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2 Min Read Turn Supermoon Hype into Lunar Learning Caption: The Earth-Moon distance to scale. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech Supermoons get lots of publicity from the media, but is there anything to them beyond the hype? If the term “supermoon” bothers you because it’s not an official astronomical term, don’t throw up your hands. You can turn supermoon lemons into lunar lemonade for your star party visitors by using it to illustrate astronomy concepts and engaging them with great telescopic views of its surface! Many astronomers find the frequent supermoon news from the media misleading, if not a bit upsetting! Unlike the…

Mike Lauer manages production of the RS-25 main engines for NASA’s heavy-lift SLS (Space Launch System), which will launch U.S. astronauts back to the Moon as part of the agency’s Artemis campaign. L3 Harris Technologies Mike Lauer, an engineer who works for the Aerojet Rocketdyne segment of L3Harris Technologies, found his career inspiration in science fiction, but for the perspective it takes to execute complex space programs, he draws on real-world experience. Growing up, Lauer spent many cold winter nights in the basement of his Sioux Falls, South Dakota, home, creating pictures of iconic space hardware from Hollywood space movies.…

Una luna gibosa creciente se eleva sobre el resplandor azul del horizonte terrestre mientras la Estación Espacial Internacional orbitaba a 264 millas sobre el Océano Índico el 13 de Noviembre de 2024.Crédito: NASA Read this release in English here. El administrador de la NASA, Bill Nelson, y otros directivos darán una rueda de prensa el jueves 5 de diciembre a la 1 p.m. EST (hora del este de EE.UU.) en la sede de la agencia en Washington para proporcionar información sobre la campaña Artemis de la agencia. El evento para los medios de comunicación estará disponible en NASA+. Aprende a transmitir…

A waxing gibbous moon rises over the blue glow of Earth’s horizon as the International Space Station orbited 264 miles above the Indian Ocean on Nov. 13, 2024.Credit: NASA Lee esta nota de prensa en español aquí. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and leadership will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. EST, Thursday, Dec. 5, at the agency’s headquarters in Washington to provide a briefing about the agency’s Artemis campaign. Watch the media event on NASA+. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media. Participants include: NASA Administrator Bill Nelson NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy NASA Associate Administrator…

4 min read Expanded AI Model with Global Data Enhances Earth Science Applications  On June 22, 2013, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 captured this false-color image of the East Peak fire burning in southern Colorado near Trinidad. Burned areas appear dark red, while actively burning areas look orange. Dark green areas are forests; light green areas are grasslands. Data from Landsat 8 were used to train the Prithvi artificial intelligence model, which can help detect burn scars. NASA Earth Observatory NASA, IBM, and Forschungszentrum Jülich have released an expanded version of the open-source Prithvi Geospatial artificial intelligence…

4 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The UAVSAR underbelly pod is in clear view as NASA’s Gulfstream-III research aircraft banks away over Edwards AFBNASA On a changing planet, where phenomena like severe hurricanes, landslides, and wildfires are becoming more severe, scientists need data to assess and model disaster impacts and to potentially make predictions about hazards. NASA’s C-20A aircraft is a significant asset that can carry key instruments for understanding the science behind these phenomena.  Based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, the C-20A is a military version of the Gulfstream III business…

Earth Observer Earth Home Earth Observer Home Editor’s Corner Feature Articles Meeting Summaries News Science in the News Calendars In Memoriam More Archives 4 min read 2024 AGU Fall Meeting Hyperwall Schedule NASA Science at AGU Fall Meeting Hyperwall Schedule, December 9-12, 2024 Join NASA in the Exhibit Hall (Booth #719) for Hyperwall Storytelling by NASA experts. Full Hyperwall Agenda below. ***Copies of the 2025 NASA Science Calendar will be distributed at the NASA Exhibit at the start of each day.*** MONDAY, DECEMBER 9  3:20 – 3:40 PM From Stars to Life: The Power of NASA Science Dr. Nicola Fox 3:40 –…

4 Min Read Lagniappe for December 2024 Explore the December 2024 issue, highlighting the Clean Energy Project, Powering Space Dreams, and more! Credits: NASA/Stennis Explore Lagniappe for December 2024 featuring: NASA Stennis Secures Grant for Clean Energy Project Powering Space Dreams NASA Builds Bridges at Bayou Classic Gator Speaks Gator SpeaksNASA/Stennis Do you have time for a quick story? Recently, your ol‘ friend Gator had the chance to help his family move. This move was not the same as going to the Moon or Mars like NASA’s planned Artemis adventure, but it felt similar. The move brought friends, family, and…

3 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Jeff Renshaw is the lead attorney for procurement law in the Office of the General Counsel for NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the NASA Shared Services Center. NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA attorney Jeff Renshaw’s work has primarily revolved around two things: serving others and solving problems. The New Orleans native retired as an U.S. Air Force judge advocate following more than two decades of service. Renshaw now has worked for more than eight years as an attorney advisor at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. As the nation’s…

At the edge of Las Cruces, New Mexico, surrounded by miles of sunbaked earth, NASA’s White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) is quietly shaping the future. There is no flash, no fanfare — the self-contained facility operates as it has since 1962, humbly and in relative obscurity. Yet as New Mexico’s space industry skyrockets amid intensifying commercial spaceflight efforts across the state, WSTF feels a new urgency to connect with the community. With the facility’s latest Test and Evaluation Support Team (TEST3) contract now in its third year, Program Manager Michelle Meerscheidt is determined to make a mark. “I think it’s…