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AERONAUTICS
Flying Faster and Higher
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As NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft continues to fly higher and faster, the team is analyzing data gathered during a series of in‑flight maneuvers. In recent tests over California’s Mojave Desert, pilots put the aircraft through a range of actions — from wing‑to‑wing banking to roller‑coaster‑style climbs and descents — to study how aerodynamic forces influence stability and control.
The X‑59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to make quiet commercial supersonic flight over land possible. Using the X‑59, NASA is developing designs and technologies that industry can adopt to build a new generation of low‑boom supersonic aircraft. As part of the mission, NASA will eventually fly the X‑59 over selected U.S. communities to collect data on how people perceive the aircraft’s quiet sonic “thumps.” That information will be provided to U.S. and international regulators to help shape future rules for supersonic flight.
THE ONE-OF-A-KIND X-59
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AERONAUTICS
The Next Big Wing
NASA and Boeing have finished wind‑tunnel testing on an advanced aircraft concept known as the truss‑braced wing. This design uses an ultra‑long, slender wing supported by aerodynamic trusses, a configuration that could significantly cut fuel use and lower operating costs for future commercial aircraft. Originating from NASA‑supported aeronautics research, the transonic truss‑braced wing has progressed from an early idea to a viable design through step‑by‑step collaboration.
ADVANCED AIRCRAFT DESIGN
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TECHNOLOGY
Powering Up
A prototype of a powerful new lithium‑fed electric thruster that could one day help send humans to Mars has been successfully tested at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The magnetoplasmadynamic thruster, which runs on lithium metal vapor, is designed to reach power levels far beyond those of today’s electric propulsion systems. Although the technology still requires significant development before it’s ready for spaceflight, this achievement marks a major step toward nuclear electric propulsion systems that could shorten travel time to Mars.
HUMAN MISSIONS TO MARS
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HUMANS IN SPACE
Preparing Artemis III
Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida are pressing ahead with preparations for the next Artemis mission following the successful Artemis II test flight. On April 28, technicians maneuvered the core stage of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket into the Vehicle Assembly Building for Artemis III. Artemis III will send astronauts into Earth's orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft atop SLS to demonstrate the rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed for future missions. These operations will be essential for Artemis IV, which aims to land astronauts on the Moon in 2028.
LEARN MORE
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HUMANS IN SPACE
Space Station Updates
After reviewing the International Space Station flight schedule, NASA and its partners are adjusting launch opportunities for several missions. The updated timeline better aligns planning, logistics, and overall mission timing to support station operations.
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| | | | NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers have captured two 360-degree landscapes that highlight how the missions are revealing details of the Red Planet’s formation, watery past, and potential for life. Located 2,345 miles apart from each other on Mars — about the distance from Los Angeles to Washington — both rovers are exploring areas that are billions of years old. | | On May 5, 1961, NASA launched an astronaut into space for the first time as part of Project Mercury, the United States’ first human spaceflight program. On that day 65 years ago, Alan B. Shepard Jr. became the first American to travel in space. | |
| How long was Alan Shepard’s 1961 spaceflight? | | | | Find out the answer in next week's NASA newsletter! 🤓 | | | | Last week, we asked what a more commonly used name for SSRMS is. The answer? Canadarm2. The Canadian-made 57.7-foot-long robotic arm — officially known as the Space Station Remote Manipulator System — is a more advanced version of Canadarm, the robotic arm used by the space shuttle. Along with the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (Dextre) and Mobile Base System, Canadarm2 is now part of the space station’s mobile servicing system. | | |
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Nasdaq Chair and Chief Executive Officer Adena T. Friedman, left, joins NASA’s Artemis II crew members—CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman, right — as they ring the closing bell of the Nasdaq market session on Thursday, April 30, 2026.
Earlier in April, the Artemis II mission carried Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a nearly 10‑day journey around the Moon and back to Earth.
THE ARTEMIS II CREW TAKE MANHATTAN
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