NASA
NASA, Partners to Welcome Fourth Axiom Space Mission to Space Station
NASA and its international partners have approved the crew for Axiom Space’s fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, launching from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than spring 2025.
Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission, while ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
“I am excited to see continued interest and dedication for the private astronaut missions aboard the International Space Station,” said Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s International Space Station Program at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “As NASA looks toward the future of low Earth orbit, private astronaut missions help pave the way and expand access to the unique microgravity environment.”
The Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4, crew will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and travel to the space station. Once docked, the private astronauts plan to spend up to 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, conducting a mission comprised of science, outreach, and commercial activities. The mission will send the first ISRO astronaut to the station as part of a joint effort between NASA and the Indian space agency. The private mission also carries the first astronauts from Poland and Hungary to stay aboard the space station.
“Working with the talented and diverse Ax-4 crew has been a deeply rewarding experience,” said Whitson. “Witnessing their selfless dedication and commitment to expanding horizons and creating opportunities for their nations in space exploration is truly remarkable. Each crew member brings unique strengths and perspectives, making our mission not just a scientific endeavor, but a testament to human ingenuity and teamwork. The importance of our mission is about pushing the limits of what we can achieve together and inspiring future generations to dream bigger and reach farther.”
The first private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 1, lifted off in April 2022 for a 17-day mission aboard the orbiting laboratory. The second private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 2, also was commanded by Whitson and launched in May 2023 with four private astronauts who spent eight days in orbit. The most recent private astronaut mission, Axiom Mission 3, launched in January 2024; the crew spent 18 days docked to the space station.
The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that enables research not possible on Earth. For more than 24 years, NASA has supported a continuous human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory, through which astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time.
The space station is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy. NASA’s goal is to achieve a strong economy in low Earth orbit where the agency can purchase services as one of many customers to meet its science and research objectives in microgravity. NASA’s commercial strategy for low Earth orbit will provide the government with reliable and safe services at a lower cost, enabling the agency to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars while also continuing to use low Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions.
Learn more about NASA’s commercial space strategy at:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-space
-end-
Josh Finch / Claire O’Shea
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov
Anna Schneider
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov
Alexis DeJarnette
Axiom Space
850-368-9446
alexis@axiomspace.com
6 NASA Experiments on Materials, Benefitting Space and Earth
Did you know that NASA conducts ground-breaking research in space on materials like metals, foams, and crystals? This research could lead to next-generation technology that both enables deep-space exploration and benefits humanity.
Here are six studies scientists have conducted on the International Space Station that could have profound implications for future space travel and also improve products widely used on Earth:
-
01
Advancing construction and repairing techniques with liquid metals
Researchers are looking at the effects of microgravity on the liquid metals formed during brazing, a technology used to bond materials at temperatures above 450 degrees Celsius. The Brazing of Aluminum alloys In Space (BRAINS) experiment aboard the International Space Station studies how alloys join with a range of other materials, such as ceramics or other metals.
In space, brazing could be used to construct vehicles, habitats, and other systems needed for space missions, and repair them if damaged. Advanced brazing technologies discovered in space may also be used in the construction and repair of structures on Earth. -
02
Improving materials used for high-powered lasers
Another study on the space station is looking at the growth of semiconductor crystals based on Zinc selenide (ZnSe) in microgravity. ZnSe is an important semiconductor used on Earth for optical devices and infrared lasers.
Researchers are investigating the impact of microgravity on the growth of these crystals and comparing the results to those grown on Earth. A better understanding of the impact of microgravity on crystal growth could open the door to expanded commercial use of space. -
03
Researching ways to make stronger metal
Metal alloys, which are created by combining two or more metallic elements, are used in everything from hardware to kitchen appliances, automobiles, and even the space station itself. Alloys are created by cooling a liquid metal until it hardens into a solid.
Researchers on the space station are investigating how metal alloys melt and take shape in a controlled microgravity environment. While brazing aims to repair or bond two separate materials, this experiment looks at casting or molding things from liquid metals. In metal castings, the solid grows by forming millions of snowflake-like crystals called dendrites. The shape of the dendrites affects the strength of the metal alloys.
Findings are expected to significantly impact our ability to produce metals with greater strength, for both space and on Earth applications. -
04
Exploring stability and mechanics of foams and bubbly liquids
Studying how foams and bubbly liquids evolve in microgravity over time is another important NASA investigation. These experiments will provide guidance for how to control the flow and separation of bubbly liquids. This knowledge is crucial for developing a water recovery and recycling device for future space exploration to Mars.
On Earth, foams are found in everything from food and cosmetics to paper and petroleum. A better understanding of their stability and mechanics is important for creating sustainable, more efficient processes and improved materials. -
05
Improving performance and lowering cost of “superglass”
Scientists are conducting experiments on supercooled metal oxides (space soil and rock) to better understand how molten materials can be processed in microgravity. Manufacturing new products in space is critical to long-term efforts to develop habitats in space and on other planets. It will require the use of available resources in space, including soil and rocks.
Data from the research also has far-reaching implications on Earth. It could help improve the performance and lower the cost of materials that are used in the production of cell phone displays, lasers, and glass for automobiles. -
06
Advancing 3D printing and manufacturing through “soft matter” research
Space exploration to Mars and beyond will require astronauts to have the ability to build new equipment and materials in space. To make that a reality, space station researchers conducted a number of experiments looking at the behavior of colloids, or “soft matter,” in a microgravity environment.
This research could have a variety of applications on Earth, including the development of chemical energy, improvements to communications technologies, and enhancements to photonic materials used to control and manipulate light.
