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Artemis II Mission Milestones: An Image and Video Recap
On April 1, 2026, Artemis II launched on a nearly 10-day voyage around the Moon, marking the first crewed flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, splashed down on April 10 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
At their farthest point, the crew traveled 252,756 miles from Earth, setting a record for the greatest distance humans have traveled in space and observing the lunar surface like never before.
Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly complex missions to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefit, and to prepare for future human missions to Mars.
Relive exciting mission moments through the videos and images shared below.
Pre-Launch Preparation The Artemis II crew and backup crew members NASA astronaut Andre Douglas and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jenni Gibbons trek across the Icelandic landscape during their field geology training.NASA/Robert MarkowitzTo prepare for lunar exploration, the Artemis II crew trained in Iceland’s volcanic terrain.
They practiced navigation and field geology skills in challenging conditions while working as a team. The astronauts collected rock samples using tools like hammers, scoops, and chisels, and provided feedback to instructors to refine future Artemis training sites.
Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS) suit long-duration fit check with Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman. NASA/Josh Valcarcel NASA/Josh ValcarcelThe crew trained extensively in NASA’s Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS), the bright orange spacesuit worn inside the Orion spacecraft during launch and re-entry.
Each suit is custom-fitted and includes systems for air, water, food, and waste management. In emergencies, it can sustain life for up to six days.
The crew practiced suit operations in simulated weightlessness and pressurized environments to confirm performance for deep space travel.
During the mission, the crew reflected on what the Moon means to them personally and professionally, sharing thoughts shaped by years of training and preparation.
Launch NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen launched April 1, 2026, from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA/Bill Ingalls NASA/Keegan BarberLaunch of NASA’s Artemis II: Moon Rocket Camera Views
Enjoy launch views from cameras affixed to the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. These cameras, developed by NASA, are called the Flight Imaging Launch Monitoring Real-time System (FILMRS). They survive some of the harshest environments of the avionics on the vehicle.
Mission to the MoonFlight Day Highlights
Flight Day 1This black and white image of Earth was captured by the optical navigation sensor on the exterior of the Orion spacecraft on the first day of the Artemis II mission, as the quartet inside were traveling farther than any humans have ventured in more than 50 years.NASA Flight Day 2A view of Earth taken by an Artemis II astronaut from one of the Orion spacecraft’s four windows after completing the translunar injection burn.NASA Flight Day 3View of a crescent Earth from the Orion spacecraft. NASA Flight Day 4Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch is seen through a window of the Orion spacecraft while on her way to the Moon. This selfie-style photo was taken using a camera on the end of one of Orion’s solar array wings. Koch is holding “Rise”, the zero gravity indicator that launched with the crew after being selected from more than 2,600 original designs that were submitted from countries around the world. A zero gravity indicator is a small plush item that typically rides with a crew to visually indicate when they are in space. “Rise” was inspired by the iconic Earthrise moment from the Apollo 8 mission.NASA Flight Day 5A view of the nearside of the Moon, the side we always see from Earth. Some of the far side is visible, as well, on the left edge, just beyond the black patch that is Orientale basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide crater that straddles the Moon’s near and far sides and is partly visible from Earth. The dark areas in the center and right side of the disk are ancient lava flows, which are unique to the near side of the Moon. The white dot at the bottom of the disk, with white rays shooting out from it, is Tycho crater, one of the younger craters on the Moon at 108 million years old.NASA Flight Day 6Earth sets at 5:41 p.m. CDT, April 6, 2026, over the Moon’s curved limb in this photo captured by the Artemis II crew during their journey around the far side of the Moon. Orientale Basin is perched on the edge of the visible lunar surface. Hertzsprung Basin appears as two subtle concentric rings, which are interrupted by Vavilov, a younger crater superimposed over the older structure. The lines of indentations are secondary crater chains formed by ejecta from the massive impact that created Orientale. The dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime. On Earth’s day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region.NASA Flight Day 6Echoing the iconic Earthrise photo captured by the Apollo 8 astronauts in 1968, during the lunar flyby, the Artemis II crew captured a shot of Earthset as they passed behind the Moon’s far side.NASA Flight Day 6Seen from behind the Moon during Artemis II, the Moon and Earth align in the same frame, each partially illuminated by the Sun. The Moon’s surface appears in sharp detail in the foreground, while Earth sits much farther away, smaller and softly lit in the background. A faint reflection in the spacecraft window is also visible, subtly overlaying the scene. Though their phases differ, both are shaped by the same sunlight, revealing the geometry of the Sun–Earth–Moon system from deep space.NASA Flight Day 6The Moon, backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse, is photographed by NASA’s Orion spacecraft on April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II mission. Orion is visible in the foreground on the left. Earth is reflecting sunlight at the left edge of the Moon, which is slightly brighter than the rest of the disk. The bright spot visible just below the Moon’s bottom right edge is Saturn. Beyond that, the bright spot at the right edge of the image is Mars.NASA Flight Day 6 Solar array wing-mounted cameras capture close-up images of NASA’s Orion spacecraft during a routine external inspection. At the time this photo was taken at 7:27 a.m. CDT, April 7, the crew was in a sleep period ahead of their seventh day into the mission.NASA Flight Day 7A stunning snapshot in time. The Artemis II crew captured this breathtaking photo of our galaxy, the Milky Way. The Milky Way’s elegant spiral structure is dominated by just two arms wrapping off the ends of a central bar of stars. Spanning more than 100,000 light-years, Earth is located along one of the galaxy’s spiral arms, about halfway from the center.NASA Flight Day 7 The Artemis II crew – (clockwise from left) Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover – pause for a group photo with their zero gravity indicator “Rise,” inside the Orion spacecraft on their way home.NASA Flight Day 10On April 10, 2026, NASA’s Artemis II crew members are hoisted into a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter after successfully splashing down in the Pacific Ocean following their nearly 10-day mission around the Moon.NASA/James Blair Flight Day 10On April 10, 2026, NASA’s Artemis II crew members are hoisted into a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter after successfully splashing down in the Pacific Ocean following their nearly 10-day mission around the Moon.NASA/James BlairReturn to Earth
After splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, NASA and U.S. Navy teams recovered the Orion spacecraft and crew.
Recovery teams secured the capsule, opened the hatch, and assisted the astronauts out. The crew was then flown by helicopter to the Navy recovery ship, while Orion was brought aboard for transport back to shore.
More Mission Moments NASA astronaut and Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft’s main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels toward the Moon.NASAView more imagery on the Artemis II Multimedia Resource Page.
Go/No-Go: NASA’s Space Toilet Explained
The Universal Waste Management System, or space toilet, is a critical onboard system.
During the mission, the crew worked through operational issues to maintain performance in microgravity.
Space-to-Space Call: NASA’s Artemis II Astronauts and the International Space Station
Members of the International Space Station Expedition 74 (left) and Artemis II (right) crews are seen at once on the screens inside the International Space Station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA/Robert MarkowitzA historic first took place during the mission: a direct call between a deep space crew and astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
Artemis II connected with Expedition 74 astronauts Chris Williams, Jack Hathaway, Jessica Meir, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, marking the first ship-to-ship communication of its kind.
The Artemis II crew uses eclipse viewers, identical to what NASA produced for the 2023 annular eclipse and 2024 total solar eclipse, to protect their eyes at key moments during the solar eclipse they experienced during their lunar flyby. This was the first use of eclipse glasses at the Moon to safely view a solar eclipse.NASAArtemis II brought the crew to 252,756 miles from Earth at its farthest point and covered a total of 694,481 miles.
The lunar flyby set a new human distance record, surpassing Apollo 13’s 1970 record. The crew observed the Moon from closer range than any humans before them during a crewed mission.
Moon Joy, Courtesy of NASA’s Artemis II Astronauts
The Artemis II crew – (clockwise from left) Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover – pause for a group photo with their zero gravity indicator “Rise,” inside the Orion spacecraft on their way home.NASAWith years of training and thousands of experts behind the mission, one unexpected outcome stood out: Moon joy.
It captured the emotional weight of seeing the Moon up close and the significance of returning humans to deep space.
Watch the official NASA broadcast as the Artemis II crew splashes down in the Pacific Ocean.
NASA’s Orion capsule descends under its main parachutes over the Pacific Ocean following a successful Artemis II mission, April 10, 2026.NASA/Josh Valcarcel NASA’s Artemis II crew shared remarks with friends, family, and colleagues after they landed at Ellington Airport on April 11, 2026.NASA/Helen Arase VargasThe Artemis II astronauts returned to Ellington Airport in Houston following their historic mission around the Moon.
Artemis II Crew News Conference
The crew shared reflections on their journey, the challenges of deep space flight, and what comes next for Artemis.
The Artemis II mission marks a major step forward in human exploration.
The mission demonstrated deep space crew operations, tested Orion systems with astronauts aboard, and set the stage for future lunar missions.
We are just getting started.
The Next Steps in Lunar Exploration As the Artemis II crew flew over the terminator, the astronauts described this boundary between day and night as “anything but a straight line.” Crater rims along the terminator stand out as “islands” in the night. Giant chains of craters emanating from the 3.7-billion-year-old Orientale Basin can be seen scouring the surface, stretching almost to the terminator. This tells a geologic story: these crater chains produced by the Orientale impact event mar the surface of the relatively flat Hertzsprung Basin (center of this image), which means that Hertzsprung Basin must be even older than Orientale.NASANASA is preparing for future missions to the Moon’s South Pole.
Work continues on next-generation spacesuits, lunar tools, and rovers at Johnson and its supporting training facilities. Listen as Apollo and Artemis astronauts, as well as subject matter experts, discuss the challenges of exploring the Moon in preparation for Mars
Future Artemis missions will face challenges including harsh lighting conditions, lunar dust, and extreme temperatures as NASA builds toward sustained exploration of the Moon and eventual human missions to Mars.
