NASA engineers have developed a new method to predict and strengthen the behavior of rockets and spacecraft under extreme conditions, ensuring mission safety. Using a commercial software tool, they streamlined finite element modeling for shock and vibration analysis, identifying weak spots and potential failure risks early. The team recently used this method to certify a commercial launch provider's rocket for a NASA mission, identifying the need for shock testing and providing new insights into shock during transport.
Research teams at NASA Glenn perform experiments in world-class facilities such as the 9- by 15-Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel, the Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory, the Small Hot Jet Acoustic Rig, the Nozzle Acoustic Test Rig, the DGEN Aero-propulsion Research Turbofan, and the Acoustical Testing Laboratory.
The four crew members in NASA’s simulated Mars mission have spent the past year living and working in isolation in a confined habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
NASA Glenn uses particle image velocimetry, hot wire anemometry, Raman spectroscopy, microphones in phased arrays, and rotating microphones to measure airflow and sound. The center's research is crucial for validating noise prediction software and improving noise reduction in aviation.
NASA Glenn researchers have used rotating microphones to measure the modal content of engine noise, providing crucial data for validating noise prediction software and improving engine performance. The technique, pioneered in the 1990s, has been applied in various tests including low-speed proof-of-concept and full-scale engine ground tests.
NASA's Curiosity rover captured a detailed image of Martian wind-eroded cliffs on October 6, 2026. The panorama, comprising six images stitched together, highlights features the mission's scientists have been waiting to see up close. The images were taken on Sol 4,982 of the mission.
The European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope has discovered its first previously unknown comet, in images taken between 16 and 24 September 2026.
As the air grows cooler and days shorter, brown bears prowl the Carpathian Mountains of southern Poland with the goal of fattening up ahead of winter hibernation.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has appointed Stephen Cash as the new director of the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Isaacman praised Cash's expertise in engineering and aerospace, noting his long career at the center and his commitment to the workforce and technical capabilities. Cash will oversee a workforce of over 5,000 employees and play a critical role in NASA's Artemis program, SLS rocket development, and other exploration missions.
Shortly after NASA's Artemis II mission splashed down on April 10, 2026, U.S. Navy divers captured underwater imagery of the Orion spacecraft's heat shield. In the months after, NASA measured the effectiveness of the thermal protection system, confirming that the heat shield performed as expected during reentry. This rigorous analysis underscores the spacecraft's safety and reliability.
Allison Mjoen, NASA's operations manager for the Exploration Ground Systems Program, watched with awe as the SLS rocket roared to life during Artemis launch. Mjoen's 20-year career at NASA's Kennedy Space Center involved supporting missions across the Space Shuttle Program, International Space Station, and now Artemis. She coordinates spacecraft offline operations and develops integration plans for booster and Orion spacecraft operations.
This image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope shows the edge-on, intermediate spiral galaxy NGC 1827, located 37 million light-years away in the constellation Columba. The image is part of a survey observing 260 satellite galaxies around 22 Milky Way-like host galaxies within a radius of about 32 million light-years. Hubble has already observed 111 of these galaxies and will observe the remaining 149 over the next 149 orbits.
Isaias, the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season, hit the Gulf Coast with heavy rain, flash flooding, and high winds. It made landfall near Destin, Florida, as a Category 2 hurricane, causing widespread damage and power outages. Satellite images show a decrease in nighttime lights west of the storm's eye, indicating the storm's impact.
NASA is playing an important role in JAXA's MMX mission to Mars' moons, aiming to characterize and determine the origin of Phobos and Deimos and deliver a sample of Phobos to Earth. The mission, scheduled for launch from Japan on Oct. 19, will bring paradigm-shifting science on the Mars system, especially as NASA prepares to send the first humans to Mars. NASA's contributions include the MEGANE spectrograph, P-Sampler technology demonstration, and support from the Deep Space Network.
NASA is tracking a historic 2026 El Niño, a rare climate pattern that flips trade winds, redistributes ocean heat, and raises sea surface height. NOAA predicts a 83% chance of the strongest El Niño since 1950. The phenomenon is already affecting people around the world, including farmers, firefighters, and coastal communities. NASA is monitoring the event through satellite imagery.
NASA installed eight new solar arrays on the International Space Station, increasing its power generation by over 160 kilowatts. These arrays, designed by Redwire, are half the size of the station's legacy arrays and reduce launch mass and volume. The upgrade supports research and operations and prepares for future deep space exploration.
NASA··1 min read
LESS NOISE. MORE SIGNAL.
A little further into the unknown.
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Source image · NASA/Clayton Rougelot