Related Resources:
NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division pioneers scientific discovery and enables exploration by using space environments to conduct investigations not possible on Earth. Studying biological and physical phenomenon under extreme conditions allows researchers to advance the fundamental scientific knowledge required to go farther and stay longer in space, while also benefitting life on Earth.
Geyser Season on Mars
This Oct. 29, 2018, image from the HiRISE camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captures geysers of gas and dust that occur in springtime in the South Polar region of Mars. As the Sun rises higher in the sky, the thick coating of carbon dioxide ice that accumulated over the winter begins to warm and then turn to vapor. Sunlight penetrates through the transparent ice and is absorbed at the base of the ice layer. The gas that forms because of the warming escapes through weaknesses in the ice and erupts in the form of geysers.
HiRISE, or the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, is a powerful camera that takes pictures covering vast areas of Martian terrain while being able to see features as small as a kitchen table.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Muestra de la NASA del asteroide Bennu revela un ‘caldo’ con los ingredientes de la vida
Read this release in English here.
Los estudios de las rocas y el polvo del asteroide Bennu que fueron traídos a la Tierra por la nave espacial de la misión Orígenes, Interpretación Espectral, Identificación de Recursos y Seguridad – Explorador de Regolito (OSIRIS-REx, por sus siglas en inglés) de la NASA han revelado moléculas que, en nuestro planeta, son clave para la vida, así como un historial de la existencia de agua salada que podría haber servido como “caldo” para que estos compuestos interactuaran y se combinaran.
Los hallazgos no muestran evidencia de vida, pero sí sugieren que las condiciones necesarias para el surgimiento de la vida estaban muy extendidas en todo el sistema solar primitivo, lo que aumentaría las probabilidades de que la vida pudiera haberse formado en otros planetas y lunas.
“La misión OSIRIS-REx de la NASA ya está reescribiendo los libros de texto sobre lo que entendemos acerca de los comienzos de nuestro sistema solar”, dijo Nicky Fox, administradora asociada en la Dirección de Misiones Científicas en la sede de la NASA en Washington. “Los asteroides proporcionan una cápsula del tiempo sobre la historia de nuestro planeta natal, y las muestras de Bennu son fundamentales para nuestra comprensión de qué ingredientes en nuestro sistema solar existían antes de que comenzara la vida en la Tierra”.
En artículos sobre esta investigación científica publicados el miércoles en las revistas Nature y Nature Astronomy, científicos de la NASA y otras instituciones compartieron los resultados de los primeros análisis en profundidad de los minerales y moléculas hallados en las muestras de Bennu, las cuales fueron transportadas a la Tierra por la nave espacial OSIRIS-REx en 2023.
Como se detalla en el artículo de Nature Astronomy, entre las detecciones más significativas se encontraron aminoácidos (14 de los 20 que la vida en la Tierra utiliza para producir proteínas) y las cinco nucleobases (bases nitrogenadas) que la vida en la Tierra utiliza para almacenar y transmitir instrucciones genéticas en moléculas biológicas terrestres más complejas como el ADN y el ARN, incluyendo la forma de organizar los aminoácidos para formar proteínas.
Los científicos también describieron abundancias excepcionalmente altas de amoníaco en las muestras de Bennu. El amoníaco es importante para la biología porque, en las condiciones adecuadas, puede reaccionar con el formaldehído, el cual también fue detectado en las muestras, para formar moléculas complejas como los aminoácidos. Cuando los aminoácidos se unen en cadenas largas, forman proteínas, las cuales impulsan casi todas las funciones biológicas.
Estos componentes básicos para la vida detectados en las muestras de Bennu han sido hallados antes en rocas extraterrestres. Sin embargo, identificarlos en una muestra impoluta obtenida en el espacio respalda la idea de que los objetos que se formaron lejos del Sol podrían haber sido una fuente importante de los ingredientes precursores básicos para la vida en todo el sistema solar.
“Las pistas que estamos buscando son muy minúsculas y se destruyen o alteran con mucha facilidad al exponerse al ambiente de la Tierra”, dijo Danny Glavin, científico principal de muestras en el Centro de Vuelo Espacial Goddard de la NASA en Greenbelt, Maryland, y coautor principal del artículo publicado en Nature Astronomy. “Es por eso que algunos de estos nuevos descubrimientos no serían posibles sin una misión de retorno que trajera las muestras, sin medidas meticulosas de control de la contaminación y sin una cuidadosa curaduría y almacenamiento de este precioso material proveniente de Bennu”.
Mientras que el equipo de Glavin analizó las muestras de Bennu en busca de indicios de compuestos relacionados con la vida, sus colegas, dirigidos por Tim McCoy, quien es curador de meteoritos en el Museo Nacional de Historia Natural del Instituto Smithsonian en Washington, y Sara Russell, mineralogista cósmica en el Museo de Historia Natural de Londres, buscaron pistas sobre el entorno en el que se habrían formado estas moléculas. En un informe publicado en la revista Nature, los científicos describen, además, la evidencia que hallaron de un antiguo entorno propicio para poner en marcha la química de la vida.
Desde calcita hasta halita y silvita, los científicos identificaron en la muestra de Bennu rastros de 11 minerales que se forman a medida que el agua que contiene las sales disueltas en ella se va evaporando a lo largo de extensos períodos de tiempo, dejando atrás las sales en forma de cristales sólidos.
Se han detectado o ha habido indicaciones de la existencia de salmueras similares en todo el sistema solar, incluso en el planeta enano Ceres y la luna Encélado de Saturno.
