Curiosity Blog: Sols 4913-4919: Planetary explorers, freewheeling to the Yardang unit!
Navcam image from sol 4916 showing the rough drive direction. The yardang unit can be seen as a series of pale coloured hills in the centre of the image, at the very back.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Written by Catherine O’Connell-Cooper, APXS Strategic Planner and Payload Uplink/Downlink Lead, University of New Brunswick, Canada
Earth planning day: Friday, June 5th, 2026
In a very broad sense, Curiosity has two modes of doing science – one centred around a defined science campaign (such as the recent boxwork campaign) and the other as we move between campaigns. During a science campaign, with a very defined start and end location, every image and every workspace is carefully choregraphed to make sure we hit all of our science goals for the campaign. This is a lot of pressure!
But in between campaigns, the emphasis moves to driving towards the next major campaign. Our next major stop is the yardang unit, a series of intriguing wind sculpted, pale coloured hills which you can just see in the distance in the cover image for this blog. The rover planners (RPs) sometimes make our drives as long as they can and we drive as far as we can go, other times we stop a little short to look at interesting looking workspaces as we go. As part of the APXS team, I loved being part of the boxwork campaign and getting all the information we needed there … but as a geologist, there is something very special about this kind of exploring, the sense of being a planetary explorer, ambling along to see what the rocks will show us.
So we continue southwards, trundling over laminated bedrock which varies from predominantly pale coloured laminated bedrock to bands with abundant thin flaky, darker coloured, layers and patches. Some of the rocks stick out at strange angles, which make planning drives more challenging. This past week there has been abundant dark layers interbedded with the more dominant pale coloured rock, both in place and in fragments around the workspace. APXS and MAHLI characterized some of this darker material, for example at “Rio Bio Bio” and “Placilla de Caracoles” and some of the paler material at the brushed targets “La Primavera” and “Los Quemados.” ChemCam also analyzed both types of rocks along the way.
We are busily acquiring Mastcam and ChemCam LD-RMI (“Long Distance Remote Micro Imager”) images of everything even remotely interesting – and there are lots and lots of cool features around here. The wide open landscape here allows us to image features from several different angles and distances, such as “Mira Flores,” a small erosional outlier seen from a distance in this image and closer up here. Another great example is the “Kimsa Chata” trough which shows some amazing sedimentary structures, which may help us to determine if this was a desert or a lake or maybe something in between, such as a desert with some water moving through.
The Environmental Theme Group continues to populate each plan with environmental monitoring activities. Activities varied from dust devil monitoring in Gale crater to looking at levels of dust in the skies overhead. The weekend drive is planned to take us further into that drive distance shown in the cover image, to an area where the contrast between dark and light bedrock is more pronounced, and just beyond that, to an area which looks very smooth, with no jutting out blocks. From where we sit today, its impossible to say what it is but that is the fun of exploring – who knows what we will find? Stay tuned to find out over the coming weeks.
O Gemini no Android agora consegue adicionar automaticamente os jogos da Copa do Mundo 2026 no seu calendário e ainda enviar lembretes antes das partidas. Nesse Shorts eu mostro como usar a inteligência artificial do Google para não perder nenhum jogo do Brasil.
I see it often. Hardworking professionals in cafés, airports, or parks hunched over a laptop while carefully dragging their fingers over their PC’s trackpad to navigate some email, project, or alert that can’t be ignored. They would prefer a mouse to a trackpad, but are reluctant to travel with one.
When you’re on the go, carrying a mouse can seem burdensome or unnecessary. But I’d argue that it’s worth the boost in efficiency and comfort when navigating your computer, tablet, or phone. For the people who refuse to carry a bulky mouse with them, even when they plan to use their computer away from their desk, I’m glad Logitech launched the Mobi Fold, a foldable, wireless mouse. But I’d still push reluctant mobile mouse users toward something even more comfortable.
Logitech’s Mobi Fold
The mouse's PAW3222 sensor supports 400-4,000 DPI in 100-DPI increments.
Credit:
Logitech
The Logitech Mobi Fold released today for $80 folds in half so that it’s easy to carry around. Logitech’s announcement claimed that it found that “while 72 percent of professionals own a mouse, only 26 percent actually use one when working in public places.” The announcement didn’t explain Logitech’s methodology, but it seems that someone at the Swiss company has also grimaced at the awkwardly bent wrist of people using laptop trackpads in public.
Transforming NASA’s trusted Earth science into powerful business intelligence
Earth Science Private Sector Engagement
NASA Earth science data, tools, and expertise drive economic innovation by providing industry with trusted insights to accurately forecast risk, optimize operations, and advance next-generation business solutions. By connecting, informing, and partnering with businesses, NASA’s Private Sector Engagement Office unlocks new opportunities to reinforce the use of Earth observations in existing markets and broaden adoption across emerging industry sectors, empowering organizations to build powerful and resilient solutions for the future.
INNOVATE is NASA’s innovation funding program designed to accelerate the translation of Earth science into real-world applications. Selected teams receive access to NASA funding, data, and expertise to develop solutions that address commercial and societal challenges. This opportunity is open through August 31, 2026.
Investigators & Partners: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; University of Colorado; University of Wisconsin-Madison; University of Connecticut; Swiss Re; Munich Re; Eversource
An AI-powered flood intelligence platform that combines NASA Earth observations with advanced modeling to deliver real-time flood forecasts and impact assessments, including Federal Emergency Management Agency and NOAA end users.
Designed with insurers and utilities to improve disaster response, risk management, and resilience.
Operational Risk Forecasting for AI Infrastructure
Investigators & Partners: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; Universities Space Research Association; Meta; Uptime Institute; Open-IX
A first-of-its-kind system that uses NASA Earth observations to forecast operational risks to data centers, power systems, and water resources up to 14 days in advance.
Helps critical infrastructure operators anticipate disruptions before they occur.
Fire & Risk Modeling for Property Insurance
Investigators & Partners: National Science Foundation; National Center for Atmospheric Research; Mercury Insurance
A next-generation wildfire risk platform combining NASA Earth science, physics-based modeling, and AI to improve insurance underwriting and community resilience.
Developed with industry partners to better understand and manage growing wildfire risks.
