Blog

Sols 4443-4444: Four Fours for February

Earth planning date: Monday, Feb. 3, 2025 Another successful weekend plan left us about 23 meters (about 75 feet) farther down our Mount Sharp Ascent Route (MSAR), with all our science data downlinked to Earth and the planet clocks aligned once more. We only have until 18:26 Pacific time to get this Monday’s plan uplinked […]

Posted February 6, 2025

International Space Station (ISS)

Humans in Space

In-flight Education Downlinks

ISS Research

STEM Engagement at NASA

NASA Brings Space to New Jersey Classroom with Astronaut Q&A

Students from the Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School in Somerset, New Jersey, will have the chance to connect with NASA astronaut Nick Hague as he answers prerecorded science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related questions from aboard the International Space Station. Watch the 20-minute space-to-Earth call at 11:10 a.m.

Posted February 5, 2025

General

Ames Research Center

Small Spacecraft Technology Program

Space Technology Mission Directorate

NASA Invites Media to Learn about Spacecraft Autonomous Tech Firsts

NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley invites media to learn more about Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy (DSA), a technology that allows individual spacecraft to make independent decisions while collaborating with each other to achieve common goals – without human input.

Posted February 5, 2025

Armstrong Flight Research Center

Aeronautics

Ames Research Center

Green Aviation Tech

Langley Research Center

Sustainable Aviation

Wind Over Its Wing: NASA’s X-66 Model Tests Airflow

NASA’s Sustainable Flight Demonstrator (SFD) project recently concluded wind tunnel tests of its X-66 semi-span model in partnership with Boeing. The model, designed to represent half the aircraft, allows the research team to generate high-quality data about the aerodynamic forces that would affect the actual X-66.

Posted February 5, 2025

Apollo 14

Earth's Moon

Apollo 14 Moon Landing

This Feb. 5, 1971, photo gives an excellent view of the Apollo 14 lunar module on the Moon’s surface after landing. At left, we can see that the astronauts – Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell – deployed the U.S. flag before taking this photo of the lunar module. Shepard and Mitchell touched down in the […]

Posted February 5, 2025

Humans in Space

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Goes Live: First Twitch Stream from Space Station

For the first time, NASA is hosting a live Twitch event from about 250 miles off the Earth aboard the International Space Station, bringing new audiences closer to space than ever before. Viewers will have the opportunity to hear from NASA astronauts live and ask questions about life in orbit. The event will begin at […]

Posted February 5, 2025

Planets

Skywatching

Skywatching Tips

Planetary Alignments and Planet Parades

On most nights, weather permitting, you can spot at least one bright planet in the night sky. While two or three planets are commonly visible in the hours around sunset, occasionally four or five bright planets can be seen simultaneously with the naked eye. These events, often called “planet parades” or “planetary alignments,” can generate […]

Posted February 5, 2025

Ames Research Center

Armstrong Flight Research Center

Artemis

Flight Opportunities Program

Game Changing Development Program

Glenn Research Center

Space Technology Mission Directorate

NASA Tests in Simulated Lunar Gravity to Prep Payloads for Moon

The old saying — “Practice makes perfect!” — applies to the Moon too. On Tuesday, NASA gave 17 technologies, instruments, and experiments the chance to practice being on the Moon… without actually going there. Instead, it was a flight test aboard a vehicle adapted to simulate lunar gravity for approximately two minutes. The test began […]

Posted February 4, 2025

Galaxies

Hubble Space Telescope

Bullseye!

This image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, released on Feb. 4, 2025, shows the gargantuan galaxy LEDA 1313424, aptly nicknamed the Bullseye. A far smaller blue dwarf galaxy went through the Bullseye’s center, leaving nine star-filled rings.

Posted February 4, 2025

Ames Research Center

CubeSats

Game Changing Development Program

Small Spacecraft Technology Program

Space Technology Mission Directorate

NASA Demonstrates Software ‘Brains’ Shared Across Satellite Swarms

Talk amongst yourselves, get on the same page, and work together to get the job done! This “pep talk” roughly describes how new NASA technology works within satellite swarms.

Posted February 4, 2025