Personally, I don't think there's intelligent life on other planets. Why should other planets be any different from this one?

— Bob Monkhouse

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Is NASA Ready for Death in Space?

Scientific American.com - Wed, 06/04/2025 - 10:00am

NASA has quietly taken steps to prepare for a death in space. We need to ask how nations will deal with this inevitability now, as more people start traveling off the planet

Categories: Astronomy

Lunar landers and 'Transporter' tankers: Blue Origin unveils its blueprint for the moon

Space.com - Wed, 06/04/2025 - 10:00am
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has begun revealing how it plans to establish itself as a provider of hardware that will enable long-term human stays on the moon.
Categories: Astronomy

How a Childhood Telescope Launched a NASA Career

NASA - Breaking News - Wed, 06/04/2025 - 9:59am
Christina Zeringue is the chief safety and mission assurance officer at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. She is responsible for the safety and mission success of all activities, including rocket propulsion testing and operation of the NASA Stennis federal city.NASA/Danny Nowlin

Christina Zeringue remembers being 10 years old, looking to the sky through her new telescope to view the Moon and planets on Christmas night. It opened her eyes to space and inspired her journey from the backyard to NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

“I became fascinated with astronomy and learning about stars and constellations, the solar system and planetary orbits, solar and lunar eclipses, and challenging myself to find stars and nebula at different distances from Earth,” Zeringue said. “I was able to do and learn so much just from my own yard.”

She became obsessed with following the development and images produced from the Hubble Space Telescope, which launched on a space shuttle that featured three main engines tested at NASA Stennis.

Zeringue desired to learn more about the universe and find a way to be part of the effort to continue exploring. The Kenner, Louisiana, native ultimately made her way to NASA Stennis following graduation from the University of New Orleans.

As the NASA Stennis chief safety and mission assurance officer, Zeringue is responsible for safety and mission success of all site activities. These include both rocket propulsion testing and operation of the NASA Stennis federal city, where NASA and more than 50 federal, state, academic, public, and private aerospace, technology, and research organizations located onsite share in operating costs while pursuing individual missions.

Christina Zeringue enjoys viewing the partial solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023, from Slidell, Louisiana. NASA/Danny Nowlin

“I have a broad range of responsibilities, which allows me to work with many talented people, pushes me to learn and develop new skills, and keeps my work interesting every day,” Zeringue said.

Zeringue’s work has supported NASA’s Artemis campaign to return astronauts to the Moon through her contributions to RS-25 engine testing and Green Run testing of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) core stage ahead of the successful launch of Artemis I.

The Pearl River, Louisiana, resident often encounters engineering or safety challenges where there is not a clear answer to the solution.

“We work together to understand new problems, determine the best course of action, and create new processes and ways to handle every challenge,” she said.

In total, Zeringue has worked 28 years at NASA Stennis – 14 as a contractor and 14 with NASA.

As a contractor, Zeringue initially worked as test article engineer for the Space Shuttle Main Engine Program. She followed that by serving as the quality systems manager, responsible for the quality engineering and configuration management of various engine systems, such as the space shuttle main engine, the RS-68 engine or Delta IV vehicles, and the J-2X upper stage engine.

Zeringue transitioned to NASA in 2011, first as a facility systems safety engineer and then as chief of the operations support division within the NASA Stennis Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate. 

Her proudest career moment came early when working on final inspection of a new high pressure fuel turbopump. She noted a piece of contamination lodged behind the turbine shroud, which had been missed in previous inspections. Ultimately, the part was returned for disassembly before its next flight.

“While our post-test inspections can sometimes become routine, that day still stands out to me as a way that I really knew I directly contributed to the safety of our astronauts,” she said.

From the time Zeringue first looked through her new telescope, to her role as NASA Stennis chief safety and mission assurance officer, each moment along the way has contributed to the advice Zeringue shares with anyone considering a career with NASA. “Stay curious, invest in your own development, share your expertise with others, and try something new every day,” she said.

