NASA is launching rockets from a remote Pacific island to study mysterious, high-altitude cloud-like structures that can disrupt critical communication systems. The mission, called Sporadic-E ElectroDynamics, or SEED, opens its three-week launch window from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands on Friday, June 13.

The atmospheric features SEED is studying are known as Sporadic-E layers, and they create a host of problems for radio communications. When they are present, air traffic controllers and marine radio users may pick up signals from unusually distant regions, mistaking them for nearby sources. Military operators using radar to see beyond the horizon may detect false targets — nicknamed “ghosts” — or receive garbled signals that are tricky to decipher. Sporadic-E layers are constantly forming, moving, and dissipating, so these disruptions can be difficult to anticipate.

An animated illustration depicts Sporadic-E layers forming in the lower portions of the ionosphere, causing radio signals to reflect back to Earth before reaching higher layers of the ionosphere. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Conceptual Image Lab

Sporadic-E layers form in the ionosphere, a layer of Earth’s atmosphere that stretches from about 40 to 600 miles (60 to 1,000 kilometers) above sea level. Home to the International Space Station and most Earth-orbiting satellites, the ionosphere is also where we see the greatest impacts of space weather. Primarily driven by the Sun, space weather causes myriad problems for our communications with satellites and between ground systems. A better understanding of the ionosphere is key to keeping critical infrastructure running smoothly.

The ionosphere is named for the charged particles, or ions, that reside there. Some of these ions come from meteors, which burn up in the atmosphere and leave traces of ionized iron, magnesium, calcium, sodium, and potassium suspended in the sky. These “heavy metals” are more massive than the ionosphere’s typical residents and tend to sink to lower altitudes, below 90 miles (140 kilometers). Occasionally, they clump together to create dense clusters known as Sporadic-E layers.

The Perseids meteor shower peaks in mid-August. Meteors like these can deposit metals into Earth’s ionosphere that can help create cloud-like structures called Sporadic-E layers. NASA/Preston Dyches

“These Sporadic-E layers are not visible to naked eye, and can only be seen by radars. In the radar plots, some layers appear like patchy and puffy clouds, while others spread out, similar to an overcast sky, which we call blanketing Sporadic-E layer” said Aroh Barjatya, the SEED mission’s principal investigator and a professor of engineering physics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. The SEED team includes scientists from Embry-Riddle, Boston College in Massachusetts, and Clemson University in South Carolina.

“There’s a lot of interest in predicting these layers and understanding their dynamics because of how they interfere with communications,” Barjatya said.

A Mystery at the Equator

Scientists can explain Sporadic-E layers when they form at midlatitudes but not when they appear close to Earth’s equator — such as near Kwajalein Atoll, where the SEED mission will launch.

In the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, Sporadic-E layers can be thought of as particle traffic jams.

Think of ions in the atmosphere as miniature cars traveling single file in lanes defined by Earth’s magnetic field lines. These lanes connect Earth end to end — emerging near the South Pole, bowing around the equator, and plunging back into the North Pole.

A conceptual animation shows Earth’s magnetic field. The blue lines radiating from Earth represent the magnetic field lines that charged particles travel along. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Conceptual Image Lab

At Earth’s midlatitudes, the field lines angle toward the ground, descending through atmospheric layers with varying wind speeds and directions. As the ions pass through these layers, they experience wind shear — turbulent gusts that cause their orderly line to clump together. These particle pileups form Sporadic-E layers.

But near the magnetic equator, this explanation doesn’t work. There, Earth’s magnetic field lines run parallel to the surface and do not intersect atmospheric layers with differing winds, so Sporadic-E layers shouldn’t form. Yet, they do — though less frequently.

“We’re launching from the closest place NASA can to the magnetic equator,” Barjatya said, “to study the physics that existing theory doesn’t fully explain.”

Taking to the Skies

To investigate, Barjatya developed SEED to study low-latitude Sporadic-E layers from the inside. The mission relies on sounding rockets — uncrewed suborbital spacecraft carrying scientific instruments. Their flights last only a few minutes but can be launched precisely at fleeting targets.

Beginning the night of June 13, Barjatya and his team will monitor ALTAIR (ARPA Long-Range Tracking and Instrumentation Radar), a high-powered, ground-based radar system at the launch site, for signs of developing Sporadic-E layers. When conditions are right, Barjatya will give the launch command. A few minutes later, the rocket will be in flight.

The SEED science team and mission management team in front of the ARPA Long-Range Tracking and Instrumentation Radar (ALTAIR). The SEED team will use ALTAIR to monitor the ionosphere for signs of Sporadic-E layers and time the launch. U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command

On ascent, the rocket will release colorful vapor tracers. Ground-based cameras will track the tracers to measure wind patterns in three dimensions. Once inside the Sporadic-E layer, the rocket will deploy four subpayloads — miniature detectors that will measure particle density and magnetic field strength at multiple points. The data will be transmitted back to the ground as the rocket descends.

On another night during the launch window, the team will launch a second, nearly identical rocket to collect additional data under potentially different conditions.

