parkins, 2018

Volunteers participating in the Lake Observations by Citizen Scientists and Satellites (LOCSS) project have been collecting water level data in lakes since 2017. Now, the LOCSS team has used these data to examine the accuracy of water level measurements made from space. The results, published in GIScience & Remote Sensing, showed that modern satellites with special instruments called nadir altimeters can capture water level variation with relatively high accuracy even for lakes smaller than one square kilometer.  These measurements are crucial for scientific research and resource management.

“We can look at the wetland now with different eyes,” said Nelsi Durán, a volunteer from Ciénaga La Musanda, Colombia. (Translated from Spanish).

The work done by LOCSS volunteers also helped reveal where satellite-based lake water level measurements can go wrong. Water level variability turns out to be an important factor. Relatively small lakes with a high lake level variability can be measured from space, but lakes where the water level seldom changes yielded measurements with lower accuracy. 

The LOCSS project has included 274 lakes in 10 countries (USA, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Kenya, Spain, France, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh), so far. Since the project started, more than 10,000 citizen scientists have reported water level measurements to the project. 

“We chose to work with the LOCSS team, because it is important for us to try to widen our understanding of how our environments change over time,” said Dan Grigas, an ecologist at Forest Preserve District, DuPage County, Illinois. “This includes how changes in climate patterns in both the near-term and long-term can affect freshwater ecology. This program also allows for and relies on citizen scientists to participate, which strengthens the relationships among government agencies, the people they serve, and the environments that we all treasure.” 
Are you passionate about understanding our planet and its precious water resources? Visit locss.org and look for a participating lake near you!

Learn More and Get Involved Lake Observations by Citizen Scientists and Satellites

Take measurements of lake heights and surface areas to reveal how their water volumes are changing!

Facebook logo @nasascience_ @nasascience_ Instagram logo @nasascience_ Linkedin logo @nasascience_ Share

Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2025 Related Terms

• Citizen Science

Explore More 2 min read New Software from the Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast Initiative

Eighty-two volunteer teams with the Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast (DEB) Initiative spent the day spread across…

Article 6 days ago 3 min read Eclipse Soundscapes Volunteers Empower Others to Get Involved in Scientific Discovery, Post-Eclipse Article 2 weeks ago 1 min read NASA is Grateful for Citizen Scientists

This Thanksgiving, we’re grateful for you!

Article 3 weeks ago

2 min read

How Small Is Too Small? Volunteers Help NASA Test Lake Monitoring From Space Jen Oden, Snohomish County Water Quality Specialist, and Megan Lane, LOCSS team member, report a lake height measurement at Flowing Lake, Snohomish County, Washington. Visit locss.org to contact the team or to get involved!Grant Parkins, 2018

Volunteers participating in the Lake Observations by Citizen Scientists and Satellites (LOCSS) project have been collecting water level data in lakes since 2017. Now, the LOCSS team has used these data to examine the accuracy of water level measurements made from space. The results, published in GIScience & Remote Sensing, showed that modern satellites with special instruments called nadir altimeters can capture water level variation with relatively high accuracy even for lakes smaller than one square kilometer.  These measurements are crucial for scientific research and resource management.

“We can look at the wetland now with different eyes,” said Nelsi Durán, a volunteer from Ciénaga La Musanda, Colombia. (Translated from Spanish).

The work done by LOCSS volunteers also helped reveal where satellite-based lake water level measurements can go wrong. Water level variability turns out to be an important factor. Relatively small lakes with a high lake level variability can be measured from space, but lakes where the water level seldom changes yielded measurements with lower accuracy. 

The LOCSS project has included 274 lakes in 10 countries (USA, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Kenya, Spain, France, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh), so far. Since the project started, more than 10,000 citizen scientists have reported water level measurements to the project. 

“We chose to work with the LOCSS team, because it is important for us to try to widen our understanding of how our environments change over time,” said Dan Grigas, an ecologist at Forest Preserve District, DuPage County, Illinois. “This includes how changes in climate patterns in both the near-term and long-term can affect freshwater ecology. This program also allows for and relies on citizen scientists to participate, which strengthens the relationships among government agencies, the people they serve, and the environments that we all treasure.” 
Are you passionate about understanding our planet and its precious water resources? Visit locss.org and look for a participating lake near you!

Learn More and Get Involved Lake Observations by Citizen Scientists and Satellites

Take measurements of lake heights and surface areas to reveal how their water volumes are changing!

Facebook logo @nasascience_ @nasascience_ Instagram logo @nasascience_ Linkedin logo @nasascience_ Share

Details Last Updated Dec 17, 2025 Related Terms

• Citizen Science

Explore More 2 min read New Software from the Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast Initiative

Eighty-two volunteer teams with the Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast (DEB) Initiative spent the day spread across…

Article 1 week ago 3 min read Eclipse Soundscapes Volunteers Empower Others to Get Involved in Scientific Discovery, Post-Eclipse Article 2 weeks ago 1 min read NASA is Grateful for Citizen Scientists

This Thanksgiving, we’re grateful for you!

Article 3 weeks ago

6 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

A time-lapse video recorded at JPL in October shows engineers and technicians moving and attaching a full-scale model of Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander on top of two lunar orbiters. The full stack was then subjected to a vibration test that mimics the violent action of rocket launch.NASA/JPL-Caltech

The same historic facilities that some 50 years ago prepared NASA’s twin Voyager probes for their ongoing interstellar odyssey are helping to ready a towering commercial spacecraft for a journey to the Moon. Launches involve brutal shaking and astonishingly loud noises, and testing in these facilities mimics those conditions to help ensure mission hardware can survive the ordeal. The latest spacecraft to get this treatment are Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 2 vehicles, set to launch to the Moon’s far side next year. 

