“...all the past is but a beginning of a beginning, and that all that is and has been is but the twilight of dawn.”

— H.G. Wells
1902

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The best new science-fiction novels published in July 2026

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 6:00am
Sci-fi fans can enjoy a new Red Dwarf novel – the first for 30 years – this month, as well as sci-fi horror from Paul Tremblay and a journey to Planet Happy with Riley August
Categories: Astronomy

The best new science-fiction novels published in July 2026

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 6:00am
Sci-fi fans can enjoy a new Red Dwarf novel – the first for 30 years – this month, as well as sci-fi horror from Paul Tremblay and a journey to Planet Happy with Riley August
Categories: Astronomy

The Quiet Conversation Between Muscle and Gravity, and What Happens When It Stops

Universe Today - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 5:57am

Every muscle in the human body is, in a sense, in constant conversation with gravity, sensing load and responding accordingly to stay strong. Remove that conversation, as happens to astronauts in orbit, and the consequences unfold at a molecular level long before they become visible. New NASA-supported research is tracing exactly how that breakdown happens, using a purpose-built model that mimics weightlessness here on Earth. The surprising twist is where else this knowledge might apply

Categories: Astronomy

Slowdown of AMOC ocean current may be gradual and reversible

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 5:27am
Scientists worry that a surge of meltwater from Greenland could irreversibly collapse the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, but new modelling suggests the weakening of the current could be reversed if CO2 levels come back down
Categories: Astronomy

Slowdown of AMOC ocean current may be gradual and reversible

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 5:27am
Scientists worry that a surge of meltwater from Greenland could irreversibly collapse the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, but new modelling suggests the weakening of the current could be reversed if CO2 levels come back down
Categories: Astronomy

A Star’s Death Throes Involves a Lot of Kicking

Universe Today - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 4:47am

When stars like the Sun reach the end of their lives, the textbook story has them puffing up and quietly shedding their outer layers to leave a white dwarf behind. A new model suggests it is far less serene than that. As dying stars eject mass asymmetrically, each burst delivers a tiny recoil, and over hundreds of thousands of years roughly ten thousand of these kicks add up to send the star drifting through space at a respectable speed. The idea neatly explains why wide binary star systems tend to fall apart once one star becomes a white dwarf, and it hints at something more dramatic still waiting to be confirmed

Categories: Astronomy

Galaxy Groups Hiding in the Universe’s Emptiest Places

Universe Today - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 4:30am

Even the universe’s emptiest regions, the vast voids that make up most of the volume of space, are not entirely empty. A new study using the CAVITY survey hunts for galaxy groups hiding within these voids, applying a friends of friends technique to chart how nearby galaxies cluster together despite the surrounding emptiness. The results paint a striking picture that most void galaxies actually live entirely solitary lives, yet where groups do form, they are small, loose and curiously indifferent to just how empty their void actually is. It raises a deceptively simple question that turns out to be anything but: in the universe’s quietest neighbourhoods, what makes some galaxies choose company while most remain alone?

Categories: Astronomy

Thousands of planets are hidden in this photo

ESO Top News - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 4:00am
Video: 00:10:45

Millions of stars. Thousands of hidden worlds. One unprecedented view of our galaxy.

Three years since launch, ESA’s Euclid space telescope reveals the Milky Way galaxy’s centre in extraordinary detail: a mosaic of tens of millions of stars captured in just 26 hours.But this is more than an image. It is a map of stellar evolution, from dark clouds where stars are being born to ancient populations packed into the galactic bulge.

And hidden within this dense field of light are planets we cannot see directly.

Through gravitational microlensing, astronomers detect distant worlds by measuring tiny, temporary changes in light as stars pass in front of one another, revealing planets and even their masses through gravity alone.

Euclid, originally built to explore dark matter and dark energy, is now helping open a new window on our own galaxy, and the unseen worlds within it.

Categories: Astronomy

July Podcast: Spotlight on Spica

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 3:27am

This month’s episode highlights the bright star Spica, now prominent high in the southwest after evening twilight. It’s leading the parade of constellations, along with the brilliant planet Venus, that will grace the Northern Hemisphere’s summer skies. You'll also get to know other brights stars in Spica’s vicinity, along with excellent tips on how to be a better stargazer. So grab curiosity and come along on this month’s Sky Tour.

