TYB
Congress Wants Answers On Major NASA GSFC Actions
December 2, 2025
House Science Committee Democrats just issued this press release that includes a letter and detailed spreadsheet listing GSFC changes to personnel, programs, and facilities in excruciating detail – and requests NASA feedback.
My quick take: It would seem that no one is doing any real work at GSFC until next spring since everything is moving, being sold off, rebuilt, closed down.
Other centers have similar albeit more localized changes like this but all of the actions have not hit them yet.
So NASA will have lost staff, lose budget (programs, missions etc.) one way or another, and everyone is moving their offices or waiting for people to get to their new locations before resuming work.
‘Time for a new NASA phone book’ as we’d say at NASA. Full text and links below.
(Washington, DC) – On November 21, 2025, Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Science Committee Democratic Members sent a letter to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) requesting a formal audit of the agency’s recent actions regarding widespread closures and relocations at the Goddard Space Flight Center including its main campus in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Today, Ranking Member Lofgren sent a follow up letter to the NASA OIG providing additional information pertaining to the schedule for NASA’s planned “consolidation” activities through May 2026 at the main Goddard campus.
“While the schedule remains subject to change on an ongoing basis by Goddard and agency management, the information contained within describes the plan for relocation activities at the Greenbelt campus as it stood on November 14th, 2025,” said Ranking Member Lofgren.
“In addition to assisting with your review, I believe the document will emphasize the need for urgency in your efforts.”
The Goddard Space Flight Center consolidation schedule can be found here.
Democratic Committee staff redacted information related to security arrangements at the Greenbelt campus as well as the identities of individual NASA personnel.
The letter can be found here.
https://democrats-science.house.gov/imo/media/doc/12.2.25%20SST%20RM%20Lofgren%20-%20Follow-Up%20Letter%20to%20NASA%20OIG%20-%20Goddard%20Closures%20.pdf
https://nasawatch.com/congress/congress-wants-answers-on-major-gsfc-actions/
Satellites Detect Seasonal Pulses in Earth’s Glaciers
Dec 03, 2025
Malaspina Glacier in southeastern Alaska is the planet’s largest piedmont glacier, with ice that spills from the Saint Elias Mountains’ higher elevations and spreads out like pancake batter onto the coastal plain.
Though it might appear static, the glacier is “alive” with movement throughout the year, typically speeding up in spring and slowing to a crawl by winter.
A new analysis by NASA scientists shows that glaciers around the world display all kinds of patterns in seasonal movement—some similar to Malaspina and some vastly different.
For decades, researchers have documented seasonal speedups and slowdowns in glacier flow, typically focusing on individual glaciers or specific regions.
By analyzing millions of optical and radar satellite images collected between 2014 and 2022, glaciologists Chad Greene and Alex Gardner at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have mapped this variability on a global scale.
The new perspective reveals how glaciers in different regions respond to seasonal warming and may help identify which ones are most vulnerable to a warming climate. Their analysis was published in November 2025 in Science.
Glacier speed is measured by tracking the motion of deep cracks called crevasses and surface debris in sequences of satellite images collected over time.
Crevasse fields and other surface patterns provide unique glacial "fingerprints" that scientists track using an algorithm developed at JPL as part of the ITS_LIVE project.
The team used this technique to map glacier flow at high resolution globally, then analyzed subtle changes in glacier speed to understand how glaciers respond to warming that occurs between winter and summer.
“Earth has over 200,000 glaciers, and we’re watching all of them closely,” said Gardner, the study’s coauthor. “It’s no surprise that with this much data, a pattern started to emerge.”
The timing of glacier speedups is driven by the onset of the melt season and by processes at the glacier bed that reduce friction with the underlying ground.
“Glaciers are like rivers of ice that flow down mountains toward the sea,” said Greene, the study's lead author.
“When warm air melts the upper surface of a glacier, all that meltwater can make its way down to the base of the ice and act like a lubricant, causing the glacier to speed up.”
The researchers observed the strongest seasonal accelerations at high northern latitudes: in Alaska, glaciers moved fastest in spring, whereas in Arctic regions of Europe and Russia, they typically reached their top speeds in summer or early fall.
The animation above shows parts of Malaspina (also called Sit' Tlein) beginning to pick up speed in early spring, when the first meltwater starts draining through cracks in the ice and down to the glacier’s base.
At this point, conduits that form in the base are still small, so the meltwater can build up pressure and reduce friction, allowing the glacier to slide more easily over uneven ground.
Through late summer, as the seasonal surge of meltwater carves larger and deeper channels under the glacier, the pressure drops and friction increases, causing the glacier to slow down.
Other glaciers display different patterns. One example is the Barnes Ice Cap on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic—a remnant of the Laurentide Ice Sheet that once covered much of North America.
This glacier is a classic example of summer acceleration, producing little meltwater for most of the year, then speeding up when meltwater finally arrives.
In contrast, seasonal changes unfold more gradually at Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram range of Pakistan. There, the speedup begins high on the glacier and slowly propagates downward as the melting season progresses.
Understanding glacier responses to seasonal warming allows researchers to better anticipate how glaciers will respond to climate change.
The team found that glacier flow accelerates with every degree of warming and that seasonal flow patterns are linked to longer-term glacier change, meaning spring and summer speedups can serve as a vital sign that indicates a glacier’s resilience to prolonged warming.
“We wanted to check the health of Earth’s glaciers, so we measured their pulse,” Greene said. “Now we just need to keep an eye on their temperature.”
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/satellites-detect-seasonal-pulses-in-earths-glaciers/
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adx6654
NASA’s Fly Foundational Robots Demo to Bolster In-Space Infrastructure
Dec 02, 2025
NASA and industry partners will fly and operate a commercial robotic arm in low Earth orbit through the Fly Foundational Robots mission set to launch in late 2027.