The Environmental Test Laboratory at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California is where dozens of robotic spacecraft have been subjected to powerful jolts, extended rattling, high-decibel blasts of sound, and frigid and scorching temperatures, among other trials. Constructed in the 1960s and modernized over the years, the facilities have prepared every NASA spacecraft built or assembled at JPL for the rigors of space, from the Ranger spacecraft of the dawning Space Age to the Perseverance Mars rover to Europa Clipper, currently en route to the Jupiter system.  

That legacy, and the decades of accumulated experience of the Environmental Test Laboratory team at JPL, is also supporting industry efforts to return to the Moon as part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and its Artemis campaign, which will bring astronauts back to the lunar surface.  

In recent months, a full-scale model of Firefly’s uncrewed Blue Ghost Mission 2 spacecraft was put through its paces by the experts in the lab’s vibration and acoustic testing facilities. Lessons learned with this model, called a structural qualification unit, will be applied to upcoming testing of the spacecraft that will fly to the Moon as early as 2026 through NASA’s CLPS. 

“There’s a lot of knowledge gained over the years, passed from one generation of JPL engineers to another, that we bring to bear to support our own missions as well as commercial efforts,” said Michel William, a JPL engineer in the Environmental Test Laboratory who led the testing. “The little details that go into getting these tests right — nobody teaches you that in school, and it’s such a critical piece of space launch.”  

Engineers and technicians secure a full-scale model of Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander atop the other spacecraft that make up the company’s second delivery to the lunar surface. Environmental testing for the spacecraft took place in a clean room at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in October. NASA/JPL-Caltech Testing just right 

The Environmental Test Laboratory team led environmental testing for Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander in 2024, and seeing the spacecraft achieve a soft Moon landing in March was a point of pride for them. Firefly’s next CLPS delivery debuts a dual-spacecraft configuration and hosts multiple international payloads, with the company’s Elytra Dark orbital vehicle stacked below the Blue Ghost lunar lander. Standing 22 feet (6.9 meters) high, the full structure is more than three times as tall as the Mission 1 lander. 

This fall, a structural qualification model of the full stack was clamped to a “shaker table” inside a clean room at JPL and repeatedly rattled in three directions while hundreds of sensors monitored the rapid movement. Then, inside a separate acoustic testing chamber, giant horns blared at it from openings built into the room’s 16-inch-thick (41-centimeter-thick) concrete walls. The horns use compressed nitrogen gas to pummel spacecraft with up to 153 decibels, noise loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss in a human.  

Each type of test involves several increasingly intense iterations. Between rounds, JPL’s dynamics environment experts analyze the data to compare what the spacecraft experienced to computer model predictions. Sometimes a discrepancy leads to hardware modifications, sometimes a tweak to the computer model. Engineers and technicians are careful to push the hardware, but not too far. 

“You can either under-test or over-test, and both are bad,” William said. “If you over-test, you can break your hardware. If you under-test, it can break on the rocket. It’s a fine line.” 

Watch how JPL’s Environmental Test Laboratory preps spacecraft

Since the model isn’t itself launching to the Moon, Firefly’s recent Environmental Test Laboratory visit didn’t include several types of trials that are generally completed only for flight hardware. A launchpad-bound spacecraft would undergo electromagnetic testing to ensure that signals from its electronic parts don’t interfere with one another. And, in what is probably the most well-known environmental test, flight-bound hardware is baked or chilled at extreme temperatures in a thermal vacuum chamber from which all the air is sucked out. The multiple thermal vacuum chamber facilities at JPL include two large historic “space simulators” built within NASA’s first few years of existence: a chamber that’s 10 feet in diameter and another that’s 25 feet across. 

A full-scale model of Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 2 lunar lander is prepared for delivery into a clean room at JPL’s Environmental Test Laboratory in September. NASA/JPL-Caltech Technicians and engineers at JPL ready a fixture that will attach a full-scale model of Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 2 lunar lander, visible in the background, to a “shaker table” that tests a spacecraft’s readiness to survive the stresses of launch.NASA/JPL-Caltech Qualifying for launch 

The completion of Environmental Test Laboratory testing on Firefly’s structural qualification model helps prove the spacecraft will survive its ride out of Earth’s atmosphere aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 2 team is now turning its focus to completing assembly and testing of the flight hardware for launch. 

Once at the Moon, the Blue Ghost lander will touch down on the far side, delivering its payloads to the surface. Those include LuSEE-Night, a radio telescope that is a joint effort by NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy, and University of California, Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory. A payload developed at JPL called User Terminal will test a compact, low-cost S-band radio communications system that could enable future far-side missions to talk to each other and to relay orbiters.  

Meantime, Firefly’s Elytra Dark orbital vehicle will have deployed into lunar orbit ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) Lunar Pathfinder communications satellite — a payload on which NASA is collaborating. Both vehicles will remain in orbit and able to relay data from the far-side surface back to Earth.  

“Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 2 will deliver both NASA and international commercial payloads to further prove out technologies for Artemis and help enable a long-term presence on the Moon,” said Ray Allensworth, Firefly’s spacecraft program director. “The extensive spacecraft environmental testing we did at JPL for Mission 1 was a critical step in Firefly’s test campaign for our historic lunar mission. Now we’re collaborating again to support a successful repeat on the Moon that will unlock even more insights for future robotic and human missions.” 

News Media Contact 

Melissa Pamer 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 
626-314-4928 
melissa.pamer@jpl.nasa.gov 

2025-141

Share

Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2025 Related Terms

• Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)
• Earth's Moon

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Jet Propulsion Laboratory

6 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

A time-lapse video recorded at JPL in October shows engineers and technicians moving and attaching a full-scale model of Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander on top of two lunar orbiters. The full stack was then subjected to a vibration test that mimics the violent action of rocket launch.NASA/JPL-Caltech

The same historic facilities that some 50 years ago prepared NASA’s twin Voyager probes for their ongoing interstellar odyssey are helping to ready a towering commercial spacecraft for a journey to the Moon. Launches involve brutal shaking and astonishingly loud noises, and testing in these facilities mimics those conditions to help ensure mission hardware can survive the ordeal. The latest spacecraft to get this treatment are Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 2 vehicles, set to launch to the Moon’s far side next year. 

