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What powers this unusual nebula?

This infrared view of Jupiter by Webb is illuminating.

Apollo 14's Lunar Module Antares

These cosmic clouds have blossomed 1,300 light-years away

The dark-floored, 95 kilometer wide crater Plato and sunlit peaks of the

The Whirlpool Galaxy is a classic spiral galaxy.

The strangest moon in the

How can scientists estimate the pH level of Enceladus’ subsurface ocean without landing on its surface? This is what a recently submitted study hopes to address as a team of scientists from Japan investigated new methods for sampling the plumes of Enceladus and provide more accurate measurements of its pH levels. This study has the potential to help scientists better understand the subsurface ocean conditions on Enceladus and whether it’s suitable for life as we know it.

Humpback whales off the west coast of Canada have learned a cooperative hunting technique from whales migrating into the area, and this cultural knowledge may help the population cope as food becomes scarce

Humpback whales off the west coast of Canada have learned a cooperative hunting technique from whales migrating into the area, and this cultural knowledge may help the population cope as food becomes scarce

People who combine different types of exercise - such as running, cycling and swimming - seem to live longer than those with less varied workouts

People who combine different types of exercise - such as running, cycling and swimming - seem to live longer than those with less varied workouts

Newly developing stars shrouded in thick dust get their first baby pictures in these images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble took these infant star snapshots in an effort to learn how massive stars form. Protostars are shrouded in thick dust that blocks light, but Hubble can detect the near-infrared emission that shines through holes carved in the gas by the young stars themselves.

Congress has rejected a draconian budget request, passing a bill that funds the space agency similarly to 2025.

The post NASA’s Budget Woes Are Over, For Now appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Image credit: HeroX

NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI) assists in the use of crowdsourcing across the federal government. CoECI’s NASA Tournament Lab offers the contract capability to run external crowdsourced challenges on behalf of NASA and other agencies.

The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces the “Supplements, Facts First: A Digital Adventure for Every Age” challenge. This competition aims to catalyze innovative multimedia strategies to transform static dietary supplement fact sheets into engaging digital experiences. It addresses a critical gap between authoritative supplement information and meaningful public engagement by incentivizing teams to develop prototypes that target the following modalities: 

• Behavior Change and Health Information Apps
• Social Media Content
• AI-Enabled Tools
• Serialized Video & Broadcast Content
• Other Technology

Award: $869,000 in total prizes

Open Date: January 20, 2026

Close Date: April 6, 2026

For more information, visit: https://www.herox.com/SupplementsFactsFirst/

5 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft flies above Palmdale and Edwards, California, during its first flight Oct. 28, 2025, accompanied by a NASA F/A-18 research aircraft serving as chase.NASA/Jim Ross

As NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft continues a series of flight tests over the California high desert in 2026, its pilot will be flying with a buddy closely looking out for his safety. 

That colleague will be another test pilot in a separate chase aircraft. His job as chase pilot: keep a careful watch on things as he tracks the X-59 through the sky, providing an extra set of eyes to help ensure the flight tests are as safe as possible. 

Having a chase pilot watch to make sure operations are going smoothly is an essential task when an experimental aircraft is exercising its capabilities for the first time. The chase pilot also takes on tasks like monitoring local weather and supplementing communications between the X-59 and air traffic control. 

“All this helps reduce the test pilot’s workload so he can concentrate on the actual test mission,” said Jim “Clue” Less, a NASA research pilot since 2010 and 21-year veteran U.S. Air Force flyer. 

Less served as chase pilot in a NASA F/A-18 research jet when NASA test pilot Nils Larson made the X-59’s first flight on Oct. 28. Going forward, Less and Larson will take turns flying as X-59 test pilot or chase pilot. 

NASA pilots Jim “Clue” Less (left) and Nils Larson celebrate the X-59’s first flight on Oct. 28, 2025. Less flew an F-18 chase aircraft while Larson flew the X-59.NASA/Genaro Vavuris Staying Close

So how close does a chase aircraft fly to the X-59? 

“We fly as close as we need to,” Less said. “But no closer than we need to.” 

The distance depends on where the chase aircraft needs to be to best ensure the success of the test flight. Chase pilots, however, never get so close as to jeopardize safety. 

We fly as close as we need to, but no closer than we need to.

Jim "clue" LESS

NASA Test Pilot

For example, during the X-59’s first flight the chase aircraft moved to within a wingspan of the experimental aircraft. At that proximity, the airspeed and altitude indicators inside both aircraft could be compared, allowing the X-59 team to calibrate their instruments. 