Barjatya and his team will use the data to improve computer models of the ionosphere, aiming to explain how Sporadic-E layers form so close to the equator.

“Sporadic-E layers are part of a much larger, more complicated physical system that is home to space-based assets we rely on every day,” Barjatya said. “This launch gets us closer to understanding another key piece of Earth’s interface to space.”

By Miles Hatfield

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

With a look back at 2024, NASA is celebrating its many innovative and inspiring accomplishments this year including for the first time, landing new science and technology on the Moon with an American company, pushing the boundaries of exploration by launching a new mission to study Jupiter’s icy moon Europa; maintaining 24 years of continuous human exploration off the Earth aboard the International Space Station, and unveiling the first look at its supersonic quiet aircraft for the benefit of humanity.

The agency also shared the wonder of a total eclipse with millions of Americans, conducted the final flight of its Ingenuity helicopter on the Red Planet, demonstrated the first laser communications capability in deep space, tested the next generation solar sail in space, made new scientific discoveries with its James Webb Space Telescope, completed a year-long Mars simulation on Earth with crew, announced the newest class of Artemis Generation astronauts, and much more.

“In 2024, NASA made leap after giant leap to explore, discover, and inspire – all while bringing real, tangible, and substantial benefits to the American people and to all of humanity,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “We deepened the commercial and international partnerships that will help NASA lead humanity back to the Moon and then to the red sands of Mars. We launched new missions to study our solar system and our universe in captivating new ways. We observed our changing Earth through our eyes in the sky – our ever-growing fleet of satellites and instruments – and shared that data with all of humanity. And we opened the doors to new possibilities in aviation, new breakthroughs on the International Space Station, and new wonders in space travel.”

Through its Moon to Mars exploration approach, the agency continued moving forward with its Artemis campaign, including progress toward its first mission around the Moon with crew in more than 50 years and advancing plans to explore more of the Moon than ever before. So far in 2024, 15 countries signed the Artemis Accords, committing to the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of space with the United States.

As part of efforts to monitor climate change, the agency launched multiple satellites to study our changing planet and opened its second Earth Information Center to provide data to a wider audience.

With the release of its latest Economic Impact Report, NASA underscored the agency’s $75.6 billion impact on the U.S. economy, value to society, and return on investment for taxpayers.

“To invest in NASA is to invest in American workers, American innovation, the American economy, and American economic competitiveness. Through continued investments in our workforce and our infrastructure, NASA will continue to propel American leadership on Earth, in the skies, and in the stars,” said Nelson.

Key 2024 agency highlights across its mission areas include:

Preparing for Moon, Mars

This year, NASA made strides toward the Artemis Generation of scientific discovery at the Moon while validating operations and systems to prepare for human missions to Mars. The agency advanced toward Artemis II, the first crewed flight under Artemis:

NASA announced results of its Orion heat shield investigation and updated its timelines for Artemis II and III.

Teams delivered the core stage and launch vehicle stage adapter of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and began stacking the rocket’s booster segments.

Engineers carried out a series of tests of the mobile launcher and systems at NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B ahead of the test flight and added an emergency egress system to keep crew and other personnel at the launch pad safe in the case of an emergency.

NASA performed key integrated testing of the Orion spacecraft that will send four astronauts around the Moon and bring them home, including testing inside an altitude chamber simulating the vacuum conditions of deep space.

The crew and other teams performed key training activities to prepare for flight, including practicing recovery operations at sea, as well as launch countdown and mission simulations.

In February, the first Moon landing through the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative brought NASA science to the lunar surface on Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander successfully capturing data that will help us better understand the Moon’s environment and improve landing precision and safety.

In August, NASA announced that a new set of NASA science experiments and technology demonstrations will arrive at the lunar South Pole in 2027 following the agency’s latest CLPS initiative delivery award.

To return valuable samples from Mars to Earth, NASA sought innovative designs and announced a new strategy review team to assess various design studies to reduce cost, risk, and complexity.

NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) spacecraft celebrated 10 years of exploration of the Red Planet’s upper atmosphere.

After three years, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter ended its mission in January, with dozens more flights than planned.

