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Curiosity Blog, Sols 4982–4987: Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming
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Curiosity Blog, Sols 4982–4987: Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image, of thin, ledge-like layers at target “Los Toldos,” using its Right Mast Camera (Mastcam). Curiosity captured the image on Aug. 12, 2026 — Sol 4982, or Martian day 4,982 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 01:05:04 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSBy Allison Dries-Padilla, Missions Operations Specialist at Malin Space Science Systems
Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 14, 2026
This week of Curiosity Mars rover operations takes us back to our “regularly scheduled programming.” After taking a slight detour to investigate the “erosional surface” we are back on course to ascend Mount Sharp. As we transition into fall in Gale Crater, temperatures and the likelihood of dust storms begins to drop, but Curiosity is still on the lookout for the last gasp of late-season local and regional dust storms.
Monday’s plan for Sols 4982 to 4985 began with Curiosity standing face to face with a unique geologic feature just above the erosional supersurface contact. As you might have read in the previous blog, the team was fortunate enough to spend two planning cycles at this amazing location. MAHLI used this opportunity to reacquire selected images for the mosaic of target “Tres Morros.” This will allow the science team to have a detailed and focused view of the underside of this feature. APXS took measurements of the bedrock target “El Motacusal” after it had been brushed with the DRT. APXS took a second measurement on the “as is” bedrock target “Alto de Carmen.” Both of these APXS targets were documented with high-resolution images taken by MAHLI. ChemCam activities include LIBS spectroscopy on bedrock targets “Lagunas Bravas” and “Parququcha” and ChemCam Remote Micro-Imaging on Mishe Mokwa. I had the pleasure to be on the Mastcam uplink shift for this plan. Mastcam took a near-field mosaic of the erosional ridge, dubbed “Los Toldos,” as well as a mosaic on further away bedrock exposure above the erosional surface, named “Los Ladrillos.” In addition to these mosaics, Mastcam also provided color documentation of the previous plan’s ChemCam Remote Micro-Imaging on Cordillera and the ChemCam LIBS activities taken in this plan.
Curiosity then drove 100 feet (30 meters) to take us to our location for Friday’s plan for Sols 4985 to 4987. Although we had plenty of flat and tasty bedrock in this new location, we could not place the robotic arm in a safe position to DRT the bedrock. The left-front wheel was perched on a small rock, and we had to account for a risk the rover could slip off this rock as we move the arm around. MAHLI and APXS were still able to safely perform contact science on two bedrock targets, “Mamorecillo” and “Aguas Claras.” MAHLI had an additional housekeeping activity to image the calibration target. ChemCam plans to use its laser spectrometer to gather geochemistry on three targets in this vicinity, followed by Mastcam documentation. Today’s ChemCam LIBS targets include a dark-toned resistant layer in the bedrock “Yura Kasa.” Mastcam is planning a series of mosaics to continue imaging the stratigraphy in the unit above the erosional contact.
Today’s plan was packed with environmental monitoring activities to monitor for dust storms. Mastcam took a flurry of dust-imaging observations to measure optical depth, or “tau,” of the atmosphere. A higher tau value is associated with an increased amount of dust in the atmosphere. APXS joined in on the action by planning an overnight atmospheric measurement. Navcam took on most of the heavy lifting to monitor for dust storms. These activities include multiple large dust-devil surveys, zenith observation, in-crater line-of-sight observations, and suprahorizon cloud movies.
Curiosity will then continue to climb Mount Sharp; the planned drive distance of 150 feet (47 meters) will take the rover southwest of our current location. We will return Monday to start a new week full of contact science, remote sensing, and driving on Mars.
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APOD: 2026 August 22 – Mostly Perseids
APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Mostly PerseidsExplanation: Recorded the night of August 12-13, images from four dedicated meteor-monitoring cameras at an astronomical observatory in Czechia were aligned and combined to create this all-night, all-sky view. On that night, the total count came to 1,706 meteors. And since that coincided with the peak activity of the 2026 Perseid Meteor Shower, most are perseids. Their overwhelming numbers make them easy to spot. Quite convincingly, perseid trails all trace back to a single radiant on the sky at the upper right, a region in the annual shower’s eponymous constellation Perseus. But meteors belonging to other much less active showers can be revealed by finding their radiants too. For example, seen crossing the perseid trails are meteors from a shower whose radiant lies in Cygnus, known as Kappa Cygnids. The antihelion complex, a general region near Aquarius and opposite the Sun in the sky, is also identifiable as a weak source for meteors.
Tomorrow’s picture: interplanetary road trip
Date August 22, 2026 Credit & Copyright: Jakub Koukal (Valašské Meziříčí Observatory) Authors & editors: Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Robert Nemiroff, Keighley Rockcliffe A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.
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Yesterday’s Image APOD: 2026 August 21 – Time-Lapse of the Star S301 Orbiting the Black Hole in the Center of the Galaxy
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NASA Shares Views of August Solar Eclipse from Ground, Air, Space
NASA/Bill Ingalls
On Aug. 12, a total solar eclipse darkened skies over Greenland, Iceland, and Spain. As the Moon covered the Sun, it briefly revealed the Sun’s wispy outer atmosphere — the corona — to those in the path of totality who were lucky enough to have clear skies. NASA researchers and photographers were along the eclipse path to study the corona, capture the phenomenon, and observe how the eclipse affected our planet.
One NASA photographer in Spain captured the total solar eclipse as well as the partial phases before and after, until the Sun set below the horizon.
This composite image shows the progression of a total solar eclipse over a field of sunflowers in San Millán de los Caballeros, Spain, on Aug. 12, 2026. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls The solar corona appears in this photograph of a total solar eclipse captured from San Millán de los Caballeros, Spain, on Aug. 12, 2026. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls A solar prominence, a plume of electrically charged gas suspended above the Sun by strong magnetic forces, appears as a pink feature along the left edge of the eclipsed Sun in this photograph taken from San Millán de los Caballeros, Spain, on Aug. 12, 2026. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls This composite image shows the progression of a total solar eclipse as the Sun sets in San Millán de los Caballeros, Spain, on Aug. 12, 2026. Credit: NASA/Bill IngallsIn northern Maine, where only a partial eclipse was visible, another NASA photographer captured the International Space Station, with its crew of seven aboard, speeding past the partially eclipsed Sun.
