Per 21 anni, tra il 1999 e il 2020, milioni di persone in tutto il mondo hanno “prestato” i loro computer ai ricercatori della University of California-Berkeley per cercare tracce di civiltà intelligenti nella nostra galassia. Il progetto, chiamato Seti@home, dal nome ‘Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence’ (Seti), è stato una delle attività di crowdsourcing più popolari agli albori di Internet. I partecipanti al progetto hanno scaricato il software Seti@home sui loro computer di casa per analizzare i dati registrati dall’ormai defunto radiotelescopio di Arecibo a Porto Rico. L’obiettivo era la ricerca di segnali radio dallo spazio riconducibili a tecnofirme: prove di tecnologie passate o presenti create da forme di vita intelligente.

Il progetto fu lanciato il 17 maggio 1999 dalla University of California-Berkeley. Già appena dopo pochi giorni 200mila persone da oltre cento paesi avevano scaricato il software. Un anno dopo contava due milioni di utenti. Nel corso del progetto, un’area pari a circa un terzo dell’intero cielo fu osservata da Porto Rico 12 o più volte, con alcune regioni perlustrate centinaia o anche migliaia di volte.

In totale, queste analisi hanno prodotto 12 miliardi di rilevazioni – «segnali momentanei a una particolare frequenza provenienti da un particolare punto del cielo», come spiega l’informatico e co-fondatore del progetto David Anderson. Dopo dieci anni di lavoro, il team di Seti@home ha ora terminato l’analisi di queste rilevazioni, selezionando inizialmente circa un milione di segnali “candidati”. Di questi, circa centinaio sono stati ritenuti sufficientemente interessanti da meritare una seconda revisione.

Dal luglio scorso, i membri del progetto hanno poi puntato il radiotelescopio cinese Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (Fast) verso i segnali più degni di nota nella speranza di vederli di nuovo. Sebbene i dati di Fast non siano stati ancora analizzati, Anderson già ha detto di non aspettarsi la rilevazione di segnali extraterrestri. Tuttavia i risultati del progetto Seti@home, presentati in due articoli pubblicati quest’estate su The Astronomical Journal, offrono spunti di riflessione per le ricerche future e indicano potenziali difetti negli studi in corso.

Secondo l’astronomo e direttore del progetto Eric Korpela, ricerche come Seti@home faranno emergere inevitabilmente miliardi di possibili segnali. La sfida per i ricercatori è lo sviluppo di algoritmi che cancellino i segnali spuri causati da rumore o da interferenze radio d’origine terrestre senza eliminare le tracce effettive di una potenziale civiltà lontana. Per affrontare questo problema, Anderson e Korpela hanno predisposto una sorta di test in cieco inserendo nella loro pipeline di dati circa tremila falsi “segnali ET”, chiamati birdies, che simulano possibili trasmissioni da intelligenze extraterrestri. Il concetto è semplice: se la pipeline scopre questi birdie, senza scambiarli per interferenze radio da eliminare, ci sono buone possibilità che possa scoprire anche un analogo segnale ET “vero”.

Ma come potrebbe essere fatto un “segnale ET vero”? Quasi tutte le ricerche odierne, sottolinea Korpela a questo proposito, presumono che una civiltà extraterrestre impieghi molta potenza in una banda di frequenza stretta per attirare l’attenzione di altre civiltà, per poi inviare informazioni o dati tramite una frequenza a banda larga adiacente. Per aumentare le probabilità di essere rilevato, si ipotizza che il segnale possa trovarsi intorno a una frequenza alla quale gli astronomi osserverebbero l’universo, per esempio attorno alla lunghezza d’onda radio di 21 centimetri usata per mappare l’idrogeno nella galassia.

Come è stata condotta l’analisi dei dati

Il software di Seti@home ha preso i dati dei segnali radio da Arecibo (frequenza, intensità, posizione in cielo) e li ha rielaborati tramite calcoli matematici. Dato che la Terra si muove, così come una probabile sorgente del segnale radio, il software ha analizzato le osservazioni per individuare spostamenti di frequenza, chiamati Doppler drift.

«Per tener conto di ogni possibilità, abbiamo dovuto considerare un’ampia gamma tassi di drift – decine di migliaia», spiega Anderson. «Questo moltiplica per diecimila anche la potenza di calcolo di cui abbiamo bisogno. Il fatto di avere a disposizione un milione di personal computer ci ha permesso di farlo. Nessun altro progetto radio Seti è stato in grado di farlo».

I 12 miliardi di segnali interessanti identificati dai computer dei volontari che hanno preso parte al progetto dovevano poi essere sottoposti a verifiche. Questa analisi ha richiesto un centro di calcolo con una grande quantità di spazio di archiviazione e memoria, fornito dal Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics di Hannover, in Germania. Il supercomputer ha permesso di eliminare interferenze radio e rumore, riducendo – come dicevano – miliardi di rilevazioni a circa due milioni di segnali candidati. Una volta classificati in base alla potenzialità di essere reali, i primi mille sono stati esaminati manualmente. Si è così ristretto il campo a circa cento segnali. Questi sono stati puntati dal radiotelescopio Fast, con una registrazione di circa 15 minuti per ciascun punto del cielo. Fast ha un’area di raccolta circa 8 volte superiore a quella di Arecibo. L’analisi finale di questi segnali deve ancora essere completata, ma i due articoli pubblicati la scorsa estate, dice Anderson, «rappresentano le importanti conclusioni di Seti@home».

Dunque nessun segnale da parte di intelligenze extraterrestri. Secondo Anderson il progetto è comunque andato ben oltre le aspettative iniziali. «Quando stavamo progettando Seti@home», ricorda, «abbiamo cercato di decidere se ne valesse la pena, se avremmo avuto abbastanza potenza di calcolo per fare davvero nuova scienza. I nostri calcoli si basavano sull’assunzione di 50mila volontari. In poco tempo, ne abbiamo avuti un milione. È stato fantastico, e vorrei far sapere a quella comunità e al mondo che abbiamo effettivamente fatto un po’ di scienza».

Per saperne di più:

• Leggi su The Astronomical Journal l’articolo “SETI@home: Data Analysis and Findings”, di D. P. Anderson, E. J. Korpela, D. Werthimer, J. Cobb e B. Allen
• Leggi su The Astronomical Journal l’articolo “SETI@home: Data Acquisition and Front-end Processing” di J. Korpela, D. P. Anderson, J. Cobb, M. Lebofsky, W. Liu e D. Werthimer

 

Quando due stelle si avvicinano, si scontrano e si fondono, esplodono in una nova rossa luminosa (Lrn o luminous red nova in inglese). Un faro luminoso ma transiente, a metà fra una semplice nova e una prorompente supernova. Fra i maggiori esperti nello studio di questi particolari oggetti astrofisici c’è un gruppo di ricercatori dell’Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (Inaf) che, negli ultimi anni, ha raccolto numerosi esemplari in galassie esterne alla Via Lattea. E che, ultimamente, è riuscito a rispondere a una fondamentale domanda: che cosa rimane dopo, quando la nova rossa luminosa si spegne e le due stelle sono diventate un unico oggetto? Una stella simile a una supergigante rossa, scrivono in un articolo disponibile su Astronomy & Astrophysics.

La maggior parte dei fenomeni astrofisici evolve in un arco di tempo di migliaia, se non milioni, di anni. Esistono alcuni fenomeni, però, come l’esplosione di una supernova o la fusione (merging in inglese) fra buchi neri o stelle di neutroni, che si sviluppano in periodi inferiori alla durata della vita umana (da millisecondi a decenni) e offrono agli studiosi la possibilità di assistere “in diretta” alla loro evoluzione. In gergo vengono chiamati “fenomeni transienti” e anche gli scontri fra stelle rientrano in questa categoria.

«Normalmente non possiamo assistere all’evoluzione di un sistema che avviene in milioni di anni, ma queste coppie di stelle stanno vivendo gli ultimi istanti prima dello scontro, che invece avviene in tempi molto più rapidi», spiega Andrea Reguitti, ricercatore all’Inaf e primo autore dello studio. «Il transiente che ne consegue, infatti, ha tempi evolutivi comparabili con quelli di una supernova, ovvero di alcuni mesi».

L’oggetto in questione – la Lrn, appunto – rientra nella famiglia dei transienti ottici di luminosità intermedia: si osserva nella luce visibile , nella fase più brillante ha una luminosità intermedia tra quella delle nove classiche e delle supernove, ed è il risultato dello scontro e fusione di due stelle ordinarie, che possono avere masse in un intervallo molto ampio, da più piccole del Sole fino a 50 volte più massicce.

Nel loro studio, Reguitti e i suoi colleghi hanno selezionato nove di questi transienti, ma solo per due di essi sono riusciti a scrivere l’intera storia: At 2011kp, che hanno ritrovato 12 anni dopo la fusione, e At 1997bs, che hanno ritrovato addirittura 27 anni dopo.

«In alcuni casi, analizzando immagini d’archivio dei principali telescopi spaziali prese anni prima dell’evento, è stato possibile individuare il progenitore, ossia studiare il sistema così com’era prima di fondersi, e capire dunque quali tipi di stelle fossero coinvolte», continua Reguitti. «Tuttavia, fino a ora non si sapeva che tipo di stella sarebbe rimasta dopo la coalescenza».

Per riuscirci, è necessario innanzitutto aspettare diversi anni dopo l’apparizione di un Lrn prima che il sistema si assesti. Occorre poi osservarlo con un telescopio spaziale in grado di individuare le singole stelle in altre galassie. E, infine, effettuare osservazioni in infrarosso. Le Lrn, infatti, in seguito allo scontro fra le due stelle producono molta polvere, che ha l’effetto di oscurare ciò che resta del sistema in luce ottica,  mantenendolo visibile solo in infrarosso. Queste ultime due condizioni richiedono capacità che, a oggi, hanno un nome preciso e insostituibile: il James Webb Space Telescope. Ed è infatti proprio nei dati pubblici di Webb che gli autori hanno ritrovato i due sistemi molti anni dopo il loro impatto, utilizzando immagini del 2023 e del 2024 nel vicino e medio infrarosso. Oltre a questo, hanno cercato immagini del telescopio spaziale Hubble nel visibile e del telescopio spaziale Spitzer.

Le novae rosse luminose sono le “esplosioni”, i transienti luminosi generati dall’energia liberata dallo scontro. Durante la fase più brillante del transiente Lrn, si osserva materiale eiettato dall’esplosione, che, essendo denso, caldo e luminoso, impedisce di vedere cosa c’è sotto. Ma, aspettando un tempo sufficiente e osservando nel vicino infrarosso, dove il risultato della fusione rimane visibile, per la prima volta il gruppo padovano è riuscito a osservare cosa diventano due stelle quando si fondono: qualcosa di molto simile a una supergigante rossa. Un oggetto molto grande, con un raggio centinaia di volte quello del Sole, che, se posto al centro del Sistema solare, sfiorerebbe l’orbita di Giove e, allo stesso tempo, freddo rispetto alle stelle ordinarie, con una temperatura superficiale di appena 3500-4000 kelvin (in confronto, il Sole arriva a quasi 6000 kelvin).

«Non ci aspettavamo di trovare questo tipo di oggetti come risultato della fusione», commenta Andrea Pastorello, ricercatore dell’Inaf e coautore dell’articolo. «Ci si sarebbe aspettato, piuttosto, che il sistema, passando da due stelle di una certa massa a una singola con una massa quasi pari alla somma delle due (al netto del materiale espulso dallo scontro), si sarebbe stabilizzato su una sorgente più calda e compatta».

Oltre ad aver trovato il prodotto dello scontro, grazie al telescopio spaziale Webb i ricercatori sono anche riusciti ad analizzare la composizione chimica della polvere che circonda il sistema dopo lo scontro. Trovando che è fatta principalmente di composti del carbonio, del tipo grafite o carbonio amorfo, e non di silicati come ci si attenderebbe in ambienti ricchi di ossigeno. Ogni evento produce circa un millesimo di massa solare di polvere, ovvero circa 300 volte la massa della Terra. Appena un centesimo rispetto alla polvere prodotta dalle supernove, ma se si considera che le Lrn sono molto più frequenti, si scopre che possono contribuire alla formazione cosmica della polvere quasi tanto quanto le supernove. Questa polvere viene poi dispersa nello spazio e, dopo migliaia o milioni di anni, finisce in una nebulosa ricca di gas, dalla quale può formarsi una nuova stella con nuovi pianeti.

«Noi siamo fatti di composti del carbonio, lo stesso di cui è ricca questa polvere. È un modo diverso di raccontare la vecchia storiella che siamo “polvere di stelle”», conclude Reguitti.

Per saperne di più:

• Leggi su Astronomy & Astrophysics l’articolo “The fate of the progenitors of luminous red novae: Infrared detection of LRNe years after the outburst”, di A. Reguitti, A. Pastorello, G. Valerin

 

Newly developing stars shrouded in thick dust get their first baby pictures in these images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble took these infant star snapshots in an effort to learn how massive stars form.

Protostars are shrouded in thick dust that blocks light, but Hubble can detect the near-infrared emission that shines through holes formed by the protostar’s jets of gas and dust. The radiating energy can provide information about these “outflow cavities,” like their structure, radiation fields, and dust content. Researchers look for connections between the properties of these young stars – like outflows, environment, mass, brightness – and their evolutionary stage to test massive star formation theories.

These images were taken as part of the SOFIA Massive (SOMA) Star Formation Survey, which investigates how stars form, especially massive stars with more than eight times the mass of our Sun.

The high-mass star-forming region Cepheus A hosts a collection of baby stars, including one large and luminous protostar, which accounts for about half of the region’s brightness. While much of the region is shrouded in opaque dust, light from hidden stars breaks through outflow cavities to illuminate and energize areas of gas and dust, creating pink and white nebulae. The pink area is an HII region, where the intense ultraviolet radiation of the nearby stars has converted the surrounding clouds of gas into glowing, ionized hydrogen.
Cepheus A lies about 2,400 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus.

Glittering much closer to home, this Hubble image depicts the star-forming region G033.91+0.11 in our Milky Way galaxy. The light patch in the center of the image is a reflection nebula, in which light from a hidden protostar bounces off gas and dust.

This Hubble image showcases the star-forming region GAL-305.20+00.21. The bright spot in the center-right of the image is an emission nebula, glowing gas that is ionized by a protostar buried within the larger complex of gas and dust clouds.

Shrouded in gas and dust, the massive protostar IRAS 20126+4104 lies within a high-mass star-forming region about 5,300 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. This actively forming star is a B-type protostar, characterized by its high luminosity, bluish-white color, and very high temperature. The bright region of ionized hydrogen at the center of the image is energized by jets emerging from the poles of the protostar, which ground-based observatories previously observed.

New images added every day between January 12-17, 2026! Follow @NASAHubble on social media for the latest Hubble images and news and see Hubble’s Stellar Construction Zones for more images of young stellar objects.

Explore More

Media Contact:

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

After 167 days in space, the crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission will hold a news conference at 2:15 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to discuss their science expedition aboard the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov will answer questions about their mission. The crew members returned to Earth on Jan. 15, splashing down off the coast of San Diego, and arrived in Houston on Friday, where they will undergo standard postflight reconditioning and evaluations.

NASA will provide live coverage on the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of additional online platforms, including social media.

Media are invited to attend in person or virtually. For in-person attendance, contact the NASA Johnson newsroom no later than 5 p.m. CST, Tuesday, Jan. 20, at jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111. Media participating by phone must dial into the news conference no later than 10 minutes prior to the start of the event to ask questions. Questions also may be submitted on social media using #AskNASA. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is available on the agency’s website.

The crew spent more than five months in space, including 165 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, traveling nearly 71 million miles, and completing more than 2,670 orbits around Earth. While living and working aboard the station, the crew completed hundreds of science experiments and technology demonstrations.

Get the latest NASA space station news, images, and features on Instagram, Facebook, and X.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is opening access to low Earth orbit and the space station to more people, more science, and more commercial opportunities. For more than 25 years, people have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies that enable us to prepare for human exploration of the Moon as we prepare for Mars.

Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

-end-

Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov  

Anna Schneider / Shaneequa Vereen
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov / shaneequa.y.vereen@nasa.gov

After 167 days in space, the crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission will hold a news conference at 2:15 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to discuss their science expedition aboard the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov will answer questions about their mission. The crew members returned to Earth on Jan. 15, splashing down off the coast of San Diego, and arrived in Houston on Friday, where they will undergo standard postflight reconditioning and evaluations.

NASA will provide live coverage on the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of additional online platforms, including social media.

Media are invited to attend in person or virtually. For in-person attendance, contact the NASA Johnson newsroom no later than 5 p.m. CST, Tuesday, Jan. 20, at jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111. Media participating by phone must dial into the news conference no later than 10 minutes prior to the start of the event to ask questions. Questions also may be submitted on social media using #AskNASA. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is available on the agency’s website.

The crew spent more than five months in space, including 165 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, traveling nearly 71 million miles, and completing more than 2,670 orbits around Earth. While living and working aboard the station, the crew completed hundreds of science experiments and technology demonstrations.

Get the latest NASA space station news, images, and features on Instagram, Facebook, and X.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is opening access to low Earth orbit and the space station to more people, more science, and more commercial opportunities. For more than 25 years, people have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies that enable us to prepare for human exploration of the Moon as we prepare for Mars.

Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

-end-

Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov  

Anna Schneider / Shaneequa Vereen
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov / shaneequa.y.vereen@nasa.gov

After 167 days in space, the crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission will hold a news conference at 2:15 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to discuss their science expedition aboard the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov will answer questions about their mission. The crew members returned to Earth on Jan. 15, splashing down off the coast of San Diego, and arrived in Houston on Friday, where they will undergo standard postflight reconditioning and evaluations.

NASA will provide live coverage on the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of additional online platforms, including social media.

Media are invited to attend in person or virtually. For in-person attendance, contact the NASA Johnson newsroom no later than 5 p.m. CST, Tuesday, Jan. 20, at jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111. Media participating by phone must dial into the news conference no later than 10 minutes prior to the start of the event to ask questions. Questions also may be submitted on social media using #AskNASA. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is available on the agency’s website.

The crew spent more than five months in space, including 165 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, traveling nearly 71 million miles, and completing more than 2,670 orbits around Earth. While living and working aboard the station, the crew completed hundreds of science experiments and technology demonstrations.

Get the latest NASA space station news, images, and features on Instagram, Facebook, and X.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is opening access to low Earth orbit and the space station to more people, more science, and more commercial opportunities. For more than 25 years, people have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies that enable us to prepare for human exploration of the Moon as we prepare for Mars.

Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

-end-

Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov  

Anna Schneider / Shaneequa Vereen
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov / shaneequa.y.vereen@nasa.gov

For the 15th consecutive year, NASA received an unmodified, or “clean,” opinion from an external auditor on its fiscal year 2025 financial statements.

The rating is the best possible audit opinion, certifying that NASA’s financial statements conform with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for federal agencies and accurately present the agency’s financial position.

“NASA has delivered a complete and reliable report of our fiscal operations, critical to our success for the Golden Age of exploration and innovation,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “NASA’s mission drives innovation in space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Our fiscal year 2025 budget fuels economic growth, drives the growing space economy, and keeps America first amidst increasing global competition.”

The 2025 Agency Financial Report provides key financial and performance information and demonstrates the agency’s commitment to transparency in the use of American taxpayers’ dollars. In addition, the 2025 report presents progress during the past year, and spotlights the array of NASA missions, objectives, and workforce advanced with these financial resources.

“This achievement reflects our team’s diligent stewardship of NASA’s resources, including our commitment to responsibly managing taxpayers’ dollars entrusted to the agency,” said Sidney Schmidt, NASA’s acting chief financial officer. “Their unwavering dedication to sound financial management and robust internal controls ensures we uphold public trust. Congratulations and thank you to everyone involved for your commendable efforts and hard work.”

In fiscal year 2025, NASA marked significant progress toward the Artemis II test flight. Targeted to launch no earlier than Friday, Feb. 6, the Artemis II mission will send four astronauts around the Moon and back to test the systems and hardware which will return humanity to the lunar surface. NASA and its partners landed two robotic science missions on the Moon, welcomed seven new signatory countries to the Artemis Accords, and advanced medical and technological experiments for long-duration space missions like hand-held X-ray equipment and navigation capabilities.

NASA also led a variety of science discoveries, including launching a joint satellite mission with India to regularly monitor Earth’s land and ice-covered surfaces, as well as identifying and tracking the third interstellar object in our solar system; achieved 25 continuous years of human presence aboard the International Space Station; and, for the first time, flew a test flight of the agency’s X-59 supersonic plane that will help revolutionize air travel.

For more information on NASA’s budget, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/budgets-plans-and-reports

-end-

Bethany Stevens / Elizabeth Shaw
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov / elizabeth.a.shaw@nasa.gov

NASA is weeks away from sending astronauts farther than any crew has traveled before, with the agency’s second mission in its Artemis campaign. The Artemis II Press Kit now is available with information on the mission, astronauts, and other resources for media.

“Artemis II will be a momentous step forward for human spaceflight. This historic mission will send humans farther from Earth than ever before and deliver the insights needed for us to return to the Moon — all with America at the helm,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Artemis II represents progress toward establishing a lasting lunar presence and sending Americans to Mars. I could not be more impressed by our NASA team and the Artemis II crew, and wish them well. Boldly forward.”

Under the Artemis campaign, NASA is returning humans to the Moon for economic benefits, scientific discovery, and to prepare for crewed missions to Mars.

To learn more about Artemis, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

-end-

Lauren Low / Rachel Kraft
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
lauren.e.low@nasa.gov / rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov  

By Supreet Kaur

In an era where data security is critical to aviation safety, NASA is exploring bold new solutions. 

Through a drone flight test at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, researchers tested a blockchain-based system for protecting flight data. The system aims to keep air traffic management safe from disruption and protect data transferred between aircraft and ground stations from being intercepted or manipulated. 

For aviation and airspace operations to remain safe, users need to be able to trust that data is reliable and transparent. While current systems have been able to protect flight data systems, cyberthreats continue to evolve, requiring new approaches. NASA researchers found the blockchain-based system can safely transmit and store information in real time. 

Blockchain operates like a decentralized database — it does not rely on a single computer or centralized system. Instead, it shares information across a vast network, recording and verifying every change to a dataset. The system ensures the data stays safe, accurate, and trustworthy.  

Previous cybersecurity research focused on implementing a layered security architecture — using multiple physical and digital security measures to control system access. For this test, researchers took a different approach using blockchain to address potential threats.  

Using drones allowed the team to show that the blockchain framework could yield benefits across several priority areas in aviation development, including autonomous air traffic management, urban air mobility, and high-altitude aircraft.  

This NASA research explored how blockchain can secure digital transactions between multiple systems and operators. The team used an open-source blockchain framework that allows trusted users real-time sharing and storage of critical data like aircraft operator registration information, flight plans, and telemetry. This framework restricts access to this data to trusted parties and approved users only. 