Explore More 1 min read NASA SBIR/STTR Phase I and II BAA, 2026 Appendix A and B are now live! Offers due May 21, 2026, 5:00PM EDT Article 13 hours ago 3 min read NASA’s 777 Aircraft Returns Home with Science Flights on the Horizon Article 15 hours ago 5 min read NASA at SXSW: Johnson Director Vanessa Wyche on Why Artemis Changes Everything Article 2 days agoCuriosity Blog, Sols 4867-4872: Sand Fill In Antofagasta Crater and Finding Our Next Drill Target
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Curiosity Blog, Sols 4867-4872: Sand Fill In Antofagasta Crater and Finding Our Next Drill Target NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Right Navigation Camera on April 13, 2026 — Sol 4865, or Martian day 4,865 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission, at 21:36:04 UTC.NASA/JPL-CaltechWritten by Lucy Lim, Planetary Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Earth planning date: Friday, April 17, 2026
At the beginning of the week, Curiosity arrived right on target on the rim of the 10-meter (33 feet) “Antofagasta” crater.
The crater looked fresh and deep as we had hoped with a nice well-defined rim that didn’t look too eroded, but the bottom of it turned out to be filled with dark rippled sandy material that covered up the most interesting rock layers. There were a few rock exposures just above the sand cover that seemed like they might have been deep enough to have been sheltered from space radiation between the time their sediments were deposited and the crater-forming impact, but reaching them from the rim would have put the rover at such an awkward angle that we wouldn’t have been able to deliver the sample to the instruments. It’s possible that we might have been able to get into a better position by instead placing the rover on the rippled crater fill, but the chance that the rover could get stuck in all that sand made it much too high a risk. We also looked at the nearby blocks in case they could have been ejecta from the crater, but since all the rocks visible in the crater wall looked very similar to each other, there wasn’t a good way to tell which ejecta blocks might have come from the deeper layers of the crater. Because of this, the team decided against attempting to drill in or around the crater.
Luckily the rover’s workspace was rich with interesting bedrock targets including polygonal features. We planned detailed imaging of the crater and nearby buttes together with APXS geochemistry, MAHLI close-up imaging and ChemCam LIBS geochemistry of the polygon-bearing rocks on the crater rim. The plan was rounded out with our ongoing observations of the present-day Martian environment, including monitoring for dust-devil activity and regular measurements of atmospheric opacity and clouds.
Meanwhile, with the decision not to drill at Antofagasta, we started planning our next drill campaign! To plan our drill strategy in this post-boxwork section of the layered sulfate strata, we’ve been looking at the exposed layering in the buttes above us as we have been driving up through “Valle Grande.” Based on these observations, team members have mapped out a succession of varying depositional styles and levels of diagenetic activity. As we climb southwards, the rover will reach these rock layers one by one.
It’s been quite a while since we’ve drilled into the layered sulfate rocks outside the distinctive regions of the boxwork-forming unit and Gediz Vallis. The last “typical” layered sulfate drill was the “Mineral King” campaign in February/March 2024, more than 150 meters (492 feet) lower in elevation. So for our next drill campaign our goal is to measure a representative bedrock sample from the layers just above the boxworks. The Sol 4870 workspace turned out to have a drillable-looking, representative-looking block right in front of the rover so we have planned our preliminary APXS, MAHLI, and ChemCam geochemistry on the potential drill target, “Atacama,” in addition to some measurements on surrounding blocks for context. If the results look good we’ll proceed with the preload test in the next plan and look forward to a new set of drill data on Mars.
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NASA Invites Media to Jordan Artemis Accords Signing Ceremony
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan will sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. EDT Thursday, April 23, at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will host Ambassador Dina Kawar of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and U.S. Department of State Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Ruth Perry for the ceremony.
This event is in person only. Media interested in attending must RSVP no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22, to: hq-media@mail.nasa.gov. NASA’s media accreditation policy is online.
The signing ceremony will take place in the James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in the Mary W. Jackson building, 300 E. Street SW.
In 2020, during the first Trump Administration, the United States, led by NASA and the State Department, joined with seven other founding nations to establish the Artemis Accords, responding to the growing interest in lunar activities by both governments and private companies.
The accords introduced the first set of practical principles aimed at enhancing the safety, transparency, and coordination of civil space exploration on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Jordan will be the 63rd country to sign the Artemis Accords.
Learn more about the Artemis Accords at:
https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords
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Camille Gallo / Elizabeth Shaw
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202-358-1600
camille.m.gallo@nasa.gov / elizabeth.a.shaw@nasa.gov
New NASA Views of Earth, From (S)PACE
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NASA’s photos of Earth released during Artemis II’s mission around the moon show our planet against the dark backdrop of space. Auroras illuminated the thin atmosphere, city lights dotted the outline of continents, and brown deserts gave way to green vegetation.
Are those city lights normally this bright? What kind of clouds are swirling over the Atlantic Ocean? Is that hazy brown bit dust, or smoke, or something else?
This and another photo of Earth are the first downlinked images from the Artemis II astronauts. NASA
To dig into the mysteries of our planet Earth, NASA has a fleet of satellites in orbit, gathering data around the clock. Join one of these satellites — the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem satellite (PACE), which launched in February 2024 — to explore its unique views of our home planet’s ocean, atmosphere, and land surfaces.
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Dust, smoke in wind
Photographs like the ones from Artemis II capture visible light. The PACE satellite’s Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), however, sees Earth across a hyperspectral range of visible, ultraviolet, near infrared and shortwave infrared light.
PACE tracks aerosols over the North Atlantic, revealing Saharan dust transported westward and wildfire smoke moving east. The aerosol index highlights these large-scale atmospheric transport patterns.NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / Kel Elkins
The ultraviolet measurements, collected daily by PACE, provided a way to track dust over the Atlantic Ocean in August 2025 as a large plume blew west from North Africa. At the same time, the data show another plume to the north, traced back to wildfire smoke in the United States and Canada. -
Wildfires beneath blanket of smoke
As fires burned across the greater Los Angeles area throughout January 2025, PACE data tracked the size and shape of resulting particles, allowing researchers to distinguish between small, sooty smoke particles and relatively larger and brighter particles in the air, like dust and sea salt.
PACE captures smoke and dust from the Palisades and Eaton wildfires in Southern California on January 9. The true-color view shows how these plumes spread across the region and offshore, while additional PACE products reveal relative burn severity on the ground and aerosol properties in the atmosphere, including optical depth, light absorption, and dominant particle size.NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / Kel Elkins
Instruments on PACE can capture the evolution and intensity of both the blaze and the resulting smoke.
In addition to OCI, the satellite carries two instruments called polarimeters that measure how sunlight interacts with particles in the atmosphere.
Combining specific wavelengths from OCI also allows researchers to determine a fire’s intensity, adding to other satellite observations that provide valuable information to emergency responders. -
Harmful algal blooms
Data from PACE and other satellites can also help warn local managers of reservoirs, beaches, and other recreation sites of potential water quality problems.
PACE detects harmful cyanobacteria blooms across the Great Lakes during summer 2024. Elevated concentrations appear in regions like Green Bay, Saginaw Bay, and western Lake Erie, showing how cyanobacteria abundance changes over time.NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / Kel Elkins
Cyanobacteria, sometimes called blue-green algae, are a normal part of some freshwater ecosystems, like the Great Lakes. They’re unremarkable for most of the year.
But in certain conditions — typically lots of sunshine, nutrients, and warmer temperatures — the numbers can explode into a bloom that produces toxins harmful to people and animals. The PACE satellite can detect specific shades of blues, greens, and reds that indicate a bloom is in progress. -
NASA’s PACE knows type
Blooms of tiny plant-like organisms called phytoplankton play essential roles in ocean ecosystems. A key capability of PACE is that it not only spots them from space, but its ocean color observations can identify different types of phytoplankton.
PACE resolves different types of phytoplankton in the eastern Atlantic, distinguishing communities like picoeukaryotes, Prochlorococcus, and Synechococcus. Each group occupies distinct regions of the ocean, shaped by differences in nutrient availability and large-scale ocean structure.NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / Kel Elkins
In September 2024, for example, tiny algae were thriving along the coast of Portugal, Spain, and Morocco, while two types of cyanobacteria dominated in the open ocean waters around Madeira and north of the Canary Islands. -
Some are helpful
Ocean ecologists often sing the praises of diatoms, a relatively large phytoplankton in the center of food webs. When diatoms bloom, fisheries thrive.
A diatom bloom unfolds off the Kamchatka Peninsula as spring conditions drive rapid phytoplankton growth. These blooms play an important role in ocean ecosystems, helping transfer carbon and support marine life.NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / Kel Elkins
Diatoms also play a key role in the global carbon cycle. They produce oxygen and transform carbon dioxide into sugars that feed the marine food web. Diatoms can sink to the ocean depths when they die, effectively capturing carbon absorbed from the atmosphere. -
Some are harmful
Some species of phytoplankton can be deadly, especially in large numbers. In waters off South Australia, a massive bloom of the algae called Karenia began forming in March 2025, producing neurotoxins that can kill marine life and sicken beachgoers.
A harmful algal bloom of Karenia mikimotoi appears off the coast of South Australia. Unlike cyanobacteria, this species is identified through its fluorescence in sunlight.NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / Kel Elkins
Researchers used PACE satellite data to track the bloom for months, picking up its characteristic fluorescence expanding from a few pixels to a region-wide bloom, impacting fishing, tourism, and other businesses. -
Silver linings
For some scientists sifting through PACE data, clouds block the view; for others, the clouds arethe view. Polarimeters on PACE measure the sunlight bouncing off cloud droplets in the atmosphere, taking observations from multiple angles to provide a unique kind of depth perception.
