May 2026

NASA’s Roman Poised to Transform Hunt for Elusive Neutron Stars

Astronomers have long known that neutron stars, the crushed cores left behind after massive stars explode, should be scattered throughout the Milky Way galaxy. However, most of them are effectively invisible. A new study published in Astronomy and Astrophysics suggests NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope could spot them anyway.

Posted May 6, 2026

Earth Observatory

Landsat 9

Snow

Volcanoes

Melting Snow Off Shivelyuch

Near-constant activity continues on the volcano in Russia.

Posted May 6, 2026

NASA eClips and GLOBE Educators Strengthen a Regional STEM Ecosystem in Coastal Virginia

Thirty-eight science educators representing seven school districts across Virginia’s Tidewater region joined forces with community organizations, such as the Elizabeth River Project, to deepen their instructional practice through a dynamic collaboration between NASA eClips and the GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) P

Posted May 6, 2026

NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Surveys ‘Crocodile Bridge’

Description NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z camera system to capture this 360-degree panorama of a region nicknamed “Crocodile Bridge” on Jezero Crater’s rim. The panorama is made up of 980 images, 971 of which were taken on Dec. 18, 2025, the 1,717th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. An additional nine were […]

Posted May 5, 2026

Blogs

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4879-4885: Struggle at Atacama

Written by William Farrand, Senior Research Scientist, Space Science Institute Earth planning date: Friday, May 1, 2026 Chile’s Atacama desert is the driest mid-latitude desert in the world, receiving only 15 millimeters (0.59 inches) of precipitation per year. Only the dry valleys of Antarctica receive less precipitation.

Posted May 5, 2026

Citizen Science

Science & Research

Uncategorized

650 NASA Volunteers Have Co-Authored Scientific Papers

After a recent count, NASA Citizen Science is proud to report that more than 650 people who have volunteered to participate in NASA citizen science projects have co-authored peer-reviewed research papers with scientists on those project teams.

Posted May 5, 2026

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Photojournal

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Frees Its Drill From a Rock

Description This series of images shows NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover as it got a rock stuck to the drill on the end of its robotic arm and, after waving the arm and running the drill a few times, finally detached the rock. The imagery showing the entire process was captured by the black-and-white hazard cameras […]

Posted May 5, 2026

General

Humans in Space

In-flight Education Downlinks

International Space Station (ISS)

Learning Resources

NASA Astronaut to Answer Questions from Students in Florida

Students in Florida will hear from NASA astronaut Chris Williams as he answers prerecorded science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) questions while aboard the International Space Station. The Earth-to-space call will begin at 11 a.m. EDT Friday, May 8, and will stream live on the agency’s Learn With NASA YouTube channel.

Posted May 5, 2026

Astrobiology

NASA Research Shows Early Life Relied on Rare Metal

NASA-funded scientists have discovered that life on Earth over 3 billion years ago relied on the metal molybdenum, which was incredibly scarce in the environment at the time. The study, published in Nature Communications on Tuesday, is the first to show that molybdenum was used by ancient life this far back in our planet’s history. […]

Posted May 5, 2026

Redstone 3 (Freedom 7)

Building on America’s 65-Year Legacy of Human Spaceflight

On the morning of May 5, 1961, the Mercury-Redstone 3 launch vehicle lifted into the sky from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. Over the next 15 minutes, Shepard ascended to an altitude of 116 miles (187 kilometers) in his Freedom 7 spacecraft, becoming the first American to fly into space before […]

Posted May 5, 2026