Aunque los científicos han detectado previamente varias evaporitas en meteoritos que caen a la superficie de la Tierra, nunca han visto un conjunto completo de sales sedimentadas que conservara un proceso de evaporación que podría haber durado miles de años o más. Algunos minerales presentes en Bennu, como la trona, fueron descubiertos por primera vez en muestras extraterrestres.
“Estos artículos científicos realmente se complementan para tratar de explicar cómo los ingredientes de la vida se unieron para hacer lo que vemos en este asteroide alterado acuosamente”, dijo McCoy.
A pesar de todas las respuestas que ha proporcionado la muestra de Bennu, quedan varias preguntas. Muchos aminoácidos se pueden producir en dos versiones de imagen especular, como un par de manos izquierda y derecha. La vida en la Tierra produce casi exclusivamente la variedad levógira (que va hacia la izquierda, o en sentido antihorario), pero las muestras de Bennu contienen una mezcla igual de ambas. Esto significa que, en la Tierra primitiva, los aminoácidos también podrían haber comenzado en una mezcla de iguales proporciones. La razón por la que la vida “giró hacia la izquierda” en lugar de hacia la derecha sigue siendo un misterio.
“OSIRIS-REx ha sido una misión muy exitosa”, dijo Jason Dworkin, científico que trabaja en el proyecto OSIRIS-REx desde el centro Goddard de NASA y es coautor principal del artículo de Nature Astronomy. “Los datos de OSIRIS-REx añaden grandes pinceladas a una imagen de un sistema solar rebosante de potencial para la vida. ¿Por qué nosotros, hasta ahora, solo vemos vida en la Tierra y no en otros lugares? Esa es la pregunta verdaderamente cautivante”.
El centro Goddard de la NASA proporcionó la gestión general de la misión, la ingeniería de sistemas y la garantía y seguridad de la misión OSIRIS-REx. Dante Lauretta, de la Universidad de Arizona en Tucson, es el investigador principal. Esa universidad dirige el equipo científico y la planificación y el procesamiento de datos de las observaciones científicas de la misión. Lockheed Martin Space en Littleton, Colorado, construyó la nave espacial y proporcionó las operaciones de vuelo. El centro Goddard y KinetX Aerospace fueron responsables de la navegación de la nave espacial OSIRIS-REx. La curaduría de OSIRIS-REx es llevada a cabo en el Centro Espacial Johnson de la NASA en Houston. Las asociaciones internacionales para esta misión incluyen el instrumento de altímetro láser de OSIRIS-REx proveniente de la CSA (Agencia Espacial Canadiense) y la colaboración científica para las muestras del asteroide con la misión Hayabusa2 de la JAXA (Agencia Japonesa de Exploración Aeroespacial). OSIRIS-REx es la tercera misión del Programa Nuevas Fronteras de la NASA, el cual es gestionado por el Centro de Vuelo Espacial Marshall de la agencia en Huntsville, Alabama, para la Dirección de Misiones Científicas de la agencia en Washington.
Para obtener más información sobre la misión OSIRIS-REx, visita el sitio web (en inglés):
https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex
-fin-
María José Viñas /Karen Fox / Molly Wasser
Headquarters, Washington
240-458-0248
maria-jose.vinasgarcia@nasa.gov / karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov
Rani Gran
Centro de Vuelo Espacial Goddard, Greenbelt, Maryland
301-286-2483
rani.c.gran@nasa.gov
NASA’s Asteroid Bennu Sample Reveals Mix of Life’s Ingredients
Lee esta nota de prensa en español aquí.
Studies of rock and dust from asteroid Bennu delivered to Earth by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security–Regolith Explorer) spacecraft have revealed molecules that, on our planet, are key to life, as well as a history of saltwater that could have served as the “broth” for these compounds to interact and combine.
The findings do not show evidence for life itself, but they do suggest the conditions necessary for the emergence of life were widespread across the early solar system, increasing the odds life could have formed on other planets and moons.
“NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission already is rewriting the textbook on what we understand about the beginnings of our solar system,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Asteroids provide a time capsule into our home planet’s history, and Bennu’s samples are pivotal in our understanding of what ingredients in our solar system existed before life started on Earth.”
In research papers published Wednesday in the journals Nature and Nature Astronomy, scientists from NASA and other institutions shared results of the first in-depth analyses of the minerals and molecules in the Bennu samples, which OSIRIS-REx delivered to Earth in 2023.
Detailed in the Nature Astronomy paper, among the most compelling detections were amino acids – 14 of the 20 that life on Earth uses to make proteins – and all five nucleobases that life on Earth uses to store and transmit genetic instructions in more complex terrestrial biomolecules, such as DNA and RNA, including how to arrange amino acids into proteins.
Scientists also described exceptionally high abundances of ammonia in the Bennu samples. Ammonia is important to biology because it can react with formaldehyde, which also was detected in the samples, to form complex molecules, such as amino acids – given the right conditions. When amino acids link up into long chains, they make proteins, which go on to power nearly every biological function.
These building blocks for life detected in the Bennu samples have been found before in extraterrestrial rocks. However, identifying them in a pristine sample collected in space supports the idea that objects that formed far from the Sun could have been an important source of the raw precursor ingredients for life throughout the solar system.
“The clues we’re looking for are so minuscule and so easily destroyed or altered from exposure to Earth’s environment,” said Danny Glavin, a senior sample scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and co-lead author of the Nature Astronomy paper. “That’s why some of these new discoveries would not be possible without a sample-return mission, meticulous contamination-control measures, and careful curation and storage of this precious material from Bennu.”
