A chaotic secret hides within this seemingly serene image of spiral galaxy NGC 4698 taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and released on Sept. 18, 2026. As a spiral galaxy like our own Milky Way galaxy, NGC 4698 has spiral arms that curl around within a thin disk of stars, gas, and dust. These arms are marked by opaque clumps of brown dust and dotted with small collections of bright blue stars.

Unlike many other spiral galaxies, NGC 4698’s delicate spiral arms are only prominent in the outer reaches of the disk; spiral arms often wind down to the very center of a galaxy, but NGC 4698’s spiral arms appear to shy away from its glowing center. The arms instead hover in a ring-like structure around the perimeter of the galaxy.

Read more about this unusual spiral galaxy.

Text credit: ESA/Hubble

Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker, the MAUVE-HST Team

Source: www.nasa.gov

2026-2027 DWU: High School Engineering Challenge

Challenge Materials

1. Engineering Notebook Template
2. Scoring Rubric

Overview

The 2026-2027 challenge theme is, “Fueling Flight Design Challenge: New Energy Systems.”

As more and more aircraft are a part of the US’ National Airspace System (NAS), NASA and partners at the FAA, at universities, and in the aviation industry are searching for ways to increase safety, make flight more affordable, find new fuels for aircraft, and reduce the amount of time passengers and cargo spend in the air. This year’s Dream with Us Challenge focuses on new aircraft fuels and how even the addition of one new fuel will change both the aircraft they are used in and the airports where aircraft take off and land.  

The “Fueling Flight Design Challenge: New Energy Systems” challenge is open to middle and high school students, with a different task for middle school teams and high school teams. Teams for both categories will focus on the addition of an emerging aircraft fuel source, liquefied natural gas (LNG) into our aviation environment. This will require teams to learn more about LNG, how it might be used in aviation, the benefits of an additional fuel source, and what kind of changes would need to be made to aircraft and to airports to adapt to these new changes.  

Since the early days of aviation, commercial aircraft have relied on traditional designs and infrastructure. Aircraft have been a similar “tube-and-wing” design, with limitations that were made because of the materials aircraft were made with, along with the technology to build these aircraft. With the increasing availability of new technologies and new materials, aircraft no longer need to follow the same basic design. In addition, new research about fuel types, increasing demand for more flights and more fuel has resulted in many different options that include types of fuel, increasing electrification, and more. That also means airports are going to need to adjust. Changes in airport infrastructure will be needed to add multiple fuel types, different gateway configurations to allow for new aircraft types, and perhaps even different areas for different aircraft. What will this all look like? That partially depends on researchers and designers in the future since these are challenges the aeronautics community is starting to face now and will continue to do in the future.   

Scenario

Globally each year, over 62 million metric tons of air cargo are transported, which is more than 33% of global trade by value. This equates to about $8.3 trillion annually. With these large numbers, even a small increase in efficiency can have a large economic impact.

A major air freight company has announced that they are looking to replace some of their fleet with a new aircraft and are interested in new designs to increase efficiency and that will utilize a different type of fuel. Your team has been tasked by your aircraft company to develop a new concept cargo aircraft to present to the air freight company. Your team has been directed to focus on a design that will use liquefied natural gas, or LNG. Since LNG must be stored differently than traditional jet fuel, the aircraft design needs to adapt. These changes, however, may lead to innovative designs that are more aerodynamically efficient.

The air freight company has provided the following requirements.

• Crew: 2 pilots. Assumed weight of 190 lb/person with a baggage weight of 30 lb
• Takeoff Field Length (Max Takeoff Weight, Sea Level, ISA+15 deg C, over a 35 ft obstacle to a runway with dry pavement, balanced field) ≤ 12,000 ft
• Landing Field Length (Max Landing Weight, Sea Level, ISA+15 deg C, dry pavement) ≤ 12,000 ft
• Approach Speed (Max Landing Weight, Sea Level, ISA) ≤ 150 knots
• Range: 3000 nmi at max payload weight
• Cruise altitude: 35,000 ft—40,000 ft
• Cruise speed: Mach 0.8
• Reserve mission: Loiter for 30 min at 13,000 ft, Mach 0.8
• FAA Airplane Design Group (ADG) ‘IV’
• Cargo
  • Total cargo weight of 125,000 lb
  • Cargo volume of at least 15,000 ft³
  • Cargo must be transported using standard unit load devices (ULD). Selection of the specific ULD type(s) is up to the team. The weight of the ULDs is included in total cargo weight.

Teams will be provided with performance information for the jet engine.