In September, the NASA Space Communications and Navigation team awarded a contract to Intuitive Machines to support the agency’s lunar relay systems as part of the Near Space Network, operated by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:06 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. After launch, the spacecraft plans to fly by Mars in February 2025, then back by Earth in December 2026, using the gravity of each planet to increase its momentum. With help of these “gravity assists,” Europa Clipper will achieve the velocity needed to reach Jupiter in April 2030. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett NASA newest class of astronauts, selected in 2021, graduate during a ceremony on March 5, 2024, at the at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credit: NASA NASA and Boeing welcomed Starliner back to Earth following the uncrewed spacecraft’s successful landing at 10:01 p.m. MDT Sept. 6, 2024, at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. Credit: NASA NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on the apron outside Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility at dawn in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to address one of the primary challenges to supersonic flight over land by making sonic booms quieter. Credit: Lockheed Martin Skunk Works Five NASA astronauts wore eye-protecting specs in anticipation of viewing the solar eclipse from the International Space Station’s cupola. The Expedition 70 crewmates had three opportunities on April 8 to view the Moon’s shadow as it tracked across the Earth surface during the eclipse. Credit: NASA/Loral O’Hara This enhanced color view of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was generated using data collected by the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard the agency’s Perseverance Mars rover on Aug. 2, 2023, the 871st Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The image was taken a day before the rotorcraft’s 54th flight. Credit: NASA The CHAPEA crew egress from their simulated Mars mission July 6, 2024, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. From left: Kelly Haston, Nathan Jones, Anca Selariu, and Ross Brockwell. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel An artist’s concept of NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System spacecraft in orbit. Credit: NASA/Aero Animation/Ben Schweighart Office of STEM Engagement Deputy Associate Administrator Kris Brown, right, and U.S. Department of Education Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten, left, watch as a student operates a robot during a STEM event to kickoff the 21st Century Community Learning Centers NASA and U.S. Department of Education partnership, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, at Wheatley Education Campus in Washington. Students engaged in NASA hands-on activities and an engineering design challenge. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani On Feb. 22, 2024, Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lunar lander captures a wide field of view image of Schomberger crater on the Moon approximately 125 miles (200 km) uprange from the intended landing site, at approximately 6 miles (10 km) altitude. Credit: Intuitive Machines NASA’s Artemis II crew members from left to right CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman walk in the well deck of the USS San Diego during Underway Recovery Test 11 (URT-11), as NASA’s Exploration Ground System’s Landing and Recovery team and partners from the Department of Defense aboard the ship practice recovery procedures using the Crew Module Test Article off the coast of San Diego, California on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. URT-11 is the eleventh in a series of Artemis recovery tests, and the first time NASA and its partners put their Artemis II recovery procedures to the test with the astronauts. Credit: NASA/Isaac Watson

Observing, Learning About Earth

NASA collects data about our home planet from space and on land, helping understand how our climate on Earth is changing. Some of the agency’s key accomplishments in Earth science this year include:

After launching into space in February, NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite mission is successfully transmitting first-of-their-kind measurements of ocean health, air quality, and the effects of a changing climate.

Using the agency’s TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) instrument, NASA made available new near-real time data providing air pollution observations at unprecedented resolutions – down to the scale of individual neighborhoods.

Launched in May and June, NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-Infrared Experiment) CubeSats started collecting data on the amount of heat in the form of far-infrared radiation that the Arctic and Antarctic environments emit to space.

NASA rolled out the Disaster Response Coordination System, a new resource that delivers up-to-date information on fires, earthquakes, landslides, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other extreme events to emergency managers.

The agency partnered with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History to open the Earth Information Center exhibit.

Exploring Our Solar System, Universe

NASA’s Europa Clipper embarked Oct. 14 on its long voyage to Jupiter, where it will investigate Europa, a moon with an enormous subsurface ocean that may have conditions to support life. NASA collaborated with multiple partners on content and social media related to the launch, including engagements with the National Hockey League, U.S. Figure Skating, 7-Eleven, e.l.f., Girl Scouts, Crayola, Library of Congress, and others. NASA’s 2024 space exploration milestones also include:

NASA’s groundbreaking James Webb Space Telescope marked more than two years in space, transforming our view of the universe as designed, by studying the most distant galaxies ever observed, while raising exciting new questions about the atmospheres of planets outside our solar system.

As part of an asteroid sample exchange, NASA officially transferred to JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) a portion of the asteroid Bennu sample collected by the agency’s OSIRIS-Rex (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer) mission in a ceremony on Aug. 22.

After surviving multiple challenges this year, NASA’s Voyager mission continues to collect data on the furthest reaches of our Sun’s influences.

NASA selected a new space telescope for development that will survey ultraviolet light across the entire sky, called UVEX (UltraViolet Explorer).

This year, all remaining major components were delivered to NASA Goddard to begin the integration phase for the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.

NASA developed, tested, and launched the patch kit that astronauts will use to repair the agency’s NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) telescope on the International Space Station.

The agency continued preparing the SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) mission to launch by April 2025.

To manage the maturation of technologies necessary to develop the Habitable Worlds Observatory telescope, NASA established a project office at NASA Goddard .

NASA and partners declared that the Sun reached solar maximum in 2024, a period of heightened solar activity when space weather becomes more frequent.

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, a joint mission between ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA, discovered its 5,000th comet in March.

NASA’s Sounding Rocket Program provided low-cost access to space for scientific research, technology development, and educational missions. NASA launched 14 sounding rocket missions in 2024. Scientists announced findings from a sounding rocket launched in 2022 that confirmed the existence of a long-sought global electric field at Earth.

The agency established a new class of astrophysics missions, called Astrophysics Probe Explorers, designed to fill a gap between NASA’s flagship and smaller-scale missions.

