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Men who had given blood more than 100 times in their life were more likely to have blood cells carrying certain beneficial mutations, suggesting that donating blood promotes the growth of these cells

Men who had given blood more than 100 times in their life were more likely to have blood cells carrying certain beneficial mutations, suggesting that donating blood promotes the growth of these cells

A paper published in 2023 spurred discussion about whether life exists on an exoplanet named K2-18b. Two years later, the puzzle continues — and some scientists are expressing doubt.

Astronomers know the Flame Nebula well—a stellar nursery around 1,400 light years away. It’s less than a million years old and is teeming with brown dwarfs, objects that never quite accumulated enough mass to begin fusing elements in their core. When comparing the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) infrared observations with Hubble's visible light images of the Flame Nebula, the difference is, ahem - astronomical! The infrared wavelengths penetrate the obscuring gas and dust, revealing clusters where young stars and brown dwarfs are taking shape.

Video: 00:02:43

On 12 March 2025 ESA’s Hera spacecraft for planetary defence performs a flyby of Mars. The gravity of the red planet shifts the spacecraft’s trajectory towards the Didymos binary asteroid system, shortening its trip by months and saving substantial fuel.

This is a simulation of that flyby, with closest approach to Martian moon Deimos taking place at 12:07 GMT and Mars occurring at 12:51 GMT. It was made using SPICE (Spacecraft, Planet, Instrument, C-matrix, Events) software. Produced by a team at ESA’s ESAC European Space Astronomy Centre, this SPICE visualisation is used to plan instrument acquisitions during Hera’s flyby.

Hera comes to around 5000 km from the surface of Mars during its flyby. It will also image Deimos, the smaller of Mars’s two moons, from a minimum 1000 km away (while venturing as close as 300 km). Hera will also image Mars’s larger moon Phobos as it begins to move away from Mars. In this sped-up simulation, Deimos is seen 30 seconds in, at 12:07 GMT, while the more distant star-like Phobos becomes visible at two minutes in, at 12:49 GMT.

The spacecraft employs three of its instruments over the course of these close encounters, all located together on the ‘Asteroid Deck’ on top of Hera:

Hera’s Asteroid Framing Camera is formed of two redundant 1020x1020 pixel monochromatic visible light cameras, used for both navigation and science.

The Thermal Infrared Imager, supplied by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, images at mid-infrared wavelengths to determine surface temperatures.

Hera’s Hyperscout H is a hyperspectral imager, observing in 25 visible and near-infrared spectral bands to prospect surface minerals.

Did you know this mission has its own AI? You can pose questions to our Hera Space Companion!

A dramatic total lunar eclipse will turn the moon blood red for millions across North America overnight on March 13-14. Here are the best times to watch the show unfold.

3 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA / Lillian Gipson

NASA has selected three university teams to help solve 21st century aviation challenges that could transform the skies above our communities. 

As part of NASA’s University Leadership Initiative (ULI), both graduate and undergraduate students on faculty-led university teams will contribute directly to real-world flight research while gaining hands-on experience working with partners from other universities and industry. 

By combining faculty expertise, student innovation, and industry experience, these three teams will advance NASA’s vision for the future of 21st century aviation.

koushik datta

NASA Project Manager

This is NASA’s eighth round of annual ULI awards. Research topics include: 

• New aviation systems for safer, more efficient flight operations  

• Improved communications frequency usage for more effective and reliable information transfer 

• Autonomous flight capabilities that could advance research in areas such as NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility mission 

“By combining faculty expertise, student innovation, and industry experience, these three teams will advance NASA’s vision for the future of 21st century aviation,” said Koushik Datta, NASA University Innovation project manager at the Agency’s Ames Research Center in California. 

This eighth round of annual ULI selections would lead to awards totaling up to $20.7 million for the three teams during the next three years. For each team, the proposing university will serve as lead. The new ULI selections are: 

Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida 

The team will create a framework for developing trustworthy increasingly autonomous aviation safety systems, such as those that could potentially employ artificial intelligence and machine learning.  

Team members include: The Pennsylvania State University in University Park; North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro; University of Florida in Gainesville; Stanford University in California; Santa Fe Community College in New Mexico; and the companies Collins Aerospace of Charlotte in North Carolina; and ResilienX of Syracuse, New York. 

University of Colorado Boulder 

This team will investigate tools for understanding and leveraging the complex communications environment of collaborative, autonomous airspace systems.  

Team members include: Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge; The University of Texas at El Paso; University of Colorado in Colorado Springs; Stanford University in California; University of Minnesota Twin Cities in Minneapolis, North Carolina State University in Raleigh; University of California inSanta Barbara; El Paso Community College in Texas; Durham Technical Community College in North Carolina; the Center for Autonomous Air Mobility and Sensing research partnership; the company Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing Company, in Manassas, Virginia; and the nonprofit Charles Stark Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida 

This team will research continuously updating, self-diagnostic vehicle health management to enhance the safety and reliability of Advanced Air Mobility vehicles.  

