The space of night is infinite,
The blackness and emptiness
Crossed only by thin bright fences
Of logic

— Kenneth Rexroth
"Theory of Numbers"

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'Murderbot' declares 'humans are idiots' in 1st tantalizing trailer for Apple TV's upcoming sci-fi series

Space.com - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 2:00pm
Alexander Skarsgård's rogue security unit will be unleashed on May 16, 2025, exclusively on Apple TV+.
Categories: Astronomy

Where Schrödinger’s cat came from – and why it’s getting fatter

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 2:00pm
Schrödinger called his metaphorical cat “quite ridiculous” but the quantum weirdness it represents has become a useful benchmark for the quantum computing industry, finds our quantum columnist Karmela Padavic-Callaghan
Categories: Astronomy

Where Schrödinger’s cat came from – and why it’s getting fatter

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 2:00pm
Schrödinger called his metaphorical cat “quite ridiculous” but the quantum weirdness it represents has become a useful benchmark for the quantum computing industry, finds our quantum columnist Karmela Padavic-Callaghan
Categories: Astronomy

Denisovan Fossil Shows Enigmatic Hominins Lived from Siberia to Subtropics

Scientific American.com - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 2:00pm

The third confirmed location of extinct hominins known as Denisovans shows these human cousins adapted to an impressive range of environments

Categories: Astronomy

Rookie NASA astronaut Chris Williams will launch to the ISS on a Russian rocket later this year

Space.com - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 1:00pm
NASA astronaut Chris Williams will launch on his first mission to the International Space Station, on a Russian Soyuz rocket with two cosmonaut colleagues, as early as November.
Categories: Astronomy

NASA Measures Moonlight to Improve Earth Observations

NASA News - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 12:16pm
The airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance (air-LUSI) instrument is moved across the hangar floor by robotic engineer Alexander McCafferty-Leroux ,from right to left, co-investigator Dr. John Woodward, NIST astronomer Dr. Susana Deustua, air-LUSI chief system engineer Dr. Kathleen “Kat” Scanlon, and members of the ER-2 ground crew at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, in March 2025.NASA/Genaro Vavuris

Flying high above the clouds and moon-gazing may sound like a scene from a timeless romance, but NASA did just that in the name of Earth science research. In March 2025 pilots took the agency’s ER-2 science aircraft on a series of night flights over NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, as the Moon increased in visible size. For those few nights, the high-flying plane was converted into a one-of-a-kind airborne lunar observatory.

The Airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance, or air-LUSI, mission observed the Moon at different phases and measured the sunlight reflected by the lunar surface. Specifically, the instrument tracks the amount of light reflected at different wavelengths. This information enables scientists to use the Moon as a calibration tool for Earth-observing sensors.

As an “absolute reference, the Moon also becomes the perfect benchmark for satellites to consistently and accurately measure processes on Earth,” said Kevin Turpie, air-LUSI’s principal investigator and a researcher based at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. This helps scientists to improve the precision of many different measurements, including data on weather patterns, vegetation growth, and ocean conditions.

As the highest-flying platform for airborne science, the ER-2 can fly the air-LUSI instrument in the stratosphere, above 95% of the atmosphere. Data collected at an altitude nearing 70,000 feet are highly accurate because the air is predominantly clear of the gases and particles found in the lower atmosphere that can interfere with measurements.

The ER-2 aircraft is parked in a hangar at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, in March 2025. The plane is prepared for takeoff to support the airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance, or air-LUSI, mission.NASA/Genaro Vavuris

“To date, air-LUSI measurements of the Moon are the most accurate ever made,” said Kelsey Bisson, the NASA program scientist supporting the mission. “Air-LUSI data can advance our ability to understand the Earth and our weather, and they provide a new way to calibrate satellites that can result in cost savings.”

The quality of these data has transformative implications for satellite and Earth observing systems. The improved accuracy and enhanced ability provided by air-LUSI data flown on the ER-2 reduces the need for onboard reference devices, effectually cutting satellite costs.

The air-LUSI project is a collaboration between scientists and engineers from NASA, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and McMaster University in Ontario.

The ER-2 ground crew Wissam Habbal, left, and Dr. Kevin Turpie, airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance (air-LUSI) principal investigator, guide delicate fiber optic and electric cabling into place while uploading the air-LUSI instrument onto the ER-2 aircraft in March 2025 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.NASA/Genaro Vavuris

“The collective effort of the American and Canadian team members offers an opportunity for truly exciting engineering and science collaboration,” said Andrew Gadsden, associate professor and associate chair for graduate studies in mechanical engineering at McMaster University, and co-investigator on the air-LUSI project. The McMaster team developed the Autonomous Robotic Telescope Mount Instrument System and High-Altitude Aircraft Mounted Robotic (HAAMR) telescope mount, which support the air-LUSI system.

Dr. John Woodward, of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and co-investigator on the airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance (air-LUSI) mission, prepares the instrument for upload onto the ER-2 aircraft in March 2025 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.NASA/Genaro Vavuris

The HAAMR telescope mount was integrated onto the ER-2 and flown for the first time during the science flights in March. This new lunar tracking system is contributing to what John Woodward IV, co-investigator for air-LUSI, called the “highest accuracy measurements” of moonlight. To improve Earth observation technology, air-LUSI represents an important evolutionary step.

Categories: NASA

NASA Measures Moonlight to Improve Earth Observations

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 12:16pm
The airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance (air-LUSI) instrument is moved across the hangar floor by robotic engineer Alexander McCafferty-Leroux ,from right to left, co-investigator Dr. John Woodward, NIST astronomer Dr. Susana Deustua, air-LUSI chief system engineer Dr. Kathleen “Kat” Scanlon, and members of the ER-2 ground crew at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, in March 2025.NASA/Genaro Vavuris

Flying high above the clouds and moon-gazing may sound like a scene from a timeless romance, but NASA did just that in the name of Earth science research. In March 2025 pilots took the agency’s ER-2 science aircraft on a series of night flights over NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, as the Moon increased in visible size. For those few nights, the high-flying plane was converted into a one-of-a-kind airborne lunar observatory.

The Airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance, or air-LUSI, mission observed the Moon at different phases and measured the sunlight reflected by the lunar surface. Specifically, the instrument tracks the amount of light reflected at different wavelengths. This information enables scientists to use the Moon as a calibration tool for Earth-observing sensors.

As an “absolute reference, the Moon also becomes the perfect benchmark for satellites to consistently and accurately measure processes on Earth,” said Kevin Turpie, air-LUSI’s principal investigator and a researcher based at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. This helps scientists to improve the precision of many different measurements, including data on weather patterns, vegetation growth, and ocean conditions.

As the highest-flying platform for airborne science, the ER-2 can fly the air-LUSI instrument in the stratosphere, above 95% of the atmosphere. Data collected at an altitude nearing 70,000 feet are highly accurate because the air is predominantly clear of the gases and particles found in the lower atmosphere that can interfere with measurements.

The ER-2 aircraft is parked in a hangar at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, in March 2025. The plane is prepared for takeoff to support the airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance, or air-LUSI, mission.NASA/Genaro Vavuris

“To date, air-LUSI measurements of the Moon are the most accurate ever made,” said Kelsey Bisson, the NASA program scientist supporting the mission. “Air-LUSI data can advance our ability to understand the Earth and our weather, and they provide a new way to calibrate satellites that can result in cost savings.”

The quality of these data has transformative implications for satellite and Earth observing systems. The improved accuracy and enhanced ability provided by air-LUSI data flown on the ER-2 reduces the need for onboard reference devices, effectually cutting satellite costs.

The air-LUSI project is a collaboration between scientists and engineers from NASA, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and McMaster University in Ontario.

The ER-2 ground crew Wissam Habbal, left, and Dr. Kevin Turpie, airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance (air-LUSI) principal investigator, guide delicate fiber optic and electric cabling into place while uploading the air-LUSI instrument onto the ER-2 aircraft in March 2025 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.NASA/Genaro Vavuris

“The collective effort of the American and Canadian team members offers an opportunity for truly exciting engineering and science collaboration,” said Andrew Gadsden, associate professor and associate chair for graduate studies in mechanical engineering at McMaster University, and co-investigator on the air-LUSI project. The McMaster team developed the Autonomous Robotic Telescope Mount Instrument System and High-Altitude Aircraft Mounted Robotic (HAAMR) telescope mount, which support the air-LUSI system.

