Present-day disk galaxies often contain a thick, star-filled outer disk and an embedded thin disk of stars. For instance, our own Milky Way galaxy’s thick disk is approximately 3,000 light-years in height, and its thin disk is roughly 1,000 light-years thick. How and why does this dual disk structure form? By analyzing archival data from […]
Author: Brian Evans
NASA, Australia Team Up for Artemis II Lunar Laser Communications Test
As NASA prepares for its Artemis II mission, researchers at the agency’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland are collaborating with The Australian National University (ANU) to prove inventive, cost-saving laser communications technologies in the lunar environment. Communicating in space usually relies on radio waves, but NASA is exploring laser, or optical, communications, which can send […]
NASA’s Chandra Shares a New View of Our Galactic Neighbor
The Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31 (M31), is the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way at a distance of about 2.5 million light-years. Astronomers use Andromeda to understand the structure and evolution of our own spiral, which is much harder to do since Earth is embedded inside the Milky Way. The galaxy […]
NASA Astronauts to Answer Questions from Alabama Students
Students attending the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, will have the chance to hear NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station answer their prerecorded questions. At 12:40 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, July 1, NASA astronauts Anne McClain, Jonny Kim, and Nichole Ayers will answer student questions. Ayers is a space […]
Waning Crescent Moon
NASA astronaut Bob Hines took this picture of the waning crescent moon on May 8, 2022, as the International Space Station flew into an orbital sunrise 260 miles above the Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of the United States. Since the station became operational in November 2000, crew members have produced hundreds of thousands […]
What Are Asteroids? (Ages 14-18)
What are asteroids? Asteroids are rocky objects that orbit the Sun just like planets do. In fact, sometimes asteroids are called “minor planets.” These space rocks were left behind after our solar system formed about 4.6 billion years ago. Asteroids are found in a wide range of sizes. For example, one small asteroid, 2015 TC25, […]
John Casani, Former Manager of Multiple NASA Missions, Dies
During his work on several historic missions, Casani rose through a series of technical and management positions, making an indelible mark on the nation’s space program. John R. Casani, a visionary engineer who served a central role in many of NASA’s historic deep space missions, died on Thursday, June 19, 2025, at the age […]
Meet Rob Navias: Public Affairs Officer and Mission Commentator
Editor’s note: This interview was conducted in October 2023. As the International Space Station approaches 25 years of continuous human presence on Nov. 2, 2025, it is a meaningful moment to recognize those who have been there since the beginning—sharing the remarkable achievements of human spaceflight with the world. If you have ever witnessed the […]
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Scours Mars for Science
In addition to drilling rock core samples, the science team has been grinding its way into rocks to make sense of the scientific evidence hiding just below the surface. On June 3, NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover ground down a portion of a rock surface, blew away the resulting debris, and then went to work studying […]