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The Senate passes the Protect College Sports Act, but the bill's future is unclear
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(Image credit: Jason Clark)
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(Image credit: Seth Wenig)
Trump's immigration push has largely spared farms. Idaho dairymen worry it won't last.
America's farms have largely escaped the president's aggressive immigration crackdown. But as ICE sweeps continue across the nation, farmers are uneasy because many still can't find enough workers.
(Image credit: Natalie Behring/Getty Images)
The Trump administration weakens fuel efficiency standards for new cars
The Trump administration says easing these standards will make cars more affordable. Critics say it's not so simple and could be costly for the environment.
(Image credit: Apu Gomes)
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Mars Has Its Charmes
Written by Athanasios (Thanos) Klidaras, Ph.D. candidate at Purdue University
Sept. 21, 2026
After a long hiatus, the Perseverance rover updates page is back. A lot has happened on Mars in the meantime, and with regular updates now resuming, there is plenty to catch up on — Perseverance has been busy. The rover has spent 2026 exploring the “Lac de Charmes” area, an area of valleys and ridges west of the Jezero crater rim that represent a “wild west frontier” for the mission. The rocks in this area are among the oldest Perseverance has encountered. They formed when Mars was still a young planet bombarded by asteroid impacts, long before the sedimentary rocks inside Jezero crater formed in rivers and lakes. They therefore could teach us much about the earliest era of Martian history — and, more broadly, how rocky planets evolved during the tumultuous early history of our solar system.
The science team decided to thoroughly explore this ancient and intriguing terrain first, before deciding which rocks to sample. If you take a look at the rover’s location map, you’ll see that Perseverance has followed a looping path winding between interesting outcrops, helping scientists build up an understanding of how “Lac de Charmes” formed. In this time, Perseverance has created a total of 13 abrasion patches on rocks that caught the team’s attention, providing a feast of scientific data. So far, investigations suggest that many appear to have formed from cooled lava or magma (igneous rocks), as well as others that formed in the aftermath of a violent impact (impactite rocks) — and some that show evidence for both processes. Exploration has been boosted by a new algorithm that makes clever use of a processor originally used to communicate with the Ingenuity helicopter to achieve longer and more accurate drives.
Perseverance’s exploration of the “Lac de Charmes” region is now nearing its end, but the discoveries certainly haven’t stopped. Recently, the science team sent the rover towards an area nicknamed “Idubi,” where hundreds of light-toned boulders were spotted from a distance. “Idubi” has proven to be a scientific bonanza, where rocks of varying texture and composition are concentrated. When Perseverance investigated one of these light-toned boulders, an abrasion patch fittingly named “Badger Peak” revealed a spectacular light-and-dark texture (shown in the image above) unlike any the rover has seen before. An attempt to sample this boulder was unsuccessful due to its high hardness, so the team is now searching elsewhere for a similar rock to sample. In the meantime, Perseverance has stopped to investigate an interesting outcrop nearby named “Gardenia,” which could be a breccia — a rock that is itself comprised of fragments of many older rocks. This week, the rover will attempt an abrasion to give the science team a detailed look. Even after months of exploring Lac de Charmes, the team continues to be surprised, and with Perseverance preparing to move onward once again, there should be no shortage of new stories to share here.
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October’s Night Sky Notes: Spooky Stargazing
October’s Night Sky Notes: Spooky Stargazing
NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Ghoul
Located within the constellation Perseus lies a star called Algol, also known as ‘Demon Star’ or ‘The Ghoul’. You can spot this star during the autumn months, along with Cassiopeia and Andromeda in the northeastern sky, beginning after 9 PM. In Greek mythology, this star represents the ‘blinking eye’ of the gorgon Medusa. But how can a star blink?
Algol is a triple-star system, with two of the three stars orbiting one another. This eclipsing binary causes the system to go from a bright +2.1 magnitude to a slightly dimmer +3.4 magnitude about every three days. Using data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission, this light curve shows the regular dimming, or Medusa’s ‘blinking eye’!
There is no shortage of resources on how to calculate the dimming – or minima – of Algol, from interactive charts to data plots. Find the one that works best for you. Because it has a similar magnitude of brightness, you can compare Algol’s brightness to the nearby star Almach (Gamma Andromedae) in Andromeda using a small telescope or binoculars.
Witch Head Nebula
Between the Eridanus and Orion constellations lies a spooky silhouette, illuminated by the star Rigel. IC 2118, or the Witch Head Nebula, is a reflection nebula about 900 light-years away from Earth. Because reflection nebulae rely on nearby starlight to appear visible, they can be difficult to see with the naked eye, especially if they are as far away as this one. While the Witch Head Nebula can’t be seen with the naked eye, telescopes with very large apertures and low magnification make it easier to catch under dark skies. Astrophotographers, with or without smart telescopes, can image this haunting outline within a few hours, depending on equipment and sky quality. And what is a witch without their broom! You can find the Witch’s Broom in the Western Veil Nebula, located in the constellation Cygnus.
Want more tips for getting into the season? Read our article on how you can make some spooky sidewalk astronomy fun for your community with Trick or Treat: Sidewalk Astronomy!
NASA, Boeing Share Update on Commercial Starliner Development Plans
On Monday, NASA and Boeing provided an update on the company’s Starliner spacecraft, including adding additional crew missions and certifying a new rocket for crew transportation to low Earth orbit.