To further examine system resilience, the team introduced a set of cybersecurity tests designed to assess, improve, and reinforce security during operations in airspace environments. During an August flight at Ames, the team demonstrated these capabilities using an Alta-X drone with a custom-built software and hardware package that included a computer, radio, GPS system, and battery.  

The test simulated an environment with a drone flying in real-world conditions, complete with a separate ground control station and the blockchain and security infrastructure. The underlying blockchain framework and cybersecurity protocols can be extended to support high-altitude operations at 60,000 feet and higher and Urban Air Mobility operations, paving the way for a more secure, scalable, and trusted ecosystem. 

NASA researchers will continue to look at the data gathered during the test and apply what they’ve learned to future work. The testing will ultimately benefit U.S. aviation stakeholders looking for new tools to improve operations. 

Through its Air Traffic Management and Safety project, NASA performed research to transform air traffic management systems to safely accommodate the growing demand of new air vehicles. The project falls under NASA’s Airspace Operations and Safety Program, a part the agency’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate that works to enable safe, efficient aviation transportation operations that benefit the flying public and industry.

By Supreet Kaur

In an era where data security is critical to aviation safety, NASA is exploring bold new solutions. 

Through a drone flight test at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, researchers tested a blockchain-based system for protecting flight data. The system aims to keep air traffic management safe from disruption and protect data transferred between aircraft and ground stations from being intercepted or manipulated. 

For aviation and airspace operations to remain safe, users need to be able to trust that data is reliable and transparent. While current systems have been able to protect flight data systems, cyberthreats continue to evolve, requiring new approaches. NASA researchers found the blockchain-based system can safely transmit and store information in real time. 

Blockchain operates like a decentralized database — it does not rely on a single computer or centralized system. Instead, it shares information across a vast network, recording and verifying every change to a dataset. The system ensures the data stays safe, accurate, and trustworthy.  

Previous cybersecurity research focused on implementing a layered security architecture — using multiple physical and digital security measures to control system access. For this test, researchers took a different approach using blockchain to address potential threats.  

Using drones allowed the team to show that the blockchain framework could yield benefits across several priority areas in aviation development, including autonomous air traffic management, urban air mobility, and high-altitude aircraft.  

This NASA research explored how blockchain can secure digital transactions between multiple systems and operators. The team used an open-source blockchain framework that allows trusted users real-time sharing and storage of critical data like aircraft operator registration information, flight plans, and telemetry. This framework restricts access to this data to trusted parties and approved users only. 

To further examine system resilience, the team introduced a set of cybersecurity tests designed to assess, improve, and reinforce security during operations in airspace environments. During an August flight at Ames, the team demonstrated these capabilities using an Alta-X drone with a custom-built software and hardware package that included a computer, radio, GPS system, and battery.  

The test simulated an environment with a drone flying in real-world conditions, complete with a separate ground control station and the blockchain and security infrastructure. The underlying blockchain framework and cybersecurity protocols can be extended to support high-altitude operations at 60,000 feet and higher and Urban Air Mobility operations, paving the way for a more secure, scalable, and trusted ecosystem. 

NASA researchers will continue to look at the data gathered during the test and apply what they’ve learned to future work. The testing will ultimately benefit U.S. aviation stakeholders looking for new tools to improve operations. 

Through its Air Traffic Management and Safety project, NASA performed research to transform air traffic management systems to safely accommodate the growing demand of new air vehicles. The project falls under NASA’s Airspace Operations and Safety Program, a part the agency’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate that works to enable safe, efficient aviation transportation operations that benefit the flying public and industry.

Il telescopio Astri-1 ha catturato il suo primo segnale gamma di origine extragalattica. Nella notte del 15 gennaio 2026, tra le 01:00 e le 03:40 ora italiane, il telescopio Cherenkov – uno dei nove che costituiscono il mini-array Astri, la struttura osservativa dedicata all’astronomia gamma da Terra situata a Tenerife, nelle Isole Canarie – ha puntato gli occhi verso il blazar Markarian 421, registrando un incremento del flusso di raggi gamma proveniente dalla sorgente.

Markarian 421 è una delle sorgenti più luminose del cielo nella banda dei raggi gamma. È anche una delle più vicine, motivo per cui è una fra le più studiate dalla comunità scientifica che si occupa di astrofisica delle alte e altissime energie. Situata nella costellazione dell’Orsa Maggiore a circa 400 milioni di anni luce dalla Terra, fa parte di una sottoclasse di nuclei galattici attivi che gli addetti ai lavori chiamano blazar: galassie che ospitano al centro un buco nero supermassiccio che alimenta potenti getti relativistici orientati lungo la nostra linea di vista. Questa particolare configurazione rende le sorgenti estremamente luminose e variabili alle alte e altissime energie, trasformandole in laboratori naturali per lo studio dei processi fisici più estremi dell’universo.

Il segnale rivelato da Astri-1 è associato all’emissione di un flare – un’improvvisa e intensa emissione di energia – da parte del buco nero ed è coerente con l’elevato stato di attività della sorgente segnalato nelle stesse ore da altri osservatori per raggi gamma, tra cui Lhaaso (ATel #17535), Veritas (ATel #17594) e i due telescopi Cherenkov di piccola taglia dell’osservatorio Ondřejov (ATel #17597). Il flusso di raggi gamma rilevato è risultato pari a circa 2,3 volte quello della Nebulosa del Granchio, sorgente di riferimento del cielo gamma, che il telescopio ha già osservato in passato.

«Attivati da un ATel di Veritas, che indicava che Markarian 421 fosse in flare, Astri-1 ha iniziato una campagna osservativa la notte tra il 14 e il 15 gennaio», racconta a Media Inaf  Fabio Pintore, ricercatore all’Inaf Iasf di Palermo e componente del gruppo che si è occupato dell’analisi preliminare dei dati. «I tre osservatori al sito – Silvia Crestan, Camilla Quartiroli e Alan Sunny – hanno profuso un grande impegno per consentire di accumulare fino a due ore e mezza di dati della sorgente in condizioni di visibilità ottimali. Dati che, con grande efficienza del sistema di processamento e archiviazione, sono stati trasferiti nel data center di Roma alla fine della notte osservativa».

«In questi casi», continua il ricercatore, «la velocità è cruciale e tutto il sistema Astri – dall’acquisizione fino all’analisi dei dati, ottimizzato grazie a un grande sforzo collettivo della comunità Astri – ha funzionato alla perfezione. I dati sono stati immediatamente presi in carico da Saverio Lombardi e dal gruppo che si occupa della riduzione dei dati e dell’analisi scientifica preliminare, che sul finire della mattinata aveva già ottenuto primi risultati. Astri-1 ha confermato che la sorgente era ancora in flare. Il suo flusso, infatti, era più del doppio, in un range di energia di riferimento che abbiamo scelto essere compreso tra 0.8 e 5  TeV (dove TeV, teraelettronvolt, è l’unità d’energia tipica della luce gamma di altissima energia), di quello della Crab Nebula, una sorgente molto brillante nel cielo gamma. Questo risultato mostra le eccellenti potenzialità sia dei singoli telescopi che dell’array Astri, prospettando un futuro ricco di soddisfazioni che ripaga dei tanti sforzi compiuti da tutti i gruppi di lavoro coinvolti nella progettazione hardware, software e nell’analisi dati».

L’analisi preliminare dei dati indica che il segnale è estremamente “solido” dal punto di vista scientifico: il livello di significatività statistica è infatti di 11 sigma, un valore che esclude che la rivelazione sia dovuta al caso o a rumori di fondo.

«Siamo felici che il telescopio Astri-1 abbia osservato la sua prima sorgente extragalattica», commenta Giovanni Pareschi, astrofisico dell’Inaf di Brera e principal investigator del progetto. «Si tratta di un risultato scientifico sicuramente di grande rilievo nel campo dell’astronomia gamma con telescopi Cherenkov, ottenuto da un gruppo per larga maggioranza italiano, con uno strumento interamente sviluppato da Inaf. Il singolo telescopio Astri-1, con cui è stata effettuata l’osservazione, ha una sensibilità di un fattore quasi tre superiore a quella di telescopi analoghi usati in passato, grazie al grande campo di vista e alla costante risoluzione angolare. Non vediamo l’ora di lavorare in stereoscopia con gli altri telescopi dell’Astri Mini- Array, cosa che avverrà già a partire dalla tarda primavera del 2026».

Per saperne di più:

• Leggi l’ATel “ASTRI-1 detection of enhanced very high-energy gamma-ray emission from Mrk 421 at TeV energies” di S. Crestan (Inaf Iasf Milano), C. Quartiroli (Inaf Iasf Milano), A. Sunny (Inaf Iaps Roma), S. Lombardi (Inaf Oa Roma), F. Lucarelli (Inaf Oa Roma), F. Pintore (Inaf Iasf Palermo), per il progetto Astri

 

Plato, la missione dell’Agenzia spaziale europea destinata a scoprire esopianeti simili alla Terra, ha superato con successo una prima serie di test necessari per garantire che sia idoneo al lancio. In particolare, per verificare le sue capacità di resistere agli scossoni e alle intense vibrazioni che sperimenterà durante il lancio, posticipato ufficialmente al 2027, il veicolo spaziale è stato sottoposto ai test di vibrazione.

Plato è arrivata a Estec, nei Paesi Bassi, all’inizio di settembre 2025, e dopo il completamento dell’assemblaggio dello schermo solare e dei pannelli fotovoltaici il payload era pronto per la fase dei test ambientali. I test di vibrazione si sono svolti in tre fasi distinte. Nel corso della prima fase il veicolo spaziale è stato montato su un quad shaker e scosso energicamente rispetto all’asse Z (su e giù, come possiamo vedere nel video qui sotto, pubblicato ieri dall’Esa). Nelle altre due fasi  è stato sottoposto allo stesso test tramite uno shaker “laterale”, e scosso lateralmente avanti e indietro in due direzioni perpendicolari (assi X e Y).  Ogni prova è durata circa un minuto, durante il quale la frequenza delle oscillazioni è stata gradualmente aumentata da 5 a 100 oscillazioni al secondo (hertz). A frequenze più elevate non siamo più in grado di percepire il movimento, ma soltanto il rombo interno del veicolo spaziale causato dalle rapide vibrazioni. Il suono si intensifica in questo caso “a ondate”, quando vengono raggiunte le frequenze di risonanza.

Ricordiamo che i primi due minuti di un volo spaziale sono i più critici, poiché in questa fase il payload deve sopportare le vibrazioni estreme del lancio. Sottoponendo in anticipo il veicolo a questi stress, gli ingegneri si assicurano che nessun componente hardware venga danneggiato durante il lancio a causa di questo stress.

Dopo i test di vibrazione, il payload è stato collocato all’interno della camera di test acustici e bombardato da un suono ad altissima intensità, paragonabile a quello che sperimenterà durante il decollo. Anche questo test è andato come previsto. A breve la sonda verrà spostata nel Large Space Simulator – la più grande camera a vuoto d’Europa, sempre a Estec – per verificare che possa resistere alle temperature estreme e al vuoto dello spazio.

Entro la fine dell’anno Plato dovrà essere pronta al lancio, pianificato da Ariane Space per gennaio 2027.

 

As Earth completed its orbit around the Sun to close out 2025, the International Space Station circled our planet more than 5,800 times. Serving as humanity’s unique laboratory in space, the station has hosted thousands of experiments and technology demonstrations, advancing science in ways that cannot be replicated on Earth.

In 2025 alone, more than 750 experiments supported exploration missions, improved life on Earth, and opened commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. The space station continues to drive innovation by enabling human exploration of the Moon and Mars, transforming medical research, deepening our understanding of the universe, and fostering a growing commercial economy.

Read through just a handful of 2025’s innovative research achievements from the orbiting laboratory.

25 Years of humans researching in orbit

On Nov. 2, 2025, humanity reached a milestone of cosmic proportions: 25 years of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station. Since the first crew arrived on Nov. 2, 2000, NASA and its partners from around the world have conducted more than 4,000 research investigations and technology demonstrations. More than 290 people from 26 countries have visited the space station, where continuous human presence enables research that surpasses the capabilities of satellites and autonomous platforms. The space station’s unique microgravity environment, paired with crew operations, continues to unlock discoveries and push the boundaries of humanity’s curiosity and innovation.

A breakthrough cancer treatment

Research aboard the International Space Station helped inform the development of a newly FDA-approved injectable medication used to treat several types of early-stage cancers. The research yielded early insights into the structure and size of particles needed to develop the medication through protein crystal growth experiments. This new delivery method promises to lower costs and significantly reduce treatment time for patients and healthcare providers, while maintaining drug efficiency. Microgravity research can produce higher-quality, medically relevant crystals than Earth-based labs, enabling these types of medical advances. These developments showcase how space station research can drive innovation, improve lives, and foster commercial opportunities.

Medical implants printed in orbit

Eight medical implants designed to support nerve regeneration were successfully 3D printed aboard the International Space Station for preclinical trials on Earth. When nerve damage occurs, these types of implants are designed to improve blood flow and enable targeted drug delivery. Printing in microgravity can prevent particle settling, resulting in more uniform and stable structures. In-space manufacturing is helping to advance medical treatments and other technologies while also enabling astronauts to print devices and tools on demand during future missions.

Learn more about InSPA-Auxilium Bioprinter.

A new understanding of our Sun

A solar coronagraph aboard the International Space Station captured its first unique images detailing the Sun’s outer atmosphere while measuring  solar wind temperature and speed. The instrument blocks the Sun’s bright light to reveal its faint outer atmosphere, or corona, where solar wind originates. Earlier experiments focused on the corona’s density, but this new device enables the study of what heats and accelerates the solar wind, offering a more complete picture of how energy moves through the Sun’s atmosphere. These observations help researchers understand how solar activity affects Earth and space-based technology, such as satellites, communications networks, and power systems.

Learn more about CODEX.

Hunting for microscopic space travelers

NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore collected microbiological samples during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Samples were taken near the life support system vents to see if the orbital complex releases microorganisms. This experiment helps researchers examine if and how these microorganisms survive and reproduce in the harsh space environment, as well as how they may behave at destinations such as the Moon and Mars. After returning to Earth, the samples underwent DNA extraction and sequencing. Another round of collections is planned for future spacewalks. The data could help determine whether changes are needed on crewed spacecraft and spacesuits to reduce biocontamination during missions to explore destinations where life may exist now or in the past.

Learn more about ISS External Microorganisms.

A fully docked space station

For the first time in International Space Station history, all eight docking ports of the orbiting laboratory were occupied at once. Three crew spacecraft and five cargo resupply craft were attached to station, including JAXA’s new cargo vehicle HTV-X1 and Northrup Grumman’s new Cygnus XL. The eight spacecraft delivered astronauts, cargo, and scientific experiments from around the world to be conducted in the unique microgravity environment. This milestone highlights the space station’s evolution, inviting commercial partners and international collaboration to continue expanding the orbiting laboratory’s research capabilities.

Space station research meets the Moon’s surface

Three experiments that landed on the Moon during Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission-1 were enabled by earlier research aboard the International Space Station. These studies help improve space weather monitoring, test computer recovery from radiation damage, and advance lunar navigation systems. The orbiting laboratory continues to lay the foundation for missions beyond low Earth orbit, driving exploration deeper into space. 

Learn more.  

The space station continues to deliver out-of-this-world achievements that cannot be replicated on Earth. Its research capabilities are a springboard for humanity’s future in innovation and testing the limits of what’s possible.

Here’s to 2026 — another year of defying physics and pushing the boundaries of science and exploration.

As Earth completed its orbit around the Sun to close out 2025, the International Space Station circled our planet more than 5,800 times. Serving as humanity’s unique laboratory in space, the station has hosted thousands of experiments and technology demonstrations, advancing science in ways that cannot be replicated on Earth.

In 2025 alone, more than 750 experiments supported exploration missions, improved life on Earth, and opened commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. The space station continues to drive innovation by enabling human exploration of the Moon and Mars, transforming medical research, deepening our understanding of the universe, and fostering a growing commercial economy.

Read through just a handful of 2025’s innovative research achievements from the orbiting laboratory.

25 Years of humans researching in orbit

On Nov. 2, 2025, humanity reached a milestone of cosmic proportions: 25 years of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station. Since the first crew arrived on Nov. 2, 2000, NASA and its partners from around the world have conducted more than 4,000 research investigations and technology demonstrations. More than 290 people from 26 countries have visited the space station, where continuous human presence enables research that surpasses the capabilities of satellites and autonomous platforms. The space station’s unique microgravity environment, paired with crew operations, continues to unlock discoveries and push the boundaries of humanity’s curiosity and innovation.

A breakthrough cancer treatment

Research aboard the International Space Station helped inform the development of a newly FDA-approved injectable medication used to treat several types of early-stage cancers. The research yielded early insights into the structure and size of particles needed to develop the medication through protein crystal growth experiments. This new delivery method promises to lower costs and significantly reduce treatment time for patients and healthcare providers, while maintaining drug efficiency. Microgravity research can produce higher-quality, medically relevant crystals than Earth-based labs, enabling these types of medical advances. These developments showcase how space station research can drive innovation, improve lives, and foster commercial opportunities.

Medical implants printed in orbit

Eight medical implants designed to support nerve regeneration were successfully 3D printed aboard the International Space Station for preclinical trials on Earth. When nerve damage occurs, these types of implants are designed to improve blood flow and enable targeted drug delivery. Printing in microgravity can prevent particle settling, resulting in more uniform and stable structures. In-space manufacturing is helping to advance medical treatments and other technologies while also enabling astronauts to print devices and tools on demand during future missions.

Learn more about InSPA-Auxilium Bioprinter.

A new understanding of our Sun

A solar coronagraph aboard the International Space Station captured its first unique images detailing the Sun’s outer atmosphere while measuring  solar wind temperature and speed. The instrument blocks the Sun’s bright light to reveal its faint outer atmosphere, or corona, where solar wind originates. Earlier experiments focused on the corona’s density, but this new device enables the study of what heats and accelerates the solar wind, offering a more complete picture of how energy moves through the Sun’s atmosphere. These observations help researchers understand how solar activity affects Earth and space-based technology, such as satellites, communications networks, and power systems.

Learn more about CODEX.

Hunting for microscopic space travelers

NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore collected microbiological samples during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Samples were taken near the life support system vents to see if the orbital complex releases microorganisms. This experiment helps researchers examine if and how these microorganisms survive and reproduce in the harsh space environment, as well as how they may behave at destinations such as the Moon and Mars. After returning to Earth, the samples underwent DNA extraction and sequencing. Another round of collections is planned for future spacewalks. The data could help determine whether changes are needed on crewed spacecraft and spacesuits to reduce biocontamination during missions to explore destinations where life may exist now or in the past.

Learn more about ISS External Microorganisms.

A fully docked space station

For the first time in International Space Station history, all eight docking ports of the orbiting laboratory were occupied at once. Three crew spacecraft and five cargo resupply craft were attached to station, including JAXA’s new cargo vehicle HTV-X1 and Northrup Grumman’s new Cygnus XL. The eight spacecraft delivered astronauts, cargo, and scientific experiments from around the world to be conducted in the unique microgravity environment. This milestone highlights the space station’s evolution, inviting commercial partners and international collaboration to continue expanding the orbiting laboratory’s research capabilities.

Space station research meets the Moon’s surface

Three experiments that landed on the Moon during Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission-1 were enabled by earlier research aboard the International Space Station. These studies help improve space weather monitoring, test computer recovery from radiation damage, and advance lunar navigation systems. The orbiting laboratory continues to lay the foundation for missions beyond low Earth orbit, driving exploration deeper into space. 

Learn more.  

The space station continues to deliver out-of-this-world achievements that cannot be replicated on Earth. Its research capabilities are a springboard for humanity’s future in innovation and testing the limits of what’s possible.

Here’s to 2026 — another year of defying physics and pushing the boundaries of science and exploration.

As Earth completed its orbit around the Sun to close out 2025, the International Space Station circled our planet more than 5,800 times. Serving as humanity’s unique laboratory in space, the station has hosted thousands of experiments and technology demonstrations, advancing science in ways that cannot be replicated on Earth.

In 2025 alone, more than 750 experiments supported exploration missions, improved life on Earth, and opened commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. The space station continues to drive innovation by enabling human exploration of the Moon and Mars, transforming medical research, deepening our understanding of the universe, and fostering a growing commercial economy.

Read through just a handful of 2025’s innovative research achievements from the orbiting laboratory.

25 Years of humans researching in orbit

On Nov. 2, 2025, humanity reached a milestone of cosmic proportions: 25 years of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station. Since the first crew arrived on Nov. 2, 2000, NASA and its partners from around the world have conducted more than 4,000 research investigations and technology demonstrations. More than 290 people from 26 countries have visited the space station, where continuous human presence enables research that surpasses the capabilities of satellites and autonomous platforms. The space station’s unique microgravity environment, paired with crew operations, continues to unlock discoveries and push the boundaries of humanity’s curiosity and innovation.

A breakthrough cancer treatment

Research aboard the International Space Station helped inform the development of a newly FDA-approved injectable medication used to treat several types of early-stage cancers. The research yielded early insights into the structure and size of particles needed to develop the medication through protein crystal growth experiments. This new delivery method promises to lower costs and significantly reduce treatment time for patients and healthcare providers, while maintaining drug efficiency. Microgravity research can produce higher-quality, medically relevant crystals than Earth-based labs, enabling these types of medical advances. These developments showcase how space station research can drive innovation, improve lives, and foster commercial opportunities.

Medical implants printed in orbit

Eight medical implants designed to support nerve regeneration were successfully 3D printed aboard the International Space Station for preclinical trials on Earth. When nerve damage occurs, these types of implants are designed to improve blood flow and enable targeted drug delivery. Printing in microgravity can prevent particle settling, resulting in more uniform and stable structures. In-space manufacturing is helping to advance medical treatments and other technologies while also enabling astronauts to print devices and tools on demand during future missions.

Learn more about InSPA-Auxilium Bioprinter.

A new understanding of our Sun

A solar coronagraph aboard the International Space Station captured its first unique images detailing the Sun’s outer atmosphere while measuring  solar wind temperature and speed. The instrument blocks the Sun’s bright light to reveal its faint outer atmosphere, or corona, where solar wind originates. Earlier experiments focused on the corona’s density, but this new device enables the study of what heats and accelerates the solar wind, offering a more complete picture of how energy moves through the Sun’s atmosphere. These observations help researchers understand how solar activity affects Earth and space-based technology, such as satellites, communications networks, and power systems.

Learn more about CODEX.

Hunting for microscopic space travelers

NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore collected microbiological samples during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Samples were taken near the life support system vents to see if the orbital complex releases microorganisms. This experiment helps researchers examine if and how these microorganisms survive and reproduce in the harsh space environment, as well as how they may behave at destinations such as the Moon and Mars. After returning to Earth, the samples underwent DNA extraction and sequencing. Another round of collections is planned for future spacewalks. The data could help determine whether changes are needed on crewed spacecraft and spacesuits to reduce biocontamination during missions to explore destinations where life may exist now or in the past.

