Day: February 25, 2025

NASA Names Stephen Koerner as Acting Director of Johnson Space Center

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Acting Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Steve Koerner. Credit: NASA/Norah Moran NASA has selected Stephen Koerner as acting director of Johnson Space Center. Koerner previously served as Johnson’s deputy director. “It is an honor to accept my new role as acting director for Johnson,” Koerner said. “Our employees are key to our nation’s human spaceflight goals. I am continually impressed with what our workforce accomplishes and am proud to be named the leader of such an incredible team dedicated to mission excellence.” Koerner previously served as deputy director of…

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NASA’s X-59 Completes Electromagnetic Testing

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3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s F-15D research aircraft is positioned adjacent to the X-59 during electromagnetic compatibility testing at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. Researchers activated the F-15D’s radar, C-band transponder, and radios at different distances from the X-59 to evaluate potential electromagnetic interference with the aircraft’s flight-critical systems, ensuring the X-59 can operate safely with other aircraft. These tests showed that the aircraft’s integration is maturing and cleared a major hurdle that moves it one step closer to first…

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Shooting for the moon, Intuitive Machines to launch daring lunar lander for NASA on Feb. 26

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — Intuitive Machines is poised to launch its second lunar lander in as many years, marking a significant milestone in commercial space exploration. The mission, known as IM-2, is set to lift off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center here on Florida’s Space Coast on Wednesday (Feb. 26), at 7:17 p.m. EST (0017 GMT on Feb. 27). You’ll be able to watch the liftoff live via NASA and/or SpaceX when the time comes. The spacecraft, an Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander named Athena,…

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SpaceX rolls huge Super Heavy booster to pad ahead of Starship Flight 8 launch (photos)

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Starship hardware has made it to the pad ahead of a planned liftoff this week. SpaceX posted photos on X today (Feb. 25) showing Super Heavy, the giant first stage of its Starship megarocket, being lifted onto the orbital launch mount at its Starbase site in South Texas. The milestone keeps the company on track to launch the eighth-ever Starship test flight this Friday (Feb. 28). Starship Flight 8 is scheduled to lift off on Friday afternoon (Feb. 28). (Image credit: SpaceX) SpaceX is developing Starship — the biggest and…

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SpaceX says its Falcon 9 rocket debris crash over Europe was caused by propellant leak

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A propellant leak was to blame for the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket crashing to Earth over Europe last week, SpaceX says. The Falcon 9 launched on Feb. 1 from California, carrying 22 Starlink internet satellites to low Earth orbit as planned. SpaceX usually de-orbits Falcon 9 upper stages after their deployment work is done, bringing the hardware down in a controlled fashion over unpopulated areas. That didn’t happen on this particular mission, however. The Falcon 9 upper stage stayed aloft until Feb. 19, when it fell to…

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NASA’s EZIE Launching to Study Magnetic Fingerprints of Earth’s Aurora

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5 Min Read NASA’s EZIE Launching to Study Magnetic Fingerprints of Earth’s Aurora High above Earth’s poles, intense electrical currents called electrojets flow through the upper atmosphere when auroras glow in the sky. These auroral electrojets push about a million amps of electrical charge around the poles every second. They can create some of the largest magnetic disturbances on the ground, and rapid changes in the currents can lead to effects such as power outages. In March, NASA plans to launch its EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) mission to learn…

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Sharing PLANETS Curriculum with Out-of-School Time Educators

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Explore This Section Science Science Activation Sharing PLANETS Curriculum… Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science   2 min read Sharing PLANETS Curriculum with Out-of-School Time Educators Out of school time (OST) educators work with youth in afterschool, community, and camp programs. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) learning in OST can be challenging for multiple reasons, including lack of materials and support for educators. The NASA Science Activation program’s PLANETS project – Planetary Learning that Advances the Nexus of Engineering, Technology,…

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Diamonds from NASA’s X-59

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NASA’s X-59 lights up the night sky with its unique Mach diamonds, also known as shock diamonds, during maximum afterburner testing at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The test demonstrates the engine’s ability to generate the thrust required for supersonic flight, advancing NASA’s Quesst mission.

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Science in Orbit: Results Published on Space Station Research in 2024

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4 Min Read Science in Orbit: Results Published on Space Station Research in 2024 NASA and its international partners have hosted research experiments and fostered collaboration aboard the International Space Station for over 25 years. More than 4,000 investigations have been conducted, resulting in over 4,400 research publications with 361 in 2024 alone. Space station research continues to advance technology on Earth and prepare for future space exploration missions. Below is a selection of scientific results that were published over the past year. For more space station research achievements and…

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