Learn More About Careers at NASA Stennis Explore More 6 min read A Defining Era: NASA Stennis and Space Shuttle Main Engine Testing Article 2 weeks ago 4 min read NASA Stennis Releases First Open-Source Software Article 4 weeks ago 5 min read NASA Stennis Software is Built for Future Growth Article 4 weeks ago
Categories: NASA

How a Childhood Telescope Launched a NASA Career

NASA News - Wed, 06/04/2025 - 9:59am
Christina Zeringue is the chief safety and mission assurance officer at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. She is responsible for the safety and mission success of all activities, including rocket propulsion testing and operation of the NASA Stennis federal city.NASA/Danny Nowlin

Christina Zeringue remembers being 10 years old, looking to the sky through her new telescope to view the Moon and planets on Christmas night. It opened her eyes to space and inspired her journey from the backyard to NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

“I became fascinated with astronomy and learning about stars and constellations, the solar system and planetary orbits, solar and lunar eclipses, and challenging myself to find stars and nebula at different distances from Earth,” Zeringue said. “I was able to do and learn so much just from my own yard.”

She became obsessed with following the development and images produced from the Hubble Space Telescope, which launched on a space shuttle that featured three main engines tested at NASA Stennis.

Zeringue desired to learn more about the universe and find a way to be part of the effort to continue exploring. The Kenner, Louisiana, native ultimately made her way to NASA Stennis following graduation from the University of New Orleans.

As the NASA Stennis chief safety and mission assurance officer, Zeringue is responsible for safety and mission success of all site activities. These include both rocket propulsion testing and operation of the NASA Stennis federal city, where NASA and more than 50 federal, state, academic, public, and private aerospace, technology, and research organizations located onsite share in operating costs while pursuing individual missions.

Christina Zeringue enjoys viewing the partial solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023, from Slidell, Louisiana. NASA/Danny Nowlin

“I have a broad range of responsibilities, which allows me to work with many talented people, pushes me to learn and develop new skills, and keeps my work interesting every day,” Zeringue said.

Zeringue’s work has supported NASA’s Artemis campaign to return astronauts to the Moon through her contributions to RS-25 engine testing and Green Run testing of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) core stage ahead of the successful launch of Artemis I.

The Pearl River, Louisiana, resident often encounters engineering or safety challenges where there is not a clear answer to the solution.

“We work together to understand new problems, determine the best course of action, and create new processes and ways to handle every challenge,” she said.

In total, Zeringue has worked 28 years at NASA Stennis – 14 as a contractor and 14 with NASA.

As a contractor, Zeringue initially worked as test article engineer for the Space Shuttle Main Engine Program. She followed that by serving as the quality systems manager, responsible for the quality engineering and configuration management of various engine systems, such as the space shuttle main engine, the RS-68 engine or Delta IV vehicles, and the J-2X upper stage engine.

Zeringue transitioned to NASA in 2011, first as a facility systems safety engineer and then as chief of the operations support division within the NASA Stennis Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate. 

Her proudest career moment came early when working on final inspection of a new high pressure fuel turbopump. She noted a piece of contamination lodged behind the turbine shroud, which had been missed in previous inspections. Ultimately, the part was returned for disassembly before its next flight.

“While our post-test inspections can sometimes become routine, that day still stands out to me as a way that I really knew I directly contributed to the safety of our astronauts,” she said.

From the time Zeringue first looked through her new telescope, to her role as NASA Stennis chief safety and mission assurance officer, each moment along the way has contributed to the advice Zeringue shares with anyone considering a career with NASA. “Stay curious, invest in your own development, share your expertise with others, and try something new every day,” she said.

Learn More About Careers at NASA Stennis Explore More 6 min read A Defining Era: NASA Stennis and Space Shuttle Main Engine Testing Article 2 weeks ago 4 min read NASA Stennis Releases First Open-Source Software Article 4 weeks ago 5 min read NASA Stennis Software is Built for Future Growth Article 4 weeks ago
Categories: NASA

You can beat the Father's Day and Prime Day rush with one of the best VR headset deals available, perfect for entertainment and beginners

Space.com - Wed, 06/04/2025 - 9:44am
The HTC Vive Flow is now $200 off and the perfect VR headset deal for beginners and those seeking light entertainment ahead of Father's Day and Prime Day.
Categories: Astronomy

I Am Artemis: Lili Villarreal

NASA - Breaking News - Wed, 06/04/2025 - 9:35am
3 Min Read I Am Artemis: Lili Villarreal Listen to this audio excerpt from Liliana Villarreal, Artemis Landing & Recovery Director:

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Lili Villarreal fell in love with space exploration from an early age when she and her family visited the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. So, it should come as no surprise that when the opportunity came for her to start working on NASA’s Artemis missions to explore the Moon and build the foundation for the first crewed mission to Mars, she jumped at it.  