Challenge Rules

The high school module is for students in grades 9 – 12. Students in grades 6 – 8 will use the middle school module. See the Dream with Us main webpage for details. Note: for teams that have both middle and high school students, those teams will compete in the high school challenge. 

The high school challenge is open to all participants in grades 9 – 12 who are attending public, private, parochial, and home schools in the United States of America and children of U.S. military members stationed overseas.  

The 2026/2027 Dream with Us Design Challenge for middle and high school students opens September 25, 2026. The submission period for middle school entrants begins September 25, 2026, and concludes on January 22, 2027, at 11:59 pm ET. Schools, organizations, and community groups should communicate to parents and guardians that submissions are limited to one entry per team and team registration requires someone over the age of 13 to create the account (adult team sponsors may create the registration on the team’s behalf if desired). Entries must be submitted through the submission link on the Dream with Us Design Challenge webpage: https://www.nasa.gov/dream-with-us/. Signed permission forms from parents or legal guardians are required for all participants that agree to the terms and requirements listed below and on the submission form. 

Use of AI

Use of artificial intelligence tools for challenge-related work is not permitted. Teams must not upload, process, or generate any content using AI systems, including publicly available browser‑based GenAI services, AI‑assisted code generation tools, or AI‑generated imagery. All submissions must be created solely by team members without the assistance of AI.

Engineering Design Notebook

The final product for this challenge is to prepare and submit an Engineering Design Notebook. 

Teams of judges will evaluate your work based on what you submit in your Engineering Design Notebook. Your team should look through the Scoring Rubric and begin to do research to design a system to address the requirements of the notebook; specifics about the notebook requirements can be found in the Scoring Rubric. The headings in the Scoring Rubric should be used as the headings in your Engineering Design Notebook. Fill in sections of the Engineering Design Notebook as you complete the work in each section.  

Engineering Design Template (insert) 

Scoring Rubric (insert) 

Resources

The following research resources can get you started on your work. This is not an all-inclusive list of resources publicly available but is meant to give you a strong starting point: 

AACES 2050 

Fundamental Experimental Tests and Modeling of LOX/CH4 Engines at High Pressures 

“As Jet Fuel Supplies Tighten, Can Other Fuels Meet Demand?” 

Important Dates and Deadlines

• Sep. 25, 2026 – Challenge goes live

• TBD (check back soon!) – Information Session

• Dec. 08, 2026 – Registration Deadline

• Jan. 25, 2027 – Submission Deadline

• Mar. 19, 2027 – Finalists selected and announced

• Apr. 2, 2027 – Finalist presentations (virtual)
• Apr. 9, 2027 –Winners Announcement

Submitting Entries

All high school entries will be submitted through the NASA Gateway link found INSERT GATEWAY LINK HERE and on the Dream with Us Design Challenge webpage. All entries must include the following:  

1. Signed permission form completed by parent or legal guardian of each student.   
2. Presentations must be submitted in a PDF format. PDFs are limited to 10 MB. While each participant should sign up for the challenge in NASA Gateway, ONLY ONE STUDENT SHOULD SUBMIT THEIR TEAM’S PROJECT ON THE TEAM’S BEHALF.  
3. Artwork must be submitted as high-resolution images of the original artwork in .jpg or .png format (minimum of 2,400 pixels on the longest edge). Note: AI-generated work will not be accepted. 
4. The submitted Engineering Notebook must meet accessibility standards. 
   • To make your documents accessible and compliant with Section 508, it’s important to add descriptive alt tags to all images, diagrams, and graphics. Alt tags provide text descriptions that assist screen readers in conveying visual information to users with disabilities. When adding alt tags, use clear and concise language to describe the purpose and content of each image. In Microsoft Word, right-click the image, select “Edit Alt Text,” and enter your description. This simple step ensures everyone can access and understand your content, regardless of their abilities. 
   • Alt Text Sample on a PC (right click over the image and a drop down will appear, select “inspect accessibility properties and it will open the web inspector.”View Alt Text” option. If you select that option an “Alt Text” window opens with a grey box and instructions for how to create the alt tag.
   • Alt Text Sample on a Mac (right click over the image and a drop down will appear, select inspect accessibility properties and it will open the web inspector. There is a gray area that is highlighted. It is the location of the image alt tag in the code. You may need to click the gray arrow next to the word “image” in order to see the whole alt tag. To hide the properties window click on the X in the top right corner of the window.

Judging and Criteria

Entries will be evaluated by industry experts based on impact, practicality, originality, and how well the idea is communicated. Projects will go through several levels of judging. Top teams will be asked to take part in the finalist stage, where participants will be asked to join a select group of industry judges and virtually present their projects (see timeline for dates). A panel of Blue Ribbon Judges will then make award selections based to determine which projects will be recognized.  

