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NASA-funded Study Details One of Oldest Mars Meteorites Ever Found

5 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

A rose-colored rock on a white background.
Called Teghaza 001, this rose-colored rock is one of the most ancient Martian meteorites ever found on Earth.
Credit: © Darryl Pitt / Maine Mineral & Gem Museum

When a rose-colored meteorite was found in the Sahara Desert in 2022, no one knew how old it was or where it came from. Not until NASA-funded scientists age-dated its minerals did they realize the nearly 2-pound (800-gram) rock was a piece of Mars that formed more than 4.1 billion years ago, making it one of the oldest Martian meteorites ever found. Named Teghaza 001 after the salt plain in Mali where it was discovered, the meteorite is one of roughly 435 from the Red Planet.

In a paper published Thursday in Science, researchers offered an initial characterization of Teghaza 001, providing a rare snapshot of Mars’ ancient crust and formation. What scientists learn from future studies could help answer many questions, including how water and rocks interacted on ancient Mars. A separate paper published in Science Advances in June detailed the meteorite’s water content, offering a look at how water shaped the early planet’s surface.

“It was only after we started looking closely that we realized this meteorite is really unique,” said the paper’s lead author, Yang Liu of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “One of the paper’s reviewers called it a Rosetta Stone for Mars.”

A microscopic cross-section of a rock specimen set against a black background, displaying a heavily fractured, mosaic-like mineral texture in shades of gray and black with a 1-millimeter scale bar in the top-left corner.
This slice of Teghaza 001, a Martian meteorite, was used to study its mineralogy and chemistry.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Rose-colored stone

What sets Teghaza 001 apart from other Martian meteorites is its texture and age as well as the uniqueness of its igneous, or volcanic, minerals. It is one of the three most ancient Martian meteorites found on Earth. While invaluable, the others provide more limited glimpses of Mars’ geological history. They include ALH84001, which is composed almost entirely of one mineral and is similar in age to Teghaza 001. The other meteorite, nicknamed “Black Beauty,” formed about 2.1 billion years ago and is composed of small, volcanic rock fragments.

Unlike its ancient peers, Teghaza 001 has a mix of igneous minerals that tells a story about how the planet’s crust formed from cooling magma before it was eventually altered by subsurface water. The meteorite’s distinctive mineralogy matches what NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has observed in the planet’s cratered southern highlands. No one will ever know exactly where the meteorite originated on Mars, but the paper identifies several potential locations that match Teghaza 001’s mineralogy and chemistry.

“This is really our first piece of Martian crust from a part of Mars we’ve never had a sample of before,” said the new paper’s second author, Lee Saper, who conducted the research while at JPL as a postdoctoral scholar. Lee now is a scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. “It records interactions of water and rock and maybe even an imprint of the Martian atmosphere as it was losing water.”

Although the Mars meteorites found on Earth differ from one another, they share a common history, having been blasted off the Red Planet’s surface by an impact, followed by a trajectory that eventually placed them on Earth and into the hands of scientists. Meteorites are often found by collectors in deserts or snowy plains, where they stand out from the rest of the barren landscape. Scientists can verify a meteorite as Martian by matching its mineral and chemical components to data collected by NASA’s Mars missions, including the Viking landers as well as the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers.

A colorful topographic map of Mars displaying planetary elevations from low blue basins to high red volcanic plateaus, marked with white circular dots across the southern hemisphere.
Scientists identified 13 locations on Mars that match the mineralogy and chemistry of Teghaza 001, one of the most ancient Martian meteorites ever found on Earth.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/USGS

Signs of water

When Liu was first asked to look at Teghaza 001, she almost passed on the opportunity.

Researchers at the University of New Mexico had already identified it as Martian based on its oxygen isotopes, which serve as geochemical fingerprints for different planetary bodies. In this case, the researchers matched the meteorite’s oxygen isotopes to those seen in other Martian meteorites. Teghaza 001 appeared to be a shergottite which is the most common class of meteorite from the Red Planet. As an expert in planetary samples, Liu has seen plenty of those, but she decided to take a peek, anyway.

At the very least, there were odd textures and unusual minerals she hadn’t seen before. Liu and her colleagues discovered zircon crystals in Teghaza 001, which record clues to a rock’s formation and can be used by geologists to precisely age-date a sample. Further analysis revealed when Teghaza 001 formed and when certain changes, like water alteration, occurred.

Caltech coauthor Francois Tissot helped the researchers utilize a novel age-dating method pioneered by his team. Compared with bulk-analysis techniques, where a sample is entirely dissolved and analyzed, Tissot’s in-situ rubidium-strontium age-dating used a piece of Teghaza 001 that was smaller than a fingernail, analyzing single mineral grains on its surface. Besides its extreme precision and speed, the technique preserves rare samples like Martian meteorites for future studies.

“Right now, we are one of very few labs in the world able to perform this kind of age-dating, and the first to date such an ancient Martian meteorite,” Tissot said. “Our hope is to pave the way for dating even more Martian meteorites, or samples returned from other planets, their moons, and asteroids.”

When the age-dating results came back, Liu was shocked: This rock had been altered by Martian water sometime around 4.1 billion years ago, suggesting it originally formed even earlier. Clues within the oxygen isotopes, texture, and chemistry of Teghaza 001 minerals point to a much more dynamic water cycle on early Mars.

This year’s papers are just the start. Liu and her co-authors are eager to see what the rest of the scientific community can learn from Teghaza 001.

“We’ve only scratched the surface,” Liu said.

-end-

Andrew Good
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-2433
andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov

Karen Fox / Alana Johnson
NASA Headquarters, Washington
240-285-5155 / 202-672-4780
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov

2026-079    

NIH–NASA QuSAFE Challenge

2 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

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The Quantum-Enabled Predictive Preclinical NAMs for Toxicity and Safety (QuSAFE) Challenge, a collaboration between the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and NASA, advances quantum-enabled sensing for in vitro NAMs, such as organoids and microphysiological systems (MPS), to improve drug safety while reducing animal use.

In vitro NAMs, such as organoids and microphysiological systems (MPS), can generate human-relevant data for drug development and safety evaluation. However, conventional assays and imaging are often noisy, invasive, and not sensitive enough. As a result, weak, early, and low-abundance biological signals can go undetected, and destructive measurements make it hard to monitor dynamic processes over time. Quantum-enabled sensing approaches can offer ultra-high sensitivity, improved signal-to-noise performance, and nanoscale resolution, overcoming detection and measurement limitations that today’s approaches can’t reach.

The NIH-NASA QuSAFE Challenge directly supports NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division, addressing the need for advanced detection methods that work beyond traditional labs.

By leveraging recent advances in sensor-development research communities, the challenge enhances NASA’s space exploration capabilities and benefits science both in space and on Earth.