While Glavin’s team analyzed the Bennu samples for hints of life-related compounds, their colleagues, led by Tim McCoy, curator of meteorites at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, and Sara Russell, cosmic mineralogist at the Natural History Museum in London, looked for clues to the environment these molecules would have formed. Reporting in the journal Nature, scientists further describe evidence of an ancient environment well-suited to kickstart the chemistry of life.
Ranging from calcite to halite and sylvite, scientists identified traces of 11 minerals in the Bennu sample that form as water containing dissolved salts evaporates over long periods of time, leaving behind the salts as solid crystals.
Similar brines have been detected or suggested across the solar system, including at the dwarf planet Ceres and Saturn’s moon Enceladus.
Although scientists have previously detected several evaporites in meteorites that fall to Earth’s surface, they have never seen a complete set that preserves an evaporation process that could have lasted thousands of years or more. Some minerals found in Bennu, such as trona, were discovered for the first time in extraterrestrial samples.
“These papers really go hand in hand in trying to explain how life’s ingredients actually came together to make what we see on this aqueously altered asteroid,” said McCoy.
For all the answers the Bennu sample has provided, several questions remain. Many amino acids can be created in two mirror-image versions, like a pair of left and right hands. Life on Earth almost exclusively produces the left-handed variety, but the Bennu samples contain an equal mixture of both. This means that on early Earth, amino acids may have started out in an equal mixture, as well. The reason life “turned left” instead of right remains a mystery.
“OSIRIS-REx has been a highly successful mission,” said Jason Dworkin, OSIRIS-REx project scientist at NASA Goddard and co-lead author on the Nature Astronomy paper. “Data from OSIRIS-REx adds major brushstrokes to a picture of a solar system teeming with the potential for life. Why we, so far, only see life on Earth and not elsewhere, that’s the truly tantalizing question.”
NASA Goddard provided overall mission management, systems engineering, and the safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona, Tucson, is the principal investigator. The university leads the science team and the mission’s science observation planning and data processing. Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, built the spacecraft and provided flight operations. NASA Goddard and KinetX Aerospace were responsible for navigating the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Curation for OSIRIS-REx takes place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. International partnerships on this mission include the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter instrument from CSA (Canadian Space Agency) and asteroid sample science collaboration with JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Hayabusa2 mission. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA’s New Frontiers Program, managed by the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
For more information on the OSIRIS-REx mission, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex
Karen Fox / Molly Wasser
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov
Rani Gran
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
301-286-2483
rani.c.gran@nasa.gov
Sols 4437-4438: Coordinating our Dance Moves
- Curiosity Home
- Science
- News and Features
- Multimedia
- Mars Missions
- The Solar System
4 min read
Sols 4437-4438: Coordinating our Dance Moves NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Left Navigation Camera on sol 4435 — Martian day 4,435 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — on Jan. 27, 2025, at 02:23:35 UTC. NASA/JPL-CaltechEarth planning date: Monday, Jan. 27, 2025
I was Geology and Mineralogy (Geo) Science Team lead today, and my day started with a bang and a drum roll — delivered by a rare winter thunderstorm (rare here in England, at least). I did lose power for a few minutes, but thanks to laptop batteries and phone Wi-Fi, I think no one noticed … so, shhh, don’t tell the boss!
Planning was especially interesting as we had a decision to make, whether we want to align ChemCam and APXS observations with each other and focus on one target, or whether we want two different targets. As Geo Science Team lead, it is my role to facilitate this discussion, but that is always fun — and easy. Many colleagues come with well-prepared reasons for why they want to have a certain observation in today’s plan, and I always learn something new about Mars, or geology, or both when those discussions happen. Weighing all arguments carefully, we decided for the coordinated dance of contact and remote science observations on a bedrock target we named “Desert View.” APXS will start the dance, followed by ChemCam active and one RMI image on the same location. Closing out the dance will be MAHLI, by imaging the APXS target that at this point will have the laser pits.
Such a coordinated observation will allow us to see how the rock reacts to the interaction with the laser. We have done this many times, and often learnt interesting things about the mineralogy of the rock. But more than 10 years ago, there was an even more ambitious coordination exercise: On sol 687 the imaging on a target called “Nova” was timed so that Mastcam actually captured the laser spark in the image. While that’s useful for engineering purposes, as a mineralogist I want to see the effect on the rock. Here is the result of that “spark” on target Nova on sol 687.
But back to today’s planning. Apart from the coordinated observations, ChemCam also adds to the Remote Micro Imager coverage of Gould Mesa with a vertical RMI observation that is designed to cover all the nice layers in the mesa, just like a stratigraphic column. Mastcam is looking back at the Rustic Canyon crater to get a new angle. Craters are three-dimensional and looking at it from all sides will help decipher the nature of this small crater, and also make full use of the window into the underground that it offers. Mastcam has two more mosaics, “Condor Peak” and “Boulder Basin,” which are both looking at interesting features in the landscape: Condor Peak at a newly visible butte, and Boulder Basin at bedrock targets in the near-field, to ascertain the structures and textures are still the same as they have been, or document any possible changes. Mars has surprised us before, so we try to look as often as power and other resources allow, even if only to confirm that nothing has changed. You can see the blocks that we are using for this observation in the grayscale Navigation Camera image above; we especially like it when upturned blocks give us a different view, while flat lying blocks in the same image show the “regular” perspective.
After the targeted science is completed, the rover will continue its drive along the planned route, to see what Mars has to offer on the next stop. After the drive, MARDI will take its image, and ChemCam do an autonomous observation, picking its own target. Also after the drive is a set of atmospheric observations to look at dust levels and search for dust devils. Continuous observations throughout include the DAN instrument’s observation of the surface and measurements of wind and temperature.