Dr. John Woodward, of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and co-investigator on the airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance (air-LUSI) mission, prepares the instrument for upload onto the ER-2 aircraft in March 2025 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.NASA/Genaro Vavuris

The HAAMR telescope mount was integrated onto the ER-2 and flown for the first time during the science flights in March. This new lunar tracking system is contributing to what John Woodward IV, co-investigator for air-LUSI, called the “highest accuracy measurements” of moonlight. To improve Earth observation technology, air-LUSI represents an important evolutionary step.

Categories: NASA

Should we give up on recycling plastic?

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 12:00pm
Globally, only 14 per cent of the plastic we use is recycled – but some countries achieve higher rates and new technologies could change the picture drastically
Categories: Astronomy

Should we give up on recycling plastic?

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 12:00pm
Globally, only 14 per cent of the plastic we use is recycled – but some countries achieve higher rates and new technologies could change the picture drastically
Categories: Astronomy

Jared Isaacman, Trump’s Top NASA Nominee, Sets a Course for Mars

Scientific American.com - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 12:00pm

Billionaire entrepreneur and private astronaut Jared Isaacman told the U.S. Senate that, under his leadership, NASA will return humans to the moon while also prepping for crewed voyages to the Red Planet

Categories: Astronomy

Have We Been to Uranus? We Asked a NASA Expert: Episode 56

NASA News - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 11:49am

2 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

Have we ever been to Uranus?

The answer is simple, yes, but only once. The Voyager II spacecraft flew by the planet Uranus back in 1986, during a golden era when the Voyager spacecraft explored all four giant planets of our solar system. It revealed an extreme world, a planet that had been bowled over onto its side by some extreme cataclysm early in the formation of the solar system.

That means that its seasons and its magnetic field get exposed to the most dramatic seasonal variability of any place that we know of in the solar system. The atmosphere was a churning system made of methane and hydrogen and water, with methane clouds showing up as white against the bluer background of the planet itself.

The densely packed ring system is host to a number of very fine, narrow and dusty rings surrounded by a collection of icy satellites. And those satellites may harbor deep, dark, hidden oceans beneath an icy crust of water ice.

Taken together, this extreme and exciting system is somewhere that we simply must go back to explore and hopefully in the next one to two decades NASA and the European Space Agency will mount an ambitious mission to go out there and explore the Uranian system. It’s important not just for solar system science, but also for the growing field of exoplanet science. As planets of this particular size, the size of Uranus, about four times wider than planet Earth, seem to be commonplace throughout our galaxy.

So how have we been to Uranus? Yes, but it’s time that we went back.

[END VIDEO TRANSCRIPT]

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Share Details Last Updated Apr 10, 2025 Related Terms Explore More 5 min read How NASA Science Data Defends Earth from Asteroids

The asteroid 2024 YR4 made headlines in February with the news that it had a…

Article 5 hours ago
3 min read NASA Measures Moonlight to Improve Earth Observations Article 10 hours ago 6 min read NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Studies Trove of Rocks on Crater Rim Article 11 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics

Missions

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Categories: NASA

Have We Been to Uranus? We Asked a NASA Expert: Episode 56

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 11:49am

2 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

Have we ever been to Uranus?

The answer is simple, yes, but only once. The Voyager II spacecraft flew by the planet Uranus back in 1986, during a golden era when the Voyager spacecraft explored all four giant planets of our solar system. It revealed an extreme world, a planet that had been bowled over onto its side by some extreme cataclysm early in the formation of the solar system.

That means that its seasons and its magnetic field get exposed to the most dramatic seasonal variability of any place that we know of in the solar system. The atmosphere was a churning system made of methane and hydrogen and water, with methane clouds showing up as white against the bluer background of the planet itself.

The densely packed ring system is host to a number of very fine, narrow and dusty rings surrounded by a collection of icy satellites. And those satellites may harbor deep, dark, hidden oceans beneath an icy crust of water ice.

