| In this week’s newsletter, revisit the launch of Axiom Mission 4, the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station; learn how NASA works with inventors to push the boundaries of exploration; and find out what playing video games has to do with keeping astronauts healthy in microgravity. Plus, more stories you might have missed. |
| HUMANS IN SPACE Welcome to the Space Station, Axiom Mission 4  |
| As part of NASA’s efforts to expand access to space, four private astronauts are in orbit following the successful launch of the fourth all private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft lifted off at 2:31 a.m. EDT Wednesday from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying Axiom Mission 4 crew members Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space as commander, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) astronaut and pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, and mission specialists ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and HUNOR (Hungarian to Orbit) astronaut Tibor Kapu of Hungary. At 8:14 a.m. EDT on Thursday, the hatch opened between the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and the International Space Station following the arrival of Axiom Mission 4. The private astronauts plan to spend about two weeks aboard the orbiting laboratory, conducting a mission of science, outreach, and commercial activities. MISSION UPDATES |
 | HUMANS IN SPACE Fostering Far-Out Tech for the Future Through the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, NASA nurtures visionary yet credible concepts that aim to advance capabilities such as finding resources on distant planets, making space travel safer and more efficient, and even providing benefits to life here on Earth. From studying Mars to researching black holes and monitoring the atmosphere of Venus, NIAC concepts help us push the boundaries of exploration. FROM SCIENCE FICTION TO REALITY |
| PODCAST NASA’s Curious Universe Podcast: How Lying in Bed for 60 Days Helps Astronauts To learn more about how microgravity affects the human body and develop new ways to help astronauts stay healthy, scientists are asking dozens of volunteers to spend 60 days in bed with their heads tilted down at a specific angle. They’re investigating different ways to combat space-based muscle loss and improve astronauts’ sense of balance by, among other things, teaching volunteers to play video games with their feet. LISTEN |  |
 SCIENCE Curiosity Captures Intriguing Boxworks The Red Planet once had rivers, lakes, and possibly an ocean. Its water eventually dried up and the planet transformed into the chilly desert it is today. New images from NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover show dramatic evidence of groundwater in a region scientists had previously observed only from orbit. The images and data being collected are already raising new questions about how the Martian surface was changing billions of years ago. LEARN MORE |  THE UNIVERSE Glittering Galaxy A new composite image of the Andromeda galaxy combines X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, infrared, and radio data to reveal sparkling intricacies of our neighboring galaxy. This image is released in tribute to the groundbreaking legacy of Dr. Vera Rubin, whose observations transformed our understanding of the universe. SEE AND HEAR |
| More NASA News |
 | Engineers have taught NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to roll over. Doing so enables the busy spacecraft circling the Red Planet to look deeper underground as it searches for liquid and frozen water, among other things. |
 | Congratulations to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, Old Dominion University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology for winning this year’s Human Lander Challenge! Teams won $18,000 in prize money for their solutions for keeping liquids super chilled in space for weeks or months. |
 | NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is scouring the planet for science. Faced with a “weird, uncooperative rock,” the rover ground down a portion of the rock’s surface and got to work studying its pristine interior. |
| Do You Know? |
 |
| On June 27, 1982, the final test flight of the Space Shuttle Program, STS-4, was launched into space with a crew of two: commander Thomas K. Mattingly and pilot Henry Hartsfield. This was, in fact, the last shuttle mission with just two astronauts aboard. The flight landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California seven days later on the Fourth of July with a crowd of about 45,000 people in attendance, including President Ronald Reagan and the first lady. |
| Which of these celebrities was also at the STS-4 landing? A. William Shatner B. David Bowie C. Roy Rogers D. Ed Harris |
| Find out the answer in next week’s NASA newsletter! |
 | Last week, we asked what location was shown in a photo of Earth’s limb taken by the crew of STS-51G in June of 1985. The answer? The Hawaiian Islands! Astronauts have used hand-held cameras to photograph Earth for more than 40 years. Beginning with the Mercury missions in the early 1960s, astronauts have taken more than 1.5 million photographs of Earth. Today, the International Space Station continues the NASA tradition of Earth observation from human-tended spacecraft. |
 |
| Do you have a telescope? Would you like to see some of the same night sky objects from the ground that Hubble has seen from space? We invite you to commemorate the Hubble Space Telescope’s 35th anniversary by accepting our yearlong stargazing challenge! New challenge objects will be featured weekly. This week’s object is Caldwell 45 (C45), a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Boötes, notable for the ring structure around its nucleus. These nuclear rings are characterized by “hot spots” of starburst activity where stars form at a much higher rate than usual. At a distance of 59 million light-years, the starburst regions in Caldwell 45 are actually some of the nearest to Earth and are less visually obstructed than many others. JOIN THE CELEBRATION |
| Correction: In the June 20, 2025, newsletter, the University of Alabama was listed as one of the 2025 Student Launch competition winners. The correct name of the school is the University of Alabama in Huntsville. |
NOTE: This is a NASA publication. Used with permission and formatted to fit this screen.