Next-Generation Food Security Early Warning System
Investigators & Partners: Space Science Institute; Chapman University; World Food Program; Microinsurance Catastrophe Risk Organization
An advanced agricultural monitoring system that uses NASA Earth observations to detect food security risks months before traditional warning systems.
Supports insurers, humanitarian organizations, and agribusinesses with earlier, more actionable insights.
AI-Powered Wildfire Risk Intelligence for Utilities
Investigators & Partners: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; OpalAI; Pacific Gas & Electric; Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
An AI-enabled wildfire intelligence platform that helps utilities identify asset-level wildfire risks and improve operational decision-making.
Designed to reduce outages, strengthen grid resilience, and protect communities.
Early Warning & Transparency for Forest Supply Chains
Investigators & Partners: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; University of Maryland; Science Systems and Applications Inc.; Chainparency
A NASA-enabled monitoring and forecasting platform that helps forestry and wood-product industries track forest health, detect emerging risks, and improve supply chain transparency.
Supports more resilient and sustainable forest management at scale.
How NASA Helps Industry
How NASA supports agribusiness
Every day, farmers, food companies, and agricultural producers rely on timely, trusted information to manage their crops, land, water, and supply chains. NASA develops technology and missions to observe agricultural landscapes from space, informing optimal time and location for planting, monitoring of plant growth, best times for harvest, and market readiness assessments. U.S. and international partners use this information to support food security, stabilize markets, and strengthen productive farming.
From space, NASA tracks soil moisture, groundwater, crop condition, water use, heat stress, precipitation, and land change, while also supporting field-level tools and trusted partnerships with producers and agricultural organizations. By transforming satellite data into practical insights, NASA helps agribusiness to anticipate challenges, improve productivity, manage vital resources, and safeguard food systems.
The NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite captured an image of northeastern North Dakota on Aug. 23, 2025. The darker agricultural plots are plowed and unplanted fields, while the lighter colors represent the presence of pasture or crops. Circular patterns indicate the use of center-pivot irrigation.
NASA JPL
How NASA helps energy & utility companies
Energy providers, utilities, and infrastructure operators need trusted Earth information to plan for demand, protect assets, and keep essential services reliable. NASA Earth science supports decisions related to solar and meteorological resources, extreme heat, wildfire, air quality, flooding, drought, and land movement.
The Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources (POWER) project provides solar and meteorological data used by energy, building, and infrastructure communities. NASA Earth insights also help utility companies understand risks to grids, water systems, pipelines, and other critical assets and the Agency engages with partners such as the Center for Weather Innovation, Smart Energy and Resilience to advance Earth observation capabilities for the energy sector. Through data, training, stakeholder engagement, and partnerships, NASA equips energy and utility leaders with trusted information to strengthen resilience and support reliable operations.
This Black Marble data visualization shows how nighttime light changed year over year between 2014 and 2022 around the globe. Derived from satellite imagery taken daily over the past decade, golden areas featured brightening, purple areas featured dimming, and white areas experienced both kinds of changes.
NASA Scientific Visualization Studio
How NASA supports insurance & reinsurance
Insurance and reinsurance organizations depend on trusted information to understand hazards, price risk, support claims, and plan for changing risk exposure. NASA Earth science provides observations, models, and long-term records that help characterize events such as wildfire, flood, heat, drought, storms, land change, and infrastructure impacts.
NASA is engaging with the insurance and reinsurance community to better understand where Earth observations can support underwriting, catastrophe modeling, parametric products, claims response, and resilience planning. By participating in pre-competitive industry coalitions like the Center for Innovation in Risk, Catastrophes, and Decisions, as well as sector trainings and industry engagement, NASA helps insurers and reinsurers connect trusted Earth science with the decisions that shape risk, affordability, and recovery.
After unleashing dozens of destructive tornadoes, a slow-moving storm system dumped heavy rain across the U.S. Midwest and Southeast in early April 2025. A break in the clouds on April 7, 2025, revealed widespread flooding, shown in this image acquired by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite on the NOAA-21 satellite.
NASA Earth Observatory
How NASA helps the finance sector
Financial institutions, investors, and analysts need reliable information to understand physical risk, market exposure, and long-term change. NASA Earth science provides trusted data and models that help organizations to assess risk across assets, portfolios, and supply chains, including wildfire, heat, flood, land change, and infrastructure impacts.
NASA’s engagement with the finance sector focuses on helping users move from awareness to application, identifying relevant datasets, understanding uncertainty, and connecting Earth observations to real business decisions. Through training, collaborative sessions, and sector partnerships, NASA is working to make Earth science more accessible to financial decision-makers seeking trusted, science-based insights.
This screen capture from FIRMS shows Landsat active fire imagery of the Double Creek Fire in Oregon on September 10, 2022. The Landsat Active Fire and Thermal Anomalies product is generated from the Landsat Operational Land Imager (OLI).
NASA LANCE
How NASA helps mining and exploration
Mining and exploration companies rely on trusted geoscience information to understand landscapes, manage risk, and make decisions across the mineral resource life cycle. NASA Earth science observations can support characterization of terrain, land cover, water resources, surface change, environmental conditions, operational risks, and long-term landscape dynamics.
NASA is engaging with the mining and exploration community to better connect Earth observations with industry needs, from early exploration and resource assessment to operations, closure, and reclamation. Through participation in pre-competitive industry efforts such as the Center to Advance the Science of Exploration to Reclamation in Mining, as well as broader technical exchange and stakeholder engagement, NASA helps bring trusted data, models, and Earth system science into decisions that support responsible resource development.
Various minerals are revealed in vibrant detail in this sample mineral map of Cuprite, Nevada, following processing of imaging spectrometer data.
USGS
FEbruary 2026
Industry Summit Report
The NASA Earth Science Industry Summit, hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on February 2, 2026, served as a strategic forum to explore how NASA’s Earth Science enterprise contributes to the engines of the American economy and how public and private sectors can work together to unlock greater opportunities in Earth observation.
Explore the summary report for key reflections and takeaways, representing the perspectives of more than 180 participants across finance, insurance, agriculture, energy, utilities, and more.
Earthdata is your gateway to find, access, visualize, and download NASA Earth science data. Browse the data catalog, search by topic, discover learning resources including tutorials and trainings, and more.
NASA's Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET) teaches users how to use remote sensing data for a range of applications. ARSET trainings are available for all levels of experience at no cost, both in person and online.
The Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) tracks active fires and hotspots worldwide to support response, risk monitoring, and operational awareness.
Flood Water Monitoring
NASA’s Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for Earth observation (LANCE) provides near real-time flood products, showing flooding and surface water changes to support exposure, claims, and resilience planning.
Economic & Human Activity
Night-time lights, visible with NASA’s Black Marble products, are used to monitor economic indicators, human activity, outages, infrastructure disruptions, and disaster recovery.
Heat & Temperature Insights
The ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) instrument detects surface heat, crop water stress, urban heat, and thermal conditions affecting assets and operations.
Land Surface Change & Risk
The OPERA Surface Displacement (DISP) product suite identifies land surface movement from processes such as sinkholes, earthquakes, and landslides, supporting risk assessment for infrastructure and critical assets.
Long-Term Risk Projection
NASA Earth eXchange Global Daily Downscaled Projections (NEX-GDDP) provides historical baselines and future climate scenarios for asset, portfolio, and resilience planning.
Partnerships & Collaboration
NASA offers 60 years of experience in advanced engineering and testing capabilities, cutting edge research and technology development, as well as unique assets such as land, facilities and laboratories for use by commercial industries, academic institutions, U.S. government agencies and international entities.
Partnerships Front Door
Discover how NASA works with industry, academic, and non-profit partners to advance mutual goals through through strategic, non-procurement partnerships.
Eligible organizations that incorporate NASA data into their products, services, or research can gain significant value by displaying the NASA Data Insignia.
At nearly 80 years old, retired Texas shrimper Diane Wilson had every reason to stay home. Instead, she embarked on an extraordinary 8,000-mile journey to Taiwan as part of a bold environmental activism campaign targeting one of Asia’s largest petrochemical corporations.
Wilson joined two other Gulf Coast environmentalists in traveling to Formosa Plastics Corporation’s annual shareholder meeting in Taipei, bringing their fight against industrial pollution directly to the company’s doorstep. The retired shrimper, who has only a high school education but decades of experience witnessing environmental degradation along the Texas coast, agreed to make the grueling international trip as part of what she calls a strategy of being “relentless” in holding polluters accountable.
The confrontation represents a growing trend of grassroots environmental activists taking their local battles to global corporate headquarters. For Wilson and her fellow activists, the Taiwan trip symbolizes the international nature of environmental challenges, where pollution generated by multinational corporations affects communities across continents. Their presence at the shareholder meeting aimed to give voice to Gulf Coast residents who live with the daily impacts of petrochemical industry operations.
This David-and-Goliath story highlights how ordinary citizens are increasingly willing to go extraordinary lengths to demand corporate environmental responsibility, crossing oceans to ensure their voices are heard in boardrooms where crucial decisions about industrial operations are made.
A chemical repackaging and distribution company in Durham, North Carolina is being sued by the state for allegedly polluting a local creek with dangerous chemicals for decades. State regulatory documents reveal that Brenntag has discharged high levels of toxic substances including acetone, ethanol, and 1,4-dioxane, along with unidentified materials described as “mucilaginous goo,” into the waterway.
The contaminated creek flows directly behind an elementary school and winds through a public park located in a predominantly Black neighborhood, raising serious environmental justice concerns. The pollution has exposed children and community members to potentially harmful chemicals through their local water system and recreational areas.
The contamination issue has been ongoing, with Durham city officials taking enforcement action against the company. Since 2023, Brenntag has been fined $157,000 for water contamination violations, indicating the persistence and severity of the pollution problem.
This case highlights the broader issue of industrial facilities operating near schools and residential areas, particularly in communities of color that often bear a disproportionate burden of environmental hazards. The lawsuit represents an escalation in efforts to hold the company accountable for the environmental damage and protect public health in the affected neighborhoods.
On Tuesday, NASA announced the crew for the Artemis III mission, which is scheduled to be flown no earlier than summer 2027. As part of the announcement, space agency officials also discussed plans for the crew to dock with both a Blue Origin lander and a SpaceX Starship lander during the spaceflight in low-Earth orbit.
The presentation, although informative, still left open key questions about the landers' readiness and what exactly they'll look like. After the crew announcement, Ars sat down with Jeremy Parsons, NASA's Artemis program manager, to answer some of these questions.
This interview, conducted at NASA's Johnson Space Center, has been lightly edited for clarity.
A US Army helicopter gunship was apparently struck by an Iranian Shahed drone before going down near the Strait of Hormuz—but it's unclear whether the one-way attack drone was deliberately aimed or achieved more of a lucky accidental strike.
Axios correspondent Barak Ravid first reported an unnamed US government official’s comments that an Iranian drone had hit the US Army AH-64 Apache helicopter before the latter went down on June 8. The New York Times later confirmed that reporting through more anonymous US officials, including one official who said US military investigators were still evaluating whether the Iranian drone strike on the helicopter was intentional or accidental.
Iran has fired thousands of such Shahed drones against a wide range of military and civilian targets in the Gulf region since February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel began the war by jointly attacking Iran with a barrage of bombs and missiles. But Shahed drones have mainly struck stationary targets such as Amazon data centers and energy facilities, sometimes hitting slow-moving commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
The aurora australis crowns Earth’s atmosphere above the Indian Ocean as the Canadarm2 robotic arm extends from a power and data grapple fixture attached to the Harmony module.
NASA/Chris Williams
Scientific hardware installations and biomedical monitoring topped the research schedule aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The Expedition 74 crew members also adjusted a spacesuit to prepare for a spacewalk and explored space physics to round out their day.
A series of shoebox-sized CubeSats will soon be deployed outside the Kibo laboratory module into Earth orbit for public and private research. One of the satellites, Hokushin-1 CubeSat, will test space technologies such as radio frequency, propulsion, and solar arrays. NASA flight engineer Jack Hathaway finished installing a small satellite orbital deployer, packed with the CubeSats, into Kibo’s airlock where it will soon be placed in the vacuum of space and grappled by the Japanese robotic arm. The deployer will be maneuvered with the robotic arm and positioned away from the orbital outpost to safely release the tiny satellites into Earth orbit.