Award: Up to $7.1 million in prizes

Submissions Open Date: December 15, 2026

Submissions Close Date: July 27, 2027

For more information including registration, rules, and eligibility, visit: https://www.qusafechallenge.com/

How a Johnson Mentor Shapes the Next Generation of NASA Talent 

3 Min Read

How a Johnson Mentor Shapes the Next Generation of NASA Talent 

Daniel Cohen, Guidance, Navigation & Control (GN&C) engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, leads an outdoor orbital mechanics lesson for interns on Oct. 9, 2026. From left are Cohen, Lucas Anton Alonso-Munoyerro, Nathan Samuell, Marcos Pena, and Malvika Bhardwaj.
Credits: NASA

When Rice University student Malvika Bhardwaj asked her mentor Daniel Cohen, a Guidance, Navigation & Control (GN&C) engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, whether he had time to keep teaching interns with his busy workload, he answered, “You decide what’s important.” 

In honor of National Mentoring Day on Oct. 27, Bhardwaj reflects on how Cohen’s advice and support has shaped her internship experience at Johnson. 

Through NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, interns like Bhardwaj contribute to agency projects while learning from NASA mentors and gaining technical skills and hand-on experience to build a future career in space exploration. 

Bhardwaj studies computational and applied mathematics at Rice University and interns with the GN&C team, which focuses on how spacecraft determine their position and maneuver in orbit. She is developing tools to analyze thruster firings on the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle that will help NASA safely deorbit the International Space Station at the end of its operational life. Bhardwaj also uses computer simulations to test the vehicle’s control system and identify conditions under which it could fail. 

“I’ve learned about the culture of community and support at Johnson and NASA as a whole. Daniel made an effort to introduce me to the team and include me in conversations and meetings. I saw how team members step up to help one another and keep the whole unit moving forward,” Bhardwaj said. 

Cohen, a Rice University alumnus with a master’s in mechanical engineering, began his NASA career as a flight operations intern in 2020. He later held internships in docking dynamics, propulsion systems, and GN&C analysis before joining Johnson as a full-time engineer in August 2024. 

His current work includes developing simulations and models for studies of the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle, analyzing its control algorithms and GN&C performance, and evaluating SpaceX’s design at multiple life-cycle reviews.

He also analyzes settings for the Orion spacecraft’s docking camera, which provides positioning measurements that can help inform navigation during future Artemis rendezvous activities. 

Cohen supports Bhardwaj beyond her internship, giving her a closer look at how colleagues collaborate on projects and share ideas. He sets aside a couple of hours each week to teach interns topics such as orbital mechanics and control systems. 

Bhardwaj took Cohen’s advice to heart: How she spends her time and energy reflects what she values. She believes that her internship has shown her that problem-solving is rarely an individual effort. Team members bring different perspectives and need to understand how their work connects to a larger project. 

Working alongside interns in outreach, social media, and digital design has also broadened Bhardwaj’s view of STEM careers. “No matter what interests you, there’s likely a role for you here,” she said.  

She was proud to complete her first project, a set of analysis tools she built from scratch. Working through the debugging process and seeing a finished, functioning product was especially rewarding. 

Bhardwaj’s advice to students interested in NASA internships is to apply even if they do not feel fully prepared. 

“You’re probably never going to feel 100% ready, but so much of the learning happens on the job,” she said. “Trust in your ability to navigate new environments.” 

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Sumer Loggins

Sumer Loggins

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Oct 27, 2026

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NASA’s Perseverance Offers Clues to Protect Crews From Mars Dust

6 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

A panoramic view of a barren, rocky landscape with distant hills, framed by parts of a robotic rover visible on the left and right edges.
This 360-degree panorama from NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover shows Neretva Vallis, the dusty, long-dried river channel that cuts through the western rim of Mars’ Jezero Crater.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Over 1,645 Martian days, NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover measured the fine and ultrafine Martian dust particles found clinging to samples of spacesuit materials that are carried aboard the rover, including some that are small enough to penetrate the lungs and enter the bloodstream. The findings will be published Tuesday, Oct. 27, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and could inform spacesuit and habitat design, dust-removal procedures, and crew health standards for future NASA missions to Mars.

“NASA has a long history of turning challenges into workable solutions and of finding creative ways to use the data that we have to answer questions beyond what it was originally collected for,” said Lindsay Hays, acting director, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Dust has been a surface-exploration challenge since the Apollo program. Perseverance is giving our engineers and flight surgeons measurements they can use to improve our existing designs well before the first American astronauts arrive on Mars.”

Lunar dust scratched visors, degraded outer spacesuit layers, and damaged their seals during NASA’s Apollo missions, and some crew members reported symptoms similar to hay fever.

Rounded by wind-driven collisions with other particles, dust grains on Mars are less abrasive than those on the Moon. They also are enriched in sulfur, chlorine, and iron and contain more silica than lunar dust. Regional and global dust storms on Mars can keep the grains recirculating throughout the atmosphere as well.  

The rover carries a set of five samples of spacesuit material. The swatches, each three-quarters of an inch (20 millimeters) square, are part of a calibration target used to test the settings of SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals), an instrument on Perseverance’s robotic arm. The calibration target for another instrument that provided the dust measurements, called PIXL (Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry), carries a sample of Teflon and of basaltic glass.

Because Teflon contains no elements that PIXL can directly detect, whatever elemental signals the X-ray spectrometer picks up from that sample comes from dust resting on it.

The team also analyzed swatches of Teflon and Vectran, two materials used in spacesuits, on SHERLOC’s calibration target. NASA sent the swatches to Mars to study how spacesuit materials hold up on the planet’s surface.

“Perseverance’s main job is to search for signs of ancient microbial life, but the mission was also designed to help prepare for human explorers. That effort includes technology demonstrations like MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment) and Ingenuity, as well as the spacesuit samples,” said Katie Stack Morgan, Perseverance’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

Fine, ultrafine

While earlier measurements on Mars resolved dust particles down to about 3 micrometers across, PIXL detected two categories of even smaller particles: fine particles measuring less than 2.5 micrometers (a human hair is about 70 micrometers wide) and ultrafine particles around 100 nanometers (about 700 times thinner than a human hair). Particles on PIXL’s Teflon target and SHERLOC’s Vectran swatch averaged about 2 micrometers. On PIXL’s basaltic glass and SHERLOC’s Teflon swatch, dust particle sizes ranged down to about 100 to 300 nanometers.

A split view shows a rover on a rocky landscape with a yellow circle highlighting a deck instrument, alongside a close-up of that instrument's calibration target featuring rows of circular and square material samples.
This annotated composite image shows the location on NASA’s Perseverance of the calibration target for rover’s SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) instrument. At right is a close-up of the calibration target.
NASA/JPL-Caltech

Static electricity appears to determine which size dust particles stick to which surface. Dust grains become charged as they collide in the air, and different materials on the calibration target attract grains of different sizes. The finest particles stayed attached through years of driving and drilling. Organic polymers like SHERLOC’s Teflon spacesuit sample are common in the outer layers of spacesuits, and the results show they readily collect fine dust.