Team members include: Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta; The University of Texas at Arlington; University of Southern California in Los Angeles; the company Collins Aerospace of Charlotte, North Carolina; and the Argonne National Laboratory. 

NASA’s ULI is managed by the agency’s University Innovation project, which also includes the University Student Research Challenge and the Gateways to Blue Skies competition.

Watch the NASA Aeronautics solicitations page for the announcement of when the next opportunity will be to submit a proposal for consideration during the next round of ULI selections. 

About the AuthorJohn GouldAeronautics Research Mission Directorate

John Gould is a member of NASA Aeronautics' Strategic Communications team at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. He is dedicated to public service and NASA’s leading role in scientific exploration. Prior to working for NASA Aeronautics, he was a spaceflight historian and writer, having a lifelong passion for space and aviation.

Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Linkedin logo @NASA Explore More 5 min read NASA’s Chevron Technology Quiets the Skies Article 5 hours ago 2 min read NASA Marks 110 Years Since Founding of Predecessor Organization Article 1 week ago 3 min read NASA’s X-59 Completes Electromagnetic Testing Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

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Details Last Updated Mar 11, 2025 EditorJim BankeContactSteven Holzsteven.m.holz@nasa.gov Related Terms

• University Leadership Initiative
• Aeronautics
• Flight Innovation
• For Colleges & Universities
• Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program
• University Innovation

Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission has successfully touched down on the lunar surface and is now undertaking various experiments. Two of these experiments have been captured on video; the first is the LISTER drill, capable of penetrating the lunar regolith to depths of up to 3 meters. It will provide scientists with data to measure the Moon's cooling rate. Additionally, footage has been obtained of the PlanetVac experiment, which is evaluating regolith sample collection methods under the Moon's vacuum conditions.

Why does this Moon look so unusual?

5 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Artist’s concept of drones flying in an urban environment near large city skyscrapers.NASA / Maria Werries

Remotely piloted aircraft could transform the way we transport people and goods and provide our communities with better access to vital services, like medical supply deliveries and efficient transportation. 

NASA’s Pathfinding for Airspace with Autonomous Vehicles (PAAV) subproject is working with partners to safely integrate remote air cargo and air taxi aircraft into our national airspace alongside traditional crewed aircraft.

These new types of vehicles could make air cargo deliveries and air travel more affordable and accessible to communities across the country.  

The Need

The United States large air cargo fleet is expected to grow significantly through 2044 to meet cargo demand, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

However, pilot shortages exacerbated by early retirements and crew reductions implemented during the coronavirus outbreak continue to present a challenge to the air cargo industry.  

In the future, one pilot could potentially manage multiple aircraft remotely. This could help meet the rising demand for air cargo operations, mitigate pilot shortages and costs, and increase the number of daily air cargo deliveries.

Additionally, remotely piloted air taxis could reduce travel time for passengers and alleviate traffic congestion because they could avoid crowded roads and highways.  

Identifying the Technical Challenges 

Commercial companies are investing in autonomous technologies to enable remote air cargo deliveries and air taxi operations.

NASA is working with the industry along the way to identify the unique technical challenges that must be overcome to safely put these new types of aircraft into routine operation.  

The agency has identified several challenges that need to be addressed for safe and scalable remote operations. Among these challenges are airspace integration, avoiding airborne and ground-based hazards, and resilient communication technologies. 

The main difference between conventional crewed aircraft and remotely piloted aircraft is the location of the pilot. Remote pilots operate aircraft from a control station on the ground instead of the cockpit.

This means remote pilots will need new automation and decision support systems for operating the aircraft since they can’t rely on their eyes and view from the cockpit. Since remote pilots are on the ground, they need a reliable communications link that allows remote pilots to interact with the aircraft and maintain command and control.

If the command-and-control capabilities are lost, an autonomous system would need to take over to make sure the uncrewed aircraft can fly and land safely, according to NASA researchers. Adequate software and procedures must be in place to safely manage off-nominal losses of the command-and-control capabilities.

Air Traffic Control may help keep the uncrewed aircraft’s path clear from some traffic during takeoff and landing, while onboard automation technologies would need to avoid all other traffic, fly the aircraft along a known path, and check to ensure the runway is clear to land.  

A significant related challenge is that pilots are typically responsible for looking out the window for nearby aircraft and remaining well clear of them. Since the remote pilot is not in the aircraft, they will need an electronic detect and avoid system. 

Detect and avoid systems rely on information, sensors, and algorithms to help the remotely piloted aircraft remain clear of other aircraft. Some detect and avoid configurations are expected to use ground surveillance systems for detecting nearby air traffic at lower altitudes.

