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SkywatchingHomeThe Next Full Moon is the Cold…SkywatchingSkywatching HomeWhat’s UpEclipsesExplore the Night SkyNight Sky NetworkMoreTips and GuidesFAQ  31 Min Read The Next Full Moon is the Cold Moon A full Moon rising over the Wasatch Mountains in Utah on March 15, 2014. Credits: NASA/Bill Dunford The Next Full Moon is the Cold Moon, Frost Moon, or the Winter Moon; the Moon before Yule or the Oak Moon; the Long Night Moon; the Child Moon; the Datta or Dattatreya Jayanti Festival Moon; the Karthika Deepam Festival Moon; Unduvap Poya; and the Chang’e Moon. The next full Moon will be Sunday morning, Dec.…

NASA, along with members of the FAA and commercial drone engineers, gathered in the Dallas area May 25, 2024, to view multiple delivery drones operating in a shared airspace beyond visual line of sight using an industry-developed, NASA-originated uncrewed aircraft system traffic management system.NASA NASA’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Traffic Management Beyond Visual Line of Sight (UTM BVLOS) subproject aims to support the growing demand for drone flights across the globe.   Uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), or drones, offer an increasing number of services, from package delivery to critical public safety operations, like search and rescue missions. However, without special waivers, these flights…

Credit: NASA NASA, on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has selected Southwest Research Institute of San Antonio to build the Next-Generation Space Weather Magnetometer for the Lagrange 1 Series project as a part of NOAA’s Space Weather Next program. This cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is valued at approximately $26.1 million and includes the development of two magnetometer instruments. The anticipated period of performance is from December 2024 through January 2034. The work will take place at the awardee’s facility in San Antonio, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, and Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The contract scope…

6 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) This animation shows data taken by NASA’s PACE and the international SWOT satellites over a region of the North Atlantic Ocean. PACE captured phytoplankton data on Aug. 8, 2024; layered on top is SWOT sea level data taken on Aug. 7 and 8, 2024. NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio One Earth satellite can see plankton that photosynthesize. The other measures water surface height. Together, their data reveals how sea life and the ocean are intertwined. The ocean is an engine that drives Earth’s weather patterns and climate and sustains a substantial…

This artist’s concept shows interstellar object 1I/2017 U1 (‘Oumuamua) after its discovery in 2017. While itself not a dark comet, ‘Oumuamua’s motion through the solar system has helped researchers better understand the nature of the 14 dark comets discovered so far. These celestial objects look like asteroids but act like comets now come in two flavors. The first dark comet — a celestial object that looks like an asteroid but moves through space like a comet — was reported less than two years ago. Soon after, another six were found. In a new paper, researchers announce the discovery of seven…

Astronaut cognitive performance remains generally stable Researchers found that astronauts on six-month missions to the International Space Station demonstrated generally stable cognitive performance but mild changes in certain areas, including processing speed, working memory, attention, and willingness to take risks. This research provides baseline data that could help identify cognitive changes on future missions and support development of appropriate countermeasures. Research to date has suggested mild decreases in some cognitive performance domains during spaceflight, likely influenced by spaceflight stressors such as radiation and sleep disruption. Longer missions represent greater exposure to these hazards and possible increases in individual vulnerabilities to…

NASA/Joel Kowsky On Dec. 6, 2024, NASA leaders unveiled a portrait of the late Mary W. Jackson, pioneering aerospace engineer and mathematician at NASA’s Langley Research Center. The portrait is displayed at the NASA Headquarters Mary W. Jackson Building in Washington. Jackson accepted a position with the NACA Langley Aeronautical Laboratory’s segregated West Area Computers in 1951, where her supervisor was Dorothy Vaughan. In 1958, she became NASA’s first African American female engineer. In 1979, seeing that the glass ceiling was the rule, rather than the exception for Langley’s female professionals, she made a final, dramatic career change, leaving engineering and…

Hubble Space Telescope Hubble Home Overview About Hubble The History of Hubble Hubble Timeline Why Have a Telescope in Space? Hubble by the Numbers At the Museum FAQs Impact & Benefits Hubble’s Impact & Benefits Science Impacts Cultural Impact Technology Benefits Impact on Human Spaceflight Astro Community Impacts Science Hubble Science Science Themes Science Highlights Science Behind Discoveries Hubble’s Partners in Science Universe Uncovered Explore the Night Sky Observatory Hubble Observatory Hubble Design Mission Operations Missions to Hubble Hubble vs Webb Team Hubble Team Career Aspirations Hubble Astronauts News Hubble News Hubble News Archive Social Media Media Resources Multimedia Multimedia…

3 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Members of NASA’s VERITAS science team pose for a photo on July 31, 2023, after arriving in Iceland to begin a campaign to study the volcanic island’s geology in support of the future mission to Venus. Principal Investigator Suzanne Smrekar is holding the VERITAS logo.NASA/JPL-Caltech Suzanne Smrekar, geophysicist and principal investigator of the agency’s upcoming VERITAS mission to Venus, is NASA JPL’s first recipient of the prestigious award. Suzanne Smrekar, a senior research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, received the Fred Whipple Award on Monday, Dec.…

Se espera que Panamá y Austria firmen los Acuerdos de Artemis el miércoles 11 de diciembre de 2024, con lo cual se alcanzarán los 50 signatarios. Los compromisos de los Acuerdos de Artemis y los esfuerzos de los firmantes por avanzar en la implementación de estos principios fomentan la exploración segura y sostenible del espacio.Crédito: NASA Read this release in English here. El miércoles 11 de diciembre, Panamá y Austria firmarán los Acuerdos de Artemis en la sede de la NASA en Washington. Tras las ceremonias de firma, el administrador de la NASA, Bill Nelson, se reunirá con los medios de…