In this image of a partial solar eclipse, which is veiled by clouds, the International Space Station, with a crew of seven aboard, appears in silhouette as it transits at roughly five miles per second on Aug. 12, 2026, as seen near Hodgdon, Maine. Aboard the station as part of Expedition 75 are NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Anil Menon, and Jack Hathaway; ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot; and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, Andrey Fedyaev, and Anna Kikina. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky Twelve frames assembled in sequence show the International Space Station, with a crew of seven aboard, in silhouette as it transits the Sun at roughly five miles per second during a partial solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026, as seen near Hodgdon, Maine. Clouds partially obscure the view of the Sun. Aboard the station as part of Expedition 75 are NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Anil Menon, and Jack Hathaway; ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot; and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, Andrey Fedyaev, and Anna Kikina. Credit: NASA/Joel KowskyMeanwhile, from about 250 miles above the ground, a NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station snapped a few photos of the partial eclipse from their perspective as well.
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir captured this photo of the partial solar eclipse from the International Space Station on Aug. 12, 2026, as the orbital outpost soared 262 miles above southern Quebec, Canada. From the station, the Moon covered about 18% of the Sun at the peak of the eclipse. Credit: NASA/Jessica MeirBetween the ground and the space station, NASA pilots flew NASA’s WB-57F research jet at an altitude of 50,000 feet, passing through the eclipse’s shadow to lengthen their time in the eclipse. The jet carried a suite of cameras that captured high-resolution images of the corona and prominences, plumes of electrically charged gas rising off the Sun, in several different wavelengths of light.
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In both Iceland and Spain, teams of students participating in the NASA-funded Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project launched scientific balloons that carried instruments to capture images of the eclipse’s shadow and study the eclipse’s effects on our atmosphere. Even though clouds obscured the view of the eclipse from the ground in Iceland, the weather did not interfere with the balloon-borne instruments’ ability to gather information about how the brief loss of light and heat affected the lower atmosphere.
Students participating in the NASA-funded Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project prepare to launch a scientific balloon in Mosfellsbær, Iceland, during the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026. Credit: NASA/Abbey InterranteTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that
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Before the eclipse, scientists at Predictive Science Inc., with support from NASA grants and supercomputers, used observations of the Sun from NASA spacecraft and ground-based telescopes to predict what the corona would look like during the eclipse. Below, their corona prediction is compared to a composite image of the corona, which combines multiple images captured by the NASA-supported DEB Initiative project during the total eclipse near León, Spain.
prediction image
This image shows a prediction from the morning of Aug. 12, 2026, of what the solar corona would look like to the human eye during the total solar eclipse that day. Predictive Science Inc.
This processed, composite image of the corona combines multiple images captured near León, Spain, during the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026. DEB Initiative Team/Zack Stockbridge predictionimage
This image shows a prediction from the morning of Aug. 12, 2026, of what the solar corona would look like to the human eye during the total solar eclipse that day. Predictive Science Inc. This processed, composite image of the corona combines multiple images captured near León, Spain, during the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026. DEB Initiative Team/Zack Stockbridge
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Image Details
The left image shows a prediction from the morning of Aug. 12, 2026, of what the solar corona would look like to the human eye during the total solar eclipse that day. The right image is processed, composite image of the corona that combines multiple images captured near León, Spain, during the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026. Left image credit: Predictive Science Inc.; right image credit: DEB Initiative Team/Zack Stockbridge
Over the coming months, scientists will analyze the observations and images captured during the solar eclipse on Aug. 12 and present what they have learned about the Sun and its effects on our home planet. These observations will also help prepare science teams to investigate future solar eclipses, such as a much longer total solar eclipse that will be visible from southern Spain and northern Africa on Aug. 2, 2027.
Read more about NASA’s research during the eclipse and rewatch NASA’s eclipse broadcast to hear from some of the scientists and students who conducted the experiments.
About the Author Vanessa ThomasVanessa Thomas is a science writer with the heliophysics communications team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
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TB 26-04 Updates and Modernization of NASA’s Chemical Equilibrium with Applications (CEA) Code
For more information, contact Mark K. Leader, Glenn Research Center, mark.leader@nasa.gov
NASA’s Chemical Equilibrium with Applications (CEA) code is a foundational tool for propulsion system analysis. It provides equilibrium chemistry, rocket performance, shock, and detonation calculations used across NASA and the broader aerospace community. NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) Activity TI-22-01730 modernized the legacy CEA2 Fortran code into CEA v3, a Fortran 2008, object-oriented software package with expanded interface support, updated thermochemical data, improved maintainability, and substantially improved workflow integration. The modernized code preserves backward compatibility with legacy CEA input workflows while enabling direct use from modern analysis environments, including Python, C, MATLAB, and automated design studies.
BackgroundCEA2 was released in 2002 and has remained widely used for propulsion and thermochemistry analysis. However, the original procedural Fortran implementation became increasingly difficult to maintain, extend, and integrate into modern engineering workflows due to the lack of a subroutine interface. Current propulsion analysis increasingly requires automated parametric sweeps, integration with other modeling tools and engineering workflows, and support for emerging propellants and fuels, including green propellants and sustainable aviation fuels. These needs motivated a comprehensive modernization effort to preserve CEA’s validated technical basis while improving its maintainability, usability, and integration with modern engineering software.
Technical Improvements Modern Software ArchitectureCEA v3 is implemented in Fortran 2008 using object-oriented data structures, stricter typing, and a thread-safe equilibrium solver architecture. The software supports Fortran, C, Python, MATLAB, and Excel interfaces. These interfaces allow CEA to be used directly in automated analysis pipelines, multidisciplinary design frameworks, and high-volume designof- experiments studies. Backward compatibility is supported through a legacy command-line interface, allowing existing CEA input files and workflows to be carried forward with minimal disruption.
Expanded Species and Thermodynamic DataThe thermodynamic database has been expanded to support additional propellants and fuels relevant to current NASA applications, including green propellant constituents such as ADN, HAN, and LMP-103S, and sustainable aviation fuel candidates such as n-Butanol. This expanded species coverage improves the applicability of CEA for next-generation propulsion, green propellant, and sustainable aviation fuel studies.
