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NASA Science Activation Teams Unite to Support Neurodiverse Learners with Public Libraries

On July 16, 2025, more than 400 public library staff from across the United States joined a powerful webinar, Serving Neurodiverse Library Patrons and Colleagues, hosted by two NASA Science Activation program teams: NASA@ My Library and NASA’s Neurodiversity Network (N3). The event brought together researchers, library professionals, and individuals with lived experience of neurodiversity to share insights and best practices for creating more inclusive and supportive environments in libraries.

Designed to equip library staff with tools and awareness, this interactive webinar explored how libraries can better serve neurodiverse patrons, such as those with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and other cognitive variations, while also supporting neurodiverse colleagues. Breakout rooms allowed participants to dive deeper into specific topics, including accessible program facilitation, supporting neurodiverse colleagues, and an “Ask Me Anything” space that encouraged open dialogue and learning.

Library staff everywhere are invited to watch the recorded webinar on YouTube and learn more about serving neurodiverse patrons and colleagues.

The collaboration between NASA@ My Library (led by the Space Science Institute), and NASA’s Neurodiversity Network (N3) (led by Sonoma State University), reflects a shared commitment to broadening participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). NASA@ My Library works with public libraries nationwide to engage diverse communities in NASA science and discoveries. N3 focuses on empowering neurodiverse learners – particularly those in high school – with opportunities to engage with NASA science and explore potential STEM career pathways.

Participants left inspired, and the demand for more is clear: attendees and speakers alike expressed interest in continuing the conversation, requesting additional training, and expressing interest in organizing a future conference centered on neurodiversity and inclusion in libraries.

Youth Services Librarian and webinar panelist Molly Creveling shared, “This was such a great opportunity, and I’m extremely proud to have been able to contribute to it, I wish I was able to attend everyone’s break out room!” And participant Jason Wood expressed in the chat, “Really, really appreciate this webinar. This is one of those days I am extra proud to be a librarian. Thank you all.” Another enthusiast participant said, “This was the best webinar I’ve attended in years…more of this!”

Watch the recorded webinar.

As NASA continues to reach for the stars, it’s equally committed to ensuring that the journey is accessible to all – especially those whose unique ways of thinking and learning bring fresh perspectives to science, exploration, and discovery.

NASA@ My Library and N3, supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award numbers NNX16AE30A and  80NSSC21M0004, are part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn

Presenters included staff from NASA’s Neurodiversity Network, NASA@ My Library, Education Development Center, and the Lunar and Planetary Institute. Share

Details Last Updated Aug 05, 2025 EditorNASA Science Editorial Team Related Terms

• Opportunities For Educators to Get Involved
• Science Activation

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Software designed to give spacecraft more autonomy could support a future where swarms of satellites navigate and complete scientific objectives with limited human intervention.

Caleb Adams, Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy project manager, monitors testing alongside the test racks containing 100 spacecraft computers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. The DSA project develops and demonstrates software to enhance multi-spacecraft mission adaptability, efficiently allocate tasks between spacecraft using ad-hoc networking, and enable human-swarm commanding of distributed space missions. Credit: NASA/Brandon Torres Navarrete

Astronauts living and working on the Moon and Mars will rely on satellites to provide services like navigation, weather, and communications relays. While managing complex missions, automating satellite communications will allow explorers to focus on critical tasks instead of manually operating satellites.  

Long duration space missions will require teaming between systems on Earth and other planets. Satellites orbiting the Moon, Mars, or other distant areas face communications delays with ground operators which could limit the efficiency of their missions.  

The solution lies within the Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy (DSA) project, led by NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, which tests how shared autonomy across distributed spacecraft missions makes spacecraft swarms more capable of self-sufficient research and maintenance by making decisions and adapting to changes with less human intervention. 

Adding autonomy to satellites makes them capable of providing services without waiting for commands from ground operators. Distributing the autonomy across multiple satellites, operating like a swarm, gives the spacecraft a “shared brain” to accomplish goals they couldn’t achieve alone. 