Learn more about ISS External Microorganisms.

A fully docked space station

For the first time in International Space Station history, all eight docking ports of the orbiting laboratory were occupied at once. Three crew spacecraft and five cargo resupply craft were attached to station, including JAXA’s new cargo vehicle HTV-X1 and Northrup Grumman’s new Cygnus XL. The eight spacecraft delivered astronauts, cargo, and scientific experiments from around the world to be conducted in the unique microgravity environment. This milestone highlights the space station’s evolution, inviting commercial partners and international collaboration to continue expanding the orbiting laboratory’s research capabilities.

Space station research meets the Moon’s surface

Three experiments that landed on the Moon during Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission-1 were enabled by earlier research aboard the International Space Station. These studies help improve space weather monitoring, test computer recovery from radiation damage, and advance lunar navigation systems. The orbiting laboratory continues to lay the foundation for missions beyond low Earth orbit, driving exploration deeper into space. 

Learn more.  

The space station continues to deliver out-of-this-world achievements that cannot be replicated on Earth. Its research capabilities are a springboard for humanity’s future in innovation and testing the limits of what’s possible.

Here’s to 2026 — another year of defying physics and pushing the boundaries of science and exploration.

NASA’s Crawler-transporter 2 moves toward the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. The crawler will transport NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion spacecraft to Launch Complex 39B ahead of the Artemis II launch which will journey Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth no later than April 2026.

The crawler-transporters have carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 50 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles to lift astronauts into space; Crawler-transporter 2 in particular is integral to the Artemis missions.

Image credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA’s crawler-transporter 2 moves toward the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. The crawler will transport NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion spacecraft to Launch Complex 39B ahead of the Artemis II launch.

While this eerie NASA Hubble Space Telescope image may look ghostly, it’s actually full of new life. Lupus 3 is a star-forming cloud about 500 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. 

White wisps of gas swirl throughout the region, and in the lower-left corner resides a dark dust cloud. Bright T Tauri stars shine at the left, bottom right, and upper center, while other young stellar objects dot the image.

T Tauri stars are actively forming stars in a specific stage of formation. In this stage, the enveloping gas and dust dissipates from radiation and stellar winds, or outflows of particles from the emerging star. T Tauri stars are typically less than 10 million years old and vary in brightness both randomly and periodically due to the environment and nature of a forming star. The random variations may be due to instabilities in the accretion disk of dust and gas around the star, material from that disk falling onto the star and being consumed, and flares on the star’s surface. The more regular, periodic changes may be caused by giant sunspots rotating in and out of view. 

T Tauri stars are in the process of contracting under the force of gravity as they become main sequence stars which fuse hydrogen to helium in their cores. Studying these stars can help astronomers better understand the star formation process.

New images added every day between January 12-17, 2026! Follow @NASAHubble on social media for the latest Hubble images and news and see Hubble’s Stellar Construction Zones for more images of young stellar objects.

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Media Contact:

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

Il telescopio spaziale James Webb della Nasa continua a battere primati, rivelando il più grande flusso di gas surriscaldato finora conosciuto nell’universo, espulso da una galassia chiamata VV 340a. La scoperta, realizzata da un team dell’Università della California a Irvine, è stata pubblicata la scorsa settimana sulla rivista Science.

Si tratta di una galassia che erutta gas da entrambi i lati sotto forma di due nebulose allungate, un fenomeno prodotto dall’attività di un buco nero supermassiccio situato nel suo nucleo. Analizzando i dati del telescopio Webb, il team ha scoperto che ciascuna nebulosa si estende per almeno tre kiloparsec (un parsec equivale a circa 30mila miliardi di chilometri). Nella maggior parte delle galassie, questo tipo di gas altamente energetico resta confinato entro poche decine di parsec dal buco nero centrale. In VV 340a, invece, raggiunge distanze superiori di almeno un fattore 30.

Le osservazioni nelle onde radio condotte con il Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, vicino a San Agustin, nel New Mexico (Usa), hanno rilevato la presenza di una coppia di getti di plasma su larga scala che emergono dai due lati della galassia. Gli astronomi sanno che tali getti, capaci di energizzare gas surriscaldato ed espellere materiale dalla galassia, si formano quando temperature estreme e intensi campi magnetici accompagnano il gas che precipita nel buco nero supermassiccio attivo. Una volta espulsi, i getti disegnano una struttura elicoidale, segno di un fenomeno noto come “precessione del getto” che descrive il cambiamento del suo orientamento nel tempo, in modo simile all’oscillazione di una trottola in rotazione.

Il team suggerisce che, propagandosi verso l’esterno, i getti si accoppino con il materiale della galassia ospite, spingendolo lontano dal nucleo ed eccitandolo fino a stati altamente energetici. L’energia coinvolta è enorme, equivalente all’esplosione di dieci miliardi di miliardi di bombe all’idrogeno ogni secondo. In questo processo si forma il cosiddetto gas a linee coronali, un plasma caldo e altamente ionizzato che è quasi sempre associato alle regioni interne dei buchi neri supermassicci attivi e che solo raramente viene osservato al di fuori delle galassie.

Le osservazioni effettuate dalle Hawaii con il telescopio Keck II hanno inoltre permesso di individuare una quantità ancora maggiore di gas, che si estende fino a 15 kiloparsec (50mila anni luce) dal buco nero. Secondo gli autori, questo gas più freddo rappresenta una sorta di “documento fossile” della storia dell’interazione tra i getti e la galassia, residuo di precedenti episodi di espulsione di materiale dal nucleo.

La combinazione dei dati raccolti da diversi strumenti – tra cui, appunto, il telescopio spaziale Webb e il Keck II – ha così consentito di studiare la struttura di gas coronale più estesa e coerente mai osservata finora. Le stime indicano che VV 340a sta perdendo una quantità di gas sufficiente a formare ogni anno circa 19 stelle come il Sole, un processo che limita in modo significativo la formazione stellare nella galassia, riscaldando e rimuovendo il materiale necessario alla nascita di nuove stelle.

Il prossimo passo per i ricercatori sarà quello di studiare altre galassie simili, per verificare se fenomeni analoghi siano comuni e per comprendere meglio come galassie come la Via Lattea potrebbero evolversi nel tempo.

Per saperne di più:

• Leggi su Science l’articolo “A precessing jet from an active galactic nucleus drives gas outflow from a disk galaxy” di J. A. Kadler, V. U et al.

 

At about 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of New Zealand’s South Island, the sparsely populated Chatham Islands are rugged, remote, and often inconspicuous. In January 2026, however, a ring of bright green and blue swirls in the ocean put a natural spotlight on the far-flung specks of land.

A bloom of phytoplankton—tiny photosynthetic organisms that become visible to satellites when their numbers explode—encircled the Chatham Islands in austral summer. Surface currents and eddies carried the floating organisms into intricate wisps and swirls. The VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the NOAA-20 satellite captured this image of the display on January 10, 2026.

The Chatham Islands sit on the Chatham Rise, an underwater plateau that extends eastward from the South Island of New Zealand. The top of the rise is relatively shallow and separates areas of deeper water to the north and south. These seafloor contours make blooms common along the Chatham Rise, where cold, nutrient-rich currents from the Antarctic and warm, nutrient-poor water from the subtropics converge. The well-mixed water, coupled with long daylight hours, can boost phytoplankton populations.

With phytoplankton at the base of the food web, the waters around the Chatham Islands support productive fisheries, with valuable species such as pāua, rock lobster, and blue cod. The region is also home to an array of marine mammals, including five seal species and 25 whale and dolphin species. Amid this abundance, however, the islands are a hotspot for whale and dolphin strandings, in which hundreds of animals are sometimes beached.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Story by Lindsey Doermann.

References & Resources

• Murphy, R. J., et al. (2001) Phytoplankton distributions around New Zealand derived from SeaWiFS remotely‐sensed ocean colour data. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 35(2), 343–362.
• NASA Earth Observatory (2009, December 28) Phytoplankton Bloom Over Chatham Rise, South Pacific. Accessed January 15, 2026.
• NASA Earthdata Ocean Color. Accessed January 15, 2026.
• New Zealand Department of Conservation Chatham Islands marine mammals. Accessed January 15, 2026.
• Pinkerton, M.H. (2011) A balanced trophic model of the Chatham Rise, New Zealand. Unpublished NIWA report.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission with agency astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov returned to Earth after a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station.

During their stay, Cardman, Fincke, and Yui contributed more than 850 hours of research to help prepare humanity for the return to the Moon and future missions to Mars, while improving life back on Earth.

Here’s a glimpse into the science completed during the Crew-11 mission:

Bolstering bone resilience

NASA astronaut Zena Cardman works with bone stem cells aboard the International Space Station to improve our understanding of how bone loss occurs during spaceflight. Studying bone cell activity in microgravity could help researchers learn how to control bone loss to protect astronauts’ bone density during future long-duration space missions and inform treatments for diseases like osteoporosis on Earth. 

Learn more about MABL-B.

Observing Earth and beyond

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui photographs the Earth from the International Space Station’s cupola. For more than 40 years, astronauts have used hand-held cameras to capture millions of images documenting Earth’s geographic features, weather patterns, urban growth, changes to its surface, and the impacts of natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods.

Astronauts also use the cupola and other viewports aboard the space station to gaze into the cosmos without Earth’s atmospheric interference. Just as viewing Earth from 250 miles above provides a new perspective on our home planet, looking out into the stars from the orbiting laboratory offers a clearer view of our universe.

Space catch

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke poses aboard the International Space Station with a new device designed to test an inflatable capture bag’s ability to open, close, and stay airtight in microgravity. This technology could be used to remove space debris from orbit, protecting future spacecraft and crew members. It also may enable trapping samples during exploration missions and support the capture and mining of small asteroids.

Learn more about Capture Bag Demo.

Tracking internal temperature

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke wears a temperature-monitoring headband that tracks how the human body regulates its core temperature during spaceflight. Adjusting to living and working aboard the International Space Station can influence human temperature regulation. This headband provides an easy, non-invasive way to collect temperature data while astronauts conduct their daily activities. The sensor is also being tested on Earth and may help prevent hyperthermia in people working in high-temperature environments.

Learn more about T-Mini.

A new cargo vehicle

JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) new cargo resupply spacecraft, HTV-X1, is shown after being captured by the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm during the Crew-11 mission. The spacecraft launched from Tanegashima Space Center on Oct. 26, 2025, delivering approximately 12,800 pounds of science, supplies, and hardware to the orbital complex. New cargo spacecraft expand the station’s capability to support more research and receive critical supplies.

Making nutrients on demand

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui holds yogurt bags produced aboard the International Space Station that could provide important nutrients during missions far from Earth. Certain nutrients degrade when stored for long periods of time, and deficiency in even one can lead to illness. Researchers are building on previous experiments to develop a method for producing on-demand vitamins and nutrients in space using microorganisms.

Learn more about BioNutrients-3.

Celebrating a historic milestone

The Expedition 73 crew poses for a portrait to commemorate 25 years of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station. In the front row from left, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Zubritsky. In the back row, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui.

A truly global endeavor, the space station has been visited by more than 290 people from 26 countries, along with a variety of international and commercial spacecraft. Since the first crew arrived, NASA and its partners have conducted thousands of research investigations and technology demonstrations to advance exploration of the Moon and Mars and benefit life on Earth.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission with agency astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov returned to Earth after a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station.

During their stay, Cardman, Fincke, and Yui contributed more than 850 hours of research to help prepare humanity for the return to the Moon and future missions to Mars, while improving life back on Earth.

Here’s a glimpse into the science completed during the Crew-11 mission:

Bolstering bone resilience

NASA astronaut Zena Cardman works with bone stem cells aboard the International Space Station to improve our understanding of how bone loss occurs during spaceflight. Studying bone cell activity in microgravity could help researchers learn how to control bone loss to protect astronauts’ bone density during future long-duration space missions and inform treatments for diseases like osteoporosis on Earth. 

Learn more about MABL-B.

Observing Earth and beyond

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui photographs the Earth from the International Space Station’s cupola. For more than 40 years, astronauts have used hand-held cameras to capture millions of images documenting Earth’s geographic features, weather patterns, urban growth, changes to its surface, and the impacts of natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods.

Astronauts also use the cupola and other viewports aboard the space station to gaze into the cosmos without Earth’s atmospheric interference. Just as viewing Earth from 250 miles above provides a new perspective on our home planet, looking out into the stars from the orbiting laboratory offers a clearer view of our universe.

Space catch

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke poses aboard the International Space Station with a new device designed to test an inflatable capture bag’s ability to open, close, and stay airtight in microgravity. This technology could be used to remove space debris from orbit, protecting future spacecraft and crew members. It also may enable trapping samples during exploration missions and support the capture and mining of small asteroids.

Learn more about Capture Bag Demo.

Tracking internal temperature

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke wears a temperature-monitoring headband that tracks how the human body regulates its core temperature during spaceflight. Adjusting to living and working aboard the International Space Station can influence human temperature regulation. This headband provides an easy, non-invasive way to collect temperature data while astronauts conduct their daily activities. The sensor is also being tested on Earth and may help prevent hyperthermia in people working in high-temperature environments.

Learn more about T-Mini.

A new cargo vehicle

JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) new cargo resupply spacecraft, HTV-X1, is shown after being captured by the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm during the Crew-11 mission. The spacecraft launched from Tanegashima Space Center on Oct. 26, 2025, delivering approximately 12,800 pounds of science, supplies, and hardware to the orbital complex. New cargo spacecraft expand the station’s capability to support more research and receive critical supplies.

Making nutrients on demand

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui holds yogurt bags produced aboard the International Space Station that could provide important nutrients during missions far from Earth. Certain nutrients degrade when stored for long periods of time, and deficiency in even one can lead to illness. Researchers are building on previous experiments to develop a method for producing on-demand vitamins and nutrients in space using microorganisms.

Learn more about BioNutrients-3.

Celebrating a historic milestone

The Expedition 73 crew poses for a portrait to commemorate 25 years of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station. In the front row from left, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Zubritsky. In the back row, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui.

A truly global endeavor, the space station has been visited by more than 290 people from 26 countries, along with a variety of international and commercial spacecraft. Since the first crew arrived, NASA and its partners have conducted thousands of research investigations and technology demonstrations to advance exploration of the Moon and Mars and benefit life on Earth.

Two retired U.S. Air Force F-15 jets have joined the flight research fleet at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, transitioning from military service to a new role enabling breakthrough advancements in aerospace.

The F-15s will support supersonic flight research for NASA’s Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities project, including testing for the Quesst mission’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft. One of the aircraft will return to the air as an active NASA research aircraft. The second will be used for parts to support long-term fleet sustainment.

“These two aircraft will enable successful data collection and chase plane capabilities for the X-59 through the life of the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project” said Troy Asher, director for flight operations at NASA Armstrong. “They will also enable us to resume operations with various external partners, including the Department of War and commercial aviation companies.”

The aircraft came from the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field. After completing their final flights with the Air Force, the two aircraft arrived at NASA Armstrong Dec. 22, 2025. 

“NASA has been flying F-15s since some of the earliest models came out in the early 1970s,” Asher said. “Dozens of scientific experiments have been flown over the decades on NASA’s F-15s and have made a significant contribution to aeronautics and high-speed flight research.”

The F-15s allow NASA to operate in high-speed, high-altitude flight-testing environments. The aircraft can carry experimental hardware externally – under its wings or slung under the center – and can be modified to support flight research.

Now that these aircraft have joined NASA’s fleet, the team at Armstrong can modify their software, systems, and flight controls to suit mission needs. The F-15’s ground clearance allows researchers to install instruments and experiments that would not fit beneath many other aircraft.

NASA has already been operating two F-15s modified so their pilots can operate safely at up to 60,000 feet, the top of the flight envelop for the X-59, which will cruise at 55,000 feet. The new F-15 that will fly for NASA will receive the same modification, allowing for operations at altitudes most standard aircraft cannot reach. The combination of capability, capacity, and adaptability makes the F-15s uniquely suited for flight research at NASA Armstrong.

“The priority is for them to successfully support the X-59 through completion of that mission,” Asher said. “And over the longer term, these aircraft will help position NASA to continue supporting advanced aeronautics research and partnerships.”

Two retired U.S. Air Force F-15 jets have joined the flight research fleet at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, transitioning from military service to a new role enabling breakthrough advancements in aerospace.

The F-15s will support supersonic flight research for NASA’s Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities project, including testing for the Quesst mission’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft. One of the aircraft will return to the air as an active NASA research aircraft. The second will be used for parts to support long-term fleet sustainment.

“These two aircraft will enable successful data collection and chase plane capabilities for the X-59 through the life of the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project” said Troy Asher, director for flight operations at NASA Armstrong. “They will also enable us to resume operations with various external partners, including the Department of War and commercial aviation companies.”

The aircraft came from the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field. After completing their final flights with the Air Force, the two aircraft arrived at NASA Armstrong Dec. 22, 2025. 

“NASA has been flying F-15s since some of the earliest models came out in the early 1970s,” Asher said. “Dozens of scientific experiments have been flown over the decades on NASA’s F-15s and have made a significant contribution to aeronautics and high-speed flight research.”

The F-15s allow NASA to operate in high-speed, high-altitude flight-testing environments. The aircraft can carry experimental hardware externally – under its wings or slung under the center – and can be modified to support flight research.

Now that these aircraft have joined NASA’s fleet, the team at Armstrong can modify their software, systems, and flight controls to suit mission needs. The F-15’s ground clearance allows researchers to install instruments and experiments that would not fit beneath many other aircraft.

NASA has already been operating two F-15s modified so their pilots can operate safely at up to 60,000 feet, the top of the flight envelop for the X-59, which will cruise at 55,000 feet. The new F-15 that will fly for NASA will receive the same modification, allowing for operations at altitudes most standard aircraft cannot reach. The combination of capability, capacity, and adaptability makes the F-15s uniquely suited for flight research at NASA Armstrong.

“The priority is for them to successfully support the X-59 through completion of that mission,” Asher said. “And over the longer term, these aircraft will help position NASA to continue supporting advanced aeronautics research and partnerships.”

Jets of ionized gas streak across a cosmic landscape from a newly forming star.

«Alle 3:41 del mattino, ora della costa orientale [le 9:41 ora italiana di oggi, ndr], la navicella Dragon Endeavor di SpaceX è ammarata con successo al largo della costa della California in condizioni meteorologiche ottimali. Questa missione ha riportato a casa sani e salvi i membri dell’equipaggio della Crew-11. Gli astronauti della Nasa Zena Cardman e Michael Fincke, l’astronauta della Jaxa Kimiya Yui e il cosmonauta della Roscosmos Oleg Platonov sono tutti in buona salute e di ottimo umore. Tutti i membri dell’equipaggio sono attualmente sottoposti alla consueta valutazione medica post-ammaraggio. Il membro dell’equipaggio che destava preoccupazione sta bene. Condivideremo aggiornamenti sul loro stato di salute non appena sarà opportuno farlo».

Comincia così la conferenza stampa tenuta questa mattina alla Nasa riguardo il rientro anticipato della Crew-11 dalla Stazione spaziale internazionale (Iss), dovuto a un problema medico di uno dei quattro membri dell’equipaggio. A parlare è l’amministratore dell’agenzia Jared Isaacman, che sottolinea come la Nasa fosse pronta a questa evenienza nonostante fosse la prima volta nella storia e come abbia saputo gestirla al meglio.

La permanenza della Crew-11 alla Iss è durata circa cinque mesi (167 giorni), durante i quali gli astronauti hanno dedicato oltre 850 ore a esperimenti e studi scientifici, tra cui ricerche sulla perdita ossea in microgravità e lo stoccaggio a lungo termine di fluidi criogenici nello spazio. Esperimenti che – sottolinea l’amministratore – avrebbero applicazioni dirette in campo medico e industriale e che hanno migliorato la nostra comprensione dei voli spaziali di lunga durata. I quattro astronauti si trovano ora in una clinica nella periferia di San Diego, in California, dove trascorreranno la notte per poi fare ritorno a Houston venerdì.

Il prossimo mese vedrà due appuntamenti importanti per la Nasa e, più in generale, per il volo umano. Il 6 febbraio si apre la finestra di lancio di Artemis II, la missione che porterà quattro astronauti in orbita attorno alla Luna per la prima volta dopo le missioni Apollo. Si tratta del primo volo con equipaggio del razzo Space Launch System (Sls) e della navicella spaziale Orion. In questi giorni la Nasa sta preparando il trasferimento del veicolo completamente assemblato alla piattaforma di lancio 39B del Kennedy Space Center in Florida, che avverrà non prima di sabato 17 gennaio 2026. A seguire, il 15 febbraio si apre la finestra di lancio della Crew-12 per la Stazione spaziale internazionale, che vedrà fra i membri dell’equipaggio l’astronauta francese Sophie Adenot dell’Agenzia spaziale europea (Esa).

Guarda il video dell’ammaraggio della capsula Dragon con i quattro astronauti della Crew-11:

 

Come Davide contro il gigante Golia. Ma in questa storia cosmica il ruolo di Davide spetta a Marte, che pur essendo grande la metà della Terra e con una massa pari a circa un decimo, esercita un’azione sorprendente sul clima del nostro pianeta e persino sulle ere glaciali. Piccolo, lontano, apparentemente irrilevante. E invece capace di lasciare un segno profondo.

A mostrare tale fenomeno è uno studio, guidato dall’Università della California a Riverside e pubblicato il mese scorso sulla rivista Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, nel quale gli autori hanno affrontato alcuni dubbi su recenti ricerche che collegano gli antichi modelli climatici della Terra alle spinte gravitazionali di Marte. Queste ricerche suggeriscono che alcuni dei cicli climatici testimoniati dagli strati sedimentari presenti sul fondo dell’oceano siano influenzati dal Pianeta rosso, nonostante la sua distanza dalla Terra e le sue dimensioni relativamente contenute.

«Sapevo che Marte ha un certo effetto sulla Terra, ma credevo fosse minimo», dice Stephen Kane, professore di astrofisica planetaria all’Uc Riverside. «Pensavo che la sua influenza gravitazionale fosse troppo piccola per essere facilmente osservabile nella storia geologica della Terra, ma ho comunque voluto pro0vare a verificare le mie ipotesi».

Per farlo, Kane ha realizzato sofisticate simulazioni al computer del Sistema solare, analizzando l’evoluzione a lungo termine dell’orbita terrestre e della sua inclinazione. Il punto chiave è risultato essere nei cicli di Milankovitch, lenti cambiamenti dell’orbita e dell’asse terrestre che regolano come e quanta luce solare raggiunge il nostro pianeta su scale di decine o centinaia di migliaia di anni. Agendo come “cronometri” per le ere glaciali e i periodi interglaciali, questi cicli sono fondamentali per spiegare l’alternanza tra climi freddi e caldi su scale temporali di migliaia di anni.

