NASA Welcomes Albania as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory  

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U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Space and Environment Connor Tomlinson, left, NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson, Albania’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Ferit Hoxha, and Ambassador of the Republic of Albania to the United States Ervin Bushati, right, are seen at the conclusion of an Artemis Accords signing ceremony Monday, September 21, 2026, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. NASA/Bill Ingalls The Republic of Albania signed the Artemis Accords Monday during a ceremony hosted by NASA at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, joining…

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NASA Kicks Off Nationwide Effort to Prepare Tomorrow’s Space Workforce

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NASA kicked off its State Hubs for Skilled Technical Workforce initiative Sept. 15, 2026 with awardees at Space Center Houston. Agency leadership convened State Hub partners to align strategy and build momentum while focusing on partnerships, small business engagement, and next steps. Elaine Ho, associate administrator for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement in Washington, addresses NASA State Hubs project leaders and agency, state, and federal partners at Space Center Houston on Sept. 15, 2026 Credit: NASA “The NASA State Hubs initiative is a top priority for the agency, because we…

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Perseverance’s View of ‘Turquoise Bay’

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1 Min Read Perseverance’s View of ‘Turquoise Bay’ PIA26815 Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Photojournal Navigation Science Photojournal Perseverance’s View of… Photojournal Home Photojournal Search Latest Content Galleries Feedback RSS About   Description NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z camera to capture this 360-degree panorama of “Turquoise Bay,” a geologic area of interest in the “Margin Unit.” The 818 images used to create the natural-color panorama were captured between Oct. 5 and Oct. 16, 2023, the 933rd to 944th Martian days, or sols, of the mission. Figure A is an enhanced-color version, in which…

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APOD: 2026 September 21 – Cocoon Nebula Wide Field

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APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 21 –… 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. Cocoon Nebula Wide Field Explanation: When does a nebula look like a comet? In this crowded starfield covering over two degrees within the high-flying constellation of the Swan (Cygnus), the eye is drawn to the Cocoon Nebula. A…

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APOD: 2026 September 20 – Analemma over the Callanish Stones

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APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 20 –… 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. Analemma over the Callanish Stones Explanation: If you went outside at the same time every day and took a picture that included the Sun, how would the Sun’s position change? A visual answer to that question is an…

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APOD: 2026 September 19 – A Zodiacal Night

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APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 19 –… 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. Night SkyAnnotation A Zodiacal Night Explanation: Also known as the false dawn, a luminous band of zodiacal light is captured in this dark night skyscape. The serene view was recorded just before the beginning of astronomical twilight during…

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NASA Invites Media to Albania Artemis Accords Signing Ceremony

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Credit: NASA The Republic of Albania will sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony at 12 p.m. EDT on Monday, Sept. 21, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, becoming the 73rd country signatory. NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson will host Albania’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Ferit Hoxha and Ambassador of the Republic of Albania to the United States Ervin Bushati for the ceremony, together with U.S. Department of State officials. This event is in person only. Media interested in attending must RSVP no later than 10 a.m. on Sept.…

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NASA-JAXA XRISM Mission Sees Pulsar Gathering Companion’s ‘Wind’

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5 min read NASA-JAXA XRISM Mission Sees Pulsar Gathering Companion’s ‘Wind’ Using data from the Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) observatory, astronomers have directly observed a giant star’s outflow, called a stellar wind, being captured by its compact companion and providing the power source for strong X-ray flares. The research is part of NASA’s exploration of the extreme universe to better understand how the cosmos works. “We’ve never before seen clear indications of wind plasma falling onto a compact object,” said Roi Rahin, a researcher at UMBC (University of…

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NASA Awards SpaceX Three Crew Flights to Space Station

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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft launches NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station on March 14, 2025. NASA/Aubrey Gemignani Editor’s note: This feature was updated on Sept. 18, 2026, to add additional details on mission readiness dates. To continue regular crew transportation to the International Space Station, NASA has awarded SpaceX three additional missions through a contract modification. As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract, this change brings the total missions for SpaceX to 17 and helps NASA to…

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