The DSA software, built by NASA researchers, provides the swarm with a task list, and shares each spacecraft’s distinct perspective – what it can observe, what its priorities are – and integrates those perspectives into the best plan of action for the whole swarm. That plan is supported by decision trees and mathematical models that help the swarm decide what action to take after a command is completed, how to respond to a change, or address a problem. 

Sharing the Workload

The first in-space demonstration of DSA began onboard the Starling spacecraft swarm, a group of four small satellites, demonstrating various swarm technologies. Operating since July 2023, the Starling mission continues providing a testing and validation platform for autonomous swarm operations. The swarm first used DSA to optimize scientific observations, deciding what to observe without pre-programmed instructions. These autonomous observations led to measurements that could have been missed if an operator had to individually instruct each satellite. 

The Starling swarm measured the electron content of plasma between each spacecraft and GPS satellites to capture rapidly changing phenomena in Earth’s ionosphere – where Earth’s atmosphere meets space. The DSA software allowed the swarm to independently decide what to study and how to spread the workload across the four spacecraft. 

Because each Starling spacecraft operates as an independent member within the swarm, if one swarm member was unable to accomplish its work, the other three swarm members could react and complete the mission’s goals. 

The Starling 1.0 demonstration achieved several firsts, including the first fully distributed autonomous operation of multiple spacecraft, the first use of space-to-space communications to autonomously share status information between multiple spacecraft, the first demonstration of fully distributed reactive operations onboard multiple spacecraft, the first use of a general-purpose automated reasoning system onboard a spacecraft, and the first use of fully distributed automated planning onboard multiple spacecraft. These achievements laid the groundwork for Starling 1.5+, an ongoing continuation of the satellite swarm’s mission using DSA.  

Advanced testing of DSA onboard Starling shows that distributed autonomy in spacecraft swarms can improve efficiencies while reducing the workload on human operators.Credit: NASA/Daniel Rutter A Helping Hand in Orbit 

After DSA’s successful demonstration on Starling 1.0, the team began exploring additional opportunities to use the software to support satellite swarm health and efficiency. Continued testing of DSA on Starling’s extended mission included PLEXIL (Plan Execution Interchange Language), a NASA-developed programming language designed for reliable and flexible automation of complex spacecraft operations. 

Onboard Starling, the PLEXIL application demonstrated autonomous maintenance, allowing the swarm to manage normal spacecraft operations, correct issues, or distribute software updates across individual spacecraft.  

Enhanced autonomy makes swarm operation in deep space feasible – instead of requiring spacecraft to communicate back and forth between their distant location and Earth, which can take minutes or hours depending on distance, the PLEXIL-enabled DSA software gives the swarm the ability to make decisions collaboratively to optimize their mission and reduce workloads. 

Simulated Lunar Swarming 

To understand the scalability of DSA, the team used ground-based flight computers to simulate a lunar swarm of virtual small spacecraft. The computers simulated a swarm that provides position, navigation, and timing services on the Moon, similar to GPS services on Earth, which rely on a network of satellites to pinpoint locations. 

The DSA team ran nearly one hundred tests over two years, demonstrating swarms of different sizes at high and low lunar orbits. The lessons learned from those early tests laid the groundwork for additional scalability studies. The second round of testing, set to begin in 2026, will demonstrate even larger swarms, using flight computers that could later go into orbit with DSA software onboard. 

The Future of Spacecraft Swarms 

Orbital and simulated tests of DSA are a launchpad to increased use of distributed autonomy across spacecraft swarms. Developing and proving these technologies increases efficiency, decreases costs, and enhances NASA’s capabilities opening the door to autonomous spacecraft swarms supporting missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.  

Milestones:

• October 2018: DSA project development begins.
• April 2020: Lunar position, navigation, and timing (LPNT) simulation demonstration development begins.
• July 2023: DSA launches onboard the Starling spacecraft swarm.
• March 2024: DSA experiments onboard Starling reach the necessary criteria for success.
• July 2024: DSA software development begins for the Starling 1.5+ mission extension.
• September 2024: LPNT simulation demonstration concludes successfully.
• October 2024: DSA’s extended mission as part of Starling 1.5+ begins.