This mission aims to revolutionize in-space operations, a critical capability for sustainably living and working on other planets.
By enabling this technology demonstration, NASA is fostering the in-space robotics industry to unlock valuable tools for future scientific discovery and exploration missions.
“Today it’s a robotic arm demonstration, but one day these same technologies could be assembling solar arrays, refueling satellites, constructing lunar habitats, or manufacturing products that benefit life on Earth,” said Bo Naasz, senior technical lead for In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) in the Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
“This is how we build a dominant space economy and sustained human presence on the Moon and Mars.”
The Fly Foundational Robots (FFR) mission will leverage a robotic arm from small business Motiv Space Systems capable of dexterous manipulation, autonomous tool use, and walking across spacecraft structures in zero or partial gravity.
This mission could enable ways to repair and refuel spacecraft, construct habitats and infrastructure in space, maintain life support systems on lunar and Martian surfaces, and serve as robotic assistants to astronauts during extended missions.
Advancing robotic systems in space could also enhance our understanding of similar technologies on Earth across industries including construction, medicine, and transportation.
To demonstrate FFR’s commercial robotic arm in space, NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate is contracting with Astro Digital to provide a hosted orbital test through the agency’s Flight Opportunities program.
Guest roboticists will have the opportunity to contribute to the FFR mission, and participation will allow them to use Motiv’s robotic platform as a testbed and perform unique tasks.
NASA will serve as the inaugural guest operator and is currently seeking other interested U.S. partners to participate.
The future of in-space robotics relies on testing robotic operations in space prior to launching more complex and extensive servicing and refueling missions.
Through FFR, the demonstration of Motiv’s robotic arm operations in space will begin to push open the door to endless possibilities.
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/goddard/nasas-fly-foundational-robots-demo-to-bolster-in-space-infrastructure/
NASA Awards Lunar Freezer System Contract
Dec 02, 2025
NASA has selected the University of Alabama at Birmingham to provide the necessary systems required to return temperature sensitive science payloads to Earth from the Moon.
The Lunar Freezer System contract is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity award with cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery orders.
The contract begins Thursday, Dec. 4, with a 66-month base period along with two optional periods that could extend the award through June 3, 2033. The contract has a total estimated value of $37 million.
Under the contract, the awardee will be responsible for providing safe, reliable, and cost-effective hardware and software systems NASA needs to maintain temperature-critical science materials, including lunar geological samples, human research samples, and biological experimentation samples, as they travel aboard Artemis spacecraft to Earth from the lunar surface.
The awarded contractor was selected after a thorough evaluation by NASA engineers of the proposals submitted.
NASA’s source selection authority made the selection after reviewing the evaluation material based on the evaluation criteria contained in the request for proposals.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-awards-lunar-freezer-system-contract/
NASA’s PUNCH Tracks Comet Discovered by SOHO Spacecraft
December 2, 2025
From August to October, NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission tracked comet 2025 R2 (SWAN) — one of the thousands of comets discovered in images from the SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft, a joint mission between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) that launched 30 years ago Tuesday.
Capturing a new image of the comet every few minutes, PUNCH’s observations may be the longest any comet has been tracked with such frequency, says the mission’s principal investigator, Craig DeForest of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado.
“Other comets have been tracked at once-per-day cadence for years,” DeForest said. “What’s new here is the few-minute cadence of observation.”
Comet 2025 R2 (SWAN) was first spotted by Ukrainian amateur astronomer Vladimir Bezugly on Sept. 11 in images taken by the SWAN (Solar Wind Anisotropies) instrument aboard SOHO.
Over 5,000 comets have been discovered — many by citizen scientists — in SOHO images over its three decades of operation.
After comet SWAN’s discovery, scientists looked to see whether PUNCH had also spotted the comet and found it in PUNCH images taken as early as Aug. 7.
Comet SWAN continued to appear in PUNCH’s field of view until early October, with the mission capturing a new image of it every four minutes through Oct. 5.
Over that time, PUNCH watched the comet’s tail grow, shrink, and flicker under the influence of the solar wind, a never-ending stream of particles flowing outward from the Sun.
The PUNCH mission is designed to study how the solar wind travels out from the Sun and influences the planets, such as Earth, and other objects, such as comets, throughout the solar system.
“Watching the Sun’s effects from multiple vantage points — and with different types of instruments — is what gives us a complete picture of the space environment,” said Gina DiBraccio, heliophysicist and acting director of the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
“We use these same tools to track and analyze how space weather impacts our astronauts, our spacecraft, and our technology here on Earth.”
Southwest Research Institute, based in San Antonio, leads the PUNCH mission and operates the mission’s four spacecraft from its facilities in Boulder, Colorado.
The mission is managed by Space Science Mission Operations at NASA Goddard for the Science Mission Directorate at the agency’s headquarters in Washington.
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/punch/2025/12/02/nasas-punch-tracks-comet-discovered-by-soho-spacecraft/
https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/planets/mars/nasa-tests-drones-in-death-valley-preps-for-martian-sands-and-skies/
NASA Tests Drones in Death Valley, Preps for Martian Sands and Skies
Dec 02, 2025
Next-generation drone flight software is just one of 25 technologies for the Red Planet that the space agency funded for development this year.
When NASA engineers want to test a concept for exploring the Red Planet, they have to find ways to create Mars-like conditions here on Earth. Then they test, tinker, and repeat.
That’s why a team from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California took three research drones to California’s Death Valley National Park and the Mojave Desert earlier this year.
They needed barren, featureless desert dunes to hone navigation software. Called Extended Robust Aerial Autonomy, the work is just one of 25 projects funded by the agency’s Mars Exploration Program this past year to push the limits of future technologies.
