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Matt Anderson was sworn in Thursday as NASA’s 16th deputy administrator by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. The oath was taken during a ceremony held at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington.

As NASA deputy administrator, Anderson will help lead the agency’s efforts to execute the President’s national space policy, strengthen America’s leadership in space, and advance NASA’s missions in exploration, science, and aeronautics.

“Matt Anderson brings exactly the kind of operational leadership, technical expertise, and mission focus NASA needs right now,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “His decades of experience across the Air Force, Space Command, and the aerospace industry give him a valuable perspective as we work to strengthen America’s leadership in space and enter the next era of exploration. I’m excited to have him helping lead NASA as we take on the near-impossible and push the boundaries of what we can achieve.”

“I’m deeply honored to serve as the deputy administrator and support the men and women across NASA who carry out some of the most ambitious and important work in the world,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson. “NASA has been entrusted with a mission of enormous strategic, scientific, and economic significance, and delivering on that mission will require disciplined execution, technical excellence, and a strong culture of accountability. I’m grateful to President Trump for the trust and confidence he has placed in me with this nomination, and I look forward to serving alongside Administrator Isaacman and the extraordinary NASA workforce as we strengthen America’s leadership in space and build toward the next golden era of space exploration.”

“NASA succeeds when we pair clear mission goals with empowered teams and disciplined execution,” said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya. “Matt Anderson has spent his career leading in complex operational environments where the stakes are high and mission success depends on trust in the people doing the work. I look forward to working with him as we continue building the capabilities, partnerships, and workforce needed for the challenging missions ahead of us.”

Anderson was nominated by President Donald J. Trump on Jan. 13, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 18.

Read Anderson’s official biography on the agency’s website:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/matt-anderson

-end-

Bethany Stevens / George Alderman
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov / george.a.alderman@nasa.gov

5 Min Read

NASA Highlights 2025 International Space Station Science Results

To dive deeper into the International Space Station research achievements from the past year, browse the 2025 Annual Highlights of Results, which NASA released in May 2026.

In 2025, researchers using the orbital laboratory conducted more than 750 investigations that advanced understanding of life in space, drove innovations to benefit people on Earth, and supported NASA’s exploration of the Moon and Mars.

Results include a study that could protect astronaut performance on future long-duration missions and a biomaterials investigation aimed at advancing tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Miniaturizing surgery

NASA evaluated whether a miniature robotic system could perform surgical tasks in microgravity. Researchers used rubber bands to simulate surgical tasks aboard the space station, allowing them to observe communication delays from Earth and test robotic precision in space during remote operations. Results showed that while timing delays increased the duration of procedures, they had minimal impact on robotic accuracy.

This research demonstrates that precise surgical procedures could one day be performed in space, including at a future lunar base or on Mars. Robotic surgery also offers a compact, reliable option for performing medical procedures in remote places on Earth.

Learn more about the Robotic Surgery Tech Demo

Levitating bone growth

The Roscosmos investigation Magnetic 3D Bioprinter used magnetic levitation to form complex tissue structures in microgravity with high precision and minimal materials. Researchers used this technique to position calcium crystals into structures that can serve as synthetic bone grafts to promote new bone growth. Samples formed in microgravity showed superior structural organization and a high capacity for bone tissue regeneration. Astronauts experience bone loss in space and may face a higher risk of bone fractures during long-duration exploration missions.

This research could one day allow astronauts to fabricate medical treatments on demand to address skeletal injuries far from Earth.

Melanin infused materials

NASA examined how prolonged exposure to the vacuum of space affects the performance and durability of materials used in space exploration. Researchers exposed polymers, thermal protection systems, spacesuit components, and radiation-shielding materials to the space environment for six months. The research also tested several biomaterials infused with different types of melanin, a naturally occurring pigment that protects against ultraviolet radiation. The materials infused with fungal melanin showed the greatest resistance to radiation damage.

Biologically derived materials offer a lightweight, sustainable option for radiation shielding during future missions beyond Earth, with potential applications on Earth in medical protection, UV defense, and radiation-resistant structures.

Learn more about the Materials International Space Station Experiment-13-NASA (MISSE-13-NASA) investigation.

Power that endures

A JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) investigation studied the stable operation of all solid-state lithium ion batteries in space, including under extreme temperature swings and vacuum. Compared to conventional lithium ion batteries, these batteries are believed to operate across a wider temperature range, offer greater chemical stability, and provide increased ignition resistance.

