Immunology and Virology

Does Spaceflight Alter the Human Immune System? Getting sick on Earth is nothing to sneeze at, but for astronauts on deep space exploration missions, the risk for contracting diseases may be elevated due to altered immunity. The Human Health and Performance Directorate’s Immunology/Virology Laboratory is ideally suited to study the effects of spaceflight on the […]

Exposure Guidelines (SMACs and SWEGs)

The JSC toxicologists establish guidelines for safe and acceptable levels of individual chemical contaminants in spacecraft air (SMACs) and drinking water (SWEGs) in collaboration with the National Research Council’s Committee on Toxicology (NRC COT) and through peer-reviewed publication.  The framework for establishing these levels is documented for SMACs and SWEGs, and recent refinements to the Methods reflect current risk assessment […]

What’s Next for HLS

In 2025, the Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) program established itself as a cornerstone for global medium-resolution optical Earth observation and became one of NASA’s most downloaded products.