Tuesday, 5 May 2026

Ahuachapán and Its Restive Neighbors

A chain of forested volcanic peaks arc across the image, with an area of dark lava flows in the lower right and the brighter urban area of Ahuachapán in the upper left.
The geologically active area around Ahuachapán, El Salvador, includes an arced line of volcanoes, visible in this image acquired on November 25, 2024, by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison

Volcanic activity takes on many forms in western El Salvador. The land near the city of Ahuachapán is pockmarked with craters and covered with recent lava flows. Meanwhile, a geothermal field feeds geysers, heats mineral pools, and powers a long-operating energy plant. The area is part of a volcanic landscape that stretches more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) along the Pacific coast from Guatemala to Panama, composing the Central American Volcanic Arc. 

On the right side of the image, Santa Ana stands at 2,381 meters (7,812 feet) above sea level as the country’s tallest volcano. Its summit features several crescent-shaped ridges surrounding a hot, acidic crater lake. The volcano remains active, with small to moderate explosive eruptions recorded since the 16th century. Its most recent significant eruption, in 2005, launched a dense gas and ash column high in the air and sent lahars down its slopes.

In 1770, another volcano began forming on Santa Ana’s southern flank. Izalco grew into a steep-sided stratovolcano through frequent eruptions over the next two centuries. Its regular activity—including Strombolian eruptions and lava fountains—earned it the nickname “Lighthouse of the Pacific,” as people at sea were reported to witness its glowing emanations. The “lighthouse” has since powered down, with Izalco’s most recent activity occurring in 1966. 

A line of forested, dimpled stratovolcano peaks arcing across the scene forms the Apaneca Range. There are no recorded eruptions of these volcanoes in the Holocene (the past 11,700 years), but persistent geothermal activity along the range manifests in the form of fumaroles, hot springs, and steam vents. Sudden and deadly steam explosions occasionally occur in the area, including a blast in October 1990 near the range’s Laguna Verde volcano. More recently, a 2025 steam eruption near a popular hot springs facility spurred evacuations and damaged infrastructure.

Though sometimes hazardous, the region’s heat source has also been tapped for geothermal power. The Ahuachapán Geothermal Power Plant has operated since 1975, leveraging groundwater naturally heated to around 250 degrees Celsius (480 degrees Fahrenheit) and local fault systems. By the early 1980s, the plant was producing 40 percent of El Salvador’s electricity. Some scholars note that this high level of production coincided with a period of civil unrest and population growth in the region.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Lindsey Doermann.

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A chain of forested volcanic peaks arc across the image, with an area of dark lava flows in the lower right and the brighter urban area of Ahuachapán in the upper left.

November 25, 2024

JPEG (32.61 MB)

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NASA Welcomes Ireland as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory

Officials from the United States and Ireland look on as Ireland signs the Artemis Accords while sitting at tables. The flags of the Artemis Accords signatories are behind them.
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke, T.D., 3rd from left, signs the Artemis Accords during a ceremony with Chief of Staff in the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs William Cappelletti, left, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, and Ambassador of Ireland to the United States of America Geraldine Byrne Nason, right, Monday, May 4, 2026, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington.
NASA/Bill Ingalls

Ireland signed the Artemis Accords Monday during a signing ceremony hosted by NASA, becoming the latest nation to commit to the responsible exploration of space for all humanity.

Ireland, a longstanding member of ESA (European Space Agency) and a valued international partner for NASA, now joins all 23 ESA member states as a signatory of the Artemis Accords.

“It is my privilege to welcome Ireland as the 66th and newest signatory to the Artemis Accords,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman during remarks. “The Emerald Isle is now part of a growing community of like-minded nations committed to the peaceful, transparent, and responsible exploration of space. Ireland joins at a pivotal moment. Artemis II was the opening act in humanity’s return to the Moon. What comes next is a sustained campaign of missions that will take us back to the lunar surface, not just for flags and footprints, but to build a base and stay.”

Underscoring the longstanding cultural ties and shared heritage between the United States and Ireland, the signing was celebrated during a ceremony at NASA Headquarters in Washington attended by U.S. Congressional staffers and interagency representatives.

Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke, T.D., signed on behalf of the country.

“From an island shaped by the sea, whose people have always looked beyond the horizon and journeyed across the world, forging connections far beyond our shores, Ireland is proud to bring that same spirit to a new frontier and to join a global community committed to the peaceful exploration of space,” said Burke.

Ambassador of Ireland to the United States of America Geraldine Byrne Nason and Chief of Staff in the Office of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs William Cappelletti, U.S. Department of State, participated in the event. U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Edward Walsh also attended.

