Category: NASA

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has once again shattered its own records during its 23rd close approach to the Sun. On March 22, the spacecraft zoomed past our star at an astonishing 430,000 miles per hour (692,000 kilometers per hour), coming within 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) of the Sun’s surface, matching its previous closest distance. The mission continues to make history, gathering invaluable data about the Sun’s behavior, while solidifying its status as the fastest human-made object ever built.

During this latest perihelion—when the Parker Solar Probe comes closest to the Sun—the spacecraft reached incredible speeds and proximity, surpassing its own previous achievements. At the exact moment of the close approach, which occurred at 22:42 UTC (6:42 p.m. EDT), the probe was racing through space at an unparalleled 430,000 miles per hour, traveling just 3.8 million miles from the Sun’s surface.

NASA is making significant strides in its Artemis program, which aims to send astronauts to the Moon and beyond. A crucial component of this effort is the development of the Gateway, a space station that will be the first to permanently orbit the Moon. Recent progress in the construction of Gateway’s habitation modules, particularly the HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost), has been highlighted during a visit to the Thales Alenia Space facility in Turin, Italy. The HALO module is nearing completion and will play a key role in supporting future lunar missions.

Representatives from NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Italian Space Agency, along with partners from Northrop Grumman and Thales Alenia Space, gathered in Turin to inspect the HALO module. This milestone marks a significant step forward in the development of the Gateway space station. In March, HALO’s primary structure will be shipped to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert, Arizona, for final assembly and testing. Once complete, the module will be integrated with the Power and Propulsion Element at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. According to Jon Olansen, NASA’s Gateway Program Manager, this international collaboration is essential for expanding human exploration of the solar system and advancing scientific discovery.

Shortly after landing on the Moon on March 2, Firefly Aerospace and NASA teams began surface operations on the Blue Ghost lunar lander, activating its science and technology instruments. During the descent and landing, Firefly also captured a video, including the breathtaking sight of the lunar sunrise. All NASA instruments on board are fully operational, and several payloads have already begun collecting data.

The Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) successfully removed lunar regolith, or dust, from the glass and thermal radiator surfaces using electrical forces. The EDS re-duster also demonstrated its ability to move regolith, assisting with dust management. While data analysis is ongoing, the dust instrument has already met most of its objectives, confirming the EDS as a promising solution for future lunar surface operations.

NASA is collaborating with wildfire response teams to develop cutting-edge technologies that improve the effectiveness of aerial firefighting, particularly during nighttime operations. Drones, both remotely piloted and fully autonomous, could play a larger role in wildfire suppression by providing critical support for 24/7 firefighting efforts, even in low-visibility conditions.

Currently, aerial firefighting is limited to daylight hours or clear weather conditions, as poor visibility increases the risk of aircraft colliding with terrain or other firefighting aircraft. NASA’s new airspace management technology aims to change this by enabling drones and remotely piloted aircraft to safely operate at night, allowing responders more time to combat fires from the air.

NASA has introduced its innovative lunar mining robot, the In-Situ Resource Utilization Pilot Excavator (IPEx), which will play a pivotal role in extracting vital resources on the Moon’s surface. This cutting-edge robotic system is designed to support lunar excavation, making it possible for humans to mine essential materials like hydrogen, oxygen, and even water directly from the Moon’s surface.

The dual-purpose IPEx functions as both a bulldozer and a dump truck, tasked with efficiently mining and transporting lunar regolith—the loose, rocky material covering the Moon. This regolith holds the key to extracting resources needed to sustain future lunar missions, providing essential components for life support and fuel.

The MARVL project is set to transform space travel by radically changing how spacecraft radiator systems are designed and assembled. Instead of relying on massive, bulky components that must be folded into rocket payloads, MARVL’s innovative approach involves breaking down these systems into smaller, modular components that can be assembled robotically in space. This strategy offers flexibility, removes payload constraints, and paves the way for more efficient spacecraft designs—potentially enabling round-trip journeys to Mars in about two years.

One of the technologies that NASA is exploring to make these long-duration space missions feasible is nuclear electric propulsion (NEP). NEP uses a nuclear reactor to generate electricity, which ionizes and accelerates gaseous propellants to create thrust, propelling the spacecraft forward.