The study also found that some materials hold less dust than others, which could guide future choices of materials and protective coatings for spacesuits and habitats. Designs such as suitports, which let astronauts enter a suit attached to the outside of a habitat, and dual-chamber airlocks could reduce how much dust gets inside astronauts’ living quarters.

“The existence of Mars dust at these ultrafine sizes has been predicted for a long time, and PIXL gave us the chance to measure it directly on Mars,” said Scott VanBommel, a Perseverance scientist at Washington University in St. Louis and the paper’s lead author. “The larger clumps, the Martian dust bunnies, get shaken off over time. But the smallest particles stay behind, and those are the ones that pose the greatest challenge for human support systems.”

Chemically, the dust matches the iron- and sulfur-rich composition that earlier missions measured. The PIXL instrument also found the dust to be enriched in phosphorus and detected signs of calcium sulfate.

Protecting crews

On Earth, airborne particles, or particulate matter, below 2.5 micrometers (that is, fine particles) are tied to a range of negative health effects because they can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Studies have shown that ultrafine particles (those no larger than 100 nanometers) can travel from the nasal cavity to the brain along the olfactory nerve.

Martian dust is composed predominantly of silicate minerals and carries chemically reactive compounds, including perchlorates that can disrupt thyroid function and reactive iron that induces cellular damage. Scientists believe that the health risks of Mars dust depend on the quantity of dust and length of exposure.

The PIXL results are the first on-site measurements of fine and ultrafine particles on Mars, and this research can inform broader efforts to refine indoor dust-exposure limits for astronauts, develop safe habits, and establish ways to remove dust while exploring Mars.

NASA is already working on solutions to extraterrestrial dust hazards, using ground test facilities and lunar missions as proving grounds for future Mars explorers. In March 2025, the agency tested an Electrodynamic Dust Shield, which used electric fields to clear lunar regolith from glass and thermal radiator surfaces on the Moon. Developed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, it landed on the Moon aboard Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1. At NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers at the Lunar Development and Test Facility use vacuum chambers and lunar regolith simulant to test spacesuit components, mechanisms, and a Handheld Lunar Electrostatic Dust Mitigation tool ahead of Artemis missions to the lunar surface.

More about Perseverance

Managed for NASA by Caltech, JPL built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover on behalf of the agency’s Science Mission Directorate as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program portfolio. NASA JPL also built PIXL and SHERLOC.

To learn more about Perseverance visit:

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance

-end-

Media Contacts
DC Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011
david.c.agle@jpl.nasa.gov

Karen Fox / Alana Johnson
NASA Headquarters, Washington
240-285-5155 / 202-672-4780
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov

2026-076

NASA to Conduct NCAA Flyover, Engage Fans at University of Alabama

Looking up, three white and black fighter jets fly in formation across a bright, blue sky.
NASA’s Freedom 250 F-5 team, including NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, performs a flyover during the national anthem at an NFL game between the Cleveland Browns and the Carolina Panthers at Huntington Bank Field, Sept. 27, 2026, in Cleveland.
NASA/Jordan Cochran

As part of the agency’s Inspiration Tour, NASA will conduct a flyover at the University of Alabama vs. Texas A&M football game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Saturday, Oct. 24. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will pilot one of three F-5 fighter jets during the flyover, highlighting NASA’s contributions to aeronautics and the agency’s continued commitment to advancing aviation technologies.

Ahead of the game, members of the news media are invited to visit the NASA Experience Zone on Champions Lane, where Isaacman will participate in a media opportunity at 11 a.m. CDT. Media interested in attending should confirm their attendance by 12 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, with Lance D. Davis at lance.d.davis@nasa.gov to receive additional details and instructions.

Supported by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the NASA Experience Zone will be open to the public from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. CDT, with no game ticket required. The experience will give visitors an opportunity to meet NASA team members and learn more about the people and technologies advancing the agency’s missions in aeronautics and space exploration.

Attendees can engage with NASA team members and explore exhibits highlighting the agency’s Artemis campaign and efforts to return astronauts to the Moon, including:

  • An inflatable SLS (Space Launch System) rocket.
  • Displays featuring the Starship and Blue Moon human landing systems.
  • Information about NASA internship opportunities.
  • Photo opportunities featuring NASA exhibits and displays.

With stops across the nation, NASA’s  Inspiration Tour  convenes academic, industry, and public sector stakeholders to connect the agency with the people, technologies, and organizations that drive American leadership in space.

The tour will culminate in MAX POWER, a public exposition of American air and space innovation, Saturday, Nov. 7, and Sunday, Nov. 8, on and near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Held in honor of America’s historic 250th anniversary, the multi-day, family-friendly event will showcase the next-generation aircraft, spacecraft, autonomous vehicles, and technologies that will help define the future of transportation in air and space. 

 For more information about MAX POWER and the agency’s missions, visit:

 

https://www.nasa.gov/maxpower

-end-

Lance D. Davis 
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 
256-640-9065 
lance.d.davis@nasa.gov  

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Oct 21, 2026
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Lee Mohon
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NASA’s SR-1 Freedom Advances with Progress on Nuclear Power Module

2 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

Digital illustration of the Space Reactor-1 (SR-1) Freedom spacecraft in orbit near Mars. The planet's red terrain fills the left half of the frame. On the right, the spacecraft is oriented horizontally, showcasing its central Power and Propulsion Element bus flanked by two tall, illuminated golden Roll-Out Solar Arrays. An elongated open-truss boom extends forward from the bus, ending at the cylindrical nuclear fission reactor and power conversion module.
Space Reactor-1 Freedom will be the first spacecraft ever to demonstrate fission power beyond Earth’s orbit, traveling to Mars to deliver a science payload called SkyFall.
NASA/Alberto Bertolin

Destined for Mars and beyond, NASA’s Space Reactor-1 (SR-1) Freedom will be humanity’s first fission-powered spacecraft to travel outside Earth’s orbit. Announced during NASA’s “Ignition” event, this mission will demonstrate nuclear electric propulsion in deep space, and progress is underway on its key element: the nuclear power module. To expedite development of the spacecraft, NASA and its partners have mutually agreed to key contract actions that will advance the SR‑1 Freedom mission. 

“These contract actions not only reduce technical risk and help us maintain momentum toward our 2028 launch, but they also strengthen collaboration across our partners,” said Steve Sinacore, SR-1 Freedom program director. “These actions keep SR‑1 Freedom on track and ensure we’re building the strongest possible foundation for NASA’s first fission‑powered voyage beyond Earth orbit while developing technology extensible to a vibrant space nuclear future.” 