These systems could improve overall situational awareness of traffic near the airport by providing a more comprehensive picture of live traffic. 

Additionally, automation and decision support tools could help remote pilots with other responsibilities that typically require pilot decisions from the cockpit, like integrating with traffic at non-towered airports.  

Implementing Solutions 

To address these challenges and others, NASA researchers are working with industry partners to research and test technologies, concepts, and airspace procedures that will enable remotely piloted operations.  

For example, industry is developing automated taxi, takeoff, and landing capabilities to help integrate remotely piloted aircraft operating at busy airports.

These technologies could enable aircraft to navigate and integrate with other airport traffic autonomously, following standard routes and air traffic control commands for safe sequencing and spacing between other aircraft. 

Automated hazard detection would enable the aircraft to identify potential conflicts or hazards and take corrective actions without input from a remote pilot. This would ensure the aircraft safely navigates the airport environment even if the remote pilot is supervising multiple aircraft or their response is delayed. 

NASA researchers are beginning to test emerging technologies for remotely piloted aircraft operations with commercial partners. The goal is to help mature technical standards and assist in the development of certification requirements anrtd procedures required to integrate remotely piloted operations into the airspace.  

NASA aims to bridge technical and regulatory gaps through these industry partnerships involving research, testing, and development. Ultimately, NASA hopes to enable pilots to remotely fly multiple large aircraft to airports across the country at once, more efficiently transporting people and goods.

This could enable carriers to meet rising air travel and transport demands in a safe, affordable, scalable way and expand access to new communities. 

PAAV is a subproject under NASA’s Air Traffic Management Exploration project within the agency’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.

Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Linkedin logo @NASA Explore More 4 min read NASA Kicks off Testing Campaign for Remotely Piloted Cargo Flights Article 2 months ago 2 min read NASA Flight Rerouting Tool Curbs Delays, Emissions Article 3 months ago 3 min read NASA Moves Drone Package Delivery Industry Closer to Reality Article 3 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

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Details Last Updated Mar 11, 2025 EditorJim BankeContactHillary Smithhillary.smith@nasa.gov Related Terms

• Pathfinding for Airspace with Autonomous Vehicles
• Air Traffic Management – Exploration

3 Min Read NASA, Partners to Conduct Space Station Research During Expedition 73 NASA

NASA astronauts are gearing up for a scientific mission aboard the International Space Station. Expedition 73 NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov will launch in March as part of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission. NASA astronaut Jonny Kim will join the crew when he launches aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft in April alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky.

Read more about some of the microgravity research planned by NASA and its partners:

Subjects for human research NASA

Astronauts often serve as test subjects, submitting blood and other samples for research. NASA astronaut Anne McClain is pictured submitting a sample on a previous mission with assistance from CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut David Saint-Jacques. McClain will participate in NASA’s Complement of Integrated Protocols for Human Exploration Research investigation, or CIPHER, a suite of integrated studies on physiological and psychological changes seen in space. Results could provide valuable insights for future deep space missions.

Testing lunar navigation NASA

The Expedition 73 astronauts plan to engage with students worldwide through the ISS Ham Radio program. Researchers are using the program’s hardware to test software for the Navigation and Communication Testbed (NAVCOM), which could help shape future lunar navigation. Researchers from the investigation recently launched a related study to the Moon aboard Firefly’s Blue Ghost to help bridge existing Earth navigation with emerging lunar-specific solutions.

Advancing fire safety  NASA

Expedition 73 is scheduled to conduct a Material Ignition and Suppression Test (SoFIE-MIST), testing material flammability in microgravity. This research could improve fire safety on future missions, contributing to models used to select materials for space facilities and helping to determine the best ways to extinguish fires in space.

Keeping blood flowing Angelo Taibi/ASI

Expedition 73 crew members will participate in Drain Brain 2.0, which examines how blood flows from the brain to the heart in microgravity using this plethysmograph, a device that can record the volume of blood drainage from the skull. Results could identify which processes in the body compensate for the lack of gravity, helping to ensure proper blood flow for astronauts on future missions and people with cardiovascular issues on Earth.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that enables research not possible on Earth. For more than 24 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory, through which astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time. The space station is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy and NASA’s next great leaps in exploration, including missions to the Moon under Artemis and, ultimately, human exploration of Mars. 

Learn more about the International Space Station, its research, and its crew, at: 

https://www.nasa.gov/station

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Space Station Research and Technology

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Space Station Research Results

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Details Last Updated Mar 11, 2025 Related Terms

• ISS Research
• International Space Station (ISS)

Scientists are warning of potentially severe environmental impacts after a cargo ship collided with a tanker transporting jet fuel

Scientists are warning of potentially severe environmental impacts after a cargo ship collided with a tanker transporting jet fuel

A 12-passenger “seaglider” that is part boat and part aircraft harnesses cold war-era technology to fly just above the waves using only electric power

A 12-passenger “seaglider” that is part boat and part aircraft harnesses cold war-era technology to fly just above the waves using only electric power

NASA and Boom Supersonic released an incredible photo capturing the shock waves of the supersonic XB-1 aircraft while it traveled in front of the sun during a Feb. 10 test flight.

Microplastics can cut a plant’s ability to photosynthesize by up to 12 percent, new research shows

In a recent paper, Adam Hibberd and Marshall Eubanks explore the feasibility of sending a mission to rendezvous with YR4, the asteroid that may pose a hazard to Earth someday.

On March 6, 1985, NASA’s newest space shuttle, Atlantis, made its public debut during a rollout ceremony at the Rockwell International manufacturing plant in Palmdale, California. Under construction for three years, Atlantis joined NASA’s other three space-worthy orbiters, Columbia, Challenger, and Discovery, and atmospheric test vehicle Enterprise. Officials from NASA, Rockwell, and other organizations attended the rollout ceremony. By the time NASA retired Atlantis in 2011, it had flown 33 missions in a career spanning 26 years and flying many types of missions envisioned for the space shuttle. The Visitor Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida has Atlantis on display. 

Space shuttle Atlantis under construction at Rockwell International’s Palmdale, California, plant in 1984. Credit/NASA. Atlantis during the rollout ceremony in Palmdale. Credit/NASA. Workers truck Atlantis from Palmdale to NASA’s Dryden, now Armstrong, Flight Research Center. Credit/NASA.

On Jan. 25, 1979, NASA announced the names of the first four space-worthy orbiters – Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, and Atlantis. Like the other vehicles, NASA named Atlantis after an historical vessel of discovery and exploration – the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s two-masted research ship Atlantis that operated from 1930 to 1966. On Jan. 29, NASA signed the contract with Rockwell International of Downey, California, to build and deliver Atlantis. Construction began in March 1980 and finished in April 1984. Nearly identical to Discovery but with the addition of hardware to support the cryogenic Centaur upper stage then planned to deploy planetary spacecraft in 1986, plans shelved following the Challenger accident. After a year of testing, workers prepared Atlantis for its public debut. 

Atlantis arrives at NASA’s Dryden, now Armstrong, Flight Research Center to prepare for its cross-country ferry flight. Credit/NASA. Atlantis during an overnight stop at Ellington Air Force Base, now Ellington Field, in Houston. Credit/NASA. Atlantis arrives at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Credit/NASA.

Three days after the rollout ceremony, workers trucked Atlantis 36 miles overland to NASA’s Dryden, now Armstrong, Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California’s Mojave Desert, for final preparations for its cross-country ferry flight. In the Mate Demate Device, workers placed Atlantis atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a modified Boeing 747, to begin the ferry flight. The duo left Edwards on April 12, the fourth anniversary of the first space shuttle flight. Following an overnight stop at Houston’s Ellington Air Force Base, now Ellington Field, Atlantis arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 13. 

Atlantis following its first rollout to Launch Pad 39A. Credit/NASA. The flight readiness firing of Atlantis’ three main engines.Credit/NASA. Liftoff of Atlantis on its first mission, STS-51J. Credit/NASA.

Four months later, on Aug. 12, workers towed Atlantis from the processing facility to the assembly building and mated it to an external tank and twin solid rocket boosters. The entire stack rolled out to Launch Pad 39A on Aug. 30 in preparation for the planned Oct. 3 launch of the STS-51J mission. As with any new orbiter, on Sept. 13 NASA conducted a 20-second Flight Readiness Firing of Atlantis’ three main engines. On Sept. 16, the five-person crew participated in a countdown demonstration test, leading to an on time Oct. 3 launch. Atlantis had joined the shuttle fleet and begun its first mission to space. 

Space shuttle Atlantis in the Visitor Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit/NASA.

Over the course of its 33 missions spanning more than 26 years, Atlantis flew virtually every type of mission envisioned for the space shuttle, including government and commercial satellite deployments, deploying spacecraft to visit interplanetary destinations, supporting scientific missions, launching and servicing scientific observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope, performing crew rotations and resupplying the Mir space station, and assembling and maintaining the International Space Station. Atlantis flew the final mission of the shuttle program, STS-135,  in July 2011. The following year, NASA transported Atlantis to the Kennedy Visitor Center for public display.  

Explore More 7 min read 40 Years Ago: Space Shuttle Discovery Makes its Public Debut Article 1 year ago 14 min read 40 Years Ago: STS-4, Columbia’s Final Orbital Flight Test Article 3 years ago 6 min read 45 Years Ago: Space Shuttle Enterprise Makes its Public Debut Article 3 years ago

The total lunar eclipse on March 13-14 will plunge moon missions into darkness. What will happen to the lunar spacecraft?