The Environmental Test Laboratory at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California is where dozens of robotic spacecraft have been subjected to powerful jolts, extended rattling, high-decibel blasts of sound, and frigid and scorching temperatures, among other trials. Constructed in the 1960s and modernized over the years, the facilities have prepared every NASA spacecraft built or assembled at JPL for the rigors of space, from the Ranger spacecraft of the dawning Space Age to the Perseverance Mars rover to Europa Clipper, currently en route to the Jupiter system.  

That legacy, and the decades of accumulated experience of the Environmental Test Laboratory team at JPL, is also supporting industry efforts to return to the Moon as part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and its Artemis campaign, which will bring astronauts back to the lunar surface.  

In recent months, a full-scale model of Firefly’s uncrewed Blue Ghost Mission 2 spacecraft was put through its paces by the experts in the lab’s vibration and acoustic testing facilities. Lessons learned with this model, called a structural qualification unit, will be applied to upcoming testing of the spacecraft that will fly to the Moon as early as 2026 through NASA’s CLPS. 

“There’s a lot of knowledge gained over the years, passed from one generation of JPL engineers to another, that we bring to bear to support our own missions as well as commercial efforts,” said Michel William, a JPL engineer in the Environmental Test Laboratory who led the testing. “The little details that go into getting these tests right — nobody teaches you that in school, and it’s such a critical piece of space launch.”  

Engineers and technicians secure a full-scale model of Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander atop the other spacecraft that make up the company’s second delivery to the lunar surface. Environmental testing for the spacecraft took place in a clean room at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in October. NASA/JPL-Caltech Testing just right 

The Environmental Test Laboratory team led environmental testing for Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander in 2024, and seeing the spacecraft achieve a soft Moon landing in March was a point of pride for them. Firefly’s next CLPS delivery debuts a dual-spacecraft configuration and hosts multiple international payloads, with the company’s Elytra Dark orbital vehicle stacked below the Blue Ghost lunar lander. Standing 22 feet (6.9 meters) high, the full structure is more than three times as tall as the Mission 1 lander. 

This fall, a structural qualification model of the full stack was clamped to a “shaker table” inside a clean room at JPL and repeatedly rattled in three directions while hundreds of sensors monitored the rapid movement. Then, inside a separate acoustic testing chamber, giant horns blared at it from openings built into the room’s 16-inch-thick (41-centimeter-thick) concrete walls. The horns use compressed nitrogen gas to pummel spacecraft with up to 153 decibels, noise loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss in a human.  

Each type of test involves several increasingly intense iterations. Between rounds, JPL’s dynamics environment experts analyze the data to compare what the spacecraft experienced to computer model predictions. Sometimes a discrepancy leads to hardware modifications, sometimes a tweak to the computer model. Engineers and technicians are careful to push the hardware, but not too far. 

“You can either under-test or over-test, and both are bad,” William said. “If you over-test, you can break your hardware. If you under-test, it can break on the rocket. It’s a fine line.” 

Watch how JPL’s Environmental Test Laboratory preps spacecraft

Since the model isn’t itself launching to the Moon, Firefly’s recent Environmental Test Laboratory visit didn’t include several types of trials that are generally completed only for flight hardware. A launchpad-bound spacecraft would undergo electromagnetic testing to ensure that signals from its electronic parts don’t interfere with one another. And, in what is probably the most well-known environmental test, flight-bound hardware is baked or chilled at extreme temperatures in a thermal vacuum chamber from which all the air is sucked out. The multiple thermal vacuum chamber facilities at JPL include two large historic “space simulators” built within NASA’s first few years of existence: a chamber that’s 10 feet in diameter and another that’s 25 feet across. 

A full-scale model of Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 2 lunar lander is prepared for delivery into a clean room at JPL’s Environmental Test Laboratory in September. NASA/JPL-Caltech Technicians and engineers at JPL ready a fixture that will attach a full-scale model of Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 2 lunar lander, visible in the background, to a “shaker table” that tests a spacecraft’s readiness to survive the stresses of launch.NASA/JPL-Caltech Qualifying for launch 

The completion of Environmental Test Laboratory testing on Firefly’s structural qualification model helps prove the spacecraft will survive its ride out of Earth’s atmosphere aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 2 team is now turning its focus to completing assembly and testing of the flight hardware for launch. 

Once at the Moon, the Blue Ghost lander will touch down on the far side, delivering its payloads to the surface. Those include LuSEE-Night, a radio telescope that is a joint effort by NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy, and University of California, Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory. A payload developed at JPL called User Terminal will test a compact, low-cost S-band radio communications system that could enable future far-side missions to talk to each other and to relay orbiters.  

Meantime, Firefly’s Elytra Dark orbital vehicle will have deployed into lunar orbit ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) Lunar Pathfinder communications satellite — a payload on which NASA is collaborating. Both vehicles will remain in orbit and able to relay data from the far-side surface back to Earth.  

“Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 2 will deliver both NASA and international commercial payloads to further prove out technologies for Artemis and help enable a long-term presence on the Moon,” said Ray Allensworth, Firefly’s spacecraft program director. “The extensive spacecraft environmental testing we did at JPL for Mission 1 was a critical step in Firefly’s test campaign for our historic lunar mission. Now we’re collaborating again to support a successful repeat on the Moon that will unlock even more insights for future robotic and human missions.” 

