Kenny Heckle grew up in Orlando, just west of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An 80s child, he comes from a long line of union pipefitters and fabricators. Heckle recalls the day 42 years ago at KARS Park, which is a NASA Exchange–run recreation area for the agency’s workforce and their guests, when he […]
Author: Guest authors
NASA Astronaut Andrew Morgan Retires
May 28, 2026 After a 12-year career at NASA, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Andrew R. Morgan has retired from the agency to continue his military service. Morgan spent 272 days in space aboard the International Space Station. NASA selected Morgan to join its 21st astronaut class in August 2013. He launched to the space station […]
Going Low and Slow in Testing
NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft flies above NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on April 28, 2026, during testing focused on lower-speed and altitude flight conditions in support of NASA’s Quesst mission. The X-59 has completed initial test flights at high altitudes and near-supersonic speeds, opening the door for additional flights focused […]
NASA’s Roman Mission Preps to Unveil New Populations of Faraway Worlds
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is poised to make a major leap in the hunt for worlds outside our solar system, known as exoplanets. Scientists expect the mission to reveal around 100,000 worlds — a staggering leap compared to the nearly 6,300 found so far thanks to NASA missions working in tandem with other […]
How NASA Uses Light to Detect Waste From Mines
Tens of thousands of abandoned mines threaten waterways across the American West, but identifying which sites urgently need cleanup is slow and expensive. Now, NASA’s EMIT instrument can analyze the unique light signatures of mine waste from space to help focus remediation efforts where they’re needed most.