A Scoring Rubric (see above) is available as a guide for teams. This does not need to be submitted with the team’s project. 

Mid-Point Check-In

Are you an educator who needs to know more about how to support a team or multiple teams? Are you a student wanting to know more about how to participate? Join us in October, when we will set up a mid-point check-in! Stay tuned for those dates to be released on the Dream with Us design challenge webpage.  

Questions: 

If you have any additional questions, please reach out to the NASA Aeronautics STEM team at [email protected].  

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2026-2027 DWU: Middle School Design Challenge

Overview

The 2026-2027 challenge theme is, “Fueling Flight Design Challenge: New Energy Systems.” 

As more and more aircraft are a part of the US’ National Airspace System (NAS), NASA and partners at the FAA, at universities, and in the aviation industry are searching for ways to increase safety, make flight more affordable, find new fuels for aircraft, and reduce the amount of time passengers and cargo spend in the air. This year’s Dream with Us Challenge focuses on new aircraft fuels and how even the addition of one new fuel will change both the aircraft they are used in and the airports where aircraft take off and land.  

The “Fueling Flight Design Challenge: New Energy Systems” challenge is open to middle and high school students, with a different task for middle school teams and high school teams. Teams for both categories will focus on the addition of an emerging aircraft fuel source, liquid natural gas (LNG) into our aviation environment. This will require teams to learn more about LNG, how it might be used in aviation, the benefits of an additional fuel source, and what kind of changes would need to be made to aircraft and to airports to adapt to these new changes.  

Since the early days of aviation, commercial aircraft have relied on traditional designs and infrastructure. Aircraft have been a similar “tube-and-wing” design, with limitations that were made because of the materials aircraft were made with, along with the technology to build these aircraft. With the increasing availability of new technologies and new materials, aircraft no longer need to follow the same basic design. In addition, new research about fuel types, increasing demand for more flights and more fuel has resulted in many different options that include types of fuel, increasing electrification, and more. That also means airports are going to need to adjust. Changes in airport infrastructure will be needed to add multiple fuel types, different gateway configurations to allow for new aircraft types, and perhaps even different areas for different aircraft. What will this all look like? That partially depends on researchers and designers in the future since these are challenges the aeronautics community is starting to face now and will continue to do in the future.   

Challenge Description

Middle school student teams of 2-4 members will adapt an existing airport (or create one of their own) that incorporates the use of both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and traditional aviation fuel. The airport design should include the overall airport layout that includes (but is not limited to): control tower(s), hangars, fuel locations, terminal, passenger parking, runways. See requirements below for specific details. 

Challenge Rules

The 2026/2027 Dream with Us Design Challenge for middle and high school students opens September 25, 2026. The submission period for middle school entrants begins September 25, 2026, and concludes on January 22, 2027, at 11:59 pm ET. Schools, organizations, and community groups should communicate to parents and guardians that submissions are limited to one entry per team and team registration requires someone over the age of 13 to create the account (adult team sponsors may create the registration on the team’s behalf if desired). Entries must be submitted through the submission link on the Dream with Us Design Challenge webpage: https://www.nasa.gov/dream-with-us/. Signed permission forms from parents or legal guardians are required for all participants that agree to the terms and requirements listed below and on the submission form. 

Use of AI

Use of artificial intelligence tools for challenge-related work is not permitted. Teams must not upload, process, or generate any content using AI systems, including publicly available browser‑based GenAI services, AI‑assisted code generation tools, or AI‑generated imagery. All submissions must be created solely by team members without the assistance of AI.

Grade Eligibility

The middle school challenge is open to all participants in grades 6 – 8 who are attending public, private, parochial, and home schools in the United States of America and children of U.S. military members stationed overseas.

Students in grades 9 – 12 will use the high school module. See the Dream with Us main webpage for details. Note: for teams that have both middle and high school students, those teams will compete in the high school challenge. 

Dates

Submissions for the Dream with Us: Middle School Aviation Challenge are accepted September 25, 2026 – January 22, 2027. Submission link: INSERT LINK HERE. Winners will first be announced during a virtual awards reception (date TBD) then shared on social media and the Dream with Us design challenge webpage after the reception. 

Key Dates

Submissions for the Dream with Us: Middle School Aviation Challenge are accepted September 25, 2026 – January 22, 2027. Submission link: INSERT LINK HERE. Winners will first be announced during a virtual awards reception (date TBD) then shared on social media and the Dream with Us design challenge webpage after the reception. 