I was like, ‘Wow, we're going back to the Moon. I mean, how cool would it be to be at the beginning stages of that?'

Liliana Villareal

Artemis Landing & Recovery Director

She currently serves as the Artemis Landing and Recovery Director, helping retrieve the astronauts and Orion spacecraft after they splash down in the Pacific Ocean following their mission in space.

Originally from Cartagena, Colombia, Villarreal moved to Miami, Florida, when she was 10 years old with the goal of one day entering the aerospace industry. In 2007, her dream came true, and she became a part of the NASA team.

Prior to becoming the landing and recovery director, Villarreal served as the deputy flow director for the Artemis I mission, responsible for the integration, stacking, and testing of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center.

Cliff Lanham, fourth from left, ground operations manager with Exploration Ground Systems (EGS), passes the baton to Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis I launch director, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 16, 2022. Joining them from left, are Stacey Bagg, Matt Czech, and Liliana Villareal, with EGS. Next to Blackwell-Thomson are Jeremy Graeber, deputy launch director, and Teresa Annulis.
NASA/Glenn Benson

“I kind of came in about a couple of years before we started processing Artemis I,” Villarreal said. “It took a while to get to the good parts of operations where it’s like, ‘Oh my god, we have everything here, and we’re starting to put everything together. And every day is a different day. Every day we have to figure out, ‘OK, what happened? How are we going to solve it?’ That’s the fun part about being an engineer out here.”

Throughout her NASA career, she’s also had the opportunity to work in the operations division for the International Space Station Program.

Every day I work on the Artemis missions, I imagine how the people who worked on Apollo felt because we are where they were back then.

Liliana Villareal

Artemis Landing & Recovery Director

Currently, she and the team are training for Artemis II – the first crewed mission under Artemis to send four astronauts around the Moon and back. Part of the training includes rehearsing the steps and procedures to make sure they’re ready for crewed flights. This includes conducting underway recovery tests where NASA and U.S. Navy teams practice retrieving astronauts from a representative version of Orion at sea and bringing them and the spacecraft back to the ship.

“I think it’s an amazing thing what we’re doing for humanity,” Villarreal said. “It’s going to better humanity, and it’s a steppingstone to eventually us living in other worlds. And I get to be part of that. You get to be part of that. How cool is that?”

About the AuthorAntonia Jaramillo

Share Details Last Updated Jun 04, 2025 Related Terms Explore More 4 min read Future Engineers Shine at NASA’s 2025 Lunabotics Robotics Competition Article 1 day ago 4 min read Integrated Testing on Horizon for Artemis II Launch Preparations Article 6 days ago 4 min read Top Prize Awarded in Lunar Autonomy Challenge to Virtually Map Moon’s Surface Article 3 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

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Categories: NASA

I Am Artemis: Lili Villarreal

NASA News - Wed, 06/04/2025 - 9:35am
3 Min Read I Am Artemis: Lili Villarreal Listen to this audio excerpt from Liliana Villarreal, Artemis Landing & Recovery Director:

0:00 / 0:00

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Lili Villarreal fell in love with space exploration from an early age when she and her family visited the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. So, it should come as no surprise that when the opportunity came for her to start working on NASA’s Artemis missions to explore the Moon and build the foundation for the first crewed mission to Mars, she jumped at it.  

I was like, ‘Wow, we're going back to the Moon. I mean, how cool would it be to be at the beginning stages of that?'

Liliana Villareal

Artemis Landing & Recovery Director

She currently serves as the Artemis Landing and Recovery Director, helping retrieve the astronauts and Orion spacecraft after they splash down in the Pacific Ocean following their mission in space.

Originally from Cartagena, Colombia, Villarreal moved to Miami, Florida, when she was 10 years old with the goal of one day entering the aerospace industry. In 2007, her dream came true, and she became a part of the NASA team.

Prior to becoming the landing and recovery director, Villarreal served as the deputy flow director for the Artemis I mission, responsible for the integration, stacking, and testing of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center.

Cliff Lanham, fourth from left, ground operations manager with Exploration Ground Systems (EGS), passes the baton to Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis I launch director, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 16, 2022. Joining them from left, are Stacey Bagg, Matt Czech, and Liliana Villareal, with EGS. Next to Blackwell-Thomson are Jeremy Graeber, deputy launch director, and Teresa Annulis.
NASA/Glenn Benson

“I kind of came in about a couple of years before we started processing Artemis I,” Villarreal said. “It took a while to get to the good parts of operations where it’s like, ‘Oh my god, we have everything here, and we’re starting to put everything together. And every day is a different day. Every day we have to figure out, ‘OK, what happened? How are we going to solve it?’ That’s the fun part about being an engineer out here.”