Similar dunes on Mars confused the navigation algorithm of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter during several of its last flights, including its 72nd and final flight on the Red Planet.
“Ingenuity was designed to fly over well-textured terrain, estimating its motion by looking at visual features on the ground. But eventually it had to cross over blander areas where this became hard,” said Roland Brockers, a JPL researcher and drone pilot.
“We want future vehicles to be more versatile and not have to worry about flying over challenging areas like these sand dunes.”
Whether it’s new navigation software, slope-scaling robotic scouts, or long-distance gliders, the technology being developed by the Mars Exploration Program envisions a future where robots can explore all on their own — or even help astronauts do their work.
Desert drones
NASA scientists and engineers have been going to Death Valley National Park since the 1970s, when the agency was preparing for the first Mars landings with the twin Viking spacecraft.
Rubbly volcanic boulders on barren slopes earned one area the name Mars Hill, where much of this research has taken place.
Almost half a century later, JPL engineers tested the Perseverance rover’s precision landing system by flying a component of it in a piloted helicopter over the park.
For the drone testing, engineers traveled to the park’s Mars Hill and Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes in late April and early September. The JPL team received only the third-ever license to fly research drones in Death Valley.
Temperatures reached as high as 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius); gathered beneath a pop-up canopy, team members tracked the progress of their drones on a laptop.
The test campaign has already resulted in useful findings, including how different camera filters help the drones track the ground and how new algorithms can guide them to safely land in cluttered terrain like Mars Hill’s.
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“It’s incredibly exciting to see scientists using Death Valley as a proving ground for space exploration,” said Death Valley National Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds.
“It’s a powerful reminder that the park is protected not just for its scenic beauty or recreational opportunities, but as a living laboratory that actively helps us understand desert environments and worlds beyond our own.”
For additional testing during the three-day excursion, the team ventured to the Mojave Desert’s Dumont Dunes.
The site of mobility system tests for NASA’s Curiosity rover in 2012, the rippled dunes there offered a variation of the featureless terrain used to test the flight software in Death Valley.
“Field tests give you a much more comprehensive perspective than solely looking at computer models and limited satellite images,” said JPL’s Nathan Williams, a geologist on the team who previously helped operate Ingenuity.
“Scientifically interesting features aren’t always located in the most benign places, so we want to be prepared to explore even more challenging terrains than Ingenuity did.”
Robot dogs
The California desert isn’t the only field site where Mars technology has been tested this year.
In August, researchers from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston ventured to New Mexico’s White Sands National Park, another desert location that has hosted NASA testing for decades.
They were there with a doglike robot called LASSIE-M (Legged Autonomous Surface Science In Analogue Environments for Mars).
Motors in the robot’s legs measure physical properties of the surface that, when combined with other data, lets LASSIE-M shift gait as it encounters terrain that is softer, looser, or crustier — variations often indicative of scientifically interesting changes.
The team’s goal is to develop a robot that can scale rocky or sandy terrain — both of which can be hazardous to a rover — as it scouts ahead of humans and robots alike, using instruments to seek out new science.
Wings for Mars
Another Mars Exploration Program concept funded this past year is an autonomous robot that trades the compactness of the Ingenuity helicopter for the range that comes with wings.
NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, has been developing the Mars Electric Reusable Flyer (MERF), which looks like a single wing with twin propellers that allow it to lift off vertically and hover in the air.
(A fuselage and tail would be too heavy for this design.) While the flyer skims the sky at high speeds, instruments on its belly can map the surface.
At its full size, the MERF unfolds to be about as long as a small school bus.
Langley engineers have been testing a half-scale prototype, sending it soaring across a field on the Virgina campus to study the design’s aerodynamics and the robot’s lightweight materials, which are critical to flying in Mars’ thin atmosphere.
With other projects focused on new forms of power generation, drills and sampling equipment, and cutting-edge autonomous software, there are many new ways for NASA to explore Mars in the future.
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The bacteria that won’t wake up: NASA discovers new bacteria “playing dead”
December 2, 2025
New research conducted on a NASA-discovered bacterium shows the microbe is capable of entering an extreme dormant state, essentially “playing dead” to survive in some of the cleanest environments on Earth.
The finding could potentially reshape how scientists think about microbial survival on spacecraft and the challenges of preventing contamination during missions to space.
Preventing contamination matters because it helps keep space missions safe, while ensuring that any signs of life spotted elsewhere in the Solar System can be trusted.
“It shows that some microbes can enter ultra-low metabolic states that let them survive extremely austere environments, including clean rooms that naturally select for the hardiest organisms,” said Nils Averesch, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the University of Florida’s Department of Microbiology and Cell Science and a member of the Astraeus Space Institute.
“The fact that this bacterium can intentionally suspend its metabolism makes survival on spacecraft surfaces or during deep-space cruise more plausible than previously assumed.”
In a recent report, scientists detailed the enigmatic Tersicoccus phoenicis, a rare type of bacteria found in the cleanest rooms where spacecraft are assembled and first discovered at NASA and European Space Agency facilities.
This bacteria can remain inactive even when conditions improve, making it difficult to detect through standard sterilization checks.
The organism does not form spores, a trait usually associated with extreme durability, which makes its resilience especially surprising.
“The fact that this bacterium can intentionally suspend its metabolism makes survival on spacecraft surfaces or during deep-space cruise more plausible than previously assumed.” —Nils Averesch
“What stood out most to me is that these microbes don’t form spores,” Averesch said. “Seeing a non-spore-former achieve comparable robustness through metabolic shutdown alone suggests there are additional, underappreciated survival mechanisms in bacteria that we haven’t fully characterized.”