Living, Conducting Research in Space

In 2024, a total of 25 people lived and worked aboard the International Space Station, helping to complete science for the benefit of humanity, open access to space to more people, and support exploration to the Moon in preparation for Mars. A total of 14 spacecraft visited the microgravity laboratory in 2024, including eight commercial resupply missions from Northrop Grumman and SpaceX, as well as international partner missions, delivering more than 40,000 pounds of science investigations, tools, and critical supplies to the space station. NASA also helped safely return the uncrewed Boeing Starliner spacecraft to Earth, concluding a three-month flight test to the International Space Station. In addition:

Imagining Future Flight

NASA researchers worked to advance innovations that will transform U.S. aviation, furthering the Sustainable Flight National Partnership and other efforts to help the country reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. NASA also unveiled its X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft, the centerpiece of its Quesst mission to make quiet overland supersonic flight a reality. NASA aeronautics initiatives also worked to bring air taxis, delivery drones, and other revolutionary technology closer to deployment to benefit the U.S. public and industry. Over the past year, the agency:

Improving Life on Earth, in Space with Technology

NASA develops essential technologies to drive exploration and the space economy. In 2024, NASA leveraged partnerships to advance technologies and test new capabilities to help the agency develop a sustainable presence on the lunar surface and beyond, while benefiting life on our home planet and in low Earth orbit. The following are 2024 space technology advancements:

Growing Global Partnerships

Through the Artemis Accords, almost 50 nations have joined the United States, led by NASA with the U.S. State Department, in a voluntary commitment to engage in the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The Artemis Accords represent a robust and diverse group of nation states, representing all regions of the world, working together for the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars and beyond with NASA. More countries are expected to sign the Artemis Accords in the weeks and months ahead.

During a May workshop with Artemis Accords signatories in Montreal, Canada, NASA led a tabletop exercise for 24 countries centered on further defining and implementing key tenets, including considering views on non-interference, interoperability, and scientific data sharing among nations.

A NASA delegation participated in the 75th International Astronautical Congress in Milan. During the congress, NASA co-chaired the Artemis Accords Principals’ Meeting, which brought together 42 nations furthering discussions on the safe and responsible use of space for the benefit of all.

Celebrating Total Solar Eclipse

During the total solar eclipse on April 8, NASA helped the nation enjoy the event safely and engaged millions of people with in-person events, live online coverage, and citizen science opportunities. NASA also funded scientists around North America to take advantage of this unique position of the Sun, Moon, and Earth to learn more about the Sun and its connection to our home planet. Highlights of the solar celebration include:

The space station crew were among the millions viewing the solar eclipse.

NASA collaborated with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Google, NCAA Women’s Final Four, Peanuts Worldwide, Microsoft, Sésamo, LEGO, Barbie, Major League Baseball, Third Rock Radio, Discovery Education, and others on eclipse-inspired products and social posts to support awareness of the eclipse and the importance of safe viewing.

More than 50 student teams participated in NASA’s Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, with some becoming the first to measure atmospheric gravity waves caused by eclipses.

Building Low Earth Orbit Economy

In August, NASA announced the development of its low Earth orbit microgravity strategy by releasing 42 objectives for stakeholder feedback. The strategy helps to guide the next generation of human presence in low Earth orbit and advance microgravity science, technology, and exploration. NASA is refining the objectives with collected input and will finalize the strategy before the end of the year. Additional advancements include:

Inspiring Artemis Generation of STEM Students

NASA continues to offer a wide range of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) initiatives and activities, reaching and engaging the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers. The agency’s STEM engagements are enhanced through collaborations with partner organizations, the distribution of various grants, and additional strategic activities. Key 2024 STEM highlights include:

Awarded nearly $45 million to 21 higher-education institutions to help build capacity for research, and announced the recipients of grants that will support scientific and technical research projects for more than 20 universities and organizations across the United States.

Planted a “Moon Tree,” a seedling that traveled around the Moon and back aboard the agency’s Artemis I mission in 2022, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The event highlighted a partnership with the U.S. Forest Service that invited organizations across the country to host the seedlings.

Partnered with Microsoft’s Minecraft to engage students in a game-based learning platform, where players can experience NASA’s discoveries with interactive modules on star formation, planets, and galaxy types, modeled using real James Webb Space Telescope images.

Collaborate with the U.S. Department of Education to bring STEM to students during after-school hours under the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which aims to reach thousands of students in more than 60 sites across 10 states.

Launched NASA Engages, a platform to connect and serve the public by providing agency experts to share their experiences working on agency missions and programs.

With more than 55,000 applications for NASA internships across the spring, summer and fall sessions, a new recruitment record, NASA helped students and early-career professionals make real contributions to space and science missions.

Expanded the agency’s program to help informal educational institutions like museums, science centers, libraries, and other community organizations bring STEM content to communities, resulting in 42 active awards across 26 states and Puerto Rico.

Hosted the 30th Human Exploration Rover Challenge, one of NASA’s longest-standing student challenges, with participation from more than 600 students and 72 teams from around the world.