In 2020, during the first Trump Administration, the United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, joined with seven other founding nations to establish the Artemis Accords, responding to the growing interest in lunar activities by both governments and private companies.

The Artemis Accords introduced the first set of practical principles aimed at enhancing the safety and coordination between like-minded nations as they explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Signing the Artemis Accords means committing to explore peaceably and transparently, to render aid to those in need, to enable access to scientific data that all of humanity can learn from, to ensure activities do not interfere with those of others, and to preserve historically significant sites and artifacts by developing best practices for space exploration for the benefit of all.

More countries are expected to sign the Artemis Accords in the months and years ahead, as NASA continues its work to establish a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future in space.

Learn more about the Artemis Accords at:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords



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NASA Fosters Development of Lunar Resource-Seeking Technologies

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NASA Fosters Development of Lunar Resource-Seeking Technologies

Picture from Artemis II, Earth in the distance behind the moon.
Earth sets at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, over the Moon’s curved limb in this photo captured by the Artemis II crew during their journey around the far side of the Moon.
Credits: NASA

To support long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars, NASA and industry are developing technologies that can extract resources such as hydrogen and helium-3 from lunar soil, known as regolith. This capability, known as in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), allows explorers to use what is already available on other planetary bodies, from water ice to minerals. These resources could eventually support propulsion, energy production, life support systems, and other needs for astronauts living and working in deep space.

To advance ISRU technologies, NASA has awarded a firm‑fixed‑price contract of $6.9 million over the next year and a half to Interlune of Seattle, a company focused on developing natural resources beyond Earth.

Funded through a Phase III NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award, a contracting mechanism focused on transitioning technology into NASA missions or the private sector, the company will pursue validation of critical resource‑prospecting tools to make future lunar missions more self‑sufficient, reducing the need to transport supplies from Earth.

This effort builds on prior work with NASA’s Flight Opportunities program, in which Interlune built and tested payload prototypes on parabolic flights that replicated lunar gravity.

Under the SBIR Phase III contract, Interlune will design, build, and test engineering development units and flight hardware. The payload is designed to collect lunar regolith samples, sort particles by size, extract solar wind volatile gases, and measure their quantities. The company’s design includes a mass spectrometer inspired by NASA’s Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSOLO) technology to measure the concentration of gases released from lunar soil.

Developed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, MSOLO is a compact, rugged mass spectrometer designed to analyze gases and the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon. The MSOLO technology, developed by NASA’s Game Changing Development program, demonstrated its hardware in lunar conditions during the Intuitive Machines 2 mission to the lunar South Pole in 2025.

“A major goal of NASA is to mature transformative technologies so they can be confidently adopted by industry,” said Michael Johansen, Deputy Program Manager for NASA’s Game Changing Development Program. “The evolution of MSOLO into a robust, flight-ready instrument is a perfect example of that success. We are thrilled to see this proven technology leveraged by an industry effort, marking a significant step forward in commercial resource prospecting.”

NASA’s MSOLO technology is available for commercial use and adaptable for ground tests and variable flight configurations. The instrument’s internal architecture includes a hybrid computer for onboard processing and a calibration gas system that allows the device to check and adjust its readings directly on the lunar surface. This data can benefit both commercial developers and NASA’s Artemis program. Its software has already been adapted to interface with four different CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) lander designs, reflecting its flexibility and increasing applicability to commercial lunar missions.

Investments by the agency in lunar surface technology from commercial partners represents an important step toward establishing a sustainable presence on the lunar surface. By advancing resource‑prospecting instruments and maturing technologies that enable the use of lunar materials, these efforts will help reduce the cost and complexity of future exploration missions.

NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program is managed by the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. Through this program, entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses with fewer than 500 employees can receive funding and non-monetary support to build, mature, and commercialize their technologies, advancing NASA missions and helping solve important challenges facing our nation.

This year, NASA’s SBIR/STTR program is adopting a Broad Agency Announcement framework to increase opportunities for small businesses while enhancing agility for the agency. The 2026-2027 BAA appendices, outlining topics and subtopics for desired technology proposals, closes May 21. Interested businesses and institutions are encouraged to visit the information hub for helpful details on applying.

