Day: September 17, 2026

NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman prepares to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to board NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft for the agency’s Artemis II launch on April 1, 2026. Credit: NASA/John Kraus As part…

NASA recently awarded $10.5 million to seven organizations nationwide through its new State Hubs initiative. Space Florida was selected for Project ORBIT, which aims to expand opportunities for middle and high school students, boost enrollment in key career and technical programs, and create a statewide portal connecting skilled workers with aerospace employers. Elaine Ho, right,…

2 Min Read Curiosity Postcard Celebrates Rover’s 5,000th Day on Mars PIA26700 Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech Photojournal Navigation Science Photojournal Curiosity Postcard Celebrates… Photojournal Home Photojournal Search Latest Content Galleries Feedback RSS About   Downloads Curiosity Postcard Celebrates Rover’s 5,000th Day on Mars JPEG (459.76 KB) Description While parked at a sand ridge nicknamed “Chocolatal,” NASA’s Curiosity…

NASA/Michala Garrison Anak Krakatau erupts ash and volcanic gases in this Sept. 5, 2026, image acquired with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8. Eruptions are a regular occurrence at Anak Krakatau, a small volcano between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. Much of its activity remains relatively mild, but it occasionally puts…

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Water sloshing between the land and oceans shifts Earth’s center of mass relative to its geometric center. NASA scientists have developed a new technique using ultraprecise satellite tracking to estimate the displacement to within fractions of inches. NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio Seasonal changes redistribute…

On Sept. 10, 2026, NASA commemorated the completed repairs of the Guam Remote Station’s central antenna with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Members of NASA, the Governor’s Office of Guam, military personnel, and family members gathered to celebrate the Guam Remote Station’s return to operations. NASA The ribbon-cutting event was held in front of the repaired central…

6 Min Read NASA’s Moon Orbiter Spots New, ‘Once-in-Century’ Moon Crater A zoomed-in view of the Moon made from images from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. (More information at the bottom of article.) Credits: NASA Goddard/Intuitive Machines/Robert Wagner It started as a routine data-quality check. But as Robert Wagner, a scientist with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance…

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Derek Abramson, Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory chief engineer, left, communicates with the Edwards Air Force Base air traffic control tower for approval to fly the Alta-X drone near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. Justin…

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APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 17 – A… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss   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. A Treasure…