Throughout her NASA career, she’s also had the opportunity to work in the operations division for the International Space Station Program.

Every day I work on the Artemis missions, I imagine how the people who worked on Apollo felt because we are where they were back then.

Liliana Villareal

Artemis Landing & Recovery Director

Currently, she and the team are training for Artemis II – the first crewed mission under Artemis to send four astronauts around the Moon and back. Part of the training includes rehearsing the steps and procedures to make sure they’re ready for crewed flights. This includes conducting underway recovery tests where NASA and U.S. Navy teams practice retrieving astronauts from a representative version of Orion at sea and bringing them and the spacecraft back to the ship.

“I think it’s an amazing thing what we’re doing for humanity,” Villarreal said. “It’s going to better humanity, and it’s a steppingstone to eventually us living in other worlds. And I get to be part of that. You get to be part of that. How cool is that?”

About the AuthorAntonia Jaramillo

Share Details Last Updated Jun 04, 2025 Related Terms Explore More 4 min read Future Engineers Shine at NASA’s 2025 Lunabotics Robotics Competition Article 1 day ago 4 min read Integrated Testing on Horizon for Artemis II Launch Preparations Article 6 days ago 4 min read Top Prize Awarded in Lunar Autonomy Challenge to Virtually Map Moon’s Surface Article 3 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

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Solar System

Categories: NASA

Irregular Dwarf Galaxy Sextans A

APOD - Wed, 06/04/2025 - 8:00am

Irregular Dwarf Galaxy Sextans A


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

Adhesive made from wood works in a standard glue gun

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 06/04/2025 - 7:17am
Most widely used adhesives are toxic and derived from petroleum, but researchers have come up with a safe, recyclable alternative made from xylan, a component of plant cell walls
Categories: Astronomy

Can AI understand a flower without being able to touch or smell?

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 06/04/2025 - 6:00am
AI may be limited by a lack of taste, touch and smell which prevents it from fully understanding concepts in the same way as humans - suggesting that more advanced models may need to have a robot body
Categories: Astronomy

Sols 4556-4558: It’s All in a Day’s (box)Work

NASA News - Tue, 06/03/2025 - 9:11pm
Curiosity Navigation

2 min read

Sols 4556-4558: It’s All in a Day’s (box)Work NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Right Navigation Camera on June 2, 2025 — Sol 4558, or Martian day 4,558 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 12:23:56 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech

Written by Sharon Wilson Purdy, Planetary Geologist at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Earth planning date: Friday, May 30, 2025

When you are scheduled to participate in Science Operations for the rover’s weekend plan, you know it’s going to be a busy morning! Assembling the activities for Friday through Sunday (Sols 4556 through 4558) was no exception. I participated on this shift as the “keeper of the plan” for the geology and mineralogy theme group where I worked with members of the science and instrument teams to compile a set of observations for the rover to complete over the weekend. The rover continues to drive over a surface of shallow, sometimes sand-filled depressions that are separated by raised ridges — informally known as the “boxwork structures.” On this Friday, we were tasked with assessing the ground in our immediate vicinity to determine if the low-lying bedrock in the hollows was suitable for drilling.

With a focus on packing the plan with remote sensing activities to understand the bedrock around us, we used the ChemCam laser to analyze the chemistry of two bedrock targets, “La Tuna Canyon” and “Cooper Canyon,” that were also documented by Mastcam. ChemCam and Mastcam also teamed up to image an interesting dark ridge nearby named “Encinal Canyon.” Mastcam created stereo mosaics to document the nature of the candidate drill sites that were near the rover, in addition to the “Blue Sky Preserve” stereo mosaic that beautifully captured the nature of the boxwork structures in front of us. The environmental theme group included some of their favorite activities in the plan to monitor the clouds, wind, and the atmosphere.

Curiosity has successfully completed numerous long drives (about 20+ meters, or 66 feet and beyond) in the past several weeks but this weekend the rover got a bit of a reprieve — the rover will drive approximately 7 meters (about 23 feet) to get situated in front of a possible drill site. I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing what unfolds on Monday!  

