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The economy slowed a bit -- but Americans continued to spend
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Sen. Paul threatens to hold Fauci in contempt. And, a new rule undercuts U.S. asylum
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Russian strikes across Ukraine kill at least 8 civilians and wound dozens
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Starburst Galaxy Centaurus A
In this July 6, 2026, image, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) reveals the nearby galaxy Centaurus A, exposing the dusty structures and hidden activity that shape this unusual system.
Centaurus A is 11 million light-years away from Earth, relatively close in cosmic terms. Yet, unlike most nearby galaxies, it is very active, making it a powerful laboratory for understanding how galaxies and black holes grow and evolve together.
Explore the galaxy through an interactive map.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Macarena Garcia Marin (ESA Office at STScI)
NASA Johnson Interns Shaping the Future of Exploration
NASA Johnson Interns Shaping the Future of Exploration
NASA interns at Johnson Space Center are applying their talents to real-world projects while working alongside the engineers, scientists, communicators, and innovators advancing human spaceflight. Learn how these students are gaining hands-on experience, contributing to real missions, and preparing to join the nation’s highly skilled and competitive aerospace workforce.
Meet the students behind the work and discover what inspired them to pursue careers at NASA.
Macie Landon — Moon Base Program Strategic Communications
Being able to translate complex concepts into media that the public can understand and take inspiration from is hugely important.
Macie Landon
Moon Base Program Strategic Communications Intern
Macie Landon is helping tell the story of humanity’s first outpost on the lunar surface. Using graphic design, 3D modeling, video production, and other multimedia tools, she creates visual content that supports public outreach and internal communications for the Moon Base Program.
Landon’s path to NASA began with a lifelong interest in space, science fiction, art, and video games. While studying visualization at Texas A&M University, she planned to pursue a career in gaming or feature animation before discovering she could apply those same creative skills at NASA.
Her first internship was with the Graphics and Visualization Lab at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, where she created 3D models for virtual reality simulations.
“I had no idea I could pursue multimedia design at NASA,” Landon said. “I loved it and was so inspired by the creative force across all NASA centers.”
After building connections at Glenn, Landon applied for a summer internship at Johnson, where she continues using design to help communicate NASA’s human space exploration goals.
“Everyone at NASA is so smart, helpful, and willing to share their stories,” she said. “Almost every day I have at least one memorable and surprising moment.”
Landon has also gained an appreciation for the collaboration behind NASA’s missions.
“Through my two internships, I’ve learned how thousands of people from different backgrounds work together toward the same goal of benefiting humanity,” she said.
Working in strategic communications has changed the way Landon views STEM careers.
“Without someone sharing the stories of NASA’s work, much of it would go unseen,” she said. “The creatives at NASA are key to inspiring the next generation.”
In addition to creating multimedia products, Landon regularly engages with the public at outreach events, answering questions from audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
“I’ve learned a lot about how to have meaningful and impactful conversations with people,” she said.
Looking ahead, Landon hopes to continue using design and storytelling to help people better understand NASA’s missions while inspiring future explorers.
“I hope that through my work as a NASA intern, I continue to inspire the next generation of scientists, creatives, explorers, and more to be part of NASA’s mission in bettering humanity,” she said.
For students considering careers in STEM, Landon encourages them to follow what genuinely interests them.
“Explore what you truly love. You may discover there’s a place for your skills at NASA, too.”
John Graham Reynolds — AI and Machine Learning
I am a small cog in the big NASA wheel, but I know my tiny steps enable a much larger leap for mankind.
John Graham Reynolds
AI and Machine Learning Research Engineer Intern
John Graham Reynolds develops generative artificial intelligence systems in NASA’s Advanced Operations Concepts Lab that help improve mission support and engineering operations for NASA’s Orion Program and other aspects of human spaceflight.
Before joining NASA, Reynolds worked for four years as a professional engineer. Looking for an opportunity to make a greater impact, he returned to graduate school and sought work that aligned with his passion for meaningful innovation.
“NASA is the greatest symbol of American ingenuity and a beacon for public progress,” Reynolds said. “Applying here was a no-brainer.”
As a graduate intern, Reynolds has contributed to technologies that support NASA’s human spaceflight missions.
One achievement he is especially proud of came during the Artemis II mission, when his team’s flagship AI system provided engineering support for the Orion spacecraft.
The system provided operators of the Orion Flight Software console in the Orion Mission Evaluation Room with an AI-powered interface to quickly access and summarize internal engineering documentation, allowing engineers to analyze faults, troubleshoot issues, and contribute to Orion operations during Artemis II.
“Helping support a mission that carried humans farther from Earth than ever before was an incredible experience,” he said.
Working alongside NASA engineers has also changed the way Reynolds thinks about a career in STEM.
“NASA is filled with smart people, but above all else, it is filled with people who are passionate about what they do,” he said. “That overwhelming sense of passion and purpose regularly reminds me of the value STEM careers provide.”
Reynolds says one of the biggest lessons he has learned is that innovation depends on collaboration.
“Always be open to the ideas of others, and they will be open to you,” he said. “No one can solve every problem. Teamwork, collaboration, and consideration are the greatest agents of improvement.”
Mentorship and networking have also played an important role in his internship experience.
“Connecting with full-time staff and other interns has opened many doors for me,” Reynolds said. “I know those connections will support me for the rest of my life, inside and outside of NASA.”
Looking ahead, Reynolds hopes to continue developing technologies that strengthen NASA’s missions and advance the future of space exploration.
For students considering a career at NASA, Reynolds encourages them to stay curious and follow what genuinely interests them.
“Find what you love, even if it isn’t STEM,” he said. “Explore anything and everything that interests you. Never stop.”
