SpaceNews
A Week of Smoky Skies Across North America
Brown carbon, emitted by wildland fires and tracked over the span of a week in July 2026, worsened air quality in parts of the U.S. and Canada.
NASA4 min read
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SpaceNews
NISAR’s L-Band Radar Reveals ‘Hummingbird’ in Antarctica
Description Data from the Earth-orbiting U.S.-India NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite’s L-band radar was used to produce an image of Nunatak Zaterjavshijsja — a mountaintop in East Antarctica — poking out amid a stream of ice flowing northeast to the ocean. The obstruction causes stresses in the ice, heavily fracturing the surrounding surfaces with […]
NASA2 min read
SpaceNews
NASA to Host Media Briefing on Roman Telescope, Launching Next Month
Media are invited to join NASA for a virtual news conference at 2 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, July 29, to preview the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope mission, scheduled to launch from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, Aug. 30. NASA will stream this event live through a variety of platforms. Learn where […]
NASA2 min read
SpaceRelease
US-India Satellite Delivers Data, Reveals ‘Hummingbird’ in Antarctica
As of July 20, the public can access data from the two powerful radar instruments aboard the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite. Teams in the United States and India will release files processed from the satellite’s L-band and S-band radars on an ongoing basis, helping researchers and other users track the movement of Earth’s […]
NASA7 min read
SpaceNews
NASA Langley Celebrates Community through Music with ‘Symphony Under the Stars’ Event
NASA Langley’s “Stars, Stripes, and Supernovas – Symphony Under the Stars” event brought employees, families, and community members together for an evening filled with music, connection, and celebration.   Organizers planned the event, which took place July 16, to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America.  The evening featured a dynamic mix of performances from an orchestra […]
NASA2 min read
SpaceNews
NIAC 2026 Selections
Phase I Saptarshi BandyopadhyayDimming the Sun (DimSun) Using Controllable Dust Cloud to Reduce Solar InsolationNASA Jet Propulsion LaboratoryPasadena, CA 91109-80012026 Phase I David BugbyCombinatory Architecture offering Neomobility, on-Venus Adaptability, and Survivability (CANVAS)NASA Jet Propulsion LaboratoryPasadena, CA 91109-80012026 Phase I Anish DamodaranPS21: Transforming Submillimeter Space Interferometry with Photonic TechnologiesUniversity of Central FloridaOrlando, FL  32826-29332026 Phase I […]
NASA2 min read
SpaceNews
Precision Astrometry Using Optically Independent Spacecraft for Graviational Wave Detection
Paul StankusBrookhaven Science Associates  The scientific goal is to enable a new method for observing gravitational waves at low frequencies, based on the astrometric GW signature — gravitational waves passing by the Earth will cause a (very small) coordinated apparent motion of all sky objects. Our innovation is to deploy a new approach to precision […]
NASA1 min read
SpaceNews
Mapping Alien Continents: Achieving Optical VLBI for Exoplanet Imaging
Paul StankusBrookhaven Science Associates The scientific goal of the proposed work will be reconstructing the image, ie resolving surface features, of an Earth-like exoplanet around a nearby star as seen in visible light. The innovation is in two stages. First, the design of a new kind of nulling interferometer — “dynamic hierarchical nulling” — combining inputs […]
NASA1 min read
SpaceNews
Interworld Slingshot Resource Surveys
Pablo Sobron SanchezSETI Institute This proposal explores a new class of reconnaissance spacecraft that map minerals from orbit using Raman spectroscopy during high-speed flybys–without landing, sample return, or extended dwell. If feasible, this concept would enable NASA to evaluate ice and ilmenite at the Moon, ore content at asteroids, and volatile-bearing minerals at Mars’ moons–all […]
NASA3 min read
SpaceNews
Robotically Assembled Electromagnetic Metamaterials for Long-Range Space Situational Awareness
David SmithDuke University  The increasing population of spacefaring vehicles and satellites motivates increasingly powerful technologies for space situational awareness (SSA). While the US space surveillance network (SSN) is able to monitor objects down to about four inches in size using, for example, the latest upgrade to the space fence, the associated requirements limit implementation to ground-based […]
NASA3 min read
SpaceNews
Why Maine’s Sandy Shorelines Turn Jagged
Differences in the underlying bedrock and how rivers distribute sediment make the coastlines west of Portland look unlike those northeast of the city.
NASA6 min read
SpaceNews
NASA Sets Briefings for SpaceX Crew-13 Mission to Space Station
NASA and its partners will discuss the upcoming crew rotation mission to the International Space Station during a pair of news conferences on Monday, Aug. 3, from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Mission leadership will provide an overview of NASA’s SpaceX Crew‑13 mission at 12 p.m. EDT. Next, crew members will discuss their […]
NASA4 min read