New Modeling CapabilitiesCEA v3 adds or improves support for several modeling capabilities,
including:
- Subroutine interface enabling direct integration and high-volume calculations
- Negative reactant amounts
- Inert hydrocarbon fuel representations, including RP-1, Jet-A, and JP-series fuels
- Analytic total derivatives for coupling with optimization and sensitivity analysis workflows
For standalone use, individual equilibrium calculations in CEA v3 are moderately slower than comparable CEA2 calculations because the modernized architecture and added robustness introduce additional computational overhead. In representative testing, a single calculation was approximately 40 percent slower, but the absolute difference was only about 0.004 seconds per case. However, the modernized architecture provides substantial performance advantages for multi-case workflows, which are common in design-of-experiments studies, parametric sweeps, optimization, and uncertainty analyses. In one benchmark, a sweep of 108,500 cases completed in approximately 1.11 seconds with CEA v3, compared with approximately 15 minutes using CEA2. This corresponds to an approximately 800-times reduction in runtime for that workflow. These improvements make large-scale propulsion trade studies and automated design-space exploration significantly more practical.
Guidance for Engineering UseNASA engineering users should consider the following guidance:
- Use CEA v3 for new propulsion and thermochemistry analyses when possible to take advantage of the modernized interfaces, expanded database, and improved workflow integration.
- Use the Python, MATLAB, or C interfaces for automated workflows, including parametric sweeps, optimization studies, and iterative design analyses.
- Use the updated species database for green propellant and sustainable aviation fuel studies when the relevant species are included and validated for the intended application.
- Use the classic command-line interface when continuity with legacy CEA workflows or input files is required.
- Retain appropriate engineering review and validation when transitioning established CEA2 workflows to CEA v3, particularly for mission-critical analyses or cases that depend on legacy assumptions.
- NASA/TM–20260007987
- CEA documentation: https://nasa.github.io/cea
- CEA repository: https://github.com/nasa/cea
For more information, contact Mark K. Leader, Glenn Research Center, mark.leader@nasa.gov
Webb Opens Treasure Chest
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured this Aug. 6, 2026, infrared image of part of the Carina Nebula, a star-forming region also home to the Cosmic Cliffs. This feature, called the “Treasure Chest,” is an object known as a cometary globule. A cometary globule is an isolated cloud of gas and dust with a dense, dark head and a sweeping tail.
Image credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, M. Reiter; Acknowledgement: M. H. Özsaraç
NASA’s Artemis II Crew Set to Receive Congressional Space Medal of Honor
President Donald J. Trump will award each of NASA’s Artemis II crew members the Congressional Space Medal of Honor at 11 a.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 28, during a ceremony at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, completed a 10-day mission around the Moon on April 10. During a historic test flight as the first astronauts to fly aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft, these crew members were the first to travel beyond the Moon in more than 50 years and traveled farther in space than humans have ever before.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will join the President and astronauts in the awards ceremony.
The event will stream live on a variety of platforms. Learn how to watch online:
In addition to pooled media, limited media credentialing is available for this event. To apply, please submit your request online by 5 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
Learn more about NASA’s Artemis program on the agency’s website.
-end-
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bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov
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SmallSat 2026
SmallSat 2026
Join NASA in the Exhibit Hall (Booth # 635, 835, 641, and 940) for Storytelling by NASA experts. Full Agenda below.
MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 9:00 – 10:00 AM
Welcome Jose Nunez BryceTech’s Smallsats by the Numbers: 2026 Fletcher Franklin Supply Chain Observations Bruce YostTechnology Shortfall Rudy de Rosee SPARCS Camera and Early Science Observations Kaitlyn Ashcroft JPL: Skyfall Tim Canham SWIFT LINK Reboost Bo Naasz Flight Opportunities – Hosted Orbital Ecosystem – Fly Foundational Robos – Space Roboticist Challenge Anh Nguyen From Rideshare to Dedicated Launches: SmallSat Options with NASA LSP Caley Burke You Bring the Mission, We’ll Bring the Lab: Partnering with MSFC Rush Elkins NASA Ames Mission Design Center: Imagining the Next Generation of Spaceflight Missions Matthew Napoli Engineering Challenges and Best Practices from a Stellar Launch Cycle Brad Williams HIAD Payload Return Solution for SmallSats Joe Del Corso
3:25 – 4:10 PM
Moderating Bruce Yost RTMD NASA Greg Stover SMD HPD ADF Asal Naseri HSMD CSLI/CLPS/ Commercial Access to Space (CAtS) Pete Wilczynski CARA: Conjunction Assessment Best Practices Lauri Newman
TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 9:45 – 10:45 AM
Moderating Cari Reinert SMD Panelist 1 – Solicitations Aly Mendoza-Hill STMD Panelist CATALYST – I-Corps Maggie Yancey SBIR / STTR- Launchpad for Innovation Ryszard Pisarski Agency level Tech Transfer Jose Nunez3:15 – 4:15 PM
Moderating Aly Mendoza-Hill SMD – APD Pioneers Pablo Saz Parkinson SMD – Science as a Service: What SmallSat Providers Need to Know Beth Weinstein SMD – HPD Asal Naseri ESCAPADE (HPD) Innovating Methods for Exploration Skyler Kleinschmidt
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 9:45 – 10:45 AM
Moderator, FO Panelist Danielle McCulloch NASA CSLI, VADR Panelist Norman Phelps CLPS Panelist Angela Melito Rideshare Panelist Aly Mendoza-hill SLS David Hitt3:15 – 4:15 PM
Welcome / Close out Presentor/Moderator Sam Pedrotty JPL Mission INCUS Benjamin (Benji) Donitz SMD – Biological & Physical Sciences Payload Concepts for Future SmallSat Missions Matthew Lera SMD APD – SWIFT Reboost highlight David Morris SMD ESD – Mission Highlight Sachidananda Babu SMD HPD – TRACERS Mission Highlight Skyler Kleinschmidt SunRISE (SMD HPD) – Maximizing Science Uptime Across the Constellation Carson Schubert STMD USTP Overview Mike Gaunce STMD Mission CAPSTONE 02 Sam Phan STMD R5 Spacecraft Series Sam Pedrotty STMD GPDM Nehemiah Williams STMD Mission DiskSat Roger HunterArtemis Mission Patches
A jacket decorated with Artemis I and II mission patches, along with other NASA patches hangs on the back of a chair on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, inside the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a terminal countdown simulation for the Artemis III mission.
NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems team conducted the terminal count simulation, which runs through the final five hours of launch countdown, including terminal count – the remaining 10 minutes of the countdown. Artemis III will carry out a series of objectives in low Earth orbit designed to demonstrate critical systems needed for future lunar landings, beginning with Artemis IV.
Stay up to date with NASA’s Artemis program.
Image credit: NASA/Clayton Rougelot
NASA Selects University Teams to Help Advance Aviation Research
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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)NASA has selected four university teams to help the agency transform the future of aviation through projects ranging from high-supersonic propulsion systems to low-noise routes for small aircraft flying through cities.
The agency made awards through its University Leadership Initiative, which offers student teams the opportunity to contribute to real-world flight research that advances NASA’s goals in aeronautics.
This year’s awardees are pursuing projects that align with NASA strategic objectives, including innovation in commercial high-speed aircraft, the development of new tools that can lead to transformational aviation breakthroughs, safer and more efficient air traffic management, and the integration of new air transportation options into the national airspace.
“With these four new awards, the University Innovation project is leaning in on NASA’s aeronautics mission priorities,” said Andrew Provenza, project manager, NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. “These teams will research new propulsion concepts for supersonic flight, novel engineering methods that can revolutionize aerospace system design and certification, and learning-enabled avionics for new advanced and urban air mobility flight vehicle platforms, which could enhance air traffic control modernization.”
The awards represent the ninth round of NASA University Leadership Initiative funding.
Totaling about $30 million, NASA’s awards will provide multiyear support for awardee universities to build their teams and conduct research. The initiative provides hands-on experiences for students, developing the U.S. aeronautics research workforce while also producing findings that will help drive aviation forward.
University Leadership Initiative awards go to teams comprised of graduate and undergraduate students and led by faculty members. Recipients form academic partnerships with other universities and community colleges, as well as industry. Experts from NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, and other organizations provide support and guidance.
The awardees are:
University of Minnesota Adaptive Supersonic Combined Cycle Engine for Next-generation TransportationLed by Terrence Meyer, the project will work over four years to develop a fuel-flexible propulsion system that uses a traditional jet turbofan during takeoff and subsonic flight, but would transition to a new type of ramjet engine for supersonic flight. In ramjet mode, the system would cruise at Mach 4, or more than 3,000 mph. The project aims to enable efficient, faster-than-sound flight, including flight at high-supersonic speeds.
Stanford University Safety Across Lifecycle of Learning-Enabled Avionics Systems: Safety Data FlywheelLed by Somil Bansal, this four-year project aims to develop an avionics system to control an aircraft’s communications, navigation, and other electronics that incorporates machine learning. The system would take an approach that ensures safety is continuously reinforced throughout its operations. This research could help create a framework for the aviation sector to safely integrate artificial intelligence-enabled avionics into the national airspace.
Stanford University Noise-Optimal Trajectory Planning for Urban Air Mobility Operations, Including Ambient NoiseLed by Juan Alonso, the center created through this award will work over four years to develop a high-fidelity simulation framework focused on developing low-noise flight paths in urban environments for future small aircraft. Developers are envisioning urban air mobility aircraft as ways to move people and cargo over populated areas. This center would integrate realistic models of how sound travels in cities to enable vehicle flight paths that would reduce community noise exposure from new air traffic.
Virginia Tech Certification Driven Aircraft Design Under UncertaintyLed by Darshan Sarojini, this three-year project proposes to transform next-generation aircraft design while integrating powerful new computer modeling tools: model-based systems engineering, multidisciplinary design, analysis and optimization, and high-dimensional uncertainty quantification. The goal is safe, faster, and more efficient modeling that results in fewer costly redesigns later in the aircraft development cycle.
For more than 10 years, NASA’s University Leadership Initiative has fostered bold ideas, collaborative research, and team-led solutions. The initiative is part of NASA’s Research and Technology Mission Directorate.
Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASAes @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Linkedin logo @NASA Explore More 3 min read NASA Student Aviation Challenge Focuses on Nation’s Infrastructure Article 5 days ago 6 min read NASA Glenn’s Legacy Forged Through Decades of Flight Research Article 5 days ago 3 min read NASA Competition Invites Students to Help Imagine a Future Enabled by Lunar Technologies Article 1 week ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASAMissions
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Explore NASA’s History
Share Details Last Updated Aug 20, 2026 EditorLillian GipsonContactLynne Sahaylynne.sahay@nasa.gov Related TermsThe View from Above: The Gemini Visual Acuity Experiments
NASA astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. took 29 color photographs of the Earth with a 70mm camera as he orbited our planet during the Mercury-Atlas 9 mission in May 1963. Cooper’s view from the window of his Faith 7 spacecraft was spectacular, and he reported that he could see vehicles motoring on dirt roads, smoke-belching trains, and the tops of houses.
Researchers and members of the public had their doubts. Could Cooper actually see objects on the Earth’s surface in such fine detail while orbiting 100 miles above the planet? Some vision experts assumed that astronauts with 20/20 vision could not clearly see objects with sides less than 150 feet long at orbital altitudes. Although Cooper reportedly had exceptional 20/12 vision, certainly he could not see a white automobile kicking up a dust cloud near the U.S.-Mexico border as he claimed. Cooper, however, was not alone in his assertions. Other Mercury astronauts also reported seeing objects on the Earth in striking detail.
During his 22-orbit Mercury-Atlas 9 spaceflight in May 1963, L. Gordon Cooper Jr. took photos from the Faith 7 spacecraft including this one showing lakes in Western Tibet.NASAThese claims caused mental health professionals to question the sanity of NASA’s first astronauts. A story in Air Force and Space Digest noted that some psychiatrists speculated that “weightlessness was causing the astronauts to hallucinate and that the space program was in for serious trouble.” While mental health experts considered the effects of space flight on the brain, visual acuity experts mulled over the Mercury astronauts’ assertions and developed an experiment to determine what they could see on Earth from space.
Putting Astronaut Vision to the TestNASA and its partners developed two visual acuity experiments and conducted them during the crewed Gemini V and Gemini VII missions. The first experiment involved looking through an optical device reminiscent of binoculars. Test subjects looked through the eyepieces to see an assortment of rectangles in various positions and levels of contrast. They were then asked to identify the directional orientation of the rectangles.