• Challenge begins September 25, 2026 through January 22, 2027
• Registration Deadline: ?
• Submission Deadline: ?
• Finalists selected and announced: ?
• Finalist presentations (Virtual): ?
• Winners Announcement: ?

Challenge Rules

Challenge Rules

The 2026/2027 Dream with Us Design Challenge for middle and high school students opens September 25, 2026. The submission period for middle school entrants begins September 25, 2026, and concludes on January 22, 2027, at 11:59 pm ET. Schools, organizations, and community groups should communicate to parents and guardians that submissions are limited to one entry per team and team registration requires someone over the age of 13 to create the account (adult team sponsors may create the registration on the team’s behalf if desired). Entries must be submitted through the submission link on the Dream with Us Design Challenge webpage: https://www.nasa.gov/dream-with-us/. Signed permission forms from parents or legal guardians are required for all participants that agree to the terms and requirements listed below and on the submission form.  

Requirements

Each team submission will have two separate categories: technical and creative. Both categories must be included for consideration. Note: all sources for the presentation should be cited, including images. Please see the section above for rules about the use of AI. 

1. All submissions must be the original work of the students.  
2. Any graphics that are included in your submission must meet accessibility standards. 
   • To make your documents accessible and compliant with Section 508, it’s important to add descriptive alt tags to all images, diagrams, and graphics. Alt tags provide text descriptions that assist screen readers in conveying visual information to users with disabilities. When adding alt tags, use clear and concise language to describe the purpose and content of each image. In Microsoft Word, right-click the image, select “Edit Alt Text,” and enter your description. This simple step ensures everyone can access and understand your content, regardless of their abilities. 
   • Alt Text Sample on a PC (right click over the image and a drop down will appear, select “inspect accessibility properties and it will open the web inspector.”View Alt Text” option. If you select that option an “Alt Text” window opens with a grey box and instructions for how to create the alt tag.
   • Alt Text Sample on a Mac (right click over the image and a drop down will appear, select inspect accessibility properties and it will open the web inspector. There is a gray area that is highlighted. It is the location of the image alt tag in the code. You may need to click the gray arrow next to the word “image” in order to see the whole alt tag. To hide the properties window click on the X in the top right corner of the window.

Technical Category Requirements

The technical presentation, using PowerPoint or similar, must include: 

1. Title slide: Include Team name, school or organization, and first name, last initial of each team member (DO NOT INCLUDE LAST NAMES OF TEAM MEMBERS) 
2. Labeled layout of the airport 
3. Explanation of the changes that were made to the airport to accommodate multiple fuel types  
4. There should be a focus on safety, airport benefits, and any considerations of new types of aircraft that will be taking off and landing from the airport. 
5. The presentation can be recorded with a narrative but is not required. If there is no audio with the presentation, slides should be self explanatory. 

Creative Product

The team’s creative submission will be a presentation that advertises the benefits of the new airport modification, allowing two different types of fuels to be utilized at the airport. The audience could be city or state leadership, stores interested in investing in a location at the airport, airlines who may want to now fly to this airport (this is up to you!). How you choose to present this advertisement for improvements is up to you. It could be any of the following (or maybe you have another creative idea): 

1. Video 
2. Brochure 
3. Flyer 
4. Infographic 
5. Commercial 
6. Website 
7. Other 
8. Any videos, commercials, websites, or similar will require you to provide a link to us (this can be done by attaching a Word document or PDF with a link or QR code to access the content); be sure we are able to access those links to accurately judge the project.  

Submitting Entries

All middle school entries will be submitted through the NASA Gateway link found INSERT GATEWAY LINK HERE and on the Dream with Us Design Challenge webpage. All entries must include the following:  

1. Signed permission form completed by parent or legal guardian of each student.   

2. Presentations must be submitted in a PDF format. PDFs are limited to 10 MB.  

3. Artwork must be submitted as high-resolution images of the original artwork in .jpg or .png format (minimum of 2,400 pixels on the longest edge). Note: AI-generated work will not be accepted. 

4. Any included videos must be uploaded to YouTube with a “watch URL” link  or QR code submitted as a PDF document. 

Challenge Resources

The following lessons and activities can be used to help participants learn more about aircraft and airport design, along with other aircraft considerations: 

• Design Your Own X-Plane 

• Name That Plane 

• Propeller Design Challenge 

• X-Plane Glider Challenge 

• Weighed Down Activity 

• Using Airplane Space Efficiently Activity 

• Prioritize Your Flight Activity (9-12) 

• Prioritize Your Flight Activity (5-8) 
  • Prioritize Your Flight Pros/Cons worksheet 

• FAA Airport Design Challenge 

Do you need to find out more about research on liquefied natural gas (LNG) as an aviation fuel source? Find out more here: 

• AACES 2050 
• Fundamental Experimental Tests and Modeling of LOX/CH4 Engines at High Pressures 
• “As Jet Fuel Supplies Tighten, Can Other Fuels Meet Demand?”