Averesch emphasized that while the findings raise important questions for planetary protection, they do not necessarily mean Earth microbes could survive on planets like Mars.
“Anything directly exposed on the Martian surface is unlikely to survive,” he said. “But in sheltered micro-niches — subsurface cracks, porous regolith or beneath rocks — dormant persistence becomes more plausible.”
A recent National Geographic article highlights more on this new finding.
Averesch is leading NASA-supported research at Kennedy Space Center exploring whether microbes can be used to biologically recycle plastic waste generated during long-duration space missions. The project is part of a statewide partnership that strengthens collaborations between UF and NASA to support the Moon-to-Mars program.
https://news.ufl.edu/2025/12/space-bacteria/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/clean-room-bacteria-nasa-spacecraft-dormant
Comedian's astronaut application spawns witty rejection letter from 'NASA' and we're in stitches
December 3, 2025
Despite knowing he didn't meet the requirements, the comedian reportedly applied for fun, and the response he got was nothing short of amusing.
Daydreaming about achieving something completely out of reach is a fun and harmless fantasy for many.
Comedian and writer Alex Falcone attempted to get a hold of one such far-reaching dream and was left with a hilarious story for the ages. In his Medium blog,
"The Weekly Weep," Falcone wrote about the rib-tickling "NASA Rejection Letter" he allegedly received after he applied to be an astronaut.
Every four years, NASA opens the door for thousands of applicants trying to get into the class of astronauts.
The comedian supposedly wanted to see if he would get into the class of 2021.
The letter kicked off with the classic line, "We regret to inform you that your application to our Astronaut candidate program does not meet our stated qualifications."
But what came next was absolute fun. Firstly, Falcone's mention of "have seen Masters of the Universe and think that should count" in the section where the agency expected a "Master's degree" was highlighted.
"To be generous, we looked over your provided transcripts and it seems you haven't taken a science class since 10th-grade chemistry, in which you received a C+.
You even took the time to note that your teacher that year was an idiot and that doesn't help your case with us," the response reportedly stated.
In the place of "relevant skills," Falcone said he "enjoyed the scene in Apollo 13 where they 'made a fu**ed up air filter out of socks'" and added that he liked "space Legos almost as much as the pirate Legos."
His preference for pirate Legos over space ones got the response, "That doesn't make sense. Perhaps you can apply to be a pirate." Then, it was pointed out that Falcone took a dig at the other "nerds" who were applying.
"The application was precisely to show us why we should hire you and also, the very people who are reading this are 'those nerds,'" the letter read. It also warned the comedian not to mention "have always wanted to poop into a vacuum cleaner" in future job applications.
The "recruiters" didn't find Falcone's "always sit in the front seat because I get a little motion sick" confident enough for a pilot. They also quipped at his obsession with food. "You used a whole section to order food? Seriously?" they asked.
"NOTE: I have been instructed to notify you that we do carry 'astronaut ice cream' in all our gift shops AND ONLINE. Since that was '90% of the reason' you're applying, perhaps you can satisfy yourself that way," the letter added.
Then came the generous clarifications for Falcone's cheeky questions about the organization. "No, astronauts do not currently get a 'plus one' to the moon.
Yes, you would be required to notify your wife if you were going to the moon. I'm sorry she 'is a worrier,'" the list began.
The comedian's request for "no meetings before noon" and his suggestions for a new name for the space agency, including "Space Ninjas," were denied.
"We have no idea what you mean by 'Does riding a rocket feel similar to riding a washing machine?' Sorry, "Yes, we are sure there is only one moon," and "No, we would not be personally hurt if you apply to the Russian space program at the same time.
Good luck with that," were some of the clarifications. In the end, the "recruiters" emphasized that they would appreciate it if Falcone didn't apply again. "We hope your passion for the industry finds a good (and safe) outlet," the letter ended.
People love dreaming big, even when the dream is way out of reach, because the fantasy itself is fun. A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology examined how people engage in positive fantasies about ambitious or far-fetched goals.
The researchers found that indulging in unrealistic fantasies can be emotionally rewarding in the moment because it allows people to mentally "experience" a desired future without needing it to be attainable.
Apparently, this hilarious letter was written as a joke by Falcone himself, he revealed to Bored Panda. Lucky for NASA, they didn't have to go through the pain of reading his application!
https://scoop.upworthy.com/comedians-astronaut-application-spawns-witty-rejection-letter-from-nasa-and-were-in-stitches-ex1
A martian butterfly flaps its wings
03/12/2025
Is it an insect? A strange fossil? An otherworldly eye, or even a walnut? No, it’s an intriguing kind of martian butterfly spotted by ESA’s Mars Express.
Insects aren’t commonplace on Mars, so it’s no surprise that this is no butterfly as we know it. It’s actually a kind of crater, formed as a space rock hurtled towards the Red Planet and collided with its red-brown surface.
The collision caused two distinct lobes of material to be flung outwards to the crater’s north and south, creating two outstretched ‘wings’ of raised ground.
The wings of this particular butterfly crater are rather undefined and irregular, but can be seen extending to the lower left and upper right of the main walnut-esque crater shown here.
This crater measures roughly 20 km from east to west and 15 km from north to south. It lies in the Idaeus Fossae region of Mars, in the planet’s northern lowlands.
The crater and its wings can be seen in more detail in a new video produced by the Mars Express HRSC team, which simulates what it would be like to slowly circle it – and its surroundings – from above.
Another example of a butterfly crater, this time in Mars’s southern highlands, is highlighted in Mars Express’s images of Hesperia Planum.
Unusual shapes
Typically we would expect material to be thrown outwards in all directions by a crater-causing collision.