Another part of the experiment involved creating two enormous terrestrial eye charts composed of gigantic white rectangles. The rectangles, created by the Dow Chemical Corporation, ranged in size from roughly 150 to 600 feet long. The experiment team placed one set of rectangles on dark tilled soil in Laredo, Texas and another near Carnarvon, Australia, and asked Gemini V and VII astronauts to identify their directional orientation from orbit. This visual acuity tool was nicknamed the “Eye-Q” chart.
In-Flight Vision Testing InstrumentDrawing illustrating a Gemini astronaut using the In-Flight Vision Tester.NASA Gemini V Visual Acuity ExperimentThis illustration shows the intended orientation of the Gemini spacecraft as it orbited over the “Eye-Q” ground observation sites.NASACloudy conditions, sunlight scattered by the window of the Gemini spacecraft, and unfavorable orbital orientations during overflight all impacted the astronauts’ views of the ground-based experiments. Nevertheless, during some orbital revolutions, astronauts on both missions were able to see portions of the ground site near Laredo.
Aerial view of the visual acuity experiment’s ground site in Laredo, Texas.NASATheir reports on the Laredo “Eye-Q” site, combined with the results of the binocular-like vision tester experiments conducted before, during, and after the flight, revealed that astronauts could in fact see roads and ships with following wakes from orbit. The experiments also determined that an astronaut’s vision did not deteriorate during a two-week spaceflight.1
Astronaut Frank Borman, Gemini VII command pilot, participates in a vision experiment using the in-flight visual acuity device during the two-week mission in December 1965.NASA ImplicationsDetermining what features on Earth astronauts could accurately see from orbit was about much more than sanity checking astronaut reports. Understanding what human eyes could see from space, as well as seeing the photographs taken on NASA’s early crewed missions had huge implications for geologists, geographers, oceanographers, and others studying our planet.
The scientific community’s interest in the recollections and photographs of the Earth’s surface as seen by the Mercury and Gemini astronauts motivated NASA and its partners to advocate for new Earth-observing instruments. NASA, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Office of Naval Research, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture noted that surface images of the Earth captured from above could be used to inventory crops, map geological features, monitor natural disasters, and better understand the ocean’s processes.
This photograph of the San Francisco Bay area of California was taken as part of the Skylab Earth Resources Experiment Package in January 1974.NASAThe promise of these real-world applications motivated the creation of the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS), later renamed Landsat 1. Launched by NASA in 1972, the data from Landsat 1’s camera and multi-spectral scanner were used along with data from the agency’s Earth Resources Aircraft Program to monitor the oceans, agricultural fields, natural disaster sites, and more.
In the six decades since America’s first pioneering human spaceflights, NASA has continued to observe the Earth from orbit, aircraft, and even ground level in a continuing quest to help solve problems here on Earth.
Note
[1] In subsequent years, scientists have documented that roughly 70% of astronauts experience Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS) during longer spaceflights.
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NASA Data Feeds River Forecasts as Snow Drought Effects Linger
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As the effects of the 2026 snow drought in the western United States carry into summer, NASA Earth data is feeding machine-learning forecasts that inform decisions about water, power, and public safety in Washington state.
Tacoma Power, a Washington public utility, is using a U.S. technology company’s river-flow forecasts during a year of water extremes on the Cowlitz River. The utility’s largest hydroelectric project uses water stored behind Mayfield and Mossyrock dams to generate enough electricity to serve more than 151,000 homes each year.
Upstream Tech’s HydroForecast combines weather forecasts and river measurements with NASA-produced satellite data on snow cover and vegetation conditions to predict river flow from hours to days ahead. Updated every two hours, the forecasts are used by reservoir managers, hydropower producers, water utilities, and government agencies to prepare for storms, plan reservoir water releases, and navigate dry periods.
“Part of NASA’s mission is to make the view from space useful on the ground,” said Erin Urquhart, manager for NASA’s Water Resources program at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. “When an American company incorporates NASA’s freely available data into forecasts that help water managers prepare for floods, generate power, and steward water supplies, that’s NASA delivering practical value to the nation.”
Year of water extremesDuring the winter of 2025-26, unusual warmth meant a larger share of precipitation fell as rain instead of snow across much of the West, while below-normal precipitation deepened deficits in some areas. January, February, and March each had the lowest Western snow cover for that month in the NASA MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) satellite record since 2001.
On the Cowlitz, those conditions produced a season of extremes. In December 2025, a powerful atmospheric river brought a long, narrow band of Pacific moisture into the region, causing one of the largest one-day inflow surges ever recorded at Tacoma Power’s hydroelectric project. Across the season, that rain-heavy pattern sent water downstream quickly instead of building mountain snowpack that would melt and release water steadily into summer. Snowpack remained at just 20% to 50% of normal levels.
As winter became spring, the rain tapered off, and on April 8, Washington state placed every watershed, including the Cowlitz, under a drought emergency. From April through June, peak daily inflow into the project was among the lowest on record, leaving Tacoma Power with less incoming water to replenish its reservoirs ahead of summer demand, said Saul Villarreal, Tacoma Power’s senior hydro operations manager.
Tacoma Power’s Mayfield Dam and powerhouse sit on the Cowlitz River in southwest Washington, where forecasts using NASA data support reservoir operations and hydropower generation.Tacoma Power, used with permission Turning satellite data into river forecastsNASA turns observations collected by the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instrument on the Suomi-NPP (Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership) satellite into data products that provide information about snow cover and vegetation greenness across entire watersheds, including where ground monitors are sparse.
To train HydroForecast, Upstream Tech collects and archives years of those NASA products alongside weather forecast data and actual river-flow measurements. Using records from hundreds of watersheds, the models learn common patterns in how water moves through the landscape and apply them in new locations.
Tests across multiple basins found that including snow and vegetation observations increased forecast skill, said Dr. Laura Read, director of technical and federal partnerships for HydroForecast at Upstream Tech. “NASA’s data gives us the reliability, global coverage, and consistency we need,” said Read. “Our short-term models run every two hours, so those inputs have to show up when we need them. Though we have stopgaps in place, any interruption to our operational pipeline is a huge deal.”