Onboard the orbital outpost are a variety of research freezers—large, small, portable, and permanent—that house and preserve station research samples for analysis both on Earth and in space. One of them, a smaller glovebox freezer, is being installed inside Kibo’s Life Science Glovebox (LSG) by NASA flight engineer Jessica Meir for upcoming experiment operations. The freezer’s location inside the LSG allows the samples to be stowed and frozen immediately after processing to prevent degradation and preserve integrity during sensitive biology research.
Meir also assisted flight engineer Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) as she set up wearable devices for a pair of biomedical tests on Wednesday. Adenot first measured her blood pressure to calibrate the PhysioTool technology demonstration gear. Next, she wore head and body sensors that measured her brain oxygen and blood flow levels as she performed cognitive and mental tasks on a computer. Researchers are testing the portable device onboard the station to potentially monitor crew health on missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Meir also had time to help NASA flight engineer Chris Williams pack cargo inside a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft that will undock from the Harmony module’s forward port and soon return to Earth. Williams then maneuvered into the Quest airlock and adjusted a spacesuit’s legs, arms, and helmet, then ensured the suit’s switches and valves were correctly configured ahead of an upcoming spacewalk.
On May 27, during routine operations of the International Space Station’s Canadarm2, the system demonstrated an elevated motor current in a wrist joint and arm motion did not occur as expected. NASA worked alongside CSA (Canadian Space Agency) to understand the issue and determined a spacewalk will be required to replace the joint using a spare already aboard the orbital complex. The Canadarm2, which is designed to be repaired in orbit, is in a safe configuration and standard operations using the arm have been paused. In the coming weeks, NASA will host a news conference to discuss the repair and preview the planned Tuesday, June 30 spacewalk. NASA will share more on the spacewalkers closer to the activity.
Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev joined each other and explored space physics in the Zvezda service module. The duo observed how two different sized spheres drift freely in microgravity with no pushing movement from the crew. Results may lead to the design of newer space tools, improved robotics, and a deeper understanding of crew motion. Roscosmos flight engineer Andreu Fedyaev focused primarily on maintenance testing computer operations, cleaning ventilation systems, and transferring water between station tanks.
Finally, the space station is orbiting higher today after the Progress 95 cargo spacecraft fired its thrusters for over eight minutes early Wednesday raising its altitude by 1.9 miles. This adjusts the orbital outpost’s altitude ahead of the launch and docking of the Soyuz MS-29 crew spacecraft planned for mid-July.
It may be Kia’s smallest electric vehicle, but the EV2 is a “big” deal. Kia’s electric SUV beat its official range estimate in a recent real-world test, outperforming all others in its class.
Haskelle T. White-Gianella and Joshua Krissansen-Totton 2026 Planet. Sci. J.7 79
Modeling suggests that even planets within their stars’ habitable zones may become uninhabitable if they do not have a sufficient water inventory to balance their carbon cycle.
Dear Astrophysics Strategic Technology & Research Accelerator (ASTRA) community members-
As we prepare for our Ad ASTRA Community Science workshop, we are writing to share important updates regarding the agenda structure and instructions for abstract submissions.
The Community Science (Ad ASTRA) Workshop is organized by the NASA Astrophysics Division to engage the community in identifying future large, strategic astrophysics missions. Structured over three thematic days—Science, Capabilities and Implementation, and Community Discussion—the workshop provides a comprehensive framework to connect scientific priorities with technological readiness and mission implementation. Across all three days, plenaries, panels, breakout sessions, and poster contributions are designed to maximize community interactions and discussion. The outcomes of the workshop will help NASA prioritize mission concepts and shape a balanced, forward-looking astrophysics portfolio that is consistent with the Astro2020 recommendations and existing and future science gaps.
To best serve the community and facilitate meaningful collaboration, we are splitting the mission concept presentations into two distinct focuses: Science on Day 1, and Capabilities and Implementation on Day 2. We are relying on you—the concept teams and the broader community—to submit abstracts for both days. We are also offering the option to present mission concepts as posters, and will offer the opportunity to present as posters any abstracts for which there is insufficient room in the parallel sessions.
Please review the detailed agenda structure and submission guidelines below:
Day 1: Science Focus
Science Questions: Day 1 will focus on open science priorities and questions from strategic documents (Astro 2020 Decadal Survey, Enduring Quests – Daring Visions from 2014) and more recent science questions that the mission concepts submitted to ASTRA will address.
Abstract Submission: Presentations for Day 1 are not restricted to mission concept team members. We strongly encourage other scientists in the community to submit abstracts presenting important science questions and to use this opportunity to connect with concept teams.
Breakout Sessions: These sessions will be organized by science themes (Compact Objects and Energetic Phenomena, Cosmology, Galaxies, Exoplanets & Astrobiology, Stars and Stellar Populations). Moderators will present a summary of the panel discussions at the end of Day 1.
Day 2: Mission Concepts – Capabilities and Implementation
Focus: Day 2 is focused on implementation, capabilities, and technologies (software and hardware) relevant to the ASTRA submitted mission concepts. A summary of the Innovation for Astrophysics Missions Workshop (May 2026) will inform discussions regarding industry and other capabilities and opportunities that may be leveraged.
Breakout Sessions: These sessions will be organized by capability groups, which will be determined once the submitted mission concept documents are reviewed.
Format & Goals: Breakout sessions will feature a mix of presentations and flexible discussion. The goal is for teams with concepts at varying maturity levels to collaborate, find commonalities, and strengthen their respective capability groups.
Abstract Submission Note: Teams may submit multiple abstracts for these sessions if their concept spans different capabilities (e.g., requiring both UV and X-ray technologies).
Day 3 & Workshop Outcome
A primary goal of this workshop is to refine a draft “science-to-capabilities” matrix, which will be built using inputs from your submitted ASTRA mission concept documents. During the Day 1 and 2 breakout sessions, moderators will capture key discussion points to present during end-of-day summary panels. On Day 3 of the workshop, we will hold a plenary discussion to recap the week and collaboratively revise the “science-to-capabilities” matrix. Together as a community, we will add, refine, and prioritize science questions, mapping them to mission concepts.
Key Upcoming Dates:
24 June 2026: Abstract submission deadline (link). If you have already submitted an abstract and would like to modify it based on the guidelines above, please delete your previous contribution and send another submission.