Taken together, this extreme and exciting system is somewhere that we simply must go back to explore and hopefully in the next one to two decades NASA and the European Space Agency will mount an ambitious mission to go out there and explore the Uranian system. It’s important not just for solar system science, but also for the growing field of exoplanet science. As planets of this particular size, the size of Uranus, about four times wider than planet Earth, seem to be commonplace throughout our galaxy.

So how have we been to Uranus? Yes, but it’s time that we went back.

[END VIDEO TRANSCRIPT]

Full Episode List

Full YouTube Playlist

Share Details Last Updated Apr 10, 2025 Related Terms Explore More 3 min read NASA’s IMAP Arrives at NASA Marshall For Testing in XRCF   Article 32 mins ago 2 min read Hubble Captures a Star’s Swan Song

The swirling, paint-like clouds in the darkness of space in this stunning image seem surreal,…

Article 5 hours ago
5 min read How NASA Science Data Defends Earth from Asteroids

The asteroid 2024 YR4 made headlines in February with the news that it had a…

Article 18 hours ago
Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics

Missions

Humans in Space

Climate Change

Solar System

Categories: NASA

Linear Sand Dunes in the Great Sandy Desert

NASA Image of the Day - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 11:49am
In northwest Australia, the Great Sandy Desert holds great geological interest as a zone of active sand dune movement. While a variety of dune forms appear across the region, this astronaut photograph features numerous linear dunes (about 25 meters high) separated in a roughly regular fashion (0.5 to 1.5 kilometers apart).
Categories: Astronomy, NASA

Linear Sand Dunes in the Great Sandy Desert

NASA News - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 11:48am
In northwest Australia, the Great Sandy Desert holds great geological interest as a zone of active sand dune movement. While a variety of dune forms appear across the region, this astronaut photograph features numerous linear dunes (about 25 meters high) separated in a roughly regular fashion (0.5 to 1.5 kilometers apart).NASA

On March 25, 2013, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station took this photo of the Great Sandy Desert in northwest Australia, showcasing linear dunes separated in a roughly regular fashion. When you fly over such dune fields—either in an airplane or the space station—the fire scars stand out. Where thin vegetation has been burned, the dunes appear red from the underlying sand; dunes appear darker where the vegetation remains.

Strings of narrow lakes that represent ancient rivers are also present in the region. The white feature down the center of the image is Lake Auld. The color is the result of a cemented combination of fine, clay-like sediment and salts from the evaporation of flood waters that occasionally fill the lake. Linear dunes can be seen entering Lake Auld on the east side. During flooding events, the sand of the dune noses is dispersed, becoming incorporated into the muds and salts of the lake floor sediments. During the long, intervening dry periods, sand can blow across the lake floor to build thinner, smaller dunes, visible as linear accumulations on the west side of the lake.

See more photos taken by astronauts.

Text credit: NASA/M. Justin Wilkinson

Image credit: NASA

Categories: NASA

Linear Sand Dunes in the Great Sandy Desert

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 11:48am
In northwest Australia, the Great Sandy Desert holds great geological interest as a zone of active sand dune movement. While a variety of dune forms appear across the region, this astronaut photograph features numerous linear dunes (about 25 meters high) separated in a roughly regular fashion (0.5 to 1.5 kilometers apart).NASA

On March 25, 2013, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station took this photo of the Great Sandy Desert in northwest Australia, showcasing linear dunes separated in a roughly regular fashion. When you fly over such dune fields—either in an airplane or the space station—the fire scars stand out. Where thin vegetation has been burned, the dunes appear red from the underlying sand; dunes appear darker where the vegetation remains.

Strings of narrow lakes that represent ancient rivers are also present in the region. The white feature down the center of the image is Lake Auld. The color is the result of a cemented combination of fine, clay-like sediment and salts from the evaporation of flood waters that occasionally fill the lake. Linear dunes can be seen entering Lake Auld on the east side. During flooding events, the sand of the dune noses is dispersed, becoming incorporated into the muds and salts of the lake floor sediments. During the long, intervening dry periods, sand can blow across the lake floor to build thinner, smaller dunes, visible as linear accumulations on the west side of the lake.

See more photos taken by astronauts.

Text credit: NASA/M. Justin Wilkinson

Image credit: NASA

Categories: NASA

Biggest Brain Map Ever Shows Mouse Neurons in Stunning Detail

Scientific American.com - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 11:30am

Neuroscientists have created the largest and most detailed map of a mammal’s brain in a landmark achievement

Categories: Astronomy

Station Nation: Meet Nick Kopp, SpaceX Dragon Flight Lead 

NASA News - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 11:11am

Nick Kopp is a Dragon flight lead in the Transportation Integration Office at Johnson Space Center in Houston. He is currently leading NASA’s efforts to prepare, launch, and return the agency’s 32nd SpaceX commercial resupply services mission. He works directly with SpaceX and collaborates with NASA’s many internal, external, and international partners to ensure the success of this and other cargo missions to the International Space Station. 

Read on to learn about his career with NASA and more! 

Nick Kopp’s official portrait.NASA/Bill Stafford The time and effort spent building, maintaining, and conducting science on the International Space Station is spent by people in our community and communities around the world to further humanity's collective understanding of the universe around us.

Nick Kopp

Transportation Integration Office Flight Lead

Where are you from? 

I am from Cleveland, Ohio. 

Tell us about your role at NASA.  

I work directly with SpaceX to ensure the Dragon cargo spacecraft meets NASA’s requirements to visit the space station. I also collaborate with NASA’s various partners who are safely flying science investigations and other cargo to and from the space station. For the upcoming flight, I’ve worked extensively with SpaceX to prepare to return the Dragon cargo spacecraft off the coast of California. 

How would you describe your job to family or friends who may not be familiar with NASA?  

I’m responsible for getting stuff to and from the International Space Station safely. 

How long have you been working for NASA?  

I have been working for NASA for about 15 years at both Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama and Johnson Space Center in Texas. 

What advice would you give to young individuals aspiring to work in the space industry or at NASA?  

It takes so many different people with all kinds of different skills working together to make missions happen. I would suggest looking at NASA’s websites to find the skill or task that makes you want to learn more and then focusing your energy into that skill. Surround yourself with people with similar goals. Connect with people in the industry and ask them questions. You are in control of your destiny! 

Nick Kopp in front of the International Space Station Payload Operations Center at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

What was your path to NASA?  

I’ve wanted to work at NASA since I was a kid and my grandfather showed me the Moon through his home-built telescope. I studied aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois, where I joined Students for the Exploration and Development of Space and attended a conference at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. I met some folks from the Payload Operations Integration Center and learned of the awesome space station science operations at Marshall. I was lucky enough to be chosen for a contractor job working directly with astronauts on the space station to conduct science experiments! 

Is there someone in the space, aerospace, or science industry that has motivated or inspired you to work for the space program? Or someone you discovered while working for NASA who inspires you?   

After working with him from the ground when he was aboard the space station, I was lucky enough to spend many overnight shifts getting to know NASA astronaut and Flight Director TJ Creamer. TJ’s path to NASA and his servant leadership have left an ongoing legacy for people at the agency. His general attitude, extreme competence, friendly demeanor, and genuine care for people around him continue to inspire me every day to become a great leader.   

What is your favorite NASA memory?  

My favorite NASA memory is being selected as a payload operations director on the International Space Station Payload Operations and Integration Center flight control team. I looked up to those in this position for 10 years and did everything I could to gather the skills and knowledge I needed to take on the role. I became responsible for the minute-to-minute operations of astronauts conducting science investigations on the space station. I vividly remember the joy I felt learning of the news of my assignment, taking my first shift, my first conversation with an astronaut in space, and the bittersweet decision to leave and continue my career goals at NASA in a different role. 

Nick Kopp, right, behind a console in the International Space Station Payload Operations Integration Center at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

What do you love sharing about station? What’s important to get across to general audiences to help them understand the benefits to life on Earth?  

Although it takes place off the planet, research on the space station is conducted for people on Earth. The time and effort spent building, maintaining, and conducting science on the International Space Station is spent by people in our community and communities around the world to further humanity’s collective understanding of the universe around us. When we understand more about science, we can be more successful. So many people around the planet have had life-changing benefits from experiments that can only be done by people conducting research in microgravity, above the atmosphere, where you can view most of Earth. 