Judging and Criteria

Entries will be evaluated by industry experts based on impact, practicality, originality, and how well the idea is communicated. Judges will make award selections based on the above-mentioned criteria to determine which projects will be recognized.  

Mid-Point Check-In

Are you an educator who needs to know more about how to support a team or multiple teams? Are you a student wanting to know more about how to participate? Join us in October, when we will set up a mid-point check-in! Stay tuned for those dates to be released on the Dream with Us design challenge webpage.  

Questions: 

If you have any additional questions, please reach out to the NASA Aeronautics STEM team at [email protected].  

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Spacecraft propulsion traditionally relies on volatile fuels and separate, bulky systems for different types of maneuvering in space. NASA is working to change that paradigm. Engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, recently completed a rigorous series of environmental and physical tests on a new small satellite designed to make spaceflight safer and more efficient.

The ASCENT (Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non-Toxic) Propulsion Dual Mode mission is a flight demonstration of a spacecraft about the size of a large shoebox. The mission will test a single, integrated propulsion system that uses a common fuel tank to feed two different types of engines.

Typically, spacecraft carry two separate propulsion systems to navigate: a high-thrust chemical system for rapid movements like entering orbit, and a low-thrust electric system for highly efficient, slow maneuvers like maintaining a position. This requires multiple fuel tanks and heavy plumbing, which eats up valuable space and weight.

The spacecraft being developed uses a single non-toxic propellant called ASCENT. By feeding both a high-thrust combustion engine and low-thrust electrospray thrusters from one central tank, the spacecraft saves critical mass and volume. For future missions, this means more room for scientific instruments and the ability to launch on smaller, less expensive rockets.

Bringing this concept to flight requires a nationwide collaborative effort. While NASA Marshall manages the mission, the spacecraft relies on electrospray thrusters developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a chemical propulsion module built by Plasma Processes, and a spacecraft bus integrated by the Georgia Institute of Technology.

“There are a lot of odds and ends, and a lot of small challenges and some big ones,” said Nehemiah Williams, the demonstration’s project manager at NASA Marshall. “But ensuring the functionality of the propulsion system across all these different teams is what makes the mission successful.”

Before a spacecraft can safely operate in the harsh environment of low Earth orbit, it must pass a battery of tests on the ground. Over the past few months, the engineering team at Marshall has put the flight hardware through its paces inside the center’s Small Spacecraft Servicing and Integration Lab.

To verify the integrity of the unified propulsion system, the team conducted extensive leak testing. Engineers performed a pressurized helium leak test of the spacecraft inside a vacuum chamber to ensure the integrity of the spacecraft’s seals, successfully proving those seals were working as intended. Because the system shares a single tank of ASCENT propellant to feed two different thruster types, ensuring that the fuel lines and valves are perfectly sealed is vital for mission safety and success.

The team also subjected the spacecraft to thermal vacuum testing. Space is an unforgiving environment characterized by a total lack of air and extreme temperature swings. By placing the spacecraft inside a specialized vacuum chamber that mimics these harsh conditions, engineers can ensure that the electronics, thrusters, and mechanical systems will operate normally once in orbit.

Additionally, the spacecraft underwent a spin test. Just like a tire on a car, a spacecraft needs to be perfectly balanced. The spin test measures the spacecraft’s mass properties and center of gravity. This validates the CubeSat’s ability to stably fly and maintain the correct attitude, allowing its antennas to communicate with Earth and its solar panels to accurately catch the Sun’s rays.

With the environmental and physical testing now complete, the mission is entering its final stages of preparation. The team will complete the final system checkouts, integrate the spacecraft’s solar arrays, and ship the hardware to its launch destination.

The ASCENT Propulsion Dual Mode mission is manifested to launch no earlier than October 1 as a payload aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Once deployed into an orbit about 325 miles above Earth, the spacecraft will begin a nine-month mission. After an initial checkout period, the operations team will execute short chemical and electric maneuvers. If successful, the spacecraft will spend several months performing multiple orbit-raising and lowering maneuvers, alternating between its high-thrust and low-thrust engines to prove the dual-mode concept works in space.

The ASCENT Propulsion Dual Mode mission is managed and funded by NASA’s Small Spacecraft & Distributed Systems (SSDS) within the agency’s Research and Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. SSDS is based at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.