Dear Astrophysics Strategic Technology & Research Accelerator (ASTRA) community members-
As we prepare for our Ad ASTRA Community Science workshop, we are writing to share important updates regarding the agenda structure and instructions for abstract submissions.
The Community Science (Ad ASTRA) Workshop is organized by the NASA Astrophysics Division to engage the community in identifying future large, strategic astrophysics missions. Structured over three thematic days—Science, Capabilities and Implementation, and Community Discussion—the workshop provides a comprehensive framework to connect scientific priorities with technological readiness and mission implementation. Across all three days, plenaries, panels, breakout sessions, and poster contributions are designed to maximize community interactions and discussion. The outcomes of the workshop will help NASA prioritize mission concepts and shape a balanced, forward-looking astrophysics portfolio that is consistent with the Astro2020 recommendations and existing and future science gaps.
To best serve the community and facilitate meaningful collaboration, we are splitting the mission concept presentations into two distinct focuses: Science on Day 1, and Capabilities and Implementation on Day 2. We are relying on you—the concept teams and the broader community—to submit abstracts for both days. We are also offering the option to present mission concepts as posters, and will offer the opportunity to present as posters any abstracts for which there is insufficient room in the parallel sessions.
Please review the detailed agenda structure and submission guidelines below:
Day 1: Science Focus
Science Questions: Day 1 will focus on open science priorities and questions from strategic documents (Astro 2020 Decadal Survey, Enduring Quests – Daring Visions from 2014) and more recent science questions that the mission concepts submitted to ASTRA will address.
Abstract Submission: Presentations for Day 1 are not restricted to mission concept team members. We strongly encourage other scientists in the community to submit abstracts presenting important science questions and to use this opportunity to connect with concept teams.
Breakout Sessions: These sessions will be organized by science themes (Compact Objects and Energetic Phenomena, Cosmology, Galaxies, Exoplanets & Astrobiology, Stars and Stellar Populations). Moderators will present a summary of the panel discussions at the end of Day 1.
Day 2: Mission Concepts – Capabilities and Implementation
Focus: Day 2 is focused on implementation, capabilities, and technologies (software and hardware) relevant to the ASTRA submitted mission concepts. A summary of the Innovation for Astrophysics Missions Workshop (May 2026) will inform discussions regarding industry and other capabilities and opportunities that may be leveraged.
Breakout Sessions: These sessions will be organized by capability groups, which will be determined once the submitted mission concept documents are reviewed.
Format & Goals: Breakout sessions will feature a mix of presentations and flexible discussion. The goal is for teams with concepts at varying maturity levels to collaborate, find commonalities, and strengthen their respective capability groups.
Abstract Submission Note: Teams may submit multiple abstracts for these sessions if their concept spans different capabilities (e.g., requiring both UV and X-ray technologies).
Day 3 & Workshop Outcome
A primary goal of this workshop is to refine a draft “science-to-capabilities” matrix, which will be built using inputs from your submitted ASTRA mission concept documents. During the Day 1 and 2 breakout sessions, moderators will capture key discussion points to present during end-of-day summary panels. On Day 3 of the workshop, we will hold a plenary discussion to recap the week and collaboratively revise the “science-to-capabilities” matrix. Together as a community, we will add, refine, and prioritize science questions, mapping them to mission concepts.
Key Upcoming Dates:
24 June 2026: Abstract submission deadline (link). If you have already submitted an abstract and would like to modify it based on the guidelines above, please delete your previous contribution and send another submission.
Some farms are looking at how best to use their lights at night.MillaF/Shutterstock
Growing evidence suggests that excessive outdoor lighting at night may be harming wildlife.
For generations, rural communities worked to the rhythms of daylight and darkness. Today, the amount of harsh light switched on at nightime is having profound consequences for many living things.
Agricultural properties are often remote and vulnerable to equipment or livestock theft. In response, many landowners have now installed security floodlights, powerful halogen beams, and unshielded external LEDs to illuminate yards overnight.
The North York Moors National Park, an international dark sky reserve in the north of England, has been working with farmers to reduce the impact of artificial light on the natural environment.
The initiative is about ensuring that lighting is used in the right place, at the right time, and at the appropriate intensity. This might involve installing downward-facing fixtures, reducing glare through shielding, or switching to warmer-coloured lighting that is less disruptive to wildlife.
The best places to start trying to reduce bright nighttime lights are those rich in wildlife, and farms in the park are often in the darkest areas.
Since 2021, the national park has worked with more than twenty farms in key dark sky locations, with many more projects in development.
Carefully designed lighting systems can use shielded or motion-activated lighting, which reduce impact on wildlife.
Before and after a North Yorkshire property worked with the national park’s advice on lighting.North York Moors National Park, CC BY
How does it affect the environment?
Over-illumination disrupts complex regional ecosystems, extending daylight artificially and changing the behaviour of animals that depend on natural darkness. Research suggests that light pollution caused by humans, harms ecosystems because of the critical role light has on the timing of biological systems, which artificial light disrupts.
The damage extends from the soil upward. Scientific research indicates that pressures on ecosystems due to habitat loss, pesticides, invasive species and light pollution could create a devastating decline in the insect population, with a knock-on effect on the food chain.
Benefits for farms?
There’s also evidence that suggests that changing lighting could help farms. This light disruption affects crucial agricultural allies. Moths, which serve as vital nocturnal pollinators, are heavily affected, alongside bats facing shrinking feeding grounds. Bats can help farmers control insect pests.
Changing lighting around farms could also open up new tourism opportunities. Farms that also operate as B&Bs, for instance, can flag to tourists that they are part of a dark skies friendly community programme. This is an accreditation scheme for businesses that improve their lighting systems in accordance with international dark sky standards.
While UK national park authorities have powers to enforce planning restrictions on lighting, in places outside national parks, the UK lacks a comprehensive national regulatory framework to govern rural skyscapes.
The lesson in North Yorkshire and beyond is not that farms should switch off their lights. It is that lighting can be used responsibly to contribute to the stewardship of one of the countryside’s most valuable resources: the natural night sky.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The Apple Watch Series 11 is $100 off in all colors.
Apple’s upcoming watchOS 27 update will bring Siri AI and other exciting features to the Apple Watch Series 9 and newer Apple Watch models. If you’re contemplating an upgrade, all colorways of the GPS-enabled 42mm Apple Watch Series 11 — the latest model — are on sale for $299 ($100 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Target, matching its best price so far. You can customize your look by picking up a discounted Apple Watch band at Woot, starting at $14.99 ($35 off).