HARP2’s multi-angle observations reveal the three-dimensional structure of clouds along a satellite orbit. These measurements provide new insight into cloud vertical structure and variability.NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / Kel Elkins
With the help of machine learning, PACE scientists can reconstruct a 3D portrait of the clouds. It’s a new way of using satellite imagery that could provide insights into how clouds and precipitation form. -
Ship tracks
In some PACE images of the ocean, streaks of brighter clouds indicate the path of ships below. With few sources of pollution in the open ocean, exhaust from ships changes the nature of the clouds formed. These “ship tracks” comprise smaller cloud droplets than typical marine clouds.
Ship emissions modify marine stratocumulus clouds over the North Pacific, creating bright streaks known as ship tracks. Aerosols from ships lead to smaller cloud droplets and brighter clouds.NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / Kel Elkins
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NASA Invests in Small Businesses Innovating for Space and Earth
Continuing NASA’s longtime support of American industry, the agency announced its selection of more than 30 companies to develop innovative technology through its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program. With these awards, NASA is investing approximately $16.3 million in seed funding of technology solutions to benefit the agency and energize the space economy.
“NASA’s support of early-stage technology, and the businesses driving these innovations, produces critical advancements for our most ambitious endeavors,” said Jason L. Kessler, program executive for NASA’s SBIR/STTR program at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. “We remain committed to fostering small businesses and research institutions that could support America’s presence on the Moon, advance human exploration of Mars, and improve the quality of life on Earth.”
The new awards come from two areas of NASA’s SBIR/STTR Program offering distinct benefits.
Focused on commercialization, the SBIR Ignite initiative gives small businesses a chance to successfully market their technology, even beyond the potential for use in NASA’s missions. The newly selected Phase I contracts – proposed by 15 firms representing 10 states across the country – will receive up to $150,000 to establish the merit and feasibility of their proposed innovation.
Farther down the development path are awardees announced for NASA’s STTR contracts, provided to small businesses partnered with research institutions, aiming to unlock the power and innovative thinking of the country’s universities and research centers. These Phase II awards, with 17 contracts valued at up to $850,000 each, target demonstration, and delivery of innovative technology.
These awardees will perform early-stage research and development in areas such as in-space manufacturing, advanced battery technologies, lunar landings, and advanced propulsion for air and spacecraft.
The projects receiving awards include:
Bio-inspired materials to help robots get a grip in space
SBIR Ignite Phase I award: Nanoscale Labs – Austin, Texas
Grasping objects in space is difficult for robots because traditional vacuum grippers fail in the vacuum of space and debris as well as spacecraft come in unique shapes. To solve this, Nanoscale Labs created a sprayable dry adhesive, inspired by geckos, that offers low-cost manufacturing, stronger adhesion, and self-cleaning resistance to space dust.
Learning to repair and replace in space
SBIR Ignite Phase I award: QuesTek Innovations LLC – Evanston, Illinois
To live and work in space for long durations, future astronauts may need to be welders, fixing and replacing parts as they explore low Earth orbit or deep space. But welding requires gravity, which presents a challenge in the space environment. As a solution, QuesTek Innovations created a simulation toolkit that will use computer modeling to predict how the properties of welded materials change in space and optimize the processes used.
Keeping a closer eye on lightning storms
STTR Phase II award: ASTER Labs, Inc. – Shoreview, Minnesota
Tracking lightning from low Earth orbit offers higher-resolution data but poses unique challenges to rapidly moving satellites due to their limited field of view. To address this, ASTER Labs developed the STORM Module, a software system that can automatically identify, track, and predict the movement of storms in real time. In partnership with the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, ASTER Labs will enhance and test this capability using simulated data and real lightning observations. The system will also be validated laboratory demonstrations, confirming real-time performance under realistic operating conditions. This technology aims to improve severe weather forecasting and may be adapted to track wildfires or floods.
Monitoring astronaut and earthling health with extended reality and AI
STTR Phase II award: Tietronix Software, Inc. – Houston
To support the physical and cognitive health of future astronauts, Tietronix Software and UT Austin Dell Medical School are developing a portable monitoring platform. The system uses sensors, smartphone apps, and AI to track performance and deliver therapies via an extended reality interface. Now undergoing Phase II spaceflight testing, this technology could eventually provide medical assistance to patients in remote environments on Earth.
The complete lists of selected proposals are available for this SBIR Ignite Phase I solicitation and for the STTR Phase II awards on the program’s website.
This year, NASA’s SBIR/STTR program is adopting a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) framework to increase opportunities for small businesses while enhancing agility for the agency. The 2026-2027 BAA appendices, outlining topics and subtopics for desired technology proposals, close May 21. Interested businesses and institutions are encouraged to visit the BAA Information Hub for information on applying.
NASA’s SBIR/STTR program is part of the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and is managed by NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. To learn more about the program, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/sbir_sttr/
NASA at SXSW: Johnson Director Vanessa Wyche on Why Artemis Changes Everything
On March 21, 2026, NASA’s Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche took the stage at the Space House event at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, to outline NASA’s next giant leap in human spaceflight — from low Earth orbit to the Moon, and ultimately Mars.
As NASA prepares for a new era of exploration, Wyche made clear that the agency’s Artemis program is about returning to the Moon and building the systems, partnerships, and workforce that will carry humanity deeper into space than ever before. The vision aligns with agencywide initiatives announced at NASA’s “Ignition” event, which prioritize Artemis mission planning, advance space nuclear power and propulsion research, and position the U.S. at the forefront of innovation.
NASA’s Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche speaks about how the Artemis program is shaping the future of human spaceflight at the Space House event at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, on March 21, 2026. Juice ConsultingSpeaking to a packed audience, Wyche spoke about “Why Artemis Changes Everything” and described a rare moment of global alignment.
“This is now where we’re all committed to do one thing together,” she said, pointing to international and commercial partnerships driving Artemis forward.
Future missions will increase launch cadence, expand robotic exploration, and lay the groundwork for a sustained human presence. The Moon will become a testing ground to build a lunar base for future deep space exploration, a key step toward enabling missions to Mars.
Wyche began with the foundation of modern exploration: the International Space Station. For 25 years, astronauts have lived and worked continuously aboard the orbiting laboratory, advancing science and testing technologies critical for deep space missions.
She emphasized the station’s role as a proving ground for systems, operations, and crew performance – capabilities that will be carried forward into lunar and eventually interplanetary missions.
Low Earth orbit remains a critical domain while maintaining a strong U.S. presence to support research, technology development, and crew training.
Vanessa Wyche gives remarks during the Space House event at South by Southwest. Juice ConsultingNASA’s approach has evolved alongside that work. The agency is working with commercial companies to deliver cargo, transport crews, and develop future destinations in low Earth orbit.
“With the Artemis program, we’ve been able to keep going on what we call a Moon to Mars strategy,” Wyche said. “That’s allowing us to develop the capabilities – some that we’re testing on the International Space Station for Mars, some that we’re testing for the Moon – but it will allow us to do that together.”
Johnson Lead Public Affairs Officer and NASA Live Broadcasts Co-Executive Producer Nilufar Ramji (third from left) participated in a panel discussion “The Cosmos Has Entered the Chat” at South by Southwest. Fellow panelists were, from left, Regulatory Affairs Manager, Planet Labs, Ilsa Mroz; Filmmaker, Space: The Longest Goodbye, Ido Mizrahy; Nilufar Ramji; and moderator Loren Grush, Space Reporter, Bloomberg. Juice ConsultingJohnson Lead Public Affairs Officer Nilufar Ramji spoke during the “The Cosmos Has Entered the Chat” session, highlighting how communication and collaboration are driving this new era of exploration. As co-executive producer for NASA’s live broadcasts, Ramji leads efforts to connect global audiences with the agency’s missions.
“The different sectors that intersect with space, the storytelling aspect, but more importantly doing it collaboratively, is so important to make space accessible for everybody,” Ramji said. “That’s a really big part of NASA working with different organizations to do just that.”
Nilufar Ramji speaks during the Space House event at South by Southwest. Juice ConsultingShe pointed to recent commercial lunar missions supported by NASA, including Blue Ghost Mission 1, which delivered NASA payloads to the Moon’s Mare Crisium, and Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission, which landed near the lunar South Pole. These missions are part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, expanding access to the Moon through industry partnerships.
Companies like Axiom Space are also developing next-generation technologies, including advanced spacesuits designed for the lunar environment, while NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program is supporting the growth of privately operated destinations in orbit.
At the same time, international participation continues to grow. More than 60 countries have signed the Artemis Accords, committing to peaceful and cooperative exploration.
Wyche noted that these partnerships go beyond agreements and are reflected in real mission contributions. International partners are helping build the systems needed for sustained exploration.
Some nations are providing major elements, such as rovers and habitation systems, while others contribute research, technology, and operational support.
Expanded commercial and international partnerships will be essential to NASA’s three-phase plan to build a permanent lunar base. The effort begins with robotic landings and surface operations, advances to infrastructure supported by international partners, and ultimately establishes the framework for a sustained human presence on the Moon.
“There is much more opportunity for companies all around the world to be a part of this,” Wyche said.
Wyche explained that Artemis missions will chart a new path to the Moon, focusing on regions like the lunar South Pole and exploring approaches Apollo never pursued.
At Johnson, that future is already taking shape through analog missions like CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog), where crews live inside a 3D-printed habitat for a year to simulate the physical and psychological demands of deep space travel.
Wyche also highlighted the growing ecosystem in Texas, including Exploration Park and the Texas Space Institute, where government, industry, and academia are working together to test hardware, robotics, and surface systems. This effort supports integrated testing and rapid development of exploration systems before deployment to the Moon and beyond.
Both Wyche and Ramji emphasized that commercial partnerships help NASA go farther and move faster, expanding human space exploration. From student programs and internships to workforce development, the need to inspire and prepare the next generation is greater than ever.