News Media Contact 

Melissa Pamer 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 
626-314-4928 
melissa.pamer@jpl.nasa.gov 

2025-141

Share

Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2025 Related Terms

• Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)
• Earth's Moon

Explore More 3 min read One of NASA’s Key Cameras Orbiting Mars Takes 100,000th Image Article 5 hours ago 5 min read NASA, Partners Share First Data From New US-European Sea Satellite Article 7 hours ago 3 min read NASA’s Webb, Curiosity Named in TIME’s Best Inventions Hall of Fame

Two icons of discovery, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and NASA’s Curiosity rover, have earned…

Article 4 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)

The goal of the CLPS project is to enable rapid, frequent, and affordable access to the lunar surface by helping…

Earth’s Moon

The Moon makes Earth more livable, sets the rhythm of ocean tides, and keeps a record of our solar system’s…

Lunar Discovery and Exploration

In the Science Mission Directorate (SMD), the Exploration Science Strategy Integration Office (ESSIO) ensures science is infused into all aspects…

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Where does the Sun end and the solar wind begin? Scientists have mapped the dynamic magnetic edge that bounds our star.

The post Scientists Map the Sun’s Magnetic “Surface” appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Clockwise from left, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui and NASA astronauts Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, and Mike Fincke pose for a playful portrait through a circular opening in a hatch thermal cover aboard the International Space Station on Sept. 18, 2025.

NASA/Jonny Kim

Clockwise from left, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui and NASA astronauts Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, and Mike Fincke pose for a playful portrait through a circular opening in a hatch thermal cover aboard the International Space Station on Sept. 18, 2025.

The cover provides micrometeoroid and orbital debris protection while maintaining cleanliness and pressure integrity in the vestibule between Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft and the orbital outpost. The opening allows for visual inspection of hatch alignment, access to the hatch handle or pressure equalization valve, and visibility for sensors or cameras during berthing operations.

Kim recently returned to Earth after 245 days in space aboard the orbital laboratory. Yui, Cardman, and Fincke remain aboard the space station, with Fincke as commander.

Image credit: NASA/Jonny Kim

NASA/Jonny Kim

Clockwise from left, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui and NASA astronauts Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, and Mike Fincke pose for a playful portrait through a circular opening in a hatch thermal cover aboard the International Space Station on Sept. 18, 2025.

The cover provides micrometeoroid and orbital debris protection while maintaining cleanliness and pressure integrity in the vestibule between Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft and the orbital outpost. The opening allows for visual inspection of hatch alignment, access to the hatch handle or pressure equalization valve, and visibility for sensors or cameras during berthing operations.

Kim recently returned to Earth after 245 days in space aboard the orbital laboratory. Yui, Cardman, and Fincke remain aboard the space station, with Fincke as commander.

Image credit: NASA/Jonny Kim

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President Donald Trump is expected to sign a defense bill this week that orders an investigation into whether the U.S. military bioengineered Lyme disease

5 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) An environmental chemist at NASA JSCNASA Ensuring Astronaut Safety

Achieving safe exploration of space in vehicles that rely upon closed environmental systems to recycle air and water to sustain life and are operated in extremely remote locations is a major challenge. The Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry (TEC) group at Johnson Space Center (JSC) is made up of 2 interrelated groups: Toxicology support and the Environmental Chemistry Laboratory. The scientists in both groups play an important role in ensuring that the crew of the ISS are breathing clean air and drinking clean water. Personnel within the TEC establish safe spacecraft environmental limits, monitor the air and water quality aboard current spacecraft (ISS and Commercial Crew and Cargo vehicles), and support technology advancements. The TEC employs in-flight monitoring capabilities as well as postflight sample analysis techniques to monitor the air and water quality from spaceflight.

Fun Fact: We are currently recovering 85% of the water from crew urine and turning it back into drinking water.

NASA

An Agency Resource

The Toxicology group at JSC serves as the NASA-wide resource for aspects of space toxicology and is responsible for several different duties that are focused on protecting crewmembers and spacecraft systems from toxic exposures in spaceflight. These include assessing chemical hazards for flight, establishing limits for contaminants in spacecraft air and water, assessing and evaluating environmental data from spacecraft in flight, and assessing the potential for off-gas products from new vehicles or modules. These assessments are documented in:

Hazardous Materials Summary Tables (HMSTs) and Hazardous Materials data files (HazMats) Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations (SMACs) and Spacecraft Water Exposure Guidelines (SWEGs) The TEC air quality laboratory.NASA

The Environmental Chemistry laboratory at JSC occupies approximately 6,000 sq. ft. of laboratory space in one of the newest buildings on site. This is a fully equipped environmental and analytical laboratory with analysts that have supported multiple human spaceflight programs and provided center support for both gas and liquid analysis. The work in the laboratories operates under an ISO 9001/AS9100-certified quality plan with dedicated and independent quality personnel. 

Liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer.NASA

The Environmental Chemistry Laboratory monitors for contaminants in spacecraft air using both in-flight and post-flight methods. Onboard the International Space Station (ISS), 2 Air Quality Monitors (AQMs) use gas chromatography/differential mobility spectrometry to detect and quantify 23 target volatile organic compounds to provide near real-time insight into the status of the ISS atmosphere. Other real-time monitors supported by the Environmental Chemistry laboratory include the compound-specific analyzer-combustion products (CSA-CP), which use electrochemical sensors to analyze the atmosphere for the presence of compounds produced by fire, and the CO2 monitor, which uses non-dispersive infrared reflectance to monitor for the presence of elevated CO2. For detailed post-flight analysis in the Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, astronauts use grab sample containers to collect in-flight samples, which are then returned to JSC for a detailed environmental analysis. Similarly, formaldehyde monitoring kits contain badges used to collect formaldehyde. These also are returned to the ground for spectroscopic analysis. 

Air quality monitors used for volatile organic compound detection positioned in the U.S. Lab on the ISS.NASA

The Environmental Chemistry Laboratory also analyzes archival samples returned from the ISS. The majority of water consumed by crewmembers on the ISS is recycled from a combination of condensed atmospheric humidity and urine. This wastewater is then treated by the U.S. water processor assembly (WPA) to produce potable water, which is analyzed to ensure that the water meets U.S. potability requirements. Samples of the humidity condensate and condensate/urine distillate also are returned for analysis to provide insight into the operation of the WPA and the overall US water recovery system. The TEC relies upon the in-flight analytical capability provided by the ISS total organic carbon analyzer (TOCA) to determine real-time total organic carbon concentrations, which are used to protect ISS crew health as well as manage the U.S. water system consumables. Similarly, the colorimetric water quality monitoring kit (CWQMK) is used to provide insight into the biocide concentration in the U.S. water.