Digital illustration of the Space Reactor-1 Freedom (SR-1) spacecraft in deep space with the planet Mars filling the background. The spacecraft boom structure extends toward the planet, showing its power conversion assembly and solar panel, with a targeting graphic pointing to the fission reactor at its tip labeled 'FISSION REACTOR.'
Space Reactor-1 Freedom’s nuclear power module, located at the end of the spacecraft’s boom, consists of a reactor that generates heat through nuclear fission and a power conversion system that converts that heat into electricity to power systems and electric propulsion.
NASA/Alberto Bertolin

Sierra Lobo Inc. will provide the nuclear power module’s closed Brayton cycle power conversion system, which converts thermal energy from its fission reactor into electrical power needed for SR-1 Freedom’s nuclear electric propulsion demonstration. The work will be conducted under the Space Flight Systems Development and Operations Contract III, awarded in 2024, to support spaceflight hardware design, development, testing, and operations at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

The power conversion system will be integrated with the fission reactor, which is being designed and developed by the Department of Energy (DOE)’s Idaho National Laboratory to complete the nuclear power module. NASA and DOE incorporate thorough safety standards throughout the design and development of the SR-1 Freedom spacecraft, including interagency safety reviews, continuous oversight by a NASA chief safety officer, regulatory compliance, and a rigorous safety design process focusing on hazards, failure tolerance, and nuclear safety. In addition, the nuclear reactor portion of SR-1 Freedom will remain inactive until the spacecraft leaves Earth orbit.

Launching in late 2028, SR‑1 Freedom will deliver the SkyFall science mission, a team of three Mars helicopters evolved from the Ingenuity design, to collect scientific data, demonstrate exploration zones, and identify potential water sources. The mission will pave the way for deep space exploration and next‑generation fission-powered systems designed to keep NASA’s Moon Base operating through periods of darkness and in locations where solar power alone is not sufficient.

For information about SR-1 Freedom, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/space-reactor-1-freedom/

NASA Experimental Mars Helicopter Blade Designs Target Longer Flights 

Ingenuity
roamx-0201
A close-up view of a cross-section of the Ingenuity rotor blade, also called an airfoil. The blade is shaped like an arched teardrop with holes drilled into the side.
A close-up view of a cross section of a rotor blade, also called an airfoil. The thin, gray material is slightly arched and sits atop a black stand against a ruler.
A close-up view of a cross-section of the Ingenuity rotor blade, also called an airfoil. The blade is shaped like an arched teardrop with holes drilled into the side.
A close-up view of a cross section of a rotor blade, also called an airfoil. The thin, gray material is slightly arched and sits atop a black stand against a ruler.
Ingenuity
roamx-0201
Rotor blade cross-sections highlight the thinner profile of the roamx-0201 design (right) compared to the more traditional, rounded shape used by NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter, which accomplished the first powered flight on Mars.

NASA researchers are developing the future of flight on Mars, laying the groundwork for helicopters with the ability to fly higher and farther while conducting science on the Red Planet. Using high-fidelity computer simulations and wind tunnel tests, engineers are reimagining the rotorcraft blades that could carry the next generation of Mars flyers.
 
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter made history as the first powered aircraft to fly on another planet. The SkyFall mission, scheduled for launch in 2028, builds on that legacy with a trio of helicopters destined for Mars exploration. Both missions utilize a blade designed to operate in Mars’ thin atmosphere, with a curved edge reminiscent of but distinct from blades used on Earth.
 
Researchers are exploring unconventional blade designs that are thinner and sharper, aiming to enable future missions after Skyfall to expand their single-flight range across Mars. One team at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley is working with Imperial College London, United Kingdom, and Nagoya University, Japan, to test a new blade cross-section, or airfoil, that promises to significantly boost aerodynamic performance on Mars.
 
Researchers designed the new airfoil, called roamx-0201, using advanced simulations and algorithms tuned to Mars conditions, pointing researchers toward a thinner, asymmetrical shape. Subsequent wind tunnel tests showed that the optimized design boosted performance and was better able to recover in risky flight conditions.
 
Researchers used high-fidelity simulation tools to analyze the performance of the roamx-0201 airfoil and compare it to Ingenuity’s capacity. They found that the redesigned blades could enable future Mars helicopters to expand the distances that can be covered in one uninterrupted flight from Ingenuity’s 0.7 kilometers to as much as 18.7 kilometers while carrying scientific instruments. The findings were announced in a paper published Sept. 22 in the journal of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
 
The roamx‑0201 blades performed well in part because they were able to operate longer at higher speeds before experiencing a phenomenon known as “drag divergence”, where performance drops suddenly when the rotors approach the speed of sound, which is lower on Mars than on Earth.
 
The new blade also differs from earlier designs in how it uses turbulence to create lift. As air flows over a rotorcraft blade, it forms a thin region called the “boundary layer.” The new airfoil intentionally disrupts the flow of that boundary layer at the front of the airfoil directly at the leading edge to create a disturbance that, counterintuitively, pulls the blade upward to help lift the rotorcraft more effectively than with earlier designs.
 
Another challenge for rotorcraft is “stall,” an aerodynamic condition in which performance drops sharply and flight becomes unstable following a change in the angle of airflow. Ingenuity’s blades experienced steep performance degradation at stall, but under the conditions studied, the roamx-0201 design showed significantly improved stall behavior. That means future helicopters could operate safely at a wider range of flight angles.
 
While the technology is not yet ready for Mars, tests are helping engineers understand and resolve discrepancies between computational predictions and real-world performance. Ongoing research across NASA aims to enable more efficient Mars helicopters that can fly farther, carry more payload, and unlock new science and discovery missions.

Power Up: Roll Out Solar Arrays Boost Space Station Power Supply

2 Min Read

Power Up: Roll Out Solar Arrays Boost Space Station Power Supply

From the International Space Station’s unique position 250 miles above Earth, the Sun is a vital source of energy. Solar power supports the station’s life support systems, daily activities, and hundreds of research investigations that improve life on Earth and prepare humans for deep space exploration. Over the past five years, NASA augmented the station’s power generation and distribution capability with next-generation International Space Station Roll Out Solar Arrays (IROSAs).

An International Space Station Roll Out Solar Array deploys in 2022. 
NASA

In 2017, a technology demonstration conducted aboard the space station tested the effectiveness of the arrays. The lightweight, compact design launches as a cylinder and unfurls like a yoga mat after installation. This advanced design reduces mass and volume at launch and uses an autonomous, self-deploying system that minimizes risks during rollout.

Illuminated solar arrays and structural trusses of the International Space Station are shown against the darkness of space, with sunlight flaring near the center of the frame and Earth’s curved horizon visible below.
Sunlight flares across the International Space Station’s solar arrays. 
NASA

The IROSAs were designed, manufactured, and tested by Redwire under a contract with Boeing and are about half the size of the station’s legacy arrays. Despite being smaller, the arrays are capable of producing about 28 kilowatts of additional power.

Two cylindrical Roll Out Solar Arrays wrapped in striped insulation are secured in the trunk of a SpaceX Dragon Cargo vehicle surrounded by structural supports and cables.
The first two International Space Station Roll Out Solar Arrays loaded in a SpaceX Dragon’s trunk before delivery to the orbiting laboratory during the company’s 22nd commercial resupply services mission for NASA in 2021.
SpaceX

Six IROSAs were installed outside of the space station between 2021 and 2023. In 2023, power projections prompted a request for another set of IROSAs, which launched in Dragon spacecraft’s trunk during the SpaceX 35th commercial resupply services mission to space station for NASA. Together, the eight IROSAs will increase power by more than 160kW for research and operations.