To learn more about working with NASA Technology, visit

https://www.nasa.gov/stmd-solicitations-and-opportunities/

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Monday, 4 May 2026

Hubble Spots a Starry Spiral

A close view of spiral galaxy that is tilted at an angle, so that its disk fills the view from corner to corner. Its disk is yellow near to the center and pale blue farther out, showing cooler and hotter stars, respectively. Thin brown clouds of dust, glowing pink spots of star formation, and sparkling blue patches filled with star clusters swirl through the galaxy. Behind it, small orange dots are very distant galaxies.
ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker and the PHANGS-HST Team

In this new picture from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, a spiral galaxy glittering with star clusters is the center of attention. NGC 3137 is located 53 million light-years away in the constellation Antlia (the Air Pump). As a nearby spiral galaxy, this target offers astronomers an excellent opportunity to study the cycle of stellar birth and death, as well as giving researchers a glimpse of a galactic system similar to our own.

NGC 3137 is of particular interest to astronomers because it travels through space with a group of galaxies that is thought to be similar to the Local Group, the galaxy group that contains our Milky Way. Similar to the Local Group, the NGC 3175 group contains two large spiral galaxies: NGC 3137 and NGC 3175, which Hubble has also observed. In the Local Group, the largest members are the Milky Way galaxy and Andromeda, another spiral galaxy. In addition to two large spiral galaxies, both groups also contain a number of smaller dwarf galaxies, although it’s not yet known how many of these tiny companions the NGC 3175 group has; researchers have found more than 500 dwarf galaxy candidates. By studying this nearby galaxy group, astronomers can learn about the dynamics of our own galactic home.

Read more about NGC 3137.

Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker and the PHANGS-HST Team



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Record-Setting Retreat of Hektoria Glacier

October 30, 2022
March 25, 2024

Glaciers flow from cliffs on the left and bottom sides of the image to a frozen bay on the right where chunks of sea ice are visible.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin

Glaciers flow from the left and bottom sides of the image, terminating much closer to the cliffs than in the previous image.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin

Glaciers flow from cliffs on the left and bottom sides of the image to a frozen bay on the right where chunks of sea ice are visible.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin
Glaciers flow from the left and bottom sides of the image, terminating much closer to the cliffs than in the previous image.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin

October 30, 2022

March 25, 2024


The rapid loss of Hektoria Glacier’s grounded ice is visible in these images acquired in October 2022 (left) and March 2024 (right) with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8. The glacier retreated 8 kilometers in November-December 2022, after having lost a 16-kilometer-long section of floating ice earlier that year.

To say something moves at a glacial pace is to imply sluggish, unhurried change. But what transpired over the course of 15 months at Antarctica’s Hektoria Glacier was uncharacteristically quick. Between January 2022 and March 2023, the glacier lost about 25 kilometers (15 miles) in length. That included a two-month period in which the terminus retreated more than 8 kilometers (5 miles)—the highest rate of grounded glacial ice loss observed in modern history.

A team of scientists published an analysis of Hektoria’s collapse based on a suite of remote-sensing data, finding that its particular geometry enabled the rapid change. Like many glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula, Hektoria starts on land and extends to the sea, with the last section being a thick, floating plate of ice, or “ice tongue.” The researchers determined Hektoria lost both its ice tongue and an area of grounded ice spread over a flat plain—the latter directly contributing to sea level rise. Although Hektoria is relatively small as Antarctic glaciers go, scientists say that similar events at larger glaciers could be much more consequential.

The images above capture the scale of the loss of Hektoria’s grounded ice on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula. Note that the right image was acquired about one year after the remarkable loss of grounded ice; a cloud-free Landsat image showing the whole area was not available from the previous March. Hektoria’s terminus remained relatively stable after the sudden loss, the study reported, though the neighboring Green Glacier continued to retreat.

The chain of events culminating in Hektoria’s breakup goes back to early 2002. At that time, the Larsen B ice shelf, which served as a backstop for Hektoria and neighboring glaciers, splintered and collapsed in short order. The glaciers then thinned and retreated for several years. In 2011, landfast sea ice in the Larsen B embayment near Hektoria’s terminus filled in enough to allow the glacier to start advancing.

But after several years, the new support for the glacier front was suddenly removed. Landfast ice in the embayment broke up in January 2022, likely due to large, destabilizing ocean swells. From that point, rapid change at Hektoria was again underway. Throughout the rest of the austral summer, the floating ice tongue disaggregated in a series of calvings, resulting in a loss of 16 kilometers.

The glacier’s terminus stabilized during the 2022 austral winter. However, satellite-based laser altimetry data, including ice elevation measurements from NASA’s ICESat-2 (Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2) mission, revealed that the ice continued to thin during that winter.