Tacoma Power uses HydroForecast alongside stream gauges, snow stations, and operator judgment. During the December storm, the NASA-informed, short-term forecast helped the utility anticipate how much water would reach the project and prepare for dynamic river conditions, while meeting operating requirements and keeping public safety at the forefront, Villarreal said.
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NASA’s GEOS (Goddard Earth Observing System) maps an atmospheric river, a ribbon of water vapor, before Washington’s January-April 2026 snow cover is compared with a historical median.NASA’s Scientific Visualization StudioAs spring approached, the operational challenge reversed. Tacoma Power used HydroForecast’s seasonal model to track the growing risk of weak runoff and began keeping its reservoirs higher than usual to preserve water for summer. That left less space to contain another large storm, so operators continued checking the short-term forecast “to play defense,” and remained ready to adjust operations if another atmospheric river developed.
“The earlier we understand how conditions might change, the more effective planning we can do to manage our reservoir and balance the many demands of our system throughout the season,” said Villarreal.
Tacoma Power entered summer 2026 with reservoir levels near average despite the dry spring. The stored water supports reliable hydropower, required river flows to support fish and aquatic habitat, and public recreation. It also gives the utility more flexibility to meet electricity demand during heat waves or unexpected outages and, when possible, support the wider regional power system.
From forecasts to drought assessmentsTacoma Public Utilities’ Cowlitz Hydro Project is just one example of NASA science supporting water decisions across the West.
NASA also has partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to bring satellite-based snow and groundwater information into machine-learning water-supply forecasts.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Colorado Basin River Forecast Center uses MODIS and VIIRS data to adjust snowmelt rates in its model. The Bureau of Reclamation uses NASA and NASA-derived snow data, alongside other sources, for reservoir operations in California’s San Joaquin Basin.
NASA data and research have long informed the U.S. Drought Monitor, the weekly assessment used by farmers, water managers, and public agencies. NASA became a formal partner in 2026, expanding its role from providing information to helping produce the assessment. The agency took its first turn authoring the Drought Monitor during the week of Aug. 17.
Discover more about NASA’s drought work About the AuthorEmily DeMarcoWriter/Editor (IV), Earth Science DivisionEmily is a science writer and editor with NASA’s Earth Science Division, with more than 10 years of experience in science journalism and communication. A former deputy news editor at the magazine Science News, she holds a master’s in environmental science and management from UC Santa Barbara’s Bren School, where she specialized in water resources management and science communication.
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APOD: 2026 August 20 – The Elephant’s Trunk in Cepheus
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
The Elephant’s Trunk in Cepheus
Explanation: Like an illustration in a galactic Just So Story, the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula winds through the emission region and young star cluster complex IC 1396, in the high and far off constellation of Cepheus. Also known as vdB 142, this cosmic elephant’s trunk is over 20 light-years long. The detailed telescopic view features the bright swept-back ridges and pockets of cool interstellar dust and gas that abound in the region. But the dark, tendril-shaped clouds contain the raw material for star formation and hide protostars within. Nearly 3,000 light-years distant, the relatively faint IC 1396 complex covers a large region on the sky, spanning over 5 degrees. Top to bottom this proboscidean-like rendition reaches across an almost 1 degree wide field of view, though. That’s a little less than the angular size of 2 full moons.
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NASA TechLeap Prize: Orbital Clarity Challenge
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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)The Orbital Clarity Challenge — the sixth in the NASA TechLeap Prize series — is a collaborative effort between NASA’s Heliophysics Division, Flight Opportunities program, and Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation. The Heliophysics Division studies space weather, including how it heats and expands Earth’s outer atmosphere during intense solar activity, creating orbital drag through atmospheric density changes. The challenge calls for low-cost methods of measuring thermospheric density, pressure, or drag in low Earth orbit. NASA is seeking approaches that are inexpensive and scalable enough to be produced in quantity and flown as hosted payloads across the commercial fleet. The challenge will unfold across three phases, advancing up to four winners’ concepts to a flight-ready solution within 12 months. At the conclusion of the challenge, NASA intends to offer each winning team a test flight at no cost.
Award: Up to four winners may receive up to $500,000 in prizes across three phases
Challenge Open Date: August 19, 2026
Phase 1 Registration Close Date: October 28, 2026
Phase 1 Submission Close: November 11, 2026
For more information, visit: https://occ.nasatechleap.org/
NASA Updates Next Steps for Commercial Swift Boost Mission
Due to an ongoing commercial spacecraft attitude control issue, NASA and Katalyst Space announced Wednesday the LINK spacecraft will not capture or boost an agency satellite to a higher altitude to extend its science mission as planned. However, LINK still will attempt to conduct rendezvous and proximity operations with NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to demonstrate key capabilities for the future of space exploration.
“NASA should be willing to move quickly and take smart risks when the potential return is worth it, and that is exactly what we did with this mission,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “This is not the outcome we were working toward, but it does not change why this mission was worth attempting. The team moved with extraordinary speed to give Swift a chance to carry out more science while advancing capabilities America will need for satellite servicing in the future. We are going to learn everything we can from LINK’s rendezvous attempt and put those lessons to work on the missions that follow.”
NASA and Katalyst are working closely to assess next steps for rendezvous and gather as much data as possible to inform future satellite servicing operations.
“We knew this was a high-risk, high-reward mission – a first-of-its kind attempt, developed on an unprecedented timeline driven by the Sun’s activity,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director, Astrophysics Division, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We were all hoping for more science from Swift. But we knew the takeaways from this mission would be worthwhile either way, and we have gained so much through the series of accomplishments up to this point.”
Without intervention, NASA anticipates Swift is likely to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere later this year. As part of the agency’s previous planning for Swift’s end of life, NASA will continue to prioritize finding new options to react rapidly to cosmic events, using current missions to help fill the gap in the meantime.
“Building, testing, and operating this mission has already strengthened America’s space industry pipeline, advancing in-space servicing capabilities in completely new ways,” Domagal-Goldman said. “NASA is committed to supporting our commercial vendors as they take on difficult tasks with the agency, to push the boundaries of what’s possible. We’re so proud of this team for: getting to the launch pad in record time, in a record-setting year for NASA astrophysics launches; its innovative problem-solving up to this point; and the dedication to the exciting capabilities this mission will attempt to demonstrate next.”