Nei suoi 4,5 miliardi di anni di storia, la Terra ha attraversato almeno cinque grandi ere glaciali – l’ultima è iniziata circa 2,6 milioni di anni fa. Tra i cicli di Milankovitch, viene tradizionalmente ritenuto importante quello di circa 430mila anni dominato dall’influenza gravitazionale di Venere e Giove, che modifica l’eccentricità dell’orbita terrestre rendendola più o meno ellittica. In questo lasso di tempo, la traiettoria della Terra attorno al Sole oscilla gradualmente da una forma quasi circolare a una più allungata, per poi tornare indietro. Un cambiamento che incide sulla quantità di energia solare che raggiunge il pianeta e che può influenzare l’avanzata o il ritiro delle calotte glaciali.

Nelle simulazioni di Kane, questo ciclo rimane invariato anche eliminando il Pianeta rosso. Ma qui arriva la sorpresa: senza Marte scompaiono completamente altri due cicli cruciali – uno di circa 100mila anni e uno di circa 2,3–2,4 milioni di anni – ben visibili nei sedimenti oceanici e legati alle grandi transizioni climatiche. «Quando si rimuove Marte, quei cicli svaniscono», dice Kane. «E se si aumenta la massa di Marte diventano sempre più brevi, perché Marte ha un effetto maggiore».

Questi cicli fanno sì che Marte contribuisca in modo diretto a modulare tre aspetti: la forma circolare o allungata dell’orbita terrestre (la sua eccentricità, appunto), il momento in cui la Terra si avvicina maggiormente al Sole e l’inclinazione del suo asse di rotazione (la sua inclinazione). Tutti parametri che incidono sulla distribuzione dell’energia solare sul nostro pianeta, e quindi sull’avanzata o il ritiro delle calotte glaciali.

Un risultato inatteso del nuovo studio riguarda proprio l’inclinazione terrestre. Attualmente la Terra è inclinata di circa 23,5 gradi, angolo che cambia leggermente nel tempo. Un Marte più massiccio rallenterebbe la velocità con cui questa inclinazione varia, esercitando un effetto stabilizzante sul clima.

«Più un pianeta è vicino al Sole, più è dominato dalla sua gravità. Orbitando più lontano dal Sole rispetto al nostro pianeta, Marte ha un effetto gravitazionale sulla Terra maggiore di quello che avrebbe se fosse più vicino. Incide, insomma, ben oltre le attese, considerando le sue dimensioni», spiega Kane.

Paradossalmente, un pianeta piccolo ma lontano dal Sole “pesa” dunque più di quanto ci si aspetterebbe nel delicato equilibrio del Sistema solare interno. E le implicazioni vanno oltre la Terra. Lo studio suggerisce che anche pianeti relativamente piccoli, posti nelle regioni esterne di altri sistemi planetari, potrebbero influenzare il clima e la stabilità di mondi potenzialmente abitabili.

«Senza Marte, l’orbita terrestre sarebbe priva di importanti cicli climatici», conclude Kane. «Come sarebbero gli esseri umani e gli altri animali se il Pianeta rosso non esistesse?»

Per saperne di più:

• Leggi su Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific l’articolo “The Dependence of Earth Milankovitch Cycles on Martian Mass” di Stephen R. Kane, Pam Vervoort e Jonathan Horner

 

Un nuovo studio dell’Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (Inaf) fornisce la mappa più dettagliata mai realizzata della distribuzione e della composizione delle argille sulla superficie di Marte, offrendo nuove chiavi di lettura sull’evoluzione geologica del pianeta, sul ruolo dell’acqua nel suo passato e sulla sua potenziale abitabilità.

Il lavoro, pubblicato sulla rivista Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, si basa su quasi 1500 osservazioni condotte su scala globale e acquisite dallo spettrometro Crism (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars) a bordo del Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter della Nasa. Grazie a questa analisi è stato possibile estrarre e interpretare le firme spettrali nell’infrarosso delle argille presenti sulla superficie marziana.

Le argille marziane rappresentano una traccia diretta dell’acqua che un tempo ha modellato il quarto pianeta del Sistema solare e i luoghi in cui la vita avrebbe potuto svilupparsi. Alcune regioni del Pianeta rosso sono infatti considerate ambienti privilegiati per la possibile conservazione di biofirme; per questo motivo, la loro distribuzione e la composizione mineralogica costituiscono elementi chiave sia per la ricostruzione degli antichi ambienti acquosi di Marte sia per la selezione dei siti di atterraggio delle future missioni di esplorazione.

«Abbiamo realizzato una mappa globale, messa a disposizione della comunità “marziana” internazionale, che mostra la distribuzione dei principali minerali idratati presenti su Marte, tra cui argille, solfati, cloriti e carbonati», spiega Jeremy Brossier, ricercatore dell’Inaf e primo autore dell’articolo. «Il nuovo studio fornisce inoltre una caratterizzazione dettagliata dei minerali argillosi, dalle fasi ricche di ferro (nontroniti) a quelle ricche di magnesio (saponiti), includendo anche composizioni intermedie come vermiculiti e ferrosaponiti. Questa ampia diversità mineralogica riflette una storia geochimica lunga e complessa del pianeta, legata a diverse condizioni di formazione e alterazione in presenza di acqua».

Per ottenere questi risultati, il team ha sviluppato nuovi metodi per ridurre il cosiddetto “rumore” nei dati spettrali, migliorando in modo significativo le capacità di identificare e distinguere le firme delle argille e di altri minerali. È stato inoltre implementato un approccio innovativo per estrarre dettagli dagli spettri, consentendo di separare con maggiore precisione i segnali associati alle argille ricche di ferro da quelle ricche di magnesio.

I risultati mostrano variazioni spaziali significative nella mineralogia argillosa di Marte: le nontroniti, ricche di ferro, dominano nella regione di Mawrth Vallis, mentre le saponiti, ricche di magnesio, sono concentrate soprattutto nelle aree di Nili Fossae e di Libya Monter. Oxia Planum, il sito di atterraggio del rover europeo Rosalind Franklin della missione ExoMars dell’Agenzia spaziale europea (Esa), ospita invece argille di composizione più intermedia, tra cui vermiculiti e ferrosaponiti. Queste caratteristiche rendono Oxia Planum un’area particolarmente promettente per lo studio degli antichi ambienti acquosi e per la ricerca di possibili biofirme.

Proprio per questo, «lo studio si inserisce direttamente nel contesto della missione ExoMars, che prevede l’esplorazione del suolo marziano a partire dal 2030. In questo scenario, l’Inaf svolge un ruolo di primo piano nello sviluppo dello strumento Ma_Miss (Mars Multispectral Imager for Subsurface Studies), uno spettrometro progettato per analizzare rocce e suoli del sottosuolo marziano e ricostruirne la storia geologica e ambientale», conclude il ricercatore.

Per saperne di più:

• Leggi su Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets l’articolo “Ferromagnesian Clay Diversity Across Mars’ Crustal Dichotomy: A Window Into Early Aqueous Environments, di Jeremy Brossier, Francesca Altieri, Maria Cristina De Sanctis, Alessandro Frigeri, Marco Ferrari, Simone De Angelis, Enrico Bruschini, Monica Rasmussen e Janko Trisic Ponce

 

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission safely splashed down early Thursday morning in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, concluding a more than five-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov returned to Earth at 12:41 a.m. PST. Teams aboard SpaceX recovery vessels retrieved the spacecraft and its crew shortly after landing.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our astronauts and the teams on the ground at NASA, SpaceX, and across our international partnerships,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Their professionalism and focus kept the mission on track, even with an adjusted timeline. Crew-11 completed more than 140 science experiments that advance human exploration. Missions like Crew-11 demonstrate the capability inherent in America’s space program—our ability to bring astronauts home as needed, launch new crews quickly, and continue pushing forward on human spaceflight as we prepare for our historic Artemis II mission, from low Earth orbit to the Moon and ultimately Mars.”

Crew-11 returned home about a month earlier than planned because of a medical concern teams are monitoring with one of the crew members, who remains stable. Due to medical privacy, it is not appropriate for NASA to share more details about the crew member. Prior to return, NASA previously coordinated for all four crew members to be transported to a local hospital for additional evaluation, taking advantage of medical resources on Earth to provide the best care possible.

Following the planned overnight hospital stay, the crew members will return to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and undergo standard postflight reconditioning and evaluations.

The Crew-11 mission lifted off at 11:43 a.m. EDT on Aug.1, 2025, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. About 15 hours later, the crew’s SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the orbital outpost at 1:27 a.m. CDT on Aug. 2.

During their 167-day mission, the four crew members traveled nearly 71 million miles and completed more than 2,670 orbits around Earth. The Crew-11 mission was Fincke’s fourth spaceflight, Yui’s second, and the first for Cardman and Platonov. Fincke has logged 549 days in space, ranking him fourth among all NASA astronauts for cumulative days in space.

Along the way, Crew-11 logged hundreds of hours of research, maintenance, and technology demonstrations. The crew members also celebrated the 25th anniversary of continuous human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory on Nov. 2, 2025. Research conducted aboard the space station advances scientific knowledge and demonstrates new technologies that enable us to prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program provides reliable access to space, maximizing the use of the International Space Station for research and development by partnering with private U.S. companies, including SpaceX, to transport astronauts to and from the space station.

Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

-end-

Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov

Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov

Steven Siceloff
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-867-2468
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission safely splashed down early Thursday morning in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, concluding a more than five-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov returned to Earth at 12:41 a.m. PST. Teams aboard SpaceX recovery vessels retrieved the spacecraft and its crew shortly after landing.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our astronauts and the teams on the ground at NASA, SpaceX, and across our international partnerships,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Their professionalism and focus kept the mission on track, even with an adjusted timeline. Crew-11 completed more than 140 science experiments that advance human exploration. Missions like Crew-11 demonstrate the capability inherent in America’s space program—our ability to bring astronauts home as needed, launch new crews quickly, and continue pushing forward on human spaceflight as we prepare for our historic Artemis II mission, from low Earth orbit to the Moon and ultimately Mars.”

Crew-11 returned home about a month earlier than planned because of a medical concern teams are monitoring with one of the crew members, who remains stable. Due to medical privacy, it is not appropriate for NASA to share more details about the crew member. Prior to return, NASA previously coordinated for all four crew members to be transported to a local hospital for additional evaluation, taking advantage of medical resources on Earth to provide the best care possible.

Following the planned overnight hospital stay, the crew members will return to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and undergo standard postflight reconditioning and evaluations.

The Crew-11 mission lifted off at 11:43 a.m. EDT on Aug.1, 2025, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. About 15 hours later, the crew’s SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the orbital outpost at 1:27 a.m. CDT on Aug. 2.

During their 167-day mission, the four crew members traveled nearly 71 million miles and completed more than 2,670 orbits around Earth. The Crew-11 mission was Fincke’s fourth spaceflight, Yui’s second, and the first for Cardman and Platonov. Fincke has logged 549 days in space, ranking him fourth among all NASA astronauts for cumulative days in space.

Along the way, Crew-11 logged hundreds of hours of research, maintenance, and technology demonstrations. The crew members also celebrated the 25th anniversary of continuous human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory on Nov. 2, 2025. Research conducted aboard the space station advances scientific knowledge and demonstrates new technologies that enable us to prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program provides reliable access to space, maximizing the use of the International Space Station for research and development by partnering with private U.S. companies, including SpaceX, to transport astronauts to and from the space station.

Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

-end-

Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov

Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov

Steven Siceloff
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-867-2468
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov

Giove potrebbe contenere una quantità di ossigeno pari a circa 1,5 volte quella del Sole, localizzata negli strati profondi dell’atmosfera, al di sotto della densa coltre di nubi che ne impedisce l’osservazione diretta. La stima emerge da una simulazione numerica pubblicata l’8 gennaio su...

The New York–Newark–Jersey City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which spans 23 counties across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut and has a population of about 19.9 million, is pictured at approximately 3:29 a.m. local time Dec. 20, 2025, from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above the Atlantic coast.

La prima cosa da sapere sui buchi neri è che si chiamano così perché qualunque cosa – materia o luce – attraversi il loro orizzonte degli eventi non può più uscire. La seconda cosa è che non tutto ciò che viene attirato da un buco nero incorre in questo destino. Prima di attraversare il punto di non ritorno definitivo – l’orizzonte degli eventi, appunto –, nei buchi neri in accrescimento il materiale in arrivo forma un disco che ruota attorno al buco nero. Da questo disco di accrescimento, occasionalmente e in determinate circostanze, quantità di materiale sorprendentemente grandi vengono nuovamente espulse nello spazio. Avviene sotto forma di venti a raggi X, oppure di getti relativistici di plasma. E la congiunzione non è un caso: secondo un nuovo studio pubblicato su Nature Astronomy una modalità esclude l’altra.

Si tratterebbe della prima chiara prova osservativa che questi due tipi di emissioni sono mutuamente esclusivi. Quando uno è attivo, l’altro scompare. Ma vediamoli meglio. I getti relativistici sono fasci di plasma stretti e concentrati che fuoriescono dai poli del buco nero a una velocità prossima a quella della luce, alimentati dai campi magnetici e dalla rotazione del buco nero. I venti di raggi X, invece, sono flussi più ampi e lenti di gas altamente ionizzato espulso dalla superficie del disco di accrescimento dalla radiazione e dalla pressione magnetica.

Nello studio, gli scienziati si sono concentrati su un sistema binario chiamato 4U 1630−472, formato da un buco nero con una massa circa dieci volte superiore a quella del Sole e da una stella compagna, dalla quale “ruba” materiale che riempie il suo disco di accrescimento e viene regolarmente espulso come vento o getto. Il sistema è stato monitorato per tre anni grazie alle osservazioni del telescopio a raggi X Nicer della Nasa, a bordo della Stazione Spaziale Internazionale, e del radiotelescopio MeerKat in Sudafrica. In questo periodo, il buco nero non ha mai prodotto contemporaneamente venti forti e getti potenti: quando il buco nero emette un getto di plasma ad alta velocità, il vento di raggi X si placa, e quando il vento riprende, il getto svanisce.

«In sistemi come 4U 1630-47, che accrescono materia a tassi compatibili con il regime standard di disco sottile, riteniamo che l’apparente mutua esclusività tra venti di disco e getti relativistici possa rappresentare un comportamento generale, piuttosto che una peculiarità di una singola sorgente», dice a Media Inaf Francesco Carotenuto, ricercatore postdoc all’Inaf di Roma e coautore dello studio. «I nostri risultati suggeriscono che le diverse modalità di espulsione del materiale non co-esistano simultaneamente, ma tendano piuttosto ad alternarsi nel tempo, in diverse fasi di attività (chiamate outbursts) del sistema. Al contrario di molti altri sistemi noti, 4U 1630-47 ha mostrato varie fasi di outburst negli ultimi anni, che abbiamo seguito nella loro evoluzione con dense campagne osservative nella banda radio e nei raggi X».

Non un caso isolato, dunque, questo buco nero, ma l’espressione di una “regola” generale. E c’è di più: mentre i due meccanismi si alternano, la quantità di materiale in arrivo rimane pressocché costante, un po’ come se il buco nero fosse in grado di autoregolarsi. Getti e vento, infatti, trasportano quantità comparabili di massa ed energia, suggerendo che, mentre la forma del flusso in uscita cambia, la velocità totale del flusso rimane invariata.

«Una possibile spiegazione fisica è che la forma dominante dell’outflow sia regolata da cambiamenti nella configurazione del campo magnetico associato al plasma del disco di accrescimento, in particolare nelle regioni più interne del disco e nella sua interazione con il buco nero», spiega Carotenuto. «I risultati di simulazioni numeriche suggeriscono infatti che differenti configurazioni del campo magnetico possano dare origine in modo naturale a meccanismi di “lancio” o “espulsione” diversi. Le transizioni tra queste configurazioni potrebbero quindi permettere alla sorgente di passare da uno stato dominato da venti a uno dominato da getti, senza richiedere cambiamenti drastici nel tasso globale di accrescimento».

In breve, i buchi neri non si limitano a consumare materia, ma la gestiscono, decidendo se espellerla nello spazio sotto forma di getto concentrato o spazzarla via con venti violenti. L’equilibrio tra venti e getti svolge un ruolo fondamentale nel regolare la crescita dei buchi neri, e influenza anche la formazione delle stelle nelle regioni vicine e l’evoluzione delle galassie. Questo meccanismo, infatti, potrebbe non riguardare solo i buchi neri di massa stellare come quello del sistema studiato, ma anche i buchi neri supermassicci al centro delle galassie. L’unica condizione irrinunciabile è che si tratti di un buco nero in accrescimento.

«Il disco di accrescimento è infatti un elemento fondamentale per la produzione sia dei venti sia dei getti, e senza un disco questi meccanismi non possono operare», specifica Carotenuto. «I sistemi binari a raggi X, in cui un buco nero di massa stellare (di circa 10 masse solari) accresce materia da una stella compagna, sono particolarmente importanti perché evolvono su scale temporali relativamente brevi (nell’ordine di settimane o mesi). Questo ci permette di osservare direttamente i cambiamenti nei meccanismi di espulsione del materiale nel corso del tempo. È possibile che comportamenti simili avvengano anche attorno a buchi neri supermassicci nei nuclei galattici attivi, ma in quel caso le transizioni avverrebbero su tempi molto più lunghi, rendendole molto più difficili da osservare direttamente».

Per saperne di più:

• Leggi su Nature Astronomy l’articolo “Evidence of mutually exclusive outflow forms from a black hole X-ray binary“, di Zuobin Zhang, Jiachen Jiang, Francesco Carotenuto, Honghui Liu, Cosimo Bambi, Rob P. Fender, Andrew J. Young, Jakob van den Eijnden, Christopher S. Reynolds, Andrew C. Fabian, Julien N. Girard, Joey Neilsen, James F. Steiner, John A. Tomsick, Stéphane Corbel e Andrew K. Hughes

È scomparso lo scorso 12 gennaio 2026 a Firenze, all’età di 99 anni, Mario Rigutti, figura di riferimento dell’astrofisica italiana e protagonista del rinnovamento dell’Osservatorio astronomico di Capodimonte.

Nato a Trieste nel 1926, Rigutti attraversò da giovanissimo gli anni difficili della guerra, mantenendo però intatta la passione per l’astronomia che lo avrebbe accompagnato per tutta la vita. Dopo gli studi tra Trieste e Firenze, si formò all’Osservatorio di Arcetri sotto la guida di Giorgio Abetti e Guglielmo Righini, distinguendosi per le sue ricerche sulla fotosfera solare e sulle bande molecolari del cianogeno. Negli anni Sessanta del secolo scorso, il suo percorso scientifico si aprì alla dimensione internazionale: prima al Dominion Observatory di Ottawa in Canada, poi all’Università di Berkeley in California dove entrò in contatto con alcuni dei protagonisti della fisica e dell’astrofisica solare del tempo. Fu protagonista di numerose spedizioni per l’osservazione di eclissi totali di Sole, contribuendo in modo decisivo alla conoscenza della corona solare. Fu in Canada (1963), in Grecia (1966), in Brasile (1966) e in Mauritania (1973). Da quest’ultima spedizione trasse ispirazione per il volume La scomaprsa del Sole (Gianinni 2014), un racconto di viaggio e di culture nuove e di scienza.

Nel 1969 approdò a Napoli come professore ordinario di astronomia all’Università Federico II e direttore degli osservatori di Capodimonte e di Teramo. A Napoli, la sua guida, durata fino al 1992, segnò una stagione di profonda trasformazione scientifica, culturale e infrastrutturale.

«A lui si deve una profonda trasformazione scientifica e infrastrutturale dell’istituto» commenta l’attuale direttore dell’Osservatorio di Capodimonte, Pietro Schipani «l’introduzione dell’indirizzo astrofisico all’Università di Napoli, la modernizzazione della strumentazione, la creazione del planetario didattico, dell’Auditorium e, nel 1991, del museo dell’Osservatorio. Anche gli attuali astronomi di Capodimonte devono qualcosa al prof. Rigutti».

Nella sua attività di ricerca, Mario Rigutti si è occupato degli strati esterni del Sole – fotosfera, cromosfera e corona – e dei fenomeni legati all’attività solare, come brillamenti e protuberanze. Tra il 1968 e il 1972 è stato membro della European Solar Research Organization e fino al 1973 chairman del Gruppo di lavoro per le eclissi totali di Sole dell’Unione astronomica internazionale. Autore di oltre 150 pubblicazioni scientifiche e instancabile divulgatore, Rigutti seppe parlare al grande pubblico con chiarezza e passione. Il suo libro Cento miliardi di stelle rimane un punto di riferimento per generazioni di lettori. Negli ultimi anni si dedicò anche alla narrativa e alla poesia, ottenendo numerosi riconoscimenti. Nel 2019 il Minor Planet Center gli ha dedicato il pianetino (33823) Mariorigutti, un tributo alla sua lunga vita spesa a osservare e raccontare l’universo.

Accanto alla scienza, coltivava l’arte del disegno a matita e un profondo amore per la musica classica che considerava una forma di armonia affine a quella del cosmo. Socio di numerose società scientifiche, Rigutti è stato presidente dell’Accademia di scienze fisiche e matematiche di Napoli nel 1991 e della Società astronomica italiana dal 1977 al 1981. È stato inoltre tra i fondatori e direttore del Giornale di astronomia, contribuendo in modo decisivo alla crescita della cultura astronomica nel nostro Paese. La comunità astronomica italiana perde un protagonista appassionato e generoso, un uomo capace di unire rigore scientifico, visione culturale e un profondo impegno civile nella diffusione del sapere.

 

Da dicembre 2021, quando il James Webb Space Telescope (Jwst) ha visto la prima luce a circa 1,5 milioni di chilometri dalla Terra, i ricercatori di tutto il mondo si interrogano sugli enigmatici puntini rossi che spiccano tra le galassie nelle immagini catturate dal telescopio. I cosiddetti little red dots (piccoli punti rossi) erano visibili quando l’universo aveva “solo” alcune centinaia di milioni di anni; circa un miliardo di anni dopo, però, sembrano essere scomparsi. Che cosa erano, dunque?

Si è pensato fossero galassie massicce, abbastanza potenti da essere rilevate da Jwst 13 miliardi di anni dopo. Ma è molto strano che galassie così evolute fossero già presenti così presto nella storia cosmica. Ora, dopo due anni di analisi continua delle immagini con i piccoli punti rossi, i ricercatori del Cosmic Dawn Centre del Niels-Bohr Institute hanno trovato la spiegazione nel fenomeno più potente del nostro universo: i buchi neri.