The thinner remaining ice was still grounded during the 2022 austral spring (left image, above), the study authors concluded, based on the detection of earthquakes occurring beneath the glacier. They determined the ice was spread out over a relatively flat area of bedrock, forming an ice plain. This geometry allows seawater to infiltrate the glacier’s bed during high tide and intermittently lift ice off the ground. When ice is thin enough, large areas can lift and break away at once. The process, called buoyancy-driven calving, is believed to have caused the second stage of Hektoria’s rapid retreat, resulting in an additional loss of 8 kilometers in length.

New platforms, such as the NISAR and SWOT satellites developed by NASA and partners, may aid in understanding rapid changes in glaciers.

Naomi Ochwat, a glaciologist at the University of Innsbruck and the study’s lead author, is now looking into other glaciers that may be at risk of destabilizing in a similar way. As the Antarctic Peninsula responds to warming, more of its glaciers are losing their ice tongues, and their termini are now resting on the seabed, as Hektoria’s does. (Called tidewater glaciers, this type is common in Alaska and Greenland.) New technologies developed by NASA and partners can aid in understanding rapid glacial retreat, said Ochwat and study co-author Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder. 

The NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite, for example, can detect the movement of land and ice surfaces down to the centimeter. Its data will be “very useful for structural evaluations of Hektoria and other glaciers in the region,” Scambos said.

“In addition to NISAR,” Ochwat added, “I’m particularly interested in learning what SWOT can tell us about rapid glacier changes.” The SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite’s primary mission is to observe the fine details of Earth’s surface water height. But scientists are also exploring its applications to the cryosphere, such as measuring surfaces of ice shelves and sea ice.

At Hektoria Glacier, the days of dramatic change are likely past, now to be replaced by slow retreat. Scambos said he would not be surprised to see the ice slowing down. “The glacier has lost so much elevation and mass that it simply can’t continue to maintain the same output,” he said. “It’s on its way to being a fjord, not a glacier.”

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Lindsey Doermann.

Downloads

Glaciers flow from cliffs on the left and bottom sides of the image to a frozen bay on the right where chunks of sea ice are visible.

October 30, 2022

JPEG (3.62 MB)

Glaciers flow from the left and bottom sides of the image, terminating much closer to the cliffs than in the previous image.

March 25, 2024

JPEG (4.21 MB)

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LAGEOS: An Earth Science Mission Built for Enduring Precision

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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

A technician tests the LAGEOS satellite
Technicians at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center helped complete prelaunch testing of the Laser Geodynamic Satellite (LAGEOS). LAGEOS was the first satellite devoted exclusively to laser ranging studies.
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

On May 4, 1976, a spacecraft resembling a disco ball entered orbit almost 3,700 miles (6,000 kilometers) above Earth. This shiny, two‑foot‑wide (60‑centimeter) sphere called the Laser Geodynamics Satellite, or LAGEOS, is covered with 426 retroreflectors—small mirrored prisms designed to bounce laser light directly back to where it came from. Beneath its aluminum exterior sits a dense brass core that makes LAGEOS incredibly heavy (900 pounds or 400 kilograms) for its size.

That weight was intentional. The satellite’s high mass and compact, spherical design allow it to follow an exceptionally stable orbit, perfect for satellite laser ranging. From stations around the world, scientists fire pulses of laser light at LAGEOS and measure how long the light takes to return. Because the speed of light is known so precisely, researchers can calculate the distance to the satellite within just a few millimeters.

Artwork showing the LAGEOS satellite in space reflecting a red laser beam emitted from the Eastern United States
Historic concept art illustrating how the LAGEOS satellite reflects laser light emitted from a ground station on Earth.
NASA

Over these last 50 years, these ultra‑precise measurements have helped track the slow movements of Earth’s tectonic plates, monitor tiny shifts in the planet’s crust, and measure motion along major fault lines. LAGEOS’s data have sharpened our understanding of Earth’s shape and refined models of the planet’s gravity field. LAGEOS has even contributed to tests of Einstein’s theory of general relativity by helping confirm predicted effects on the orbits of massive bodies around Earth.

In 1992, the Italian Space Agency–built LAGEOS II, a near‑twin of the original LAGEOS satellite, was launched aboard space shuttle Columbia. With two satellites to compare, scientists could make even more accurate measurements. Together, they have become long-term benchmarks for Earth science.

Despite being among the oldest scientific satellites still in service, LAGEOS is still going strong. Its simple, maintenance-free design, along with minimal drag in its high orbit, means that it will likely continue to circle the globe for millions of years.

Get details of the history, design, and scientific results of LAGEOS
See Carl Sagan's message to the future hidden inside LAGEOS

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Ahuachapán and Its Restive Neighbors

Science Earth Observatory Ahuachapán and Its Restive… Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer All Topics ...