Two NASA astronauts in white spacesuits work outside the International Space Station, with one holding a rectangular hardware unit while robotic arms assist near the station’s orange solar arrays.
NASA astronauts perform a spacewalk to install an International Space Station Roll Out Solar Array with the assistance of the Canadarm2 robotic arm in 2022.
NASA

With the full upgrade in place, the space station’s revitalized power system not only supports NASA’s legacy in low Earth orbit but also helps advance technology that will extend the agency’s reach into the solar system. From planetary defense demonstrations, like the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, to future human exploration efforts, the space station is an essential testbed for the technologies needed for expeditions beyond Earth’s orbit.

NASA to Conduct Low-Altitude Flights Over Texas Farmland

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on Oct. 15, 2026, and has been updated to correct the location of the flights.

A NASA Dynamic Aviation A200 aircraft will conduct low-flying research flights over farmland near Amarillo, Texas, from Thursday, Oct. 22, through Monday, Nov. 9. These flights will measure gaseous and particulate emissions from animal feeding operations.

A two engine aircraft sitting in front of a hangar.
A photo of the Dynamic Aviation A200 aircraft, which will conduct low-flying research flights over farmland near Amarillo, Texas, to measure emissions in October and November 2026.
Dynamic Aviation

Agricultural emissions represent an important and understudied part of Earth’s land and atmosphere systems. The FarmFlux mission will deploy more than a dozen sensors to measure ozone, methane, ammonia, particulates, and other pollutants rising from crop lands and livestock farms and their interaction with the Earth’s atmosphere. The mission is jointly led by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; Colorado State University; and Boston University.

Additional low-altitude research flights with a NASA P-3 Orion aircraft are scheduled for the March to July 2027 growing season in the Midwest and California’s Central Valley with a focus on cropland.

For more information about the FarmFlux mission, visit:

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/evs-4/farm-flux/

By Sharon Teitelbaum

NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley

NASA to Conduct Flyover, Engage NFL Fans at MetLife Stadium

NASA’s Freedom 250 F-5 team, including NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, performs a flyover during the national anthem at an NFL game between the Cleveland Browns and the Carolina Panthers at Huntington Bank Field, Sept. 27, 2026, in Cleveland.
Credit: NASA/Jordan Cochran

As part of the agency’s Inspiration Tour flyover, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will pilot one of three F-5 fighter jets to kick off the New York Jets vs. Cleveland Browns game in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday, Oct. 11.

NASA team members will engage with fans at the agency’s Experience Zone, located at the Jets Tailgate Zone outside the stadium, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT before the game. Fans can learn more about NASA’s return to the Moon under the agency’s Artemis dome, enjoy interactive games, and capture photos with a large, inflatable SLS (Space Launch System) rocket.

Isaacman will be available for limited media interviews during the game. To arrange interviews, please contact Camille Gallo at: camille.m.gallo@nasa.gov or 202-531-8057.

With stops across the nation, NASA’s Inspiration Tour convenes academic, industry, and public sector stakeholders to connect the agency with the people, technologies, and organizations that drive American leadership in space.

The tour will culminate in MAX POWER, a public exposition of American air and space innovation, Saturday, Nov. 7, and Sunday, Nov. 8, on and near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Held in honor of America’s historic 250th anniversary, the multi-day, family-friendly event will showcase the next-generation aircraft, spacecraft, autonomous vehicles, and technologies that will help define the future of transportation in air and space.

For more information about MAX POWER and the agency’s missions, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/maxpower

-end-

Camille Gallo / Jessica Taveau
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
camille.m.gallo@nasa.gov / jessica.c.taveau@nasa.gov

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Last Updated
Oct 13, 2026
Editor
Jessica Taveau

NASA Demonstrates Next-Generation Heat Shield Technologies

4 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

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A KREPE-3 capsule floats inside the Northrup Grumman Cygnus XL 24 cargo spacecraft on October 7. Inside the capsule is a 3-D printed heat shield designed by researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
NASA

NASA is testing heat shields that can keep astronauts safe as they return from missions to the Moon and Mars in an unusual way: by taking out the trash.

When Northrop Grumman 24th cargo resupply mission for NASA undocked from the International Space Station, it carried a fleet of 12 small, experimental capsules designed to test the next generation of thermal protection materials that could serve as the foundation for future heat shields.

The experiment, called the Kentucky Reentry Probe Experiment (KREPE-3), is the third in a series of low-cost, high-impact missions that use the final moments of the cargo spacecraft’s lifespan to gather valuable data.

The experiment is a collaboration among the University of Kentucky, the state of Kentucky, NASA’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), several NASA centers, and other federal and commercial partners.

“KREPE-3 is a great example of the goals of NASA’s EPSCoR program,” said David Berger, EPSCoR program manager at NASA’s Headquarters in Washington. “We are supporting the next generation of scientists and engineers as they develop unique projects that benefit their education and NASA’s mission goals.”

Trash to treasure

Before the mission’s Cygnus XL spacecraft departed the station, astronauts packed it with waste and activated the 12 small capsules carried inside. Designed by University of Kentucky students, the capsules include sensors that will measure temperature, pressure, motion, magnetic field, and light during re-entry. 

As the vehicle harmlessly breaks apart in Earth’s atmosphere on its planned route, the capsules will eject and begin collecting data on how each set of experimental heat shield materials performs. Satellite signals will transfer live data to researchers, offering insights into how larger heat shields could protect future cargo or crew.

“It’s a smart way to get flight data on materials that are still in development,” said Keith Peterson, a materials engineer at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. “We’re essentially hitching a ride on a vehicle that’s already coming back to Earth.”

Close up of an Ames-produced thermal protection system (TPS) (heat shield) for the Kentucky Re-Entry Probe Experiment (KREPE) in the Sensors & TPS Advanced Research Laboratories (STAR Labs) N242.
NASA/Brandon Torres-Navarrete

Heating up innovation

The capsules will carry a variety of thermal protective components, including proven technology such as the ceramic tile material used on the space shuttle. Others will test new options, such as a 3D-printed heat shield from the Additive Manufacturing of Thermal Protective Systems project developed at NASA Johnson and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Researchers at NASA Ames are contributing several materials to KREPE-3, including two capsules that will fly a next-generation family of protective coverings known as Materials Engineered for Re-entry using Innovative Needling Operations (MERINO). Made from layers of carbon and phenolic fibers stitched together like felt, the materials are more flexible, faster to produce, and less expensive than traditional protective substances – making them promising candidates for Mars missions. Thanks to Mars’ thinner atmosphere, missions to land on the Red Planet involve lower heat loads and allow for lighter protection.