«I piccoli punti rossi sono giovani buchi neri, cento volte meno massicci di quanto si credesse in precedenza, avvolti in un bozzolo di gas, che stanno consumando per ingrandirsi. Questo processo genera un calore enorme, che traspare attraverso il bozzolo. Questa radiazione attraverso il bozzolo è ciò che conferisce ai piccoli punti rossi il loro caratteristico colore rosso», afferma Darach Watson, ricercatore al Cosmic Dawn Center di Copenhagen e coautore dell’articolo che rivela la natura di questi oggetti, pubblicato oggi su Nature. «Sono molto meno massicci di quanto si credesse in precedenza, quindi non abbiamo bisogno di invocare tipologie di eventi completamente nuovi per spiegarli».

Attualmente sono noti centinaia di piccoli punti rossi. Sebbene siano tra i buchi neri più piccoli mai scoperti, hanno comunque una massa fino a 10 milioni di volte quella del Sole e un diametro di 10 milioni di chilometri.

I buchi neri inghiottono tutto ciò che si trova nelle loro vicinanze e crescono mentre lo divorano. Ma poiché l’orizzonte degli eventi dei buchi neri non è molto vasto, il gas in caduta si riscalda a temperature così elevate da brillare intensamente e rilasciare più energia di qualsiasi altro processo a noi noto. Questa intensa radiazione fa sì che gran parte della materia che il buco nero consuma venga espulsa.

«Quando il gas cade verso un buco nero, si muove a spirale verso la superficie del buco nero, formando una sorta di disco o imbuto. Finisce per muoversi così velocemente e viene compresso così intensamente da generare temperature di milioni di gradi e illuminarsi intensamente. Ma solo una piccolissima quantità di gas viene inghiottita dal buco nero. La maggior parte viene espulsa dai poli durante la rotazione del buco nero. Ecco perché chiamiamo i buchi neri mangiatori disordinati», spiega Watson.

La nuova scoperta getta luce sulle fasi iniziali dell’evoluzione dei buchi neri e contribuisce a spiegare come, appena 700 milioni di anni dopo il Big Bang, potessero già esistere buchi neri supermassicci con masse fino a un miliardo di volte quella del Sole. «Abbiamo catturato i giovani buchi neri nel mezzo della loro rapida crescita, in una fase che non avevamo mai osservato prima. Il denso bozzolo di gas che li circonda fornisce il carburante di cui hanno bisogno per crescere molto rapidamente», conclude Watson.

«L’articolo propone un interessante scenario fisico per spiegare le proprietà osservative della nuova, inaspettata popolazione di nuclei galattici attivi distanti scoperta da Jwst, inclusi i little red dots, e sembrerebbe confermare che questa nuova popolazione tracci le prime, rapidissime fasi di accrescimento dei buchi neri supermassicci», commenta a Media Inaf Roberto Gilli, astrofisico di Inaf Bologna, non direttamente coinvolto nello studio ma esperto conoscitore dell’argomento. «Sarà ora interessante verificare se tali oggetti sono presenti e abbondanti anche nell’universo vicino per capire con un maggior dettaglio quali sono i meccanismi che portano alla formazione dei buchi neri supermassicci, uno dei principali misteri dell’astrofisica extragalattica».

Per saperne di più:

• Leggi su Nature l’articolo “Little red dots as young supermassive black holes in dense ionized cocoons” di V. Rusakov, Darach. Watson, G. P. Nikopoulos, Gabriel Brammer, R.Gottumukkala, T. Harvey, Kasper Elm Heintz, R. Damgaard, S. A. Sim, Albert. Sneppen, A. P. Vijayan, N.Adams, D. Austin, C. J. Conselice, C.M. Goolsby, Sune Toft, J. Witstok

Dopo più di mezzo secolo l’agenzia spaziale statunitense NASA sembra esser pronta a rimettere i propri astronauti sulla rotta della Luna. Lo farà in più passaggi, perché la sicurezza dell’equipaggio resta prioritario. Si parte con Artemis 2, che porterà quattro astronauti a compiere un...

L’hanno beccata grazie all’emissione dell’idrogeno neutro, Cloud-9, nube di gas situata dalle parti della galassia a spirale M94, che ci racconta una storia antica, vecchia quanto l’universo stesso. La videro per la prima volta nel 2023 alcuni astronomi cinesi, questa palla di gas grossa quanto un milione di soli, tenuta insieme da una massa di materia oscura cinquemila volte più massiccia. Una nube piccola e compatta, diversa da quelle che si notano nei dintorni della Via Lattea, e che in questi giorni sta facendo parlare di sé. Si è scoperto infatti che mai nessuna stella si accese là dentro, cosa che rende a buon diritto Cloud-9 la prima galassia mancata mai scoperta.

La notizia è uscita la scorsa settimana in una lettera a The Astrophysical Journal Letters e l’ha firmata, assieme ad altri ricercatori, Gagandeep Anand dello Space Telescope Science Institute di Baltimora, nel Maryland (Usa). Cloud-9 è quello che in gergo viene chiamato un Relhic (“Reionization-Limited H I Cloud”, dove la dicitura “H I” sta per l’idrogeno neutro), un relitto giunto a noi intonso dall’infanzia dell’universo, alone di gas e materia oscura privo di stelle, previsto dai modelli ma che mai si era riusciti a scovare. Fino a ora.

«Questa è la storia di una galassia fallita», dice Alejandro Benitez-Llambay, dell’Università di Milano-Bicocca, co-scopritore del Relhic. «Nella scienza, di solito impariamo di più dai fallimenti che dai successi. In questo caso, non vedere stelle è ciò che dimostra la correttezza della teoria. Ci dice che abbiamo trovato nell’universo locale un “mattone” primordiale di una galassia che non si è ancora formata».

Come si diceva, Cloud-9 era stata avvistata per la prima volta nel 2023 dal radiotelescopio cinese Fast (“Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope“) ed è stata successivamente riosservata con il Green Bank Telescope e il Very Large Array, entrambi negli Stati Uniti. Larga 4900 anni luce, la “nuvola numero nove” non deve il suo nome a una felice espressione idiomatica (“to be on cloud nine” è l’equivalente inglese del nostro “essere al settimo cielo”), ma al fatto di essere stata, ben più prosaicamente, la nona nube identificata nei pressi di M94, a quattordici milioni di anni luce dal nostro pianeta.

Puntando su di essa il telescopio spaziale Hubble, gli astronomi si sono accorti che di stelle, dentro la nube, proprio non c’è traccia. Appurando dunque che Cloud-9 è una galassia mancata, dotata di una massa di materia oscura insufficiente affinché il gas potesse collassare e formare stelle. Erano anni che si cercava un oggetto fatto così, ma tutte le ricerche condotte sinora erano state infruttuose.

«Prima di usare Hubble, si sarebbe potuto sostenere che questa fosse una debole galassia nana che non potevamo vedere con i telescopi da terra. Semplicemente non erano abbastanza sensibili da riuscire a vedere le stelle», sostiene Anand. «Ma con l’Advanced Camera for Surveys di Hubble, siamo in grado di poter dire che lì non c’è nulla».

I Relhic sono oggetti previsti dal modello cosmologico attuale. Averne trovato uno fornisce dunque un’importante conferma alle sue predizioni. Essendo oggetti che giungono a noi direttamente dagli albori della storia cosmica, inintaccati dalla formazione stellare, essi costituiscono dei luoghi privilegiati per studiare i mattoni da cui si formano le galassie.

«Questa nube è una finestra sull’universo oscuro», commenta Andrew Fox, coautore dello studio. «Sappiamo dalla teoria che la maggior parte della massa dell’universo dovrebbe essere costituita da materia oscura, ma è difficile rilevarla perché non emette luce. Cloud-9 ci offre un raro sguardo su una nube dominata dalla materia oscura».

Ce ne potrebbero essere altre di galassie mancate dalle nostre parti. Il difficile è beccarle. Se troppo piccoli, gli aloni di materia oscura non sono in grado di trattenere il gas che ha consentito di rilevare Cloud-9, rimanendo dunque invisibili. Inoltre, oggetti come Cloud-9 vengono spesso “messi in ombra” dalle galassie brillanti che si trovano nei paraggi. Soprattutto, possono avere vita dura, in quanto l’idrogeno può venire loro strappato via mentre si muovono nel mezzo intergalattico.

In futuro è possibile che Cloud-9 diventi infine una galassia, a patto che acquisisca una massa sufficiente. Se questo non dovesse accadere, è probabile che continui a rimanere un Relhic, relitto alla deriva nell’eterna, accelerata, diaspora delle galassie.

Per saperne di più:

• Leggi su The Astrophysical Journal Letters l’articolo “The First RELHIC? Cloud-9 is a Starless Gas Cloud” di Gagandeep S. Anand, Alejandro Benítez-Llambay, Rachael Beaton, Andrew J. Fox, Julio F. Navarro ed Elena D’Onghia

 

Read this press release in English here.

La NASA y SpaceX prevén que, si las condiciones meteorológicas lo permiten, el desacoplamiento de la misión SpaceX Crew 11 de la agencia espacial estadounidense de la Estación Espacial Internacional se produzca no antes de las 5:05 p.m. EST (hora del este) del miércoles 14 de enero.

El 8 de enero, la NASA anunció su decisión de traer de vuelta a la Tierra antes de lo previsto a los integrantes de la misión SpaceX Crew 11 de la agencia desde la estación espacial, mientras los equipos técnicos siguen de cerca un problema médico que afecta a un miembro de la tripulación que actualmente vive y trabaja a bordo del laboratorio orbital. Debido a la confidencialidad médica, no es apropiado que la NASA comparta más detalles sobre el miembro de la tripulación, quien se encuentra estable.

Está planeado que los astronautas de la NASA Zena Cardman y Mike Fincke, el astronauta de JAXA (Agencia Japonesa de Exploración Aeroespacial) Kimiya Yui y el cosmonauta de Roscosmos Oleg Platonov americen frente a la costa de California a las 3:41 a.m. del jueves 15 de enero.

Los responsables de la misión continúan supervisando las condiciones en la zona de recuperación, ya que el desacoplamiento de la nave Dragon de SpaceX depende de las condiciones operativas de la nave espacial, la preparación del equipo de recuperación, las condiciones meteorológicas, el estado del mar y otros factores. La NASA y SpaceX seleccionarán una hora y un lugar concretos para el amerizaje cuando se acerque la fecha del desacoplamiento de la nave espacial de Crew 11.

La cobertura en directo (en inglés) de la NASA del regreso y las actividades relacionadas se retransmitirá en NASA+, Amazon Prime, y el canal de YouTube de la agencia. Aprenda cómo transmitir contenido de la NASA a través de diversas plataformas en línea, incluidas las redes sociales.

La cobertura de la NASA es la siguiente (todas las horas son del este y están sujetas a cambios en función de las operaciones en tiempo real):

Miércoles, 14 de enero

3 p.m. – Comienza la cobertura del cierre de escotilla en NASA+, Amazon Prime, y YouTube.

3:30 p.m. – Cierre de escotilla

4:45 p.m. – Comienza la cobertura del desacoplamiento en NASA+, Amazon Prime, y YouTube.

5:05 p.m. – Desacoplamiento

Tras la finalización de la cobertura del desacoplamiento, la NASA distribuirá las conversaciones (solo en formato audio) entre la tripulación Crew 11, la estación espacial y los controladores de vuelo durante el tránsito de la nave Dragon alejándose del complejo orbital.

Jueves, 15 de enero

2:15 a.m. – Comienza la cobertura del regreso en NASA+, Amazon Prime, y YouTube.

2:51 a.m. – Encendido de desorbitado

3:41 a.m. – Amerizaje

5:45 a.m. – El administrador de la NASA, Jared Isaacman, liderará una rueda de prensa sobre el regreso a la Tierra que se transmitirá en directo a través de NASA+, Amazon Prime, y el canal de YouTube de la agencia.

Para participar virtualmente en la conferencia de prensa, los medios de comunicación deben ponerse en contacto con la sala de prensa del Centro Espacial Johnson de la NASA para obtener los detalles de la llamada antes de las 5 p.m. CST (hora del centro) del 14 de enero, enviando un correo electrónico a jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov o llamando al +1 281-483-5111. Para hacer preguntas, los medios de comunicación deben llamar al menos 10 minutos antes del inicio de la conferencia. La política de acreditación de medios de comunicación de la agencia está disponible en línea (en inglés).

Encuentre la cobertura completa de la misión, el blog de tripulaciones comerciales de la NASA y más información sobre la misión Crew 11 (todo en inglés) en:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

-fin-

Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell / María José Viñas
Sede central, Washington
+1 202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov / maria-jose.vinasgarcia@nasa.gov  

Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski
Centro Espacial Johnson, Houston
+1 281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov

Steve Siceloff
Centro Espacial Kennedy, Fla.
+1 321-867-2468
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov

Editor’s note: This advisory was updated on Wednesday, Jan. 14 to update the undocking time and coverage

Lee este comunicado de prensa en español aquí.

NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 5:20 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Jan. 14, for the undocking of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International Space Station, pending weather conditions.

On Jan. 8, NASA announced its decision to return the agency’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to Earth from the space station earlier than originally planned as teams monitor a medical concern with a crew member currently living and working aboard the orbital laboratory, who is stable. Due to medical privacy, it is not appropriate for NASA to share more details about the crew member.

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov are targeted to splash down off the coast of California at 3:41 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15.

Mission managers continue monitoring conditions in the recovery area, as undocking of the SpaceX Dragon depends on spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors. NASA and SpaceX will select a specific splashdown time and location closer to the Crew-11 spacecraft undocking.

NASA’s live coverage of return and related activities will stream on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.

NASA’s coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to changed based on real-time operations):

Wednesday, Jan. 14

3 p.m. – Hatch closure coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.

3:30 p.m. – Hatch closing

5 p.m. – Undocking coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.

5:20 p.m. – Undocking

Following the conclusion of undocking coverage, NASA will distribute audio-only communications between Crew-11, the space station, and flight controllers during Dragon’s transit away from the orbital complex.

Thursday, Jan. 15

2:15 a.m. – Return coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.

2:51 a.m. – Deorbit burn

3:41 a.m. – Splashdown

5:45 a.m. – NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will lead a Return to Earth news conference streaming live on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel.

To participate virtually in the news conference, media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom for call details by 5 p.m. CST, Jan. 14, at: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111. To ask questions, media must dial in no later than 10 minutes before the start of the call. The agency’s media credentialing policy is available online.

Find full mission coverage, NASA’s commercial crew blog, and more information about the Crew-11 mission at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

-end-

Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov

Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov

Steve Siceloff
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov

Read this press release in English here.

La NASA y SpaceX prevén que, si las condiciones meteorológicas lo permiten, el desacoplamiento de la misión SpaceX Crew 11 de la agencia espacial estadounidense de la Estación Espacial Internacional se produzca no antes de las 5:05 p.m. EST (hora del este) del miércoles 14 de enero.

El 8 de enero, la NASA anunció su decisión de traer de vuelta a la Tierra antes de lo previsto a los integrantes de la misión SpaceX Crew 11 de la agencia desde la estación espacial, mientras los equipos técnicos siguen de cerca un problema médico que afecta a un miembro de la tripulación que actualmente vive y trabaja a bordo del laboratorio orbital. Debido a la confidencialidad médica, no es apropiado que la NASA comparta más detalles sobre el miembro de la tripulación, quien se encuentra estable.

Está planeado que los astronautas de la NASA Zena Cardman y Mike Fincke, el astronauta de JAXA (Agencia Japonesa de Exploración Aeroespacial) Kimiya Yui y el cosmonauta de Roscosmos Oleg Platonov americen frente a la costa de California a las 3:41 a.m. del jueves 15 de enero.

Los responsables de la misión continúan supervisando las condiciones en la zona de recuperación, ya que el desacoplamiento de la nave Dragon de SpaceX depende de las condiciones operativas de la nave espacial, la preparación del equipo de recuperación, las condiciones meteorológicas, el estado del mar y otros factores. La NASA y SpaceX seleccionarán una hora y un lugar concretos para el amerizaje cuando se acerque la fecha del desacoplamiento de la nave espacial de Crew 11.

La cobertura en directo (en inglés) de la NASA del regreso y las actividades relacionadas se retransmitirá en NASA+, Amazon Prime, y el canal de YouTube de la agencia. Aprenda cómo transmitir contenido de la NASA a través de diversas plataformas en línea, incluidas las redes sociales.

La cobertura de la NASA es la siguiente (todas las horas son del este y están sujetas a cambios en función de las operaciones en tiempo real):

Miércoles, 14 de enero

3 p.m. – Comienza la cobertura del cierre de escotilla en NASA+, Amazon Prime, y YouTube.

3:30 p.m. – Cierre de escotilla

4:45 p.m. – Comienza la cobertura del desacoplamiento en NASA+, Amazon Prime, y YouTube.

5:05 p.m. – Desacoplamiento

Tras la finalización de la cobertura del desacoplamiento, la NASA distribuirá las conversaciones (solo en formato audio) entre la tripulación Crew 11, la estación espacial y los controladores de vuelo durante el tránsito de la nave Dragon alejándose del complejo orbital.

Jueves, 15 de enero

2:15 a.m. – Comienza la cobertura del regreso en NASA+, Amazon Prime, y YouTube.

2:51 a.m. – Encendido de desorbitado

3:41 a.m. – Amerizaje

5:45 a.m. – El administrador de la NASA, Jared Isaacman, liderará una rueda de prensa sobre el regreso a la Tierra que se transmitirá en directo a través de NASA+, Amazon Prime, y el canal de YouTube de la agencia.

Para participar virtualmente en la conferencia de prensa, los medios de comunicación deben ponerse en contacto con la sala de prensa del Centro Espacial Johnson de la NASA para obtener los detalles de la llamada antes de las 5 p.m. CST (hora del centro) del 14 de enero, enviando un correo electrónico a jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov o llamando al +1 281-483-5111. Para hacer preguntas, los medios de comunicación deben llamar al menos 10 minutos antes del inicio de la conferencia. La política de acreditación de medios de comunicación de la agencia está disponible en línea (en inglés).

Encuentre la cobertura completa de la misión, el blog de tripulaciones comerciales de la NASA y más información sobre la misión Crew 11 (todo en inglés) en:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

-fin-

Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell / María José Viñas
Sede central, Washington
+1 202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov / maria-jose.vinasgarcia@nasa.gov  

Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski
Centro Espacial Johnson, Houston
+1 281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov

Steve Siceloff
Centro Espacial Kennedy, Fla.
+1 321-867-2468
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov

Editor’s note: This advisory was updated on Wednesday, Jan. 14 to update the undocking time and coverage

Lee este comunicado de prensa en español aquí.

NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 5:20 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Jan. 14, for the undocking of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International Space Station, pending weather conditions.

On Jan. 8, NASA announced its decision to return the agency’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to Earth from the space station earlier than originally planned as teams monitor a medical concern with a crew member currently living and working aboard the orbital laboratory, who is stable. Due to medical privacy, it is not appropriate for NASA to share more details about the crew member.

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov are targeted to splash down off the coast of California at 3:41 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15.

Mission managers continue monitoring conditions in the recovery area, as undocking of the SpaceX Dragon depends on spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors. NASA and SpaceX will select a specific splashdown time and location closer to the Crew-11 spacecraft undocking.

NASA’s live coverage of return and related activities will stream on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.

NASA’s coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to changed based on real-time operations):

Wednesday, Jan. 14

3 p.m. – Hatch closure coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.

3:30 p.m. – Hatch closing

5 p.m. – Undocking coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.

5:20 p.m. – Undocking

Following the conclusion of undocking coverage, NASA will distribute audio-only communications between Crew-11, the space station, and flight controllers during Dragon’s transit away from the orbital complex.

Thursday, Jan. 15

2:15 a.m. – Return coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.

2:51 a.m. – Deorbit burn

3:41 a.m. – Splashdown

5:45 a.m. – NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will lead a Return to Earth news conference streaming live on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel.

To participate virtually in the news conference, media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom for call details by 5 p.m. CST, Jan. 14, at: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111. To ask questions, media must dial in no later than 10 minutes before the start of the call. The agency’s media credentialing policy is available online.

Find full mission coverage, NASA’s commercial crew blog, and more information about the Crew-11 mission at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

-end-

Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov

Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov

Steve Siceloff
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov

NASA’s Pandora small satellite, and NASA-sponsored Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS), and Black Hole Coded Aperture Telescope (BlackCAT) CubeSat, are ready to be encapsulated inside a SpaceX Falcon 9 payload fairing in this early January 2026 photo. Pandora and the CubeSats launched Sunday, Jan. 11, from Vandenberg Space Force Base located on California’s central coast.

Dicembre regala uno dei cieli più spettacolari dell’anno 2025, con Superluna Fredda, sciami meteorici e congiunzioni planetarie. Gli appassionati di astronomia avranno molte occasioni per osservare fenomeni unici e fotografare il cielo invernale. La Superluna Fredda di dicembre Venerdì 5...

Per quasi un secolo la materia oscura è rimasta l’ospite fantasma dell’Universo: invisibile, intoccabile, identificabile solo dagli effetti gravitazionali che impone alle galassie. Cinque volte più abbondante della materia ordinaria, eppure mai osservata direttamente. Ora, però, un nuovo...

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La tempesta geomagnetica che ha colpito la Terra tra il 5 e il 6 novembre sta lentamente diminuendo d’intensità, ma il peggio potrebbe non essere passato. Secondo il Centro di previsione meteorologica spaziale della NOAA, il disturbo del campo magnetico terrestre, nella mattinata del 7 novembre,...

Nel cuore della costellazione di Cefeo, a circa 190 anni luce dalla Terra, gli scienziati hanno individuato un sistema stellare che pare uscito da un romanzo di fantascienza. Si chiama TOI-2267, e la sua struttura manda in crisi le teorie più consolidate sulla formazione dei pianeti rocciosi. A...

BA 18,2 anni luce c’è un nuovo pianeta. Chiamato GJ 251 C orbita attorno a una stella nana rossa nella costellazione dei Gemelli. La scoperta, pubblicata sull’Astronomical journal, si deve a un gruppo di astronomi guidato da Suvrath Mahadevan, professore di astronomia alla Penn University, che...

Ha suscitato grande clamore l’iniziativa leghista, a firma del senatore e vicepresidente del Senato, Gian Marco Centinaio, di un convegno proprio a Palazzo Madama dedicato alla fantomatica "macchina di Majorana". Di che cosa si tratti non sembra di facile comprensione, nella misura si accredita...

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Il 2 agosto 2027, poco dopo mezzogiorno, accadrà qualcosa di sorprendente e quasi irripetibile: il Sole verrà completamente oscurato dalla Luna per 6 minuti e 23 secondi. Non un istante, ma sei minuti pieni di buio diurno, un intervallo così lungo da trasformare il paesaggio, il cielo e la...

Sotto le isole Bermuda si nasconde una formazione geologica fuori scala, diversa da qualsiasi altra finora individuata nei fondali oceanici. Si tratta di uno strato roccioso eccezionalmente spesso, che rompe gli schemi classici della struttura della crosta terrestre sotto gli oceani. In...