“We don’t go to space just for each individual,” Wyche said. “We go because we’re trying to go for humanity, and that’s what we get to do together.”
Explore More 5 min read Artemis II Mission Milestones: An Image and Video Recap Article 14 hours ago 6 min read What Are Ames’ Contributions to Artemis II? Article 22 hours ago 5 min read NASA on Track for Future Missions with Initial Artemis II Assessments Article 2 days agoNASA, Organ Sharing Network UNOS to Study Faster Organ Transport
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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Mark Johnson, left, interim CEO of UNOS, and John Koelling, director of the Aeronautics Research Directorate at NASA’s Langley Research Center, shake hands during a signing ceremony marking an agreement to study drone transport for organs.Photo courtesy of UNOSEvery second counts in the life-saving world of medical transplants. To help address that urgency, NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, is teaming up with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) to explore faster, more reliable ways to transport donor organs using advanced aviation technologies.
NASA Langley and UNOS will collaborate under a new Space Act Agreement announced during a ceremony Tuesday at UNOS’ headquarters in Richmond, Va.
The partnership brings together NASA’s expertise in aviation research and UNOS’ role at the center of the U.S. transplant network. UNOS is a nonprofit organization that manages parts of the national organ donation and transplant system under contract with the federal government and has long supported innovation across the system.
While organs are routinely transported between cities by aircraft, ground logistics can introduce time-sensitive challenges, especially in congested or hard-to-reach areas. Through this agreement, NASA will apply its aeronautics expertise and flight research capabilities to evaluate whether drones can help reduce those delays, improve delivery timelines, potentially improving medical outcomes.
“This is a chance to apply NASA Langley technology to a real-world problem that can save people’s lives who are waiting for transplants,” said John Koelling, director, Aeronautics Research Directorate at NASA Langley. “There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your technical work have a positive impact on people’s lives.”
The collaboration focuses on identifying key challenges in organ transportation and determining how NASA-developed tools such as advanced modeling, flight planning, sensing technologies, and safety systems can help. It allows UNOS and NASA to design research that meets medical field standards.
The work also includes evaluating how drones perform when carrying sensitive biological materials in realistic environments. The first test will be conducted using NASA Langley’s City Environment Range Testing for Autonomous Integrated Navigation (CERTAIN), which provides a unique capability to safely fly drones in real-world conditions beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) without the need for ground-based spotters. This capability enables researchers to explore longer-distance and more complex delivery scenarios that better reflect the time-sensitive nature of organ transport.
After the initial flight evaluations, an animal test organ will be assessed to determine whether it remains viable for transplant, including assessing factors such as temperature stability and potential tissue damage caused by a lack of blood flow.
Mark Johnson, left, interim CEO of UNOS, signs his name as John Koelling, director of the Aeronautics Research Directorate at NASA’s Langley Research Center, looks on.“The idea that something of worldwide benefit could be created in our own backyard is pretty exciting,” Koelling said.
For NASA, the agreement demonstrates how technologies developed for aviation and space can directly benefit people on Earth. For UNOS, the partnership reflects its commitment to exploring innovative solutions to strengthen the organ donation and transplant system.
If early drone testing proves successful, the partnership may expand to further evaluate operational feasibility and scalability, helping determine whether drones could become a viable option for time-critical medical deliveries.
“It feels great that we’ve made real steps forward in research that is paving the way for life-saving measures using drones,” said Lena Pascale, regional partnerships lead, Strategic Partnerships Office at NASA Langley.
As this collaboration progresses, it highlights how NASA Langley’s research and expertise could revolutionize the medical transplant process, make a lasting impact on patient care, and save lives.
Kimiko Booker
NASA Langley Research Center
Along the northeast side of the Capital Beltway in Maryland, green spaces weave through the…
Article 12 hours ago 5 min read Artemis II Mission Milestones: An Image and Video Recap Article 14 hours ago 1 min read New NASA Views of Earth, From (S)PACENASA has a fleet of satellites in orbit, gathering data around the clock, to explore…
Article 19 hours agoWhat Are Ames’ Contributions to Artemis II?
6 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander, left; Christina Koch, mission specialist; CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; and NASA astronaut Victor Glover, pilot, right, pose for a group photo after viewing the Orion spacecraft in the well deck of the USS John P. Murtha, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. The quartet splashed down Friday, April 10, at 5:07 p.m. PDT (8:07 p.m. EDT).NASA/Bill IngallsNASA successfully sent four astronauts around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years, setting the stage for future lunar landing missions. As the agency continues to push the bounds of space exploration, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley provided essential support in preparing for the mission.
Artemis II was the first crewed test flight under NASA’s Artemis program. Launching on April 1, 2026, the mission demonstrated systems and hardware needed for deep space missions. Four astronauts – NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA’s (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen – spent approximately 10 days traveling around the Moon and back inside the Orion spacecraft. The test flight built on lessons learned and results from the uncrewed test flight of Artemis I, which launched on November 16, 2022.
Ames continued to build on its contributions from Artemis I, advancing research, engineering, science, and technology for Artemis II.
Orion SpacecraftAfter the crew set eyes on the far side of the Moon, making observations that will help us prepare for future lunar exploration, they began a four-day journey home. Orion returned home to Earth on a free return trajectory, being naturally pulled back by Earth’s gravity and entering the atmosphere at about 25,000 mph. Its heat shield protected the spacecraft from temperatures up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit during reentry.
NASA learned from Artemis I that Orion’s heat shield experienced more char loss than expected, caused by internal gas buildup during reentry. While Artemis I was uncrewed, flight data showed that had crew been aboard, they would have been safe. Engineers used revised analysis methods and extensive arc jet material testing to help understand root cause, reproduce the char loss, and ensured the heat shield would perform as intended during Orion’s return to Earth on a modified trajectory.
Ames engineers and researchers developed a suite of sensors to provide heat shield performance data during reentry, including temperature and pressure information. Ames also contributed to Orion’s 3D-MAT compression pads, which connect the crew module to the service module. This technology maintains strength under extreme heat while insulating the spacecraft. Developed through collaboration with small businesses, 3D-MAT demonstrates how NASA innovations can impact human spaceflight and beyond.
Understanding the heating conditions Orion faced during reentry as well as potential abort scenarios was key to mission success. The Ames Aerosciences team provided support in these key aerothermal simulations and developed an innovative tool that combines onboard pressure sensor data from Orion with advanced computer modeling. The result predicted the spacecraft’s path back to Earth more accurately, making reentry safer, more precise, and improving mission confidence.
Space Launch SystemThe SLS rocket experienced higher-than-expected vibrations near the solid rocket booster attach points during Artemis I, caused by unsteady airflow between the boosters and the core stage. To address this, engineers added four strakes – thin, fin-like structures – to the SLS core stage for Artemis II. These strakes change the airflow and reduce vibration, improving safety during ascent. Ames, in collaboration with other centers, played a key role in validating this solution through supercomputer modeling and advanced wind tunnel testing using Unsteady Pressure Sensitive Paint and high-speed cameras.
The team also reviewed potential debris impacts and analyzed the impact of strengthening parts of the vehicle after larger-than-expected debris was observed during Artemis I. Ames engineers also supported launch operations by monitoring aerodynamic data and debris analysis in real time.
This collaboration between wind tunnel engineers, data visualization scientists, and software developers delivered a quick, cost-effective solution that combines physical testing with computational modeling, building on NASA Ames’s history of using supercomputer simulations to further testing and research across the agency. The result is a refined rocket designed and optimized for Artemis II’s historic journey.
Ames funding through the Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program also led to new innovations that supported both Orion and SLS, including advanced material design, software development, safety sensors, and acoustic modeling.
ScienceAs members of the Artemis II lunar science team, Ames scientists worked with flight operations at NASA’s Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to lead and guide the Artemis II crew through the mission’s lunar observations. Key science objectives included studying lunar color, impact history, tectonic features, and future landing sites, as well as characterizing dynamic events such as impact flashes.
The Ames scientists have been members of a team that trained the Artemis II crew over several years to use their eyes – remarkably sensitive instruments – to observe, describe, and interpret geologic variations in lunar features during the flyby. After launch, a timeline of targeted observations built by the lunar science team guided the crew to describe and photograph specific lunar targets, including craters, volcanic formations, and surface colorations. These firsthand observations, paired with imagery from Orion, create a unique dataset to inform future human exploration of the Moon.
Mission AssuranceAmes also supported mission assurance through its Mission and Fault Management team, which helps the agency anticipate and respond to potential problems by testing systems, verifying software, and creating tools to detect issues early through simulation and scenario testing.
The Cross-Program Integrated Data Systems team at Ames developed a suite of software products to support flight readiness, risk assessment, and decision making up to the moment of launch.
During Artemis II, Ames experts served as backup console operators and contributed to real-time analysis, helping NASA respond quickly to unexpected conditions. These efforts strengthened the reliability of critical systems and reduced risk for the crew.
Ames experts are heavily involved in the post-flight data analysis effort assessing the performance of the Mission and Fault Management logic during the Artemis II flight.
Learn more:
Ames contributions to Artemis I: https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/what-are-ames-contributions-to-artemis-i/
For news media:
Artemis II press kit: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii-press-kit/
Members of the news media interested in covering this topic should reach out to the NASA Ames newsroom.
Share Details Last Updated Apr 21, 2026 Related Terms Explore More 5 min read NASA at SXSW: Johnson Director Vanessa Wyche on Why Artemis Changes Everything Article 44 minutes ago 5 min read NASA on Track for Future Missions with Initial Artemis II Assessments Article 22 hours ago 3 min read I Am Artemis: Rebekah Tolatovicz Article 6 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASAAmes Research Center
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NASA Wins Two Webby Awards, Five Webby People’s Voice Awards
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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)NASA was recognized today by the 30th Annual Webby Awards with two Webby Awards and five Webby People’s Voice Awards, the latter of which are awarded by the voting public. Reflecting the tremendous growth of the Internet, The Webbys now honors excellence in 8 major media types: Websites & Mobile Sites; Video & Film; Advertising, Media & PR; Podcasts; Social & Games; Apps, Software & Immersive; Creators; and new this year, AI.