However, we know that the space rock that sculpted this martian butterfly came in at a low, shallow angle, resulting in the interesting and atypical shapes seen here: the butterfly’s ‘body’ – the main crater itself – is unusually oval in shape, and the wings are irregular.
Some of the debris forming the wings (mostly seen just above the crater, and labelled in the image below – which is annotated if you click on it) also appears smoother and more rounded, almost reminiscent of a mudslide.
This indicates that it has mixed with water or ice from under the surface of Mars – ice that perhaps melted during the crater impact itself. This is known more technically as ‘fluidised’ material, and is seen often on Mars.
Crumpling lava
The butterfly crater may draw the eye, but it’s far from the only feature of interest here.
The rest of the frame is largely flat, lending the spotlight to a cluster of steep, flat-topped rocky outcrops – known as mesas – to the left (shown in the zoom in perspective view below).
The higher patches of ground here have been slowly worn away, with the remaining hills being those that have managed to resist erosion over time.
The mesas stand out clearly against the tan-coloured surroundings due to the layers of dark material that have been exposed along their edges. As on Earth, this material is probably rich in magnesium and iron, and created by volcanism.
This region likely saw quite a bit of volcanism in the past, with lava and ash deposits building up over time and being buried by other material through the years.
Signs of lava can be seen here in ‘wrinkle ridges’: folded patterns that likely formed here when lava flowed, cooled, and contracted, causing the surface to crumple.
The bigger picture
This patch of Mars gets its name from Idaeus Fossae, a broad system of valleys lying a few kilometres to the west (top) of frame.
One such valley can be seen to the right (north) of the image here below, and other less prominent valleys and ridges are scattered across the frame.
As labelled in the associated context map, most of Idaeus Fossae is found just next to a sharp, 2-km-high cliff-face marking the edge of the Tempe Terra plateau. Mars Express has been capturing and exploring Mars’s many landscapes since it launched in 2003.
The orbiter has mapped the planet’s surface at unprecedented resolution, in colour, and in three dimensions for over two decades now, returning insights that have drastically changed our understanding of our planetary neighbour (read more about Mars Express and its findings here).
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/A_martian_butterfly_flaps_its_wings
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-space-agency-invests-17-million-to-drive-next-wave-of-space-innovation
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-sa-partnership-boosts-health-inclusion-and-space-science
https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/12/esa-confirms-moon-first-ever-space-station/
UK Space Agency invests £17 million to drive next wave of space innovation
3 December 2025
This investment will accelerate breakthrough technologies, boost commercialisation, and reinforce the UK’s global leadership in space innovation.
The selected projects span five strategic themes critical to the UK’s space ambitions: space domain awareness, in-orbit servicing and manufacturing, Earth observation, satellite communications, and position, navigation and timing.
Together, these projects will deliver transformative technologies to enhance climate monitoring, improve connectivity, enable sustainable satellite operations, and strengthen national security.
From quantum communications and robotic servicing tools to AI-powered pollution tracking and refuellable propulsion systems, these innovations will help build a resilient, competitive UK space sector.
Space Minister Liz Lloyd said:
Space technology benefits people’s lives every day - from checking the weather to navigating your car journey home from work. This funding backs the brilliant UK innovators developing the next generation of space technology.
By supporting our space sector, we’re strengthening the UK’s position as a world leader in space innovation and building technologies that will benefit people across the country for years to come.
Commercial and public benefits
NSIP’s newly funded projects will also deliver tangible public value.
Together, these projects are anticipated to create up to 140 skilled jobs across the UK, strengthening the talent pipeline in engineering, data science and advanced manufacturing.
Innovations in Earth observation and satellite data will enhance services such as weather forecasting, agricultural monitoring, and disaster response.
HR Wallingford’s AI tool will use satellite data to assess how farming practices affect water quality in our rivers and bathing waters, supporting environmental protection and more sustainable land use.
Magdrive Ltd is developing a compact, versatile and efficient metal-based plasma propulsion system, targeting mass production in the UK to support the next generation of satellite constellations.
Several projects will also contribute to national security and resilience. The University of Birmingham’s AI-powered satellite radar analysis system will help understand and respond to objects in space, improving space domain awareness and shaping the future of autonomous satellite operations, making space missions safer and smarter with bespoke AI-approaches developed by Alan Turing Institute.
BAE Systems Digital Intelligence is developing a satellite-based service to detect and track radio signals from Earth, with applications in both civil and defence contexts. The programme is advancing the UK’s sustainability goals.
Protolaunch’s water-based propulsion system and Orbit Fab’s first step to developing a refuellable electric propulsion system which will promote greener satellite operations, while Lodestar Space will develop autonomous, modular robotic tools to service spacecraft in orbit, reducing space debris and extending satellite lifespans.
Professor Mark Sims and Professor Anna Hogg, Space Academic Network (SPAN) Co-Chairs said:
We are pleased to see how the UK Space Agency NSIP programme enables great innovation across industry and academia, often jointly supporting the development of real future technologies for the UK space sector.
The strengthening of collaboration between industry and academia over the last decade clearly demonstrates the power of working together.
The wide variety of technologies now being developed through NSIP is exciting to see, each one representing an opportunity to advance the sector and drive future growth.
Building a world-leading space economy
This new investment from the UK Space Agency builds on the UK’s £18 billion space sector, which continues to grow rapidly and is a leading destination for space investment globally.
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UKspace Executive Director, Colin Baldwin, said:
We offer our congratulations to all the successful recipients of these awards.
This investment expands the impact of the NSIP and provides the opportunity for space companies and academic institutions to develop innovative new sovereign capability that strengthens the UK in several important areas.
We also welcome the government’s announcement that from 2026 it will be spending more on civil space than ever before. We look forward to working with the emerging “One Government” approach to space to deliver security and growth for our nation.