Researchers assembled a battery pack from multiple all solid-state lithium ion batteries in space and exposed it to space for 434 days to track performance, degradation, and radiation response. The battery pack showed stable electrical behavior, no signs of degradation, and only a 2% loss in capacity. These results demonstrate that these batteries could provide safer, more reliable power systems for missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as for use in extreme environments on Earth.

Learn more about the Space Demonstration for All Solid-state Lithium Ion Battery investigation.

Runway return

NASA continues to study how long-duration spaceflight affects astronauts’ ability to pilot and perform complex tasks after landing. Five experienced astronauts completed simulated aircraft landings before and after their space station missions. The astronauts’ results showed degraded performance after returning to Earth, including higher touchdown speeds and navigational errors. However, most pilots returned to baseline during a second attempt on the same day.

These findings suggest that long-term exposure to microgravity can temporarily diminish critical piloting skills, highlighting the need for countermeasures that help astronauts maintain their abilities after space travel.

Learn more about NASA’s Manual Control investigation.

Tracking electrical phenomena from space

The European Space Agency is studying electrical phenomena that occur above severe thunderstorms, including colorful sprays of energy and light known as sprites, blue jets, and elves. Researchers combined the observations with radio measurements from ground-based receivers to confirm powerful bursts of electricity above thunderstorms can generate enough energy to trigger elves. The team also found a correlation between the brightness of blue flashes and electrical current, improving our ability to model energy transfer between the upper atmosphere and the edge of space.

Tracking this activity could enhance severe weather prediction and deepen understanding of the upper atmosphere, a region critical for satellite operations and communication systems.

Learn more about the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor investigation.

Throughout more than two decades of operations, researchers from more than 110 nations have carried out 4,000-plus experiments, producing over 5,000 scientific publications. Space station research has been cited more than 100,000 times in scientific journals.

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Robotics will play a critical role in NASA’s ambitious plan to establish a long-term presence on the Moon, presenting opportunities for the next generation of engineers, technologists, and innovators to contribute to a bold vision for the future.

That was the agency’s message to students, partners, and industry leaders at the 2026 FIRST Robotics World Championship in Houston, where more than 1,000 student teams convened for exciting competitions and hands-on experiences.

NASA connected directly with the future workforce at the event, engaging more than 51,000 students, parents, and mentors through interactive exhibits and discussions. The agency highlighted its plan to construct a permanent lunar outpost – Moon Base – that will serve as a hub for lunar exploration, scientific research, and technology demonstration, laying the foundation for future missions to Mars and beyond. Phase 1 of NASA’s Moon Base plan centers around a rapid series of robotic and early uncrewed missions to scout, experiment, and prepare for surface operations ahead of crewed Artemis missions. That includes an accelerated cadence of CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) flights, with up to 30 robotic lunar landings targeted for 2027, to expedite the delivery of science and technology payloads including rovers, hoppers, and drones.

A Moon Base model was a focal point of NASA’s exhibit. Other displays highlighted key innovations such as:

• Automated Reconfigurable Mission Adaptive Digital Assembly Systems: A modular construction system of small robots and smart algorithms that can autonomously assemble large-scale infrastructure in space, such as solar power, communications, and habitat systems. This system could reduce reliance on launching fully assembled hardware from Earth, supporting sustainable deep space exploration.
• Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration: A trio of small lunar rovers designed to explore together autonomously, collecting data that would be impossible for a single robot to gather. Their success could pave the way for multirobot missions that can help inform future science objectives, navigate hazardous terrain, and support astronaut activities.
• Skyfall Mars Helicopters: Building on the success of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which completed 72 historic flights at Mars’ Jezero Crater, the SkyFall helicopters would also serve as aerial scouts for scientists and mission planners, paving the way for human exploration of the Red Planet.

Multiple NASA centers participated in the event, including Johnson Space Center in Houston; Kennedy Space Center in Florida; Langley Research Center in Virginia; Ames Research Center in California; Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans; Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California; Glenn Research Center in Cleveland; Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico; and Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. Each brought unique technologies and expertise to the exhibit floor.

Since 1996, NASA has supported and mentored FIRST Robotics teams across the country. This year, NASA sponsored more than 160 FIRST Robotics Teams – 50 of which also had a NASA mentor. NASA Johnson directly mentored six teams, with two of them making it all the way to the FIRST Championship. Additionally, NASA supported the FIRST Championship with a Mobile Machine Shop where teams could bring broken parts and have NASA machinists help them with repairs. The shop completed over 600 jobs for the teams during the event.

