On Nov. 6, 2024, NASA Night brought cosmic excitement to the Toyota Center, where Johnson Space Center employees joined 16,208 fans who interacted with NASA as they watched the Houston Rockets claim victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Energy soared as International Space Station Program Manager Dana Weigel stepped up to take the first shot. … Read more
A NASA study using a series of supercomputer simulations reveals a potential new solution to a longstanding Martian mystery: How did Mars get its moons? The first step, the findings say, may have involved the destruction of an asteroid. The research team, led by Jacob Kegerreis, a postdoctoral research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s … Read more
Anthocyanins protect seeds in space After exposure to space outside the International Space Station, purple-pigmented rice seeds rich in anthocyanin had higher germination rates than non-pigmented white rice seeds. This result suggests that anthocyanin, a flavonoid known to protect plants from UV irradiation, could help preserve seed viability on future space missions. Plants are key … Read more
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features NGC 1672, a barred spiral galaxy located 49 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Dorado. This galaxy is a multi-talented light show, showing off an impressive array of different celestial lights. Like any spiral galaxy, shining stars fill its disk, giving the galaxy a beautiful glow. Along … Read more
From the Mission Control Center to community celebrations, Kenneth Attocknie blends safety expertise with a commitment to cultural connection. For the past 25 years at NASA, Attocknie has dedicated his career to safeguarding the International Space Station and supporting real-time mission operations at Johnson Space Center in Houston. As a principal safety engineer in the … Read more
Each of NASA’s Voyager probes are equipped with three radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), including the one shown here at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The RTGs provide power for the spacecraft by converting the heat generated by the decay of plutonium-238 into electricity. Launched in 1977, the Voyager mission is managed for NASA by … Read more
Better Monitoring of the Air Astronauts Breathe Ten weeks of operations showed that a second version of the Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor is sensitive enough to determine variations in the composition of cabin air inside the International Space Station. Volatile organic compounds and particulates in cabin air could pose a health risk for crew members, and this device … Read more
Chile signed the Artemis Accords Friday during a ceremony hosted by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, becoming the 47th nation and the seventh South American country to commit to the responsible exploration of space for all humanity. “Today we welcome Chile’s signing of the Artemis Accords and its commitment to … Read more
5 min read NASA Science on Health, Safety to Launch on 31st SpaceX Resupply Mission New science experiments for NASA are set to launch aboard the agency’s SpaceX 31st commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. The six investigations aim to contribute to cutting-edge discoveries by NASA scientists and research teams. The SpaceX … Read more
Microgravity had no immediate effect on a person’s ability to perceive the height of an object, indicating that astronauts can safely perform tasks that rely on accurate and precise height judgments soon after arrival in space. We use the height and width of objects around us to complete tasks such as reaching for objects and deciding whether … Read more