Since 1998, NASA has been nominated for more than 100 Webby Awards, winning 51 Webbys and 72 People’s Voice Awards.
Full List of NASA’s 30th Annual Webby Award WinsNASA’s Curious Universe Podcast | Earth Series
Webby Winner, People’s Voice Winner
Podcasts, Health, Science and Education (Limited Series and Specials)
NASA’s Webb Telescope and the Universe: Using Social Media to Connect Us All
Webby Winner, People’s Voice Winner
Social, Education and Science
NASA Astronauts Posts From Space
People’s Voice Winner
Social, Education and Science
Hearing Hubble
People’s Voice Winner
Apps, Software and Immersive, Science and Education
Houston We Have a Podcast | Artemis II: The Mission
People’s Voice Winner
Podcasts, Science and Education (Individual Episodes)
Established in 1996 during the web’s infancy, The Webbys is presented by the IADAS—a 3000+ member judging body. The Academy is comprised of Executive Members—leading Internet experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries, and creative celebrities—and associate members who are former Webby winners, nominees and other internet professionals.
The Webby Awards presents two honors in every category—the Webby Award and the Webby People’s Voice Award. Members of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) select the nominees for both awards in each category, as well as the winners of the Webby Awards. In the spirit of the open web, the Webby People’s Voice is chosen by the voting public, and garners millions of votes from all over the world.
A Fresh Look at the Crab Nebula
This observation from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, released on March 23, 2026, gives an unparalleled, detailed look at the aftermath of a supernova and how it has evolved over the telescope’s long lifetime.
Hubble captured the nebula’s intricate filamentary structure, as well as the considerable outward movement of those filaments over 25 years, at a pace of 3.4 million miles per hour.
Learn more about the Crab Nebula.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, William Blair (JHU); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)
NASA’s Curiosity Finds Organic Molecules Never Seen Before on Mars
After years of lab work, the results are in: A rock that NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover drilled and analyzed in 2020 includes the most diverse collection of organic molecules ever found on the Red Planet. Of the 21 carbon-containing molecules identified in the sample, seven of them were detected for the first time on Mars.
Scientists have no way of knowing whether these organic molecules were created by biologic or geologic processes — either path is possible — but their discovery renewed confirmation that ancient Mars had the right chemistry to support life. What’s more, the molecules join a growing list of compounds known to be preserved in rocks even after billions of years of exposure on Mars to radiation, which can break down these molecules over time.
The findings are detailed in a new paper published Tuesday in Nature Communications.
Curiosity’s Mastcam captured this mosaic on Feb. 3, 2019, of a region on Mount Sharp with lots of clay-bearing rocks that formed when lakes and streams were present billions of years ago. The “Mary Anning 3” sample was found in this clay-enriched region.NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSThe rock sample, nicknamed “Mary Anning 3” after an English fossil collector and paleontologist, was collected on a part of Mount Sharp covered by lakes and streams billions of years ago. This oasis surged and dried up multiple times in the planet’s ancient past, eventually enriching the area with clay minerals, which are especially good at preserving organic compounds — carbon-containing molecules that are the building blocks of life and are found throughout the solar system.
Among the newly identified molecules is a nitrogen heterocycle, a ring of carbon atoms that includes nitrogen. This kind of molecular structure is considered a predecessor to RNA and DNA, two nucleic acids that are key to genetic information.
“That detection is pretty profound because these structures can be chemical precursors to more complex nitrogen-bearing molecules,” said the paper’s lead author, Amy Williams of the University of Florida in Gainesville. “Nitrogen heterorcycles have never been found before on the Martian surface or confirmed in Martian meteorites.”
This is an annotated close-up of three holes NASA’s Curiosity drilled into Martian rock at a location nicknamed “Mary Anning” in October 2020. The sample where the rover found a diverse number of organic molecules came from “Mary Anning 3.” (A nearby spot nicknamed “Mary Anning 2” went unused.) NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSAnother exciting discovery was benzothiophene, a carbon- and sulfur-bearing molecule that’s been found in many meteorites. These meteorites, along with the organic molecules within them, are thought by some scientists to have seeded prebiotic chemistry across the early solar system.
Martian chemistryThe new paper complements last year’s finding of the largest organic molecules ever discovered on Mars: long-chain hydrocarbons, including decane, undecane, and dodecane.
“This is Curiosity and our team at their best. It took dozens of scientists and engineers to locate this site, drill the sample, and make these discoveries with our awesome robot,” said the mission’s project scientist, Ashwin Vasavada of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “This collection of organic molecules once again increases the prospect that Mars offered a home for life in the ancient past.”
Both sets of findings were made with a sophisticated minilab called Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM), located in Curiosity’s belly. A drill on the end of the rover’s robotic arm pulverizes a carefully selected rock sample into powder and then trickles it into SAM, where a high-temperature oven heats the material, releasing gases that instruments in the lab analyze to reveal the rock’s composition.
In addition, SAM can perform “wet chemistry,” dropping samples into a small cup of solvent. The resulting reactions can break apart larger molecules that would be difficult to detect and identify otherwise. While the instrument has several such cups, only two contain tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), a powerful solution reserved for the highest-value samples. The Mary Anning 3 sample was the first to be exposed to TMAH.
To verify TMAH’s reactions with otherworldly materials, the paper’s authors also tested the technique on Earth with a piece of the Murchison meteorite, one of the most studied meteorites of all time. More than 4 billion years old, Murchison contains organic molecules that were seeded throughout the early solar system. A Murchison sample exposed to TMAH was found to break much larger molecules into some of the ones seen in Mary Anning 3, including benzothiophene. That result verifies that the Martian molecules found in Mary Anning 3 could have been generated from the breakdown of even more complex compounds relevant to life.
Curiosity recently used its second and final TMAH cup while exploring weblike boxwork ridges, which were formed by ancient groundwater. The mission team will be analyzing those results for a future peer-reviewed paper.
Trailblazing for future missionsBuilt by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, SAM is based on larger, commercial-grade lab instruments. Getting such complex equipment into the rover required engineers to dramatically shrink it down and develop a way for it to run on less power. Scientists had to learn how to heat up SAM’s oven more slowly over longer periods in order to conduct some of these experiments.
“It was a feat just figuring out how to conduct this kind of chemistry for the first time on Mars,” said Charles Malespin, the instrument’s principal investigator at NASA Goddard and a study coauthor. “But now that we’ve had some practice, we’re prepared to run similar experiments on future missions.”
In fact, NASA Goddard has provided several components, including the mass spectrometer, for a next-generation version of SAM, called the Mars Organic Molecular Analyzer, for ESA’s (European Space Agency) Rosalind Franklin Mars rover. A similar instrument, the Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer, will explore Saturn’s moon Titan on NASA’s Dragonfly rotorcraft. Both instruments will be able to perform wet chemistry with the TMAH solvent.
More about CuriosityCuriosity was built by JPL, which is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California. JPL leads the mission on behalf of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program portfolio.
To learn more about Curiosity, visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/msl-curiosity
News Media Contacts
Andrew Good
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-2433
andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov
Karen Fox / Alana Johnson
NASA Headquarters, Washington
240-285-5155 / 202-672-4780
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov
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NASA to Cover Progress 95 Spacecraft Launch, Docking
NASA will provide live coverage of the launch and docking of a Roscosmos cargo spacecraft carrying about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the crew aboard the International Space Station.
The unpiloted Progress 95 resupply spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 6:21 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 25 (3:21 a.m. Baikonur time on Sunday, April 26), on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Watch NASA’s live coverage beginning at 6 p.m., on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.
After a two-day trip to the space station, Progress will dock autonomously to the aft port of the Zvezda module at 8 p.m., Monday, April 27. NASA’s live rendezvous and docking coverage will begin at 7:15 p.m., on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel.
The Progress 95 spacecraft will remain docked to the orbiting laboratory for about seven months before departing for a re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere to dispose of trash loaded by the crew. Prior to this spacecraft’s arrival, Progress 93 undocked from the space station on April 20, re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere and harmlessly burned up over the Pacific Ocean.
For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs that aren’t possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.
Learn more about the International Space Station, its research, and crew, at:
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Joshua Finch
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov
Sandra Jones
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov
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NASA on Track for Future Missions with Initial Artemis II Assessments
Following NASA’s Artemis II mission successfully splashing down on Earth, engineers started diving into detailed analysis of data to assess how key systems and subsystems on the Orion spacecraft, SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, and systems at the launch pad at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida performed. The Artemis II test flight successfully began a new era of exploration, laying the groundwork for the third Artemis mission next year, lunar surface missions, a Moon base, and future missions to Mars.
Orion spacecraft
After its 694,481-mile journey around the Moon and back, the agency’s Orion spacecraft successfully reentered Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down off the coast of San Diego on April 10. The crew and spacecraft were safeguarded by Orion’s thermal protection system as they traveled nearly 35 times the speed of sound during reentry. Initial inspections of the system found it performed as expected, with no unusual conditions identified. Diver imagery of the spacecraft’s heat shield initially taken after splashdown and further inspections on the recovery ship found the char loss behavior observed on Artemis I was significantly reduced, both in terms of quantity and size. Performance also was consistent with arc jet facility ground testing performed after Artemis I.
Airborne imagery of Orion’s crew module also was obtained during re-entry and will be reviewed in the coming weeks. This imagery will provide insight into the timing of when minimal char loss occurred as well as other heat shield data.
