NASA News

Robotically Assembled Electromagnetic Metamaterials for Long-Range Space Situational Awareness 

David SmithDuke University  The increasing population of spacefaring vehicles and satellites motivates increasingly powerful technologies for space situational awareness (SSA). While the US space surveillance network (SSN) is able to monitor objects down to about four inches in size using, for example, the latest upgrade to the space fence, the associated requirements limit implementation to ground-based […]

science  Jul 21, 2026

NASA News

Photophoretic Tracers for Near-Space Remote Sensing at 30-100 km Altitudes 

Benjamin SchaferRarified Technologies, Inc. We propose a new approach to atmospheric sensing at 30-100 km altitudes using photophoretically levitating tracers. These lightweight structures harness sunlight to remain suspended for up to months at controlled altitudes and can be remotely tracked by satellite-based lidar or radar. Unlike natural aerosols, these tracers are designed to provide strong and […]

science  Jul 21, 2026

NASA News

Actively Steerable Femtosat Constellations for In-situ Exploration of Saturn’s Rings, Atmosphere, and Magnetosphere

Michael RubensteinNorthwestern University, Chicago We propose a mission to use ~10,000 actively steerable femtosats to map the ring composition, atmospheric composition and density, and the magnetic field distribution of Saturn. Conducting in-situ surveys of Saturn’s rings with a single flagship mission, such as Cassini, would carry an unacceptably high risk of mission failure due to […]

science  Jul 21, 2026

NASA News

PRAXIS: Planetary Rings Autonomous EXploration with In-situ Sampling

Marco QuadrelliNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Humanity has never touched the particles of a planetary ring, but if we were able to get close enough and sample them, it will transform understanding of ring structure and origins for Saturn (dense), Uranus and Neptune (tenuous), rings of other objects such as Centaurs Chariklo and Chiron, and even early […]

science  Jul 21, 2026

NASA News

ECLIPSE – Efficient variable Conductivity Lunar Insulator for Passive Surveyor Environmental control

Austin Phoenix Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State A disaggregated lunar infrastructure requires novel thermal management methods to enable future lunar operations. While thermal management solutions exist for large infrastructure, the smaller mobile systems that operate independently require improved temperature regulation devices that can survive without heaters or substantial power requirements, while limiting stress-inducing temperature fluctuations. New […]

science  Jul 21, 2026

NASA News

Plasmon-Enhanced Radioisotope Thermophotovoltaic (PRTPV) Power Generation for Interstellar Missions

Keunhan ParkUniversity of Utah This proposal seeks to develop a transformative energy system — the plasmon-enhanced radioisotope Thermophotovoltaic (PRTPV) generator — that significantly surpasses the performance of current radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) in both specific power and efficiency. Designed to achieve a specific power of 17 W/kg and a thermal-to-electric conversion efficiency greater than 40%, […]

science  Jul 21, 2026

The Guardian Science

Milky Way flipped in collision with dwarf galaxy 10bn years ago, astronomers say

Durham University researchers find cataclysmic direct hit with Gaia Sausage sent Milky Way into its current positionAstronomers have found evidence that the Milky Way was flipped on its side following a direct hit from a wayward galaxy long before the solar system was born.The cataclysmic collision took place about 10bn years ago when the Milky Way was struck head-on by an incoming dwarf galaxy known – for purely astronomical reasons – as the Gaia Sausage. Continue reading...

science  Jul 21, 2026

NASA News

Psyche Approaches Mars

This composite photo released on July 17, 2026, shows the crescent of Mars grow as NASA’s Psyche spacecraft approached the planet for a gravity assist. Psyche flew by Mars on May 15, 2026, using the planet’s gravity to gain speed and slightly tilt its trajectory. The flyby also gave the team an opportunity to prep for the […]

science  Jul 21, 2026

NASA News

Grants

*Notice* The Payment Management System (PMS) is currently experiencing issues affecting Federal Financial Report (FFR) generation. Impacted NASA grant recipients will not be considered noncompliant. NASA is working with PMS to resolve the issue. Updates will be posted here. Grants Status Requests To submit a request, visit NASA General Information Request Form and complete the […]

science  Jul 21, 2026

NASA News

Establishing Crew Exposure Limits of Martian Dust

Background Human exploration of Mars will expose crews to a persistent, fine particulate environment whose physicochemical properties and health implications remain only partly understood. Because no samples of authentic Martian airborne dust have been returned to Earth, NASA must rely on lunar dust toxicology, Martian regolith simulants, and extensive rover/lander geochemical and mineralogical datasets to […]

science  Jul 21, 2026

Science Daily

Watching too much TV in midlife may shrink the brain

Watching television very often in midlife may be linked to troubling brain changes decades later. In a study of about 1,700 adults, frequent TV viewers later showed smaller brain regions involved in memory, decision-making, and visual processing, along with more signs of damage in the brain’s white matter. Surprisingly, sitting itself did not appear to be the main issue, since people who spent long hours seated at mentally engaging jobs often showed healthier brain patterns.