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Four crew members from three space agencies will launch to the International Space Station no earlier than spring 2027 for a long-duration science expedition as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-14 mission.

NASA astronauts Kayla Barron and Chris Birch will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Makoto Suwa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Arutyun Kiviryan as mission specialists. After docking, Crew-14 will join the space station’s Expedition 75/76.

This mission is the 14th commercial crew rotation with SpaceX under NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Program. The crew will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars and to benefit people on Earth.

This will be Barron’s second flight to the space station. She was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017. Barron earned a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland and a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Cambridge in England. A commander in the U.S. Navy, Barron earned her submarine warfare officer qualification, deploying three times aboard the USS Maine. She first launched to the space station in 2021 aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission, spending a total of 177 days in space across space station Expeditions 66/67. She completed two spacewalks and served as lead robotics operator for another. Most recently, Barron supported the development of new technologies and operational concepts for NASA’s Artemis program.

Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021, Birch graduated from the University of Arizona in Tucson with degrees in mathematics and biochemistry and molecular biophysics. She earned a doctorate in biological engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and later taught bioengineering at the University of California, Riverside, and scientific writing and communication at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Birch competed as a decorated track cyclist on the U.S. National Team and was named to the Olympic Long Team for the 2020 Tokyo Games. She has served as a capsule communicator, supporting crews aboard the space station and during the Artemis II mission. Birch was crew lead for Expedition 72, working with flight control teams to help manage daily operations, and served as a crew representative for NASA’s Orion Program, supporting Artemis II mission development and operations. This will be her first spaceflight.

The Crew-14 mission also is the first spaceflight assignment for Suwa. Before JAXA selected him as an astronaut candidate in 2023, Suwa spent nearly a decade with the World Bank Group. Previously, he served in Rwanda as a Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer before joining the United Nations World Meteorological Organization. Suwa holds a doctorate in geosciences from Princeton University and completed basic training to become certified as an astronaut in 2024.

This mission will be Kiviryan’s first trip to the space station. He graduated from Saint Petersburg Suvorov Military School in 2010 and later studied at the Baltic State Technical University. He graduated in 2015 as an engineer specializing in rocket science and completed training in the operation of computer-controlled machines. Kiviryan was selected for the Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Center Cosmonaut Corps in 2021 and has served as a test cosmonaut since 2023.  

For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs that aren’t possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.

Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:

https://www.nasa.gov/station

-end-

Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
[email protected] / [email protected]

Anna Schneider / Mary Pfister
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
[email protected] / [email protected]

Source: www.nasa.gov

The Republic of Croatia became the 74th signatory to the Artemis Accords on Wednesday during a ceremony in the capital city of Zagreb with NASA and U.S. Department of State officials present.

“It is my privilege to welcome the Republic of Croatia as the latest signatory of the Artemis Accords,” said NASA Deputy Matt Anderson in pre-recorded remarks during the ceremony. “Joining the Artemis Accords opens another chapter. We’ve aligned on the principles. The opportunities to contribute are growing. And now we can look toward what the United States and Croatia can accomplish together beyond Earth. Humanity’s opportunities in space are endless, and we are proud to welcome Croatia to the Artemis Accords community.”

Croatia’s Minister of Science, Education, and Youth Radovan Fuchs signed on behalf of the country. U.S. Ambassador to Croatia Nicole McGraw and Gregory Mann, NASA Europe representative, attended event.

“Croatian scientists and companies are demonstrating growing interest in the space industry,” said Fuchs. “We have therefore decided to expand our international cooperation by joining the Artemis Accords. This international agreement has been recognized as a key opportunity for the robust development of Croatia’s scientific community, the introduction of new technologies, and the strengthening of the economy.”

Croatia marked a major milestone with the successful launch of its first satellite, CroCube, on Dec. 21, 2024. The satellite reached orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, highlighting Croatia’s growing technological capabilities and interest in space collaboration.

NASA and the State Department joined with seven other founding nations to establish the Artemis Accords in 2020, responding to the growing interest in lunar activities by both governments and private companies.

The Artemis Accords are the first set of practical principles aimed at enhancing transparency, safety, and coordination among like-minded nations as they explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond, committing nations to:

• Explore peaceably and transparently
• Render aid to those in need
• Enable access to scientific data
• Ensure activities do not interfere with those of others
• Preserve historically significant sites and artifacts by developing best practices

By signing the Artemis Accords, nations open the door to opportunities for future lunar exploration with NASA, advancing humanity’s return to the Moon, and shaping the Golden Age of space exploration and innovation.

Learn more about the Artemis Accords at: 

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords

Source: www.nasa.gov

NASA’s researchers know that when you settle into your seat on a commercial flight, you expect a smooth takeoff, views over the clouds, a steady descent, and hopefully an early arrival at your destination. But when your flight gets delayed on the tarmac instead of lifting off, or it ends up in a holding pattern rather than landing on time, things start to change. Your experience goes from smooth to anxiety-inducing as you worry about making your connection or getting home in time for dinner.

Large airports are among the busiest, most complex environments in aviation, with aircraft, ground crews, and service vehicles sharing crowded taxiways. Researchers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley recently worked with Boeing to advance three types of field tests – digital taxi information, safe taxiway, and safe runways – that could lead to safer, more efficient runway environments at airports.

During the digital taxi tests, pilots were given taxiway guidance directly on cockpit displays or tablets, instead of verbally from air traffic controllers. Aircraft autonomously followed digital routes while researchers monitored a suite of sensors designed to identify vehicles or other aircraft impeding the taxi path and runway. The system reduced pilot and air traffic controller workloads and the risk of verbal errors.  

Safe runway technology testing can also improve situational awareness for approaching aircraft. While preparing to land a Boeing aircraft during testing, the same sensors successfully flagged a vehicle on the runway, providing additional awareness to ensure pilots could avoid potential collisions or other safety concerns.

Together, these NASA capabilities aim to reduce miscommunication, ease pilot workloads, and keep airport traffic moving smoothly. Future testing will integrate the sensor and digital taxi systems into a simulated air traffic control environment to evaluate how the technologies can benefit overall management of the airspace.

For years, NASA has worked to improve your experience when flying by developing new technologies to modernize the commercial airline system. Key NASA technologies streamline and digitize the flying experience – from the departure gate, to the skies, to your safe arrival at your destination.

“Aviation safety is key to NASA’s research,” said Parimal Kopardekar, director of NASA’s Airspace Operations and Safety project. “Technology that can provide additional autonomy and support a future airspace with multiple aircraft operating in harmony is key to advancing the National Airspace System.”

NASA’s research innovations continue after your flight takes off. Modern flights constantly respond to shifting weather, turbulence, and traffic. Even small changes in direction or altitude can affect when a plane arrives. These changes can force flights into holding patterns while air traffic controllers attempt to rebalance the busy airspace.

NASA’s air traffic management researchers have been working for years to reduce those situations. In a 2025 collaborative effort with Boeing, United Airlines, and international partners, NASA evaluated real‑time trajectory sharing on domestic and transoceanic flights.

During that testing, a United Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft shared frequent flight information with airline operations centers and air traffic control. NASA used the data to understand how frequently those updates should be sent and what details matter most for generating accurate arrival predictions. Better information helps controllers sequence traffic more precisely, which means fewer holding patterns and more direct descents for passengers.

Pre-departure rerouting technology and digital exchange tools developed at NASA allow dispatchers and controllers to see the same digital picture of flights preparing to depart.

When a better route becomes available, controllers could coordinate the change digitally instead of relying on verbal communication between pilots, controllers, and dispatchers. The technology could lead to fewer delays, reduced fuel consumption, and more predictable operations for passengers.

NASA has now transferred the routing technology to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and airlines will continue to test it. These tools build on decades of NASA contributions to national airspace modernization.

In coordination with the FAA, NASA has advanced automation concepts, improved how arrival and departure flows are managed, and introduced data‑driven software that commercial airlines use every day.

By working closely with airlines, manufacturers, and global partners, NASA is helping to improve every phase of flight to make air travel safer and more reliable, now and in the future.

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Source: www.nasa.gov

APOD

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

OriginalAnnotated

The Ghosts of Five Supernovas

Explanation: The ghosts of five supernovas haunt this extraordinary image. It was acquired at Oukaïmeden Observatory in Morocco with approximately 200 hours of observations and shows a large patch of the sky, equivalent to the area of one thousand full moons tiled together, in the constellation of Auriga (the Charioteer). From left to right, the five supernova remnants visible across the field are G181.1+9.5, G182.4+4.3, G179.0+2.6, G180.0−1.7 (Sh2-240, the Spaghetti Nebula), and G178.2−4.2. They are highlighted in the annotated image, together with open cluster M37 and the Tadpole Nebula. As each explosion expanded into space, it created a growing shell of shocked gas and delicate filamentary structures shown in red (hydrogen) and blue (oxygen), respectively. These ancient stellar explosions happened independently; they are at various distances up to about several thousands of light-years away from Earth and have estimated ages up to tens of thousands of years old. Early humans may have seen them as bright new stars, fading over weeks or months.

