Plus our newest publications, next seminar, and trivia challenge 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 Telesc ...Continue Reading

Europe’s Scorching Summer   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 Sc ...Continue Reading

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 ...Continue Reading

NASA News   RELEASE 26-066 AUG. 19, 2026 NASA Establishes State Hubs to Grow Technical Aerospace Workforce From left, Sean McCrary and Katie Mortensen, mechanical engineering technicians, paint NASA’s Artemis logo on the White Room connected to the crew access arm and mobile launcher inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux NASA has awarded a ...Continue Reading

Discover the latest from NASA Earth Science   August 18, 2026 Weekly News   Latest Images of the Day View the Image of the Day archive 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—t ...Continue Reading

Lala Batters Hawaii   August 18, 2026 Natural Events   Latest Natural Event Images View the natural events archive 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.     NASA Earth Observatory Where every day is Earth day Visit science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory Follow NASAEarth       ...Continue Reading

NASA News   CONTRACT RELEASE: C26-009 AUG. 17, 2026 NASA Selects Companies to Provide Payload Processing Services Credit: NASA NASA has selected four companies to provide payload processing facilities under the Spacecraft Processing Operations Contract on‑ramp provision. The provision enables qualified providers to offer commercial payload processing services for agency missions launching from multiple locations where capabilities were ...Continue Reading

Chasing Fire Clouds in Utah   August 17, 2026 Natural Events   Latest Natural Event Images View the natural events archive 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 ...Continue Reading

:Product: Solar Region Summary :Issued: 2026 Aug 16 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 228 Issued at 0030Z on 16 Aug 2026 Report compiled from data received at SWO on 15 Aug I. Regions with Sunspots. Locations Valid at 15/2400Z Nmbr Location Lo Area Z LL NN Mag Type 4503 S17W81 263 0070 Cso 07 03 Beta 4506 N11W31 213 0010 Dri 0 ...Continue Reading

:Product: Solar Region Summary :Issued: 2026 Aug 15 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 227 Issued at 0030Z on 15 Aug 2026 Report compiled from data received at SWO on 14 Aug I. Regions with Sunspots. Locations Valid at 14/2400Z Nmbr Location Lo Area Z LL NN Mag Type 4503 S17W67 262 0030 Cao 03 03 Beta 4506 N11W17 212 0010 Bxo 0 ...Continue Reading