Interview with Dr. Caleb Scharf

_________________________________________________________________________________________ In the following interview, questions from the interviewer, Fred Van Wert, are in bold, and Caleb Scharf’s responses are in regular text. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Let’s begin with your early years. Where you were born, something about your family, what your mother and father did, your early schooling, what got you interested in the career that […]

NASA Scientists Help Maryland County Plan to Beat Summer Heat Risks

Thousands of Americans are impacted each summer by excessive heat and humidity, some suffering from heat-related illnesses when the body can’t cool itself down. Data from NASA satellites could help local governments reduce the sweltering risks, thanks to a collaboration between NASA scientists and officials in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The effort demonstrates how local […]

NASA’s Chandra Reveals Star’s Inner Conflict Before Explosion

The inside of a star turned on itself before it spectacularly exploded, according to a new study from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Today, this shattered star, known as the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant, is one of the best-known, well-studied objects in the sky. Over three hundred years ago, however, it was a giant star on […]

Meet NASA’s Artemis II Moon Mission Masterminds

As four astronauts venture around the Moon on NASA’s Artemis II test flight in 2026, many people will support the journey from here on Earth. Teams directing operations from the ground include the mission management team, launch control team, flight control team, and the landing and recovery team, each with additional support personnel who are […]

What is BioNutrients?

A series of biology experiments, called BioNutrients, is testing ways to use microorganisms to produce nutrients – off Earth and on demand – that will be critical for human health in space. Editor’s note: This article was updated on Aug. 19, 2025, to clarify which BioNutrients experiments in the series are completed and adds new […]