Swift was launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe, and other cosmic objects and events. It was designed for a two-year prime mission. After 21 years of science operations, Swift’s low Earth orbit began to rapidly decay because of increased solar activity. NASA used this opportunity to advance U.S. spacecraft servicing technology, awarding a contract to Katalyst in September 2025 to mount a robotic servicing mission for Swift in less than a year.
The LINK spacecraft launched July 3 on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket from Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific Ocean. Teams established communications with LINK and conducted in-orbit checkouts over the following weeks, before the spacecraft experienced attitude control issues.
Learn more from Katalyst, and monitor NASA’s Swift blog for continued updates throughout rendezvous:
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift
-end-
Alise Fisher
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2546
alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov
Human-Related Microbes May Survive Moon’s South Pole, NASA Finds
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Some of Earth’s microbes likely to hitch a ride to space with human explorers could survive in the shaded nooks and crannies of the Moon’s South Pole region, NASA scientists say.
Published on Aug. 19, 2026, in Science Advances, these findings highlight a need to better understand microbial persistence in extreme lunar environments. As humans build a permanent presence on the Moon, it may become difficult to distinguish ancient lunar chemistry from contamination delivered by visiting astronauts. The concern extends beyond the Moon and on to Mars, scientists say.
“Humans are natural explorers, and with them come their voices, their memories … and their microbes,” said Prabal Saxena, a planetary scientist who led the study from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “For some scientists, myself included, that reality can be unsettling. But it also creates an opportunity to turn an imperfect situation into a useful experiment.”
Bringing microbes along is unavoidable: Humans have, on average, 1 million bacteria living on each patch of skin the size of a pencil eraser, for example. These bacteria vent from spacesuits and habitats. Though the paper’s authors worry about contamination interfering with the search for chemical clues to ancient geology or biology, they also argue that the Moon should be used as a natural lab. In shaded areas around the South Pole, scientists could carefully test the real-life limits of microbial survival in an environment that can’t easily be reproduced on Earth.
The Apollo program landed six pairs of astronauts on the Moon between 1969 and 1972. All six landing sites are near the lunar equator. In this visualization, the Apollo sites are contrasted with the South Pole, an area with enormous potential for future exploration. Time passes as we zoom toward Shackleton crater at the South Pole, revealing illumination conditions quite different from those near the equator. While many craters remain in permanent shadow, some nearby mountains and ridges are in persistent sunshine, making them attractive candidates for solar power and long-term habitation.NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio/Ernie WrightBefore any surface science can happen, scientists need a baseline measurement of what contaminants humans bring, the authors say.
“We need to understand what was there before us, because when we go to Mars to search for signs of life beyond our planet, we will want to make sure it’s not stuff we brought,” said Andrew Needham, a NASA Goddard-based paper co-author who is an Artemis contamination‑control scientist for lunar samples.
Even with strict sterilization procedures, some organisms are stubbornly resilient. A good example is Aspergillus niger, which is a fungus that thrives in warm, damp places like household bathrooms and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Astronauts have sampled it inside the International Space Station, and experiments demonstrate that the fungus can survive outside the station as well. Aspergillus niger was one of five microbes, including bacteria and fungi, selected for this study because of its known toughness in spaceflight environments.
That microbes survived on the space station’s exterior surprised scientists. These species are typically not considered “extremophiles” that can withstand harsh conditions, such as the vacuum of space, according to Aaron Regberg, a geomicrobiologist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“I would have expected these microbes to have dried out,” said Regberg, who studies space station bacteria and was a co-author on the paper.
NASA astronaut Kate Rubins on Oct. 14, 2016, collecting microbes in the Japanese Experiment Module aboard the International Space Station.JAXA/Takuya OnishiHe pointed out that NASA often bakes robotic spacecraft at temperatures above 400 degrees Fahrenheit to reduce the number of living organisms on them. But that’s not possible with astronauts, so contamination concerns take on new meaning in crewed exploration of the Moon’s south polar environment.
A clearer picture of where microbes might survive comes from understanding how sunlight behaves at the poles. Survival in this study means the microbe can stay alive for at least one Earth day, which does not mean that it can grow and reproduce.
Because the Moon has a very small tilt on its axis, the view from its poles is of a Sun that appears to hover just above the horizon, skimming the surface like a flashlight laying on a table. As a result, elevated parts of the surface, including crater ridges, mountains, and even small bumps, block light from reaching low-lying terrain. This produces pockets of shadowed areas that can remain cold and preserve water, as well as shield fragile molecules and possible microorganisms from lethal radiation.
With that scientific context in mind, the team set out to test which Earth microbes could survive extreme polar conditions. They focused on organisms commonly found in spaceflight environments and those common on human skin. Besides Aspergillus niger, these included Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Deinococcus radiodurans, and several species of Fusarium. Based on an analysis of previous studies, the scientists noted the maximum amount of heat and ultraviolet (UV) radiation each organism can withstand.
Then, the organisms were tested in simulations of three regions near the lunar South Pole — Nobile Rim, Connecting Ridge, and De Gerlache Rim. Those simulations used detailed environmental maps built from elevation and temperature data collected by instruments aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, combined with models of how radiation strikes the surface.
The models showed maps of “survivable niches” that range in size from a miles-wide crater floor to an astronaut’s boot print. Aspergillus niger, which was most resistant to UV radiation, was able to survive even in areas with some sunlight exposure. UV radiation is so deadly to most microbes that it’s used for sterilization in hospitals.
“When we think of the Moon, we don’t typically think of biology,” said Heather Graham, a paper co-author at NASA Goddard who helps develop tools and techniques for detecting biology that may look nothing like Earth’s. “But the Moon is a place where a cell can survive, so our first exploration of these sites should pay extra attention to our microbial hitchhikers and work hard to characterize lunar chemistry before our visits change what we will find.”
The authors note that while some microbes can survive in a dormant state in regions around the South Pole, and thereby confuse some future scientific investigations, there is no evidence the Moon has key ingredients to sustain growth and replication. Such ingredients include liquid water, which typically requires an atmosphere and moderate temperatures.
For more information, visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/astrobiology
Learn More and Get Involved International Observe the Moon Night, Sept. 19, 2026Each year, observers around the world come together to celebrate Earth’s Moon through direct observations, hands-on activities, lunar-themed music, artwork, readings, and more.