In 2021, NASA’s Ingenuity made history as the first aircraft to fly on another planet, showcasing the potential for powered flight in the thin Martian atmosphere. The successful flights of this small, drone-like helicopter demonstrated that aerial exploration could provide an efficient means of navigating and studying alien worlds. Building on that success, NASA has unveiled a concept for its next-generation aerial vehicle: the Mars Chopper.

Ingenuity, a compact helicopter carried to Mars aboard the Perseverance rover in 2020, was initially designed as a technology demonstration. Its mission was simple yet groundbreaking: to prove that powered flight could be achieved in Mars’ sparse atmosphere, which is less than 1% the density of Earth’s. Ingenuity’s first flight took place on April 19, 2021, when it hovered just 10 feet above the Martian surface before landing safely—a milestone that opened the door to further aerial exploration.

NASA’s groundbreaking Parker Solar Probe made history on Tuesday, achieving the closest-ever flyby of the Sun, coming within a mere 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) of our star. During this record-setting encounter, the spacecraft’s heat shield faced temperatures soaring above 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit (930 degrees Celsius). Launched in August 2018, the Parker Solar Probe is on a seven-year mission to expand our knowledge of the Sun and improve space-weather predictions that could impact life on Earth.

The probe’s closest approach, known as perihelion, took place at approximately 6:53 AM (11:53 GMT) on Tuesday. However, mission scientists will not receive confirmation until Friday due to the temporary loss of communication, which occurs as the spacecraft moves into the Sun’s intense vicinity.

On December 12, NASA achieved a significant milestone in the development of its X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft with the successful completion of its first maximum afterburner engine test. The test, conducted at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, marks a crucial step as the team prepares the X-59 for its inaugural flight.

The afterburner is a critical component in some jet engines, designed to provide additional thrust by igniting unburned fuel in the exhaust stream. For the X-59, the afterburner will be essential in helping the aircraft meet its supersonic speed targets while minimizing environmental and acoustic impacts. The test focused on running the X-59’s F414-GE-100 engine with the afterburner engaged, ensuring it operates safely within the required temperature and airflow limits for flight. The successful test also confirmed that the engine can function seamlessly in coordination with the aircraft’s other subsystems.

The concept of hybrid power, familiar in cars, may soon be soaring into the skies, driving a new era of jet airliners. NASA, in partnership with GE Aerospace, is developing a cutting-edge hybrid-electric jet engine that uses both traditional fuel and electric power to significantly reduce fuel consumption.

This advanced engine design incorporates electric components that assist the fuel-burning core. Electric motors generate power, which is then fed back into the engine, reducing the overall fuel needed to operate. By supplementing fuel combustion with electricity, this innovative approach has the potential to revolutionize air travel, making it more efficient and environmentally friendly.

Exploring Mars presents immense challenges due to the vast distance, radiation exposure, and extreme temperatures. Despite these obstacles, NASA is exploring the potential of using commercial services to support future Mars missions, aiming to reduce costs and boost innovation.

Steve Matousek, manager of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s (JPL) Mars Exploration Program advanced studies office, highlighted the complexity of this task at the Small Satellite Conference in Utah, stating, “We don’t yet know how to establish commercial services at Mars.” The agency is working to figure out how private companies could offer services like imagery, transportation, and communications to aid NASA’s scientific missions.

NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACSSS) has reached a significant milestone—its booms and sail are now fully deployed, harnessing the pressure of sunlight to propel the spacecraft through the solar system. Much like a test pilot navigating a new aircraft, NASA is currently testing how well the sail performs in space. The spacecraft was tumbling before deployment, and now engineers are working to bring it under control using solar sail power.

Solar sails operate by using the pressure exerted by sunlight to generate low levels of thrust. As photons strike the sail’s surface, they transfer momentum to the spacecraft, causing it to accelerate gradually. Though the thrust is minimal, it can accumulate over time, making solar sails an incredibly efficient method of propulsion for small spacecraft on long-duration missions. This technology first saw success in 2010 when the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) deployed the IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation of the Sun) solar sail.