Blog

Moon Meets Up with Jupiter, Saturn

The Moon, left, Saturn, upper right, and Jupiter, lower right, are seen after sunset from Washington, DC, on Dec. 17, 2020. The two planets drew closer to each other in the sky as they headed towards a “great conjunction” on Dec. 21, where the two giant planets appeared a tenth of a degree apart. View […]

Posted December 5, 2023

Humans in Space

International Space Station (ISS)

ISS Research

NASA Leaders to Highlight 25th Anniversary of Space Station with Crew

NASA is celebrating the 25th anniversary of International Space Station operations during a live conversation with crew aboard the microgravity laboratory for the benefit of humanity. During a space-to-Earth call at 12:25 p.m. EST Wednesday, Dec.

Posted December 5, 2023

Planetary Science

Science-enabling Technology

Technology Highlights

Digging Deeper to Find Life on Ocean Worlds

In February 2023, researchers from around the country gathered at a NASA-sponsored workshop to discuss the latest developments and a roadmap for a cryobot mission concept to drill through the icy crusts of Europa and Enceladus and search for life.

Posted December 5, 2023

Kennedy Space Center

Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity (ODEO)

NASA Helps Create Space for All Through Mentorship

Meeting members of the Artemis generation often inspires NASA’s workforce as much as it encourages the students themselves. For one recent group of students, a visit to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida brought mentorship, new experiences, and inspiration for answering the profound questions of our universe.

Posted December 5, 2023

Johnson Space Center

Expedition 68 Crew With Three NASA Astronauts to Discuss Mission

Dec. 4, 2023 MEDIA ADVISORY: M23-001 Four astronauts, including the current record-holder for the longest single stay in space aboard the International Space Station, will make their first public appearance in Houston since returning to Earth. The crew will be available for interviews at 5 p.m. CST Wednesday, Dec. 6, at Space Center Houston.

Posted December 5, 2023

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Participates in Space Agencies Leaders’ Summit at COP 28

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson participated in the first-ever Space Agencies Leaders’ Summit at COP 28 in Dubai, UAE, on Dec. 4, 2023. At the summit, organized by the UAE Space Agency, Nelson underscored the importance of sharing climate data transparently and openly with the world.

Posted December 4, 2023

Artemis

Artemis 3

Humans in Space

Marshall Space Flight Center

Space Launch System (SLS)

NASA Continues Progress on Artemis III Rocket Adapter with Key Joint Installation

Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, recently installed a key component called the frangible joint assembly onto the adapter that connects the core stage to the upper part of the NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket.

Posted December 4, 2023

Asteroids

Jupiter

Mars

Pioneer

Pioneer 10

Planets

The Solar System

Pioneer 10 Crosses the Asteroid Belt

This illustration made on Nov. 26, 1974, by Rick Giudice shows the Pioneer 10 spacecraft traveling through the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system. At the time, it was uncertain whether it would traverse it safely since the density of particles large enough to damage the craft was […]

Posted December 4, 2023

Citizen Science

Earth Science

Artificial Intelligence Plus Your Cell Phone Means Better Maps of Earth!

In 2019, the GLOBE Land Cover project began asking volunteers to help map planet Earth by taking photos of their surroundings facing multiple directions, including north, south, east and west. Now, a new paper by Huang et al. demonstrates how to combine these images using Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Posted December 4, 2023

NASA History

STS-61

30 Years Ago: STS-61, the First Hubble Servicing Mission

“Trying to do stellar observations from Earth is like trying to do birdwatching from the bottom of a lake.” James B. Odom, Hubble Program Manager 1983-1990. The discovery after its launch that the Hubble Space Telescope’s primary mirror suffered from a flaw disappointed scientists who could not obtain the sharp images they had expected. But […]

Posted December 4, 2023