NASA Technology

This Memorial Day, we honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. Their courage secured the freedoms that make great endeavors possible and continues to inspire generations of Americans to serve something larger than themselves. We remember them, and we remain forever grateful.

New material, who dis? 🌕🔥 Researchers recently discovered and tested a new heat-resistant material at NASA Glenn. It could help NASA melt Moon rocks to extract resources — like metals for building infrastructure and oxygen for fuel and life support systems. If astronauts can “live off the land” on the Moon, they may be able to pack lighter for future missions. More: go.nasa.gov/3PDCega

Could a jumping robot explore Saturn’s icy moon, Enceladus? 🪐 The LEAP robot is a bold mission concept that could hop across ice, jump through tall plumes and sample the subsurface ocean. See how LEAP could explore some of the most extreme terrain in the solar system: go.nasa.gov/4drj8TK

Congratulations to the winners of NASA's 2026 Gateways to Blue Skies competition! This year's competition challenged student teams to address a critical element of U.S. aviation: aircraft maintenance. Read more: go.nasa.gov/3Rib5zW

We're building a Moon Base! @NASAMoonBase will serve as a habitat where astronauts live and work during long-term science missions. Join us at 2pm ET on Tuesday, May 26, for a live news event where we’ll share updates on our lunar exploration plans: go.nasa.gov/4uinkLi

The AEPEX satellite was successfully deployed! 🛰️ This new CubeSat watches for X-rays from particles raining into our atmosphere. The data will improve space weather forecasts and protect the satellites and communications we rely on every day. 📡 go.nasa.gov/4tDxmpb

Gas stations in space? We’re working on it! ⛽ NASA is teaming up with Rocket Lab and Eta Space for LOXSAT, a low Earth orbit technology demo to address the challenges of using super-cold fuel in space. Launching aboard an Electron rocket, this demonstration could help shape the future of in-space propellant depots to refuel missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond: go.nasa.gov/4wzzq4h

POV: You’re coming home after a journey around the Moon. 🌕 Before reentering Earth’s atmosphere at the end of Artemis II, the Orion spacecraft’s crew module — carrying the astronauts — separated from the service module that provided propulsion and power throughout the mission.

If future explorers are going to call the Moon home, they need a good foundation. Find out how a NASA challenge to 3D print planetary habitats led to construction solutions for buildings on Earth: go.nasa.gov/4dfmHe4

Planning is underway for our Artemis III mission, which will test the capabilities of NASA's Orion spacecraft and one or both commercial landers from @BlueOrigin and @SpaceX as they meet and dock in Earth's orbit. Details: go.nasa.gov/4nvfifB

Yes, chef!👩‍🍳👨‍🍳 The Deep Space Food Challenge: Mars to Table is inviting chefs, innovators, higher-education students & citizen scientists worldwide to design a complete, Earth-independent food system for long-duration space missions. Register by July 31. nasa.gov/directorates/s…

Future spacecraft may be able to “think” for themselves. NASA is testing a next-gen space processor that can withstand the harsh conditions of space, while improving computing power. So far, testing shows it operating at 500 times the performance of chips currently in use. go.nasa.gov/4wm7QHL

Bright starlight makes it very difficult for a space telescope to image an exoplanet. It’s like trying to spot the light reflected from a gnat flying near a spotlight. A new light-absorbing coating could be used on a starshade to block this unwanted starlight and enable the detection of planets: go.nasa.gov/4uDwEZT

Computing technology for all generations: go.nasa.gov/48TonJ9

To the left, to the left 👈 Take a peek inside the regenerative fuel cell system our researchers are preparing to test over the next few months. This technology operates like a rechargeable battery and could revolutionize the way @NASA stores energy during future Moon missions — potentially powering habitats, rovers, and other essential systems. More: go.nasa.gov/4tgKAbb

Small spacecraft 🤝 big impact This week, a NASA-supported CubeSat, known as SNAPPY, launched on a mission to study solar particles. Led by Wichita State University, the technology tested on this spacecraft could one day help scientists better understand fusion inside the Sun and improve space weather forecasting here on Earth! Learn more: go.nasa.gov/3RaqGkO

As @NASA heads back to the Moon and on to Mars, our gear needs to be tougher than ever. 💪 Glenn engineers invented a “cool” new way to test materials in extremely low temperatures — right here on Earth. This cutting-edge technology, known at the Lunar Environment Structural Test Rig, will help us make sure hardware can survive the harsh conditions of the lunar surface. Discover how it works: go.nasa.gov/48IBiNS

Tune into this month's webinar form NASA's Flight Opportunities program to learn how the agency is advancing technology protection systems and enabling commercial re-entry capabilities for routine orbital return. Hear NASA and industry experts discuss how collaboration is growing the space economy: go.nasa.gov/4nc23A5

Thanks to testing at @NASA_Johnson, Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 cargo lander is one step closer to carrying science and technology to the Moon. Aboard this mission is tech to help us understand how engine plumes interact with dust on the lunar surface, which could affect future explorers, habitats, and hardware. Learn more: go.nasa.gov/3P58OHx

Not science fiction, science fact! 🔬 Researchers are exploring an idea to use engineered bacteria to clean Martian water, turning contaminants into consumables. This concept could one day help us produce valuable resources for explorers on the Red Planet. Explore more: go.nasa.gov/42Nmmuk