A third capsule will combine those protective coverings with other elements. The Kentucky Instrumented Conical Hypersonic Experiment will utilize a dual-cone shape. It combines a tungsten tip attached to a cone layered with carbon and hear-resistant plastic fibers, and an aft cone wrapped in MERINO. This unique design will validate computer models against real-world data.

Another capsule is shaped like the protective aeroshell that will protect NASA’s upcoming mission, Dragonfly, as it arrives at Saturn’s moon, Titan, and will test the dynamic stability of the design. It is covered in Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator, a material developed at NASA Ames that has applications for commercial vehicles and flew on NASA’s Stardust, Mars Science Laboratory, and Mars 2020 missions.

One capsule will test a deployable heat shield called Adaptable Deployable Entry and Placement Technology, which is shaped like an umbrella to increase surface area and slow descent. At full scale, Adaptable Deployable Entry design could be folded, making it ideal for deploying payloads that are larger than the rockets that launch them into flight.

While some capsules are testing new materials to carry missions to Mars, others are testing new shapes and designs that will further research and understanding of computer modeling and sensor design — technologies that could open doors to another generation of re-entry design innovation.

Additional capsules developed by domestic and international partners will test a variety of known and new materials, including a heat flux sensor developed at the University of Stuttgart in Germany, that will help researchers measure how heat moves across a surface during re-entry.

“We’re pushing the boundaries of what heat shields can do,” said Peterson. “And we’re testing them in a way that’s fast, affordable, and incredibly effective.”

NASA’s SSPICY Mission to Demonstrate In-Space Inspection Technologies

2 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

Four people in white suits with teal gloves hold the underside of the SSPICY spacecraft's white frame with
Technicians at Starfish Space prepare the Otter spacecraft ahead of NASA’s SSPICY technology demonstration mission. The spacecraft will demonstrate technologies that could reduce orbital debris.
Starfish Space

A new NASA-supported spacecraft will get up close to satellites that are no longer in service, demonstrating technologies that could support future in-space repairs and reduce orbital debris.

The Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability (SSPICY) mission launched Oct. 1 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission is a technology demonstration where an Otter spacecraft will approach up to four inoperable space objects of U.S. origin in low Earth orbit, such as satellites and rocket bodies.

In early 2027, the Otter spacecraft, built by Starfish Space, will begin to navigate within hundreds of yards of each object to perform inspections, using autonomous guidance and control software with minimal input from ground controllers. Computer vision and sensors enable software to make real-time navigation decisions as the spacecraft approaches each target.

During inspection, the Otter spacecraft will gather critical information about each object, such as spin rate, orientation, and surface condition. An electric propulsion system will enable SSPICY to travel between objects, and an articulating robotic boom will test pointing the spacecraft’s thrusters for precise maneuvering between different orbits.

This mission is the first time these technologies will be tested together as an integrated system, paving the way for future autonomous servicing and orbital debris inspection.

Four individuals stand in a large room with an American flag and equipment in the background. Above them, the SSPICY spacecraft is held by a ceiling mount.
Technicians prepare the Otter spacecraft for NASA’s SSPICY mission at Starfish Space facilities in Seattle. The spacecraft, which is about the size of a washing machine, will autonomously navigate to inoperable space objects of U.S. origin to inspect them, testing technologies to one day make in-space repair possible.

During the SSPICY mission, the Otter spacecraft won’t touch or dock with any satellites, but will test the technologies needed to one day enable missions to service or repair objects in orbit, or to safely remove them by pulling them into Earth’s atmosphere for disposal.

Space objects like rocket bodies and satellites that are experiencing issues or no longer in service can break apart or collide with one another, creating varying forms of orbital debris from large fragments to small particles. With thousands of satellites launched each year to provide communications, weather forecasting, navigation, and other services that people rely on daily, keeping the space near Earth safe for operations is increasingly critical.

Starfish Space developed and operates the Otter 24C spacecraft, which is performing the SSPICY mission. NASA’s Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems program within the agency’s Research and Technology Mission Directorate funds and manages the technology demonstration.

NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer program funded awards to Starfish Space to support early development of the spacecraft’s key technologies and capabilities.  

NASA’s SpaceX 35th Commercial Resupply Mission Overview

NASA’s SpaceX 35th commercial resupply mission will launch on the company’s Dragon spacecraft on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to deliver research and supplies to the International Space Station.
NASA’s SpaceX 35th commercial resupply mission will launch on the company’s Dragon spacecraft on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to deliver research and supplies to the International Space Station.
NASA

NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Tuesday, Oct. 13 to launch scientific investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. 

Loaded with more than 6,300 pounds of supplies, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will lift off aboard the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Following its arrival to the orbital complex, Dragon will autonomously dock to the space-facing port of the space station’s Harmony module. 

NASA will stream launch and docking coverage through a variety of platforms. Learn where to watch online:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

NASA’s SpaceX 35th commercial resupply mission will launch from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
NASA’s SpaceX 35th commercial resupply mission will launch from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
NASA

For more than 25 years, the International Space Station has supported research by scientists from more than 110 countries, enabling more than 4,000 experiments in microgravity. Research conducted aboard the station helps advance long-duration missions to the Moon as part of the Artemis program and to Mars, while also providing multiple benefits to humanity.

Science Highlights

In addition to cargo for the crew aboard the space station, Dragon will deliver several new science experiments, including:

Lambda-Vision-1 studies artificial retinas in microgravity and could help patients with incurable retinal diseases on Earth.
Lambda-Vision-1 studies artificial retinas in microgravity and could help patients with incurable retinal diseases on Earth.
NASA

With LambdaVision-1, NASA is testing how to manufacture artificial eye retinas in microgravity, building them one thin layer at a time. Reduced settling in microgravity may create more uniform, stable layers, potentially improving implants’ performance. These artificial retinas could help restore vision for patients with currently incurable retinal diseases on Earth.

Stellar Spheroids examines growth and function of 3D heart tissues models in microgravity. Credit: NASA
Stellar Spheroids examines growth and function of 3D heart tissues models in microgravity. Credit: NASA
NASA

NASA will use the Stellar Spheroids experiment to study how microgravity affects the growth and function of 3D human heart tissue models. Researchers will assess whether microgravity improves the formation of advanced vascular networks. Results could help researchers develop more realistic heart tissue models for disease research and support larger‑scale drug testing on future space missions.

ELF-Unconventional Glass 2 studies how glass forms in microgravity when made from non-traditional elements.
ELF-Unconventional Glass 2 studies how glass forms in microgravity when made from non-traditional elements.
NASA

Using non-traditional elements, ELF-Unconventional Glass 2 studies how glass forms in microgravity. Researchers will observe molten behavior in space, then return solid samples to Earth for detailed analysis. These unconventional glasses could offer higher strength, improved optical capabilities, and greater durability for spacecraft, habitats, and other exploration technologies.

MINDS seeks to reveal new targets to treat diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis.
MINDS seeks to reveal new targets to treat diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis.
NASA

The MINDS experiment studies brain organoids to better understand inflammation linked to neurodegenerative diseases. The investigation uses “organoid villages,” which combine cells from multiple people to better represent patient diversity. Results could help identify new treatment targets for diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis.