Apple’s Series 11 watch is a solid upgrade, especially for those who are still using an Apple Watch Series 6 or older. Battery life is one area where you’ll see big improvements, with up to 24 hours on a single charge. It also has a more durable, scratch-resistant design and bright, wide-angle OLED screen. While it has the same S10 chip as the $219 Apple Watch SE 3 that we recommend to most people, the Series 11 has a host of extra features, including hypertension notifications, an ultra-wideband chip, a brighter (and more pixel-dense) screen, plus a depth gauge, to name most of the differences.
As previously mentioned it’s one of a few Apple Watch models that will support watchOS 27 when it arrives this fall. The update will bring a redesigned app grid, custom Wallet passes for cards that use barcodes or QR codes, and new Siri AI capabilities. Beyond asking Siri AI to handle a range of tasks from your wrist, it will also be able to surface information stored across your Apple devices, and let you continue conversations after starting them on your iPhone.
You can buy the Beats Studio Buds Plus wireless earbuds for $99.99 ($70 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, Target. That matches their best price so far this year, and includes the slick translucent option we were particularly fond of. The Studio Buds Plus deliver a good combination of excellent sound, solid noise cancellation, and comfort, while working well with both Android and iOS devices. They’re also water-resistant and last up to nine hours on a charge, with swappable ear tips for a more secure fit. Read our review.
Fujifilm will be releasing a new Instax Mini 13 on June 25th, but if you’d rather save some money — or pick up a fun Father’s Day gift — Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 12 is on sale for $79.95 ($14 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, which is one of its better prices in recent months. While it lacks Mini 13’s self-timer, the Mini 12 is an excellent instant camera, producing clear, natural-looking prints and offering a simple, beginner-friendly experience that’s easy for all ages to enjoy.
The last-gen 11-inch LTE-enabled iPad Air with 128GB of storage is on sale for $499 ($250 off) at Best Buy, putting it at the same price as the Wi-Fi-only model. Its M3 chip isn’t as powerful as the newer M4’s, but it’s still fast, and it touts support for Apple Intelligence. It’ll be compatible with iPadOS 27 when it’s released in the fall, which adds Siri AI updates and makes transferring files to an external drive faster, among many other improvements. Read our review.
O Google anunciou a chegada de duas novidades importantes ao Brasil: o recurso "Pergunte ao Maps" e a integração do Gemini ao Chrome. Com inteligência artificial generativa, o Maps passa a responder perguntas em linguagem natural sobre locais, restaurantes, atrações e rotas. Já o Gemini no Chrome funciona como um assistente integrado ao navegador, capaz de resumir páginas, responder dúvidas sobre conteúdos abertos e ajudar em pesquisas sem interromper a navegação. As ferramentas fazem parte da estratégia da empresa para ampliar a presença da IA em seus principais produtos.
Um acessório chamado TinyPod está viralizando por transformar o Apple Watch em algo muito parecido com um iPod. O produto coloca o relógio da Apple dentro de uma carcaça com roda de navegação física inspirada no clássico click wheel, permitindo controlar músicas e aplicativos de uma forma totalmente diferente. A ideia é reutilizar Apple Watches antigos como dispositivos dedicados para música, podcasts, chamadas e mensagens, reduzindo a dependência do smartphone e trazendo de volta a nostalgia dos iPods.
After over a decade, Steam will no longer sell physical gift cards in stores. In a support page spotted earlier by Windows Central, Valve says it will no longer restock its gift cards once they run out, citing scammers who "continue to have an impact on Steam customers and other unsuspecting individuals."
In its post, Valve links to a Federal Trade Commission article outlining how gift card scammers attempt to convince victims to buy a gift card at a store and give them the code. Valve says it has responded to these scams by working with law enforcement, adding a warning to gift cards, and limiting their availability in stores, but "scammer …
NASA Webb Finds Strongest Evidence Yet for ‘Black Hole Stars’
While the primary purpose of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s observations of galaxy cluster Abell S1063 was to look for a certain population of stars, scientists obtained a detailed spectrum of GLIMPSE-17775 from the dataset. This little red dot is located behind Abell S1063.
Credits: Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, Vasily Kokorev (UT Austin); Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
The complex puzzle known as little red dots has become more complete since their initial discovery by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in 2022. Now a particular little red dot’s spectrum is helping connect many of the pieces.
A team of astronomers led by Vasily Kokorev at the University of Texas at Austin identified the lucky dot in question: GLIMPSE-17775. By carefully analyzing the dot’s spectrum captured by Webb — the deepest spectrum to date of a little red dot — the research team has identified multiple lines of evidence, all of which support the interpretation that GLIMPSE-17775 is a supermassive black hole enveloped in a dense cocoon of partially ionized gas, a model referred to as the BH* (black hole star) scenario. A paper describing the results was published today in The Astrophysical Journal.
“I think part of the scientific community is converging on a singular picture — that little red dots can be explained by black hole star models. But none of the previous little red dots have all of the pieces of evidence in the same place,” said Kokorev, lead author of the study. “With GLIMPSE-17775 we can test these models because of how deep and amazing this source’s spectrum is.”
Image: Abell S1063 with Pullout of GLIMPSE-17775 (NIRCam Image)
While the primary purpose of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s observations of galaxy cluster Abell S1063 was to look for a certain population of stars, scientists obtained a detailed spectrum of GLIMPSE-17775 from the dataset. This little red dot is located behind Abell S1063.
Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, Vasily Kokorev (UT Austin); Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
Connecting puzzle pieces
Soon after Webb first began science operations, it discovered a new, mysterious type of object in the very early universe – abundant red objects that emerged about 600 million years after the big bang. Scientists have explored multiple explanations for these little red dots, including the black hole star scenario.
A set of fortunate circumstances brought about this new, elaborate spectrum of a little red dot. The little red dot that would come to be known as GLIMPSE-17775 was fortunately included in Webb’s imaging and spectroscopy efforts for a project that sought to look for Population III stars and faint galaxies in galaxy cluster Abell S1063. This little red dot is more distant than the galaxy cluster and magnified by gravitational lensing. (GLIMPSE-17775 has a cosmological redshift of 3.5, meaning it existed about 1.8 billion years after the big bang.)