The UK last week agreed a £1.7 billion investment in European Space Agency (ESA) programmes at the ESA Council of Ministers in Bremen, boosting the UK’s total commitment to £2.8 billion over the next decade.
This funding will sustain thousands of high-skilled jobs, drive innovation, and deliver benefits for people and businesses—from improved connectivity to more resilient infrastructure.
Every £1 invested in ESA returns £7.49 to the UK economy, with contracts flowing back to UK industry and universities. Today’s announcement complements recent UK Space Agency funding that reinforce the UK’s strategic direction in space.
These include £6.8 million in International Bilateral Fund awards to support global partnerships, and £6.9 million in government funding for satellite communications projects, leveraging the space sector’s talents and strengthening the UK’s reputation as a world leader in space technology.
Together, these efforts reflect a coordinated approach to growing the UK’s space economy, advancing innovation, and delivering lasting value to citizens and stakeholders across the country.
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Projects
Magdrive Ltd receives £2 million to ready a powerful propulsion system for small satellites for mass production.
B2Space Ltd with partners SuperSharp Space Systems and University of South Wales receives £2 million to create a UK-led Earth observation system using high-altitude platforms with advanced sensors, satcom connectivity and onboard AI.
Lightricity Ltd with partners AVS Added Value Solutions UK Ltd and IQE PLC receives £1.9 million to create a fully flexible roll-out foldable solar panel for small satellites that can generate several kilowatts of power.
BAE Systems Digital Intelligence receives £1.47 million to develop a satellite-based service to detect and track radio signals from Earth for defence and civil use.
Toshiba Europe Ltd, together with Heriot-Watt University and Cambridge, University has secured £1.45 million to space-qualify critical quantum optoelectric components and integrate them into a UK-developed secure quantum communication systems for small satellites.
Filtronic Broadband Ltd receives £1.18 million to build a high-powered amplifier system for satellite communications using advanced UK technology.
Lodestar Space Ltd with partners Magdrive Ltd and Cranfield University receives £1 million to develop autonomous, modular robotic tools to service spacecraft in orbit.
Protolaunch Ltd with partners University of Southampton and Naicker Scientific Ltd receives £1 million to develop a water-based propulsion system that combines chemical and electric thrust for sustainable and dynamic satellite movement.
University of Bristol with partners University of Bath, Fraunhofer UK Research Ltd, University of Strathclyde and University of York receives £980,000 to create a UV-based secure communication devices for smaller size and longer distance inter satellite CubeSats links.
University of Edinburgh with partner UK Astronomy Technology Centre (STFC) receives £850,000 to develop a compact, high-resolution CubeSat instrument to measure pollution from space, with global coverage.
The University of Southampton has received £800,000 and partnered with Cranfield Plasma Solutions to develop a plasma torch system for simulating the extreme thermal conditions of spacecraft atmospheric re-entry. This innovation will fill a key UK capability gap by providing high-fidelity, contamination-free material ablation testing, supporting sustainable space operations.
University of Birmingham with partner Alan Turing Institute receives £610,000 to design an AI-powered satellite radar system to understand the shape and structure of objects in space.
University of Strathclyde with partner BAE Systems PLC receives £540,000 to develop a new satellite navigation system that avoids relying on GPS by maintaining an agreed time through synchronisation.
University of Leicester with partner TWI Ltd receives £485,000 to build a robot-mounted welding system for in-space repair and structural joining, validated through vacuum and simulated-environment testing.
Orbit Fab Ltd with partner TAS UK receives £340,000 to create a refuellable electric propulsion system for satellites by developing a fluidic flatsat.
HR Wallingford receives £320,000, with support from Southern Water, Thames Water, and Evenlode Catchment Partnership to build an AI tool that uses satellite data to assess how farming affects water quality.
STFC RAL Space receives £260,000 to develop a new technology to support the calibration of next-generation meteorological satellites using UK-made electronics.
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China's 1st reusable rocket explodes in dramatic fireball during landing after reaching orbit on debut flight
December 3, 2025
The first test flight of Landspace's Zhuque-3 rocket ended in a fiery explosion after successfully reaching orbit.
Chinese company Landspace launched its 216-foot (66-meter) stainless steel Zhuque-3 rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert in northern China on Tuesday (Dec. 2).
The reusable, methane-liquid-oxygen-powered rocket successfully placed its expendable second stage in orbit, according to a statement from Landspace.
But after making a successful reentry, the rocket's first stage booster appeared to lose an engine during its landing burn and catch fire before crashing into the ground in a spectacular explosion.
"An anomaly occurred as the first stage approached the designated recovery zone. No personnel safety issues occurred," Landspace wrote on social media. The company is now investigating the anomaly to discover its root cause.
Despite the landing failure, Landspace is hailing the test flight as a success, adding in its social media post that "China's first rocket recovery attempt achieved its expected technical objectives."
These include verifying Zhuque-3's recovery system, engine throttling, and attitude control. Stills from videos of the crash landing show that the first stage landed within just meters of its target landing zone.
Zhuque-3 resembles SpaceX's dependable Falcon 9 rocket; both rockets feature a reusable first stage and an expendable upper stage and are powered by nine engines.
Zhuque-3's Tianque-12A engines are powered by a mixture of liquid methane and liquid oxygen (methalox), however, while the Falcon 9's Merlin engines burn liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene.
Zhuque-3's payload capacity is similar to Falcon 9's as well, able to loft 40,350 pounds (18,300 kilograms) to low Earth orbit (LEO). Falcon 9, meanwhile, can send 50,265 pounds (22,800 kg) to LEO.