Arrival and Return

NASA astronaut Anil Menon and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk will monitor the arrival of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station.
NASA astronaut Anil Menon and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk will monitor the arrival of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk will monitor the Dragon spacecraft’s arrival. It will remain docked to the orbiting laboratory for about a month before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, returning critical science and hardware to teams on Earth. 

Cargo Highlights

NASA’s SpaceX 35th commercial resupply mission will launch on the company’s Dragon spacecraft on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to deliver research and supplies to the International Space Station
NASA’s SpaceX 35th commercial resupply mission will launch on the company’s Dragon spacecraft on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to deliver research and supplies to the International Space Station
NASA

Launch 

International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (IROSA) – The final pair of IROSAs that will be installed on the space station, completing the augmentation of its power system to support critical operations, including its safe and controlled deorbit.

Collapsible Continency Urinal and supporting hardware – A demonstration and test unit supporting NASA’s Artemis III mission.  

Canadarm2 joint flight support equipment – A large foam clamshell will fly empty to return the failed robotic arm joint that was replaced during a June 30 spacewalk. After its return to Earth, teams will analyze the joint on the ground.

Additional equipment launching includes a toilet dose pump, a toilet pretreat quality sensor, and a robot micro-conical tool used for space station maintenance and utilization tasks with external replacement units and payloads.

Return

When Dragon returns in mid‑November, it will bring back the failed joint on the Canadarm2 for analysis and refurbishment, a spacesuit for ground refurbishment, a fluid- and pressure-control pump assembly from the urine processor, and a filtration unit for the water processor assembly. 

Mapping the Gaps in NASA’s Return to the Moon, featuring Richard Spolzino

“I want to be able to look at a rocket launch and say, ‘I touched a piece of this.’”

That’s how Richard Spolzino describes the thing he’s chasing. Not a title, not a specific mission, not even NASA itself, just the ability to point at something real and know his work made it possible. At NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, Spolzino works within Moon Base’s mission architecture and systems interoperability effort, helping identify what NASA still doesn’t know about the Moon and Mars, and making sure that missing information gets found before it becomes a problem.

Official NASA portrait of Richard Spolzino, aerospace engineer, in front of an American flag backdrop
Aerospace engineer Richard Spolzino
Credit: NASA



“For me, it kept coming back to where can I have the most impact? Where can my work touch the most things?“


From History to Aerospace

Spolzino didn’t set out to end up here.

He started college as a history major. He switched to a physics track at Santa Clara University, thinking he’d end up in astrophysics. A research stint at Lick Observatory studying interstellar dust polarization taught him two things: the work was fascinating and, “I don’t think the staying-up-all-night thing is for me,” he says.

Richard Spolzino stands with his research adviser and a fellow grad student on an outdoor walkway at Lick Observatory, hills visible in the distance.
Spolzino (on right) at Lick Observatory with his physics research adviser Dr. Kristin Kulas (left, front) and then-grad student Dr. Ilija Medan (back).
Credit: Richard Spolzino

After graduation, he started down the path of Officer Candidate School in the Navy, hoping to fly jets. It didn’t pan out, and that detour led him to a graduate program at the University of Houston, combining aerospace engineering and space architecture — not the habitat-design kind of architecture people usually picture, but the systems-level kind, where a lunar oxygen plant connects to the rovers that feed it, which connect to the processor, which connects to the user drawing down the resource. “I was always more attracted to how all the pieces work together than to any single piece,” he says.

Chasing Impact

Ask Spolzino if he dreamed of working at NASA, and the honest answer is no.

“I really admire people who’ve had that drive their whole life,” he says. “For me, it kept coming back to where can I have the most impact? Where can my work touch the most things?” A University of Houston program with strong ties to Johnson Space Center put NASA on his radar alongside other options in industry and government. What ultimately drew him in wasn’t the agency’s name, it was the scope of the problems and the direct line he saw to senior decision-makers shaping the return to the Moon.

That’s also, he adds, exactly why NASA is worth considering for people who aren’t sure it’s their calling yet. The culture rewards people willing to take on more than their assigned lane and gives early-career employees room to grow into problems bigger than their job description, something he says he might not have found moving up more slowly in industry.

Documenting the Missing Piece

Spolzino’s day-to-day work centers on a deceptively simple idea: the data gap.

“You can think of it as synonymous with a knowledge gap,” he explains. “It’s a way of documenting the thing we don’t know.” Take the geotechnical properties of lunar regolith — moon dust, essentially, but the specifics matter enormously. How much weight can it bear? What’s its shear strength? Answering those questions shapes everything from how far a rover can safely drive to whether a habitat’s foundation will hold.

A data gap lays that out formally: what we don’t know, why it matters, what we currently have that falls short, and, critically, a specific measurable target industry and international partners can aim for. “Once we’ve identified what’s missing,” he says, “our partners can look at that list and see exactly where their contribution would be valuable.”

His team started with roughly 25 published data gaps last year. They’re on track for 60 by the end of this year.

From Concept to Cargo

The concept only matters if it changes decisions, and Spolzino cites two recent examples where it did.

When the lunar lander company now known as Voyager (formerly Astrobotic) was preparing its upcoming Griffin-1 mission, the team didn’t help them figure out what instruments to fly since that was already locked in. Instead, Spolzino’s team helped them prioritize what data gets sent home first through a communication pipeline that can’t carry everything at once. “How do you prioritize all the things you say you want, and what gets sent back through that constrained pipeline?” he asks.

Artist's rendering of Astrobotic's Griffin Mission One lunar lander on the Moon's surface, deploying the FLIP rover, against a starry black sky
Artist’s rendering of Astrobotic’s Griffin Mission One lunar lander delivering the FLIP rover to the lunar surface. The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative supporting future lunar exploration and technology demonstrations.
Credit: Astrobiotic

On the other side of the pipeline, Spolzino has spent recent months evaluating proposed instruments (spectrometers, sample collection tools, tech demonstrations) against the published data gaps to help leadership decide what’s worth flying. Some proposals map cleanly onto a documented need. Others don’t align with anything NASA has said it’s missing. “That’s used to filter down what gets pushed forward as a real candidate,” he says. Industry partners have taken notice, and leadership now asks companies pitching new instruments to show how their proposal maps to a data gap before the conversation goes any further.

Figuring It Out Takes Work

Spolzino admits the job reshaped an assumption he carried out of graduate school — that NASA had everything figured out, and that the agency’s reputation meant every question already had an answer somewhere inside its walls.

Three years in, he sees it differently. “Keeping the kind of reputation NASA has takes constant, deliberate work,” he says. “Everyone’s genuinely trying to pull in the right direction, but it’s not automatic.” That realization was clarifying for him. The agency runs on people figuring things out in real time, which means there’s room for someone early in their career to contribute meaningfully, rather than just executing someone else’s playbook.

