Researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, private companies, and academic institutions are developing the first space-based quantum sensor for measuring gravity. Supported by NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO), this mission will mark a first for quantum sensing and will pave the way for groundbreaking observations of everything from petroleum reserves to [...]

This article is for students grades 5-8. Aerodynamics is the way objects move through air. The rules of aerodynamics explain how an airplane is able to fly. Anything that moves through air is affected by aerodynamics, from a rocket blasting off, to a kite flying. Since they are surrounded by air, even cars are affected by [...]

3 Min Read What Is Aerodynamics? (Grades K-4) This article is for students grades K-4. What Are the Four Forces of Flight? Aerodynamics is the way air moves around things. The rules of aerodynamics explain how an airplane is able to fly. Anything that moves through air reacts to aerodynamics. A rocket blasting off [...]

NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Princeton/Ed Whitman NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) is loaded into the X-ray and Cryogenic Facility (XRCF) thermal vacuum chamber at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, in this photo from March 20, 2025. There, the spacecraft will undergo testing such as dramatic temperature changes to simulate the harsh environment [...]

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station.NASA/Aubrey Gemignani Digital content creators are invited to register to attend the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to carry astronauts to the International Space Station for a science expedition as part of NASA’s [...]

NASA’s SpaceX 32nd commercial resupply services mission, scheduled to lift off from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in April, is heading to the International Space Station with experiments that include research on whether plant DNA responses in space correlate to human aging and disease, and measuring the precise effects of gravity on time.   Discover more [...]

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Why do we grow plants in space? Plants are such versatile organisms that they can fulfill many roles in our exploration of space. Plants provide us with food, with oxygen, they can recycle water and waste, and they can even provide us with psychological [...]

When Michael Ciancone joined NASA in 1983, he could hardly imagine what his 40-plus-year career would entail. From honoring and preserving spaceflight history to advancing safety standards, he has undoubtedly woven his knowledge and experience into NASA’s history as well as its future.   Ciancone currently serves as the Orion Program safety lead, overseeing the Office [...]

Scientists have hypothesized since the 1960s that the Sun is a source of ingredients that form water on the Moon. When a stream of charged particles known as the solar wind smashes into the lunar surface, the idea goes, it triggers a chemical reaction that could make water molecules.    Now, in the most realistic lab [...]

Exploring the unknown and preparing for humanity’s next giant leap really works up an appetite. Thankfully, employees at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston can count on Tina Preyan to help them fuel up and stay focused. Preyan is a food service specialist at Starport, a quality-of-life program that contributes to Johnson’s mission by providing [...]