With that, the plan is again making best use of all the power we have available… and here in England the weather has improved, inside my power is back to normal, and outside it’s all back to the proverbial rain this small island is so famous for.
Written by Susanne Schwenzer, Planetary Geologist at The Open University
Share Details Last Updated Jan 29, 2025 Related Terms Explore More 2 min read Sols 4434-4436: Last Call for CloudsArticle
2 days ago
3 min read What ‘Perseverance’ Means on Mars and for Our NASA Family
Article
5 days ago
3 min read Sols 4431-4433: On the rim of ‘Rustic Canyon’
Article
6 days ago
Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited…
All Mars Resources
Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,…
Rover Basics
Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a…
Mars Exploration: Science Goals
The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…
Wolf Moon in Washington
How to Fly NASA’s Orion Spacecraft
On NASA’s Artemis II test flight, the first crewed mission under the agency’s Artemis campaign, astronauts will take the controls of the Orion spacecraft and periodically fly it manually during the flight around the Moon and back. The mission provides the first opportunity to ensure the spacecraft operates as designed with humans aboard, ahead of future Artemis missions to the Moon’s surface.
The first key piloting test, called the proximity operations demonstration, will take place after the four crew members — NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen — are safely in space, about three hours into the mission. To evaluate the spacecraft’s manual handling qualities, the crew will pilot Orion to approach and back away from the detached upper stage of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket.
Crew members participating in the demonstration will use two different controllers, called rotational and translational hand controllers, to steer the spacecraft. Three display screens provide the astronauts with data, and another device, called the cursor control device, allows the crew to interact with the displays.
Astronauts will use the rotational hand controller (RHC), gripped in the right hand, to rotate the spacecraft. It controls Orion’s attitude, or the direction the spacecraft is pointing. If the crew wants to point Orion’s nose left, the RHC is twisted left – for nose right, they will twist the RHC right. Similarly, the RHC can control the nose to pitch up or down or roll right or left.“On Artemis II, most of the time the spacecraft will fly autonomously, but having humans aboard is a chance to help with future mission success,” said Reid Wiseman. “If something goes wrong, a crewmember can jump on the controls and help fix the problem. One of our big goals is to check out this spacecraft and have it completely ready for our friends on Artemis III.”
The commander and pilot seats are each equipped with a rotational hand controller (RHC), gripped in the right hand, to rotate the spacecraft. It controls Orion’s attitude, or the direction the spacecraft is pointing. If the crew wants to point Orion’s nose left, the RHC is twisted left — for nose right, they will twist the RHC right. Similarly, the RHC can control the nose to pitch up or down or roll right or left.
The translational hand controller (THC), located to the right or left of the display screens, will move Orion from one point to another. To move the spacecraft forward, the crew pushes the controller straight in — to back up, they will pull the controller out. And similarly, the controller can be pushed up or down and left or right to move in those directions.
When the crew uses one of the controllers, their command is detected by Orion’s flight software, run by the spacecraft’s guidance, navigation, and control system. The flight software was designed, developed, and tested by Orion’s main contractor, Lockheed Martin.
The crew will use translational hand controller (THC), located to the right or left of the display screens, will move Orion from one point to another. To move the spacecraft forward, the crew pushes the controller straight in – to back up, they will pull the controller out. And similarly, the controller can be pushed up or down and left or right to move in those directions.“We’re going to perform flight test objectives on Artemis II to get data on the handling qualities of the spacecraft and how well it maneuvers,” said Jeffrey Semrau, Lockheed Martin’s manual controls flight software lead for Artemis missions. “We’ll use that information to upgrade and improve our control systems and facilitate success for future missions.”
Depending on what maneuver the pilot has commanded, Orion’s software determines which of its 24 reaction control system thrusters to fire, and when. These thrusters are located on Orion’s European-built service module. They provide small amounts of thrust in any direction to steer the spacecraft and can provide torque to allow rotation control.
The cursor control device allows the crew to interact with the three display screens that show spacecraft data and information. This device allows the crew to interact with Orion even under the stresses of launch or entry when gravitational forces can prevent them from physically reaching the screens.
The cursor control device allows the crew to interact with the three display screens that show spacecraft data and information. This device allows the crew to interact with Orion even under the stresses of launch or entry when gravitational forces can prevent them from physically reaching the screens.Next to Orion’s displays, the spacecraft also has a series of switches, toggles, and dials on the switch interface panel. Along with switches the crew will use during normal mission operations, there is also a backup set of switches they can use to fly Orion if a display or hand controller fails.
“This flight test will simulate the flying that we would do if we were docking to another spacecraft like our lander or to Gateway, our lunar space station,” said Victor Glover. “We’re going to make sure that the vehicle flies the way that our simulators approximate. And we’re going to make sure that it’s ready for the more complicated missions ahead.”
The approximately 10-day Artemis II flight will test NASA’s foundational human deep space exploration capabilities, the SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, and supporting ground systems, for the first time with astronauts and will pave the way for lunar surface missions.
Wolf Moon in Washington
A NASA photographer captured the full “wolf” moon rising over the Lincoln Memorial and Memorial Bridge on Jan. 13, 2025.
The Maine Farmers’ Almanac began publishing Native American names for full moons in the 1930s. Over time, these names have become widely known and used. According to this almanac, the full moon in January is called the Wolf Moon, from the packs of wolves heard howling outside the villages amid the cold and deep snows of winter.
Get tips and guides on skywatching.
Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
NASA Juno Mission Spots Most Powerful Volcanic Activity on Io to Date
5 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) A massive hotspot — larger the Earth’s Lake Superior — can be seen just to the right of Io’s south pole in this annotated image taken by the JIRAM infrared imager aboard NASA’s Juno on Dec. 27, 2024, during the spacecraft’s flyby of the Jovian moon. NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/ASI/INAF/JIRAMEven by the standards of Io, the most volcanic celestial body in the solar system, recent events observed on the Jovian moon are extreme.
Scientists with NASA’s Juno mission have discovered a volcanic hot spot in the southern hemisphere of Jupiter’s moon Io. The hot spot is not only larger than Earth’s Lake Superior, but it also belches out eruptions six times the total energy of all the world’s power plants. The discovery of this massive feature comes courtesy of Juno’s Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument, contributed by the Italian Space Agency.
“Juno had two really close flybys of Io during Juno’s extended mission,” said the mission’s principal investigator, Scott Bolton of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. “And while each flyby provided data on the tormented moon that exceeded our expectations, the data from this latest — and more distant — flyby really blew our minds. This is the most powerful volcanic event ever recorded on the most volcanic world in our solar system — so that’s really saying something.”
The source of Io’s torment: Jupiter. About the size of Earth’s Moon, Io is extremely close to the mammoth gas giant, and its elliptical orbit whips it around Jupiter once every 42.5 hours. As the distance varies, so does the planet’s gravitational pull, which leads to the moon being relentlessly squeezed. The result: immense energy from frictional heating that melts portions of Io’s interior, resulting in a seemingly endless series of lava plumes and ash venting into its atmosphere from the estimated 400 volcanoes that riddle its surface.
Close FlybysDesigned to capture the infrared light (which isn’t visible to the human eye) emerging from deep inside Jupiter, JIRAM probes the gas giant’s weather layer, peering 30 to 45 miles (50 to 70 kilometers) below its cloud tops. But since NASA extended Juno’s mission, the team has also used the instrument to study the moons Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
Images of Io captured in 2024 by the JunoCam imager aboard NASA’s Juno show signif-icant and visible surface changes (indicated by the arrows) near the Jovian moon’s south pole. These changes occurred between the 66th and 68th perijove, or the point during Juno’s orbit when it is closest to Jupiter.Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS Image processing by Jason PerryDuring its extended mission, Juno’s trajectory passes by Io every other orbit, flying over the same part of the moon each time. Previously, the spacecraft made close flybys of Io in December 2023 and February 2024, getting within about 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) of its surface. The latest flyby took place on Dec. 27, 2024, bringing the spacecraft within about 46,200 miles (74,400 kilometers) of the moon, with the infrared instrument trained on Io’s southern hemisphere.
Io Brings the Heat“JIRAM detected an event of extreme infrared radiance — a massive hot spot — in Io’s southern hemisphere so strong that it saturated our detector,” said Alessandro Mura, a Juno co-investigator from the National Institute for Astrophysics in Rome. “However, we have evidence what we detected is actually a few closely spaced hot spots that emitted at the same time, suggestive of a subsurface vast magma chamber system. The data supports that this is the most intense volcanic eruption ever recorded on Io.”
The JIRAM science team estimates the as-yet-unnamed feature spans 40,000 square miles (100,000 square kilometers). The previous record holder was Io’s Loki Patera, a lava lake of about 7,700 square miles (20,000 square kilometers). The total power value of the new hot spot’s radiance measured well above 80 trillion watts.
Picture ThisThe feature was also captured by the mission’s JunoCam visible light camera. The team compared JunoCam images from the two previous Io flybys with those the instrument collected on Dec. 27. And while these most recent images are of lower resolution since Juno was farther away, the relative changes in surface coloring around the newly discovered hot spot were clear. Such changes in Io’s surface are known in the planetary science community to be associated with hot spots and volcanic activity.
An eruption of this magnitude is likely to leave long-lived signatures. Other large eruptions on Io have created varied features, such as pyroclastic deposits (composed rock fragments spewed out by a volcano), small lava flows that may be fed by fissures, and volcanic-plume deposits rich in sulfur and sulfur dioxide.
Juno will use an upcoming, more distant flyby of Io on March 3 to look at the hot spot again and search for changes in the landscape. Earth-based observations of this region of the moon may also be possible.
“While it is always great to witness events that rewrite the record books, this new hot spot can potentially do much more,” said Bolton. “The intriguing feature could improve our understanding of volcanism not only on Io but on other worlds as well.”
More About JunoNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Juno is part of NASA’s New Frontiers Program, which is managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Italian Space Agency (ASI) funded the Jovian InfraRed Auroral Mapper. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built and operates the spacecraft. Various other institutions around the U.S. provided several of the other scientific instruments on Juno.
More information about Juno is available at:
News Media ContactsDC Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011
agle@jpl.nasa.gov
Karen Fox / Alana Johnson
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600 / 202-358-1501
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov
Deb Schmid
Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio
210-522-2254
dschmid@swri.org
2025-010
Share Details Last Updated Jan 28, 2025 Related Terms Explore More 4 min read NASA Space Tech’s Favorite Place to Travel in 2025: The Moon! Article 5 days ago 5 min read NASA JPL Prepping for Full Year of Launches, Mission Milestones Article 6 days ago 5 min read Study Finds Earth’s Small Asteroid Visitor Likely Chunk of Moon Rock Article 1 week ago Keep Exploring Discover Related TopicsMissions
Humans in Space
Climate Change
Solar System
NASA’s PUNCH Mission Tests Solar Arrays Before Launch
Technicians supporting NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission deployed and tested the spacecraft’s solar arrays at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California ahead of its launch next month.
