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Next-Generation Mineral Mapping

A team of geoscientists recently headed into California’s Mojave Desert, armed with rock picks and hand lenses, to investigate a curious “fingerprint” detected by a NASA sensor. Their target was topaz—not for its gem value, but because its presence could hint at a more valuable deposit below: porphyry copper.

Geological Earth Mapping Experiment about Next-Generation Mineral Mapping

Soccer Meets Space Science

Researchers tested soccer balls aboard the International Space Station to study how internal mass affects motion and stability in microgravity.

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Freedom 250

NASA Celebrates America’s 250th Birthday

Our spirit of adventure and innovation will raise our nation to new heights.

From the earliest days of exploration, to the first steps on the Moon and the missions shaping our future, NASA represents the spirit of discovery that defines our nation. As the United States approaches its semiquincentennial, Freedom 250 highlights how innovation, courage, and scientific leadership have carried America forward — and how NASA continues to expand the frontier for the next generation.

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The top four-fifths of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) core stage for Artemis III was offloaded from the agency’s Pegasus barge on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, after arriving at Kennedy Space Center in Florida the previous day.
NASA/Glenn Benson