The CSA-CP used to monitor for evidence of fires or smoldering events on the ISS.NASA

Water samples are also collected in flight and stored for return to Johnson Space Center.  The following ground-based equipment is used to analyze archival samples to ensure suitable air and water quality:

• Liquid Chromatography/Refractive Index Detection (LC/RI)
• Gas Chromatography/Flame Ionization Detector (GC/FID)
• Gas Chromatography/Thermal Conductivity Detector (GC/TCD)
• Trace Gas Analyzer
• Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS)
• Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS)
• Inductively Coupled Plasma/Mass Spectrometry (ICP/MS)
• Ion Chromatography (IC)
• UV/VIS Spectrophotometry
• Fourier Transform Infrared Reflectance (FTIR)
• Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA)

In addition to analysis of flight samples and real-time data, the Environmental Chemistry laboratory team plays an important role in the development of new Environmental Control and Life Support Systems hardware by providing analytical support during ground testing. Similarly, the TEC scientists pursue and support technology demonstrations aimed at developing new methods for real-time data collection. Recent examples of this support have included the multi-gas monitor (MGM) and the personal CO2 monitor. TEC scientists make vital contributions to consolidating environmental monitoring hardware to reduce mass and volume requirements, both of which are important as NASA moves to more long-term missions in smaller vehicles.

The U.S. TOCA used to test water quality in real-time on the ISSNASA Spaceflight Air and Water Quality

Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry (TEC) monitors airborne contaminants in both spacecraft air and water. In-flight monitors are employed to provide real-time insight into the environmental conditions on ISS. Archival samples are collected and returned to Earth for full characterization of ISS air and water.

Results of Post-Flight Analysis of In-Flight Air and Water Samples Points of Contact

Paul Mudgett, PhD
Valerie Ryder, PhD DABT
Spencer Williams, PhD DABT
William T. Wallace, PhD

Human Health and Performance Capabilities Share

Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2025 EditorRobert E. LewisLocationJohnson Space Center Related Terms

• Human Health and Performance

Explore More 4 min read Space Radiation Article 3 years ago 2 min read Acoustics and Noise Control Article 3 years ago 2 min read Microbiology Article 9 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

Humans In Space

Missions

International Space Station

Solar System

5 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) An environmental chemist at NASA JSCNASA Ensuring Astronaut Safety

Achieving safe exploration of space in vehicles that rely upon closed environmental systems to recycle air and water to sustain life and are operated in extremely remote locations is a major challenge. The Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry (TEC) group at Johnson Space Center (JSC) is made up of 2 interrelated groups: Toxicology support and the Environmental Chemistry Laboratory. The scientists in both groups play an important role in ensuring that the crew of the ISS are breathing clean air and drinking clean water. Personnel within the TEC establish safe spacecraft environmental limits, monitor the air and water quality aboard current spacecraft (ISS and Commercial Crew and Cargo vehicles), and support technology advancements. The TEC employs in-flight monitoring capabilities as well as postflight sample analysis techniques to monitor the air and water quality from spaceflight.

Fun Fact: We are currently recovering 85% of the water from crew urine and turning it back into drinking water.

NASA

An Agency Resource

The Toxicology group at JSC serves as the NASA-wide resource for aspects of space toxicology and is responsible for several different duties that are focused on protecting crewmembers and spacecraft systems from toxic exposures in spaceflight. These include assessing chemical hazards for flight, establishing limits for contaminants in spacecraft air and water, assessing and evaluating environmental data from spacecraft in flight, and assessing the potential for off-gas products from new vehicles or modules. These assessments are documented in:

Hazardous Materials Summary Tables (HMSTs) and Hazardous Materials data files (HazMats) Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations (SMACs) and Spacecraft Water Exposure Guidelines (SWEGs) The TEC air quality laboratory.NASA

The Environmental Chemistry laboratory at JSC occupies approximately 6,000 sq. ft. of laboratory space in one of the newest buildings on site. This is a fully equipped environmental and analytical laboratory with analysts that have supported multiple human spaceflight programs and provided center support for both gas and liquid analysis. The work in the laboratories operates under an ISO 9001/AS9100-certified quality plan with dedicated and independent quality personnel. 

Liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer.NASA

The Environmental Chemistry Laboratory monitors for contaminants in spacecraft air using both in-flight and post-flight methods. Onboard the International Space Station (ISS), 2 Air Quality Monitors (AQMs) use gas chromatography/differential mobility spectrometry to detect and quantify 23 target volatile organic compounds to provide near real-time insight into the status of the ISS atmosphere. Other real-time monitors supported by the Environmental Chemistry laboratory include the compound-specific analyzer-combustion products (CSA-CP), which use electrochemical sensors to analyze the atmosphere for the presence of compounds produced by fire, and the CO2 monitor, which uses non-dispersive infrared reflectance to monitor for the presence of elevated CO2. For detailed post-flight analysis in the Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, astronauts use grab sample containers to collect in-flight samples, which are then returned to JSC for a detailed environmental analysis. Similarly, formaldehyde monitoring kits contain badges used to collect formaldehyde. These also are returned to the ground for spectroscopic analysis. 