Reaching New, Future Explorers

NASA’s future-forward outreach to current and new audiences is key to providing accessibility to the agency’s scientific discoveries and to growing the future STEM workforce. NASA’s creative and inclusive 2024 strategies to reach the public include:

NASA’s on-demand streaming service, NASA+, achieved four times the viewership of the agency’s traditional cable channel, marking a major milestone in its ongoing web modernization efforts. As part of the digital transformation, NASA said goodbye to NASA Television, its over-the-air broadcast, streamlining how it delivers the latest space, science, and technology news. NASA+ marked its first year of operation Sept. 23, and visitors have played 1,036,389 hours of programming.

April 8, the day of the total solar eclipse, brought in 32 million views to NASA’s websites, more than 15 times additional views than the average this year. On average, NASA websites receive 33.4 million views every month.

NASA social media accounts saw an increase of 4% in followers since 2023, from 391.2 million in 2023 to 406.8 million this year. On average, NASA accounts see close to 25 million engagements each month. Notable live social media events in 2024 included the first-ever Reddit Ask Me Anything with the platform’s 23-million member “Explain Like I’m Five” community; the first X Spaces conversation from space; and NASA’s first Instagram Live of a launch, which contributed 410,000 of the 6.6 million views of the Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test launch. NASA Twitch launched custom emotes, issued channel points for the first time, and collaborated with an external Twitch creator, a how-to conversation with astrophotographers and NASA experts about photographing the Moon.

NASA aired live broadcasts for 14 mission launches in 2024. The agency’s official broadcast of the 2024 total solar eclipse and its telescope feed are the top two most-watched livestreams this year on NASA’s YouTube. The agency’s YouTube livestreams in 2024 surpassed 84.7 million total views. NASA broadcasts often were enhanced by the presence of well-known athletes, artists, and cultural figures. The solar eclipse broadcast alone featured musician Lance Bass, actor Scarlett Johannson, NFL quarterback Josh Dobbs, and Snoopy.

The agency’s podcasts surpassed 9.7 million all-time plays on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The NASA app was installed more than 2.1 million times in 2024.

The number of subscribers to NASA’s flagship and Spanish newsletters total more than 5 million.

NASA celebrated the 5th anniversary of the Hidden Figures Way street renaming. The program honored the legacy of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Christine M. Darden, and others who were featured in Margot Shetterly’s book – and the subsequent movie – Hidden Figures, and their commitment to science, justice, and humanity.

The agency signed Space Act agreements with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation to increase engagement and equity for underrepresented students pursuing STEM fields and reduce barriers to agency activities and opportunities.

As part of its plans to reach new audiences, NASA continued to focus on developing Spanish-language content. This year, the agency: Launched its second season of the Spanish-language podcast Universo curioso de la NASA. More than doubled the number of yearly posts to its science-focused website in Spanish, Ciencia de la NASA, and grew the website’s traffic by five-fold. Produced live broadcasts for the 2024 total solar eclipse and for the launch of the Europa Clipper mission, which reached a combined audience of more than 5 million viewers around the world. Published a video about how NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) cooperate to train astronauts. Released an astrobiology graphic novel and the agency’s economic impact yearly report in Spanish, among other outreach materials.

Relaunched the NASA Art Program with two space-themed murals in New York’s Hudson Square neighborhood in Manhattan. The vision of the reimagined NASA Art Program is to inspire and engage the Artemis Generation with community murals and art projects for the benefit of humanity.

A DC-8 Airborne Science Laboratory Workshop documented and celebrated the important scientific work conducted aboard NASA’s legendary DC-8 and captured lessons of the past for current and future operators.

The Deep Space Network beamed a Missy Elliott song to space on July 12.

NASA partnered with Crayola Education to develop content for Crayola’s annual Creativity Week held in January, which reached more than 6 million kids from 100 countries.

On the eve of the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, NASA Johnson named one of its central buildings the “Dorothy Vaughan Center in Honor of the Women of Apollo.” Actress Octavia Spencer narrated a video for the event.

NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley hosted social media creators in space, science, and engineering for a behind-the-scenes tour of the center’s world-class facilities.

Engaging largely untapped NASA audiences of more than 155,000 in Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota, NASA’s Glenn launched NASA in the Midwest, an integrated approach to bring awareness to the agency’s connections to the region to large-scale festivals and surrounding community institutions.

Reaching 500,000 in-person attendees, NASA Stennis supported the agency’s return to the ESSENCE Festival of Culture in New Orleans.

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia developed a dance engagement program in partnership with the Eastern Shore Ballet Theatre, introducing new audiences to the agency while blending arts and science.

NASA participated in more than 3,700 events planned with an estimated reach of more than 17 million worldwide. This was accomplished through in-person, hybrid, and virtual outreach activities and events.

The agency’s Virtual Guest Program engaged 277,370 virtual guests across 13 events, with an average of 145 countries, regions, and territories represented per event.

