This summer, NASA test pilot Mike Lippert powered up the X‑59 cockpit for the first time, running the aircraft’s engines on the ground during a key step in his months of preparation and training to fly the experimental aircraft. “Getting into the cockpit of the X‑59 felt very comfortable,” said Lippert, the newest X-59 test pilot for NASA’s Quesst mission. “The whole team has done a tremendous job of making sure […]
In this field test, a fleet of three robots worked together, and researchers assessed the fleet’s ability to act like an independent science team.
Cartilage bioprinting and lead-free soldering topped the advanced microgravity research schedule aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The Expedition 75 crew members also explored blood pressure in weightlessness, serviced spacesuit components, and inspected lab hardware aboard the orbital outpost.
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team has successfully activated the Wide Field Instrument, a 300-megapixel infrared camera that will allow scientists to explore wide swaths of the cosmos very quickly without sacrificing exquisite detail. Roman’s planet imager — the Coronagraph Instrument — also stretched its digital, electronic, and mechanical “limbs” as part of an […]
The results are in: NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s very accurate first mid-course correction, along with other fuel savings, are expected to more than double the mission’s potential operational lifetime. “As a result of exquisite planning by our orbital dynamics team, brilliant execution by the operations team, and a precise launch from SpaceX, Roman […]
Lead-free soldering, space science hardware, and human research were the main science focus aboard the International Space Station on Monday. The Expedition 75 crew members also programmed automated Earth photography gear and serviced a variety of life support hardware aboard the orbital outpost.
The BOOP! mission was launched on a scientific balloon from NASA's launch facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, at 8:03 a.m. MDT (10:03 a.m. EDT) on Sept. 13, 2026. This is the second year for NASA’s Balloon Program Office’s Balloon Optimization Opportunity Payload, or BOOP!, which allows multiple technology instruments to be tested during flight for future missions. The mission carried experiments to test compact tools for future planetary exploration, map high-energy space radiation, and evaluate a newly developed flight camera system.
The balloon and payload reached a float altitude of around 123,000 feet, and flew for a total of 4 hours, 29 minutes.
The Expedition 75 crew had a light duty day on Friday studying microgravity’s effect on exercise and transferring cargo aboard the International Space Station. Earth observations, hardware inventory, and life support maintenance rounded out the schedule for the orbital septet at the end of the week.
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe completed its 29th close approach to the Sun on Sept. 4, again matching its record speed and distance from the solar surface. This time, the spacecraft trained its camera on structures and activity near the Sun’s north pole. The spacecraft transmitted a beacon tone indicating that its systems were operating normally […]
Science hardware and spacesuit maintenance were the main tasks aboard the International Space Station on Thursday. The Expedition 75 crew members also filmed and photographed daily life inside of the station for audiences on Earth.
