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Breanne Stichler smiles while standing in front of the crawler, a giant machine with large tank treads that is used to transport rockets to a launch pad.

In the Driver's Seat

How do you get the 18-million-pound Space Launch System rocket to the launch pad? Very slowly on top of a special vehicle called the crawler! Breanne Stichler is one of the crawler drivers. When the Artemis II mission is ready to launch, she will help get the rocket to the launch pad. It takes the crawler at least eight hours to make the four-mile journey.

Four people dressed in orange astronaut suits and white helmets with black visors begin to step out of a large white metal basket that is lifted several inches above the ground.

Safety First

It’s always important to be prepared. If an emergency happens when NASA’s Artemis astronauts are on the launch pad, they can use a special escape system to get away from the rocket. Safety teams practice using this escape system to make sure it works just right.

An engineer crouches next to a small rover with spiky wheels as it drives on sandy terrain during a test drive

New Wheels for the Moon

NASA is working on a group of small rovers that will one day drive on the Moon. These rovers will work together without help from mission control. This rover is being tested with a new wheel design.

We Are Going Forward to the Moon

Astronauts last visited the Moon in 1972. NASA's Artemis missions will send the first woman and first person of color to the surface of the Moon. They will work at the Moon's South Pole. NASA will use what we learn about living and working on the Moon to plan trips to Mars.

A female engineer and a silver airplane model inside a wind tunnel

Wind Tunnel Test

Engineer Samantha O'Flaherty is getting this airplane model ready for a wind tunnel test. The special design is for a new plane. It has never flown before. Testing this small model will show the engineers how well the real airplane would fly.

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A scientist wearing rubber gloves and a lab coat holds a small head of romaine lettuce that was grown in a laboratory.

Space Salad

Astronauts on missions to Mars will grow their own lettuce to munch on! Scientists at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center are growing different types of lettuce to find the best one for growing in microgravity. It must be nutritious, too.

In this photo, NASA’s X-59 aircraft is shown at sunrise parked near a runway in California. Open desert can be seen behind the aircraft. The X-59 is nearly 100 feet long, with a long nose that takes up approximately one-third of its length. It also has swept-back wings and an engine mounted on top and toward the rear of the aircraft.

Long Nose, Less Noise

NASA X-59 airplane has a special shape with a long nose. This design breaks up the shock waves that usually create a loud sonic boom. The X-59 will make a thump instead of a boom when it flies faster than the speed of sound.

A full-scale mockup of NASA’s Orion spacecraft, equipped with large yellow inflatable buoys on top, floats in the Pacific Ocean

Orion Float Test

This is a full-size model of the Orion spacecraft. NASA used it for testing in the Pacific Ocean. Teams practiced what they will do when the Artemis II mission returns to Earth. That mission will carry astronauts around the Moon and back.

Orion

Orion is a spacecraft. It will carry astronauts farther into space- than ever before. Orion launches on top of the Space Launch System rocket, or SLS. It will carry Artemis astronauts to the Moon.

Astronauts pose with floating pizzas on the space station

Pizza Party in Space

Astronauts on the space station had a pizza party! They made their own pizzas. Making a pizza when it floats is tough – so they had to work together as a team!

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NASA test pilot David Nils Larson walks near the long, pointy probe sticking out from the nose of an F-15D jet airplane.

Test Pilot Pre-Check

When NASA’s X-59 Quesst airplane takes flight, this F-15D research airplane will fly along with it to collect data. Test pilot David Nils Larson is checking the long, pointy sensor on the front of the airplane. This sensor will measure shock waves created when the X-59 goes faster than the speed of sound.

NASA astronauts Tracy Dyson and Suni Williams open a container of blueberries in the galley area of the space station. They wear makeshift chef hats and a chocolate pastry dessert floats in the foreground.

Sweet Treat

Special spacecraft bring food, experiments, and other cargo to astronauts on the International Space Station. These deliveries usually include treats like fresh fruits and vegetables and even ice cream. NASA astronauts Tracy Dyson and Suni Williams are making an ice cream dessert in the space station kitchen area.

A wild bobcat sits atop a rocky area near a row of bushes at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California

Here, Kitty, Kitty

This bobcat lives near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. The spotted cat makes its home in the desert area that surrounds the NASA facility.

Illustration of how Gateway might look with Orion flying toward it

Gateway Around the Moon

Gateway is a small space station that will orbit the Moon. Artemis astronauts will live and work there. Astronauts working on the Gateway will take trips down to the Moon. Many countries are working together to build Gateway.

