Scientific Research events

Scientific ResearchNASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Published 11d ago

Human-Related Microbes May Survive Moon’s South Pole, NASA Finds

Contamination from astronauts may make it difficult for researchers to distinguish ancient lunar chemistry or signs of life from Earth-based organisms, a concern that also applies to Mars.

Study published on August 19, 2026, in Science Advances led by Prabal Saxena at NASA Goddard.
Simulations of polar sites including Nobile Rim, Connecting Ridge, and De Gerlache Rim utilized Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter data.
Organisms including Aspergillus niger, Bacillus subtilis, and Deinococcus radiodurans were analyzed for UV and temperature tolerance.
Results emphasize the urgent need to establish baseline contamination measurements prior to crewed Artemis landings and Mars missions.

Scientific ResearchNASA

Published 10d agoEvent Jan 1

The View from Above: The Gemini Visual Acuity Experiments

Verifying human vision from space led to the development of Earth-observing instruments, including the 1972 launch of Landsat 1 for monitoring crops and disasters.

Astronauts used a binocular-like In-Flight Vision Tester to identify rectangle orientations
Terrestrial 'Eye-Q' charts with white rectangles ranging from 150 to 600 feet were placed in Laredo, Texas, and Carnarvon, Australia
Experiments confirmed astronauts could see surface features like roads and ship wakes from orbit without vision degradation

Scientific ResearchNASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Published 11d ago

Human-Related Microbes May Survive Moon’s South Pole, NASA Finds

Contamination from astronauts may make it difficult for researchers to distinguish ancient lunar chemistry or signs of life from Earth-based organisms, a concern that also applies to Mars.

Study published on August 19, 2026, in Science Advances led by Prabal Saxena at NASA Goddard.
Simulations of polar sites including Nobile Rim, Connecting Ridge, and De Gerlache Rim utilized Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter data.
Organisms including Aspergillus niger, Bacillus subtilis, and Deinococcus radiodurans were analyzed for UV and temperature tolerance.
Results emphasize the urgent need to establish baseline contamination measurements prior to crewed Artemis landings and Mars missions.

Scientific ResearchNASA

Published 10d agoEvent Jan 1

The View from Above: The Gemini Visual Acuity Experiments

Verifying human vision from space led to the development of Earth-observing instruments, including the 1972 launch of Landsat 1 for monitoring crops and disasters.

Astronauts used a binocular-like In-Flight Vision Tester to identify rectangle orientations
Terrestrial 'Eye-Q' charts with white rectangles ranging from 150 to 600 feet were placed in Laredo, Texas, and Carnarvon, Australia
Experiments confirmed astronauts could see surface features like roads and ship wakes from orbit without vision degradation

Scientific Research

Activity & Events

Human-Related Microbes May Survive Moon’s South Pole, NASA Finds

The View from Above: The Gemini Visual Acuity Experiments

Scientific Research

Activity & Events

Human-Related Microbes May Survive Moon’s South Pole, NASA Finds

The View from Above: The Gemini Visual Acuity Experiments