While Webb provided a 30-hour spectrum of the little red dot, the effect of gravitational lensing made it equivalent to 80 hours of telescope time. This combination of Webb’s infrared sensitivity and nature’s own “magnifying glass” amplified the amount of detail that could be gleaned from GLIMPSE-17775. The result was more than 40 spectral lines from this small, red source, which is the most detailed little red dot spectrum to date.
“When we saw the spectrum for the first time, it was like having all the pieces of a puzzle scattered on the floor,” said Kokorev. “We picked up each piece of the puzzle, measured the lines, and started combining the different pieces into a mosaic. Maybe a few pieces looked like nothing at first, but then a couple of them came together, and we realized that there was something there.”
The spectroscopic data collected by Webb contains multiple lines of evidence that support the interpretation that little red dot GLIMPSE-17775 is a black hole star: a rapidly accreting, or growing, black hole enveloped in a dense gas cocoon, which is reprocessing the light emitted from near the black hole and producing the features seen in the spectrum.
Image: Evidence of a ‘Black Hole Star’
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured the deepest spectrum to date of a little red dot. More than 40 spectral lines have been discerned from the data, many of which independently support the theory that GLIMPSE-17775 is a black hole enshrouded by a hot, dense gas cocoon.
Illustration: NASA, ESA, CSA, Vasily Kokorev (UT Austin); Designer: Leah Hustak (STScI)
Lines of evidence
Among the 40-plus lines that the team detected in GLIMPSE-17775’s spectrum were various independent indicators that all align with the BH* scenario. For example, the team found that many of the spectral lines, such as hydrogen, oxygen, and helium, do not fit a simple model of a rotating gas cloud. Instead, the best fit model includes a broadening effect known as electron scattering, a telltale sign that a dense, layered gas cocoon is enshrouding this source.
The strength and ratios of certain lines to each other, most notably the 16 iron lines that compose what the team has dubbed an “iron forest” and certain oxygen lines, require a high-energy source to produce them, like a rapidly accreting black hole. Additionally, astronomers noted the fluorescence and absorption of helium in the spectrum, both of which individually suggest that there is a dense medium enveloping a powerful source.
The BH* scenario not only fits GLIMPSE-17775; it also accounts for why most little red dots are faint in X-rays, since any such emission is likely absorbed by the dense gas cocoon.
One missing element of the GLIMPSE-17775 puzzle piece is the part of the spectrum that would reveal what’s known as a Balmer break, or a strong dip in the emitted light that’s a signature characteristic of little red dots. To build a more comprehensive understanding of this little red dot, the team incorporated ancillary data from two observing programs that used NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope: the Frontier Fields and BUFFALO (Beyond Ultra-deep Frontier Fields And Legacy Observations) programs.
The Webb and Hubble data together help explain why the Balmer break is weaker than what typically is found in other little red dots: A giant host galaxy is surrounding GLIMPSE-17775. Although a little red dot’s host galaxy is not something that has been usually seen at such scale before, it isn’t inconsistent with the dense gas cocoon model. The black hole star model of little red dots attributes excess blue light to stars in the host galaxy.
When Webb first discovered little red dots, some researchers thought these objects had “broken cosmology,” unsure how galaxies could have grown so big so quickly in the early universe to account for all this light coming from their stars. However, the team believes the GLIMPSE-17775 puzzle piece fits nicely in the existing framework of the universe’s evolutionary history, because black hole masses don’t need to be as high in order to explain the broad emission lines.
“Everything fits, nothing is broken, and I think that makes the puzzle that is our universe even better,” said Kokorev. “Looking ahead, I’m eager to dive deeper and learn about what is powering the central engines of little red dots. While we think it’s a black hole, there are some other interesting theories being proposed, which is exciting. Maybe in a year or two, we’ll have the final answer to what powers these sources.”
The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).
The following sections contain links to download this article’s images and videos in all available resolutions followed by related information links, media contacts, and if available, research paper and Spanish translation links.
Related Images & Videos
Abell S1063 with Pullout of GLIMPSE-17775 (NIRCam Image)
While the primary purpose of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s observations of galaxy cluster Abell S1063 was to look for a certain population of stars, scientists obtained a detailed spectrum of GLIMPSE-17775 from the dataset. This little red dot is located behind Abell S1063.
Evidence of a ‘Black Hole Star’
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured the deepest spectrum to date of a little red dot. More than 40 spectral lines have been discerned from the data, many of which independently support the theory that GLIMPSE-17775 is a black hole enshrouded by a hot, dense gas cocoon.
Irons, now an emeritus scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, played an integral role in shaping the Landsat program into what it is today. He served as deputy project scientist for Landsat 7 before taking over as project scientist for Landsat 8. From the earliest days of Landsat 8—then called the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM)—all the way through launch and operation, Irons worked across the agency and with colleagues at the USGS to ensure that Landsat continued providing critical data to researchers around the world. He championed rigorous calibration standards and fought to keep the thermal band on Landsat 8. Now, with projects like OpenET relying on evapotranspiration data derived from Landsat thermal imagery, the strength of his vision has only become more apparent.
Irons also served as the director of NASA Goddard’s Earth Science Division during the turbulent early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Contending with global disruption, he prioritized making sure that everyone had the support that they needed to continue doing great work. As a leader and a scientist, Irons left a legacy of collaboration and innovation that lives on today.
We checked in with Irons about his role in Landsat’s history, what it takes to be a good leader, and winning the Pecora award:
NASA missions are so collaborative. Are there mentors, colleagues, or teams that you would want to share this recognition with or give special mention to?
One reason I feel so honored is that prior recipients have been my supervisors, mentors, role models, and colleagues whose work I admired and who inspired me. There’s a long list of people who have been recipients, and I am very honored to be added to that list.
There are also many people who have not yet been recognized who are very deserving. I’ve written letters of support for others, and I hope I’m called on again because there are more people who deserve recognition than there are awards to give out.
One of the things highlighted in the Pecora Award announcement was your commitment to the long-term continuous data record of Landsat. Looking at the Landsat program, why is this continuity so critical for Earth science today?