L’Universo non smette mai di sorprendere chi lo osserva, e questa volta lo ha fatto offrendo agli astronomi una delle prove più difficili da catturare: lo spazio-tempo deformato da un buco nero che ruota a velocità estreme. Lo studio pubblicato su Science Advances racconta la prima osservazione...

L’eterna domanda “perché siamo qui?” trova risposte anche nella polvere delle stelle. È lì che nascono molti degli elementi che compongono pianeti, oceani e organismi viventi. Eppure alcuni di questi ingredienti fondamentali, come cloro e potassio, due elementi con numero atomico dispari,...

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Sono fra le particelle più evasive che esistano. Uno, il neutrino, è praticamente inafferrabile, capace di attraversare l’intero Sole quasi alla velocità della luce. E per l’altra, la materia oscura, il praticamente lo possiamo anche togliere, visto che almeno fino a oggi non siamo mai riusciti a intercettarla. In termini fisici si dice che non interagiscono, o interagiscono pochissimo – solo attraverso l’interazione debole, nel caso dei neutrini. Ebbene, alla faccia di questa loro capacità d’eludere senza rivali, e in contraddizione con quanto previsto dal modello cosmologico Lambda-Cdm, un nuovo studio guidato da Lei Zu del Centro polacco per la ricerca nucleare (Ncbj) di Varsavia e dall’Università di Sheffield suggerisce che queste due Houdini della fisica particellare possano invece interagire fra loro.

«I nostri risultati affrontano un enigma di lunga data nella cosmologia. Le misurazioni dell’universo primordiale», ricorda una delle autrici dello studio pubblicato il 2 gennaio su Nature Astronomy, l’astrofisica romana Eleonora Di Valentino, oggi all’Università di Sheffield, «prevedono che le strutture cosmiche debbano essersi sviluppate più rapidamente nel tempo rispetto a quanto osserviamo oggi. Tuttavia, le osservazioni dell’universo moderno indicano che la materia è leggermente meno concentrata del previsto, evidenziando una lieve discrepanza tra le misurazioni del periodo iniziale e quelle del periodo successivo».

I dati relativi all’universo primordiale utilizzati nello studio sono principalmente quelli raccolti da terra con Act, l’Atacama Cosmology Telescope, e dallo spazio con il satellite Planck dell’Agenzia apaziale europea – entrambi progettati proprio per studiare la Cmb (radiazione cosmica di fondo a microonde), vale a dire il debole bagliore residuo del Big Bang. Quanto all’universo più moderno, le osservazioni sono invece quelle della Dark Energy Survey – ottenute con lo strumento Decam montato sul telescopio Victor M. Blanco, in Cile – e della Sloan Digital Sky Survey.

È mettendo a confronto questi due insiemi di dati, provenienti da epoche diverse, che è emersa la lieve discrepanza alla quale fa riferimento Di Valentino – prima autrice, vale qui la pena ricordare, di una recente rassegna di oltre quattrocento pagine interamente dedicata alle tensioni cosmologiche. Una discrepanza nota fra gli addetti ai lavori come tensione S8, dal nome di un parametro cosmologico – il parametro S8, appunto – che quantifica l’ampiezza delle fluttuazioni della materia sulla scala degli 8 Mpc, dunque una sorta di misura della disomogeneità dell’universo. Ciò che gli autori del nuovo studio hanno trovato è che neutrini e materia oscura sembrerebbero interagire: un comportamento che potrebbe risolvere la tensione S8.

«Se questa interazione tra materia oscura e neutrini fosse confermata, si tratterebbe di una scoperta fondamentale», conclude William Giarè, coautore dello studio, oggi all’Università delle Hawaii. «Non solo getterebbe nuova luce su una persistente discrepanza tra diverse sonde cosmologiche, ma fornirebbe anche ai fisici delle particelle una direzione concreta, indicando quali proprietà cercare negli esperimenti di laboratorio per aiutare finalmente a svelare la vera natura della materia oscura».

Per saperne di più:

• Leggi su Nature Astronomy l’articolo “A solution to the S8 tension through neutrino–dark matter interactions”, di Lei Zu, William Giarè, Chi Zhang, Eleonora Di Valentino, Yue-Lin Sming Tsai e Sebastian Trojanowski
• Leggi su Media Inaf l’articolo di Maura Sandri “eRosita dice la sua sulla tensione cosmologica S8”

 

Ai non c’è più. La scimpanzé, diventata celebre per le sue eccezionali capacità cognitive, è morta in Giappone all'età di 49 anni e causa dell'insufficienza di diversi organi legata all'età avanzata. A darne notizia è stato il personale del Centro per le origini evolutive dell'Università...

Una delle scoperte più sorprendenti dell’astronomia è che la maggior parte delle stelle simili al Sole ospita un pianeta di dimensioni comprese tra la Terra e Nettuno all’interno di un’orbita paragonabile a quella di Mercurio. Queste super-terre e sub-nettuniani sono i pianeti più comuni della nostra galassia, ma la loro formazione è rimasta avvolta nel mistero. Ora, un team internazionale di astronomi ha individuato l’anello mancante: il momento in cui pianeti neonati di un sistema planetario lontano si stanno lentamente trasformando in questi oggetti celesti così numerosi.

«La cosa più entusiasmante è che stiamo assistendo a un’anteprima di quello che diventerà un sistema planetario del tutto normale», dice John Livingston, autore principale dello studio del Centro di astrobiologia di Tokyo, in Giappone. «I quattro pianeti che abbiamo studiato probabilmente si contrarranno in super-terre e sub-nettuniani, i tipi di pianeti più comuni nella nostra galassia, di cui non abbiamo mai avuto un’immagine così chiara negli anni della loro formazione».

Lo studio si è concentrato su V1298 Tau, una stella di circa 20 milioni di anni – un battito di ciglia in termini cosmici rispetto al Sole, che ha 4,5 miliardi di anni. In orbita attorno a questa giovane stella ci sono quattro pianeti giganti, tutti di dimensioni tra Nettuno e Giove, intrappolati in una fase fugace e turbolenta della loro vita, in rapida evoluzione. Questo sistema sembra essere un antenato diretto dei sistemi planetari compatti presenti in tutta la galassia.

Per un decennio, il team ha utilizzato diversi telescopi terrestri e spaziali per misurare con precisione il momento in cui ogni pianeta passava davanti alla stella. Cronometrando questi transiti, gli astronomi hanno scoperto che le orbite dei pianeti non erano perfettamente regolari. La loro configurazione orbitale e la gravità fanno sì che si attraggono a vicenda, accelerando o rallentando leggermente. Queste piccole variazioni temporali, chiamate Transit-Timing Variations (Ttv), hanno consentito al team di misurare con precisione, per la prima volta, le masse dei pianeti.

I risultati sono stati notevoli. I pianeti, nonostante abbiano un raggio da 5 a 10 volte quello terrestre, hanno masse pari a sole 5-15 volte quelle del nostro pianeta. Hanno, cioè, una densità bassissima: sono più simili a zucchero filato di dimensioni planetarie che a mondi rocciosi.

Questo “gonfiore” contribuisce a risolvere un enigma di lunga data nella formazione planetaria. Un pianeta che si forma e si raffredda semplicemente nel corso del tempo sarebbe infatti molto più compatto. L’analisi del team rivela, invece, che questi pianeti devono aver subito una trasformazione radicale nelle prime fasi della loro evoluzione, perdendo rapidamente gran parte delle atmosfere primordiali e raffreddandosi drasticamente con la scomparsa del disco di gas attorno alla loro giovane stella. «Ma sono ancora in evoluzione. Nei prossimi miliardi di anni continueranno a perdere la loro atmosfera e a ridursi significativamente, trasformandosi nei mondi compatti che vediamo in tutta la galassia», aggiunge James Owen, coautore dell’Imperial College di Londra, che ha guidato la modellazione teorica.

«Mi viene in mente il famoso fossile di Lucy, uno dei nostri antenati, un ominide vissuto tre milioni di anni fa, che fu uno dei principali “anelli mancanti” tra scimmie antropomorfe e umani», aggiunge Erik Petigura, coautore dell’Ucla. «V1298Tau è un collegamento fondamentale tra le nebulose che formano le stelle e i pianeti che vediamo in tutto il cielo e i sistemi planetari maturi che abbiamo ormai scoperto a migliaia».

Il sistema V1298 Tau funge oggi da laboratorio per comprendere le origini dei pianeti più abbondanti della Via Lattea, offrendo agli scienziati uno sguardo senza precedenti sulla vita turbolenta e trasformativa dei mondi giovani. Lo studio di sistemi come V1298 Tau potrebbe inoltre aiutare a spiegare perché nel Sistema solare manchino le super-terre e i sub-nettuniani, così comuni altrove nella galassia.

Per saperne di più:

• Leggi su Nature l’articolo “A young progenitor for the most common planetary systems in the Galaxy” di John H. Livingston, Erik A. Petigura, Trevor J. David, Kento Masuda, James Owen, David Nesvorný, Konstantin Batygin, Jerome de Leon, Mayuko Mori, Kai Ikuta, Akihiko Fukui, Noriharu Watanabe, Jaume Orell Miquel, Felipe Murgas, Hannu Parviainen, Judith Korth, Florence Libotte, Néstor Abreu García, Pedro Pablo Meni Gallardo, Norio Narita, Enric Pallé, Motohide Tamura, Atsunori Yonehara, Andrew Ridden-Harper, Allyson Bieryla, Alessandro A. Trani, Eric E. Mamajek, David R. Ciardi, Varoujan Gorjian, Lynne A. Hillenbrand, Luisa M. Rebull, Elisabeth R. Newton, Andrew W. Mann, Andrew Vanderburg, Guðmundur Stefánsson, Suvrath Mahadevan, Caleb Cañas, Joe Ninan, Jesus Higuera, Kamen Todorov, Jean-Michel Désert e Lorenzo Pino

 

Media accreditation is open for the launch of NASA’s 12th rotational mission of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft carrying astronauts to the International Space Station for a science expedition from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

NASA announced it is targeting no earlier than Thursday, Jan. 15, for a splashdown of its Crew-11 mission. The agency also is working with SpaceX and international partners to advance the launch of Crew-12, which is currently slated for Sunday, Feb. 15.

The crew includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, commander, Jack Hathaway, pilot; ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, mission specialist; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, mission specialist. This will be the second spaceflight for Meir and Fedyaev, and the first for Hathaway and Adenot to the orbiting laboratory.

Media accreditation deadlines for the Crew-12 launch as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program are as follows:

• International media without U.S. citizenship must apply by 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, Jan. 15.
• U.S. media and U.S. citizens representing international media organizations must apply by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18.

All accreditation requests must be submitted online at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

NASA’s media accreditation policy is online. For questions about accreditation or special logistical requests, email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. Requests for space for satellite trucks, tents, or electrical connections are due by Friday, Jan. 23.

For other questions, please contact NASA Kennedy’s newsroom at: 321-867-2468.

Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo: 321-501-8425, o Messod Bendayan: 256-930-1371.

For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

-end-

Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov

Steve Siceloff
Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 
321-867-2468 
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov

Joseph Zakrzewski
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
Joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov

Media accreditation is open for the launch of NASA’s 12th rotational mission of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft carrying astronauts to the International Space Station for a science expedition from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

NASA announced it is targeting no earlier than Thursday, Jan. 15, for a splashdown of its Crew-11 mission. The agency also is working with SpaceX and international partners to advance the launch of Crew-12, which is currently slated for Sunday, Feb. 15.

The crew includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, commander, Jack Hathaway, pilot; ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, mission specialist; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, mission specialist. This will be the second spaceflight for Meir and Fedyaev, and the first for Hathaway and Adenot to the orbiting laboratory.

Media accreditation deadlines for the Crew-12 launch as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program are as follows:

• International media without U.S. citizenship must apply by 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, Jan. 15.
• U.S. media and U.S. citizens representing international media organizations must apply by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18.

All accreditation requests must be submitted online at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

NASA’s media accreditation policy is online. For questions about accreditation or special logistical requests, email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. Requests for space for satellite trucks, tents, or electrical connections are due by Friday, Jan. 23.

For other questions, please contact NASA Kennedy’s newsroom at: 321-867-2468.

Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo: 321-501-8425, o Messod Bendayan: 256-930-1371.

For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

-end-

Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov

Steve Siceloff
Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 
321-867-2468 
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov

Joseph Zakrzewski
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
Joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov

For more than 25 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, conducting research that is transforming life on Earth and shaping the future of exploration. From growing food and sequencing DNA to studying disease and simulating Mars missions, every experiment aboard the orbiting laboratory expands our understanding of how humans can thrive beyond Earth while advancing science and technology that benefit people around the world.  

Unlocking new cancer therapies from space

The space station gives scientists a laboratory unlike any on Earth. In microgravity, cells grow in three dimensions, proteins form higher-quality crystals, and biological systems reveal details hidden by gravity. These conditions open new ways to study disease and develop treatments. 

Astronauts and researchers have used the orbiting laboratory to observe how cancer cells grow, test drug delivery methods, and examine protein structures linked to diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. One example is the Angiex Cancer Therapy study, which tested a drug designed to target blood vessels that feed tumors. In microgravity, endothelial cells survive longer and behave more like they do in the human body, giving researchers a clearer view of how the therapy works and whether it is safe before human trials. 

Protein crystal growth (PCG) is another major area of cancer-related study. The NanoRacks-PCG Therapeutic Discovery and On-Orbit Crystals investigations have advanced research on leukemia, breast cancer, and skin cancers. Protein crystals grown in microgravity produce larger, better-organized structures that allow scientists to determine fine structural details that guide the design of targeted treatments. 

Studies in orbit have also provided insights about cardiovascular health, bone disorders, and how the immune system changes in space—knowledge that informs medicine on Earth and prepares astronauts for long missions in deep space. 

By turning space into a research lab, scientists are advancing therapies that benefit people on Earth and laying the foundation for ensuring crew health on future journeys to the Moon and Mars. 

 

Farming for the future 

Feeding astronauts on long-duration missions requires more than packaged meals. It demands sustainable systems that can grow fresh food in space. The Vegetable Production System, known as Veggie, is a garden on the space station designed to test how plants grow in microgravity while adding fresh produce to the crew’s diet and improving well-being in orbit. 

To date, Veggie has produced three types of lettuce, Chinese cabbage, mizuna mustard, red Russian kale, and even zinnia flowers. Astronauts have eaten space-grown lettuce, mustard greens, radishes, and chili peppers using Veggie and the Advanced Plant Habitat, a larger, more controlled growth chamber that allows scientists to study crops in greater detail. 

These plant experiments pave the way for future lunar and Martian greenhouses by showing how microgravity affects plant development, water and nutrient delivery, and microbial interactions. They also provide immediate benefits for Earth, advancing controlled-environment agriculture and vertical farming techniques that help make food production more efficient and resilient in challenging environments. 

First year-long twin study 

Understanding how the human body changes in space is critical for planning long-duration missions. NASA’s Twins Study offered an unprecedented opportunity to investigate nature vs. nurture in orbit and on Earth. NASA astronaut Scott Kelly spent nearly a year aboard the space station while his identical twin, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, remained on Earth. 

By comparing the twins before, during, and after the mission, researchers examined changes at the genomic, physiological, and behavioral levels in one integrated study. The results showed most changes in Scott’s body returned to baseline after his return, but some persisted—such as shifts in gene expression, telomere length, and immune system responses. 

The study provided the most comprehensive molecular view to date of how a human body adapts to spaceflight. Its findings may guide NASA’s Human Research Program for years to come, informing countermeasures for radiation, microgravity, and isolation. The research may have implications for health on Earth as well—from understanding aging and disease to exploring treatments for stress-related disorders and traumatic brain injury. 

The Twins Study demonstrated the resilience of the human body in space and continues to shape the medical playbook for the Artemis campaign to the Moon and future journeys to Mars. 

Simulating deep space 

The space station, which is itself an analog for deep space, complements Earth-based analog research simulating the spaceflight environment. Space station observations, findings, and challenges, inform the research questions and countermeasures scientists explore on Earth.   

Such work is currently underway through CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog), a mission in which volunteers live and work inside a 1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed Mars habitat for about a year. The first CHAPEA crew completed 378 days in isolation in 2024, testing strategies for maintaining health, growing food, and sustaining morale under delayed communication. 

NASA recently launched CHAPEA 2, with a four-person crew who began their 378-day simulated Mars mission at Johnson on October 19, 2025. Building on lessons from the first mission and decades of space station research, they will test new technologies and behavioral countermeasures that will help future explorers thrive during long-duration missions, preparing Artemis astronauts for the journey to the Moon and laying the foundation for the first human expeditions to Mars. 

Keeping crews healthy in low Earth orbit 

Staying healthy is a top priority for all NASA astronauts, but it is particularly important while living and working aboard the orbiting laboratory.  

Crews often spend extended periods of time aboard the orbiting laboratory, with the average mission lasting about six months or more. During these long-duration missions, without the continuous load of Earth’s gravity, there are many changes to the human body. Proper nutrition and exercise are some of the ways these effects may be mitigated. 

NASA has a team of medical physicians, psychologists, nutritionists, exercise scientists, and other specialized medical personnel who collaborate to ensure astronauts’ health and fitness on the station. These teams are led by a NASA flight surgeon, who regularly monitors each crew member’s health during a mission and individualizes diet and fitness routines to prioritize health and safety while in space. 

Crew members are also part of the ongoing health and performance research being conducted to advance understanding of long-term spaceflight’s effects on the human body. That knowledge is applied to any crewed mission and will help prepare humanity to travel farther than ever before, including the Moon and Mars. 

Sequencing the future 

In 2016, NASA astronaut Kate Rubins made history aboard the orbital outpost as the first person to sequence DNA in space. Using a handheld device called the MinION, she analyzed DNA samples in microgravity, proving that genetic sequencing could be performed in low Earth orbit for the first time. 

Her work advanced in-flight molecular diagnostics, long-duration cell culture, and molecular biology techniques such as liquid handling in microgravity. 

The ability to sequence DNA aboard the orbiting laboratory allows astronauts and scientists to identify microbes in real time, monitor crew health, and study how living organisms adapt to spaceflight. The same technology now supports medical diagnostics and disease detection in remote or extreme environments on Earth. 

This research continues through the Genes in Space program, where students design DNA experiments that fly aboard NASA missions. Each investigation builds on Rubins’ milestone, paving the way for future explorers to diagnose illness, monitor environmental health, and search for signs of life beyond Earth. 

Explore the timeline of space-based DNA sequencing. 

For more than 25 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, conducting research that is transforming life on Earth and shaping the future of exploration. From growing food and sequencing DNA to studying disease and simulating Mars missions, every experiment aboard the orbiting laboratory expands our understanding of how humans can thrive beyond Earth while advancing science and technology that benefit people around the world.  

Unlocking new cancer therapies from space

The space station gives scientists a laboratory unlike any on Earth. In microgravity, cells grow in three dimensions, proteins form higher-quality crystals, and biological systems reveal details hidden by gravity. These conditions open new ways to study disease and develop treatments. 

Astronauts and researchers have used the orbiting laboratory to observe how cancer cells grow, test drug delivery methods, and examine protein structures linked to diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. One example is the Angiex Cancer Therapy study, which tested a drug designed to target blood vessels that feed tumors. In microgravity, endothelial cells survive longer and behave more like they do in the human body, giving researchers a clearer view of how the therapy works and whether it is safe before human trials. 

Protein crystal growth (PCG) is another major area of cancer-related study. The NanoRacks-PCG Therapeutic Discovery and On-Orbit Crystals investigations have advanced research on leukemia, breast cancer, and skin cancers. Protein crystals grown in microgravity produce larger, better-organized structures that allow scientists to determine fine structural details that guide the design of targeted treatments. 

Studies in orbit have also provided insights about cardiovascular health, bone disorders, and how the immune system changes in space—knowledge that informs medicine on Earth and prepares astronauts for long missions in deep space. 

By turning space into a research lab, scientists are advancing therapies that benefit people on Earth and laying the foundation for ensuring crew health on future journeys to the Moon and Mars. 

 

Farming for the future 

Feeding astronauts on long-duration missions requires more than packaged meals. It demands sustainable systems that can grow fresh food in space. The Vegetable Production System, known as Veggie, is a garden on the space station designed to test how plants grow in microgravity while adding fresh produce to the crew’s diet and improving well-being in orbit. 

To date, Veggie has produced three types of lettuce, Chinese cabbage, mizuna mustard, red Russian kale, and even zinnia flowers. Astronauts have eaten space-grown lettuce, mustard greens, radishes, and chili peppers using Veggie and the Advanced Plant Habitat, a larger, more controlled growth chamber that allows scientists to study crops in greater detail. 

These plant experiments pave the way for future lunar and Martian greenhouses by showing how microgravity affects plant development, water and nutrient delivery, and microbial interactions. They also provide immediate benefits for Earth, advancing controlled-environment agriculture and vertical farming techniques that help make food production more efficient and resilient in challenging environments. 

First year-long twin study 

Understanding how the human body changes in space is critical for planning long-duration missions. NASA’s Twins Study offered an unprecedented opportunity to investigate nature vs. nurture in orbit and on Earth. NASA astronaut Scott Kelly spent nearly a year aboard the space station while his identical twin, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, remained on Earth. 

By comparing the twins before, during, and after the mission, researchers examined changes at the genomic, physiological, and behavioral levels in one integrated study. The results showed most changes in Scott’s body returned to baseline after his return, but some persisted—such as shifts in gene expression, telomere length, and immune system responses. 

The study provided the most comprehensive molecular view to date of how a human body adapts to spaceflight. Its findings may guide NASA’s Human Research Program for years to come, informing countermeasures for radiation, microgravity, and isolation. The research may have implications for health on Earth as well—from understanding aging and disease to exploring treatments for stress-related disorders and traumatic brain injury. 

The Twins Study demonstrated the resilience of the human body in space and continues to shape the medical playbook for the Artemis campaign to the Moon and future journeys to Mars. 

Simulating deep space 

The space station, which is itself an analog for deep space, complements Earth-based analog research simulating the spaceflight environment. Space station observations, findings, and challenges, inform the research questions and countermeasures scientists explore on Earth.   

Such work is currently underway through CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog), a mission in which volunteers live and work inside a 1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed Mars habitat for about a year. The first CHAPEA crew completed 378 days in isolation in 2024, testing strategies for maintaining health, growing food, and sustaining morale under delayed communication. 

NASA recently launched CHAPEA 2, with a four-person crew who began their 378-day simulated Mars mission at Johnson on October 19, 2025. Building on lessons from the first mission and decades of space station research, they will test new technologies and behavioral countermeasures that will help future explorers thrive during long-duration missions, preparing Artemis astronauts for the journey to the Moon and laying the foundation for the first human expeditions to Mars. 

Keeping crews healthy in low Earth orbit 

Staying healthy is a top priority for all NASA astronauts, but it is particularly important while living and working aboard the orbiting laboratory.  