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Jun 03, 2025

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Categories: NASA

America’s First Spacewalk

NASA Image of the Day - Tue, 06/03/2025 - 3:26pm
Astronaut Edward H. White II, pilot of the Gemini IV four-day Earth-orbital mission, floats in the zero gravity of space outside the Gemini IV spacecraft.
Categories: Astronomy, NASA

America’s First Spacewalk

NASA News - Tue, 06/03/2025 - 3:25pm
NASA

NASA astronaut Ed White, pilot of the Gemini IV mission, floats in space on June 3, 1965, while performing the first spacewalk by an American. As White floated outside the spacecraft, he used a Hand-Held Maneuvering Unit, informally called a “zip gun.” The device, seen in White’s right hand in this image, expelled pressurized oxygen to provide thrust for controlling his movements outside the capsule.

“You look beautiful, Ed,” remarked fellow crew member astronaut James A. McDivitt, who remained inside the spacecraft, as he began taking pictures of White tumbling around outside his window. “I feel like a million dollars,” White said. “This is the greatest experience. It’s just tremendous.”

Watch video of the first American spacewalk.

Image credit: NASA

Categories: NASA

Future Engineers Shine at NASA’s 2025 Lunabotics Robotics Competition

NASA News - Tue, 06/03/2025 - 2:21pm
4 Min Read Future Engineers Shine at NASA’s 2025 Lunabotics Robotics Competition

And the winner is… the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. The Utah Student Robotics Club won the grand prize Artemis Award on May 22 for NASA’s 2025 Lunabotics Challenge held at The Astronauts Memorial Foundation’s Center for Space Education at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. 

“Win was our motto for the whole year,” said Brycen Chaney, University of Utah, president of student robotics. “We had a mission objective to take our team and competition a step further, but win was right up front of our minds.”

Lunabotics is an annual challenge where students design and build an autonomous and remote-controlled robot to navigate the lunar surface in support of the Artemis campaign. The students from the University of Utah used their robot to excavate simulated regolith, the loose, fragmented material on the Moon’s surface, as well as built a berm. The students, who competed against 37 other teams, won grand prize for the first time during the Lunabotics Challenge.

“During the 16th annual Lunabotics University Challenge the teams continued to raise the bar on excavating, transporting, and depositing lunar regolith simulant with clever remotely controlled robots,” said Robert Mueller, senior technologist at NASA Kennedy for Advanced Products Development in the agency’s Exploration Research and Technology Programs Directorate, and lead judge and co-founder of the original Lunabotics robotic mining challenge. “New designs were revealed, and each team had a unique design and operations approach.”

Students from University of Illinois Chicago receive first place for the Robotic Construction Award during the 2025 Lunabotics Challenge.NASA/Isaac Watson

Other teams were recognized for their achievements: The University of Illinois Chicago placed first for the Robotic Construction Award. “It’s a total team effort that made this work,” said Elijah Wilkinson, senior and team captain at the University of Illinois Chicago. “Our team has worked long and hard on this. We have people who designed the robot, people who programmed the robot, people who wrote papers, people who wired the robot; teamwork is really what made it happen.”

The University of Utah won second and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa came in third place, respectively. The award recognizes the teams that score the highest points during the berm-building operations in the Artemis Arena. Teams are evaluated based on their robot’s ability to construct berms using excavated regolith simulant, demonstrating effective lunar surface construction techniques.

To view the robots in action from the Robot Construction Award winners, please click on the following links: University of Illinois Chicago, University of Utah, University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Students from Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana received the Caterpillar Autonomy Award during the 2025 Lunabotics Challenge.
NASA/Isaac Watson

Students from Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana received the Caterpillar Autonomy Award for their work. The University of Alabama placed second, followed by the University of Akron in Ohio. Michigan Technological University came in fourth, followed by the University of Illinois Chicago, and the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. This award honors teams that successfully complete competition activities autonomously. It emphasizes the development and implementation of autonomous control systems in lunar robotics, reflecting real-world applications in remote and automated operations.

An Artemis I flag flown during the Nov. 16, 2022, mission was presented to the University of Illinois Chicago, as well as the University of Virginia in Charlottesville as part of the Innovation Award. The recognition is given to teams for their original ideas, creating efficiency, effective results, and solving a problem.

Dr. Eric Meloche from the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and Jennifer Erickson, professor from the Colorado School of Mines in Golden each received an Artemis Educator Award, a recognition for educators, faculty, or mentors for their time and effort inspiring students.

