NASA Archives

Lunar Landings Leave a Mark—Engineers Solve a Decades-Old Mystery, Enabling Safer Touchdowns on the Moon

Ryan Whalen·July 24, 2025

Researchers have identified the phenomenon behind dust streaks from lunar landings, offering insights crucial for safely operating future Moon bases.

James Webb Space Telescope Made a ‘Puzzling’ Discovery on Jupiter’s Moon Europa—These Scientists May Have an Answer

Christopher Plain·July 23, 2025

SWRI experiments could explain puzzling levels of equatorial hydrogen peroxide on Saturn's moon Europa detected by the JWST.

Astronomers Reveal Betelgeuse Has an Elusive Stellar Companion Linked to Star’s Curious Brightness Cycle

Ryan Whalen·July 21, 2025

Betelgeuse, the red supergiant star closest to Earth, has finally been proven to have a companion star in observations from NASA scientists.

Look: NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Just Had Its Closest-Ever Encounter with the Sun, and Has Historic Pictures to Prove It

Ryan Whalen·July 19, 2025

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has proven to be an essential tool in understanding space weather, a major potential hazard to life on Earth.

aliens probably look like Europa extremophiles

“The Secret Might Be Here on Our Own Planet”: This NASA Scientist Is on a Mission to Find Out What Aliens Look Like

Christopher Plain·July 15, 2025

NASA has tasked a University of Massachusetts Amherst microbiologist who studies extremophiles with figuring out what aliens probably look like.

“What Else is Out There?” New Study Reveals Everything We Currently Know About Mysterious Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS

Micah Hanks·July 11, 2025

New research has revealed everything astronomers currently know about the mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Just Solved a Key Mystery Behind the Sun’s Superheated Corona

Ryan Whalen·July 10, 2025

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has collected data that evidences the theoretical “helicity barrier,” where turbulent dissipation behaves strangely.

“Save NASA”: Scientists Protest Deep Cuts to Agency’s Science Programs

Micah Hanks·July 10, 2025

In our analysis this week, we look at how NASA's proposed budget would slash the agency's science division by nearly 50%.

“Something Unknown Is at Work” Behind NASA’s DART Planetary Defense Mission—and Astronomers Are Worried

Ryan Whalen·July 10, 2025

Planetary defense scientists say NASA’s DART asteroid redirection mission sent space rocks hurtling on unexpected trajectories.

NASA’s SPHEREx Space Telescope Begins Its Groundbreaking Mission to Share All-Sky Mapping Data with the Public

Ryan Whalen·July 4, 2025

NASA’s SPHEREx space telescope has settled into low-Earth orbit, providing a wellspring of publicly available space data.

James Webb Space Telescope Trains Its Sights on the ‘Bullet Cluster,’ Revealing a Stunning View of Galaxies in Collision

Micah Hanks·June 30, 2025

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured high-resolution images of the Bullet Cluster, revealing its complex dynamics.

NASA’s Mars Orbiter Debuts Rolling Maneuvers, Proving You Can Teach an Old Spacecraft New Tricks

Ryan Whalen·June 30, 2025

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is still doing fresh things, even after close to two decades of service, shown by a new roll maneuver.

NASA Study Links Earth’s Magnetic Field to Atmospheric Oxygen Over 540 Million Years

Ryan Whalen·June 24, 2025

New NASA research demonstrates that 540 million years of Earth’s magnetic field changes have corresponded to surface habitability.

NASA’s Powerful New EMIT Instrument Can Detect Wastewater Leaks from Space

Ryan Whalen·June 15, 2025

NASA’s EMIT instrument successfully performed analysis detecting wastewater leaks on Earth from aboard the International Space Station.

Look What NASA’s Mars Odyssey Orbiter Just Spotted Peeking Through an Odd Martian Cloud Formation

Ryan Whalen·June 11, 2025

A Martian volcano, Arsia Mons, rises above the clouds in a newly released panoramic image captured by the Mars Odyssey orbiter.

Magnetic Explosion Driving Space Weather Captured by NASA’s Parker Space Probe

Ryan Whalen·June 10, 2025

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe detected a powerful magnetic explosion providing new data on magnetic reconnection, important to space weather.