Generally, the chase aircraft will remain about 500 and 1,000 feet away—or about 5-10 times the length of the X-59 itself—as the two aircraft cruise together. 

“Of course, the chase pilot can move in closer if I need to look over something on the aircraft,” Less said. “We would come in as close as needed, but for the most part the goal is to stay out of the way.” 

Airborne Photo Op In a view captured from a NASA F/A-18 chase aircraft, the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft lifts off for its first flight Oct. 28, 2025, from U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California.NASA/Lori Losey

The up-close-and-personal vantage point of the chase aircraft also affords the opportunity to capture photos and video of the test aircraft.  

For the initial X-59 flight, a NASA photographer—fully trained and certified to fly in a high-performance jet—sat in the chase aircraft’s rear seat to record images and transmit high-definition video down to the ground. 

“We really have the best views,” Less said. “The top focus of the test team always is a safe flight and landing. But if we get some great shots in the process, it’s an added bonus.” 

Chase aircraft can also carry sensors that gather data during the flight that would be impossible to obtain from the ground. In a future phase of X-59 flights, the chase aircraft will carry a probe to measure the X-59’s supersonic shock waves and help validate that the airplane is producing a quieter sonic “thump,” rather than a loud sonic boom to people on the ground. 

The instrumentation was successfully tested using a pair of NASA F-15 research jets earlier this year. 

As part of NASA’s Quesst mission, the data could help open the way for commercial faster-than-sound air travel over land. 

Choice of Chase Aircraft A NASA F-15 aircraft sits 20 feet off the left side of the X-59 aircraft, with a white hangar and hills in the background, during electromagnetic interference testing.NASA/Carla Thomas

Chase aircraft have served as a staple of civilian and military flight tests for decades, with NASA and its predecessor—the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics—employing aircraft of all types for the job. 

Today, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, two different types of research aircraft are available to serve as chase for X-59 flights: NASA-operated F/A-18 Hornets and F-15 Eagles. 

While both types are qualified as chase aircraft for the X-59, each has characteristics that make them appropriate for certain tasks. 

The F/A-18 is a little more agile flying at lower speeds. One of NASA’s F/A-18s has a two-seat cockpit, and the optical quality and field of view of its canopy makes it the preferred aircraft for Armstrong’s in-flight photographers. 

At the same time, the F-15 is more capable of keeping pace with the X-59 during supersonic test flights and carries the instrumentation that will measure the X-59’s shock waves. 

“The choice for which chase aircraft we will use for any given X-59 test flight could go either way depending on other mission needs and if any scheduled maintenance requires the airplane to be grounded for a while,” Less said. 

About the AuthorJim BankeManaging Editor/Senior Writer

Jim Banke is a veteran aviation and aerospace communicator with more than 40 years of experience as a writer, producer, consultant, and project manager based at Cape Canaveral, Florida. He is part of NASA Aeronautics' Strategic Communications Team and is Managing Editor for the Aeronautics topic on the NASA website.

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Details Last Updated Jan 20, 2026 EditorJim BankeContactKristen Hatfieldkristen.m.hatfield@nasa.gov Related Terms

• Aeronautics
• Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
• Armstrong Flight Research Center
• Integrated Aviation Systems Program
• Low Boom Flight Demonstrator
• NASA Aircraft
• Quesst (X-59)
• Supersonic Flight

The Ring Nebula is a well-studied planetary nebula about 2,570 light-years away. Nnew observations of the nebula with a new instrument have revealed a previously unseen component. The William Herschel Telescope used its WEAVE instrument to detect a massive 'iron bar' inside the nebula's inner layer.

Startling findings in 2024 suggested that metallic nodules on the sea floor produce oxygen and might support life. Now researchers are planning an expedition to learn more and refute criticism from mining companies

Startling findings in 2024 suggested that metallic nodules on the sea floor produce oxygen and might support life. Now researchers are planning an expedition to learn more and refute criticism from mining companies

When NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket launches the agency’s Artemis II mission to the Moon, four CubeSats, or small satellites, will be hitching a ride inside the rocket’s Orion stage adapter (OSA). All four Artemis II CubeSats are provided by countries that are signatories of the Artemis Accords. Payload deployment, which begins approximately five hours after launch, is controlled by the avionics unit.

Image Credit: NASA/Kevin O’Brien