NASA researcher Rick Bozak inspects the fan blades of an aircraft engine rotor

Quiet Engines

Living or working next to an airport can be noisy. NASA is testing ways to make airplane engines quieter. One way is to put special liners around the turbofans in airplane engines. A man is checking this turbofan before testing it in a wind tunnel.

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Christine Knudson wears a reflective orange safety vest, gloves, kneepads, and a helmet while exploring the inside of a dark, cave-like lava tube.

Exploring a Lava Tube

NASA geologists study places on Earth that might be like places on other planets. In this picture, Christine Knudson is inside of a lava tube on Mauna Loa in Hawai’i. Geologists think there are lava tubes like this one on Mars! Image courtesy of Christine Knudson.

A tortoise walks across a gravel parking lot in front of the 526-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Tortoise Takes a Walk

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is located within a wildlife refuge. This area is home to many kinds of birds, mammals, fish, amphibians, and reptiles – including this tortoise going for a walk in front of the Vehicle Assembly Building.

Dorothy Sue Grimmer and Victoria Tran wear blue flight suits and pose in front of the nose of an airplane

Interns Flying High

Dorothy Sue Grimmer and Victoria Tran were NASA interns in the summer of 2023. They were part of the NASA Student Airborne Research Program. They got to do science experiments while flying on this airplane.

A large dome with walls filled with fiberglass wedges to absorb sound

Quiet Dome

This laboratory is at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The dome keeps sound from bouncing off of the walls. The wavy walls stop echoes. Under this kind of dome, scientists can study how to make noisy jet engines quieter.

The space station looks like a small speck in front of a partially eclipsed sun

Space Station and Solar Eclipse

Can you spot the space station? The dark round area on the left is the Moon. It is passing in front of the sun. NASA photographer Bill Ingalls snapped this picture. It shows the station passing in front of the sun too. Look closely to see the station’s solar panels!

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A technician wearing safety glasses and standing on a lift holds out an instrument to check the connection between two large sections of the Space Launch System rocket that will be used for the Artemis II mission.

Rocket Construction

Putting together the pieces of a giant rocket is no easy task! This technician at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans is making sure the connection is just right. This is where the engine section connects to the rest of the Space Launch System rocket. This rocket will launch astronauts on a mission around the Moon on Artemis II.

Saturn and its rings appear to glow against the darkness of space. At right and at middle bottom, two small dots can be seen. They are two of Saturn’s moons - Mimas and Enceladus, respectively. Saturn itself takes on a reddish tint in its northern hemisphere and blue at its bottom. The planet’s concentric rings are an icy white.

Spotlight on Saturn

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of Saturn. Can you spot two of Saturn’s moons? Mimas is the bright dot to the right of Saturn. Enceladus is the bright dot below the ringed planet.

Ring Nebula

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured this image of the Ring Nebula. A nebula is a giant cloud of dust and gas in space. This nebula was formed by the explosion of a dying star.

Illustration of the Parker Solar Probe approaching the Sun

Mission to "Touch the Sun"

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is helping scientists learn more about our Sun. It is the size of a small car and will fly closer to the Sun than any other spacecraft has flown. The probe will fly so fast that it could go from Philadelphia to Washington D.C. in one second!

NASA photographer Carla Thomas wears a helmet and face mask during a supersonic flight

Supersonic Selfie

Carla Thomas is a photographer. She rides with NASA pilots to take pictures during flights. She took this selfie while flying faster than the speed of sound. That is more than 750 miles per hour!

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Three videographers set up cameras and microphones on tripods on a hillside in preparation for filming a rocket launch at Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Lights, Camera, Action!

NASA videographers help share NASA’s missions with people around the world. They record test flights, satellite assembly operations, science expeditions, and rocket launches. In this picture, the team is setting up to record the launch of a space science mission at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

A mirror belonging to NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor shows a reflection of Principal Optical Engineer Brian Monacelli. Brian and two other people around the mirror are wearing white coveralls while working with the mirror in a clean room.

Mirror, Mirror

This mirror is part of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor. This new asteroid-hunting spacecraft is an infrared space telescope. It will look for hard-to-find asteroids and comets that might fly close to Earth.

Artist’s illustration of the long, sleek X-59 aircraft in flight

Fast and Quiet

NASA is building a new type of airplane called the X-59. It will fly faster than the speed of sound. Today’s airplanes make a very loud boom when they fly this fast. The X-59’s long sleek design means it won’t make such a loud boom when it goes faster than the speed of sound. This is a computer drawing of the X-59 in flight.