science  Jul 21, 2026

NASA News

A New Compact Instrument Enables High-Fidelity Measurements of Energetic Particles on CubeSats

A team of NASA-sponsored scientists and engineers has developed a novel approach to observing high-energy particles in the near-Earth space environment, incorporating miniaturized sensors into a compact, multi-view particle detection instrument unlike any before it. Built for NASA’s Relativistic Electron Atmospheric Loss (REAL) CubeSat mission, the innovative instrument (also called REAL) enables more complete measurements […]

science  Jul 21, 2026

Science Daily

Ancient mystery on K’gari as world’s largest sand island lakes dried up during rainy era

Ancient sediment reveals that some of K’gari’s deepest lakes vanished around 7,500 years ago, despite unusually heavy rainfall. The surprising discovery suggests changing winds and future climate shifts could threaten the sacred lakes known as the Eyes of K’gari.

science  Jul 21, 2026

Science Daily

China’s Chang’e-6 reveals why solar wind hits the Moon’s two sides differently

China’s Chang’e-6 samples have uncovered a surprising difference between the Moon’s two hemispheres. Solar wind particles penetrated deeper into the far-side soil because Earth’s magnetosphere slows the particles that reach the near side. Noble gases locked inside the lunar regolith preserved evidence of this uneven bombardment. These gases may even help scientists reconstruct the ancient history of Earth’s magnetic shield.

science  Jul 21, 2026

Science Daily

Astronomers find the first atmosphere on a rocky world in the habitable zone

Astronomers have found the first confirmed atmosphere around a rocky planet in another star’s habitable zone. The planet, LHS 1140 b, revealed its atmosphere through helium slowly leaking into space. Located 48 light-years away, the world may have preserved its atmosphere for billions of years, making it a promising target in the search for potentially habitable planets.

science  Jul 21, 2026

Science Daily

Ancient DNA reveals a chilling secret at China’s 4,000-year-old Shimao city

Ancient DNA from China’s vast 4,000-year-old Shimao settlement is revealing how one of East Asia’s earliest complex societies was organized. Researchers found that its people were largely descended from local Yellow River farming communities, but also had genetic ties to distant southern and steppe populations, pointing to extensive prehistoric contact.

science  Jul 21, 2026

Science Daily

A hidden “switch-off” signal could predict solar storms seven years early

A newly discovered turning point in the Sun’s 11-year cycle could allow scientists to predict future solar activity years earlier than before. At this “switch-off” point, the most violent space weather abruptly ends, and the remaining number of sunspots offers clues about the next cycle’s strength. Early projections suggest Solar Cycle 26 may be moderate, but a clearer forecast is expected in about two years.

science  Jul 21, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists found mystery bacteria inside one of the ocean’s most elusive whales

Scientists studying decades of pygmy sperm whale strandings have uncovered three previously unknown types of Helicobacter bacteria hiding in the animals’ stomachs. All four infected whales showed serious digestive damage, including inflammation, ulcers, scarring, and parasite infestations, although the bacteria were not confirmed as the cause of death.

science  Jul 21, 2026

Science Daily

New molecular map reveals how the flu virus hijacks human cells

Scientists uncovered how influenza A commandeers human cells, including a surprising strategy that dissolves tiny structures in the nucleus and releases proteins the virus may use to reproduce. The detailed molecular map could reveal new drug targets and help researchers study dangerous flu strains such as H5N1.

science  Jul 21, 2026

The Guardian Science

Revisited: A Scottish tea mystery, episode one – green shoots

Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland.In episode one of this mini-series first broadcast in October 2025, Nicola looks back on her first meeting with O’Braan while working on a feature about tea plantations in the UK. He was selling his award-winning Scottish-grown tea to some of the UK’s finest hotels, but something didn’t quite add up. And Nicola wasn’t the only person taking an interest in his storyClips: BBC,

science  Jul 21, 2026