A Landspace previous rocket, Zhuque-2, became the world's first methane-powered rocket to reach orbit in July 2023.
SpaceX's Raptor engine, which powers its Super Heavy booster and its Starship second stage vehicle, also burns liquid methane and liquid oxygen.
The Zhuque rockets are named for the vermillion bird from Chinese mythology that represents the fire element in Taoist five-element cosmological system.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/chinas-1st-reusable-rocket-explodes-in-dramatic-fireball-during-landing-after-reaching-orbit-on-debut-flight
https://x.com/CNSpaceflight/status/1996070053436162482
A 'super-puff' exoplanet is losing its atmosphere, and the James Webb Space Telescope had a look
December 3, 2025
Astronomers have spotted a distant world "shedding" its atmosphere into space in real time, creating a giant companion cloud of gas that travels ahead of the planet as it orbits its star.
Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed an unprecedented view of helium gas evaporating from a distant, giant exoplanet called WASP-107b.
The escaping gas stretches across a distance that's nearly 10 times the planet's radius and in fact precedes the planet along its path around its parent star.
This discovery reveals new clues about how the atmospheres of giant planets like WASP-107b can slowly evaporate under intense radiation from their host star, according to a statement.
"The James Webb Space Telescope has captured helium escape from this planet for the first time, and it is the most confident detection of pre-transit helium absorption for any exoplanet," Vigneshwaran Krishnamurthy, lead author of the study from McGill's Trottier Space Institute, said in the statement.
WASP-107b is classified as a "super-puff" exoplanet with a radius nearly as large as Jupiter's but only a fraction of its mass. Residing seven times closer to its star than Mercury is to the sun, WASP-107b's low density makes it especially vulnerable to atmospheric escape.
The helium exosphere produced by the evaporated gas passes in front of the star 1.5 hours before WASP-107b's passage, or transit, begins — a phenomenon called pre-transit helium absorption, according to the statement.
Using the JWST's Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS), the team detected the helium's infrared signature streaming ahead of the planet, effectively creating its own mini-transit, which is observed as a slight dimming of the star's brightness before the planet itself transits.
While helium escape has been observed on other exoplanets, WASP-107b marks the first time astronomers have watched an exoplanet shedding its atmosphere in such real time and with such detail.
The findings also reveal clues about the planet's history. Alongside the helium, the JWST detected water vapor high in the atmosphere but no methane, suggesting vigorous mixing that brings hotter, methane-poor gas upward.
This chemical pattern, combined with the extreme atmospheric escape, supports the idea that WASP-107b likely formed farther from its star and migrated inward, where intense heating began peeling away its outer layers, according to the statement.
"The amount of oxygen in the atmosphere of WASP-107b is larger than what we would expect if it formed on its current close-in orbit," Caroline Piaulet-Ghorayeb, co-author of the study, who modelled the NIRISS transmission spectrum, said in the statement.
"The presence of another planet, WASP-107c, much farther out than WASP-107b, could have played a role in this migration."
Watching a planet actively losing its atmosphere provides insight into how worlds change over time and how some may be stripped down to a bare rocky or icy core.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/james-webb-space-telescope/giant-helium-cloud-caught-escaping-from-puffy-exoplanet-by-jwst
https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/exoplanet-observed-shedding-its-atmosphere-real-time-369356
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02710-8
Self-Powered Soft Robots from China Could Transform Deep-Sea, Space, and Wearable Technology
December 3, 2025
New research from Zhejiang University could reshape the future of robotics and wearable technology by enabling self-powered soft robots that generate power solely from ambient motion.
Inspired by the lymphatic system, this innovation relies on a soft, flexible pump that mimics the crucial part of the human body that circulates fluid without relying on a single central pump.
Our bodies use this distributed network of vessels and one-way valves to support a range of everyday activities, including walking and breathing.
“We wanted to address one of the biggest limitations in soft robotics today: the dependence on heavy, rigid power systems,” said Professor Wei Tang, a lead author of the study, in a statement.
“Our goal was to create a pump that is soft, lightweight, and capable of operating autonomously, just like biological tissues.”
Future Space and Sea Missions
The team’s research is important because it addresses one of the most significant limitations in robotics and wearables: the need for heavy batteries or external power sources.
Mimicking the human lymphatic system allows the creation of robotic systems that can flow autonomously.
Such technologies could lead to wearable smart gloves that regulate temperature and circulation when a person moves, as well as robots that can perform tasks in hazardous environments, such as deep-sea exploration or even outer space.
The Design
Using low-cost 3D printing techniques, the team created pumps in various shapes and sizes, making them customizable for a wide range of applications, from medical devices to remote robotics.
This led to the development of the soft fiber pump (SFP), a slender, highly flexible device that can bend, twist, and stretch in various ways.
Two designs were developed from the research: a high-performance version that uses spiral electrodes to boost pumping capabilities, and a durable version with parallel electrodes inspired by the human lymphatic vessels.
Both designs offer flexibility and strength in environments where traditional pumps would fail.
What makes the technology different from others before is its built-in ability to generate its own power.
The researchers integrated a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) (a device that converts mechanical motion into electricity) directly into the pump system.
When in rotation or motion (such as wind, water flow, or human movement), the TENG provides all the energy the pump needs.
“This turns everyday motion into a power source,” said Professor Jun Zou, co-lead of the project. “It moves us closer to machines that power themselves, without batteries or external electrical systems.”
To showcase the pump’s true potential, the team built several functional prototypes, including artificial muscles capable of lifting weights to mimic a lifelike robotic movement.
This, in addition to microfluidic control systems to enhance lab-on-a-chip diagnostic devices, and a temperature-regulating smart glove that uses the pump to circulate fluid and adjust temperature comfort.