Crews often spend extended periods of time aboard the orbiting laboratory, with the average mission lasting about six months or more. During these long-duration missions, without the continuous load of Earth’s gravity, there are many changes to the human body. Proper nutrition and exercise are some of the ways these effects may be mitigated. 

NASA has a team of medical physicians, psychologists, nutritionists, exercise scientists, and other specialized medical personnel who collaborate to ensure astronauts’ health and fitness on the station. These teams are led by a NASA flight surgeon, who regularly monitors each crew member’s health during a mission and individualizes diet and fitness routines to prioritize health and safety while in space. 

Crew members are also part of the ongoing health and performance research being conducted to advance understanding of long-term spaceflight’s effects on the human body. That knowledge is applied to any crewed mission and will help prepare humanity to travel farther than ever before, including the Moon and Mars. 

Sequencing the future 

In 2016, NASA astronaut Kate Rubins made history aboard the orbital outpost as the first person to sequence DNA in space. Using a handheld device called the MinION, she analyzed DNA samples in microgravity, proving that genetic sequencing could be performed in low Earth orbit for the first time. 

Her work advanced in-flight molecular diagnostics, long-duration cell culture, and molecular biology techniques such as liquid handling in microgravity. 

The ability to sequence DNA aboard the orbiting laboratory allows astronauts and scientists to identify microbes in real time, monitor crew health, and study how living organisms adapt to spaceflight. The same technology now supports medical diagnostics and disease detection in remote or extreme environments on Earth. 

This research continues through the Genes in Space program, where students design DNA experiments that fly aboard NASA missions. Each investigation builds on Rubins’ milestone, paving the way for future explorers to diagnose illness, monitor environmental health, and search for signs of life beyond Earth. 

Explore the timeline of space-based DNA sequencing. 

This artist’s concept depicts a smaller white dwarf star pulling material from a larger star, right, into an accretion disk. Scientists used NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarization Explorer) to study a white dwarf star and its X-ray polarization.

Si è diffusa nelle ultime ore l’ipotesi che a generare il luminoso fragore registrato nel barese la sera del 10 gennaio 2026 possa essere stato un bolide. I dati tuttavia sembrerebbero escludere tale possibilità. Le camere all-sky della rete Prisma, che da ormai dieci anni si occupa proprio di osservare i cieli italiani in cerca di meteore brillanti per ricavare l’area di caduta al suolo di eventuali frammenti meteoritici, la sera in questione non hanno avvistato alcun bolide.

«Le nostre camere di Castellana Grotte e Lecce, le più vicine alla zona», dice infatti Dario Barghini, ricercatore dell’Inaf di Torino ed esperto scienziato della rete Prisma, «non hanno registrato alcun bolide nell’orario indicato, ovvero dopo le ore 18:00. Difficilmente un evento del genere passerebbe inosservato».

Vi potreste invece esser persi il bolide che la notte seguente, domenica 11 gennaio, è stato registrato, alle ore 21:09 Ut circa (le 22:09 ora locale), da cinque camere in cinque diverse regioni: Amelia, Napoli, Roma, San Sepolcro e Teramo. «La triangolazione ha permesso di determinare la traiettoria dell’oggetto che», prosegue Barghini, «diretto verso nord-ovest, ha attraversato il cielo a metà strada tra le isole di Ponza e Ventotene e la costa della nostra penisola, tra Gaeta e Terracina. Dopo aver impattato l’atmosfera a 90 km di altezza con una velocità di circa 27 km/s, si è estinto dopo circa due secondi e mezzo a una quota di poco superiore ai 40 km, avendo quindi subìto una significativa decelerazione, chiaramente evidente dai dati».

L’orbita dell’oggetto era molto eccentrica: al perielio raggiungeva i paraggi del pianeta Mercurio, mentre all’afelio oltrepassava le parti più esterne della fascia degli asteroidi, spingendosi in direzione dell’orbita di Giove.

«Rimane importante», conclude Barghini, «che eventi come quello del 10 gennaio, anche se poi si risolvono in falsi allarmi, siano segnalati da chi ne è testimone perché sono comunque utili informazioni per noi ricercatori. Sul nostro sito è infatti presente un form di segnalazione bolidi».

Images depicting NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket are projected onto the Washington Monument as part of an event to kick off the nation's 250th birthday year, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Washington.

Gli astronomi non hanno mai scelto la strada più comoda. Nel corso dei decenni hanno portato i loro strumenti sugli altipiani più aridi del pianeta, tra i ghiacci polari, sul fondo degli oceani e nello spazio profondo. Ora l’attenzione si sposta ancora più lontano: sul lato nascosto della...

Nel cuore delle acque dolci del Giappone è stato isolato un virus così grande da costringere i ricercatori a riconsiderare alcune certezze di base sulla vita. Lo hanno battezzato Ushikuvirus, dal Lago Ushiku, nella prefettura di Ibaraki, il luogo in cui è stato individuato. Non è un dettaglio...

NASA will host a live news conference at 5 p.m. EST on Thursday from the agency’s headquarters in Washington to discuss the International Space Station and its crew.

On Jan. 7, the agency announced it was postponing a planned spacewalk originally scheduled for Jan. 8 while teams monitored a medical concern with a crew member currently living and working aboard the orbital laboratory.

The matter involved a single crew member, who is stable. Due to medical privacy, it is not appropriate for NASA to share more details about the crew member.

Participants in the news conference include:

• NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
• Amit Kshatriya, associate administrator
• Dr. James Polk, chief health and medical officer, NASA Headquarters

NASA will provide live coverage of the news conference on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.

To participate in the news conference virtually or in-person, media must RSVP for details no later than one hour before the start of the event to the NASA Newsroom at: hq-media@mail.nasa.gov. NASA’s media credentialing policy is online.

To learn more about the International Space Station, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov

-end-

Bethany Stevens / Cheryl Warner
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov

NASA will host a live news conference at 5 p.m. EST on Thursday from the agency’s headquarters in Washington to discuss the International Space Station and its crew.

On Jan. 7, the agency announced it was postponing a planned spacewalk originally scheduled for Jan. 8 while teams monitored a medical concern with a crew member currently living and working aboard the orbital laboratory.

The matter involved a single crew member, who is stable. Due to medical privacy, it is not appropriate for NASA to share more details about the crew member.

Participants in the news conference include:

• NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
• Amit Kshatriya, associate administrator
• Dr. James Polk, chief health and medical officer, NASA Headquarters

NASA will provide live coverage of the news conference on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.

To participate in the news conference virtually or in-person, media must RSVP for details no later than one hour before the start of the event to the NASA Newsroom at: hq-media@mail.nasa.gov. NASA’s media credentialing policy is online.

To learn more about the International Space Station, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov

-end-

Bethany Stevens / Cheryl Warner
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov

Artemis II crewmembers (left to right) NASA astronauts Christina Koch, mission specialist; and Victor Glover, pilot; CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, commander are led to the crew access arm as they prepare to board their Orion spacecraft atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket during the Artemis II countdown demonstration test on Dec. 20, 2025.

NASA and its partners have supported humans continuously living and working in space since November 2000. A truly global endeavor, the International Space Station has been visited by more than 290 people from 26 countries and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft. The unique microgravity laboratory has hosted more than 4,000 experiments from over 5,000 researchers from 110 countries. The space station also is facilitating the growth of a commercial market in low Earth orbit for research, technology development, and crew and cargo transportation. 

After a quarter of century of human presence in orbit, the station remains a symbol of international cooperation and a proving ground for humanity’s next giant leaps to the Moon and, eventually, Mars.  

The microgravity environments aboard the space station unlocks discoveries that benefit life on Earth and prepare humans for deep space missions. NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP) works to understand the changes astronauts face aboard the orbital outpost and to develop interventions to keep crews healthy before, during, and after flight.  

Astronauts aboard the station exercise for roughly two hours a day to protect bone density, muscle strength, and the cardiovascular system, but the longer they are in microgravity, the harder it can be for the brain and body to readapt to gravity’s pull. After months in orbit, returning astronauts often describe Earth as heavy, loud, and strangely still. Some reacclimate within days, while other astronauts take longer to fully recover. 

Through HRP-led studies, scientists track these changes and test solutions—from improved exercise regimens to medical monitoring and nutritional strategies. The results inspire new medical technologies, while teaching scientists how the human body adapts to long-duration spaceflights—knowledge that helps keep astronauts healthy on future missions.

The space station continues to be a critical platform for sharpening skills, technology, and understanding that will prepare humanity to return to the Moon with NASA’s Artemis campaign and journey on to Mars and beyond. 

Since space presents an entirely new physical environment with a distinct set of challenges, the orbiting laboratory is uniquely positioned to support research and preparations not possible on Earth. That includes: 

• Mastering techniques for basic tasks like drinking water, sleeping, exercising, and handling various materials.  

• Developing solutions to microgravity-induced changes to and challenges for the human body. 

• Testing reliable technologies and self-sustaining ecosystems necessary for deep space travel, from life support systems to in-orbit agriculture and 3D printing of materials. 

• Refining techniques and procedures for data and imagery collection and analysis.  

Read more about how the space station has enabled significant strides in our journey farther into the final frontier. 

The first decade of the space station was the decade of construction. The second decade moved from initial studies to fully using the orbiting laboratory. Now we are in the decade of results. 

With nearly 25 years of experiments conducted aboard the station, more breakthroughs are materializing than ever before. These scientific discoveries and technological advancements are benefiting humanity on the ground, contributing to the growing low Earth orbit economy, and helping to prepare for future exploration of the Moon and Mars.  

Innovations include: 

• Advances in X-ray technologies, developed to create a space station telescope, are helping unravel the mysteries of our universe while improving medical devices on Earth. 

• Temperature-change data that has been employed in efforts to reduce heat absorbed by city surfaces, reduce fire risk, and help farmers efficiently water their fields. 

• Demonstrations of robotic technologies with the potential to relieve repetitive movement and other workplace-related stressors. 

• Development of a small ultrasound unit for crew health monitoring that has since been adapted to provide diagnostic care in remote areas on Earth. 

Find more information about the space station’s benefits for humanity here. 

NASA and its partners have supported humans continuously living and working in space since November 2000. A truly global endeavor, the International Space Station has been visited by more than 290 people from 26 countries and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft. The unique microgravity laboratory has hosted more than 4,000 experiments from over 5,000 researchers from 110 countries. The space station also is facilitating the growth of a commercial market in low Earth orbit for research, technology development, and crew and cargo transportation. 

After a quarter of century of human presence in orbit, the station remains a symbol of international cooperation and a proving ground for humanity’s next giant leaps to the Moon and, eventually, Mars.  

The microgravity environments aboard the space station unlocks discoveries that benefit life on Earth and prepare humans for deep space missions. NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP) works to understand the changes astronauts face aboard the orbital outpost and to develop interventions to keep crews healthy before, during, and after flight.  

Astronauts aboard the station exercise for roughly two hours a day to protect bone density, muscle strength, and the cardiovascular system, but the longer they are in microgravity, the harder it can be for the brain and body to readapt to gravity’s pull. After months in orbit, returning astronauts often describe Earth as heavy, loud, and strangely still. Some reacclimate within days, while other astronauts take longer to fully recover. 

Through HRP-led studies, scientists track these changes and test solutions—from improved exercise regimens to medical monitoring and nutritional strategies. The results inspire new medical technologies, while teaching scientists how the human body adapts to long-duration spaceflights—knowledge that helps keep astronauts healthy on future missions.

The space station continues to be a critical platform for sharpening skills, technology, and understanding that will prepare humanity to return to the Moon with NASA’s Artemis campaign and journey on to Mars and beyond. 

Since space presents an entirely new physical environment with a distinct set of challenges, the orbiting laboratory is uniquely positioned to support research and preparations not possible on Earth. That includes: 

• Mastering techniques for basic tasks like drinking water, sleeping, exercising, and handling various materials.  

• Developing solutions to microgravity-induced changes to and challenges for the human body. 

• Testing reliable technologies and self-sustaining ecosystems necessary for deep space travel, from life support systems to in-orbit agriculture and 3D printing of materials. 

• Refining techniques and procedures for data and imagery collection and analysis.  

Read more about how the space station has enabled significant strides in our journey farther into the final frontier. 

The first decade of the space station was the decade of construction. The second decade moved from initial studies to fully using the orbiting laboratory. Now we are in the decade of results. 

With nearly 25 years of experiments conducted aboard the station, more breakthroughs are materializing than ever before. These scientific discoveries and technological advancements are benefiting humanity on the ground, contributing to the growing low Earth orbit economy, and helping to prepare for future exploration of the Moon and Mars.  

Innovations include: 

• Advances in X-ray technologies, developed to create a space station telescope, are helping unravel the mysteries of our universe while improving medical devices on Earth. 

• Temperature-change data that has been employed in efforts to reduce heat absorbed by city surfaces, reduce fire risk, and help farmers efficiently water their fields. 

• Demonstrations of robotic technologies with the potential to relieve repetitive movement and other workplace-related stressors. 

• Development of a small ultrasound unit for crew health monitoring that has since been adapted to provide diagnostic care in remote areas on Earth. 

Find more information about the space station’s benefits for humanity here. 

NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured this image of lightning while orbiting aboard the International Space Station more than 250 miles above Milan, Italy.

NASA opens the International Space Station for scientists and researchers, inviting them to use the benefits of microgravity for commercial and public research, technology demonstrations, and more. Today, a portion of the crew’s time aboard station is devoted to private industry, including medical research that addresses complex health challenges on Earth and prepares astronauts for future deep space missions.

In collaboration with scientists at Merck, protein crystal growth research on the space station yielded early insights regarding the structure and size of particles best suited for the development of a new formulation of the company’s cancer medicine pembrolizumab for subcutaneous injection. This new route of delivery was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September and offers a time-saving alternative to intravenous infusion for certain patients. These research efforts aboard the space station were supported by the ISS National Laboratory.

Originally, the treatment was delivered during an in-office visit via infusion therapy into the patient’s veins, a process that could take up to two hours. Initial delivery improvements reduced infusion times to less than 30 minutes every three weeks. The newly approved subcutaneous injectable form takes about one minute every three weeks, promising to improve quality of life for patients by reducing cost and significantly reducing treatment time for patients and healthcare providers.

Since 2014, Merck has flown crystal growth experiments to the space station to better understand how crystals form, including the monoclonal antibody used in this cancer treatment. Monoclonal antibodies are lab-made proteins that help the body fight diseases. This research focused on producing crystalline suspensions that dissolve easily in liquid, making it possible to deliver the medication by injection. In microgravity, the absence of gravity’s physical forces allows scientists to grow larger, more uniform, and higher-quality crystals than those grown in ground-based labs, advancing medication development and structural modeling.

Research aboard the space station has provided valuable insights into how gravity influences crystallization, helping to improve drug formulations. The work of NASA and its partners aboard the space station improves lives on Earth, grows a commercial economy in low Earth orbit, and prepares for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

NASA’s SPHEREx Observatory has mapped the entire sky in 102 infrared colors, as seen here in this image released on Dec. 18, 2025. This image features a selection of colors emitted primarily by stars (blue, green, and white), hot hydrogen gas (blue), and cosmic dust (red).

Editor’s note: NASA announced Jan. 7, 2026, the spacewalk planned for Jan. 8, 2026, is postponed.

NASA astronauts will conduct two spacewalks Thursday, Jan. 8, and Thursday, Jan. 15, outside the International Space Station, and the agency will provide comprehensive coverage.

The first spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. EST on Jan. 8 and last about six hours and 30 minutes. NASA will provide live coverage beginning at 6:30 a.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.

During U.S. spacewalk 94, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman will exit the station’s Quest airlock to prepare the 2A power channel for future installation of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays. Once installed, the array will provide additional power for the orbital laboratory, including critical support of its safe and controlled deorbit.

Fincke will serve as spacewalk crew member 1 and will wear a suit with red stripes, while Cardman will serve as spacewalk crew member 2 and will wear an unmarked suit. This spacewalk will be Cardman’s first and Fincke’s 10th, tying him for the most spacewalks by a NASA astronaut.

The second spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 7:10 a.m. on Jan. 15 and last about 6 hours and 30 minutes. NASA will provide live coverage beginning at 5:40 a.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel.

During U.S. spacewalk 95, two NASA astronauts will replace a high-definition camera on camera port 3, install a new navigational aid for visiting spacecraft, called a planar reflector, on the Harmony module’s forward port, and relocate an early ammonia servicer jumper — a flexible hose assembly that connects parts of a fluid system — along with other jumpers on the station’s S6 and S4 truss.

NASA will announce which astronauts are scheduled for the second spacewalk after the Jan. 8 spacewalk.

The spacewalks will be the 278th and 279th in support of space station assembly, maintenance and upgrades. Also, they are the first two International Space Station spacewalks of 2026, and the first by Expedition 74.

Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:

https://www.nasa.gov/station

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Josh Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov 

Sandra Jones
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov

A scientific balloon starts its ascent into the air as it prepares to launch carrying NASA’s Payload for Ultrahigh Energy Observations (PUEO) mission. The mission lifted off from Antarctica at 5:56 a.m. NZST, Saturday, Dec. 20 (11:56 a.m., Friday, Dec. 19 in U.S. Eastern Time). The PUEO mission is designed to detect radio signals created when highly energetic particles called neutrinos from space hit the ice.

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the galaxy NGC 4388, a member of the Virgo galaxy cluster.

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used its black-and-white navigation cameras to capture panoramas at two times of day on Nov. 18, 2025, spanning periods that occurred on both the 4,722nd and 4,723rd Martian days, or sols, of the mission. The panoramas were captured at 4:15 p.m. on Sol 4,722 and 8:20 a.m. on Sol 4,723 (both at local Mars time), then merged together. Color was later added for an artistic interpretation of the scene with blue representing the morning panorama and yellow representing the afternoon one.

2025 marks another year pushing the boundaries of scientific research aboard the International Space Station. This past year, over 750 investigations were conducted aboard the space station, supported by crewed missions and resupply vehicles delivering essential cargo and experiments to the orbiting laboratory. This year’s research included testing DNA’s ability to store data, producing vital nutrients on demand, demonstrating technology for space debris removal and satellite maintenance, advancing next-generation medicines, and more. Astronauts visited the space station from across the globe to continue research benefiting humanity on Earth and paving the way for future exploration missions, including NASA’s Artemis program to return humanity to the Moon. On Nov. 2, 2025, NASA and its international partners surpassed 25 years of continuous human presence aboard the space station, showcasing humanity’s dedication to space exploration and scientific discovery.

Over a million images were taken aboard the space station this year, documenting groundbreaking research, observing Earth from space, and even capturing comets and other celestial phenomenon. Rewind and look back at a photo recap of 2025 aboard the space station.

NASA astronauts will conduct a pair of spacewalks in January outside of the International Space Station to prepare for the installation of a roll-out solar array and complete other tasks. Experts from NASA will preview the spacewalks in a briefing at 2 p.m. EST Tuesday, Jan. 6, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Watch NASA’s live coverage of the news conference on the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.

Participants include:

• Bill Spetch, operations integration manager, International Space Station Program
• Diana Trujillo, spacewalk flight director, Flight Operations Directorate
• Heidi Brewer, spacewalk flight director, Flight Operations Directorate

Media interested in participating in person or by phone must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom no later than 10 a.m., Monday, Jan. 5, by calling 281-483-5111 or emailing jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. To ask questions by phone, reporters must dial into the news conference no later than 15 minutes prior to the start of the call. Questions may also be submitted on social media using #AskNASA. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online.

On Thursday, Jan. 8, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman will exit the station’s Quest airlock to prepare the 2A power channel for future installation of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays. Once installed, the array will provide additional power for the orbital laboratory, including critical support of its safe and controlled deorbit. This spacewalk will be Cardman’s first and Fincke’s 10th, tying him for the most spacewalks by a NASA astronaut.

On Thursday, Jan. 15, two NASA astronauts will replace a high-definition camera on camera port 3, install a new navigational aid for visiting spacecraft, called a planar reflector, on the Harmony module’s forward port, and relocate an early ammonia servicer jumper — a flexible hose assembly that connects parts of a fluid system — along with other jumpers on the station’s S6 and S4 truss.

NASA will announce the astronauts planned for the second spacewalk and start times for both events closer to the operations.

The spacewalks will be the 278th and 279th in support of space station assembly, maintenance and upgrades. They also are the first two International Space Station spacewalks of 2026, and the first by Expedition 74.

Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:

https://www.nasa.gov/station

-end-

Josh Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov

Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov

Data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory come together in this eye-catching photo of colliding spiral galaxies released on Dec. 1, 2025.

Tiny ball bearings surround a larger central bearing during the Fluid Particles experiment, conducted inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) aboard the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory module.

NASA engineer Guy Naylor poses for a photograph wearing a custom Santa Claus suit on the 19th level of High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building with NASA's integrated Moon rocket behind him at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.

From left to right, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman are seen as they depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to board their Orion spacecraft atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket inside the Vehicle Assembly Building as part of the Artemis II countdown demonstration test, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

In 2025, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, advanced work across aeronautics, Earth science, exploration technologies, and emerging aviation systems, reinforcing its role as one of the agency’s primary test sites for aeronautics research. From early concept evaluations to full flight test campaigns, teams enhanced measurement tools, refined safety systems, and generated data that supported missions across NASA. Operating from the Mojave Desert, NASA Armstrong continued applying engineering design with real-world performance, carrying forward research that informs how aircraft operate today and how new systems may function in the future.

The year’s progress also reflects the people behind the work – engineers, technicians, pilots, operators, and mission support staff who navigate complex tests and ensure each mission advances safely and deliberately. Their efforts strengthened partnerships with industry, small businesses, and universities while expanding opportunities for students and early career professionals. Together they sustained NASA Armstrong’s long-standing identity as a center where innovation is proven in flight and where research helps chart the course for future aviation and exploration.

“We executed our mission work safely, including flight of the first piloted NASA X-plane in decades, while under challenging conditions,” said Brad Flick, center director of NASA Armstrong. “It tells me our people embrace the work we do and are willing to maintain high levels of professionalism while enduring personal stress and uncertainty. It’s a testimony to the dedication of our NASA and contractor workforce.”

Teams continued advancing key projects, supporting partners, and generating data that contributes to NASA’s broader mission.

Quiet supersonic flight and the Quesst mission

NASA Armstrong continued its quiet supersonic research, completing a series of activities in support of NASA’s Quesst mission. On the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft, the team performed electromagnetic interference tests and ran engine checks to prepare the aircraft for taxi tests. The Schlieren, Airborne Measurements, and Range Operations for Quesst (SCHAMROQ) team completed aircraft integration and shock-sensing probe calibration flights, refining the tools needed to characterize shock waves from the X-59. These efforts supported the aircraft’s progression toward its first flight on Oct. 28, marking a historic milestone and the beginning of its transition to NASA Armstrong for continued testing.