The post July Podcast: Spotlight on Spica appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

The space under

ESO Top News - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 3:00am

Five explorers from three space agencies have successfully completed ESA’s CAVES training course in Italy.  

Categories: Astronomy

ESA Outlines High-Tech Lander Instruments for 2050 Enceladus

Universe Today - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 2:38am

Saturn’s moon, Enceladus, has become a prime solar system target for astrobiologists. This is because the small moon, which is just over 10 percent the diameter of Earth’s Moon, harbors a vast subsurface ocean beneath its icy crust. This subsurface ocean combined with the geysers at Enceladus’ south pole that discharges bits of this ocean into the void provides scientists with a treasure trove of opportunities for scientific research into whether Enceladus could harbor ingredients for life as we know it, or even direct evidence for life.

Categories: Astronomy

Habitable Worlds Targets in New Star Activity Catalog

Universe Today - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 1:13am

Searching for habitable worlds beyond our solar system consists of more than just having it orbit within its star’s habitable zone, which is the region where temperatures could be just right for liquid water to exist on the surface. On Earth, where water comprises approximately 75 percent of the planet’s surface, life is absurdly abundant. But what about the exoplanet’s star, specifically its activity and rotation? How could this influence how exoplanets are identified for current and future missions?

Categories: Astronomy

Astronomers Discover Another Galaxy With No Dark Matter

Universe Today - Tue, 06/30/2026 - 10:47pm

Astronomers using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island, have discovered the third known galaxy apparently lacking dark matter, part of a strange linear structure that may have formed during a violent collision between galaxies.

Categories: Astronomy

Nautilus Array to Track Missing Exoplanet Atmospheres

Universe Today - Tue, 06/30/2026 - 10:11pm

Exoplanet atmospheres have become prima targets for astrobiologists in the search for life beyond Earth. This is because exoplanet surfaces can’t be directly imaged yet, so astronomers must get creative with how to search for signs of life, also called biosignatures. Presently, powerful ground- and space-based telescopes like the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are improving in their ability to observe and analyze exoplanet atmospheres. But did these atmospheres form and evolve, and what could this mean for the search for life beyond Earth?

Categories: Astronomy

It's Finally Begun! The Vera Rubin Observatory Creating What Will Be the Greatest Movie Ever Made

Universe Today - Tue, 06/30/2026 - 5:20pm

The Vera Rubin Observatory's long-awaited Legacy Survey of Space and Time has begun. This decade-long movie of the cosmos will capture anything that changes brightness, position, or both in the southern night sky. It will study grand subjects like dark energy and dark matter, and important things closer to home like near-Earth objects.

Categories: Astronomy

NASA announces Astrobotic, Intuitive Machines and Firefly to build lunar landers for a future moon base

Scientific American.com - Tue, 06/30/2026 - 4:45pm

Three companies will receive a total of $600 million to executive four moon landings, laying the groundwork for a planned crewed outpost on the surface

Categories: Astronomy

<p><a href="https://apod.nasa.gov/apod

APOD - Tue, 06/30/2026 - 4:00pm

Why does the Sun throw stuff at us? The Sun’s surface is a churning soup of energetic electrons and


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

NASA’s Chandra Reveals ‘Red, White, Blue’ Universe for US 250th

NASA News - Tue, 06/30/2026 - 3:54pm
7 Min Read NASA’s Chandra Reveals ‘Red, White, Blue’ Universe for US 250th

In celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States, NASA has unveiled four cosmic images from its Chandra X-ray Observatory rendered in red, white, and blue that represent the wonders of the universe the agency explores. The images are accompanied by a trio of new sonifications – a technique that translates astronomical data into sounds.

In celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has unveiled four cosmic images rendered in red, white, and blue that represent the wonders of the universe that NASA explores. NASA/CXC/SAO

The image set begins with Cassiopeia A in the top panel, where X-rays from Chandra (represented in blue and purple) have been combined with an infrared image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (red and white). Chandra’s X-ray vision reveals the blast wave that tore through the star, as well as elements in the debris field like iron, calcium, and oxygen. Webb’s infrared data also shows the expanding shell of material from the explosion and cosmic dust throughout the remnant.