The MoonFrom lighting up our skies to preserving evidence of our solar system’s history, Earth’s closest neighbor plays a pivotal role in the study of our planet and beyond.
About the AuthorLonnie ShekhtmanSenior Science WriterShekhtman helps communicate NASA planetary science to the world through news and feature stories on NASA.gov, videos for NASA+ and YouTube, and by working with the media. She reports on lunar and Mars science and exploration; NASA’s search for life; missions to Venus, Titan, and Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids; and many other topics related to NASA’s exploration of our solar system and beyond.
Ancient Milky Way Merger
This artist’s concept, released on Aug. 17, 2026, depicts a collision between our Milky Way galaxy and a dwarf galaxy known as LKH that happened about 12 billion years ago. A study of data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, recently published in the journal Nature Astronomy, shows definitive evidence of a dwarf galaxy merging with the young Milky Way galaxy in the earliest phases of its evolution. This finding extends our knowledge of our galaxy’s history 1.8 billion years further back in time than before.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)
NASA Establishes State Hubs to Grow Technical Aerospace Workforce
NASA has awarded approximately $10.5 million to seven institutions to help strengthen and streamline state-based pathways for students into skilled technical jobs in the aerospace industry.
The awards were made through the new NASA Aerospace Skilled Technical Workforce Hubs initiative, or NASA State Hubs. This investment in state ecosystems is designed to accelerate the development of technical roles to meet the talent demands of the space industry.
“The need for technical talent is already urgent and will only continue to grow as we return humanity to the Moon and set our sights on Mars and beyond,” said Elaine Ho, associate administrator for the Office of STEM Engagement at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “NASA is uniquely positioned to be the catalyst and convener that accelerates America’s aerospace workforce development and fosters the next generation of technicians.”
The newly awarded NASA State Hubs, represented across seven states, will function as strategic conveners that align industry employers, community colleges, high school career and technical education programs, and workforce systems to facilitate bringing students into high‑demand technical jobs, including welders, electricians, machinists, and other highly trained workers who use advanced STEM knowledge and technical skills in their occupations.
Over the next three years, the selected organizations will create programs that build critical skills identified by industry leaders, illuminate career pathways through education and apprenticeships, and build connections between employers and job seekers.
The awarded organizations are:
- Antelope Valley Community College District in Lancaster, California
- Georgia Tech Research Corporation
- Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
- Southern Utah University
- Space Florida
- State Board for Community Colleges and Occupation Education, Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colorado
- Texas Space Commission
NASA State Hubs cooperative agreements are funded by the Office of STEM Engagement through its Next Gen STEM Project. The Office of STEM Engagement advances NASA’s mission by boosting the nation’s research capacity, building technical expertise, and strengthening participation in aerospace fields. The Next Gen STEM project extends this impact by preparing high school and community college students for future aerospace careers through strategic partnerships and competitive awards that develop the vital skills needed to power our Golden Age of exploration and innovation.
For more information on NASA State Hubs, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/nasa-state-hubs
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Gerelle Dodson
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov
Career Spotlight: Mechanic (Ages 14-18)
Machines and engines are all around us. They power everything from cars and boats to airplanes and even rockets. Mechanics are experts who know how machinery works, especially engines, and how to fix them.
When you think of a mechanic, you might picture someone working on cars. But mechanics can be experts on all kinds of machinery.
What are some of the different types of work mechanics do at NASA?At NASA, mechanics perform a variety of functions. For example, aerospace mechanics maintain the airplanes studied at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. These might include research planes studying the environment or experimental aircraft testing new wing designs.
At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, mechanics keep machines like the crawler-transporters in top working condition. These massive machines carry rockets from the building where they are assembled to the launch pad.
Mechanics at the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans ensure the fleet of barges used to carry powerful rocket sections are maintained and ready to use. These large ships have been used for decades to carry rocket parts to various NASA centers for testing and launches.
Mechanics from Aerojet Rocketdyne inspect the engine controller of an RS-25 rocket engine at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.NASA How can I become a mechanic?There are many options that provide the training needed to get started as a mechanic. Different types of mechanics require different types of training and certifications. Here are a few examples.
Automotive mechanic: Automotive mechanics are experts at the interconnected systems in cars and trucks. After getting a high school diploma or GED, seek out trade or technical schools that have mechanic training programs. These provide hands-on experience. Further training may be required to work on specific types of automobiles. Certifications can help you advance specific skills and demonstrate proficiency.
Heavy equipment mechanic: The path to a career as a heavy equipment mechanic often begins with a two-year degree. Look for a program at your local community college or technical school. Opportunities to begin working right after high school are also available. You may start by doing basic tasks or by being paired with a senior mechanic to build skills. Most heavy equipment mechanics go through three to four years of hands-on training before taking certification and licensing tests.
Aircraft mechanic: Maintaining and repairing aircraft requires a special skillset. Community colleges and technical schools offer programs approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. These programs can fast-track your route to a career. They provide hands-on experience and help you prepare for tests needed to receive your certifications.
For many mechanic roles, military service is also a way to get training and certifications.
How can I start preparing today to become a mechanic?In high school, take courses in math, science, and industrial technology. Check out any career and technical education programs your school might offer. Read repair manuals and look for online tutorials to figure out the basics of how machines work.
You can also gain useful experience through part-time work. Look for jobs or shadowing opportunities at your local repair shop.
Begin researching training programs, community colleges, and apprenticeship opportunities. Compare options to see which pathway seems right for you. This will help you understand program requirements and ensure you’re ready to take the next step.
Rebekah Tolatovicz, a mechanical technician lead, works inside the Artemis III Orion crew module NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.NASA What skills will I need to be a successful mechanic?Mechanics must be good problem solvers. Troubleshooting repairs on complex machinery requires logical thinking and patience. Being detail-oriented is critical to make sure measurements are correct and safety specifications are met.
Keeping up with the latest technology is important, too. Mechanics use computer equipment and electronic sensors to run diagnostics. And machinery technology can evolve rapidly with new advancements like electric vehicles and drones. Take initiative and stay curious.
Wissam Habbal
Aircraft Mechanic, Armstrong Flight Research Center
Additional Resources- Occupational Outlook for Mechanical Engineering Technicians: Pay, Education, Job Outlook, and More (From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Occupational Outlook for Aircraft Mechanics: Pay, Education, Job Outlook, and More (From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
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