| In this week’s newsletter, celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday with the crew aboard the International Space Station and enjoy cosmic fireworks from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory; discover how you could become a crew member on a yearlong simulated space mission; and learn about the three companies selected to deliver four new missions to the Moon in 2028 as part of NASA’s Moon Base program. Plus, more stories you might have missed. |
| HUMANS IN SPACE Happy 250th Birthday America, From 250 Miles Above Earth |
| Every day aboard the International Space Station, astronauts work together to advance science, test new technologies, and deepen our understanding of living and working in space. The research happening in orbit today is laying the groundwork for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Space exploration has always united people and inspired generations to imagine what’s possible. From Mercury and Gemini to Apollo, the Space Shuttle Program, and now the International Space Station, each program builds on the achievements of those who came before. As NASA prepares for the next chapter of exploration through the Artemis missions, we’re proud to help carry the fire of discovery forward for all humanity. TO THE MOON, MARS, AND BEYOND |
 | THE UNIVERSE Through Hubble’s Eyes NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday with a cosmic fireworks display, showcasing 13 vibrant images captured on various Fourths of July from 1990 to 2025 — just a tiny fraction of Hubble’s more than 1.7 million observations that have fueled over 23,000 peer‑reviewed scientific papers and cemented Hubble as one of the most prolific astronomical tools in history. Now in its 37th year, Hubble continues to ignite curiosity with stunning visuals and groundbreaking discoveries, inspiring our drive to explore and understand the universe. COSMIC FIREWORKS |
| THE UNIVERSE Red, White, and Blue In honor of the nation’s 250th birthday, NASA has released four striking cosmic images from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, each rendered in red, white, and blue to highlight the wonders of the universe the agency explores. These images are accompanied by a trio of new sonifications — a technique that transforms astronomical data into sound. COSMIC IMAGES |  |
 HUMANS IN SPACE Research Volunteers Wanted NASA is seeking volunteers for its next simulated deep space mission, scheduled to begin no earlier than August 2027. Participants will spend one year living and working in controlled interplanetary environments at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, experiencing the isolation and operational conditions expected during future crewed missions to the Moon or Mars. The yearlong study, known as the Moon and Mars Exploration Analog, will generate insights that help keep astronauts safe, healthy, and mission‑ready during planetary surface operations. Findings may also guide plans for a sustained lunar presence through NASA’s Moon Base initiative and future Artemis missions. LEARN MORE |  THE UNIVERSE Surviving a Dying Star Billions of years ago, a sun-like star nearing the end of its life swelled tremendously in size to become a red giant before ejecting its outer layers, leaving a hot remnant core known as a white dwarf. As a red giant, the star should have engulfed and destroyed any nearby planets. Yet astronomers have discovered a Jupiter-sized exoplanet, known as WD 1856 b, orbiting the white dwarf every 34 hours at a separation of less than 2 million miles. To solve the mystery of how this exoplanet survived, an international team of astronomers used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to observe WD 1856 b transiting its host star, measuring the planet’s temperature and detecting molecules in its atmosphere. LEARN MORE |
| More NASA News |
 | NASA has selected three companies to deliver four new missions to the Moon in 2028 as part of the agency’s Moon Base program. Astrobotic, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines will deliver NASA science payloads to the lunar surface, supporting the agency’s first long‑term outpost on another celestial world. |
 | For the first time, NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, mission has identified a planet orbiting a distant star thanks to ripples in space‑time. Unlike the star-hugging transiting planets TESS typically discovers, the newfound world is a super-Jupiter orbiting far from its host star. |
 | NASA astronauts Chris Williams and Jessica Meir completed a 7‑hour, 20‑minute spacewalk on June 30 to remove and replace a malfunctioning wrist joint on the Canadarm2 robotic arm outside the International Space Station. NASA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) decided to replace the component after the arm drew elevated motor current and failed to move as expected during routine operations on May 27. |
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| This July 4, as the United States celebrates its 250th birthday, NASA also is marking a foundational anniversary in its exploration of the Red Planet. On July 4, 1997, a NASA mission touched down on Mars, delivering the first rover ever to operate on the Martian surface. |
| What was the name of this NASA mission that delivered the first rover to Mars? A. Viking 1 B. Spirit C. Mars Pathfinder D. Mars Science Laboratory |
| Find out the answer in next week’s NASA newsletter! |
 | Last week, we asked what unique characteristic NASA’s Galileo spacecraft discovered about Ganymede during the first ever close flyby of the largest moon of Jupiter. The answer? It generates its own magnetic field. Galileo discovered that Ganymede has an intrinsic, internally generated magnetic field, making it the only moon in the solar system known to possess one. The discovery helped reshape scientists’ understanding of Ganymede’s internal structure and hinted at a more complex, dynamic world than previously imagined. |
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| In honor of the nation’s 250th birthday, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has expanded its popular “What Did Hubble See on Your Birthday?” web app. Thanks to Hubble’s longevity and its ability to observe the universe around the clock, NASA can now offer five Hubble images for every day of the year. Explore what Hubble saw on your special day, choose your favorites, and share them with friends. ENTER YOUR BIRTHDAY |
| NOTE: This a NASA publication. Used with permission and formatted to fit this web page. |