 In the bottom row, the first image on the left is the nebula NGC 3603, which contains a massive cluster of stars and is located in the Milky Way Galaxy. This new composite image contains Chandra’s X-ray data (red and white) and shows diffuse emissions near the galaxy’s center along with point-like X-ray sources throughout the middle of the image. Optical, infrared, and ultraviolet light from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (red-orange, green, blue, and yellow) reveal stars in the center of the image and dust and gas toward the bottom. The combined layering of the colors makes this nebula and the stars forming within it appear primarily red, white, and blue, with X-rays showing the sparkling lights of young stars.

The middle panel of the bottom row is a new look at the galaxy NGC 4736, also known as Messier 94. In this image, X-rays of different wavelengths from Chandra (red, orange, and blue) are layered with a visible light image from astrophotographers using their telescopes on the ground (red, green, and blue). Messier 94 is a spiral galaxy with a bright inner ring around it, called a starburst ring, where new stars are forming, perhaps fueled by gas driven in the unique oval-shaped structure seen here.

The final image in this red, white, and blue quartet features ZwCl 0024+1652. This is a distant galaxy cluster in which astronomers have found evidence for dark matter by using specially processed data from Hubble (blue). Another image from Hubble reveals the individual galaxies in the cluster (appearing as yellow and white). X-ray data from Chandra shows the enormous reservoir of superheated gas that pervades this galaxy cluster (red) with much more mass than all the galaxies taken together.

New sonifications of the three images along the bottom row of this mosaic are also available, allowing listeners to experience data through sound.

The translation of NGC 3603 into sound begins with a left to right scan, where the brightnesses of the sources once again dictate volume. Chandra’s observations of compact sources sprinkled throughout the galaxy are heard as piano notes, while the diffuse X-ray emission is mapped to a range of audio frequencies. The Hubble optical data is played as sustained tones and acoustic guitar harmonics.

In the sonification of NGC 4736, the radar-like scan moves clockwise, and the brightness of the sources dictates the volume of the sounds. X-rays from Chandra have been turned into wind-like sounds that follow the shape of the X-ray emission. Neutron stars and stellar-mass black holes (known as “compact sources”) detected by Chandra are mapped to pitched tones on a glass marimba. Optical data from ground-based observations is mapped to musically pitched tones, creating a low drone, while stars and background galaxies are heard as a soft piano.

For ZwCl 0024+1652, the sonification begins as a circle on the outside of the image and moves inward. The volume is linked to the brightness of the data, reaching one peak as the circle passes over the dark matter detected by inference from Hubble optical observations and another as it reaches the core. The background stars are heard as a swelling glockenspiel-like sound, and the galaxies are played on a piano. Chandra’s X-rays, which dominate the center of the galaxy cluster and reveal superheated gas, are represented by airy synthesizer notes.

The sonification program is led by the Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) and included as part of NASA’s Universe of Learning program. The collaboration was driven by visualization scientist Kimberly Arcand, (CXC), Matt Russo, astrophysicist; and Andrew Santaguida, musician, SYSTEM Sounds project; along with Christine Malec, consultant. Previously released sonifications of data from Cassiopeia A can be found at chandra.si.edu/sound.

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.

To learn more about NASA’s Chandra mission, visit:

https://nasa.gov/chandra

Visual Description

In celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States, this release includes a series of images featuring four wonders of the universe, rendered in red, white, and blue. The images contain X-ray data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, optical and infrared data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope, as well as ground-based telescopes.

The main image set features composite images of the four individual objects; Cassiopeia A, NGC 3603, M94/NGC 4736, and ZwCl 0024+1652.

Cassiopeia A occupies the top panel of the frame, significantly larger than the other images in the set. The cloudy blast-wave of the supernova remnant is ring-like in shape, streaked with veins of iron, calcium, and oxygen. Here, presented in red, white, and blue, the remnant resembles an electrified donut, crackling with marbled veins of strawberry and blueberry icing.

At our lower left of the image set is the nebula NCG 3603, which contains a massive cluster of stars on the other side of the Milky Way galaxy. Here, a tight cluster of neon red and white stars packs the center of the image, dissipating as it reaches the outer edges of the panel. Sweeping in at the lower corners of the image are hazy blue clouds resembling sheets of gauze.

Centered at the bottom of the image set is the galaxy NGC 4736, also known as Messier 94 (M94). Here, the spiral galaxy is seen face on, with concentric pale violet cloud rings flecked with scores of stars in white, pale blue, soft red, and golden yellow. The inner ring of the galaxy is bright, and rosy yellow in color. This is a starburst ring, where new stars are forming.

