Main Figure A Scientists used data from the L-band radar aboard the U.S.-India Earth-orbiting NISAR satellite to produce this image of Nunatak Zaterjavshijsja, a mountaintop in East Antarctica, poking out amid a stream of ice flowing northeast to the ocean. NASA/JPL-Caltech The image shows Nunatak Zaterjavshijsja at center-left, surrounded by ice fractured with crevasses, [...]

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Scenes and sounds from the July 16 “Stars, Stripes, and Supernovas – Symphony Under the Stars” event at NASA Langley.NASA/Joe Atkinson NASA Langley’s “Stars, Stripes, and Supernovas – Symphony Under the Stars” event brought employees, families, and community members [...]

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) A collage of artist concepts highlighting the novel approaches proposed by the 2026 NIAC awardees for possible future missions.NASA/Left to Right: Keunhan Park, Michael Rubenstein, Austin Phoenix, Benjamin Schafer, A.C. Charania, Gilly Elor, Pablo Sobron, Marco Quadrelli, Daniel Drew, Saptarshi Bandyopadhyay, Jeff Nosanov, Anish Damodaran  Phase [...]

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Graphic depiction of the PRAXIS concept.Marco Quadrelli Marco Quadrelli NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Humanity has never touched the particles of a planetary ring, but if we were able to get close enough and sample them, it will transform understanding of ring structure and origins for [...]

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Graphic depiction of the Graviational Wave Detection concept.Paul Stankus Paul Stankus Brookhaven 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 [...]

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Graphic depiction of the Mapping Alien Continents concept.Paul Stankus Paul Stankus Brookhaven 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 [...]

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Graphic depiction of the Interworld Slingshot Resource Surveys concept.Pablo Sobron Pablo Sobron Sanchez SETI 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 [...]

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Graphic depiction of the Robotically Assembled Electromagnetic Metamaterials concept.David Smith David Smith Duke 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 [...]

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Graphic depiction of the Stacked Solar Sails for Very High delta-V Missions concept.Benjamin Schafer Benjamin Schafer Rarified Technologies, Inc. We propose a new approach to atmospheric sensing at 30-100 km altitudes using photophoretically levitating tracers. These lightweight structures harness sunlight to remain suspended for up [...]

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Graphic depiction of the Actively Steerable Femtosat Constellations concept.Michael Rubenstein Michael Rubenstein Northwestern University, Chicago We propose a mission to use ~10,000 actively steerable femtosats to map the ring composition, atmospheric composition and density, and the magnetic field distribution of Saturn. Conducting in-situ surveys [...]