Data continuity is the backbone of the Landsat program. We are looking for change over time. When we talk about climate change and the impact of humans on the land surface, those changes are multi-decadal. We wouldn’t be able to understand, characterize, and monitor those changes without a continuous data record.
And it’s really important that the data record is well-calibrated. When we see changes between data from one Landsat sensor relative to another, we need to be confident that it’s a change occurring on the Earth, not a change in the performance of the sensors.
That’s another major contribution cited in your award: how much you pushed for rigorous data calibration and quality assurance. How did you establish those processes, and how did that make Landsat the gold standard of satellite data?
Early in my career, I got in trouble over calibration. NASA was flying an airborne sensor called the Thematic Mapper Simulator, intended to anticipate the capabilities of Landsat 4 and 5. But the operators kept changing the radiometric gain in-flight to maximize the dynamic range. I told NASA Headquarters that we couldn’t compare that data to the actual Thematic Mappers if they kept changing the gain—it wasn’t the same radiometry! The HQ manager got really upset, but I weathered the storm and stuck to my guns.
Later, when Landsat 4 and 5 were returned to the U.S. government from private operation, there had been no real calibration since launch. I advocated for a ground system component at USGS EROS to perform calibration. I didn’t build it, but I did advocate for USGS to hire a brilliant guy named Jim Storey, who developed the software for the precise geolocation of pixels in the data.
When I became Landsat 8 Project Scientist, we needed a pre-launch calibration lead. I advocated for Brian Markham. Brian just did a remarkable job ensuring the calibration of the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and its cross-calibration with previous instruments. He was modest, humble, and built a highly effective team across private industry and agencies.
Another important part of your legacy was the effort to ensure that thermal-infrared measurements continued onto Landsat 8. Why was retaining those measurements so important?
Back when USGS charged for data, the use of thermal data was minimal. Some well-respected papers even claimed it wouldn’t be possible to use thermal data to estimate evapotranspiration rates. Based on that, the Director of Earth Sciences at NASA HQ was convinced that the thermal capability wasn’t providing a return on investment.
But while this debate was ongoing, people began developing methodologies for estimating evapotranspiration and water consumption using thermal data—prominently Martha Anderson at the USDA, and researchers at the University of Idaho. It became crucial for monitoring agricultural water use in the West, and was even used in adjudicating water rights. It was also useful for cloud detection and fire monitoring.
I felt strongly that dropping the thermal capability was inconsistent with our directive to continue the Landsat data record. However, due to time pressures and budget constraints, the decision was initially made to fly Landsat 8 without a thermal instrument. But then, when our schedule was pushed back by an independent review board, a window opened up. Center Director Ed Weiler, who had moved to HQ, supported putting a thermal sensor on the payload. Kathy Richardson and engineer Fernando Pellerano were assigned to build it on an incredibly tight schedule, and they did an unbelievable job.
Now, deriving evapotranspiration rates for water consumption is considered essential. Ironically, for Landsat 9, NASA HQ even briefly considered launching a satellite with only a thermal sensor!
You were the Project Scientist from the earliest days of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) all the way through the Landsat 8 launch and beyond. What was the biggest challenge you faced during its development?
There were a lot of problems. Laughs. Because of the Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992, the government was exploring commercial data buys for the follow-on mission. NASA spent five painful years attempting to implement LDCM as a commercial data buy. Only one company ultimately responded to the RFP, and it wasn’t a good deal for NASA, so it was rejected.
Then we were directed to put the Landsat sensor on an NPOESS platform (combining civilian and military weather satellite requirements). That platform wasn’t technically suitable, and the program ultimately fell apart.
Finally, the Office of Science and Technology Policy directed us to launch a free-flyer. Bill Ochs took over as project manager, and he deserves so much credit for the success of Landsat 8. He essentially rescued the project and put it on a path to success.
Reflecting on the partnership between USGS and NASA, how did you help build that, and what makes long-term interagency collaboration possible?
Darrell Williams and I worked very hard to establish a good relationship between NASA Goddard and USGS EROS. I took many trips to Sioux Falls. With Landsat 7, the EROS Center Director at the time, Don Lauer, brought in new people with great experience, like Jim Storey, Doug Daniels, and Jim Nelson. They developed the geometric rectification software for Landsat 7, and by the time we worked on Landsat 8, they had the right people in place to develop the whole data processing system. And we all got along really well with them. We still keep in touch with a number of them and consider them friends.
With Landsat 10 on the horizon, are there emerging applications or discoveries you’re excited about?
Yes. A major emerging capability is using Landsat data in concert with other systems, like ESA’s Sentinel-2, or with LIDAR and radar for 3D forest mapping. The community has asked for more frequent observations, especially more frequent thermal observations to measure water consumption more precisely without extrapolating over long gaps during the growing season.
There’s also great interest in using Landsat for water quality assessment, combining it with the PACE mission to monitor coastal and inland water quality. And tracking glacial velocities, glacial retreat, and even population displacement in conflict regions are all expanding areas. Landsat is truly foundational.
What was your biggest takeaway about leadership from your role as Director for the Earth Science Division at Goddard?
I was asked to step up after my predecessor, Piers Sellers—who was an absolute superstar—passed away. My main goal was simply to create an environment where the highly diverse researchers within the division could be successful. I wanted to minimize bureaucratic hindrances so they could focus on their work.
What I learned is that there is a limit to authority. Dictating doesn’t work. You have to lead, engage people, bring them into discussions, and get their buy-in. I used to joke that the job was like working with 1,400 valedictorians! It’s a high-achieving, dedicated group. My challenge was sometimes just reminding them to respect the work of the person down the hall, because people can get so fiercely focused on their own research.
My primary goal during my tenure was to provide stability, especially since it spanned what was then the longest government shutdown in history, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. I was incredibly impressed by how productive the division remained through a complete disruption in how they worked.
What is the most important piece of advice you would give to young scientists?
Persistence. Persistence in pursuing your interests is critical. The only reason Landsat 8 was a success was that we persisted through several failed attempts to reformulate the program, schedule challenges, and budget uncertainties.
Funding and mission success aren’t entitlements based on your name or reputation. You have to work hard, keep putting forward proposals, do good work, and persist through rejections. If you really believe in what you’re doing, Goddard is a great place to work. You can get a lot done. But it takes persistence.
This interview was condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
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