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Why auroras are so much brighter and more easily visible recently
Why auroras are so much brighter and more easily visible recently
How old is Jupiter? Meteorite 'raindrops' help scientists pin down gas giant's age
NASA Seeks Volunteers to Track Artemis II Mission
NASA seeks volunteers to passively track the Artemis II Orion spacecraft as the crewed mission travels to the Moon and back to Earth.
The Artemis II test flight, a launch of the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on an approximately 10-day mission around the Moon.
The mission, targeted for no later than April 2026, will rely on NASA’s Near Space Network and Deep Space Network for primary communications and tracking support throughout its launch, orbit, and reentry. However, with a growing focus on commercialization, NASA wants to further understand industry’s tracking capabilities.
This collaboration opportunity builds upon a previous request released by NASA’s SCaN (Space Communication and Navigation) Program during the Artemis I mission, where ten volunteers successfully tracked the uncrewed Orion spacecraft in 2022 on its journey thousands of miles beyond the Moon and back.
During the Artemis I mission, participants – ranging from international space agencies, academic institutions, commercial companies, nonprofits, and private citizens – attempted to receive Orion’s signal and use their respective ground antennas to track and measure changes in the radio waves transmitted by Orion.
This data will help inform our transition to a commercial-first approach, ultimately strengthening the infrastructure needed to support long-term Moon to Mars objectives.Kevin Coggins
Deputy Associate Administrator for SCaN
“By offering this opportunity to the broader aerospace community, we can identify available tracking capabilities outside the government,” said Kevin Coggins, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for SCaN at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This data will help inform our transition to a commercial-first approach, ultimately strengthening the infrastructure needed to support Artemis missions and our long-term Moon to Mars objectives.”
Read the opportunity announcement here:Responses are due by 5 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 27.
NASA’s SCaN Program serves as the management office for the agency’s space communications and navigation systems. More than 100 NASA and non-NASA missions rely on SCaN’s two networks, the Near Space Network and the Deep Space Network, to support astronauts aboard the International Space Station and future Artemis missions, monitor Earth’s weather, support lunar exploration, and uncover the solar system and beyond.
Artemis II will help confirm the systems and hardware needed for human deep space exploration. This mission is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign and is another step toward new U.S.-crewed missions on the Moon’s surface that will help the agency prepare to send American astronauts to Mars.
Learn More about NASA SCaN Share Details Last Updated Aug 27, 2025 EditorGoddard Digital TeamContactJoshua A. Finchjoshua.a.finch@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms Explore More 4 min read Volunteers Worldwide Successfully Tracked NASA’s Artemis I Mission Article 2 years ago 2 min read Working in Tandem: NASA’s Networks Empower Artemis I Article 3 years ago 3 min read NASA Seeks Commercial Near Space Network ServicesNASA is seeking commercial communication and navigation service providers for the Near Space Network.
Article 2 years agoNASA Seeks Volunteers to Track Artemis II Mission
NASA seeks volunteers to passively track the Artemis II Orion spacecraft as the crewed mission travels to the Moon and back to Earth.
The Artemis II test flight, a launch of the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on an approximately 10-day mission around the Moon.
The mission, targeted for no later than April 2026, will rely on NASA’s Near Space Network and Deep Space Network for primary communications and tracking support throughout its launch, orbit, and reentry. However, with a growing focus on commercialization, NASA wants to further understand industry’s tracking capabilities.
This collaboration opportunity builds upon a previous request released by NASA’s SCaN (Space Communication and Navigation) Program during the Artemis I mission, where ten volunteers successfully tracked the uncrewed Orion spacecraft in 2022 on its journey thousands of miles beyond the Moon and back.
During the Artemis I mission, participants – ranging from international space agencies, academic institutions, commercial companies, nonprofits, and private citizens – attempted to receive Orion’s signal and use their respective ground antennas to track and measure changes in the radio waves transmitted by Orion.
This data will help inform our transition to a commercial-first approach, ultimately strengthening the infrastructure needed to support long-term Moon to Mars objectives.Kevin Coggins
Deputy Associate Administrator for SCaN
“By offering this opportunity to the broader aerospace community, we can identify available tracking capabilities outside the government,” said Kevin Coggins, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for SCaN at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This data will help inform our transition to a commercial-first approach, ultimately strengthening the infrastructure needed to support Artemis missions and our long-term Moon to Mars objectives.”
Read the opportunity announcement here:Responses are due by 5 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 27.
NASA’s SCaN Program serves as the management office for the agency’s space communications and navigation systems. More than 100 NASA and non-NASA missions rely on SCaN’s two networks, the Near Space Network and the Deep Space Network, to support astronauts aboard the International Space Station and future Artemis missions, monitor Earth’s weather, support lunar exploration, and uncover the solar system and beyond.
Artemis II will help confirm the systems and hardware needed for human deep space exploration. This mission is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign and is another step toward new U.S.-crewed missions on the Moon’s surface that will help the agency prepare to send American astronauts to Mars.
Learn More about NASA SCaN Share Details Last Updated Aug 27, 2025 EditorGoddard Digital TeamContactJoshua A. Finchjoshua.a.finch@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms Explore More 4 min read Volunteers Worldwide Successfully Tracked NASA’s Artemis I Mission Article 2 years ago 2 min read Working in Tandem: NASA’s Networks Empower Artemis I Article 3 years ago 3 min read NASA Seeks Commercial Near Space Network ServicesNASA is seeking commercial communication and navigation service providers for the Near Space Network.
Article 2 years agoPortrait of an Astronaut
NASA astronaut Zena Cardman poses for a portrait in a photography studio on March 22, 2024, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
Cardman is currently aboard the International Space Station, where she performs research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities. Recently, she took a robotics test on a computer for the portion of the CIPHER study that measures cognition, or space-caused changes to her brain structure and function; she also installed high-definition cameras on a spacesuit helmet.
Cardman launched to the space station on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission. Members of Crew-11 will contribute to NASA’s Artemis program by simulating Moon landing scenarios that future crews may encounter near the lunar South Pole.
Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog.
Image credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel
Portrait of an Astronaut
NASA astronaut Zena Cardman poses for a portrait in a photography studio on March 22, 2024, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
Cardman is currently aboard the International Space Station, where she performs research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities. Recently, she took a robotics test on a computer for the portion of the CIPHER study that measures cognition, or space-caused changes to her brain structure and function; she also installed high-definition cameras on a spacesuit helmet.
Cardman launched to the space station on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission. Members of Crew-11 will contribute to NASA’s Artemis program by simulating Moon landing scenarios that future crews may encounter near the lunar South Pole.
Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog.
Image credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel
Best Nikon lenses in 2025 — wide-angle, telephoto, prime and zoom lenses
How scientists are using exoplanets to map out 'polka dots' on stars
SpaceX's Starship rocket finally completes successful test flight
SpaceX's Starship rocket finally completes successful test flight
Harassment at Antarctic research bases could spell problems for moon, Mars outposts
Warped spacetime with surprise 'double-zoom' reveals radiation around distant supermassive black hole
Moon photobombs the sun in wild NOAA satellite image | Space photo of the day for Aug. 27, 2025
Baby Planet Clears Gap in Young Protoplanetary Disk
With the Very Large Telescope in Chile, astronomers have spotted a planet forming around a star 430 light-years away.
The post Baby Planet Clears Gap in Young Protoplanetary Disk appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
That mysterious 'Wow! signal' from space? Scientists may finally know where it came from — and it's probably not aliens
GJ 1132 b Doesn't Have An Atmosphere, According To New JWST Data
Astronomers sometimes find conflicting data when trying to answer a question. This is a normal part of the scientific process, and it simply means that more data is needed to prove or disprove the theory they are trying to test. One prominent example of conflicting data in recent exoplanet research was that of planet GJ 1132 b, which either had or didn’t have an atmosphere, depending on which data set was being used. A new paper from researchers using more observational time on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) can now definitively say that, most likely, GJ 1132 b doesn’t have an atmosphere - and that finding has wider implications for exoplanet research more generally.
Parabolic Flights to Test Electrolyzer for Future Moon and Mars Missions
What can parabolic flights teach scientists and engineers about electrolyzers and how the latter can help advance human missions to the Moon and Mars? This is the goal of a recent grant awarded to the Mars Atmospheric Reactor for Synthesis of Consumables (MARS-C) project, which is sponsored by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). The $500,000 award for this research is part of NASA’s TechLeap Prize program with the goal of testing experimental electrolyzer technology that can be used for future missions.
Mystery Objects in the Distant Universe Challenge Galaxy Formation Ideas
The early Universe continues to spring surprises on astronomers. In a recent study of dim, distant objects, astronomers at the University of Missouri found at least 300 of them that look way too bright. That means they're forming stars much earlier than expected, or something else is going on. Whatever it is could affect our understanding of events in the infant cosmos.
A Blaze of Glory: SpaceX's Starship Goes the Distance in 10th Flight Test
After a string of setbacks, SpaceX executed the most successful flight test of its Starship launch system to date, featuring a first-of-its-kind payload deployment and a thrilling Indian Ocean splashdown.