“By fusing biological inspiration with advanced materials and energy harvesting,” said Tang, “we’re creating systems that are not just functional—but genuinely alive with autonomy.”
The study “Lymphatic-Inspired and TENG-Powered Soft Fiber Pumps for Soft Robots” was published in SmartBot.
https://thedebrief.org/self-powered-soft-robots-from-china-could-transform-deep-sea-space-and-wearable-technology/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smb2.70006
In A Major Breakthrough, Menstrual Cups Successfully Tested In Space: "Giant Leap For Womankind"
Dec 03, 2025 12:10 pm IST
Scientists have successfully tested menstrual cups in spaceflight conditions in a major breakthrough, phys.org reported.
This significant milestone will provide sustainable menstrual health options for female astronauts who choose to menstruate.
The AstroCup mission, led by Ligia F Coelho from Cornell University, launched four commercially available menstrual cups aboard a rocket, with two cups flying into space and two remaining on the ground.
"We are developing so many systems, making humans survive in a place we're not supposed to be," astrobiologist Lígia Coelho, 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellow in astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and fellow at the Carl Sagan Institute said as quoted. "The farther we go, to the moon and Mars, that's becoming harder and harder."
The researchers analysed the results in "One Giant Leap for Womankind: First Menstrual cup Tested in Spaceflight Conditions", which is published in npj Women's Health.
The menstrual cups, which were flown to space, showed no signs of wear or tear, maintaining their structural integrity despite extreme acceleration forces, temperature changes, and pressure variations.
The cups also demonstrated leak-proof performance, with no leakage of test liquids (water and glycerol) detected.
"The first time something is done on a rocket payload, the paper is used as methodology precedent," Coelho said.
"We wanted to have a bulletproof methodology that can be replicated by other people. We put a lot of thought into how we could do this consistently with a good control setting that could be replicated."
Menstrual cups offer a reusable and sustainable solution for managing menstruation in space, reducing waste and the need for disposable products.
"I get passionate about the reasons why menstrual devices are still not in space," she said. "We need to have a serious conversation about what it means to have autonomy for health in space."
Women often use suppress menstruation hormonally on missions that last up to six months. But now these menstrual cups provide female astronauts with a choice in managing their menstrual health.
https://www.ndtv.com/science/in-a-major-breakthrough-menstrual-cups-successfully-tested-in-space-giant-leap-for-womankind-9741904
Space, Air Force integration powers DAF Battle Network
Dec. 3, 2025
Space is a key domain for decision advantage.
To facilitate integration with the air domain, the Department of the Air Force’s Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management works extensively with the Space Force’s Space Systems Integration Office to deliver the DAF Battle Network, the system-of-systems that provides resilient decision advantage to warfighters.
DAF PEO C3BM is aligned under both the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, and the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration at the Pentagon.
“We’re the one PEO that has a foot in both camps,” said Gordon Kordyak, C3BM deputy PEO. “We are constantly working together to build the capabilities we need for the DAF BATTLE NETWORK.”
SSIO was established with the monumental task to drive enterprise integration across the U.S. Space Force acquisition community and achieve end-to-end capability delivery across multiple PEOs and mission partners to meet warfighter needs. Part of that mission is providing integrated space enterprise capability development support to C3BM.
“We always start by understanding the threats and the corresponding operational plans that have been defined by the Combatant Commands,” said Kris Acosta, civilian deputy to the senior advisor for the assistant secretary for Space.
Acosta is also the space deputy for Architecture and Systems Engineering supporting C3BM. “We're looking at how we address the capability needs at scale, not just from a single PEO, but across multiple solution providers.
How do ensure end-to-end capability from joint planning through the joint targeting cycle to deliver the effects that the warfighters need?”
SSIO is addressing the complexity of system-of-systems by breaking down the capability delivery into phased increment plans.
This allows SSIO to support PEOs delivering incremental capabilities to the DAF Battle Network that are fully integrated, resulting in speedy and accurate space-domain support that will enable responsive and agile joint warfighter decision making.
With Acosta being dual hatted, she brings C3BM requirements to SSIO and vice-versa, creating a unique synergy that benefits both organizations.
C3BM depends on a tightly integrated network of sensors, satellites, and command centers. SSIO ensures these diverse systems communicate and interoperate across space, air, and cyber domains.
SSIO also ensures that C3BM efforts are aligned with the broader space enterprise roadmap, reducing duplication and stovepipes.
The organizations work together to ensure mission critical technology is safe from natural and man-made threats.
“We have become critically dependent upon space as a domain,” Kordyak said. “These capabilities are essential to enable the joint force to allow them to perform military operations in a supported and supporting role.”
Together, C3BM works with organizations across the Space Force to acquire, build, and maintain resilient technology to rapidly advance DAF Battle Network capabilities.
“We're going to exploit the air and space capabilities we have,” Kordyak said. “We're going to look to commercial industry for capabilities we can buy as a service, and we're going to augment that when possible.”
Another symbiotic role between C3BM and SSIO is the protection of assets through understanding space as a contested domain.
The organizations work together to ensure mission critical technology is safe from natural and man-made threats.
“If we allow ourselves to imagine a day without space then, how would this impact our lives and how we do business, be it personal or professional?” Kordyak said.
“The ramifications of such an impact are huge. It touches every aspect of our lives. The threat is out there.”
The organizations also work together to support integrated deterrence through multi-domain coordination through air, space, land, sea, and cyber.
They ensure assets remain functional and continue to deliver mission critical data through continuous planning.
https://www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4347572/space-air-force-integration-powers-daf-battle-network/
https://www.aflcmc.af.mil/C3BM/About-Us/
https://www.spaceforce.mil/Biographies/Display/Article/3462226/kris-acosta/