Luis Saucedo, NASA’s acting Orion vehicle integration manager, left, inspects the Orion spacecraft with Richard Scheuring, NASA Flight Surgeon, and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Victor Glover in the well deck of USS John P. Murtha, on Saturday, April 11, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. Credit: NASA/Bill IngallsThe crew module is expected to return to NASA Kennedy this month for additional examination of the heat shield during Orion de-servicing in the Multi-Payload Processing Facility. Teams will conduct detailed inspections, retrieve post-flight data, remove reusable components such as avionics, and eliminate remaining hazards such as excess fuel and coolant.
Over the summer, the heat shield will be transported to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for sample extraction and internal x-ray scans to provide further insight into the system and material behavior.
The ceramic tiles on the upper conical backshell of the crew module also performed as expected. Reflective thermal tape, which is expected to burn off upon re-entry, is still present in numerous locations. This reflective tape is used to help control vehicle temperatures while in space and serves no function for thermal protection upon re-entry.
Orion splashed down with precision, just 2.9 miles from the targeted landing site. Initial assessments showed entry interface velocity was within one mile-per-hour of predictions.
After splashdown, several Orion components were removed in San Diego for post flight analysis and future reuse prior to the spacecraft’s return to Kennedy. These items included seats, video processing units, crew module camera controllers, stowage containers and bags, and Orion Crew Survival System suit umbilicals.
The team currently is assessing the hardware and gathering data to support the post flight investigation of the urine vent line issue during the Artemis II mission. Teams will work to identify root cause and initiate corrective action for Artemis III.
America’s Moon rocket
The SLS rocket that launched the Artemis II mission also performed well, meeting its mission objectives for the test flight. While engineers continue studying the data, an early assessment indicates the rocket accurately placed Orion where it needed to be in space. At main engine cutoff, when the core stage’s RS-25 liquid engines shutdown, the spacecraft was traveling at over 18,000 miles per hour, achieving its insertion velocity for orbit, and executing a precise bullseye for its intended location.
A side view shows one of the twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters, core stage, Orion spacecraft, and launch abort system of NASA’s Artemis II rocket at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.Credit: NASA/Ben SmegelskyExploration Ground Systems
Engineers conducted a detailed post-launch pad and mobile launcher assessment, following the launch of the Artemis II crew and rocket. Application of lessons learned from Artemis I to harden and reinforce ground support equipment at the pad proved successful as the mobile launcher and launch pad sustained minimal damage in the wake of the powerful booster ignition.
In addition to performing washdowns of the mobile launcher and pad ground systems immediately following launch, some components were made more rigid, like elevator doors, while others were made more compliant, such as gaseous distribution panels in the base of the mobile launcher, modified to flex with the blast effects. Other components were protected with blast-resistant walls or covers. These allowed the pneumatics system, which involves air and gas, to remain operational postlaunch and the critical cooling and washdown water flows to proceed.
Teams returned NASA’s mobile launcher that supported the integration and launch of the Artemis II rocket to NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building to undergo repairs and prepare for support of future Artemis missions.
The agency’s recovery teams, alongside their military partners, successfully conducted recovery operations after the safe splashdown of the crew inside their spacecraft. Navy divers retrieved each crew member and brought them aboard USS John P. Murtha before helping to recover the Orion spacecraft and return to Naval Base San Diego.
Using data from the first crewed mission under the Artemis program, NASA continues preparing the hardware and teams to launch and fly the Artemis III mission in 2027 ahead of subsequent missions to the Moon’s surface beginning in 2028.
To learn more about NASA’s exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond, visit:
Share Details Last Updated Apr 20, 2026 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsNASA Rolls Out Artemis III Moon Rocket Core Stage
Following the recent successful test flight of NASA’s Artemis II mission around the Moon, NASA rolled out the core stage, or the largest section, of the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027. The stage departed from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on Monday for shipment to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking key progress on the path to the agency’s first crewed lunar landing mission to the Moon under the Artemis program in two years.
Using highly specialized transporters, engineers maneuvered the top four-fifths of the SLS core stage, the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt, from inside NASA Michoud to the agency’s Pegasus barge for delivery to NASA Kennedy. After arrival, teams will complete the stage outfitting and vertical integration, and the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems Program will stack the rocket’s components in preparation for launch.
“Seeing this SLS rocket hardware roll out is a powerful reminder of our progress toward returning humans to the lunar surface,” said Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This is the backbone of Artemis III. As it heads to Florida for final integration, we are one step closer to testing the critical capabilities needed to land Americans on the Moon, and ultimately, paving the way for our first crewed missions to Mars.”
At 212 feet tall, the completed core stage will consist of the top four fifths of the rocket combined with its engine section. The top four-fifths include the two propellant tanks that collectively hold more than 733,000 gallons of super-chilled liquid propellant to fuel four RS-25 engines. During launch and flight, the fully integrated stage will operate for more than eight minutes, producing more than 2 million pounds of thrust to propel astronauts inside NASA’s Orion spacecraft into orbit.
Building, assembling, and transporting the core stage is a collaborative process for two of NASA’s prime contractors, Boeing and L3Harris Technologies. Boeing is responsible for the overall design and assembly of the core stage, and L3Harris manufactures the rocket’s RS-25 engines. Recent announcements by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman enabled the agency to standardize the SLS configuration, streamline operations, and optimize production to accelerate the Artemis program.
Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.
As part of the Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send Artemis astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, establish an enduring human presence on the lunar surface, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.
Learn more about NASA’s Artemis program:
-end-
James Gannon
Headquarters, Washington
202-664-7828
james.h.gannon@nasa.gov
Jonathan Deal
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-631-9126
jonathan.e.deal@nasa.gov
NASA Invites Media to SpaceX’s 34th Resupply Launch to Space Station
Media accreditation is open for the next U.S. launch to deliver NASA science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. This launch is the 34th SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services mission to the orbital laboratory for NASA and will lift off on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.
NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Tuesday, May 12, to launch the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Credentialing to cover prelaunch and launch activities is open to United States media. The application deadline for U.S. citizens is 11:59 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, April 29. All accreditation requests must be submitted online at:
Credentialed media will receive a confirmation email after approval. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. For questions about accreditation, or to request special logistical support, email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. For other questions, please contact NASA’s Kennedy Space Center newsroom at: 321-867-2468.
Each resupply mission to the space station delivers scientific investigations in the areas of biology and biotechnology, Earth and space science, physical sciences, and technology development and demonstrations. Cargo resupply from U.S. companies ensures a national capability to deliver scientific research to the space station, increasing NASA’s ability to conduct new investigations aboard humanity’s laboratory in space.
In addition to food, supplies, and equipment for the crew onboard the station, Dragon will deliver several new experiments, including a project to determine how well microgravity simulators mimic microgravity conditions, a bone scaffold made from wood that could produce new treatments for fragile bone conditions like osteoporosis, and equipment to help researchers evaluate how red blood cells and the spleen change in space. The Dragon spacecraft also will carry a new instrument to monitor charged particles around the Earth that impact power grids and satellites, and an investigation that could provide a fundamental understanding of how planets form.
For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs that are not possible on Earth. The station is a testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and prepare for deep space missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, in preparation for future human missions to Mars.
Learn more about NASA’s commercial resupply missions at:
-end-
Josh Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov
Amanda Griffin
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
amanda.griffin@nasa.gov
Sandra Jones
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov
NASA Welcomes Latvia as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory
The Republic of Latvia signed the Artemis Accords Monday during a ceremony hosted by NASA at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, becoming the 62nd nation to commit to responsible space exploration for all humanity.
“We are proud to welcome Latvia to the Artemis Accords,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Each new signatory strengthens a coalition committed to the transparent and peaceful exploration of space. The accords are the foundation for real missions and real cooperation on the lunar surface, and Latvia’s commitment strengthens our shared vision for this next great era of exploration.”
Latvia’s Minister for Education and Science Dace Melbārde signed on behalf of the country. Chargé d’affaires a.i. at the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia to the United States Jānis Beķeris and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg also participated in the event.
“Today, Latvia aligns with a shared vision for humanity beyond Earth, grounded in international cooperation and the peaceful, transparent, and responsible exploration of outer space,” said Melbārde. “By joining the Artemis Accords, we make a clear commitment to these principles. Latvia already contributes to the global space ecosystem through its industry and research, and we look forward to the opportunity to deepen cooperation with the United States and NASA, contributing to future space activities under the Artemis framework. Participation in the Artemis Accords is also an investment in the development of our students, researchers, and innovators.”
Last month, NASA announced plans to return to the Moon routinely and affordably, establishing an enduring presence and building a sustained lunar base. More than 40 Artemis Accords countries across six continents sent representatives to Washington for the event, announcing new opportunities for exploration and science. The group represented more than two thirds of the current Artemis Accords signatories.
In 2020, during the first Trump Administration, the United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, joined with seven other founding nations to establish the Artemis Accords, responding to the growing interest in lunar activities by both governments and private companies. The accords introduced the first set of practical principles aimed at enhancing the safety and coordination between like-minded nations as they explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Signing the Artemis Accords means committing to explore peaceably and transparently, to render aid to those in need, to enable access to scientific data that all of humanity can learn from, to ensure activities do not interfere with those of others, and to preserve historically significant sites and artifacts by developing best practices for space exploration for the benefit of all.
More countries are expected to sign the Artemis Accords in the months and years ahead, as NASA continues its work to establish a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future in space.
Learn more about the Artemis Accords at:
https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords
-end-
Camille Gallo / Elizabeth Shaw
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
camille.m.gallo@nasa.gov / elizabeth.a.shaw@nasa.gov
Wheels Up for X-59
NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft flies over the Mojave Desert in California in this April 14, 2026, image. The transition to flying with wheels up is a key milestone and an important step in the experimental aircraft’s test campaign.