Morgan Gridley — Photography
Seeing my work used to communicate NASA’s missions and milestones has been incredibly rewarding. It’s shown me the real impact photography can have.
morgan gridley
Photography Intern
Morgan Gridley is helping document the next chapter of human spaceflight as a photography intern at Johnson. From astronaut portraits and crew training to major mission announcements, her photographs help tell the story of NASA’s missions. Now in her second summer internship, Gridley is building on the experience that first sparked her passion for documenting exploration.
“Working alongside so many talented photographers, engineers, scientists, astronauts, and creatives has shown me how many different ways people contribute to NASA’s mission,” Gridley said.
Gridley learned about the internship after NASA photographer Bill Stafford, an East Texas A&M University alumnus, shared the opportunity with faculty. Her professor passed it along to the class, and Gridley immediately applied.
“I’ve always loved space and exploration, so it seemed like an incredible experience,” she said.
Gridley’s work included photographing one of NASA’s WB-57 aircraft during takeoff. Those images later supported news coverage highlighting the aircraft’s role in aerial imaging during the Texas floods.
She also served as one of the photographers covering the Artemis III crew announcement, with some of her images appearing in news coverage of the historic milestone.
Gridley credits her mentors with helping her grow throughout both internships.
“I consider every member of my team to be one of my mentors,” she said. “Even after my first internship ended, I stayed in touch by sharing my work and receiving feedback on my photos.”
Photographing astronauts in the studio has become one of Gridley’s favorite assignments.
“When I first started photography, I mostly focused on landscapes and didn’t enjoy taking portraits,” she said. “Now, portrait photography is my favorite part of what I do.”
Looking ahead, Gridley hopes to continue documenting NASA’s work as part of the photography team.
“Being able to capture moments that are part of NASA’s history has been an amazing experience, and I’d love the opportunity to continue telling those stories through photography,” she said.
For students considering careers in STEM and the creative arts, Gridley encourages them to stay curious and embrace new opportunities.
“Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone,” she said. “Staying open to new experiences can lead you to opportunities and interests you never expected.”
Learn more about NASA internship programs.
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APOD: July 30 – Red Sun trough Wildfire Smoke
APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Red Sun through Wildfire Smoke
Explanation: This could be the view from an exoplanet orbiting around a red dwarf star, but it is our own Sun. This image of was taken on July 22, 2026, in the Okanagan region in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Wildfire smoke from the Pacific Northwest acted as a solar filter, allowing the photographer to take this photo of the Sun directly. Several sunspots are also visible in this eerie image; just below and right of the center is AR 4493, a fast evolving, giant active solar region and sunspot group. The smoke is made of tiny particles that help block and scatter light with bluer colors, so the light we see coming from the Sun is dimmer and redder than usual (but it is never safe to stare directly at the Sun). Sunsets and sunrises are also more colorful because of the smoke. Some 6 billion years from now, the Sun will actually start to turn redder as it approaches its red giant phase.
Tomorrow’s picture: What’s next?
| Date | July 30, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Debra Ceravolo |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Keighley Rockcliffe |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |
New Zealand’s Southern Wilderness
Stewart Island/Rakiura is the third-largest island in New Zealand, diminutive in comparison to the country’s North Island and South Island. Yet it hosts a population of one of the largest of the kiwi: the Stewart Island tokoeka. This flightless bird, a subspecies of the Southern brown kiwi (Apteryx australis), numbers in the thousands on the island, dwarfing its human population of approximately 500.
The avian national icon is just one slice of the natural riches on Stewart Island/Rakiura, a roughly triangular piece of land about 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of the South Island. Rakiura National Park covers about 85 percent of the bright green island. And as the Māori name—Rakiura, meaning “glowing skies”—suggests, it’s a prime location for viewing the aurora australis.
On the northern half of the island, podocarp and hardwood forests featuring coniferous trees with ancient lineages blanket the land. Other areas are covered in shrublands and wetlands, as well as coastal dunes such as those lining Mason Bay. A diversity of birdlife, including the kiwi, populates these relatively untouched ecosystems. The tall trees of the podocarp forests produce various fruits attractive to avian inhabitants, such as bellbirds, with their pure-toned calls, and the rare kākāpō, the world’s heaviest and only flightless parrot species.
One notable haven for birds lies on Ulva Island, located within the inlet near Halfmoon Bay (Oban). Rats, which once preyed on bird eggs and chicks there, were deemed eradicated in 1997, and the island has mostly remained free of non-native predators. Conservationists have since embarked on a project on the much larger Stewart Island/Rakiura to eliminate rats, possums, feral cats, and hedgehogs.
When darkness falls, Stewart Island/Rakiura’s human denizens can look skyward for the chance to observe stars, auroras, nearby dwarf galaxies, and other features of the Southern Hemisphere night sky. In 2019, the remote and sparsely inhabited island was designated an International Dark Sky Sanctuary.
Amateur astronomers there and in other places with good night-sky views might search for objects of interest through Hubble’s Night Sky Challenge. In May, when this image was acquired, targets imaged by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope that were also visible from Earth’s southern latitudes included a star cluster called the Jewel Box and a peculiar elliptical galaxy known as Centaurus A, which may have resulted from two galaxies colliding.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Photo and story by Lindsey Doermann.
References & Resources
- DarkSky International (2019, January 3) Stewart Island / Rakiura. Accessed July 29, 2026.
- The Guardian (2022, July 6) New Zealand to embark on world’s largest feral predator eradication. Accessed July 29, 2026.
- New Zealand Department of Conservation, Birds. Accessed July 29, 2026.
- New Zealand Department of Conservation, Podocarp-hardwood forests. Accessed July 29, 2026.
- New Zealand Department of Conservation, Stewart Island/Rakiura. Accessed July 29, 2026.
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