Partners:

NASA Ames leads the Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy and Starling projects. NASA’s Game Changing Development program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate provided funding for the DSA experiment. NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate funds and manages the Starling mission and the DSA project.  

Learn More:

• Satellite Swarms for Science ‘Grow up’ at NASA Ames (NASA Story, June 2023)
• NASA’s Starling Mission Sending Swarm of Satellites into Orbit (NASA Story, July 2023)
• Swarming for Success: Starling Completes Primary Mission (NASA Story, May 2024)
• NASA Demonstrates Software ‘Brains’ Shared Across Satellite Swarms (NASA Story, February 2025)

For researchers:

• Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy Mission Page
• Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy TechPort Project Page
• Starling Mission Page

For media:

Members of the news media interested in covering this topic should reach out to the NASA Ames newsroom.

Software designed to give spacecraft more autonomy could support a future where swarms of satellites navigate and complete scientific objectives with limited human intervention.

Caleb Adams, Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy project manager, monitors testing alongside the test racks containing 100 spacecraft computers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. The DSA project develops and demonstrates software to enhance multi-spacecraft mission adaptability, efficiently allocate tasks between spacecraft using ad-hoc networking, and enable human-swarm commanding of distributed space missions. Credit: NASA/Brandon Torres Navarrete

Astronauts living and working on the Moon and Mars will rely on satellites to provide services like navigation, weather, and communications relays. While managing complex missions, automating satellite communications will allow explorers to focus on critical tasks instead of manually operating satellites.  

Long duration space missions will require teaming between systems on Earth and other planets. Satellites orbiting the Moon, Mars, or other distant areas face communications delays with ground operators which could limit the efficiency of their missions.  

The solution lies within the Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy (DSA) project, led by NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, which tests how shared autonomy across distributed spacecraft missions makes spacecraft swarms more capable of self-sufficient research and maintenance by making decisions and adapting to changes with less human intervention. 

Adding autonomy to satellites makes them capable of providing services without waiting for commands from ground operators. Distributing the autonomy across multiple satellites, operating like a swarm, gives the spacecraft a “shared brain” to accomplish goals they couldn’t achieve alone. 

The DSA software, built by NASA researchers, provides the swarm with a task list, and shares each spacecraft’s distinct perspective – what it can observe, what its priorities are – and integrates those perspectives into the best plan of action for the whole swarm. That plan is supported by decision trees and mathematical models that help the swarm decide what action to take after a command is completed, how to respond to a change, or address a problem. 

Sharing the Workload

The first in-space demonstration of DSA began onboard the Starling spacecraft swarm, a group of four small satellites, demonstrating various swarm technologies. Operating since July 2023, the Starling mission continues providing a testing and validation platform for autonomous swarm operations. The swarm first used DSA to optimize scientific observations, deciding what to observe without pre-programmed instructions. These autonomous observations led to measurements that could have been missed if an operator had to individually instruct each satellite. 

The Starling swarm measured the electron content of plasma between each spacecraft and GPS satellites to capture rapidly changing phenomena in Earth’s ionosphere – where Earth’s atmosphere meets space. The DSA software allowed the swarm to independently decide what to study and how to spread the workload across the four spacecraft. 

Because each Starling spacecraft operates as an independent member within the swarm, if one swarm member was unable to accomplish its work, the other three swarm members could react and complete the mission’s goals. 

The Starling 1.0 demonstration achieved several firsts, including the first fully distributed autonomous operation of multiple spacecraft, the first use of space-to-space communications to autonomously share status information between multiple spacecraft, the first demonstration of fully distributed reactive operations onboard multiple spacecraft, the first use of a general-purpose automated reasoning system onboard a spacecraft, and the first use of fully distributed automated planning onboard multiple spacecraft. These achievements laid the groundwork for Starling 1.5+, an ongoing continuation of the satellite swarm’s mission using DSA.  