The center’s Commercial Supersonic Technology (CST) team also conducted airborne validation flights using NASA F-15s, confirming measurement systems essential for Quesst’s next research phase. Together, this work forms the technical backbone for upcoming community response studies, where NASA will evaluate whether quieter supersonic thumps could support future commercial applications.

• The X-59 team completed electromagnetic interference testing on the aircraft, verifying system performance and confirming that all its systems could reliably operate together.
• NASA’s X-59 engine testing concluded with a maximum afterburner test that demonstrated the engine’s ability to generate the thrust required for supersonic flight.
• Engineers conducted engine speed-hold evaluations to assess how the X-59’s engine responds under sustained throttle conditions, generating data used to refine control settings for upcoming flight profiles.
• NASA Armstrong’s SCHAMROQ team calibrated a second shock-sensing probe to expand measurement capability for future quiet supersonic flight research.
• NASA Armstrong’s CST team validated the tools that will gather airborne data in support the second phase of the agency’s Quesst mission.
• NASA’s X-59 team advanced preparations on the aircraft through taxi tests, ensuring aircraft handling systems performed correctly ahead of its first flight.
• NASA Armstrong’s photo and video team documented X-59 taxi tests as the aircraft moved under its own power for the first time.
• The X-59 team evaluated braking, steering, and integrated systems performance after the completion of the aircraft’s low-speed taxi tests marking one of the final steps before flight.
• NASA Armstrong teams advanced the X-59 toward first flight by prioritizing safety at every step, completing checks, evaluations, and system verifications to ensure the aircraft was ready when the team was confident it could move forward.
• NASA and the Lockheed Martin contractor team completed the X-59’s historic first flight, delivering the aircraft to NASA Armstrong for the start of its next phase of research.

Ultra-efficient and high-speed aircraft research

Across aeronautics programs, Armstrong supported work that strengthens NASA’s ability to study sustainable, efficient, and high-performance aircraft. Teams conducted aerodynamic measurements and improved test-article access for instrumentation, enabling more precise evaluations of advanced aircraft concepts. Engineers continued developing tools and techniques to study aircraft performance under high-speed and high-temperature conditions, supporting research in hypersonic flight.

• The Sustainable Flight Demonstrator research team measured airflow over key wing surfaces in a series of wind tunnel tests, generating data used to refine future sustainable aircraft designs.
• Technicians at NASA Armstrong installed a custom structural floor inside the X-66 demonstrator, improving access for instrumentation work and enabling more efficient modification and evaluation.
• Armstrong engineers advanced high-speed research by maturing an optical measurement system that tracks heat and structural strain during hypersonic flight, supporting future test missions.

Transforming air mobility and new aviation systems

NASA Armstrong supported multiple aspects of the nation’s growing air mobility ecosystem. Researchers conducted tests and evaluations to better understand aircraft performance, airflow, and passenger experience. Additional work included assessing drone-based inspection techniques, developing advanced communication networks, performing drop tests, and refining methods to evaluate emerging mobility aircraft.

These studies support NASA’s broader goal of integrating new electric, autonomous, and hybrid aircraft safely into the national airspace.

• A small business partnership demonstrated drone-based inspection techniques that could reduce maintenance time and improve safety for commercial aircraft operations.
• NASA Armstrong researchers tested air traffic surveillance technology against the demands of air taxis flying at low altitudes through densely populated cities, using the agency’s Pilatus PC-12 to support safer air traffic operations.
• Researchers at NASA Armstrong collected airflow data from Joby using a ground array of sensors to examine how its circular wind patterns might affect electric air taxi performance in future urban operations.
• NASA Armstrong’s Ride Quality Laboratory conducted air taxi passenger comfort studies in support of the agency’s Advanced Air Mobility mission to better understand how motion, vibration, and other factors affect ride comfort, informing the industry’s development of electric air taxis and drones.

Earth observation and environmental research

Earth science campaigns at NASA Armstrong contributed to the agency’s ability to monitor environmental changes and improve satellite data accuracy. Researchers tested precision navigation systems that keep high-speed aircraft on path, supporting more accurate atmospheric and climate surveys. Airborne measurements and drone flights documented wildfire behavior, smoke transport, and post-fire impacts while gathering temperature, humidity, and airflow data during controlled burns. These efforts also supported early-stage technology demonstrations, evaluating new wildfire sensing tools under real flight conditions to advance fire response research. High-altitude aircraft contributed to missions that improved satellite calibration, refined atmospheric measurements, and supported snowpack and melt studies to enhance regional water-resource forecasting.

• Researchers at NASA Armstrong tested a new precision‑navigation system that can keep high‑speed research aircraft on exact flight paths, enabling more accurate Earth science data collection during airborne environmental and climate‑survey missions.
• NASA’s B200 King Air flew over wildfire‑affected regions equipped with the Compact Fire Infrared Radiance Spectral Tracker (c‑FIRST), collecting thermal‑infrared data to study wildfire behavior, smoke spread, and post‑fire ecological impacts in near real time.
• NASA Armstrong’s Alta X drone carried a 3D wind sensor and a radiosonde to measure temperature, pressure, humidity, and airflow during a prescribed burn in Geneva State Forest, gathering data to help improve wildland fire behavior models and support firefighting agencies.
• NASA’s ER‑2 aircraft carried the Airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance (air-LUSI) instrument on night flights, measuring moonlight reflectance to generate calibration data – improving the accuracy of Earth‑observing satellite measurements.
• The center’s ER-2 also flew above cloud layers with specialized instrumentation to collect atmospheric and cloud measurements. These data help validate and refine Earth observing satellite retrievals, improving climate, weather, and aerosol observations.
• Airborne campaigns at NASA Armstrong measured snowpack and melt patterns in the western U.S., providing data to improve water-resource forecasting for local communities.

Exploration technology and Artemis support

NASA Armstrong supported exploration technologies that will contribute to agency’s return to the Moon and future missions deeper into the solar system, including sending the first astronauts – American astronauts – to Mars. Teams advanced sensor systems and conducted high-altitude drop tests to capture critical performance data, supporting the need for precise entry, descent, and landing capabilities on future planetary missions.

Contributions from NASA Armstrong also strengthen the systems and technologies that help make Artemis – the agency’s top priority – safer, more reliable, and more scientifically productive, supporting a sustained human presence on the Moon and preparing for future human exploration of Mars.

• The EPIC team at NASA Armstrong conducted research flights to advance sensor technology for supersonic parachute deployments, evaluating performance during high-speed, high-altitude drops relevant to future planetary missions.
• Imagery from the EPIC test flights at NASA Armstrong highlights the parachute system’s high-altitude deployment sequence and demonstrated its potential for future Mars delivery concepts.

People, workforce, and community engagement

The center expanded outreach, education, and workforce development efforts throughout the year. Students visited NASA Armstrong for hands-on exposure to careers in aeronautics, while staff and volunteers supported a regional robotics competition that encouraged exploration of the field. Educators brought aeronautics concepts directly into classrooms across the region, and interns from around the country gained experience supporting real flight research projects.

NASA Armstrong also highlighted unique career pathways and recognized employees whose work showcases the human side of NASA missions. A youth aviation program launched with a regional museum provided additional opportunities for young learners to explore flight science, further strengthening the center’s community impact:

• Students from Palmdale High School Engineering Club visited NASA Armstrong, where staff engaged with them to explore facilities, discuss aerospace work, and promote STEM careers as part of the center’s community outreach.
• NASA Armstrong staff and volunteers mentored high school teams at the 2025 Aerospace Valley FIRST Robotics Competition, helping students build and test robots and providing hands-on experience with engineering to foster interest in STEM careers.
• In April, NASA Armstrong expanded outreach in 2025 by bringing aeronautics concepts to students through classroom workshops, presentations, and hands-on activities, giving young learners direct exposure to NASA research and inspiring possible future careers in science and engineering.
• Students from across the country participated in internships at NASA Armstrong, gaining hands-on experience in flight research and operations while contributing to real-world aerospace projects.
• In May, a NASA Armstrong videographer earned national recognition for work that highlights the people behind the center’s research missions, showing how scientists, engineers, and flight crews collaborate to advance aeronautics and space exploration.
• Daniel Eng, a systems engineer with NASA’s Air Mobility Pathfinders project, shared his career path from the garment industry to aerospace, illustrating how diverse experiences contribute to the center’s technical workforce and support its advanced flight research and engineering projects.
• In June, NASA Armstrong recognized one of its interns for hands-on work with the center’s aircraft. With more than a decade in the auto industry, they demonstrated how early career engineers can gain real-world experience and develop skills for careers in aerospace and flight research.
• NASA Armstrong partnered with a regional museum to create a youth aviation program that introduces students to flight science and operations, providing hands-on learning opportunities and inspiring interest in aerospace and STEM careers.

Center infrastructure and research capabilities

Facility improvements and new platforms strengthened NASA Armstrong’s research capabilities. A rooftop operation removed a historic telemetry pedestal to make way for updated infrastructure, while preserving an important artifact of the center’s flight test heritage. Engineers also completed a new subscale research aircraft, providing a flexible, cost-effective platform for evaluating aerodynamics, instrumentation, and flight control concepts in preparation for full-scale testing:

• The center improved workspace access and supported a re-roofing project during a helicopter crew operation that removed a 2,500-pound telemetry pedestal from a building rooftop, preserving a piece of the center’s flight history heritage.
• Engineers at NASA Armstrong built a new subscale experimental aircraft to replace the center’s aging MicroCub. The 14-foot wingspan, 60-pound aircraft provides a flexible, cost-effective platform for testing aerodynamics, instrumentation, and flight control concepts while reducing risk before full-scale or crewed flight tests.

Looking ahead

NASA Armstrong will continue advancing flight research across aeronautics and Earth science, building on this year’s achievements. Upcoming efforts include additional X-59 flights, expanded quiet supersonic studies, new air mobility evaluations, high-altitude science campaigns, and maturing technologies that support hypersonic research and the Artemis program for future planetary missions.

“Next year will be a year of continuity, but also change,” Flick said. “The agency’s new Administrator, Jared Isaacman, will bring a renewed mission-first focus to the agency, and NASA Armstrong will push the boundaries of what’s possible. But the most important thing we can do is safely and successfully execute our portfolio of work within budget and schedule.”

For more than seven decades, NASA Armstrong has strengthened the nation’s understanding of flight. This year’s work builds on that legacy, helping shape the future of aviation and exploration through research proven in the air.

To explore more about NASA Armstrong’s missions, research, and discoveries, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/armstrong

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These two galaxies are named NGC 4490 and NGC 4485, and they’re located about 24 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici (The Hunting Dogs). They are the closest known interacting dwarf-dwarf galaxy system where astronomers have observed the interactions between them, as well as been able to resolve the stars within.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit demonstrates electrostatic forces using charged water droplets and a knitting needle made of Teflon.

Justin Hall, left, controls a subscale aircraft as Justin Link holds the aircraft in place during preliminary engine tests on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at NASA’s Armstong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Hall is chief pilot at the center’s Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory and Link is a pilot for small uncrewed aircraft systems.

The airliner you board in the future could look a lot different from today’s, with longer, thinner wings that provide a smoother ride while saving fuel.

Those wings would be a revolutionary design for commercial aircraft, but like any breakthrough technology, they come with their own development challenges – which experts from NASA and Boeing are now working to solve. 

When creating lift, longer, thinner wings can reduce drag, making them efficient. However, they can become very flexible in flight.

Through their Integrated Adaptive Wing Technology Maturation collaboration, NASA and Boeing recently completed wind tunnel tests of a “higher aspect ratio wing model” looking for ways to get the efficiency gains without the potential issues these kinds of wings can experience. 

“When you have a very flexible wing, you’re getting into greater motions,” said Jennifer Pinkerton, a NASA aerospace engineer at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. “Things like gust loads and maneuver loads can cause even more of an excitation than with a smaller aspect ratio wing. Higher aspect ratio wings also tend to be more fuel efficient, so we’re trying to take advantage of that while simultaneously controlling the aeroelastic response.”  

 

Without the right engineering, long, thin wings could potentially bend or experience a condition known as wing flutter, causing aircraft to vibrate and shake in gusting winds.  

“Flutter is a very violent interaction,” Pinkerton said. “When the flow over a wing interacts with the aircraft structure and the natural frequencies of the wing are excited, wing oscillations are amplified and can grow exponentially, leading to potentially catastrophic failure. Part of the testing we do is to characterize aeroelastic instabilities like flutter for aircraft concepts so that in actual flight, those instabilities can be safely avoided.” 

To help demonstrate and understand this, researchers from NASA and Boeing sought to soften the impacts of wind gusts on the aircraft, lessen the wing loads from aircraft turns and movements, and suppress wing flutter.

Reducing or controlling those factors can have a significant impact on an aircraft’s performance, fuel efficiency, and passenger comfort. 

Testing for this in a controlled environment is impossible with a full-sized commercial airliner, as no wind tunnel could accommodate one.

However, NASA Langley’s Transonic Dynamics Tunnel, which has been contributing to the design of U.S. commercial transports, military aircraft, launch vehicles, and spacecraft for over 60 years, features a test section 16 feet high by 16 feet wide, big enough for large-scale models. 

 To shrink a full-size plane down to scale, NASA and Boeing worked with NextGen Aeronautics, which designed and fabricated a complex model resembling an aircraft divided down the middle, with one 13-foot wing.

Mounted to the wall of the wind tunnel, the model was outfitted with 10 control surfaces – moveable panels – along the wing’s rear edge. Researchers adjusted those control surfaces to control airflow and reduce the forces that were causing the wing to vibrate.

Instruments and sensors mounted inside the model measured the forces acting on the model, as well as the vehicle’s responses.

The model wing represented a leap in sophistication from a smaller one developed during a previous NASA-Boeing collaboration called the Subsonic Ultra Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR).

“The SUGAR model had two active control surfaces,” said Patrick S. Heaney, principal investigator at NASA for the Integrated Adaptive Wing Technology Maturation collaboration. “And now on this particular model we have ten. We’re increasing the complexity as well as expanding what our control objectives are.”  

A first set of tests, conducted in 2024, gave experts baseline readings that they compared to NASA computational simulations, allowing them to refine their models. A second set of tests in 2025 used the additional control surfaces in new configurations.

The most visible benefits of these new capabilities appeared during testing to alleviate the forces from gusting winds, when researchers saw the wing’s shaking greatly reduced.

With testing completed, NASA and Boeing experts are analyzing data and preparing to share their results with the aviation community. Airlines and original equipment manufacturers can learn and benefit from the lessons learned, deciding which to apply to the next generation of aircraft.  

“Initial data analyses have shown that controllers developed by NASA and Boeing and used during the test demonstrated large performance improvements,” Heaney said. “We’re excited to continue analyzing the data and sharing results in the months to come.” 

NASA’s Advanced Air Transport Technology project works to advance aircraft design and technology under the agency’s Advanced Air Vehicles program, which studies, evaluates, and develops technologies and capabilities for new aircraft systems. The project and program fall within NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. 

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Editor’s Note: This article was updated on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, to clarify the research done by ATM-X and ACERO.

NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley continued to make strides in research, technology, engineering, science, and innovation this past year. Join us as we take a look back at some of the highlights from 2025.

From Supercomputers to Wind Tunnels: NASA’s Road to Artemis II

By combining the technologies of the NASA Advanced Supercomputing facility and Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at NASA Ames, researchers were able to simulate and model an adjustment to the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that could improve airflow and stability to the vehicle during the launch of Artemis II. The collaborative effort between researchers is the next step on NASA’s journey to send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

New Discoveries in Early Solar System Samples

Researchers at NASA Ames discovered a never-before-seen “gum-like” material in pristine asteroid samples delivered to Earth by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer) spacecraft. The surprising substance was likely formed in the early days of the solar system, as Bennu’s young parent asteroid warmed. Such complex molecules could have provided some of the chemical precursors that helped trigger life on Earth, and finding them in the pristine samples from Bennu is important for scientists studying how life began and whether it exists beyond our planet.

VIPER Gets a Ride to the Moon’s South Pole

NASA’s VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) will search for volatile resources, such as ice, on the lunar surface and collect science data to support future exploration at the Moon and Mars. As part of the agency’s Artemis campaign, NASA awarded Blue Origin of Kent, Washington, a Commercial Lunar Payload Services task order with an option to deliver a rover to the Moon’s South Pole region. With this new award, Blue Origin will deliver VIPER to the lunar surface in late 2027.

Taking to the Skies to Test Remote Wildfire Response

NASA researchers are advancing technology that could help fight and monitor wildfires 24 hours a day. NASA’s Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) conducted initial validation of a new, portable system that can provide reliable airspace management under poor visual conditions, one of the biggest barriers for aerial wildland firefighting support.

NASA Installs Heat Shield on First Private Spacecraft Bound for Venus

NASA helps the commercial space endeavor succeed by providing expertise in thermal protection of small spacecraft. NASA Ames teams work with private companies to turn NASA materials into solutions, such as the heat shield tailor-made for a spacecraft destined for Venus, supporting growth of the new space economy. Invented at NASA Ames, NASA’s Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology covers the bottom of the space capsule that will study the clouds of Venus for signs of life during the first private mission to the planet. This mission is led by Rocket Lab of Long Beach, California, and their partners at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

Artemis Astronauts & Orion Leadership Visit NASA Ames

Artemis II astronauts Christina Koch and Victor Glover, along with Orion leaders Debbie Korth, deputy program manager, and Luis Saucedo, deputy crew and service module manager, visited NASA Ames facilities that support the Orion program to celebrate the achievements of employees. Ames facilities were used to develop and test Orion’s thermal protection system and analyze the Artemis I heat shield after its successful return to Earth.

Curiosity Mars Rover Uncovers Subsurface Clues to the Planet’s Evolution

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover helped shed new light on what happened to the planet’s ancient atmosphere. Researchers have long believed that Mars once had a thick, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere and liquid water on the planet’s surface. That carbon dioxide and water should have reacted with Martian rocks to create carbonate minerals, but previous investigations haven’t found expected amounts of carbonate on the planet’s surface. Curiosity used onboard instruments to study powdered Martian rock samples from the subsurface of the planet, finding the presence of siderite, an iron carbonate mineral, within the sulfate-rich rocky layers of Mount Sharp in Mars’ Gale Crater.

Managing Satellite Traffic in Orbit

Managed at NASA Ames, the Starling mission, in collaboration with SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, successfully demonstrated autonomous coordination between spacecraft to improve space traffic management in low Earth orbit. The extended mission, called Starling 1.5, tested how satellite swarms can share maneuver responsibilities and respond more quickly to avoid collisions without relying on time-consuming ground-based communication. This approach aims to streamline space traffic coordination as orbital congestion increases, enabling faster, safer, and more efficient satellite operations.

Proven True: A Companion Star to Betelgeuse

Researchers validated a century-old hypothesis that there’s an orbiting companion star to Betelgeuse, the 10th brightest star in our night sky. Steve Howell, a senior research scientist at Ames, used both the ground-based Gemini North telescope in Hawai’i and a special, high-resolution camera built by NASA to directly observe the close companion to Betelgeuse. This discovery may explain why other similar red supergiant stars undergo periodic changes in their brightness on the scale of many years.

Space-Fermented Foods Make Vital Nutrients

NASA’s BioNutrients experiments are helping us better understand the shelf stability of nutrients essential to support astronaut health during future long-duration deep space exploration, such as missions to the Moon and Mars. The project uses microorganisms to make familiar fermented foods, such as yogurt, and includes specific types and amounts of nutrients that crew will be able to consume in the future. The first experiment tested the performance of a biomanufacturing system for almost six years aboard the International Space Station. The latest experiment launched to the station in August.

Enabling Satellite Swarms for Future Astronauts

NASA Ames’ Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy (DSA) project tested software that enables swarms of satellites to make decisions and adapt to changing conditions with minimal human intervention. By distributing decision-making autonomy across multiple spacecraft, the system allows satellites to coordinate tasks, optimize scientific observations, and respond to challenges in real time while freeing human explorers to focus on critical tasks. The technology was first demonstrated in space aboard the Starling mission, showcasing how autonomous swarms can enhance mission efficiency and resilience.

Exploring Remotely Piloted Aircraft in U.S. Airspace

NASA Ames and its partners tested a tool for remotely piloted aircraft that could enable operators to transport people and goods more efficiently within urban areas. Building on this effort, NASA’s Air Traffic Management eXploration Project (ATM-X) supported Wisk Aero in a flight test to evaluate a ground-based radar developed by Collins Aerospace to detect and avoid other aircraft – with the goal of helping air traffic controllers manage increased flight activity for new entrants while maintaining safety across the national airspace.

Pushing the Boundaries of Autonomous Cargo Drones

NASA partnered with the Department of War in a live flight demonstration showcasing how drones can successfully fly without their operators being able to see them, a concept known as beyond visual line of sight. Cargo drones successfully carried payloads more than 75 miles across North Dakota in tests designed to demonstrate that the aircraft could operate safely even in complex, shared airspace.

Advancing Mixed Reality for Pilot Training

A NASA research project is accelerating alternatives to conventional flight simulator training, using mixed reality systems that combines physical simulators with virtual reality headsets to train pilots. The agency invited a dozen pilots to NASA Ames to participate in a study to test how a mixed-reality flight simulation would perform in the world’s largest flight simulator for the first time. The technology could reduce costs and allow for a smaller footprint while training pilots on next-generation aircraft.

Flies and Fly Food for Space Station DNA Studies

New technology for housing and supporting fruit flies is enabling new research on the effects of space travel on the human body. Through a Space Act Agreement between NASA and Axiom Space, the Vented Fly Box contained fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Because humans and fruit flies share a lot of similar genetic code, they squeeze a lot of scientific value into a conveniently small, light package.

Studying Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Space

New studies aboard the International Space Station are advancing the detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, thus improving the health safety not only of astronauts but patients back on Earth. Future astronauts visiting the Moon or Mars will need to rely on a pre-determined supply of antibiotics in case of illness, and ensuring those antibiotics remain effective is an important safety measure for future missions. Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be difficult or impossible to treat, making antibiotic resistance a leading cause of death worldwide and a global health concern.

Happy Third Anniversary to BioSentinel Deep Space Mission!

The BioSentinel mission, currently orbiting the Sun more than 48 million miles from Earth, celebrated three years in deep space after launching aboard NASA’s Artemis I in 2022. BioSentinel, managed at NASA Ames, continues to collect valuable information for scientists trying to understand how solar radiation storms move through space and where their effects – and potential impacts on life beyond Earth – are most intense.

Astrobee Partners to Advance Space Robotics

NASA is working with Arkisys, Inc., of Los Alamitos, California, to sustain the Astrobee robotic platform aboard the International Space Station. NASA launched the Astrobee mission to the space station in 2018. Since then, the free-flying robots have marked multiple first-in-space milestones for robots working alongside astronauts. As the agency returns astronauts to the Moon, robotic helpers like Astrobee could one day take over routine maintenance tasks and support future spacecraft at the Moon and Mars without relying on humans for continuous operation.