Satellite Scanning the World’s Oceans Detects Elusive Phenomena Scientists Say Had “Been Hiding in Plain Sight”

Christopher Plain·June 2, 2025

Scientists using satellite data to analyze the behavior of the world's oceans have spotted unusual forces operating on and below the surface.

Scientists Have Made a Dark Discovery About Earth’s Oceans—Experts Call It a “Genuine Cause for Concern”

Micah Hanks·May 27, 2025

Scientists say Earth’s oceans are slowly getting darker, according to new findings that reveal a concerning trend affecting our planet.

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Gets Photobombed in Latest Red Planet Robotic Selfie

Ryan Whalen·May 25, 2025

NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover captured a Martian dust devil in the background of a May 10 selfie taken at Witch Hazel Hill.NASA's Perseverance Rover captured images of itself alongside a distant Martian dust devil in a recent selfie from Jezero Crater.

titan atmosphere mysterious gyroscopic motion

“We’ve Got a New Mystery on Our Hands”: Scientists Stumped by Unexplained Motion in Titan’s Atmosphere

Christopher Plain·May 25, 2025

Scientists studying the atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan have discovered a mysterious, gyroscopic motion they can't quite explain.

NASA Field Tests New Robot That Could Search Jupiter’s Moon Europa for Signs of Life

Ryan Whalen·May 23, 2025

A Europa Lander prototype was just successfully field tested on Alaska's Matanuska Glacier to simulate the icy conditions of Jupiter's moon.

James Webb Space Telescope Reveals New Clues to Earthlike Mysteries on Saturn’s Moon Titan

Ryan Whalen·May 22, 2025

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and the Keck II telescope have collected first-of-its-kind evidence for cloud formation on Titan.

Emergency Drill Reveals U.S. Government’s “Cosmic Blindspot” with Sobering Vulnerabilities to Solar Storms

Micah Hanks·May 22, 2025

A new report on the U.S.'s readiness in the face of threats from space has revealed concerns about our vulnerability to major solar storms.

“No One Knows How to Explain This Behavior,” Says Scientist Stumped by Odd Pulses Coming From Sun-Like Stars

Christopher Plain·May 19, 2025

A NASA veteran’s multi-year survey of over 1,300 Sun-like stars has discovered several mysterious fast pulses of light that defy traditional cosmological explanations.

NASA Mission Reveals “Ground Shaking” New Insights into Mysterious Structures on Venus

Christopher Plain·May 16, 2025

A fresh look at data from NASA's Magellan mission has revealed potentially ground-shaking insights into mysterious structures on Venus.

Mapping Lunar Mysteries, NASA’s Newest Gravity Model is Redefining the Moon’s Interior

Ryan Whalen·May 14, 2025

NASA’s latest gravitational data model of the Moon generated a litany of discoveries from ancient volcanoes to navigational information.

Seismic Signals Hint at Presence of Liquid Water Deep Beneath the Martian Surface

Ryan Whalen·May 12, 2025

Recent Martian seismic activity suggests water in the Red Planet's crust, a potential boon to long term human habitation in the future.

Soviet-Era Kosmos 482 Space Probe Will Fall to Earth This Week—But Will It Burn Up During Re-Entry?

MJ Banias·May 9, 2025

A Soviet space probe, stranded in Earth’s orbit for 53 years, is set to re-enter the atmosphere this week. And it may not burn up on re-entry.

NASA’s IXPE Solves Mystery of X-Ray Emissions from Supermassive Black Hole

Ryan Whalen·May 8, 2025

A supermassive black hole, blazar BL Lacertae, has finally revealed how these cosmic features generate X-rays thanks to NASA's IXPE.

The Kessler Syndrome: Crisis in Space Intensifies as Thousands of Satellites Crowd Earth Orbit

Micah Hanks·May 8, 2025

This week we look at the "Kessler Syndrome," and how a chain reaction of orbital collisions could jeopardize infrastructure in space.

Infrasound Technology Proves Critical for Planetary Defense Against Threats from Outer Space

Christopher Plain·May 3, 2025

A Sandia National Laboratories scientist has demonstrated how infrasound technology can improve planetary defense against threats from space.

