NASA

Simulating alien worlds, designing spacecraft with origami and using tiny fossils to understand the lives of ancient organisms are all in a day’s work for interns at NASA.Here’s how interns are taking our missions and science farther.1. Connecting Satellites in SpaceBecca Foust looks as if she’s literally in space – or, at least, on a sci-fi movie set. She’s surrounded by black, except for the brilliant white comet model suspended behind her. Beneath the socks she donned just for this purpose, the black floor reflects the scene like perfectly still water across a lake as she describes what happens here: “We have five spacecraft simulators that ‘fly’ in a specially designed flat-floor facility,” she says. “The spacecraft simulators use air bearings to lift the robots off the floor, kind of ...

HELSINKI — ESA’s director general says  the agency does not have the budgetary capacity nor the political intention to send its astronauts to China’s space station. “We are very busy supporting and ensuring our commitments and activities on the International Space Station where we have a number of international partners working together,” ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said in response to a question from SpaceNews during an annual press briefing in Paris on Monday. “For the moment we have neither the budgetary nor the political, let’s say, green light or intention to engage in a second space station; that is participating on the Chinese space station,” Aschbacher said. ESA and China had earlier been working towards a potential  visit of European astronauts to Tiangong. E...

Artemis Moonwalking Spacesuits Discover how NASA and Axiom Space are working to design a next-level moonwalking spacesuit. This new suit will be the first in over 50 years, and it will enable us to navigate the challenges of Artemis III and beyond. From conducting research on the surface of the Moon to surviving the radiation level on Mars. These new suits are critical to the future of human spaceflight.  NASA is returning astronauts to the Moon under Artemis to support continued scientific breakthroughs, benefiting humanity on Earth. As part of its planned human lunar spaceflight missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon. About the Panel Panelists from this discussion include Lara Kearney, Manager, EVA & HSM Program, NASA...

A fiery meteor streaked across the morning skies in southern Mississippi yesterday on April 27, 2022. More than 30 eyewitnesses in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi reported seeing a bright fireball at 8:03 a.m. CDT. The sighting was soon followed by numerous reports of loud booms heard in Claiborne County, Mississippi, and surrounding counties. GLM image from the GOES 16 satellite. Credits: NOAA Approximately 22,000 miles out in space, NOAA’s Geostationary Lightning Mappers (GLM) onboard the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) 16 and 17 detected several bright flashes associated with the fragmentation’s of this bolide, or exceptionally bright meteor, which was first spotted 54 miles above the Mississippi River near the Mississippi town of Alcorn. “...

The Artemis I mission was the first integrated test of the Orion spacecraft, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and Exploration Ground Systems at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. We’ll use these deep space exploration systems on future Artemis missions to send astronauts to the Moon and prepare for our next giant leap: sending the first humans to Mars.Take a visual journey through the mission, starting from launch, to lunar orbit, to splashdown.LiftoffALTThe SLS rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launched on Nov. 16, 2022, from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The world’s most powerful rocket performed with precision, meeting or exceeding all expectations during its debut launch on Artemis I.“This is Your Moment” ALTFollowing the successful launch o...