There also were many notable engagements highlighting the intersection of space and sports in 2024, including the Stanley Cup visiting NASA Kennedy for photographs as part of the agency’s growing partnership with the National Hockey League. NASA Glenn also collaborated with The Ohio State University Marching Band for its halftime show during the university’s football game on Sept. 21. A video greeting from astronauts aboard the International Space Station introduced the show, which featured aerospace-themed music and numerous formations including the final formation the NASA Meatball.

For more about NASA’s missions, research, and discoveries, visit:

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202-358-1600

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In this screenshot from video, Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus speaks during a news conference at the NASA Johnson newsroom in Houston, on Thursday. NASA

Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus confirmed that while the Athena lander is on the lunar surface, the landing didn’t go entirely as planned.

“I do have to tell you that we don’t believe we’re in the correct attitude on the surface of the moon yet,” Altemus said during a news conference hosted by the company and NASA. “Again, I don’t have all the data yet to say exactly where what the attitude of the vehicle is. We’re collecting photos now and downlinking those, and we’re going to get a picture from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter camera from above, from orbit, and we’ll confirm that over the coming days as we get that data down.”

Altemus confirmed that the lander is charging on the surface, and the team has been able to communicate back and forth with Athena.

“We can command payloads on and off,” he said. “We have done some power conservation steps as prudent measures to see how long and what objectives we can accomplish in the mission going forward.”

Altemus said the team will work closely with NASA to identify science objectives that are the highest priority.

“Then we’ll figure out what the what the mission profile will look like,” he said. “It will be off-nominal, because we’re not getting everything that we had asked for in terms of power generation, communications.”

But Altemus also said he believes Athena has achieved success by landing.

“Any time that you ship a spacecraft to Florida for flight and end up a week later operating on the moon, I declare that a success,” he said.

Refresh

NASA to announce Artemis 2 crew today (Image credit: NASA) At long last, we’re going to learn which astronauts will fly NASA’s first crewed mission to the moon of the Artemis generation. Today, April 3, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency will announce the four astronauts who will fly on the Artemis 2 mission around the moon in 2024. That crew is expected to include one Canadian astronaut and three NASA astronauts, but exactly who is yet to be revealed. NASA will announce the crew in an event at Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT). Space.com staff writer Elizabeth Howell is on the scene at the event alongside contributor Robert Pearlman of collectSPACE.com. You’ll be able to watch it live on Space.com, as well as at the top of this page at start time. While we wait, here’s a nifty trailer from NASA for today’s Artemis 2 crew reveal.

NASA Artemis 2 moon crew announcement underway NASA’s Artemis 2 moon astronaut crew reveal is underway live on NASA TV. Speaking before a huge crowd at the Ellington Field in Houston, NASA’s chief astronaut Joe Acaba began by inviting the entire astronaut corps to the stage. “Your Artemis 2 astronauts are in the room with you … I am not one of them,” he said. Canada’s government minister responsible for space, François-Philippe Champagne, hailed the 60 year partnership of NASA + CSA and Canada’s contribution of the CanadArm3 for the Gateway station around the moon: “We’re going to the moon!” he cheered. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is now preparing to introduce the crew. This post has been corrected to reflect François-Philippe Champagne’s proper title.

Artemis 2 Moon Astronauts Revealed! NASA’s Artemis 2 moon crew are unveiled to the world, standing on a stage at Ellington Field near Johnson Space Center in Houston on April 3, 2023. They are, from left: Mission Specialist Jeremy Hanson of Canada; and Pilot Victor Glover, Commander Reid Wiseman and Mission Specialist Christina Koch, all of NASA. (Image credit: NASA TV) NASA chief Bill Nelson has unveiled the first astronaut crew to visit the moon in more than 50 years. They Artemis 2 crew are: Commander Reid Wiseman, NASA (Image credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani) Reid Wiseman, 47, spent 165 days in Earth orbit on his first mission, a 2014 flight to the ISS. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, and former fighter pilot for the U.S. Navy, he was selected for NASA’s 20th astronaut class in 2009. Wiseman recently served as chief of NASA’s astronaut office from 2020 to 2022. Pilot Victor Glover, NASA (Image credit: NASA) Victor Glover, 46, became a NASA astronaut in 2013. He flew as pilot of SpaceX’s first operational crewed spaceflight (Crew-1) and logged 167 days on the ISS in 2021. Born in Pomona, California, he is an engineer and captain in the U.S. Navy. Glover was the first Black astronaut to serve on a space station crew. Mission Specialist Christina Koch, NASA (Image credit: NASA Johnson) Christina Koch, 44, was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and raised in Jacksonville, North Carolina. A member of NASA’s 21st astronaut class selected in 2013, Koch set a record aboard the International Space Station for the single longest mission by a woman at 328 days. During that 2019 stay, she was also one-half of the first-ever all-female spacewalk. Koch is an engineer and former U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) station chief. Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Canadian Space Agency (Image credit: NASA) Jeremy Hansen, 47, was chosen to join Canada’s astronaut corps in 2009. A colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force, he was born in London, Ontario. Though Artemis 2 will be his first time in space, Hansen served as an aquanaut aboard the Aquarius underwater lab in 2014 and took a turn as a “cavenaut” as part of the European Space Agency’s CAVES astronaut training course the year prior.