Astronomers Learn Something “Very Surprising” While Studying the Mysterious Asteroid Vesta

Ryan Whalen·April 30, 2025

Vesta, the strange object in our solar system that has long fascinated astronomers isn't what it appears according to new research.

NASA is Firing a Hybrid Rocket into Simulated Moon Dust to Help Plan for Artemis Lunar Landings

Ryan Whalen·April 29, 2025

NASA researchers at Huntsville are conducting research to ensure that landings on potentially unstable lunar surface proceed reliably.

China Launches Three Astronauts to the Tiangong Space Station

Chrissy Newton·April 29, 2025

China has launched three astronauts into space to head to the Chinese Tiangong space station to replace the existing crew onboard.

Orbilander Mission Revamp Brings NASA Closer to Finding Life on Saturn’s Mysterious Moon Enceladus

Ryan Whalen·April 27, 2025

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Team X is suggesting major changes to the proposed Orbilander mission to Enceladus.

Tracks Spotted Across the Martian Landscape by NASA Orbiter Reveal a Red Planet “Curiosity”

Micah Hanks·April 25, 2025

New photos captured by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) reveal the first known imagery of the intrepid Curiosity rover in transit.

NASA’s TESS Spots Evaporating Planet in Death Spiral That’s Producing a Comet-Like Tail

Ryan Whalen·April 23, 2025

A distant exoplanet is quickly disintegrating 140 light-years from Earth, spotted by MIT astronomers through NASA's TESS mission.

Lucy in the Sky with Asteroids

This week on The Debrief Weekly Report...

MJ Banias·April 22, 2025

On this week's episode of The Debrief Weekly Report, Kenna, Steph and their producer Beemo, look for Jupiter's Trojan asteroids with Lucy, NASA's far-out spacecraft. They then dive into a news story about a self-healing fungus that can be used as a building material, and then swim down into the depths to discuss the historic footage that captured our first glimpse of a colossal squid.

Skiing the Red Planet? New Evidence Suggests Ancient Mars Experienced Snow and Rain

Christopher Plain·April 22, 2025

A new analysis by UC Boulder geologists suggests the ancient Mars landscape was formed by falling precipitation, including rain and snow.

James Webb Space Telescope Breakthrough Reveals “Compelling” New Evidence of Long-Hidden Black Hole in Galaxy M83

Micah Hanks·April 18, 2025

Compelling evidence of a long-sought black hole at the center of the galaxy M83 has been unveiled using the James Webb Space Telescope.

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Is Investigating a Mysterious Dark Stone of “Uncertain” Origin

Micah Hanks·April 18, 2025

NASA’s Perseverance rover has discovered a dark-colored stone with unusual features that “may have originated from elsewhere.”

International Space Station extraterrestrial life

International Space Station to Receive “Rock Star” Tool That Could Aid in Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Christopher Plain·April 18, 2025

The International Space Station is preparing for the launch of ELVIS, a tool that could aid the search for extraterrestrial life

“New and Intriguing” Mars Discoveries Made by NASA’s Perseverance Rover are “All We Had Hoped for and More”

Ryan Whalen·April 18, 2025

Mars's Jezero Crater is offering scientists a treasure trove of intriguing new findings that may hide clues to the Martian past.

NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Gears Up for Its Second Asteroid Flyby

Chrissy Newton·April 17, 2025

NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is set to fly by the asteroid Donaldjohanson on April 20 in a key rehearsal for its primary mission to study Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids.

James Webb Space Telescope Captures a Planet Being Consumed by Its Star for the First Time, with Unexpected Results

Ryan Whalen·April 12, 2025

The James Webb Space Telescope's MIRI instrument has captured the final moments of a planet's existence, unexpectedly revealing that the object descended into its host star rather than being engulfed by it as it grew.

‘Impossible’ Device Physicists Said Wouldn’t Work Just Generated Electricity from the Earth’s Rotation

Christopher Plain·March 27, 2025

A controversial device that most scientists said was impossible has successfully generated electricity from the Earth's rotation.

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Uncovers the Most Advanced Prebiotic Chemistry Yet on the Red Planet

Ryan Whalen·March 27, 2025

NASA's Curiosity rover collected the largest organic compounds ever discovered on the Martian surface, with new hints of ancient life, after scientists analyzed the pulverized rock samples.