Advanced testing of DSA onboard Starling shows that distributed autonomy in spacecraft swarms can improve efficiencies while reducing the workload on human operators.Credit: NASA/Daniel Rutter A Helping Hand in Orbit 

After DSA’s successful demonstration on Starling 1.0, the team began exploring additional opportunities to use the software to support satellite swarm health and efficiency. Continued testing of DSA on Starling’s extended mission included PLEXIL (Plan Execution Interchange Language), a NASA-developed programming language designed for reliable and flexible automation of complex spacecraft operations. 

Onboard Starling, the PLEXIL application demonstrated autonomous maintenance, allowing the swarm to manage normal spacecraft operations, correct issues, or distribute software updates across individual spacecraft.  

Enhanced autonomy makes swarm operation in deep space feasible – instead of requiring spacecraft to communicate back and forth between their distant location and Earth, which can take minutes or hours depending on distance, the PLEXIL-enabled DSA software gives the swarm the ability to make decisions collaboratively to optimize their mission and reduce workloads. 

Simulated Lunar Swarming 

To understand the scalability of DSA, the team used ground-based flight computers to simulate a lunar swarm of virtual small spacecraft. The computers simulated a swarm that provides position, navigation, and timing services on the Moon, similar to GPS services on Earth, which rely on a network of satellites to pinpoint locations. 

The DSA team ran nearly one hundred tests over two years, demonstrating swarms of different sizes at high and low lunar orbits. The lessons learned from those early tests laid the groundwork for additional scalability studies. The second round of testing, set to begin in 2026, will demonstrate even larger swarms, using flight computers that could later go into orbit with DSA software onboard. 

The Future of Spacecraft Swarms 

Orbital and simulated tests of DSA are a launchpad to increased use of distributed autonomy across spacecraft swarms. Developing and proving these technologies increases efficiency, decreases costs, and enhances NASA’s capabilities opening the door to autonomous spacecraft swarms supporting missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.  

Milestones:

• October 2018: DSA project development begins.
• April 2020: Lunar position, navigation, and timing (LPNT) simulation demonstration development begins.
• July 2023: DSA launches onboard the Starling spacecraft swarm.
• March 2024: DSA experiments onboard Starling reach the necessary criteria for success.
• July 2024: DSA software development begins for the Starling 1.5+ mission extension.
• September 2024: LPNT simulation demonstration concludes successfully.
• October 2024: DSA’s extended mission as part of Starling 1.5+ begins.

Partners:

NASA Ames leads the Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy and Starling projects. NASA’s Game Changing Development program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate provided funding for the DSA experiment. NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate funds and manages the Starling mission and the DSA project.  

Learn More:

• Satellite Swarms for Science ‘Grow up’ at NASA Ames (NASA Story, June 2023)
• NASA’s Starling Mission Sending Swarm of Satellites into Orbit (NASA Story, July 2023)
• Swarming for Success: Starling Completes Primary Mission (NASA Story, May 2024)
• NASA Demonstrates Software ‘Brains’ Shared Across Satellite Swarms (NASA Story, February 2025)

For researchers:

• Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy Mission Page
• Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy TechPort Project Page
• Starling Mission Page

For media:

Members of the news media interested in covering this topic should reach out to the NASA Ames newsroom.

August 5, 2025

Science Observations Remain Paused for NASA’s NICER Telescope

Science operations by NASA’s NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer), an X-ray telescope on the International Space Station, remain paused as the team continues to evaluate the telescope’s systems after an issue developed with one of its motors. The motor is unable to move NICER beyond its current position side to side, and the telescope’s status has not changed since operations were halted June 17.

The primary goal is to move NICER into its stowed configuration in case it needs to accommodate space station activities, though the current placement does not pose a safety issue to the station or crew. The team currently does not have a timeframe for returning to science operations.

