2026-03-05 16:20
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2026-03-06 02:59
2 min read
The Advanced Air Mobility Pathfinders (AAMP) project accelerates advanced air mobility technologies for wildfire response and urban transportation through real-world demonstrations and strategic partnerships.
AAMP researches emerging technologies, establishes aircraft strategic deconfliction frameworks, and validates solutions in metropolitan areas to enable larger-scale urban air mobility.
The project enhances Unmanned Aircraft Systems capabilities for wildfire mitigation and disaster response by transferring Portable Airspace Management System technologies to enable routine, safe, and efficient Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations.
AAMP delivers scalable technologies, integration standards, and coordination tools that drive industry adoption and improve multi-agency collaboration for emergency response.Â
The projectâŻis dedicated toâŻdemonstratingâŻand validating the safe and practical integration of advanced air mobility technologies. We focus on developing, evaluating, and transferring performance requirementsâŻfor:âŻÂ
Portable Airspace Management System — To enableâŻsafe, scalable, and continuous (24/7) aerial operations, especially in challenging degraded visual environments.âŻ
Airspace Service Providers — Managing medium-density advanced air mobility operations, aligning with the AAM National Strategy.âŻÂ
âŻOur goal is to ensure theseâŻsystemsâŻare ready for real-world use inâŻemergencyâŻoperationsâŻas well asâŻurban transportation. AAMP actively collaborates with government agencies, academia,âŻand industry stakeholders. These partnerships are vital forâŻvalidatingâŻthe safe and effective performance of theseâŻnew technologies.âŻ
This, in turn, enables safe, practical, and resilient urban air mobility operations. AAMP bridgesâŻthe gap between research and implementation, making Advanced Air Mobility a trusted solution for everyday transportation and life-saving missions across the United States.âŻÂ
2026-03-05 17:13
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility supported a Rocket Lab HASTE suborbital launch from the company’s Launch Complex 2 in Virginia on Feb. 27, 2026. The mission, called Cassowary Vex, supported a flight of a hypersonic test platform for the Department of Warâs Defense Innovation Unit.
The NASA Wallops launch range supported by providing services such as tracking, telemetry, and range safety to ensure a safe and successful mission. NASA Wallops plays a key role in enabling national security missions at its launch range for commercial partners and other government agencies.
Image Credit: NASA/ Danielle Johnson
2026-03-05 16:27
The Moon appears red during a total lunar eclipse over New Orleans, home of NASAâs Michoud Assembly Facility, on March 3, 2026. This “blood moon” occurs during a total lunar eclipse, as Earth lines up between the Moon and the Sun. When this happens, the only light that reaches the Moon’s surface is from the edges of Earth’s atmosphere. The air molecules from Earth’s atmosphere scatter out most of the blue light. The remaining light reflects onto the Moon’s surface with a red glow, making the Moon appear red in the night sky. This is the same effect that turns the sky pink, orange, and red at sunrise and sunset.
Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker
2026-03-05 05:01
On the southeastern coast of Anglesey, an island off the coast of mainland Wales, lies a little town with a big name. Following a Welsh tradition of naming towns after churches and nearby geographic features, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch roughly translates to âSt. Maryâs Church in the hollow of white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio near the red cave.â
Though Wales has many towns with long names, the unusual length of this one is intentional. The settlement, now home to about 3,000 people, was once called Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, but a local resident pushed for the longer version of the name in the 1860s as part of an effort to promote tourism and give its train station the longest name in Britain. Locals usually use a short version of the nameâeither Llanfairpwll or Llanfair PG.
The OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 captured this image of the town on April 9, 2025. The image below shows a wider view of the same area. The whirlpool mentioned in the name likely refers to a section of the Menai Strait between the Menai Suspension Bridge and Britannia Bridge known as the Swellies. The area is known for having exceptionally treacherous waters because of its complex bathymetry and because tides enter the strait from both ends at different times, creating strong swirling currents. Menai Suspension Bridge, often described as the first modern suspension bridge, was completed in 1826.
Llanddaniel Fab, a village nearby, is the hometown of NASA luminary Tecwyn Roberts. Roberts was a shy boy who grew up without electricity but went on to become one of NASAâs first flight dynamics officers. He is credited with helping to conceptualize NASAâs Deep Space Network, helping design Mission Control at Johnson Space Center, and leading the development of key systems used to communicate with Apollo astronauts.
Llanfairpwllâs full name, with 58 characters, is still shorter than the ceremonial 168-character name for Bangkok, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. However, Llanfairpwllâs full name is said to be the longest one-word place name in Europe and among the longest in the world.
Neighboring planets also boast some lengthy place names. Among the contenders on these other worlds: Schiaparelli crater on Mars, Nantosuelta valley on Venus, and Tchaikovsky crater on Mercury. But even these are less than half the length of the Welsh townâs name. The International Astronomical Union working group responsible for naming planetary features recommends that the first consideration for potential names is that they be âsimple, clear, and unambiguous.â
NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Adam Voiland.
Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.

The Large Magellanic Cloudâone of our closest neighboring galaxiesâis a hotbed of star formation that is visible to both astronautsâŚ

Astronauts and much of Earthâs population had a chance to view a coppery âBlood Moonâ during a total lunar eclipseâŚ

An astronaut photographed moonglint shimmering across the sea surface and the bright clusters of Floridaâs cities at night.
2026-03-05 01:05
1 min read
The High-Speed Flight (HSF) project develops technologies that make high-speed, airbreathing, commercial flight possible from Mach 1 to Mach 5 and above.
HSF creates tools, technologies, and knowledge that will help eliminate today’s technical barriers to practical supersonic flight, most notably sonic boom. The project supports the X-59 quiet supersonic vehicle testing by gathering acoustic data and validating tools that predict in-flight sonic booms.
HSF conducts fundamental and applied research that explores key challenges in reusable, hypersonic flight technology.
The project evaluates the potential for future commercial hypersonic vehicles, including reusable access to space and commercial point-to-point missions.
NASA maintains unique facilities, laboratories, and subject matter experts who investigate fundamental and applied research areas to solve the challenges of hypersonic flight. The High-Speed Flight project coordinates closely with partners in industry, academia, and other government agencies to leverage relevant data sets to validate computational models. These partners also utilize NASA expertise, facilities, and computational tools. Partnerships are critical to advancing the state of the art in hypersonic flight.
Contact the High-Speed Flight Project by email at larc-htp-inquiries@mail.nasa.gov
2026-03-06 01:28
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