APOD’s email for image submissions has changed. Please see: APOD Submissions.
APOD’s main NASA site is moving : From apod.nasa.gov to science.nasa.gov/apod
Tomorrow’s picture: what’s next?

Date	September 24, 2026
Credit	Stephane Vetter, Yann Sainty
Authors & editors:	Cecilia Chirenti, Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Keighley Rockcliffe
A service of:	ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

Source: science.nasa.gov

During NASA’s SpaceX Crew‑13 mission aboard the International Space Station, astronauts will support a series of biomedical and human performance investigations, including a new collaborative effort to study how spaceflight affects blood flow and clotting. NASA also is testing crew members’ manual piloting skills, evaluating methods to counter vision and brain changes, gathering essential health data to inform future missions, and measuring forces astronauts experience during return‑to‑Earth to help refine re-entry hardware and procedures.

Among upcoming research, a new collaboration with ESA (European Space Agency), called Venous Haemostasis, builds on previous studies of blood flow in space by combining the two space agencies’ research efforts. By coordinating blood collections and other physiological data, researchers can reduce how often astronauts need blood drawn while combining analytical measurements to better understand how microgravity affects blood clotting and circulation.

“In space, weightlessness can disrupt normal blood flow in astronauts’ veins,” said Jason Lytle, one of the study’s principal investigators and a cardiovascular researcher at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “Irregular and slow blood flow can increase the risk of blood clot formation, a serious health condition. Venous Haemostasis will help us understand why these changes may occur in some astronauts but not others.”

Before, during, and after flight, astronauts will undergo MRI scans, jugular vein ultrasounds, blood pressure checks, and blood draws so researchers can track changes in blood flow and blood composition. Results will inform preventative measures for at-risk crew members and improve health and safety on future missions. Researchers also hope to learn whether knowledge gained from this and other studies may lead to better ways to prevent and treat blood clots both in space and on Earth.

A performance study, called Manual Piloting, uses lunar-landing simulations to test how well astronauts can handle challenging landings after spending extended time in microgravity. Because long-duration spaceflight can affect sensory systems, orientation, and motion control during shifts between gravity environments, researchers are evaluating how those changes influence piloting performance and whether refresher training shortly before landing can strengthen capabilities and decision-making.

Researchers also will continue the B-Complex study, which investigates if a daily B-vitamin supplement can reduce or prevent Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS), a condition that can change astronauts’ eye structure during long-duration missions. Past research suggests taking B vitamins daily during spaceflight may help protect astronauts from SANS. Participating crew members will undergo vision tests and take B vitamins before, during, and after flight to evaluate the supplement’s effectiveness. The study also will assess whether the B vitamins influence how crew members’ blood vessels function before and after flight.

Select Crew-13 astronauts also will participate in three additional Human Research Program studies: Standard Measures, Spacecraft Occupant Risk, and Zero T2. Standard Measures collects consistent physiological and behavioral data from as many crew members as possible to establish baselines for research aimed at countering adverse effects. Spacecraft Occupant Risk characterizes the forces astronauts experience during landing to help NASA refine strategies and hardware to reduce injury risks. Zero T2 tracks the exercise routines of select crew members to compare health and performance data between astronauts who use the treadmill for aerobic exercise aboard station and those who do not. The comparisons will help researchers build exercise plans for future Artemis and deep-space missions, where spacecraft size could limit or eliminate treadmill use.

“Together, these investigations will help NASA better understand how the human body responds to spaceflight and whether specific strategies can effectively protect astronaut health and performance,” said Michael Stenger, Human Research Program chief scientist at NASA Johnson. “Knowledge gained will pave the way for NASA’s efforts to safely send humans farther into the solar system, including Artemis missions to the Moon, work on the Moon Base, and future expeditions to Mars.”

____

NASA’s Human Research Program pursues methods and technologies to support safe, productive human space travel. Through science conducted in laboratories, ground-based analogs, commercial missions, the International Space Station and Artemis missions, the program scrutinizes how spaceflight affects human bodies and behaviors. Such research drives the program’s quest to innovate ways that keep astronauts healthy and mission ready as human space exploration expands to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

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Source: www.nasa.gov

In this Aug. 27, 2026, image, an Alta-X drone flies an advanced guidance and navigation system known as the Safe and Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) experiment near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

Researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston developed SPLICE, which successfully completed simulated lunar descent and landing maneuvers during recent testing. Its technologies provide safe and precise landing for the Moon, Mars, icy worlds, and other destinations using specialized navigation, guidance, and processing techniques. It enables landing in hard-to-reach and unknown areas that are of high scientific interest.

Image credit: NASA/Ryan Kline

Source: www.nasa.gov