Photos taken by robotic cameras outside the station are helping eliminate external causes for the issue. Now the team is coordinating with space station personnel to perform troubleshooting maneuvers and determine potential causes within the payload.  

Since it began observing the X-ray universe in 2017, NICER has successfully demonstrated a form of deep space navigation that could be used for travel to Mars and beyond.

Designed for a prime mission of 18 months and now in its eighth year of operations, NICER has made groundbreaking measurements of neutron stars, which contain the densest matter in the universe that we can measure, and revolutionized our understanding of black holes, active galaxies, and other mysterious phenomena in our universe. Technology developed to test NICER before launch is being incorporated into prototype portable CT scanners, communications systems, and several other applications on Earth for the benefit of all.

June 24, 2025

NASA’s NICER Telescope Suspends Science Operations

NASA’s NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer), an X-ray telescope on the International Space Station, has paused observations due to a problem with one of the motors that drives its ability to track cosmic objects.

The NICER team paused operations June 17 when performance degradation in the motor began affecting science observations. Engineers are investigating the cause and potential solutions.

The telescope was installed near the space station’s starboard solar array in 2017. The NICER mission has successfully demonstrated a form of deep space navigation that could be used for travel to Mars and beyond. It has also made groundbreaking measurements of neutron stars, which contain the densest matter in the universe that we can measure, and revolutionized our understanding of black holes, active galaxies, and other mysterious phenomena in our universe.

April 17, 2025

Following Repair, NASA’s NICER Improves Daytime Measurements

A NASA X-ray telescope on the International Space Station called NICER, or Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer, has regained additional daytime observation capabilities thanks to repairs completed during a spacewalk and a reconfiguration of its detectors.

In May 2023, NICER developed a light leak in which unwanted sunlight began entering the instrument. Photos taken from inside the space station revealed several small areas of damage to the telescope’s thin thermal shields, which block sunlight while allowing X-rays through to the detectors. Nighttime observations were unaffected, and with operational adjustments, the NICER team was able to recover about 20% of station daytime observations.

In January, NASA astronaut Nick Hague installed nine patches to cover the largest areas of damage during a spacewalk. After resuming science operations, the NICER team determined the overall level of sunlight inside NICER had substantially reduced. Still, it experienced more visible-light interference than expected.

The NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) X-ray telescope is reflected on NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 flight engineer Nick Hague’s spacesuit helmet visor in this high-flying “space-selfie” taken during a spacewalk on Jan. 16, 2025. NASA/Nick Hague

Close-up, high-resolution photos from the spacewalk allowed the team to see additional small holes and cracks in the thermal shields that were not previously visible. These accounted for the remaining sunlight intrusion.

After further analysis, the NICER team developed a novel approach to regaining additional daytime data collection.

Each X-ray that hits a NICER detector generates electrical charge that is sensed by a measurement/power unit (MPU). After so many hits, the detector resets — like emptying a cup before it overflows.

Sunlight can also create charge that accumulates in the detector, adding water to the metaphorical cup. There was so much sunlight entering NICER that the detectors were filling up with charge and resetting thousands of times for every X-ray detection. It overwhelmed the MPU’s ability to process the valid X-ray events.

Hague’s repair in January reduced the amount of sunlight entering NICER, which enabled the team to reconfigure the MPUs to ignore the sunlight-generated resets. After initial testing on the ground, the team updated one MPU before switching all seven. The changeover was completed March 12.

In combination with the patches, the reconfiguration has allowed NICER to return to collecting observations during more than 70% of station daytime, as the telescope continues to help us better understand the X-ray universe, including neutron stars, black holes, and other energetic phenomena. The team continues to look for more opportunities to improve NICER’s operations.

Jan. 24, 2025

NASA’s NICER Continues Science Operations Post Repair

NASA crew aboard the International Space Station installed patches to the agency’s NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) mission during a spacewalk on Jan. 16. NICER, an X-ray telescope perched near the station’s starboard solar array, resumed science operations later the same day.

