NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium

Visiting PA Aerospace Day in Harrisburg.

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/artemis-2-astronauts-return-to-earth-ending-historic-moon-mission

Splashdown! Artemis 2 astronauts return to Earth after historic NASA mission to the moon Artemis 2 etched its name in the record books and kept NASA on track for even bigger things to come.

https://x.com/NASAArtemis/status/2041501971480273167?s=20

NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) on X

https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/06/artemis-ii-flight-day-6-lunar-flyby-updates/

Artemis II Flight Day 6: Lunar Flyby Updates - NASA NASA’s live coverage of the Artemis II lunar flyby is underway on NASA+, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, and Roku, alongside the agency’s 24/7 coverage on its YouTube channel. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of online platforms, incl...

Anyone else have a case of the Moondays? 🌕

Today our Artemis II astronauts fly around the Moon! Tune in, starting at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 UTC) as they view parts of the Moon never seen by human eyes.

Watch it live with us: https://www.nasa.gov/ways-to-watch/

https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/04/01/live-coverage-nasa-to-launch-artemis-2-its-first-moon-bound-mission-with-astronauts-since-1972/

Live coverage: NASA to launch Artemis 2, its first Moon-bound mission with astronauts since 1972 – Spaceflight Now Live coverage: NASA to launch Artemis 2, its first Moon-bound mission with astronauts since 1972 April 1, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft stand at Launch Complex 39B on Tuesday, March 31, ahead of the planned launch of Artemis 2. Image: Michael Cain/...

2026 NASA Planetary Science Summer School (PSSS)
NASA Science Mission Design Schools

Now through March 23, 2026, NASA is encouraging applications for its 38th Annual Planetary Science Summer School.

Offered by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, PSSS is a 3-month long early career development experience to help prepare the next generation of planetary science and engineering mission leaders. Participants learn the process of developing a science hypothesis-driven robotic space mission in a concurrent engineering environment while getting an in-depth, first-hand look at mission design, mission life cycle, costs, schedule and the trade-offs inherent in each.

Applicants with the following education and career experience are eligible: Science and engineering Doctoral Candidates (advancement to candidacy required), recent Ph.D.’s (up to five years beyond their Ph.D.), Postdocs, Junior Faculty with a Ph.D., and Non-research Engineering Master-level students within six to nine months of graduation will be considered on a space-available basis.

Open to U.S. Citizens and legal permanent residents and a limited number of Foreign Nationals from non-designated countries living with continuous residence in the U.S at the time of application and extending through the full program period. There is no charge to attend. We strive to create a welcoming environment where participants’ contributions and unique perspectives are valued.

Session 1: Preparatory Sessions May 14 – July 24. | Culminating Week with JPL’s Team X July 27 – July 31.

Session 2: Preparatory Sessions May 28 - August 7. | Culminating Week with JPL’s Team X August 10 - 14.

PSSS is roughly equivalent in workload to a rigorous 3-credit graduate-level course, requiring an average effort of 10-12 hours per week. Participants spend the majority of the first 10 weeks in preparatory webinars acting as a science mission team, prior to spending the final culminating week being mentored by JPL’s Advance Project Design Team, or “Team X” to refine their mission concept design, then present it to a mock review board of NASA Center experts.

To apply and learn more about the NASA Science Mission Design Schools:

NASA Science Mission Design Schools – Explore Programs & Apply | NASA JPL Education Our mission is to provide transformational STEM education experiences and resources that empower teachers and inspire the next generation of explorers.

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2517723123

Multiple formation pathways for amino acids in the early Solar System based on carbon and nitrogen isotopes in asteroid Bennu samples | PNAS Samples collected from the carbonaceous near-Earth asteroid Bennu and delivered to Earth by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission contain organic molecules rel...