The X-59 has made its highest and fastest flights so far, expanding its operational range and making progress toward supersonic flight. In future flights, the team will also be looking at factors like the performance of its controls, loads and structural dynamics, and subsystems including hydraulics, fuel, avionics, landing gear, and more. They will also be monitoring the performance of the eXternal Vision System, the series of cameras located on the X-59 connected to a display in the cockpit. The system takes the place of a traditional forward windscreen.
NASA’s Quesst mission, which features the one-of-a-kind X-59 aircraft, will demonstrate technology to fly supersonic, or faster than the speed of sound, without generating loud sonic booms.
Keep up with the latest X-59 news on the NASA Quesst blog.
Image credit: NASA
Widely Attended Gatherings (WAGs) Determinations
2026
Space Policy Institute 4.29.26.pdf
Planetary Society APLU and AAU 4.21.26.pdf
41st Space Symposium-suppl 04.13-16.26
Space Symposium 2026 Events 4.13-16.26
2026 NSCFL Space Heroes and Legends Award Banquet 4.18.26
Newport News State of the City Event 4.13.26
Space Policy Institute Event 4.6.26
SpaceX Networking Reception 3.24.26
Maryland Space Business Roundtable (MSBR) 3.26.26
SIA_27th Annual Leadership Dinner 3.23.26
2026 Artemis Suppliers Conference 3.23-25.26
Ansys Government Initiatives Event_AGI 3.19.26
Homeland Security Week 3.17-18.26
Amazon Smithsonian and Space for Humanity Event 3.16.26
HLSR_NASA Night at the Rodeo 3.7.26
WIF Leadership Luncheon 3.4.26
2026 National Space Club Florida Committee Monthly Luncheon
Space Policy Institute Event 2.17.26
Maryland Space Business Roundtable_MSBR 2.11.26
2026 TSC Artemis II Pre-launch Reception 2.5.26
2026 VABA AAAAM Legislative Reception 2.4.26
Chamber of Commerce Summit 2.2.26
Cheniere Energy at the National Portrait Gallery 1.28.26
Leaders for a Better Louisiana at Adams and Reese 1.28.26
California Manufacturers and Technology Association Reception 1.23.26
Goddard Memorial Dinner 3.13.26
2026 Amentum Artemis II Rollout Reception 1.14.26
Maryland Space Business Roundtable 1.14.26
2025
Commercial Space Federation 12.9.25
Ansys Government Initiatives (AGI) 12.16.25
Maryland Space Business Roundtable (MSBR) 12.10.25
Space Policy Institute 10.21.2025
MSBR Space Business Roundtable 10.15.2025
76th International Astronautical Congress_IAC 9.29.25
2025 Von Braun Memorial Dinner 10.29.25
Space Foundation Reception 9.16.25
Evening with the Stars 9.10.25
Greater Houston Partnership Reception 6.12.25
Space Foundation and German Embassy Reception 6.5.25
H2M Conference and Events 5.28-29.25
American Rocketry Challenge Reception 5.17.25
Rockets on the Hill Reception 5.16.25
Dayton Development Coalition Event 5.13.25
2025 Space Heroes and Legends Gala
Thunderbird School and Global Management Reception
40th Space Symposium Main Events
SPI/GWU/USRA Symposium.3.27.25
Goddard Memorial Dinner.3.21.25
2025 Satellite Exhibition Event.3.10.25 to 3.13.25
67th Laureate Awards Dinner.3.6.25
Bae Systems SPHEREx Launch.2.27.25
2025 Artemis Suppliers Conference
Creole-Queen NOLA Reception.1.13.25
2025 New Glenn Mission 1 Launch Event
2025 Firefly Blue Origin Launch Reception
2024
Aero Club Award Dinner.12.13.24
Space Foundation Event.12.13.24
Commercial Space Federation Joint Event.12.9.24
The Arthur C. Clarke Foundation Event.11.21.24
Planet Labs PBC Reception.11.20.24
Blue Origin and KBR Dinner.10.30.24
36th Annual Dr. Wernher von Braun Memorial Dinner
2024 Keystone Space Conference
WIA Reception and Awards Dinner.10.10.24
2024 JPL Europa Clipper Launch Reception.10.8.24
AIA & Amazon Reception.8.26.24
Farnborough Air Show.7.20-21.24
Artemis II SLS Roll Out Reception.7.15.24
Astroscale Reception Tokyo.7.12.24
Brooke Owens Fellowship Dinner.7.11.24
Greater Cleveland Partnership.6.13-14.24
Coalition for Deep Space Exploration Return to the Moon.6.5.24
The 2024 Infinite Exhibit Grand Opening
AIA and German Embassy Reception.6.4.24
AIA and British Embassy Reception.5.22.24
Space Foundation Event.5.16.24
Foundation Fratelli Tutti Dinners.5.10-11.24
H2M Conference and Event.5.7-8.24
Crowell & Moring Reception.4.16.24
2024 Space Heroes and Legends Awards Dinner
SpaceX Symposium Reception.4.10.24
39th Space Symposium Supplemental
39th Space Symposium Main Events
Goddard Memorial Dinner.3.22.24
AIA and Amazon Reception.3.19.24
Embassy of Australia and Space Foundation.2.29.24
2024 Artemis Suppliers Conference
2024 Aerospace Days Legislative Reception
IDGA 17th Annual Event.1.23 – 24.24
Latino Biden-Harris Appointees Reception.1.11.24
2024 Axiom Space AX-3 Launch Reception
2023
2023 Astrobotic PM1 PreLaunch Reception
AERO Club Awards Dinner.12.15.23
SCL and GBM Foundation Reception.12.11.23
LASP and Ball Aerospace Reception.12.11.23
L Oreal USA for Women Event.11.16.23
KBR Welcome Reception.11.14.23
Museum of Natural History Board Events 11.2.23
2023 Von Braun Memorial Dinner
Planet Labs PBC Reception.10.26.23
WIA Reception and Award Dinner.10.12.23
National Space Club Banquet 2023
Space Foundation and Airbus.10.3.23
2023 VASBA HR AUVSI Gala and Symposium
AIA Congress Space Reception.9.7.23
Space Foundation Reception 7.19.23
Chamber of Commerce Reception.7.13.23
ECI Fellows Meeting.7.12 to 7.14.23
Embassy of Italy and Virgin Galactic.7.12.23
Brook Owens Fellowship Dinner 7.13.23
Comteck and Airbus Space Defense 07.11.23.
2023 Axiom Space AX-2 Launch Event WAG
AIAA Awards Gala Event 5.18.23
38th Space Symposium 4.16 to 4.20.23
Planet Labs PGC Reception.4.13.23
2023 TEMPO Pre-Launch Reception
Coalition for Deep Space Exploration SLS Orion EGS Gateway Suppliers 3.26.23
Orion SLS Conference 3.27 to 3.28.23
2023 Agency WAG Debus Award Banquet
VHMC And Boeing Reception 3.18.23
Ball Aerospace Kinship Reception 3.15.23
SpaceX Satellite Reception 3.13.23
Goddard Memorial Dinner 3.10.23
Space Foundation Event 2.16.23
BDB National Engineers Week 2023 Banquet
MSBR Lunch 2.28.23
STA Luncheon 2.7.23
WSBR Reception 2.1.23
SPI GWU SWF Reception 1.31.23
Artemis I Splashdown 01.17.23
MSBR Lunch 1.17.23
2022
GRC An Evening With the Stars 8.30.22
JPL 25 Years on Mars Reception 7.27.22
SPI GWU Dinner 7.6.22
Berlin Air Show 6.22-26.22
MSBR Lunch 6.21.22
KSC Gateway VIP Rception 6.14.22
MSBR Dinner Gala 6.10.22
NAA Robert J. Collier Awards Dinner 6.9.22
Advanced Space and Rocket Lab Capstone Event 6.8.22
AIA Challenger Center Reception 6.2.22
2022 H2M Summit 5.17-19.22
MSBR Lunch 5.17.22
FCW GovExec Awards Dinner 5.12.22
Meta Reception 5.4.22
JSC RNASA Luncheon and Dinner 4.29.22
Coalition for Deep Space Reception 4.28.22
SLS Orion EGS Suppliers Conference 4.28-29.22
SPI GWU Dinner 4.27.22
AIAA Awards Gala Dinner 4.27.22
MSBR Luncheon 4.19.2022
Arianespace Northrop Grumman JWST Reception 4.5.22
37th Space Symposium 4.4 to 7.22
Axiom Space Launch Event 3.30.22
Heinrich Boell Foundation Dinner 3.30.22
Aarianespace Reception 3.23.22
SIA Conference Events 3.21-23.22 Revised
Satellite Industry Association Reception 3.21.22
Goddard Memorial Dinner 3.18.22
GOES-T Post-Launch Reception 3.1.22
Goes-T L3 Harris Reception 3.1.22
Christopher Newport University Dinner 02.23.22
NG-17 CRS Launch Events VA 2.19.22
SPI GWU Dinner 02.04.2022
MSBR Dinner 01.18.2022
KSC CCTS Spaceport Summit 1.11-12.22
2021
JWST Launch 12.25.21
Aero Club Awards Reception 12.17.21
KSC NSC Celebrate Space 12.10.21
AGI Ansys Reception 12.10.21
KSC Ball Aerospace IXPE Launch Celebration Reception 12.7.21
WIA Awards Dinner 12.2.21
National Space Council Recognition Reception 12.1.21
SPI Dinner 11.16.21
AIAA ASCEND Event 11.15.21
AIAA Ascend 2021 Reception Dinner Las Vegs 11.14.21
KSC Astronaut Hall of Fame Event 11.13.21
KSC DNC Taste of Space Event 11.5.21
SPI Dinner 11.2.21
IAC Closing Gala 10.29.21
GRC Evening With The Stars 10.27.21
Goddard Memorial Awards Dinner 10.22.21
IAC 2021
Lucy Post Launch Dinner 10.16.21
KSC Lucy Launch Mission Events 10.12-13.21
United Airlines Reception 10.12.21
Blue Origin Launch 10.12.21
SPI Dinner on or about 9.28.21
Goddard Memorial Dinner 9.17.21 CANCELLED
SPI Dinner 9.7.21
RNASA Awards Dinner and Luncheon 9.3.21
GRC Evening With the Stars 8.31.21
FED100 Gala Awards Dinner 8.27.21
Addendum to 36th Space Symposium 8.22-26.21
36th Space Symposium 8.22-26.21
KSC ASF Innovators Gala 8.14.21
NG16 Launch Events 8.10.21
LaRC Virginia Space Reception 7.30.21
KSC 2021 Debus Award Dinner 7.30.21
Coalition for Deep Space 07.22.21
KSC Lockheed WAS Star Center Reception 7.15.21
2020
United Launch Alliance Satellite 2020 Reception 3.10.20
SpaceX Reception 3.9.20
U.S. Chamber of Commerce 2020 Aviation Summit 3.5.20
Maryland Space Business Roundtable Lunch 2.18.20
SLS Orion Suppliers Conference 2.12.20
Coalition for Deep Space Exploration Reception 2.11.20
Northrop Grumman NG-13 CRS Launch Events 2.9.20
VA UAS AeroSpace Legislative Reception 1.29.20
MSBR Lunch 1.21.20
Guidance Keough School of Global Affairs 1.16.20
Boeing Orbital Flight Test Launch Events 12.20.19
Virgin Space Reception 12.17.19
SEA Summit 12.17.19
Wright Memorial Dinner 12.13.19
Analytical Graphics AGI Reception 12.13.19
Ball Reception 12.10.19
MSBR Lunch 12.3.19
Plant Reception 11.20.19
JSC Spacecom Conference VIP Reception 11.20.19
JSC Spacecom Conference Reception 11.19.19
SAIC BSU STEM Roundtable 11.07.19
Apollo UK Productions Ltd 7.10.19
SpaceX Satellite Reception 5.6.19
SPI GWU Dinner 5.1.19
AIAA Reception 4.30.19
MSBR Lunch 1.21.20
MSBR Lunch 1.21.20
NASA’s Hubble Dazzles With Young Stars in Trifid Nebula
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NASA, ESA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)
This shimmering region of star-formation, a close-up of the Trifid Nebula about 5,000 light-years from Earth, was captured in intricate detail by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The colors in Hubble’s visible light image, which marks the 36th anniversary of the mission’s launch on April 24, are reminiscent of an underwater scene filled with fine-grained sediments fluttering through the ocean’s depths.