The University of Utah received the Effective Use of Communications Power Award and the University of Virginia the agency’s Center for Lunar and Asteroid Surface Science Award.

Students from the Colorado School of Mines pose for a photo after receiving a Systems Engineering Award during the 2025 Lunabotics Competition.
NASA/Isaac Watson

Students from the Colorado School of Mines placed first receiving a Systems Engineering Award. University of Virginia in Charlottesville and the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, came in second and third places.

This is truly a win-win situation. The students get this amazing experience of designing, building, and testing their robots and then competing here at NASA in a lunar-like scenario while NASA gets the opportunity to study all of these different robot designs as they operate in simulated lunar soil. Lunabotics gives everyone involved new technical knowledge along with some pretty great experience.” 

Kurt Leucht

Commentator, Lunabotics Competition and Software Development team lead

Below is a list of other awards given to students:

  • Systems Engineering Paper Award Nova Award: Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia; Boise State University; Texas A&M University in College Station
  • Best Use of Systems Engineering Tools: The University of Utah
  • Best Use of Reviews as Control Gates: The University of Alabama
  • Systems Engineering Paper Award Leaps and Bounds Award: The University of Miami in Florida
  • Best presentation award by a first year team: University of Buffalo in New York
  • Presentations and Demonstrations Awards: University of Utah; Colorado School of Mines; University of Miami
  • STEM Engagement Awards: The University of Utah placed first, followed by the University of Virginia and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach
  • NASA SSERVI Center for Lunar and Asteroid Surface Science: The University of Virginia
  • Efficient use of Communications Power Award: The University of Utah
About the AuthorElyna Niles-Carnes

Share Details Last Updated Jun 04, 2025 Related Terms Explore More 3 min read I Am Artemis: Lili Villarreal

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NASA Kennedy Digs Latest Robot Test

NASA News - Tue, 06/03/2025 - 12:53pm

NASA’s RASSOR (Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot) manipulates a simulant of regolith – the fragmental material found on the Moon’s surface – during a site preparation test inside of the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations Lab at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 27. Ben Burdess, mechanical engineer at NASA Kennedy, observes RASSOR’s counterrotating drums digging up the lunar dust and creating a three-foot berm.

The opposing motion of the drums helps RASSOR grip the surface in low-gravity environments like the Moon or Mars. With this unique capability, RASSOR can traverse the rough surface to dig, load, haul, and dump regolith that could be used in construction or broken down into hydrogen, oxygen, or water, resources critical for sustaining human presence.

The primary test objective was to prove the ability of a bucket drum excavator to build surface features out of regolith. Bucket drums will be used on NASA’s IPEx (In-Situ Resource Utilization Pilot Excavator). The RASSOR robot represents an earlier generation technology that informed the development of IPEx, serving as a precursor and foundational platform for the advanced excavation systems and autonomous capabilities now being demonstrated by this Moon-mining robot.

Image credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

Categories: NASA

Status Report: Gravitational Waves

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Mon, 08/12/2024 - 8:00am

Astronomers at the International Astronomical Union report that we have now detected more than 200 gravitational-wave events, most the merger of two black holes.

The post Status Report: Gravitational Waves appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

Tonight's Perseid Meteor Shower May Be Dipped in Aurora Sauce

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Sun, 08/11/2024 - 7:15pm

The Perseids peak on Sunday night, August 11-12 and just might be joined by a colorful display of northern lights. 

The post Tonight's Perseid Meteor Shower May Be Dipped in Aurora Sauce appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

Woo-hoo — The Perseid Meteor Shower Is Coming!

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Fri, 08/09/2024 - 6:39am

It's time again for the annual August meteor-shower fest, the Perseids. This year's display should be a beauty with only minor moonlight and a special surprise at dawn.

The post Woo-hoo — The Perseid Meteor Shower Is Coming! appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 9 – 18

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Fri, 08/09/2024 - 5:02am

The Perseid meteor shower peaks late Sunday night August 11th and maybe Monday night too. Jupiter and Mars have a close conjunction on the morning of the 14th, looking radically different in the same telescopic view.

The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 9 – 18 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

Prepare for the Perseids and a Pretty Planetary Pairing

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Thu, 08/08/2024 - 10:20am

The year’s long-awaited Perseid meteor shower will be accompanied by a graceful planetary conjunction. It’s well worth staying up all night to watch.

The post Prepare for the Perseids and a Pretty Planetary Pairing appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy