[NASA REPORTS]

Solar Region Summary (SRS)

2026-08-26T17:39:06Z

:Product: Solar Region Summary

:Issued: 2026 Aug 27 0030 UTC

# Prepared jointly by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA,

# Space Weather Prediction Center and the U.S. Air Force.

#

Joint USAF/NOAA Solar Region Summary

SRS Number 239 Issued at 0030Z on 27 Aug 2026
Report compiled from data received at SWO on 26 Aug

I.  Regions with Sunspots.  Locations Valid at 26/2400Z 

Nmbr Location  Lo  Area  Z   LL   NN Mag Type

4513 N04W17   054  0190 Dac  10   14 Beta-Gamma

4515 S07W04   041  0020 Hsx  01   01 Alpha

4516 N15W81   118  0060 Dao  08   03 Beta

4517 N09W31   068  0170 Dai  09   13 Beta-Gamma

4518 N07E43   354  0030 Cri  03   05 Beta

4519 N28E53   344  0010 Bxo  02   03 Beta

IA. H-alpha Plages without Spots.  Locations Valid at 26/2400Z Aug

Nmbr  Location  Lo

None

II. Regions Due to Return 27 Aug to 29 Aug

Nmbr Lat    Lo

4509 N11    287

4503 S17    277

Thank you for using the Product Subscription Service. If you would like to remove a product subscription or update the personal information in your account, go to the Product Subscription Site. Please do not use the from address for correspondence, as it is not monitored. For comments or help, please contact SWPC Help.

[PODAAC Mailing List] Earthdata GIS (EGIS) PO.DAAC Services Transition and Downtime

2026-08-26T13:38:39Z

Aug 26, 2026

NASA Earthdata GIS (EGIS) will be transitioning and updating to a new backend enterprise system. This will change how users access the service.

There will be a scheduled downtime from August 31st - September 4th, 2026 during which the EGIS portal and its services will not be accessible. After the update and transition is complete, the URLs to both the EGIS portal and content pages will remain the same, while the services REST endpoints will have been updated (changed).

We will send out a follow-up notification regarding the completion of the update and availability of the new REST endpoint URLs.

Please refer to the PODAAC Cookbook GIS Chapter for the updated endpoints to access the PO.DAAC EGIS services, once the EGIS enterprise backend system has been updated.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
User Services Office
NASA JPL Physical Oceanography DAAC
E-mail: podaac@podaac.jpl.nasa.gov
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be removed from this mailing list, please send an e-mail to podaac@podaac.jpl.nasa.gov with your request.

NASA Sets Spacewalk for Station Maintenance, Live Coverage Planned

2026-08-26T11:54:25Z

NASA News

MEDIA ADVISORY M26-064

AUG. 26, 2026

HUMANS IN SPACE

NASA Sets Spacewalk for Station Maintenance, Live Coverage Planned

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot work together inside the International Space Station’s Quest airlock during spacesuit fit and leak checks. Credit: NASA

NASA will provide coverage as two astronauts step outside the International Space Station on Tuesday, Sept. 1, to replace a spacecraft navigational aid and complete several maintenance tasks in support of space station operations.

Watch live coverage beginning at 7 a.m. EDT. The spacewalk is expected to start at approximately 8:30 a.m. and last about six and a half hours. NASA’s spacewalk coverage will stream through a variety of platforms. Learn where to watch online:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

During U.S. spacewalk 99, NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot will replace a retroreflector on the forward port of the space station’s Harmony module to support spacecraft navigation during rendezvous and docking operations. After installing the reflector, the crew will work to install jumper cables for the data-relay systems, prepare the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer’s radiator for future maintenance, and replace a high-definition camera on the station’s truss.

Adenot will serve as spacewalk crew member 1 and will wear a suit with red stripes. Meir will serve as crew member 2 and will wear an unmarked suit.

This will be Meir’s seventh spacewalk and Adenot’s third. Meir will move into third all-time for total spacewalks among women at NASA, trailing Peggy Whitson (10) and Suni Williams (9). The excursion also marks the 284th spacewalk supporting space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

To learn more about International Space Station research, operations, and its crews, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/station

-end-

Read on NASA.gov

Contact

Jimi Russell

Headquarters, Washington

202-358-1100

james.j.russell@nasa.gov

Sandra Jones / Anna Schneider

Johnson Space Center, Houston

281-483-5111

sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery.

Visit nasa.gov

Follow NASA

What's New at the Earth Observatory August 25, 2026

2026-08-26T11:54:22Z

August 25, 2026

Weekly News

Latest Images of the Day

View the Image of the Day archive

Michigan’s Les Cheneaux Islands

These glacial landforms jut into northern Lake Huron, surrounded by sheltered channels and coves frequented by fish and small watercraft.

What Lake Bonneville Left Behind

The drying of the massive lake exposed playas that became the setting for feats of engineering and technological ingenuity, as well as epic tales of exploration and desperation.

Europe’s Scorching Summer

A series of heat waves in 2026 is breaking records and taking a toll in Europe.

An Uncommon Drifter in the Denmark Strait

A large iceberg, observed in summer 2026, had drifted more than 1,000 kilometers south from the northeastern Greenland bay where it likely originated.

Elephant Butte Reservoir Runs Low

Drought in the Rio Grande basin contributed to New Mexico’s largest reservoir dwindling to its lowest level in decades.

Reminder: NASA’s Artemis II Crew Set to Receive Congressional Space Medal of Honor

2026-08-26T11:23:59Z

NASA News

MEDIA ADVISORY M26-062

AUG. 21, 2026

NASA’s Artemis II Crew Set to Receive Congressional Space Medal of Honor

From left, Artemis II crew NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen are photographed on April 29, 2026, in the White House Oval Office with President Donald J. Trump. Credit: White House

Reminder: The deadline to apply for media credentialing is 5 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

President Donald J. Trump will award each of NASA’s Artemis II crew members the Congressional Space Medal of Honor at 11 a.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 28, during a ceremony at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, completed a 10-day mission around the Moon on April 10. During a historic test flight as the first astronauts to fly aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft, these crew members were the first to travel beyond the Moon in more than 50 years and traveled farther in space than humans have ever before.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will join the President and astronauts in the awards ceremony.

The event will stream live on a variety of platforms. Learn how to watch online:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

In addition to pooled media, limited media credentialing is available for this event. To apply, please submit your request online by 5 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

Learn more about NASA’s Artemis program on the agency’s website.

-end-

Read on NASA.gov

Contact

Bethany Stevens / Cheryl Warner

Headquarters, Washington

202-358-1600

bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery.

Visit nasa.gov

Follow NASA

NASA Sets Coverage for Roman Space Telescope Launch from Florida

2026-08-26T11:23:56Z

NASA News

MEDIA ADVISORY M26-063

AUG. 24, 2026

SCIENCE

NASA Sets Coverage for Roman Space Telescope Launch from Florida

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is encapsulated within the payload fairing at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ahead of mating to a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket for launch. Credit: NASA/Sydney Rohde (Rocz)

Coverage plans are ready for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope prelaunch and launch activities. Roman is NASA’s next-generation observatory designed to explore some of the universe’s biggest mysteries, including dark energy.

NASA and SpaceX are targeting Roman’s liftoff for no earlier than 7:26 a.m. EDT Sunday, Aug. 30, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch coverage begins at 6:20 a.m.

Live coverage of these events will stream through a variety of platforms. Learn where to watch online:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

Named for NASA's first chief astronomer, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will pair sharp infrared vision with a field of view at least 100 times larger than the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope. Its crisp, sweeping surveys will help scientists investigate dark energy and dark matter, discover and characterize exoplanets, map billions of galaxies, study black holes, and explore objects from our own solar system to the edge of the observable universe.

After launch and separation from the rocket, Roman will travel to the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point, or L2, about one million miles from Earth. The mission has a five-year primary lifetime with a goal of operating for 10 years, and Roman's science data will be publicly available after processing.

NASA's mission coverage is as follows (all times are Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):

Saturday, Aug. 29

9 a.m.: NASA's Roman Space Telescope Mission Science Briefing: The briefing will take place in the NASA Kennedy Press Site auditorium with the following participants:

Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director, Astrophysics Division, NASA Headquarters
Julie McEnery, Roman telescope senior project scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Vanessa Bailey, Roman Coronagraph Instrument scientist, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Kristen McQuinn, Roman Science Operations Center lead, Space Telescope Science Institute
Lee Armus, Roman Science Support Center lead, Caltech/IPAC

Media may ask questions in person or by phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, media should contact the NASA Kennedy newsroom no later than one hour before the briefing at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

10:30 a.m.: NASA's Roman Space Telescope Prelaunch News Conference: The news conference will take place in the NASA Kennedy Press Site auditorium with the following participants:

Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
Lucas Paganini, Roman telescope program executive, NASA Headquarters
Jackie Townsend, Roman telescope project manager, NASA Goddard
Denton Gibson, launch director, NASA's Launch Services Program, NASA Kennedy
Julianna Scheiman, director, NASA Science and Dragon Programs, SpaceX
Justin McReynolds, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, U.S. Space Force

11:45 a.m.: NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is expected to fly past the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and Falcon Heavy rocket on the launchpad in his jet. The flyby will be shown live on the same stream as the prelaunch news conference, with a view of the launch pad during the transition. The flyby is subject to weather and operational considerations.

12 p.m.: In-person interviews will take place in the NASA Kennedy Press News Center:

Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
Lucas Paganini, Roman telescope program executive, NASA Headquarters
Dalia Kirschbaum, acting director, Sciences and Exploration Directorate, NASA Goddard
Josh Schlieder, Roman telescope project scientist, NASA Goddard
Jason Hylan, Roman telescope flight segment and observatory manager, NASA Goddard
Bertrand Mennesson, Roman Coronagraph Instrument project scientist, NASA JPL
Jeff Hanke, president, Space Systems, Space and Mission Systems, L3Harris Technologies
Wendy Minotti, program manager, Exquisite Imaging, Space and Mission Systems, L3Harris Technologies
Bonnie Patterson, vice president and general manager, Civil Space, Space and Mission Systems, BAE Systems
Sarah Lipscy, director, Strategic Operations, Space and Mission Systems, BAE Systems

Previously credentialed media interested in scheduling an interview should contact the NASA Kennedy newsroom at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

Sunday, Aug. 30

6:20 a.m.: Launch coverage begins.

7:26 a.m.: Launch

9:30 a.m.: Postlaunch news conference with the following participants:

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
Jackie Townsend, Roman telescope project manager, NASA Goddard
Julie McEnery, Roman telescope senior project scientist, NASA Goddard
Denton Gibson, launch director, NASA's Launch Services Program, NASA Kennedy

Audio-only coverage

Audio-only coverage of the launch will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, accessible by dialing 321-867-1220 or 321-867-1240. On launch day, mission audio countdown activities without NASA broadcast commentary will be carried on 321-867-7135.

Launch audio also will be available on Launch Information Service and Amateur Television System’s VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz and KSC Amateur Radio Club’s UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, FM mode, heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

NASA website launch coverage

Launch day coverage will be available on the NASA website, including the livestream and blog updates as countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and launch photos will be available shortly after liftoff. Follow mission updates on the Roman launch blog.

Attend launch virtually

Members of the public may register to attend the Roman launch virtually. NASA's Virtual Guest Program includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or schedule changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following launch.

Watch, engage on social media

Let people know you're watching the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by following and tagging these accounts:

X: @NASARoman, @NASAUniverse, @NASAKennedy
Facebook: @NASARoman, @NASAGoddard, @NASAKennedy
Instagram: @NASAGoddard, @NASAUniverse, @NASAKennedy

The Roman telescope is managed at NASA Goddard with participation by the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California; Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, California; the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore; and a team of scientists from various research institutions. The primary industrial partners are BAE Systems Inc., L3Harris Technologies, and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging. Contributions to Roman also are made by ESA (European Space Agency), JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), the French space agency CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales), and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, manages the launch service for the Roman mission.

For more information about NASA's Roman telescope, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/roman

-end-

Read on NASA.gov

Contact

Alise Fisher

NASA Headquarters, Washington

202-385-1287

alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov

Claire Andreoli

Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

301-286-1940

claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

Leejay Lockhart

Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

321-747-8310

leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery.

Visit nasa.gov

Follow NASA

NASA’s Artemis II Crew Set to Receive Congressional Space Medal of Honor

2026-08-26T11:09:51Z

NASA News

MEDIA ADVISORY M26-062

AUG. 21, 2026

NASA’s Artemis II Crew Set to Receive Congressional Space Medal of Honor

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will join the President and astronauts in the awards ceremony.

The event will stream live on a variety of platforms. Learn how to watch online:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

In addition to pooled media, limited media credentialing is available for this event. To apply, please submit your request online by 5 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

Learn more about NASA’s Artemis program on the agency’s website.

-end-

Read on NASA.gov

Contact

Bethany Stevens / Cheryl Warner

Headquarters, Washington

202-358-1600

bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery.

Visit nasa.gov

Follow NASA

Weekly Natural Event Updates August 21, 2026

2026-08-26T11:08:28Z

August 21, 2026

Natural Events

This Week's Natural Event Images

View the natural events archive

Europe’s Scorching Summer

A series of heat waves in 2026 is breaking records and taking a toll in Europe.

Lala Batters Hawaii

The powerful storm delivered extreme rainfall and damaging winds to the state, passing the Island of Hawaiʻi as a category 1 hurricane.

Chasing Fire Clouds in Utah

NASA aircraft are sampling smoke lofted high into the atmosphere by one of the most formidable cloud types in the sky—towering, smoke-infused pyrocumulonimbus.

NASA Earth Observatory

Where every day is Earth day

Visit science.nasa.gov/earth/earth -observatory

Follow NASAEarth

NASA Earth Science Division

What Hubble Can Teach NASA's Next Great Telescopes

2026-08-26T11:08:25Z

NASA History News & Notes

AUGUST 2026 • Volume 43, Number 7

CONTENTS

Reflecting on Hubble’s legacy
New NASA history publication coming this fall
The Gemini visual acuity experiments
Save the date: Dr. Amy Kaminski speaks on “The People’s Spaceship”
Trivia challenge: the first astronaut-designed mission patch

HUBBLE'S LEGACY

What 35 Years of Hubble Operations Can Teach NASA's Next Great Telescopes

Amber Straughn, deputy project scientist for Webb science communications (right), discusses seeing Hubble's image of the Hourglass Nebula on a Pearl Jam album in 2000. In 2025, the band asked Straughn to explain the science behind the image. Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber

On June 4–5, 2026, NASA’s History Office gathered historians, scientists, engineers, and program leaders at NASA Headquarters for a symposium with a deceptively simple title: Beyond the Deep Field: Hubble’s Legacy and the Future of Cosmic Observation. The occasion was organized to contemplate the Hubble Space Telescope's three and a half decades in orbit, but the spirit of the gathering was forward-facing. As Brian Odom, NASA’s chief historian, explained in his opening remarks, historians care about inflection points—“the moments when the future could have gone a vastly different direction”—and Hubble’s history is full of them. The purpose of the event was to reflect on the telescope’s decades of triumphs and near-disasters for lessons that could shape how NASA builds, funds, and operates its next generation of flagship observatories. Over a day and a half, five roundtable discussions covered Hubble’s origins and political coalition-building, its scientific breakthroughs, the servicing missions that reinvented it, and the institutional partnerships that have kept it running for more than twice its planned lifetime.

Some of the most memorable moments came in the form of anecdotes from those with firsthand experience with Hubble. Former astronaut John Grunsfeld, who participated remotely, described how the impetus to service Hubble prompted NASA to solve engineering problems it hadn’t yet faced. The Pistol Grip Tool, first used for Hubble’s Servicing Mission 2 in 1997, ended up being indispensable for the construction of the International Space Station, and was used on nearly every subsequent spacewalk.

Dave Leckrone, former senior project scientist, brought photographs of a college astronomy textbook from 1964 to illustrate Hubble’s impact on standard university instruction. Leckrone focused on the index, pointing out that “black holes” weren’t listed, and neither were “quasars,” “dark energy,” “dark matter,” “galaxy mergers,” nor “exoplanets.” His point was that Hubble didn’t just confirm ideas that were already circulating in the field—as with the detection of supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies, or the first characterization of an exoplanet’s atmosphere—it helped establish phenomena that are now considered basic curriculum.

There was also much discussion of how Hubble changed what it means to “do” astronomy. Historian Patrick McCray explained how Hubble spurred a shift in the culture of the field: the lone observer with a telescope and a logbook gave way to astronomers using data from public archives. By 2003, McCray explained, more than half of peer-reviewed papers using Hubble data were drawn from archival information rather than new observations, and roughly 40% relied on archived data exclusively. This proved to be a crucial and lasting transformation, as science-ready public archives are now a core deliverable of flagship mission design.

Patrick McCray (center on stage) discusses the use of Hubble’s archival data alongside Robert Smith and Rebecca Charbonneau, during a panel discussion on the history of the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

One recurrent theme was Hubble’s vast cultural impact and the ubiquity of its images. Ken Carpenter, Hubble’s operations project scientist, recalled seeing the telescope’s images printed on the side of moving trucks on Maryland freeways. Historian Robert Smith wore socks printed with Hubble’s Pillars of Creation and discussed the dizzying array of consumer goods printed with Hubble iconography that would occasionally turn up in his classroom. The impact of this reach was echoed by NASA scientists who said this content helped draw them into astronomy in the first place. Amber Straughn, deputy project scientist for James Webb Space Telescope science communications, recounted seeing a Hubble image of a nebula on the cover of a Pearl Jam album as a college student.

Threaded throughout these conversations was the observation that Hubble’s unexpected longevity, sustained through five astronaut servicing missions and a slow migration to one-gyroscope operations, is precisely what let it become both a scientific workhorse and a cultural icon. As NASA weighs how to fund, design, and sustain its next generation of flagship missions, Hubble’s most potent message is one of perseverance.

Lois Rosson
NASA Historian

Read the full symposium transcript

NEW NASA HISTORY PUBLICATION

The Heroic Saga of NASA’s Discovery Program Resumes this Fall

As Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey breaks box office records this summer, a much younger by comparison epic continues to unfold. NASA’s Discovery Program—with an origin dating back to the ancient time of 1989—has evolved and adapted over the decades. Greater historical attention to this program can help us understand the processes by which extraordinary journeys through the solar system can emerge, struggle, and eventually return groundbreaking science home to Earth.

When the NASA History Office published the first volume of this epic in 2023, Michael Neufeld wrote in his foreword that, “[t]he Discovery Program is the most important NASA robotic planetary spacecraft program you have never heard of—unless you are a space agency insider.” While the program itself is mostly unsung, the point is that the bold adventures of the missions make their mark on history, from landing on an asteroid, to returning cometary particles to Earth, or confirming the existence of more exoplanets than stars in our galaxy.

NASA's Discovery Program: Competitive Planetary Exploration in the 21st Century will be published this fall. Credit: NASA

Now the second volume in this history of NASA’s Discovery Program—more of a saga than a Homeric hymn—comes to us in the compelling prose of author David W. Brown.

Brown’s account, titled NASA's Discovery Program: Competitive Planetary Exploration in the 21st Century, brings the story of the Discovery Program up to 2025. Despite the program’s success, Discovery faced institutional resistance due to its competitive, cost-capped model. Over time, growing ambitions for missions and risk aversion led to more reviews, longer development cycles, and increased costs, making it harder for lean proposals to compete with flagship-like missions. Adopting innovative technologies enabled efficiency and substantial savings in some cases but also introduced risks that hindered some missions.

Anyone interested in the recent history of NASA’s Discovery missions like MESSENGER, Dawn, Kepler, InSight, and Psyche should consider this book required reading. Tie yourself to a mast, forgo wax in your ears, and listen: Brown weaves the spoken insights of program participants into a readable narrative spanning several decades and millions of miles.

James Anderson
NASA Historian

ON THE WEB

What Could Mercury Astronauts See from Orbit?

When L. Gordon Cooper Jr. returned from his two-day Mercury-Atlas 9 mission, the details he claimed to have seen from his spacecraft seemed farfetched to some. How could he have seen a white vehicle kicking up dust near the US-Mexico border or smoke-belching trains from 100 miles up? NASA decided to put the question to the test with the Gemini Visual Acuity Experiments.

Read about the experiments and how early human spaceflight photos inspired NASA’s Earth observation missions.

L. Gordon Cooper Jr. prepares for the launch of the Gemini V mission on August 21, 1965. Credit: NASA

SPEAKER SERIES

Dr. Amy Kaminski on "The People's Spaceship"

Photo courtesy of Dr. Amy Kaminski.

Join us on Wednesday, September 16 at 12:00 pm EDT, for a presentation by Dr. Amy Kaminski titled “The People’s Spaceship: NASA, the Shuttle Era, and Public Engagement after Apollo.”

In this talk, Kaminksi will trace how and why NASA painstakingly connected the space shuttle to so many segments of society. Underscoring the successes and challenges endured in the process, she will share the story of how the shuttle became an American technological icon and offer insights into how the shuttle experience could guide NASA in maintaining a strong relationship with the public as it pursues the Artemis program and eventual human journeys to Mars.

TRIVIA CHALLENGE

The First Astronaut-Designed Mission Patch

The first astronaut-designed mission patch took flight on Gemini V on August 21, 1965. Astronauts L. Gordon Cooper Jr. and Charles “Pete” Conrad Jr. created the mission patch to emphasize the pioneering nature of their mission, featuring a covered wagon with a short phrase embroidered on it.

With some reluctance, James Webb, NASA’s administrator at the time, approved the patch on the condition that the text on the wagon be removed or covered up.

What phrase was embroidered on the covered wagon?

"To the Moon, Alice"

"8 Days or Bust"

"Mission Accomplished"

"Space Pioneers"

The Gemini V mission patch is visible on the spacesuits of the crew after their historic week-long mission. Credit: NASA

NASA History

The NASA History Office documents and preserves NASA’s remarkable history and strives to engage with the public about NASA's past and how it relates to our world today.

Visit www.nasa.gov/history

Email the NASA History Office

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery.

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Daily Natural Event Updates August 21, 2026

2026-08-26T10:30:52Z

August 21, 2026

Natural Events

Latest Natural Event Images

View the natural events archive

Europe’s Scorching Summer

A series of heat waves in 2026 is breaking records and taking a toll in Europe.

NASA Earth Observatory

Where every day is Earth day

Visit science.nasa.gov/earth/earth -observatory

Follow NASAEarth

NASA Earth Science Division

NASA Updates Next Steps for Commercial Swift Boost Mission

2026-08-19T11:39:38Z

NASA News

RELEASE 26-067

AUG.19, 2026

SCIENCE

NASA Updates Next Steps for Commercial Swift Boost Mission

NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, shown in this artist’s concept, has orbited Earth for more than 20 years, studying the ever-changing universe. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

Due to an ongoing commercial spacecraft attitude control issue, NASA and Katalyst Space announced Wednesday the LINK spacecraft will not capture or boost an agency satellite to a higher altitude to extend its science mission as planned. However, LINK still will attempt to conduct rendezvous and proximity operations with NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to demonstrate key capabilities for the future of space exploration.

“NASA should be willing to move quickly and take smart risks when the potential return is worth it, and that is exactly what we did with this mission,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “This is not the outcome we were working toward, but it does not change why this mission was worth attempting. The team moved with extraordinary speed to give Swift a chance to carry out more science while advancing capabilities America will need for satellite servicing in the future. We are going to learn everything we can from LINK’s rendezvous attempt and put those lessons to work on the missions that follow.”

NASA and Katalyst are working closely to assess next steps for rendezvous and gather as much data as possible to inform future satellite servicing operations.

“We knew this was a high-risk, high-reward mission – a first-of-its kind attempt, developed on an unprecedented timeline driven by the Sun’s activity,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director, Astrophysics Division, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We were all hoping for more science from Swift. But we knew the takeaways from this mission would be worthwhile either way, and we have gained so much through the series of accomplishments up to this point.”

Without intervention, NASA anticipates Swift is likely to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere later this year. As part of the agency’s previous planning for Swift’s end of life, NASA will continue to prioritize finding new options to react rapidly to cosmic events, using current missions to help fill the gap in the meantime.

“Building, testing, and operating this mission has already strengthened America’s space industry pipeline, advancing in-space servicing capabilities in completely new ways,” Domagal-Goldman said. “NASA is committed to supporting our commercial vendors as they take on difficult tasks with the agency, to push the boundaries of what’s possible. We’re so proud of this team for: getting to the launch pad in record time, in a record-setting year for NASA astrophysics launches; its innovative problem-solving up to this point; and the dedication to the exciting capabilities this mission will attempt to demonstrate next.”

Swift was launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe, and other cosmic objects and events. It was designed for a two-year prime mission. After 21 years of science operations, Swift’s low Earth orbit began to rapidly decay because of increased solar activity. NASA used this opportunity to advance U.S. spacecraft servicing technology, awarding a contract to Katalyst in September 2025 to mount a robotic servicing mission for Swift in less than a year.

The LINK spacecraft launched July 3 on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket from Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific Ocean. Teams established communications with LINK and conducted in-orbit checkouts over the following weeks, before the spacecraft experienced attitude control issues.

Learn more from Katalyst, and monitor NASA’s Swift blog for continued updates throughout rendezvous:

https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift

-end-

Read on NASA.gov

Contact

Alise Fisher

Headquarters, Washington

202-358-2546

alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery.

Visit nasa.gov

Follow NASA