If you could have dinner with any astronaut, past or present, who would it be?  

I would have dinner with anyone from the Apollo 13 crew. I’d love to learn how they felt that NASA’s culture drove the outcome of that mission. 

Do you have a favorite space-related memory or moment that stands out to you?  

While working a night shift at the operations center in Huntsville, Alabama, we were monitoring payloads returning to Earth on a Dragon cargo spacecraft. We took a quick break outside the control center to watch as the spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere above us on its way to splash down off the coast of Florida. It was a clear night. As the spacecraft flew overhead, we saw the ablative heat shield create a shimmering trail of fire and sparkles that stretched across the whole night sky. It looked as though Tinker Bell just flew over us!   

What are some of the key projects you’ve worked on during your time at NASA? What have been your favorite?   

Some of my favorite projects I’ve worked on include: 

  • Serving as the International Space Station Program’s representative as flight lead for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission 
  • Troubleshooting unexpected results when conducting science on the space station 
  • Writing instructions for astronauts filming a virtual reality documentary on the space station 
  • Assessing design changes on the Space Launch System rocket’s core stage  
  • Managing and training a team of flight controllers 
  • Helping NASA move Dragon spacecraft returns from Florida to California 
Nick Kopp enjoys sailing on his days off.

What are your hobbies/things you enjoy outside of work?  

I love playing board games with my wife, sailing, flying, traveling around the world, and learning about leadership and project management theory. 

Day launch or night launch?   

The Crew-8 night launch, specifically, where the Falcon 9 booster landed just above me! 

Favorite space movie?  

Spaceballs 

NASA “worm” or “meatball” logo?  

Meatball 

Every day, we’re conducting exciting research aboard our orbiting laboratory that will help us explore further into space and bring benefits back to people on Earth. You can keep up with the latest news, videos, and pictures about space station science on the Station Research & Technology news page. It’s a curated hub of space station research digital media from Johnson and other centers and space agencies.  

Sign up for our weekly email newsletter to get the updates delivered directly to you.  

Follow updates on social media at @ISS_Research on Twitter, and on the space station accounts on Facebook and Instagram.  

Categories: NASA

Station Nation: Meet Nick Kopp, SpaceX Dragon Flight Lead 

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 11:11am

Nick Kopp is a Dragon flight lead in the Transportation Integration Office at Johnson Space Center in Houston. He is currently leading NASA’s efforts to prepare, launch, and return the agency’s 32nd SpaceX commercial resupply services mission. He works directly with SpaceX and collaborates with NASA’s many internal, external, and international partners to ensure the success of this and other cargo missions to the International Space Station. 

Read on to learn about his career with NASA and more! 

Nick Kopp’s official portrait.NASA/Bill Stafford The time and effort spent building, maintaining, and conducting science on the International Space Station is spent by people in our community and communities around the world to further humanity's collective understanding of the universe around us.

Nick Kopp

Transportation Integration Office Flight Lead

Where are you from? 

I am from Cleveland, Ohio. 

Tell us about your role at NASA.  

I work directly with SpaceX to ensure the Dragon cargo spacecraft meets NASA’s requirements to visit the space station. I also collaborate with NASA’s various partners who are safely flying science investigations and other cargo to and from the space station. For the upcoming flight, I’ve worked extensively with SpaceX to prepare to return the Dragon cargo spacecraft off the coast of California. 

How would you describe your job to family or friends who may not be familiar with NASA?  

I’m responsible for getting stuff to and from the International Space Station safely. 

How long have you been working for NASA?  

I have been working for NASA for about 15 years at both Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama and Johnson Space Center in Texas. 

What advice would you give to young individuals aspiring to work in the space industry or at NASA?  

It takes so many different people with all kinds of different skills working together to make missions happen. I would suggest looking at NASA’s websites to find the skill or task that makes you want to learn more and then focusing your energy into that skill. Surround yourself with people with similar goals. Connect with people in the industry and ask them questions. You are in control of your destiny! 

Nick Kopp in front of the International Space Station Payload Operations Center at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

What was your path to NASA?  