Air quality monitors used for volatile organic compound detection positioned in the U.S. Lab on the ISS.NASA

The Environmental Chemistry Laboratory also analyzes archival samples returned from the ISS. The majority of water consumed by crewmembers on the ISS is recycled from a combination of condensed atmospheric humidity and urine. This wastewater is then treated by the U.S. water processor assembly (WPA) to produce potable water, which is analyzed to ensure that the water meets U.S. potability requirements. Samples of the humidity condensate and condensate/urine distillate also are returned for analysis to provide insight into the operation of the WPA and the overall US water recovery system. The TEC relies upon the in-flight analytical capability provided by the ISS total organic carbon analyzer (TOCA) to determine real-time total organic carbon concentrations, which are used to protect ISS crew health as well as manage the U.S. water system consumables. Similarly, the colorimetric water quality monitoring kit (CWQMK) is used to provide insight into the biocide concentration in the U.S. water.

The CSA-CP used to monitor for evidence of fires or smoldering events on the ISS.NASA

Water samples are also collected in flight and stored for return to Johnson Space Center.  The following ground-based equipment is used to analyze archival samples to ensure suitable air and water quality:

• Liquid Chromatography/Refractive Index Detection (LC/RI)
• Gas Chromatography/Flame Ionization Detector (GC/FID)
• Gas Chromatography/Thermal Conductivity Detector (GC/TCD)
• Trace Gas Analyzer
• Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS)
• Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS)
• Inductively Coupled Plasma/Mass Spectrometry (ICP/MS)
• Ion Chromatography (IC)
• UV/VIS Spectrophotometry
• Fourier Transform Infrared Reflectance (FTIR)
• Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA)

In addition to analysis of flight samples and real-time data, the Environmental Chemistry laboratory team plays an important role in the development of new Environmental Control and Life Support Systems hardware by providing analytical support during ground testing. Similarly, the TEC scientists pursue and support technology demonstrations aimed at developing new methods for real-time data collection. Recent examples of this support have included the multi-gas monitor (MGM) and the personal CO2 monitor. TEC scientists make vital contributions to consolidating environmental monitoring hardware to reduce mass and volume requirements, both of which are important as NASA moves to more long-term missions in smaller vehicles.

The U.S. TOCA used to test water quality in real-time on the ISSNASA Spaceflight Air and Water Quality

Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry (TEC) monitors airborne contaminants in both spacecraft air and water. In-flight monitors are employed to provide real-time insight into the environmental conditions on ISS. Archival samples are collected and returned to Earth for full characterization of ISS air and water.

Results of Post-Flight Analysis of In-Flight Air and Water Samples Points of Contact

Paul Mudgett, PhD
Valerie Ryder, PhD DABT
Spencer Williams, PhD DABT
William T. Wallace, PhD

Human Health and Performance Capabilities Share

Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2025 EditorRobert E. LewisLocationJohnson Space Center Related Terms

• Human Health and Performance

Explore More 4 min read Space Radiation Article 3 years ago 2 min read Acoustics and Noise Control Article 3 years ago 2 min read Microbiology Article 5 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Statistics and Data Science Enabling Successful Research

A major aim of biomedical research at NASA is to acquire data to evaluate, understand, and assess the biomedical hazards of spaceflight and to develop effective countermeasures. Data Science (S&DS) personnel provide statistical support to groups within the NASA JSC Human Health and Performance Directorate and other NASA communities. They have expertise in the development of complex study designs, the application of modern statistical methods, and the analysis of data collected under NASA operational constraints (small sample sizes, the limited population of astronauts). 

Fun Fact: Did you know statistics is more than just means and standard deviations? Statistics is the science of collecting, analyzing, presenting and interpreting data. NASA depends on data to make decisions and statistics is crucial to making good decisions. Statistics and Data Science (S&DS) help transform data into evidence.

NASA

Data Science Support

Beyond statistics, the group aids with data engineering and exploring data. Data engineering includes extracting and transforming data in preparation for analysis and visualization. Data can come in many different formats, the S&DS team helps researchers harmonize (bring data sets together) information across sources. Exploration includes initial analysis and building informative visualizations to deepen the understanding of the evidence. Analyzing and interpreting data to produce insights follow. 

S&DS statistician Dr. Alan Feiveson consulting with Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health’s Statistical Data Analyst Caroline Schaefer at a Statistics helpdesk during the Human Research Program’s Investigators’ Workshop in 2017.NASA Statistical Consulting Services

The S&DS team provides collaboration and consulting expertise to the Directorate in the application of statistical theory and practice to ongoing biomedical research. Personnel aid in the preparation of sections of research proposals that deal with experiment design, statistical modeling, and subsequent analysis of anticipated research data. Once data are gathered, S&DS statisticians assist with analysis, visualization, and interpretation of results so that investigators can extract the most information while maintaining statistical integrity. A S&DS statistician may be a co-investigator on a project requiring sophisticated statistical modeling and/or analysis techniques. Through collaboration, members of the S&DS team expand their knowledge base in such diverse medical fields as environmental physiology, osteopathy, neurology, pharmacology, microbiology, cardiology, nutrition, and psychology. To meet the unique data collected by NASA, statisticians may develop new techniques to address challenges such as small sample sizes of ISS studies, missing data, operational constraints, and novel measures of outcome. 

Outreach

Collaborators with the S&DS team often reside within the Directorate, but statistics and data science support is extended to other organizations within the Johnson Space Center, including the Engineering Directorate, Human Resources, and the Education Office. The S&DS team also provides a venue wherein high school, undergraduate, and graduate interns can participate in the analysis and interpretation of NASA biomedical data. Students assigned to the S&DS team have a rare opportunity to gain real-world experience with research in a variety of biomedical fields.

Point of Contact

Millennia Young, PhD

Human Health and Performance Capabilities Share

Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2025 EditorRobert E. LewisLocationJohnson Space Center Related Terms

• Human Health and Performance

Explore More 3 min read Bone and Mineral Evaluation and Analysis Article 3 years ago 3 min read Exercise Physiology and Countermeasures Article 3 years ago 1 min read Core Laboratory Article 3 years ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

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3 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Statistics and Data Science Enabling Successful Research

A major aim of biomedical research at NASA is to acquire data to evaluate, understand, and assess the biomedical hazards of spaceflight and to develop effective countermeasures. Data Science (S&DS) personnel provide statistical support to groups within the NASA JSC Human Health and Performance Directorate and other NASA communities. They have expertise in the development of complex study designs, the application of modern statistical methods, and the analysis of data collected under NASA operational constraints (small sample sizes, the limited population of astronauts). 