At our bottom right of the image set is the distant galaxy cluster ZwCl 0024+1652. The image is packed with streaks and specks in golden yellow and brilliant white. Upon close inspection, each streak and speck is revealed to be an individual galaxy, some with discernible spiral shapes. At the center of the image is a round pool of bright red light, surrounded by royal blue haze. The red light represents X-ray observations by Chandra, which reveal an enormous reservoir of superheated gas pervading the cluster. The blue haze represents specially-processed data from Hubble, suggesting evidence of dark matter.

This release also includes new sonifications of the three images presented in the bottom row of this data set, allowing listeners to experience the data through sound.

Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory

News Media Contact

Megan Watzke
Chandra X-ray Center
Cambridge, Mass.
617-496-7998
mwatzke@cfa.harvard.edu

Joel Wallace
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
256-544-0034
joel.w.wallace@nasa.gov

Share

Details

Last Updated

Jun 30, 2026

Editor Lee Mohon Contact Joel Wallace Location Marshall Space Flight Center

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Categories: NASA

NASA’s Chandra Reveals ‘Red, White, Blue’ Universe for US 250th

NASA - Breaking News - Tue, 06/30/2026 - 3:54pm
7 Min Read NASA’s Chandra Reveals ‘Red, White, Blue’ Universe for US 250th

In celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States, NASA has unveiled four cosmic images from its Chandra X-ray Observatory rendered in red, white, and blue that represent the wonders of the universe the agency explores. The images are accompanied by a trio of new sonifications – a technique that translates astronomical data into sounds.

In celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has unveiled four cosmic images rendered in red, white, and blue that represent the wonders of the universe that NASA explores. NASA/CXC/SAO

The image set begins with Cassiopeia A in the top panel, where X-rays from Chandra (represented in blue and purple) have been combined with an infrared image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (red and white). Chandra’s X-ray vision reveals the blast wave that tore through the star, as well as elements in the debris field like iron, calcium, and oxygen. Webb’s infrared data also shows the expanding shell of material from the explosion and cosmic dust throughout the remnant.

 In the bottom row, the first image on the left is the nebula NGC 3603, which contains a massive cluster of stars and is located in the Milky Way Galaxy. This new composite image contains Chandra’s X-ray data (red and white) and shows diffuse emissions near the galaxy’s center along with point-like X-ray sources throughout the middle of the image. Optical, infrared, and ultraviolet light from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (red-orange, green, blue, and yellow) reveal stars in the center of the image and dust and gas toward the bottom. The combined layering of the colors makes this nebula and the stars forming within it appear primarily red, white, and blue, with X-rays showing the sparkling lights of young stars.

The middle panel of the bottom row is a new look at the galaxy NGC 4736, also known as Messier 94. In this image, X-rays of different wavelengths from Chandra (red, orange, and blue) are layered with a visible light image from astrophotographers using their telescopes on the ground (red, green, and blue). Messier 94 is a spiral galaxy with a bright inner ring around it, called a starburst ring, where new stars are forming, perhaps fueled by gas driven in the unique oval-shaped structure seen here.

The final image in this red, white, and blue quartet features ZwCl 0024+1652. This is a distant galaxy cluster in which astronomers have found evidence for dark matter by using specially processed data from Hubble (blue). Another image from Hubble reveals the individual galaxies in the cluster (appearing as yellow and white). X-ray data from Chandra shows the enormous reservoir of superheated gas that pervades this galaxy cluster (red) with much more mass than all the galaxies taken together.

New sonifications of the three images along the bottom row of this mosaic are also available, allowing listeners to experience data through sound.

The translation of NGC 3603 into sound begins with a left to right scan, where the brightnesses of the sources once again dictate volume. Chandra’s observations of compact sources sprinkled throughout the galaxy are heard as piano notes, while the diffuse X-ray emission is mapped to a range of audio frequencies. The Hubble optical data is played as sustained tones and acoustic guitar harmonics.

In the sonification of NGC 4736, the radar-like scan moves clockwise, and the brightness of the sources dictates the volume of the sounds. X-rays from Chandra have been turned into wind-like sounds that follow the shape of the X-ray emission. Neutron stars and stellar-mass black holes (known as “compact sources”) detected by Chandra are mapped to pitched tones on a glass marimba. Optical data from ground-based observations is mapped to musically pitched tones, creating a low drone, while stars and background galaxies are heard as a soft piano.