Two astronauts play guitars and one plays a drum while floating inside the space station

Space Jam

Many astronauts play musical instruments. Some play their instruments in space. When they are not working, astronauts like to relax by playing music on the space station.

Juno at Jupiter

The Juno spacecraft is flying near the planet Jupiter. Juno has a special camera called JunoCam. People on Earth can get data from JunoCam. Then they can create pictures. This helps the scientists studying Jupiter. This picture by Gabriel Fiset shows Jupiter's south pole.

Two people in bulky white spacesuits sit in a futuristic rover. The rover is gold and white, with two wheels on each side of the front axle.

Lunar Rover Testing

When Artemis astronauts go to the Moon, they’ll want a rover to help them explore the lunar surface. Engineers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center are testing different rover designs to make sure the new rover is just right for the astronauts.

NASA astronauts Kate Rubins and Andre Douglas look at a map as they practice moonwalking operations for a future Artemis mission. They’re wearing mock-ups of bulky spacesuits with headsets and lights.

From Arizona to Artemis

To get ready for NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon, teams practice important skills on Earth first. Astronauts Kate Rubins and Andre Douglas worked with researchers in the desert near Flagstaff, Arizona. They spent a week practicing for moonwalks in the lunar-like landscape of the San Francisco Volcanic Field.

Artemis II astronauts, from left, NASA astronaut Christina Koch, NASA astronaut Victor Glover, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman pose for a photo in orange spacesuits

Artemis Astronauts

The next Artemis mission will carry astronauts. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Victor Glover will be joined by Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. They will launch in the Orion capsule for a trip to orbit around the Moon.

A bright green glowing dot is seen in a swirl of clouds on Jupiter

Lightning on Jupiter

The bright green spot in this picture is the glow from a bolt of lightning on Jupiter. The Juno spacecraft captured this view in a swirl of clouds near Jupiter’s north pole.

Two men prepare a large remote-controlled airplane for flight

MicroCub Airplane

This small airplane is called the MicroCub. It is flown by remote control. NASA tested it to see how remote-controlled planes can fit into normal air traffic.

A group of middle school students look at and touch a model airplane in a research laboratory at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center.

Airplane Show and Tell

These middle school students visited NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. They learned how NASA uses model airplanes to test new airplane designs. They got to touch the model airplanes and talk to NASA engineers about how they work.

A person wearing a safety vest, reflective glasses, a hat, and a mask pilots a drone with four rotary blades. The drone is flying near the camera, a few feet off of the ground in a grassy area with large rocks.

Fighting Wildfires With Drones

NASA is testing ways to use drones to help fight wildfires. Drones can help teams on the ground know where the fire is. This can help them plan the best way to stop the fire.

A person wearing rubber gloves holds a small stuffed animal of Snoopy wearing an orange NASA spacesuit

Snoopy in Space

This stuffed Snoopy character flew on the Artemis 1 mission that traveled around the Moon. Snoopy was the zero gravity indicator. When the Orion capsule reached space, Snoopy began to float. This showed that the spacecraft reached the microgravity of space.

A view from space of the brown waters of the Mississippi River winding through plowed and green fields with forests

Rambling River

This picture shows the Mississippi River twisting and turning through the southern United States. The picture was taken from the International Space Station. The space station was flying about 258 miles overhead.

The lush, green southern tip of Florida as seen from space

Florida Everglades

Astronaut Ricky Arnold took this picture from the International Space Station. The picture shows the southern tip of Florida and the Florida Everglades. The wet, marshy area is home to alligators, amphibians (frogs, toads and others), and many types of birds.

A drop of red liquid emerges from the end of a syringe and is placed near a sphere of water in microgravity. Inside the water droplet, ribbons of red liquid swirl about.

Colorful Science

On the International Space Station, water droplets float due to microgravity. Here, NASA astronaut Don Pettit is placing red liquid onto a sphere of clear water. The red liquid swirls around inside the larger water droplet.

A large cylindrical module is suspended by cranes and surrounded by workers in white lab coats and safety gear.

Building a Gateway

This is a piece of the Gateway space station that will orbit the Moon. Artemis astronauts will live and work here. It is where they will do science experiments and get ready for missions to the Moon’s surface. This piece is being built in Italy, a country in southern Europe. Italy is part of the European Space Agency.

Reddish brown dust resembling mountains and valleys is speckled with bright blue and white stars

Cosmic Cliffs

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured this image that looks like mountains and valleys in space. A giant cloud of dust and gas like this is called a nebula. This picture shows part of the Carina Nebula. New stars are forming here.