Fun Fact: Did you know statistics is more than just means and standard deviations? Statistics is the science of collecting, analyzing, presenting and interpreting data. NASA depends on data to make decisions and statistics is crucial to making good decisions. Statistics and Data Science (S&DS) help transform data into evidence.

NASA

Data Science Support

Beyond statistics, the group aids with data engineering and exploring data. Data engineering includes extracting and transforming data in preparation for analysis and visualization. Data can come in many different formats, the S&DS team helps researchers harmonize (bring data sets together) information across sources. Exploration includes initial analysis and building informative visualizations to deepen the understanding of the evidence. Analyzing and interpreting data to produce insights follow. 

S&DS statistician Dr. Alan Feiveson consulting with Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health’s Statistical Data Analyst Caroline Schaefer at a Statistics helpdesk during the Human Research Program’s Investigators’ Workshop in 2017.NASA Statistical Consulting Services

The S&DS team provides collaboration and consulting expertise to the Directorate in the application of statistical theory and practice to ongoing biomedical research. Personnel aid in the preparation of sections of research proposals that deal with experiment design, statistical modeling, and subsequent analysis of anticipated research data. Once data are gathered, S&DS statisticians assist with analysis, visualization, and interpretation of results so that investigators can extract the most information while maintaining statistical integrity. A S&DS statistician may be a co-investigator on a project requiring sophisticated statistical modeling and/or analysis techniques. Through collaboration, members of the S&DS team expand their knowledge base in such diverse medical fields as environmental physiology, osteopathy, neurology, pharmacology, microbiology, cardiology, nutrition, and psychology. To meet the unique data collected by NASA, statisticians may develop new techniques to address challenges such as small sample sizes of ISS studies, missing data, operational constraints, and novel measures of outcome. 

Outreach

Collaborators with the S&DS team often reside within the Directorate, but statistics and data science support is extended to other organizations within the Johnson Space Center, including the Engineering Directorate, Human Resources, and the Education Office. The S&DS team also provides a venue wherein high school, undergraduate, and graduate interns can participate in the analysis and interpretation of NASA biomedical data. Students assigned to the S&DS team have a rare opportunity to gain real-world experience with research in a variety of biomedical fields.

Point of Contact

Millennia Young, PhD

Human Health and Performance Capabilities Share

Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2025 EditorRobert E. LewisLocationJohnson Space Center Related Terms

• Human Health and Performance

Explore More 3 min read Bone and Mineral Evaluation and Analysis Article 3 years ago 3 min read Exercise Physiology and Countermeasures Article 3 years ago 1 min read Core Laboratory Article 3 years ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) This view of a region called Syrtis Major is from the 100,000th image captured by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter using its HiRISE camera. Over nearly 20 years, HiRISE has helped scientists understand how the Red Planet’s surface is constantly changing. NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Mesas and dunes stand out in the view snapped by HiRISE, one of the imagers aboard the agency’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

After nearly 20 years at the Red Planet, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has snapped its 100,000th image of the surface with its HiRISE camera. Short for High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, HiRISE is the instrument the mission relies on for high-resolution images of features ranging from impact craters, sand dunes, and ice deposits to potential landing sites. Those images, in turn, help improve our understanding of Mars and prepare for NASA’s future human missions there. 

Captured Oct. 7, this milestone image from the spacecraft shows mesas and dunes within Syrtis Major, a region about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Jezero Crater, which NASA’s Perseverance rover is exploring. Scientists are analyzing the image to better understand the source of windblown sand that gets trapped in the region’s landscape, eventually forming dunes. 

“HiRISE hasn’t just discovered how different the Martian surface is from Earth, it’s also shown us how that surface changes over time,” said MRO’s project scientist, Leslie Tamppari of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “We’ve seen dune fields marching along with the wind and avalanches careening down steep slopes.” 

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Watch highlights of images captured by HiRISE, the high-resolution camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, including its 100,000th image, showing the plains and dunes of Syrtis Major.NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

The subject of the 100,000th image was recommended by a high school student through the HiWish site, where anyone can suggest parts of the planet to study. Team members at University of Arizona in Tucson, which operates the camera, also make 3D models of HiRISE imagery so that viewers can experience virtual flyover videos. 

“Rapid data releases, as well as imaging targets suggested by the broader science community and public, have been a hallmark of HiRISE,” said the camera’s principal investigator, Shane Byrne of the University of Arizona in Tucson. “One hundred thousand images just like this one have made Mars more familiar and accessible for everyone.” 

More about MRO 

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California manages MRO for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program portfolio. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built MRO and supports its operations. 

The University of Arizona in Tucson operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. 

For more information, visit:

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter

MRO Captures Images of Comet 3I/ATLAS Mars Orbiter Shines New Light on Martian Mystery Mars Orbiter Learns New Moves After Nearly 20 Years

News Media Contacts

Andrew Good 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 
818-393-2433 
andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov 

Karen Fox / Molly Wasser 
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov

2025-140

Share

Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2025 Related Terms

• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Mars

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MRO Science

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3 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) This view of a region called Syrtis Major is from the 100,000th image captured by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter using its HiRISE camera. Over nearly 20 years, HiRISE has helped scientists understand how the Red Planet’s surface is constantly changing. NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Mesas and dunes stand out in the view snapped by HiRISE, one of the imagers aboard the agency’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

After nearly 20 years at the Red Planet, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has snapped its 100,000th image of the surface with its HiRISE camera. Short for High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, HiRISE is the instrument the mission relies on for high-resolution images of features ranging from impact craters, sand dunes, and ice deposits to potential landing sites. Those images, in turn, help improve our understanding of Mars and prepare for NASA’s future human missions there. 