I’ve wanted to work at NASA since I was a kid and my grandfather showed me the Moon through his home-built telescope. I studied aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois, where I joined Students for the Exploration and Development of Space and attended a conference at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. I met some folks from the Payload Operations Integration Center and learned of the awesome space station science operations at Marshall. I was lucky enough to be chosen for a contractor job working directly with astronauts on the space station to conduct science experiments! 

Is there someone in the space, aerospace, or science industry that has motivated or inspired you to work for the space program? Or someone you discovered while working for NASA who inspires you?   

After working with him from the ground when he was aboard the space station, I was lucky enough to spend many overnight shifts getting to know NASA astronaut and Flight Director TJ Creamer. TJ’s path to NASA and his servant leadership have left an ongoing legacy for people at the agency. His general attitude, extreme competence, friendly demeanor, and genuine care for people around him continue to inspire me every day to become a great leader.   

What is your favorite NASA memory?  

My favorite NASA memory is being selected as a payload operations director on the International Space Station Payload Operations and Integration Center flight control team. I looked up to those in this position for 10 years and did everything I could to gather the skills and knowledge I needed to take on the role. I became responsible for the minute-to-minute operations of astronauts conducting science investigations on the space station. I vividly remember the joy I felt learning of the news of my assignment, taking my first shift, my first conversation with an astronaut in space, and the bittersweet decision to leave and continue my career goals at NASA in a different role. 

Nick Kopp, right, behind a console in the International Space Station Payload Operations Integration Center at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

What do you love sharing about station? What’s important to get across to general audiences to help them understand the benefits to life on Earth?  

Although it takes place off the planet, research on the space station is conducted for people on Earth. The time and effort spent building, maintaining, and conducting science on the International Space Station is spent by people in our community and communities around the world to further humanity’s collective understanding of the universe around us. When we understand more about science, we can be more successful. So many people around the planet have had life-changing benefits from experiments that can only be done by people conducting research in microgravity, above the atmosphere, where you can view most of Earth. 

If you could have dinner with any astronaut, past or present, who would it be?  

I would have dinner with anyone from the Apollo 13 crew. I’d love to learn how they felt that NASA’s culture drove the outcome of that mission. 

Do you have a favorite space-related memory or moment that stands out to you?  

While working a night shift at the operations center in Huntsville, Alabama, we were monitoring payloads returning to Earth on a Dragon cargo spacecraft. We took a quick break outside the control center to watch as the spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere above us on its way to splash down off the coast of Florida. It was a clear night. As the spacecraft flew overhead, we saw the ablative heat shield create a shimmering trail of fire and sparkles that stretched across the whole night sky. It looked as though Tinker Bell just flew over us!   

What are some of the key projects you’ve worked on during your time at NASA? What have been your favorite?   

Some of my favorite projects I’ve worked on include: 

  • Serving as the International Space Station Program’s representative as flight lead for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission 
  • Troubleshooting unexpected results when conducting science on the space station 
  • Writing instructions for astronauts filming a virtual reality documentary on the space station 
  • Assessing design changes on the Space Launch System rocket’s core stage  
  • Managing and training a team of flight controllers 
  • Helping NASA move Dragon spacecraft returns from Florida to California 
Nick Kopp enjoys sailing on his days off.

What are your hobbies/things you enjoy outside of work?  

I love playing board games with my wife, sailing, flying, traveling around the world, and learning about leadership and project management theory. 

Day launch or night launch?   

The Crew-8 night launch, specifically, where the Falcon 9 booster landed just above me! 

Favorite space movie?  

Spaceballs 

NASA “worm” or “meatball” logo?  

Meatball 

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Categories: NASA

Long after Her Tragic Death, We Follow in the Footsteps of the Dominican Republic’s First Female Doctor

Scientific American.com - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 11:00am

The regime of dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo all but erased Andrea Evangelina Rodríguez Perozo’s legacy after she died. But since his assassination in 1961, Dominicans have been gradually reclaiming her story

Categories: Astronomy

Watch Predators take on samurai, ninjas and WWII pilots in the trailer for 'Predator: Killer of Killers' (video)

Space.com - Thu, 04/10/2025 - 11:00am
Watch Predators take on samurai, ninjas and WWII pilots in the trailer for 'Predator: Killer of Killers' (video)
Categories: Astronomy