His advice to students considering NASA is practical, not sentimental: Grades matter less than people think. “The projects you work on, and the results of that work, are what people look at first,” he says. His advice is to join clubs, take on real projects, and build something. “It’s less about credentials and more about giving yourself something to show up with.”

On Spolzino’s Sci-Fi Shelf

The Three-Body Problem trilogy by Liu Cixin

Spolzino was already deep into the second book, The Dark Forest, on a flight from New York to Houston when the plane was diverted to San Antonio. “I did not care that I was three or four hours late,” he says. “I had that book, and I was just devouring it.”

Kerbal Space Program

An older game, but a formative one. Spolzino credits it with cementing his interest in space before college even started. “It’s a space program simulator where you build rockets piece by piece, and the physics are simplified but accurate enough that you’re doing a lot of the same math as an actual mission design tool,” he says. “That really had a huge impact on me figuring out that space was the thing I wanted to do.”



Part of the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate at NASA’s Langley Research Center.
Learn more about our work by visiting our website.

NASA ORBIT Challenge 2027

1 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

NASA ORBIT graphic design imagery. The words "NASA ORBIT" are displayed encircled by an oval graphic design with a star at the bottom of the oval.

The NASA ORBIT (Opportunities in Research, Business, Innovation, and Technology for the Workforce) Challenge invites university and community college students nationwide to work with real NASA intellectual property and mission challenges.

Choose your path: develop commercial applications of NASA patents that solve problems here on Earth (ORBIT Earth), or design next-generation technologies for space exploration (ORBIT Space). The most ambitious teams can pursue both through the optional Integration Bonus.

Award: Up to $500,000 in prizes, receive mentorship from NASA experts, and present your work at an in-person showcase. Finalists gain access to an exclusive accelerator program designed to launch careers in STEM and entrepreneurship.

Challenge Open Date: September 14, 2026

Registration Close Date: November 16, 2026

For more information, visit: https://nasaorbit.org/

Reliable Robots: Meet Johnson’s Dexterous Robotics Team

A humanoid robot stands in the foreground, lifting a duffel bag. A man in the background wears a VR headset and holds hand controllers, apparently controlling the robot's movements.
Dexterous Robotics Team lead Shaun Azimi conducts a demonstration with NASA’s Valkyrie humanoid robot.
NASA

The idea of humans and robots working side-by-side in space was once the stuff of science fiction, but with NASA launching increasingly complex missions deeper into space, human-robot collaboration could become reality.

Advanced robotic systems are critical for human spaceflight because they can enhance a crew’s performance and productivity while reducing risk and expanding the capabilities for space exploration. The Dexterous Robotics Team at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston plays a key role in developing robotic hardware and software to support NASA’s bold vision for the future, with a focus on robots that can complete tasks humans do with their hands. 

“Our team is not trying to replace human explorers with robots but instead make human exploration safer and more sustainable by developing highly capable, reliable, and trustworthy robots to work in extreme environments,” said Shaun Azimi, Dexterous Robotics Team lead. “If we can send more capable robots, we can reduce the risk and make people more effective in doing the things that people do best.”

Two men sit at a wooden table with two large computer monitors displaying data and imagery from a robotic arm test. They sit in a large, open facility with additional computer monitors and robotic equipment in the background.
Dexterous Robotics Team members Nathan Dunkelberger (left) and Connor Rainen test the use of a robotic arm.
NASA

The 16-member team is part of NASA’s Robotic System Technology Branch, which also develops mobility systems like unmanned planetary rovers. Azimi is one of several engineers who work on both dexterity and mobility projects. There is also crossover within the Dexterous Robotics Team. While the group is generally organized into two subgroups, mechatronics and software, most team members have experience in electronics or mechanics as well as writing software for simulations or analyses.

Much of that experience was gained by working on two well-known humanoid robots – the Robonaut 2, which participated in robotics technology demonstrations aboard the International Space Station for seven years, and Valkyrie, NASA’s first bipedal humanoid robot. Many of the employees who worked on those projects now make up the Dexterous Robotics Team and continue to build upon the robots’ legacy.

Pictures of two humanoid robots are displayed side-by-side.
NASA’s Robonaut 2 (left) and Valkyrie humanoid robots.
NASA

Today the team supports a variety of agency projects and programs, some of which are exploring connections to building the Moon Base, humanity’s first lunar outpost. “Our work is a combination of technology research and development, and applied technology on the operational side,” Azimi said. The team also collaborates with private industry and other external partners that face similar challenges in their work, such as an oil and gas company seeking to leverage robotic technologies in harsh environments and for riskier tasks.

A humanoid robot hands a duffel bag to a woman wearing casual clothes.
During a demonstration, Valkyrie hands Dexterous Robotics Team member Emily Sheetz a packed duffel bag.
NASA/Helen Arase Vargas

A major focus for the team has been development of the Integrated Mobile Evaluation Testbed for Robotics Operations (iMETRO) facility at Johnson. Available to NASA programs and external partners, iMETRO is designed to support the adaptation of terrestrial robotic technologies for human-supervised space exploration applications such as logistics, maintenance, and scientific research. The facility comprises open-source software and simulation assets, as well as space vehicle and habitat mockups, a selection of “house robots,” and an outdoor rock yard. Offering digital and physical facilities gives iMETRO users the flexibility to test a whole robot or a single hardware or software component.

Azimi said iMETRO helps remove the guesswork from NASA’s collaboration with external partners. “It shows them the things we actually need done so they don’t have to speculate,” he said. “We can also bring together the people who are developing the robotic technologies – hardware, software, or both – with the people who are actually designing a lunar surface habitat or rover.” This enables different teams to learn from each other: The technology providers gain a better understanding of the habitat, while the habitat designers learn what features are needed to accommodate a robot. “They can learn about how robots perceive the world and interact with objects, and what is difficult for a robot compared to a human,” Azimi said. “It’s not necessarily a totally different interface, and something like a bigger handle or better lighting might make things easier for a person as well.”

In one case, a team from PickNik Inc. used iMETRO to test software enabling a robotic arm to recognize a spacecraft hatch, then turn the latch, grasp the handle, and open the door. The arm was then able to transfer cargo bags between the hatch and a bin. The facility also supported a NASA intern’s development and testing of software that used a common commercial robotic arm and camera to inspect and maintain a cold stowage freezer like those aboard the space station.  

Robotic system components are shown in a lab setting, with blue drapery in the background.
Components of the Dexterous Robotics Team’s iMETRO facility.
NASA

Azimi acknowledged the team’s near-term emphasis on technologies that can support a sustained human presence on the lunar surface but noted those technologies also have applications for future missions to Mars. In fact, the team is collaborating with other agency organizations on a forthcoming NASA challenge that will invite the public to share their ideas for technology solutions for Mars exploration.

Azimi said he is often asked why there is a robotics team at Johnson. “It’s really about the human elements – either working in environments designed for humans or working alongside humans. That’s our niche,” he said. “We’re uniquely positioned to bring in folks who are designing the human environments.”

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