Captured Oct. 7, this milestone image from the spacecraft shows mesas and dunes within Syrtis Major, a region about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Jezero Crater, which NASA’s Perseverance rover is exploring. Scientists are analyzing the image to better understand the source of windblown sand that gets trapped in the region’s landscape, eventually forming dunes. 

“HiRISE hasn’t just discovered how different the Martian surface is from Earth, it’s also shown us how that surface changes over time,” said MRO’s project scientist, Leslie Tamppari of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “We’ve seen dune fields marching along with the wind and avalanches careening down steep slopes.” 

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Watch highlights of images captured by HiRISE, the high-resolution camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, including its 100,000th image, showing the plains and dunes of Syrtis Major.NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

The subject of the 100,000th image was recommended by a high school student through the HiWish site, where anyone can suggest parts of the planet to study. Team members at University of Arizona in Tucson, which operates the camera, also make 3D models of HiRISE imagery so that viewers can experience virtual flyover videos. 

“Rapid data releases, as well as imaging targets suggested by the broader science community and public, have been a hallmark of HiRISE,” said the camera’s principal investigator, Shane Byrne of the University of Arizona in Tucson. “One hundred thousand images just like this one have made Mars more familiar and accessible for everyone.” 

More about MRO 

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California manages MRO for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program portfolio. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built MRO and supports its operations. 

The University of Arizona in Tucson operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. 

For more information, visit:

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter

MRO Captures Images of Comet 3I/ATLAS Mars Orbiter Shines New Light on Martian Mystery Mars Orbiter Learns New Moves After Nearly 20 Years

News Media Contacts

Andrew Good 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 
818-393-2433 
andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov 

Karen Fox / Molly Wasser 
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov

2025-140

Share

Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2025 Related Terms

• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Mars

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MRO Science

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By Amit Angal, Senior Engineer at Goddard Space Flight Center

The Landsat Calibration and Validation (Cal/Val) group helps uphold Landsat’s reputation as the gold standard of satellite imagery. They ensure that the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) aboard Landsats 8 and 9 provide high-quality scientific measurements to users around the world. In 2025, the Cal/Val group contributed over 60 pages to the second edition of “Comprehensive Remote Sensing” (Kaita et. al, 2026), organizing content from NASA, USGS, academia, and industry scientists. Cal/Val support staff authored multiple sections, including a summary of results from Landsat 9 and of the evolution of spectral, spatial, and radiometric characteristics throughout the Landsat missions.

A natural-color Landsat 9 image of Railroad Valley Playa in Nevada, acquired on June 29, 2024. A portion of the playa is used as a radiometric calibration and validation site for various satellite sensors including Landsat 8 and 9’s OLI instruments.NASA/USGS

The Cal/Val team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center works closely with the Landsat Flight Operations Team to plan weekly calibration activities to maintain the radiometric accuracy of Landsat products. In October 2025, a Landsat 9 anomaly occurred related to its solar array drive assembly (SADA) potentiometer. The spacecraft and instruments were placed in a safehold, pausing data collections. The Cal/Val team assessed the instruments after they recovered from this anomaly, including monitoring the instrument telemetry, detector gains, and noise performance. The team identified a mis-loaded detector map and updated the calibration of both the reflective and thermal emissive bands to ensure consistent, accurate data. After six days in the safehold, the instrument resumed normal operations. 

The NASA Cal/Val team supports their USGS counterparts with quarterly updates to the Calibration Parameter File (CPF) by providing inputs for relative and absolute gains as needed. This work involves collaborating with USGS scientists to ensure the consistency of the Combined Radiometric Model (CRaM). The CRaM approach integrates radiometric responses from on-board calibrators to enhance long-term calibration stability throughout mission lifetimes. The CRaM algorithm also provides an extensible framework for future satellite missions. A peer-reviewed publication detailing the CRaM’s approach and future applications was submitted to Science of Remote Sensing.

On January 14-16, 2025, the Landsat Cal/Val team organized and hosted the first semiannual Technical Information Meeting (TIM) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA and USGS scientists welcomed collaborating scientists from South Dakota State University (SDSU), the University of Arizona Tucson, and Rochester Institute of Technology for presentations and discussions on Landsat imaging performance, algorithms, and instrument health. On May 28-29, 2025, the Cal/Val team attended the second semiannual TIM at SDSU.

The Landsat Cal/Val Team is validating the accuracy of the Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) v2.0 product, which combines data from multiple satellites to create a continuous record of Earth’s surface reflectance measurements since 2013. The team is testing the dataset using RadCalNet, a global network of automated ground stations that provide precise, standardized measurements. The team compared measurements from four RadCalNet sites, including the well-established Railroad Valley Playa site in Nevada, against near-simultaneous HLS data. Their analysis shows the satellite and ground measurements agree within expected uncertainty ranges—a strong validation of the HLS product’s accuracy.

The team presented these findings at the CEOS IVOS calibration meeting in Tucson, Arizona (September 1-5, 2025) and is currently preparing a peer-reviewed article to share the complete results.

Path Forward

The Cal/Val team applies lessons learned from Landsat missions to better plan calibration efforts for the next generation of instruments. Using instrument performance checklists from Landsat 8/9, the team is building a framework of in-house geometric and radiometric testing and extending algorithms for future Landsat instruments.

The Landsat Cal/Val Team is actively tackling a critical challenge in solar irradiance modeling. While new hyperspectral sensor technologies have made it possible to create highly accurate solar models with much lower uncertainty, the remote sensing community still lacks agreed-upon methods for applying these advanced models. A dedicated subgroup within the Landsat Cal/Val Team is now developing and testing standardized approaches to bridge this gap. Their goal is to create clear recommendations and best practices that the scientific community can refine together and implement consistently.

This work addresses a fundamental need—transforming promising hyperspectral solar modeling capabilities into practical, standardized tools that researchers can confidently use across different projects and applications.

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