Several massive stars, which are outside this field of view, have shaped this region for at least 300,000 years. (See them in a wider view.) Their powerful winds continue to blow an enormous bubble, a small portion of which is shown here, that pushes and compresses the cloud’s gas and dust, triggering new waves of star formation.
NASA celebrates Hubble’s 36th anniversary with a new image of the Trifid Nebula, a star-forming region it first captured in 1997. The telescope leveraged almost its full operational lifetime to show us changes in the nebula on human time scales with an improved camera. NASA, ESA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)This isn’t the first time Hubble has gazed at this scene. The telescope observed the Trifid in 1997 and now, 29 years later, it has leveraged almost its full operational lifetime to show us changes in the nebula on human time scales. Why look at the same location again? In addition to seeing changes over time, Hubble is also equipped with an improved camera with a wider field of view and greater sensitivity that was installed during Servicing Mission 4.
Star formation in ‘Cosmic Sea Lemon’Hubble’s view of the Trifid Nebula (also known as Messier 20 or M20) focuses on a “head” and undulating “body” of a rusty-colored cloud of gas and dust that resembles a marine sea lemon, or sea slug, that appears as if it is gliding through the cosmos.
The Cosmic Sea Lemon’s left “horn” is part of Herbig-Haro 399, a jet of plasma periodically ejected over centuries by a young protostar embedded in the head of the sea lemon. Changes, as seen in the video below, allow researchers to measure the speeds of the outflows and determine how much energy the protostar is injecting into these regions. These measurements will provide insights into how newly formed stars interact with their surroundings.
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To the immediate lower right is evidence of the counter jet: jagged orange and red lines that ”run” down the back of the sea lemon’s neck, where a natural V appears in the brown dust.
The darker, more triangular “horn” on the right of the “head” hosts another young star at its tip. Zoom in to see a faint red dot with a tiny jet. The green arc above it may be evidence that a circumstellar disk is being eroded by the intense ultraviolet light from nearby massive stars. The clearer area around this protostar suggests it may almost be finished forming.
To the immediate left of the Cosmic Sea Lemon is a small, faint pillar that resembles a water bear. Much of this pillar’s gas and dust has been blown away, but the densest material at the top persists.
Streaks and sharp lines offer more clues about other young stars’ activities. Spy an example by looking near the center for a rippling angled line that begins in a bright orange and ends in a blazing red. In the image comparison, it appears to move, which means it may be a jet shot out by another actively forming star buried deeply in dust.
NASA is celebrating the 36th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope with a stunning new look at the Trifid Nebula, a star-forming region about 5,000 light-years away. Powerful ultraviolet light from massive stars carved out this glowing bubble, triggering new waves of star birth. Sit back and relax as Hubble Senior Project Scientist, Dr. Jennifer Wiseman takes us on a tour of this beautiful image. Credit: NASA; Lead Producer: Paul Morris Prismatic ‘sea’ of colorIn Hubble’s visible light observations, the clearest view is toward the top left, where it’s bluer. Strong ultraviolet light from massive stars, not in the field of view, stripped electrons from nearby gas, creating a glow, with winds sculpting a bubble by clearing out surrounding dust.
At the top of the Cosmic Sea Lemon’s head, bright yellow gas streams upward. This is an example of ultraviolet light plowing into the dark brown dust, stripping and dismantling the gas and dust.
Many ridges and slopes of dark brown material will remain for a few million years, as the stars’ ultraviolet light slowly eats away at the gas. The densest areas are home to protostars, which are obscured in visible light.
The far-right corner is nearly pitch black. This is where the dust is the densest. The stars that appear here may not be part of this star-forming region — they might be closer to us, in the foreground.
Now, scan the scene for bright orange orbs. These stars have fully formed, clearing the space around them. Over millions of years, the nebula’s gas and dust will disappear — only stars will remain.
Unprecedented longevity, nonstop discoveriesHubble’s varied instruments and the expansive range of light it collects — from ultraviolet through visible to near-infrared — have helped researchers make ground-breaking discoveries for decades and supply new data daily that will inevitably lead to more.
The telescope has taken over 1.7 million observations to date. Almost 29,000 astronomers have published peer-reviewed science papers using Hubble data collected over the telescope’s 36-year lifetime, resulting in more than 23,000 publications, with almost 1,100 in 2025 alone. Hubble’s observational data is publicly available in the Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, while its mission descriptions, history, and gallery of popular images are found on NASA’s Hubble website.
Since 2022, researchers have regularly combined Hubble’s observations with those from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to push opportunities for discovery further. Very soon, astronomers will begin diving into huge near-infrared datasets from vast surveys from NASA’s new Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, and will seek to compare them to existing or new Hubble observations to clarify what is at work. For context, Roman’s camera can cover the entire Trifid Nebula, showing the full bubble, with a single pointing — and may turn up interesting objects for follow-up.
Another flagship to look forward to? The mission concept known as the Habitable Worlds Observatory, which would have a significantly larger mirror than Hubble — leading to higher resolution images — and, like Hubble, capture ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light. This next-generation space telescope would advance science across all of astrophysics, and would be the first specifically engineered telescope to identify habitable, Earth-like planets next to relatively bright stars like our Sun and examine them for evidence of life.
The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for over three decades and continues to make ground-breaking discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope and mission operations. Lockheed Martin Space, based in Denver, also supports mission operations at Goddard. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, conducts Hubble science operations for NASA.
Facebook logo @NASAHubble @NASAHubble Instagram logo @NASAHubble Related Images, Videos, & Articles Image: Trifid Nebula (Wide Field Camera 3 Image)NASA celebrates Hubble’s 36th anniversary with a new image of the Trifid Nebula, a star-forming region it first captured in 1997. The telescope leveraged almost its full operational lifetime to show us changes in the nebula on human time scales with an improved camera.
Image: Full Trifid Nebula (Rubin Image with Hubble Close-up)
A pullout shows where the Hubble Space Telescope’s close-up image is located within the wider Trifid Nebula. The image at left was taken by the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. The color assignments in the images vary based on the filters in the telescopes’ cameras.
Image: Trifid Nebula (WFC3 Compass Image)
This closeup image of the Trifid Nebula (Messier 20 or M20) captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) shows compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference.
Video: Changes in the Trifid Nebula (1997 and 2026 Observations)
Compare Hubble’s two observations of a portion of the Trifid Nebula, one taken in 2026 with the telescope’s current Wide Field Camera 3 and the other in 1997 with an earlier instrument (the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2).
Video: Explore the Trifid Nebula
“Fly” through the Hubble Space Telescope’s view of the Trifid Nebula. The video “floats” over the ridges of gas and dust and moves up toward Herbig-Haro 399, at the top of a brown cloud that resembles a head with horns.
Article: New Hubble Image Reveals Details in the Heart of the Trifid Nebula
This June 2004 release of Hubble images provided astronomers with detailed views of structures at the heart of the Trifid Nebula.
Image: The Trifid Nebula, Stellar Nursery Torn Apart by Radiation from Nearby Star
This Hubble image, taken in 1997, revealed a stellar jet protruding from the head of a dense cloud.
Contact Media
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
Claire Blome, Christine Pulliam
Space Telescope Science Institute
Baltimore, Maryland
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