NASA’s presence at the championship not only provides a platform for sharing its ambitious plans but also inspires students to envision themselves as part of the NASA team, working to achieve the near-impossible.

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Closely spaced volcanic plumes, surrounded by clouds, stream from a growing underwater volcanic platform in this natural-color image captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 9 on May 11, 2026, three days after the eruption began. The right image emphasizes the infrared signature of the eruption. NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison.

It’s a truism among oceanographers that there is more accurate mapping of the surface of the Moon and Mars than of the deep-ocean floor. That’s especially true for the Bismarck Sea, a relatively deep body of water north of Papua New Guinea. It’s an ocean basin with a geologically complex seafloor rife with faults, volcanic features, rifts, scarps, and active subduction and spreading zones at depths that make high-resolution sonar mapping challenging.

When satellites detected signs of an unexpected submarine volcanic eruption in the Central Bismarck Sea on May 8, 2026, volcanologists were confronted with the reality that no high-resolution maps of the area were available, and relatively little is known about the deep-water eruption setting. The new eruption is thought to be occurring along the Titan Ridge, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) southeast of the location of a submarine eruption in 1972. However, there is little clarity or consensus among scientists about precisely which volcanic feature may be erupting, the original depth of the currently active vent, or when it last erupted.

“The good news is that there are huge opportunities to explore and learn using both government and commercial satellite platforms already in orbit,” said Jim Garvin, the chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

What is known is that seismometers detected a small swarm of earthquakes on May 8, followed soon after by clear signs of a submarine eruption in satellite observations. Beginning on May 9, NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites captured optical imagery of white, steam-rich volcanic plumes rising into the atmosphere, while the ocean color sensor on NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem) satellite revealed discolored and disturbed water surrounding the eruption site.

Other satellites observed ash plumes soaring several kilometers into the atmosphere. Higher resolution imagery from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 and the NASA/USGS Landsat 9 (top) satellites, acquired on May 10 and 11, respectively, captured detailed views of activity near the water surface. The right image at the top of the page shows the same scene in false color (bands 7-6-5), with the inset highlighting the infrared signature of the eruption. On May 12, the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on Suomi NPP detected thermal anomalies spanning roughly seven square kilometers. 

“There must be a lot of hot material near the surface to generate so many thermal anomalies,” said Simon Carn, a volcanologist at Michigan Tech. “This suggests a fairly shallow eruption vent—much shallower than what’s implied by the existing bathymetry, which shows water depths of several hundred meters or more.”

Optical satellite imagery shows intense activity in near-surface water, including large plumes of discolored water and widely distributed steam and ash vents. Both medium– and high-resolution sensors—from both government sources and commercial satellite companies—have captured images of expansive pumice rafts (floating volcanic rocks) forming long bands in the surface currents in recent days. 

“We’re now eagerly waiting to see if a new island is about to be born—something that we’ve only rarely been able to observe with satellites as it happens,” Garvin said. If a new island does emerge, volcanologists will be watching it closely to see how it evolves. It could build a tuff cone with a long-lived vent crater, or it could collapse and erode rapidly. The eruption could also take a much more explosive turn if seawater finds its way into the shallow magma chamber that has risen within the growing underwater structure.         

To date, the eruption has been much less explosive than other recent submarine eruptions, such as those at Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai in 2022 and Fukutoku-Okanobain 2021. It seems unlikely that this event will become highly explosive because it appears to be associated with a volcanic ridge near the junction of a transform fault and a back-arc spreading center, Carn said. “Spreading centers are associated with less explosive activity, while the most explosive eruptions are usually along subduction zones and involve large stratovolcanoes.”

How long the current eruption will persist is unclear. The 1972 event in this general region lasted for just four days, while another submarine eruption that occurred about 100 kilometers away in the St. Andrew Strait in 1957 lasted nearly four years.

Garvin and scientists from other institutions are tracking developments closely. He plans to analyze radar data from the NASA-ISRO NISAR satellite and the Canadian Space Agency’s RADARSAT Constellation Mission to map the contours of any new land that emerges and track how its shape changes over time. If a permanent island forms, Garvin also sees opportunities for researchers, or “island-nauts,” to visit the area and study how the infant island responds to plant and animal colonization, rainfall, chemical weathering, and other erosive forces, just as happened after the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai eruption.