Two ducks with brown bodies, gray heads and bright orange beaks walk through an area of tall grasses

Whistling through Wildflowers

These two black-bellied whistling ducks were spotted at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Lots of animals live around the space center. It is part of a wildlife refuge where birds and many other animals are protected.

Ricky Arnold floats in front of the many windows of the space station cupola

Teacher in Space

Astronaut Ricky Arnold was a teacher before he became an astronaut. He taught math and science at schools all over the world. During his mission on the space station, he talked to students and shared activities for teachers.

A view from space of a bright orange and yellow lava flow on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula. A few fluffy white clouds are nearby, and a stream of hazy gasses blow away from the lava flow.

Hot Lava in Iceland

NASA satellites snapped this picture of lava in Iceland. Earthquakes caused a crack in Earth’s crust causing a lava flow. Can you spot the famous Blue Lagoon near the lava?

A large airplane sits on the tarmac at an airport. Two large streams of water spray into the air behind the airplane, creating a rainbow as sunlight shines through the water.

Retirement Rainbow

NASA’s DC-8 aircraft was the largest flying science laboratory in the world. After flying science missions for 37 years, the plane was retired. The airport fire department sprayed water to celebrate.

NASA astronauts Frank Rubio, Woody Hoburg, and Stephen Bowen, with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi give "thumbs up" with their floating chess board on the space station

Long Distance Chess Tourney

Before the Expedition 69 mission, astronaut Woody Hoburg set up a chess tournament. The astronauts on the space station play against the people in Mission Control on Earth. The crew gives a thumb-up after winning the first round.

Inflatable Heat Shield

An inflatable heat shield like this might one day be used to land on Mars. NASA tested this one in Earth’s atmosphere and it worked! This type of heat shield doesn’t take up much room in a rocket. That means there is more room for experiments and cargo.

A man adjusts an antenna on top of a large tractor

Satellites Help Farmers

NASA satellites are helping farmers do a better job! Satellites can guide tractors in the fields. The tractors “drive themselves” along the best routes. Farmers save time. And they can use less water and fewer seeds.

A fish-shaped robot with fins maneuvers underwater in a swimming pool.

Robot Takes a Swim

One day, swimming robots like this one could explore ocean worlds in our solar system. Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory are trying out different robot designs to look for signs of life in watery places.

Serpens Nebula

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured this image of the Serpens Nebula. This is a reflection nebula. That means it is a cloud of gas and dust in space that does not create its own light. This nebula reflects light from stars close to or inside of it.

The small Ingenuity helicopter sits on the rocky surface of Mars

Mars Helicopter

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is the first aircraft to fly on another planet. It has completed more than 50 flights. Ingenuity has traveled more than 7 miles and flown as high as almost 60 feet above the Martian surface.

An engineer watches as a snake-like robot moves in a circle through sandy terrain

Slithering Robot

NASA is designing a robot that slithers like a snake. This robot could explore areas that rovers and other types of robots might not be able to reach. Scientists are testing the robot in sand, snow, ice, and even underwater.

The upturned winglet at the end of an airplane wing

Airplane Winglets

Some airplane wings turn up at the end. This part of the wing is called a winglet. Winglets can make it easier for a plane to fly through the air. The airplane can use less fuel.

Planet Mercury

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. It is the smallest planet in our solar system. It is just a little bit bigger than Earth’s Moon and looks like it too. Mercury zips around the Sun in just 88 Earth days.

A trailer with a crane holds a large piece of science equipment on the snowy landscape of Antarctica. The equipment is connected to a large scientific balloon that is being inflated for launch.

Balloon Launch in Antarctica

This giant balloon carried science equipment to map the Milky Way galaxy and the space around it. The balloon is so large that 195 blimps could easily fit inside of it. It floated around Antarctica for 57 days. The equipment then parachuted back to Earth.

Two men closely inspect a propeller that is covered in ice crystals

Eyes on Ice

Researchers at NASA are studying icing. This is the buildup of ice on the wings and propellers of aircraft. This ice can make flying dangerous. They are finding new ways to stop ice from forming.

A pilot flies a small, helicopter-like aircraft that has 8 rotating wings

Air Taxi Resting

Someday soon, air taxis like this one might be used to carry people and packages. NASA is helping test aircraft like this. Scientists are studying the amount of noise they make and trying to make them quieter.

A person in a spacesuit lies in a simulator with controls overhead

Vibration Test

Before building the Orion spacecraft, NASA did lots of testing. Here, a test astronaut is trying out its controls. He is on a platform. It vibrates like the real rocket during launch. This test makes sure astronauts can see and use the controls during a shaky launch!