Dive in and explore the Navy — from its traditions to leadership and structure, to the ships, submarines, aircraft and personnel that deliver a global reach. See how America projects power at sea.
Source: www.war.gov
The Aircraft Boneyard
The boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., has powered America’s air dominance for decades. See how specialists restore, preserve and reactivate aircraft, keeping warfighters in flight.
Source: www.war.gov
Year in Photos 2025
Year in Photos focuses in on the people and activities of the War Department around the world while highlighting the extraordinary work of military photographers who capture it all.
Source: www.war.gov
Historic Highlights From the Department of War
The Department of War is America’s oldest and largest government agency, tracing its roots back to pre-Revolutionary times.
Source: www.war.gov
We Prepare. You Should, Too.
Service members train and prepare year-round so when disasters strike, troops are ready to help those in harm’s way. Learn how you can prepare, too.
Source: www.war.gov
Remembering D-Day
The Allied troops who landed in Nazi-occupied France on D-Day successfully executed the largest air, land and sea invasion in history — and they did so amid stakes that couldn’t have been higher.
Source: www.war.gov
Military Units: Army
From team to region — an interactive look at the Army’s organization structure and top things to know about America’s first service branch.
Source: www.war.gov
APOD: 2026 August 31 – Launch of the Roman Space Telescope
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.
Launch of the Roman Space Telescope
Explanation: A new telescope has been launched into space to study the universe. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (RST) has the same size main mirror as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) but sees 100 times more sky during each snapshot. This is possible because when compared to HST, RST’s main mirror is more curved, its secondary mirror is closer, and its main camera is larger. The result is that RST can inspect more of the sky more quickly, likely allowing, among other capabilities, the discovery of many more supernovas which tell us more about the expansion rate and composition of our universe, and many more planets orbiting other stars that tell us more about the possibilities for life elsewhere in the universe. RST will orbit the Sun, not the Earth, like the James Webb Space Telescope. The featured video shows Roman being launched yesterday from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
APOD’s main NASA site is moving: From apod.nasa.gov to science.nasa.gov/apod
Tomorrow’s picture: eclipse flight
| Date | August 31, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Credit: | NASA |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Keighley Rockcliffe |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |
Source: science.nasa.gov
Roman Commissioning
2 Min Read
Roman Commissioning
Credits:
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Conceptual Image Lab
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Conceptual Image Lab
Where is Roman?
Roman is making its three-month journey from Earth to Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2, or L2. Along the way, Roman is undergoing a process called commissioning, where systems are turned on, adjusted, calibrated, and prepared for science operations. Commissioning is the time for scientists and engineers to make sure that Roman is performing as expected. The schedule is subject to change as the team assesses and adjusts as needed.
Deployments
An hour and 23 minutes after launch, Roman began to emerge from the tight configuration that allowed it to fit in the rocket fairing. The solar panels and sunshade deployed, shading the rest of the observatory and providing power to the systems. Within the upcoming days, the antenna will swing out and the visor-like deployable aperture cover will move into place to permanently reveal and shade the primary mirror.
Roman’s Orbit
This visualization shows the stable, halo orbit that Roman will have around L2. At this location, the gravity of the Sun and Earth, together with an object’s motion around the Sun, let it stay lined up with Earth as they orbit, allowing Roman to have a relatively steady orbit without using much fuel. This location also offers exceptionally stable optical performance and a constant, unobstructed view of a wide swath of the sky; Earth won’t block much of Roman’s view since it will be so distant. And at L2, heat from Earth, the Sun, and the Moon have less effect on infrared telescopes, which “see” heat.
Explore the Roman Systems
Learn more about the systems that are getting turned on, tested and calibrated.
3D View
Source: science.nasa.gov
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Launches
NASA/John Kraus
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, transits the Sun during launch from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 30, 2026. Roman is named after the agency’s first chief astronomer.
Roman will survey billions of stars and galaxies with a field of view far larger than Hubble’s, helping scientists study dark energy, exoplanets, and the evolution of the universe.
Follow along with Roman’s journey.
Image credit: NASA/John Kraus
Source: www.nasa.gov