“This new eruption could present an even better opportunity for ‘island-naut’ exploration as we prepare to return to the Moon with women and men via Artemis IV,” he said.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey and MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Adam Voiland.

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May 11, 2026 (false color)

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References & Resources

• ABC (2026, May 19) Undersea volcano erupts in Papua New Guinea’s Bismarck Sea prompting tsunami concerns. Accessed May 20, 2026.  
• Bureau of Meteorology (2026) Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisories. Accessed May 20, 2026.  
• Carn, S., via Bluesky (2026, May 12) New submarine #volcanic #eruption in the Central Bismarck Sea. Accessed May 20, 2026.  
• Global Volcanism Program (2026, May 13) Central Bismarck Sea. Accessed May 20, 2026.  
• Ikegami, F., via Bluesky (2026, May 19) Another magnificent photo has been dropped. Accessed May 20, 2026.  
• NASA (2026) Volcanoes. Accessed May 20, 2026.  
• PNG Bulletin (2026, May 20) Submarine Volcano Eruption in Bismarck Sea Under Close Monitoring. Accessed May 20, 2026.  
• RNZ (2026, May 20) Could the rare submarine volcano erupting in PNG blow big? Accessed May 20, 2026.  

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A South Dakota State University team took first place at NASA’s fifth annual Gateways to Blue Skies Competition, which challenged student teams to address a critical element of U.S. aviation: aircraft maintenance.

This year’s competition, RepAir: Advancing Aircraft Maintenance, asked teams of postsecondary students to develop innovative systems and practices that could advance commercial aircraft maintenance and repair operations by 2035. The competition, sponsored by NASA’s University Innovation project within the agency’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, supported the agency’s objectives of fostering innovative research and strengthening the future aviation workforce.

“This year’s finalists proposed novel ideas to equip companies and their workers with innovative technologies to help keep our nation’s planes airworthy. This is especially critical in a time where flight safety is more commonly in the spotlight and where workforce shortages lead to challenges and opportunities in aviation,” said Steven Holz, associate project manager for NASA’s University Innovation Project and judging panel chair for Gateways to Blue Skies. “Our panel of industry and subject matter experts were excited about the possibilities these concepts could bring, as well as shared insights needed for these teams to push forward for real-world implementation.”

The winning project, WINGMAN, proposed augmented reality safety glasses equipped with voice-controlled manuals, automatic documentation, and photo recognition that could assist aircraft mechanics during routine daily servicing and minor repairs. The glasses would function as the mechanic’s “wingman,” enabling hands-free access to the information and reporting mechanisms required for line inspections.

The WINGMAN team presented their research along with seven finalists at the 2026 Gateways to Blue Skies Forum held May 18 and 19 at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The forum was judged by subject matter experts from NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, and industry, including representatives from Southwest Airlines and American Airlines. Students at the forum had the opportunity to network with NASA and industry experts, tour the center, and gain insight into potential careers. The event was livestreamed, and the presentations were recorded.

The winning team members will have the opportunity to intern at one of NASA’s four aeronautics research centers during the 2026-27 academic year, including NASA Langley, NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, and NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. 

“It was super exciting to participate in Gateways to Blue Skies, especially with the really interesting concepts this year,” said Owen Diede, WINGMAN team lead. “We couldn’t have done it without the feedback and support from our faculty advisor, Dr. Todd Letcher, as well as our design review committee, Dr. Ruyi Lian and Dr. Cody Christensen. This was a fantastic opportunity to learn and grow, and we are incredibly thankful for the experience.”

Other recognitions included:

• Best Infographic: University of California, Irvine
  Air Shield: Aircraft Structural Health Intelligence for Evaluation and Lifecycle Detection
• Future Game-Changer: University of Georgia
  Quasar: Quantum Sensing Aerial Reporting
• Safety Spotlight: South Dakota State University
  SPIDER (Surveying Platform and Inspection Device for Enclosed Regions)

The commercial aviation industry is a crucial component of the U.S. economy, yet it faces significant challenges due to a shortage of qualified maintenance workers and increasing demands to keep aircraft running for longer. NASA is dedicated to working with commercial, academic, and government partners to advance the capabilities and performance of U.S. aviation.

The Gateways to Blue Skies Challenge is part of the Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program in NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. The NASA Tournament Lab, part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Program in the Space Technology Mission Directorate, manages the challenge through the National Institute of Aerospace on behalf of NASA.

For more information about NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics