December 2024

Scientists Share Early Results from NASA’s Solar Eclipse Experiments

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse swept across North America, from the western shores of Mexico, through the United States, and into northeastern Canada. For the eclipse, NASA helped fund numerous research projects and called upon citizen scientists in support of NASA’s goal to understand how our home planet is affected by the […]

Posted December 10, 2024

Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI)

Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Program

NASA TechLeap Prize: Space Technology Payload Challenge

The Space Technology Payload Challenge invites individuals, teams, and organizations to submit applications for systems that advance technology to address one or more of NASA’s shortfalls. These shortfalls identify technology areas where further technology development is required to meet future exploration, science, and other mission needs.

Posted December 10, 2024

Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Program

Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI)

3D Printable Bioreactor for Deep Space Food Production

NASA’s Synthetic Biology Project is turning to the 3D printing experts in the GrabCAD community for ideas and or designs that could lead to the ability to reuse and recycle small scale bioreactors to reduce the mass and volume requirements for deep space missions. Ideally, designs that could be printed using a 3D printer, using […]

Posted December 10, 2024

Blogs

Sols 4386-4388: Powers of Ten

Earth planning date: Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 We successfully arrived in our new exploration quadrangle — the Altadena quad — which is named after a town on Earth very near our own Jet Propulsion Laboratory! The names from this quad will recognize the incredible interaction between Altadena and its surrounding environs with the San Andreas […]

Posted December 10, 2024

NASA History

Astronauts

Former Astronauts

People of NASA

30 Years Ago: NASA Selects its 15th Group of Astronauts

On Dec. 8, 1994, NASA announced the selection of its 15th group of astronauts. The diverse group comprised 19 candidates – 10 pilots and nine mission specialists, and included five women, two African Americans, one Asian American, and the first Peruvian-born and Indian-born astronauts.

Posted December 10, 2024

Skywatching

Skywatching Tips

The Next Full Moon is the Cold Moon

The Next Full Moon is the Cold Moon, Frost Moon, or the Winter Moon; the Moon before Yule or the Oak Moon; the Long Night Moon; the Child Moon; the Datta or Dattatreya Jayanti Festival Moon; the Karthika Deepam Festival Moon; Unduvap Poya; and the Chang’e Moon. The next full Moon will be Sunday morning, […]

Posted December 10, 2024

General

Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Traffic Management Beyond Visual Line of Sight (UTM BVLOS)

NASA’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Traffic Management Beyond Visual Line of Sight (UTM BVLOS) subproject aims to support the growing demand for drone flights across the globe. Uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), or drones, offer an increasing number of services, from package delivery to critical public safety operations, like search and rescue mission

Posted December 9, 2024

Science Mission Directorate

Goddard Space Flight Center

Heliophysics

Joint Agency Satellite Division

Kennedy Space Center

Launch Services Program

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

Space Weather

NASA Awards Contract for NOAA’s Next Generation Space Weather Program

NASA, on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has selected Southwest Research Institute of San Antonio to build the Next-Generation Space Weather Magnetometer for the Lagrange 1 Series project as a part of NOAA’s Space Weather Next program.

Posted December 9, 2024

PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem)

Climate Science

Oceans

SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography)

NASA’s PACE, US-European SWOT Satellites Offer Combined Look at Ocean

One Earth satellite can see plankton that photosynthesize. The other measures water surface height. Together, their data reveals how sea life and the ocean are intertwined. The ocean is an engine that drives Earth’s weather patterns and climate and sustains a substantial portion of life on the planet. A new animation based on data from […]

Posted December 9, 2024

Comets

Asteroids

The Solar System

NASA Researchers Discover More Dark Comets

These celestial objects look like asteroids but act like comets now come in two flavors. The first dark comet — a celestial object that looks like an asteroid but moves through space like a comet — was reported less than two years ago. Soon after, another six were found. In a new paper, researchers announce […]

Posted December 9, 2024