The arrays, essential for powering instruments and systems, mark another milestone in preparing PUNCH for its mission to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere as it transitions into the solar wind. Technicians performed the tests in a specialized cleanroom environment to prevent contamination and protect the sensitive equipment.
Comprised of four suitcase-sized satellites working together as a constellation, PUNCH will capture continuous 3D images of the Sun’s corona and the solar wind’s journey into the solar system. Led by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) for NASA, the mission aims to deepen our understanding of the Sun and solar wind and how they affect humanity’s technology on Earth and our continued exploration of the solar system.
Successful solar array testing brings the spacecraft another step toward readiness for launch. The agency’s PUNCH mission is targeting liftoff as a rideshare with NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex 4E no earlier than Thursday, Feb. 27.
Image credit: USSF 30th Space Wing/Antonio Ramos
Langley’s Wonder Changes The World, 2023 Annual Report Spotlights Contributions
In 2023, NASA Langley’s workforce brought imagination to reality with innovative technological development and a continued commitment to tackling some of the tough challenges that both NASA and the nation face.
NASAAt NASA, we aspire to know more, dig deeper, climb higher and along the way we are asking, ‘What if?’,” said NASA Langley Center Director Clayton P. Turner in an introductory message to Langley’s 2023 Annual Report. “Our inquisitive nature propels us on our mission to reach for new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind.”
All year, the Langley workforce pondered and planned for a future alongside self-flying drones, aircraft with reduced emissions, air travel that benefits from greater fuel efficiency and space exploration assisted by inflatable heat shields that could give us the ability to carry greater payloads than ever before.
“We invite you to explore all that NASA’s Langley Research Center has to offer — our amazing people, unique capabilities, and legacy of success,” Turner said in his introduction.
Use this link to explore the 2023 Annual Report for NASA’s Langley Research Center.
2024 Annual Report Highlights Langley’s Wonder at Work
At NASA’s Langley Research Center, we are proud of our world-renowned role in innovating and improving the way we fly, explore, and understand our universe.” said NASA Langley leadership in an introductory message to Langley’s 2024 Annual Report. “The passion, dedication, and expertise of our workforce is bringing solutions to the nation’s toughest challenges in Aeronautics, Space Exploration, and Earth Science research.”
Featured achievements include work on NASA’s X-59 supersonic experimental aircraft, the largest air quality campaign to ever collaborate with countries across Asia and an autonomous robotic manipulation system that will one day provide NASA with a lunar moving crew.
Use this link to explore the 2024 Annual Report for NASA’s Langley Research Center.
NASA to Preview Sky-Mapping Space Telescope Ahead of Launch
NASA will host a news conference at 12 p.m. EST Friday, Jan. 31, to discuss a new telescope that will improve our understanding of how the universe evolved and search for key ingredients for life in our galaxy.
Agency experts will preview NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) mission, which will help scientists better understand the structure of the universe, how galaxies form and evolve, and the origins and abundance of water. Launch is targeted for no earlier than Thursday, Feb. 27.
The news conference will be hosted at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Watch live on NASA+, as well as JPL’s X and YouTube channels. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
Laurie Leshin, director, NASA JPL, will provide opening remarks. Additional briefing participants include:
- Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director, Astrophysics Division, NASA Headquarters
- James Fanson, project manager, SPHEREx, NASA JPL
- Beth Fabinsky, deputy project manager, SPHEREx, NASA JPL
- Jamie Bock, principal investigator, SPHEREx, Caltech
- Cesar Marin, SPHEREx integration engineer, Launch Services Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
To ask questions by phone, members of the media must RSVP no later than two hours before the start of the event to: rexana.v.vizza@jpl.nasa.gov. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. Questions also can be asked on social media during the briefing using #AskNASA.
The SPHEREx observatory will survey the entire celestial sky in near-infrared light to help answer cosmic questions involving the birth of the universe, and the subsequent development of galaxies. It also will search for ices of water and organic molecules — essentials for life as we know it — in regions where stars are born from gas and dust, as well as disks around stars where new planets could be forming. Astronomers will use the mission to gather data on more than 450 million galaxies, as well as more than 100 million stars in our own Milky Way galaxy.
The space observatory will share its ride on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission, which will lift off from Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Central California.
The SPHEREx mission is managed by NASA JPL for the agency’s Astrophysics Division within the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The principal investigator is based at Caltech in Pasadena, California, which manages NASA JPL for the agency.
The spacecraft is supplied by BAE Systems. The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute contributed the non-flight cryogenic test chamber. Mission data will be publicly available through IPAC at Caltech.
For more information about the mission, visit:
-end-
Alise Fisher
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2546
alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov
Val Gratias / Calla Cofield
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-6215 / 626-808-2469
valerie.m.gratias@jpl.nasa.gov / calla.e.cofield@jpl.nasa.gov
Station Science Top News: Jan. 24, 2025
Reducing reliance on resupply missions
Resupply of life support elements such as air, water, food, clothing, and hygiene items will be impractical on missions to the Moon and beyond. This research assessed current use and resupply of these elements on the International Space Station and outlines technologies needed for sustained human presence in space, such as 3D printing maintenance parts, systems for laundering clothes, and improved recovery and recycling of elements.
Researchers analyzed the types and mass of elements supplied from Earth to the station and astronaut feedback from various studies and interviews. The paper also used data from ISS Internal Environments, a wide-ranging investigation that samples various aspects of the space station environment in support of many types of research.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa exercises on the station’s treadmill. Astronauts currently have no way to launder clothes in space.NASAVerifying a technique for analyzing emulsions
This paper presents a review of examining the behavior of emulsions (suspensions of particles in a liquid) in microgravity using a technique called diffusing wave spectroscopy. Results offer insights that could support development of technologies to improve living environments and foods for crew members on future missions.
FSL Soft Matter Dynamics – PASTA studied the dynamics of droplets in emulsions. Accurate study and characterization of the effects of additives on emulsion stability is possible in microgravity. Emulsions have applications in foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, fuels, paints and coatings, chemical processing, and materials.
European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti exchanges samples for the FSL Soft Matter Dynamics-PASTA investigation.NASAEEG measurements and predicting cognitive changes in spaceflight
Researchers used an electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure brainwave activity during a relaxed, wakeful state in crew members and found no significant differences before, during, and after flight. These types of measurements could serve as biomarkers of brain health status, helping to predict changes in cognitive performance and the need for prevention and countermeasure strategies during future missions.
Studies have shown that spaceflight can affect key cognitive and motor skills such as task management, attention, and movement speed and accuracy. Neurowellness in Space Ax-1 tested using a portable, easy to use EEG headset to measure ongoing and task-related brain activity in microgravity. The data could help predict and monitor neural changes on future space missions.
The 11-person crew aboard the station in April 2022 included Axiom Mission 1 astronauts (center row from left) Mark Pathy, Eytan Stibbe, Larry Conner, and Michael Lopez-Alegria.NASAGet My Good Side
Get My Good Side
A NASA photographer took this portrait of a curious sandhill crane on March 24, 2021, near the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Sandhill cranes are just one of the hundreds of types of birds that call the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares space with NASA Kennedy, their home.
See more photos of birds at NASA Kennedy.
Image credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
Black Holes Can Cook for Themselves, Chandra Study Shows
Astronomers have taken a crucial step in showing that the most massive black holes in the universe can create their own meals. Data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) provide new evidence that outbursts from black holes can help cool down gas to feed themselves.
This study was based on observations of seven clusters of galaxies. The centers of galaxy clusters contain the universe’s most massive galaxies, which harbor huge black holes with masses ranging from millions to tens of billions of times that of the Sun. Jets from these black holes are driven by the black holes feasting on gas.
These images show two of the galaxy clusters in the study, the Perseus Cluster and the Centaurus Cluster. Chandra data represented in blue reveals X-rays from filaments of hot gas, and data from the VLT, an optical telescope in Chile, shows cooler filaments in red.
The results support a model where outbursts from the black holes trigger hot gas to cool and form narrow filaments of warm gas. Turbulence in the gas also plays an important role in this triggering process.
According to this model, some of the warm gas in these filaments should then flow into the centers of the galaxies to feed the black holes, causing an outburst. The outburst causes more gas to cool and feed the black holes, leading to further outbursts.
This model predicts there will be a relationship between the brightness of filaments of hot and warm gas in the centers of galaxy clusters. More specifically, in regions where the hot gas is brighter, the warm gas should also be brighter. The team of astronomers has, for the first time, discovered such a relationship, giving critical support for the model.
This result also provides new understanding of these gas-filled filaments, which are important not just for feeding black holes but also for causing new stars to form. This advance was made possible by an innovative technique that isolates the hot filaments in the Chandra X-ray data from other structures, including large cavities in the hot gas created by the black hole’s jets.
The newly found relationship for these filaments shows remarkable similarity to the one found in the tails of jellyfish galaxies, which have had gas stripped away from them as they travel through surrounding gas, forming long tails. This similarity reveals an unexpected cosmic connection between the two objects and implies a similar process is occurring in these objects.
This work was led by Valeria Olivares from the University of Santiago de Chile, and was published Monday in Nature Astronomy. The study brought together international experts in optical and X-ray observations and simulations from the United States, Chile, Australia, Canada, and Italy. The work relied on the capabilities of the MUSE (Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer) instrument on the VLT, which generates 3D views of the universe.
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.
Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Learn more about the Chandra X-ray Observatory and its mission here:
Visual DescriptionThis release features composite images shown side-by-side of two different galaxy clusters, each with a central black hole surrounded by patches and filaments of gas. The galaxy clusters, known as Perseus and Centaurus, are two of seven galaxy clusters observed as part of an international study led by the University of Santiago de Chile.
In each image, a patch of purple with neon pink veins floats in the blackness of space, surrounded by flecks of light. At the center of each patch is a glowing, bright white dot. The bright white dots are black holes. The purple patches represent hot X-ray gas, and the neon pink veins represent filaments of warm gas. According to the model published in the study, jets from the black holes impact the hot X-ray gas. This gas cools into warm filaments, with some warm gas flowing back into the black hole. The return flow of warm gas causes jets to again cool the hot gas, triggering the cycle once again.
While the images of the two galaxy clusters are broadly similar, there are significant visual differences. In the image of the Perseus Cluster on the left, the surrounding flecks of light are larger and brighter, making the individual galaxies they represent easier to discern. Here, the purple gas has a blue tint, and the hot pink filaments appear solid, as if rendered with quivering strokes of a paintbrush. In the image of the Centaurus Cluster on the right, the purple gas appears softer, with a more diffuse quality. The filaments are rendered in more detail, with feathery edges, and gradation in color ranging from pale pink to neon red.
News Media ContactMegan Watzke
Chandra X-ray Center
Cambridge, Mass.
617-496-7998
mwatzke@cfa.harvard.edu
Lane Figueroa
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
256-544-0034
lane.e.figueroa@nasa.gov