Artemis 2 astronauts thrilled for moon mission (Image credit: NASA) The four astronauts of NASA’s Artemis 2 mission are thrilled, to say the least, to be on the crew that will send the first humans to the moon in more than 50 years. You can read our full story here. Set to launch on a Space Launch System megarocket in 2024, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency will fly around the moon, much like Apollo 8, on their Orion spacecraft. Here’s what they had to say of the mission today: Commander Reid Wiseman: “This is a global effort, Artemis 2, and it’s only going to get larger with Artemis 3 and beyond as we get private spaceflight involved. SpaceX is building our lander for Artemis 3. So to the NASA workforce, to our program managers, our center directors that are here, the amazing political support that we feel right now to bring our country together to bring our entire world together to go explore to get to Mars and beyond, we say a huge thank you.” Pilot Victor Glover: “We need to celebrate this moment in human history. Because Artemis two is more than a mission to the moon and it’s more than a mission that has to happen before we send people to the surface of the moon. It is the next step on the journey that gets humanity to Mars.

“Human spaceflight is like a relay race, and that baton has been passed generation to generation and from crew member to crew member from the Gemini, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Apollo Soyuz, Skylab Mir, the shuttle, International Space Station, commercial crew and and now the Artemis missions. We understand our role in that. And when we have the privilege of having that baton. We’re going to do our best to run a good race to make you proud. I pray that God will bless this mission. But I also pray that we can continue to serve as a source of inspiration for cooperation and peace, not just between nations, but in our own nation.” Mission specialist Christina Koch: “When I think about this mission, that’s a relay race with international partners, it’s all so awesome in and of itself. “We are going to launch for Kennedy Space Center to the work of the exploration Ground Systems team. We’re going to hear the words go for launch on top of the most powerful rocket NASA’s ever made the Space Launch System, and we’re gonna ride that rocket for eight minutes into Earth orbit. We’re not going to go to the moon right away. We’re gonna stay in an amazing high orbit, reaching a peak of tens of thousands of miles while we test out all the systems on Orion and see how it maneuvers in space. And then if everything was good, we’re heading to the moon. “It will be a four day journey, going a quarter of a million miles, continuing to test out every bit of Orion going around the far side of the moon, heading home going through the Earth’s atmosphere at over 25,000 miles per hour and splashing down in the Pacific. So am I excited? Absolutely. But my real question is Are you excited? I asked that because the one thing I’m most excited about is that we are going to carry your excitement, your aspirations, your dreams with us on this mission. Artemis to your mission.” Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen: “Our scientists or engineers, the Canadian Space Agency, the Canadian Armed Forces across government, all of our leadership working together under a vision to take step by step and all of those have added up to this moment where a Canadian is going to the moon with our international partnership and it is glorious.”

Artemis 2 mission benefits from Canadian winter experience Cold weather is helping to boost the fortunes of Canada in space, including its contributions to Artemis 2. Astronaut Jeremy Hansen will the first non-American to leave low Earth orbit, alongside three NASA crewmates, no earlier than 2024. Canadian leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau argues that Canada’s winter experience is one big reason for its success in space. Trudeau emphasized that working in Canada’s north helped with numerous kinds of technology, including the Canadarm robotic arm series that has provided Canadian astronaut seats for nearly 40 years. The Arctic in particular represents “some of the harshest environments” available to humans, and Trudeau joked that when asked about why Canada does so well in space, he responds: “Obvious. Winter.” Read more: Winter is coming: Artemis 2 moon mission gets boost from Canadian cold

Artemis 2 astronaut plays cowboy at Calgary Stampede Artemis 2 astronaut Jeremy Hansen on board the horse Cisco while practicing for the Calgary Stampede in July 2023. (Image credit: Jeremy Hansen/Canadian Space Agency/Twitter) Canadian Artemis 2 moon astronaut Jeremy Hansen, partnering with his borrowed horse Cisco, pretended to be a cowboy at Canada’s Calgary Stampede fair last week in the western province of Alberta. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who flew on the space shuttle Columbia in 1986 while a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, also visited the event. The two appeared in flight suits and cowboy hats as part of the celebration of cowboy culture, which annually draws a million participants. Read more: Yeehaw! NASA chief and Artemis 2 moon astronaut play cowboy for a day (photo)

NASA finishes first practice countdown for Artemis 2 The Artemis 2 launching team at NASA recently finished their first dress rehearsal to send four astronauts safely into space to go around the moon. This crucial “sim” is one of many that NASA will do for the November 2024 mission. The mission includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Read more: NASA practices for 2024 launch of Artemis 2 moon mission

Artemis 2 core stage to arrive at KSC NASA will livestream the arrival of the Artemis 2 core stage at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Wednesday (July 23) on X, the agency announced. The livestream will start at 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT). NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Artemis 2 booster left the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility, in New Orleans on July 16 for a journey on NASA’s Pegasus barge to KSC, near Orlando. The core stage has reached the Floridian shore as of Monday (July 21), but has not yet gone on to KSC grounds, according to social media posts. Artemis 2 is the first human lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972 and plans to send four astronauts around the moon no earlier than September 2025.