“We are living through the most exciting era of space exploration since Apollo,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “As this domain continues to open, there will be growing demand for launch vehicles, transfer stages, landers, and, of course, spacecraft that carry astronauts. NASA has been committed to having multiple crew transportation options since the beginning of the Commercial Crew Program. We have worked closely with Boeing to address the issues identified on previous Starliner flights, and we intend to see this vehicle return to flight in support of the International Space Station and future commercial destinations.”
The agency intends to exercise options for a fifth and sixth flight to and from the space station using Starliner, and will work with Boeing and United Launch Alliance to certify the Vulcan rocket for use after the Atlas V rocket’s final flight.
“We are starting with an uncrewed Starliner-1 mission to the International Space Station to validate the improvements made to the spacecraft and gather the flight data we need,” said Isaacman. “From there, we will use what we learn, continue implementing the corrective actions identified by our Program Investigation Team, and complete the testing and certification required for crewed flight. Our current plan is to return astronauts on Starliner-2 by 2028.”
NASA’s commercial crew efforts aim to preserve a U.S. crew transportation capability for ensuring continued access to space. The work is challenging, however, it is essential for responsibly concluding space station operations, transitioning to commercial space stations, and expanding commercial access.
In February, NASA released findings from the agency’s Program Investigation Team outlining the programmatic and technical issues resulting in an uncrewed return of the Starliner during its first crewed flight in 2024. In total, the investigation identified 61 recommendations to NASA to ensure that future missions meet the high standards required for human spaceflight.
The report specifically identified issues with Starliner’s service module reaction control thrusters operating outside of their engineering qualification, which resulted in the loss of control experienced during its Crew Flight Test. Through significant ground testing and analysis, NASA and Boeing learned the service module thruster performance issues resulted from a combination of factors, including the thermal environment and features inherent in its design.
Based on the findings, Boeing has made thermal modifications to the spacecraft’s service module which NASA will evaluate for improved performance on Starliner-1. NASA and Boeing also have jointly decided to implement an additional thruster valve design modification in support of spacecraft certification and future crewed flights.
The uncrewed Starliner-1 has the potential to fly in December of this year or January 2027. It will serve as an engineering evaluation mission to verify improved thermal environments, obtain necessary performance data for system qualification, and identify residual risk ahead of crewed missions.
“Starliner’s next flight is a critical step on the path to achieving full system certification and ensuring a sustained human presence in low Earth orbit,” said Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Program. “With the safety of our space station crew and the public as our highest priority, we will test Starliner’s propulsion system through targeted demonstration objectives and disciplined operational controls. These steps are essential to validating Starliner’s thermal performance which is a key element for the certification.”
Following the flight, NASA and Boeing will complete the service module thruster valve design modification, which is focused on addressing poppet seal extrusion and its adverse effects on thruster performance. Boeing also will implement other improvements across the spacecraft including installation of new crew module thrusters, batteries, and minor modifications to the parachute system for increased performance and reliability in support of system certification.
To learn more about NASA’s missions, visit:
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George Alderman / Josh Finch
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
george.a.alderman@nasa.gov / joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov
NASA Armstrong Celebrates 80 Years of Flight Innovation
On Sept. 30, 1946, five National Advisory Committee of Aeronautics (NACA) engineers arrived at Muroc Army Airfield in California’s high desert to achieve supersonic flight for the first time. In less than two years, NACA flew the X-1 aircraft faster than the speed of sound, marking an important milestone in aviation history.
Fast forward 80 years, and that former NACA outpost is now NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, flying the X-59 supersonic X-plane in the same skies to demonstrate that supersonic flight doesn’t have to come with a boom.
Over Armstrong’s 80-year history, the center has supported milestone missions ranging from space shuttle landings to SR-71 flights, shaping the evolution of science, aeronautics, and space research.
This Southern California NASA center is poised to lead the next era of aeronautics and human spaceflight, advancing technologies that will define the future of flight.
Fast facts
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman recently named Armstrong as the agency’s Center of Excellence for Flight Test and Aircraft Operations, recognizing the center’s unmatched rigor in executing unique missions only NASA can fly.
- To support NASA’s Artemis missions and return to the Moon, Armstrong uses research aircraft such as a 737 for astronaut suit testing, the G-III for Artemis II heat-shield data collection, and an F/A-18 aircraft that tested the autopilot for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket.
- NASA’s aeronautics centerpiece, the X-59, is undergoing rigorous testing and a series of flights at Armstrong to prepare for upcoming quiet supersonic demonstrations over U.S. communities.
- NASA Armstrong has transformed commercial and military aviation — from early supersonic flight research to digital fly-by-wire — and continues working with other government agencies, industry, and academia to make flying safer, more autonomous, and more efficient.
- The center plays a vital role in global science by flying aircraft like the ER-2, C-20A, and Gulfstream G-III/IV/V to collect critical data on wildfires, glacier melt, pollution, minerals, and more.
Behind these achievements are the engineers, pilots, technicians, and mission support teams who continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
For more about NASA Armstrong, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/armstrong
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Dede Dinius / Teresa Whiting
Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, California
661-276-3449
darin.l.dinius@nasa.gov / teresa.whiting@nasa.gov