The patches cover areas of NICER’s thermal shields where damage was discovered in May 2023. These thin filters block sunlight while allowing X-rays to pass through. After the discovery, the NICER team restricted their observations during the station’s daytime to avoid overwhelming the mission’s sensitive detectors. Nighttime observations were unaffected, and the team was able to continue collecting data for the science community to make groundbreaking measurements using the instrument’s full capabilities.

The repair went according to plan. Data since collected shows the detectors behind the patched areas are performing better than before during station night, and the overall level of sunlight inside NICER during the daytime is reduced substantially.

While NICER experiences less interference from sunlight than before, after analyzing initial data, the team has determined the telescope still experiences more interference than expected. The installed patches cover areas of known damage identified using astronomical observations and from photos taken by both external robotic cameras and astronauts inside the space station. Measurements collected since the repair and close-up, high-resolution photos obtained during the spacewalk are providing new information that may point the way toward further daytime data collection.

In the meantime, NICER continues operations with its full measurement capabilities during orbit night to enable further trailblazing discoveries in time domain and multimessenger astrophysics.

June 8, 2023

Sunlight ‘Leak’ Impacting NASA’s NICER Telescope, Science Continues

On Tuesday, May 22, NASA’s NICER (Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer), an X-ray telescope on the International Space Station, developed a “light leak,” in which unwanted sunlight enters the instrument. While analyzing incoming data since then, the team identified an impact to daytime observations. Nighttime observations seem to be unaffected.

The team suspects that at least one of the thin thermal shields on NICER’s 56 X-ray Concentrators has been damaged, allowing sunlight to reach its sensitive detectors.

To mitigate the effects on measurements, the NICER team has limited daytime observations to objects far away from the Sun’s position in the sky. The team has also updated commands to NICER that automatically lower its sensitivity during the orbital day to reduce the effects from sunlight contamination. The team is evaluating these changes and assessing additional measures to reduce the impact on science observations.

To date, more than 300 scientific papers have used NICER observations, and the team is confident that NICER will continue to produce world-class science.

Media contacts

Alise Fisher
202-358-2546
alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov
NASA Headquarters, Washington

Claire Andreoli
301-286-1940
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

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Details Last Updated Aug 05, 2025 Related Terms

• International Space Station (ISS)
• Active Galaxies
• Astrophysics
• Black Holes
• Galaxies
• Galaxies, Stars, & Black Holes Research
• Goddard Space Flight Center
• ISS Research
• Neutron Stars
• NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer)
• Pulsars
• Science & Research
• Stars
• The Universe

Increasing evidence suggests chronic constipation can be a causal factor in illnesses including cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairment. So what can you do to get moving again?

Increasing evidence suggests chronic constipation can be a causal factor in illnesses including cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairment. So what can you do to get moving again?

Venus and Jupiter meet in the morning sky on Aug. 12. Catch their dazzling conjunction just before sunrise with the crescent moon joining later!

NASA/Robert Markowitz

Second Lady Usha Vance and NASA astronaut Suni Williams listen to the audience in this image from Aug. 4, 2025. Ms. Vance joined Williams at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for a summer reading challenge event, through which the Second Lady encourages youth to seek adventure, imagination, and discovery between the pages of a book.

Image credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

NASA

Second Lady Usha Vance and NASA Astronaut Suni Williams listen to the audience in this image from Aug. 4, 2025. Ms. Vance joined Williams at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for a summer reading challenge event, through which the Second Lady encourages youth to seek adventure, imagination, and discovery between the pages of a book.

Image credit: NASA

Second Lady Usha Vance hosted a special Summer Reading Challenge event at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Aug. 4, 2025. She was joined by NASA astronaut Suni Williams to read a space-themed book to children in grades K-8 as part of her initiative to promote literacy.

Even today, the names of women in astronomy are not as well known as they should be.

The post Honoring the Women of Astronomy appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Spurred by competition from China and Russia, the Trump administration is pushing for nuclear power on the moon by 2030