Where the Wild Things Are: Wildlife Management with Johnson’s Matt StrausserIf you asked someone what they expected to see during a visit to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, they would probably list things like astronauts, engineers, and maybe a spacecraft or two. It might be a surprise to learn you can also spy hundreds of species of animals – from geckos and snakes to white-tailed deer […]
NASA Sets Coverage for SpaceX 33rd Station Resupply Launch, ArrivalNASA and SpaceX are targeting 2:45 a.m. EDT, Sunday, Aug. 24, for the next launch to deliver science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. This is the 33rd SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory for NASA. Filled with more than 5,000 pounds of supplies, a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on […]
Station Nation: Meet Tess Caswell, Extravehicular Activity Flight Controller and Lead Capsule Communicator Tess Caswell supports the International Space Station from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston as a capsule communicator, or capcom, and helps plan and train for future spacewalks with the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) team in the Flight Operations Directorate. She is currently on rotation as the Artemis lead capcom, helping to develop training and processes […]
Summary of the 2025 GEDI Science Team MeetingIntroduction The 2025 Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Science Team Meeting (STM) took place April 1–3, 2025 at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). Upwards of 60 participants attended in-person, while several others joined virtually by Zoom. The GEDI Mission and Competed Science Team members were in attendance along with the GEDI NASA program […]
A Decade of Global Water Cycle Monitoring: NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive MissionIntroduction The NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, launched in 2015, has over 10 years of global L-band radiometry observations. The low frequency [1.4 GHz frequency or 21 cm (8 in) wavelength] measurements provide information on the state of land surfaces in all weather conditions – regardless of solar illumination. A principal objective of […]
Summary of the 54th U.S.–Japan ASTER Science Team MeetingIntroduction The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Science Team (ST) organized a three-day workshop that took place June 9–11, 2025, at the Japan Space System’s (JSS) offices in Tokyo, Japan. About 25 people from Japan and the United States participated during the in-person meeting – see Photo 1. U.S. participants included representatives […]
Portable Planetarium takes Thousands of Alaskan Students on a Cosmic AdventureExploring the Cosmos and Inspiring Young Minds From January through June 2025, the Education Outreach Office at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute (GI) continued its mission of bringing science to life by delivering the magic of its portable planetarium to communities across Alaska. This year, they reached over 1,807 students, educators, and participants […]
Bone Loss Research Launches Aboard NASA’s SpaceX-33 Resupply MissionThe 33rd SpaceX commercial resupply services mission for NASA, scheduled to liftoff from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in late August, is heading to the International Space Station with an important investigation for the future of bone health. The experiment will test how microgravity affects bone-forming and bone-degrading cells and explore potential ways […]
NASA, Army National Guard Partner on Flight Training for Moon LandingBy Corinne BeckingerWhen Artemis astronauts land on the Moon’s South Pole in a commercial human landing system, they will encounter a landscape pockmarked with deep craters, sloped connecting ridges, and harsh lighting conditions. The Moon’s lack of contrast, combined with its rolling terrain, will also pose a challenge, making it difficult for astronauts to overcome […]
Artemis II Crew Practices Night Launch ScenarioNASA astronauts Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, and Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, walk on the crew access arm of the mobile launcher in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. On Aug. 11 and 12, teams with the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems Program along with NASA […]