For ZwCl 0024+1652, the sonification begins as a circle on the outside of the image and moves inward. The volume is linked to the brightness of the data, reaching one peak as the circle passes over the dark matter detected by inference from Hubble optical observations and another as it reaches the core. The background stars are heard as a swelling glockenspiel-like sound, and the galaxies are played on a piano. Chandra’s X-rays, which dominate the center of the galaxy cluster and reveal superheated gas, are represented by airy synthesizer notes.

The sonification program is led by the Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) and included as part of NASA’s Universe of Learning program. The collaboration was driven by visualization scientist Kimberly Arcand, (CXC), Matt Russo, astrophysicist; and Andrew Santaguida, musician, SYSTEM Sounds project; along with Christine Malec, consultant. Previously released sonifications of data from Cassiopeia A can be found at chandra.si.edu/sound.

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.

To learn more about NASA’s Chandra mission, visit:

https://nasa.gov/chandra

Visual Description

In celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States, this release includes a series of images featuring four wonders of the universe, rendered in red, white, and blue. The images contain X-ray data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, optical and infrared data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope, as well as ground-based telescopes.

The main image set features composite images of the four individual objects; Cassiopeia A, NGC 3603, M94/NGC 4736, and ZwCl 0024+1652.

Cassiopeia A occupies the top panel of the frame, significantly larger than the other images in the set. The cloudy blast-wave of the supernova remnant is ring-like in shape, streaked with veins of iron, calcium, and oxygen. Here, presented in red, white, and blue, the remnant resembles an electrified donut, crackling with marbled veins of strawberry and blueberry icing.

At our lower left of the image set is the nebula NCG 3603, which contains a massive cluster of stars on the other side of the Milky Way galaxy. Here, a tight cluster of neon red and white stars packs the center of the image, dissipating as it reaches the outer edges of the panel. Sweeping in at the lower corners of the image are hazy blue clouds resembling sheets of gauze.

Centered at the bottom of the image set is the galaxy NGC 4736, also known as Messier 94 (M94). Here, the spiral galaxy is seen face on, with concentric pale violet cloud rings flecked with scores of stars in white, pale blue, soft red, and golden yellow. The inner ring of the galaxy is bright, and rosy yellow in color. This is a starburst ring, where new stars are forming.

At our bottom right of the image set is the distant galaxy cluster ZwCl 0024+1652. The image is packed with streaks and specks in golden yellow and brilliant white. Upon close inspection, each streak and speck is revealed to be an individual galaxy, some with discernible spiral shapes. At the center of the image is a round pool of bright red light, surrounded by royal blue haze. The red light represents X-ray observations by Chandra, which reveal an enormous reservoir of superheated gas pervading the cluster. The blue haze represents specially-processed data from Hubble, suggesting evidence of dark matter.

This release also includes new sonifications of the three images presented in the bottom row of this data set, allowing listeners to experience the data through sound.

Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory

News Media Contact

Megan Watzke
Chandra X-ray Center
Cambridge, Mass.
617-496-7998
mwatzke@cfa.harvard.edu

Joel Wallace
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
256-544-0034
joel.w.wallace@nasa.gov

Share

Details

Last Updated

Jun 30, 2026

Editor Lee Mohon Contact Joel Wallace Location Marshall Space Flight Center

Related Terms Explore More

5 min read NASA’s Chandra Discovers Possible Supernova Remnant in Galactic Center

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Saturn and its rings are prominently shown in this color image, along with three of…



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Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.


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Categories: NASA

A Day of Flight Testing at NASA Armstrong

NASA - Breaking News - Tue, 06/30/2026 - 3:27pm

3 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA flight test engineer A.J. Jaffe and pilot Nils Larson walk on the ramp before a flight Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The two support the agency’s Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) project, which aims to lower fuel costs for future commercial aircraft by testing a scale-model wing designed to improve laminar flow.NASA/Christopher LC Clark

Flight testing is a team sport. For nearly 80 years, teams at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, have used flight testing to push the limits of aerodynamics and advance aviation.

Earlier this year, NASA’s Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) initiative tested a wing concept that would maximize the smooth flow of air known as laminar flow, which could lower fuel costs for future airliners. During flight testing, researchers strapped a scale-model CATNLF wing to the bottom of a NASA F-15 aircraft.

Here’s what a day of CATNLF flight testing looked like.

NASA ground crew prepares the agency’s F-15 research aircraft and Cross Flow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) test article ahead of its first high-speed taxi test on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2026, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The CATNLF design aims to reduce drag on wing surfaces to improve efficiency and, in turn, reduce fuel burn.NASA/Christopher LC Clark 5 a.m. — Aircraft staging

Ground crews ready the aircraft for the mission. If the operation involves a chase plane — a second aircraft to monitor the test flight — it would also be prepared, along with its crew.  

6 a.m. — Crew brief

Pilots, engineers, maintenance techs, project leads, researchers, photographers, and videographers meet to review the flight’s goals, weather reports, and final details.

NASA researchers Mike Frederick, right, and Michelle Banchy, left, along with Ashante Jordan and intern Phillip Nguyen, sit in a control room and prepare for a flight test Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The agency’s Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) project aims to lower fuel costs for future commercial aircraft by testing a scale-model wing designed to improve laminar flow.NASA/Christopher LC Clark 6:30 a.m. — Control room checks, air crew suit-up

Researchers head to the control room to complete day-of checks, confirming all communications, displays, and instruments are functioning.

Pilots suit up in life support, including custom‑fit pressure suits, harnesses, helmets, and masks. If a photographer, videographer, or flight test engineer will be in the aircraft’s back seat, they do the same.

6:45 a.m.Air crew steps, control room preparations

The pilot completes preflight checks with the crew chief and technicians for the aircraft’s electrical systems. The pilot and the crew chief sign a flight preparedness report confirming the aircraft is ready to fly.

Inside the control room, the team prepares to monitor the flight using the same set of test cards, a step-by-step plan for the flight.

7 a.m.Pilot secured in jet

The pilot and backseat crew member climb into their seats, strap in, and secure any gear they’ve brought for the test. The pilot completes preflight ground checks.

7:15 a.m. — Aircraft taxi

The pilot communicates with the control tower and taxis to the runway. Control room teams at NASA Armstrong monitor the aircraft via radio.

7:30 a.m. — Takeoff

The pilot accelerates down the runway and, at the proper speed, pulls back on the stick to take off. Once airborne, the pilot coordinates with air traffic control at Edwards Air Force Base and the NASA Armstrong control room while flying to the designated test area.

A F-15 aircraft owned by NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, flies above a mountain range on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. The agency’s Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) test article is attached to the bottom of this F-15. This project aims to lower fuel costs for future commercial aircraft by testing a scale-model wing designed to improve laminar flow. NASA/Jim Ross 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. — Flight

At the test location, the team coordinates with the pilot on altitude, speed, and maneuvers. The test conductor relays each task, and the pilot completes them one-by-one. The pilot and control room monitor the performance of the hardware, instruments, aircraft, or software throughout the sequence. After completing the test points, the pilot returns to base.

8:45 a.m. — Landing, towing

The pilot lands and taxis to the ramp at NASA Armstrong, where the crew chief meets the jet. After the pilot exits, the aircraft is towed into the hangar for maintenance.

9:30 a.m. — Crew debrief

The pilot, project team, and mission controlstaff return to the briefing room tocapture lessons learned and document items for follow-up.

10 a.m. — Data download, second flight prep

Teams download flight data for analysis. If two flights are scheduled, preparations begin immediately for the second.

Four NASA employees walk toward a hangar after a flight Thursday, Feb. 4, 2026, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The team supports the agency’s Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) project, which aims to lower fuel costs for future commercial aircraft by testing a scale-model wing designed to improve laminar flow.NASA/Christopher LC Clark Share Details Last Updated Jun 30, 2026 EditorDede DiniusContactTeresa Whitingteresa.whiting@nasa.govLocationArmstrong Flight Research Center Related Terms Explore More 5 min read NASA’s Newest Wind Tunnel Builds on Legacy of Innovation Article 3 days ago 3 min read This is How NASA Flight Tests New Technology Article 1 week ago 9 min read ARMD Research Solicitations (Updated June 23) Article 1 week ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

Armstrong Flight Research Center

Aircraft Flown at Armstrong

Quesst: The Aircraft

Aeronautics

Categories: NASA