NASA live has begun with Artemis 2 core stage! NASA has begun its livestream from the Kennedy Space Center area to broadcast the arrival of the Artemis 2 core stage at the facility. Watch live on X here.

NASA livestream concludes NASA just finished its livestream from the Kennedy Space Center area regarding the arrival of the Artemis 2 core stage at the facility. Watch Space.com for more coverage.

NASA’s Artemis 2 rocket core stage arrives near launch pad in Florida The core stage for Artemis 2’s Space Launch System arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, nearby the launch pad, on July 24, 2024. (Image credit: NASA/Isaac Watson) An astronaut crew’s rocket made its last major journey on Earth before blasting off for the moon. The core stage of Artemis 2’s rocket came to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on Tuesday (July 23). The rocket stage was offloaded from NASA’s Pegasus barge, which shipped the rocket stage 900 miles (1,450 km) by water from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, in a seven-hour operation aided by remote controlled vehicles known as self-propelled modular transporters. The 212-foot (65-meter) stage then made the half-mile (0.8 km) journey to NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building where it will eventually be joined to the rest of the Space Launch System rocket for a launch no earlier than September 2025. Read more: Watch NASA’s massive Artemis 2 rocket core stage arrive in Florida. Next stop: the moon (video, photos)

This image shows nine candidate landing regions for NASA’s Artemis III mission, with each region containing multiple potential sites for the first crewed landing on the Moon in more than 50 years. The background image of the lunar South Pole terrain within the nine regions is a mosaic of LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) WAC (Wide Angle Camera) images. Credit: NASA

As NASA prepares for the first crewed Moon landing in more than five decades, the agency has identified an updated set of nine potential landing regions near the lunar South Pole for its Artemis III mission. These areas will be further investigated through scientific and engineering study. NASA will continue to survey potential areas for missions following Artemis III, including areas beyond these nine regions.

“Artemis will return humanity to the Moon and visit unexplored areas. NASA’s selection of these regions shows our commitment to landing crew safely near the lunar South Pole, where they will help uncover new scientific discoveries and learn to live on the lunar surface,” said Lakiesha Hawkins, assistant deputy associate administrator, Moon to Mars Program Office.

NASA’s Cross Agency Site Selection Analysis team, working closely with science and industry partners, added, and excluded potential landing regions, which were assessed for their science value and mission availability.

The refined candidate Artemis III lunar landing regions are, in no priority order:

Peak near Cabeus B

Haworth

Malapert Massif

Mons Mouton Plateau

Mons Mouton

Nobile Rim 1

Nobile Rim 2

de Gerlache Rim 2

Slater Plain

These regions contain diverse geological characteristics and offer flexibility for mission availability. The lunar South Pole has never been explored by a crewed mission and contains permanently shadowed areas that can preserve resources, including water.

“The Moon’s South Pole is a completely different environment than where we landed during the Apollo missions,” said Sarah Noble, Artemis lunar science lead at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “It offers access to some of the Moon’s oldest terrain, as well as cold, shadowed regions that may contain water and other compounds. Any of these landing regions will enable us to do amazing science and make new discoveries.”

To select these landing regions, a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers analyzed the lunar South Pole region using data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and a vast body of lunar science research. Factors in the selection process included science potential, launch window availability, terrain suitability, communication capabilities with Earth, and lighting conditions. Additionally, the team assessed the combined trajectory capabilities of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and Starship HLS (Human Landing System) to ensure safe and accessible landing sites.

The Artemis III geology team evaluated the landing regions for their scientific promise. Sites within each of the nine identified regions have the potential to provide key new insights into our understanding of rocky planets, lunar resources, and the history of our solar system.

“Artemis III will be the first time that astronauts will land in the south polar region of the Moon. They will be flying on a new lander into a terrain that is unique from our past Apollo experience,” said Jacob Bleacher, NASA’s chief exploration scientist. “Finding the right locations for this historic moment begins with identifying safe places for this first landing, and then trying to match that with opportunities for science from this new place on the Moon.”

NASA’s site assessment team will engage the lunar science community through conferences and workshops to gather data, build geologic maps, and assess the regional geology of eventual landing sites. The team also will continue surveying the entire lunar South Pole region for science value and mission availability for future Artemis missions. This will include planning for expanded science opportunities during Artemis IV, and suitability for the LTV (Lunar Terrain Vehicle) as part of Artemis V.

The agency will select sites within regions for Artemis III after it identifies the mission’s target launch dates, which dictate transfer trajectories, or orbital paths, and surface environment conditions.

Under NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon, land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, and prepare for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all.

For more information on Artemis, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis

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James Gannon / Molly Wasser

Headquarters, Washington

202-358-1600

james.h.gannon@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov